Brightsun Bakery
Brightsun Bakery’s brochure offers a welcoming glimpse at their offerings. Made in 1987, to promote their baked goods (Courtesy Cathy Rice)
Story told by Cathy Rice
After 17 years in social work, I felt the need for a change. I was ready for something different, so I decided to leave and start a bakery with my family.
Baking was in my blood - my mother was a baker. When we were kids, we’d run down the road to deliver hot bread straight from the oven to people who had placed orders. She also made meat pies, which she’d store in an upstairs unheated room to keep them cold.
Brightsun Bakery began in 1987, built right next to our family home. It was designed from the ground up to be a bakery - with a cozy showroom for our fresh-baked goods, and a large open workspace behind it where customers could watch the magic happen through a big window.
The garage, once belonging to my father, played a big role too. Though he probably only ever parked his car in it once, we quickly took it over to house the bakery’s machines and supplies. That space became part of the heartbeat of our operations.
We named the bakery after him - Teiorahkwáthe’, which means “bright sun.” And so, Brightsun Bakery was born. A tribute to our father, and a name that still warms our hearts every day, just like the bread coming out of our ovens.
My sister, brother, and I decided to start a bakery together. But here’s the thing - we had no idea how to bake! We were completely clueless. Thankfully, my mom and a few other older women in the community stepped in and taught us the basics.
On top of that, we had to figure out how to hire and manage staff, create schedules, and determine the standards for what we were selling.
For instance, when making an apple pie, it didn’t need to be flawless, but it had to meet certain quality standards. As the manager, I also had to get a handle on the financial side of things, especially if I wanted to secure a loan from the Caisse Populaire Kahnawà:ke. Fortunately, my aunt June Delisle was there to show me how to put together the financial reports.
We baked everything, from bread and muffins to cinnamon buns, meat pies, fruit pies, cakes, and pastries. We even secured a contract with the Kanawaki Golf Club, where we provided desserts for one of their patrons who hosted the Rolling Stones.
We also delivered rolls and muffins to the Sports Complex. Our most popular item was the meat pie, especially during Christmas, when we’d easily sell around 800, baking 200 a day. At Christmas, we also supplied loaves of raisin bread to the catholic church, which were used to decorate the roof of a replica of the church on the altar. We also provided a raisin bread cross and rooster, which my sister carefully dressed.
Additionally, we baked about 500 individually wrapped raisin rolls for the church members.
We were active in 1990, baking whatever we could get our hands on. Every night, my brother and I would come in to make homemade bread, baking at least 100 loaves each evening to ensure the community had fresh bread each day. We called it “Blockade Bread,” and to this day, many in the community still remember it.
We also baked pies for the river crew working at the marina, who were transporting people across the river to the dock in Dorval.
After about 10 years, the bakery eventually closed as we all moved on to other pursuits.
It was a truly eye-opening experience for me, providing valuable lessons and skills that I still carry with me in my future endeavours.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Brightsun Bakery
(Courtesy. Cathy Rice)
Cathy Rice IAKOKÁ:RATON
Ohnà:ken tsá:ta iawén:re niiohserá:ke tsi otióhkwa' tekherihwasniè:se', onkwatéta'ahse' tsi teiotonhontsóhon takatté:ni'. Wakatateweiennenta'òn:ne' ok nahò:ten' ó:ia' naióhton, thò:ne ki' ia'tewakerihwaién:ta'se' akerihwará:ko' tánon' tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha' aontaiakwatáhsawen' akhwá:tsire'.
Kwah ítewa' akenekwénhsakon ne akatena'tarón:ten'—iontena'tarónthahkwe' nake'nisténha. Ken' shiiakwaksà:'a, teniakwaráhtate' shos tsi iotháhate' ieniákwe' naiakhihe'sè:ra' tsi niká:ien' ronatenhnhà:'on ne iona'tarataríhen néne òn:wa'k iontákwen. Tka'wà:ra ò:ni' wa'ontena'tarón:ten', nè:'e ki' kanonhsoharà:ke enionteweièn:ton' tsi nón:we iah teio'taríhen ká:nakte' né: ki' aón:ton' ieiotkontáhkwen akontiwístoske'.
1987 shiiohserò:ten tontáhsawen' ne Brighsun Bakery, kheh ákta wahatinonhsón:ni' tsi iakwèn:teron nonkwahwá:tsire'. Tsi tiotahsawáhkwen tionkwanonión:ni ne tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha' akénhake'—ionaktí:io tsi iontate'nonnì:tha' nonkwá:wen á:se' watena'tarón:ton aoná:wen, tánon' kowá:nen teionaktakà:ron kahsòn:ne thí:ken né: ki' aón:ton' ratihní:nons ahonterò:roke' tsi ní:tsi iótkon iohténtion ísi' na'katsiserá:ti. Né: tsi ie'serehtaientáhkhwa', né: ki' ne rake'níha raowenhkénha, né: ò:ni' kowá:nen wa'tiakwátieste'. Tóka' ki' tánon' énska tóka' ni' tékeni ia'teioiénhton eh ro'seréhtaien raò:sere, iosnó:re' wa'ákwatste' ne tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha' aó:wen wahtentià:tha' tánon' aowenhshòn:'a aiakwateweièn:ton'. Ionkwaió'te' tsi na'teiaonriáhkwen iotòn:'on neh nón:we.
Teiorahkwáthe' tsi nihohsennò:ten wa'ákwatste' tsi iakwahsenná:wi ne tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha', tsi ne kén:ton "teioswáthe' karáhkwa'." Thò:ne ki', Brightsun Bakery ontón:ni'. Nè:'e tehshakwanonhwerónhkhwa' ne shonkwa'níha, tánon' shé:kon nòn:wa ionkweriahsanawénhtha', kwah tsi ní:ioht ne kanà:taro ne tsi iontena'tarontáhkhwa' taioiaken'enhátie'.
Akhtsì:'a, rakhtsì:'a, tánon' ì:'i ia'teionkwarihwaientà:se' skátne aontaiakwatáhsawen' kí:ken tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha'. Nek tsi ionehrákwaht kí:ken nahò:ten'—iah othé:nen teiakwaweientehtòn:ne' tsi ní:tsi aiakwatena'tarón:ten'! Kwah tokèn:'en iah othé:nen teiakwaweientehtòn:ne'. Wa'tekhenonhwerá:ton' ake'nisténha tánon' tohkári nikón:ti konnón:kwe' ne kèn:tho kontì:teron ohén:ton wa'tionkhí:ta'se' tánon' wa'onkhirihónnien' ne kaia'takwe'ní:io's. Ok è:neken ne thí:ken, ó:nen'k tsi wa'tiakwarihwaiestáhsi' tsi ní:tsi kahnháhtshera' aiakhíhnha'ne' tánon' aiakhiiate'nikòn:raren', aiatión:ni' kátke rotiió'tens, tánon' aiakwakwatá:ko' tó: niioiánere' katokenstánion ne nahò:ten' iakwatenhní:nons.
Tsi ní:ioht ne nó:nen sewahió:wane' tewà:ia eniakwatena'tarón:ten', iah tha'teiotonhontsóhon kwah néhstsi akénhake', nek tsi ó:nen'k tsi ok wató:ken tó: niioiánere' katokénston ienkaníhara'ne'. Tsi ohén:ton í:kete', ó:nen'k tsi wa'katsté:riste' tsi nonkwá:ti nohwísta', sénha tóka' én:kehre' enkkwé:ni' aionkhwístani' ne Caisse Populaire Kahnawà:ke. Onkwatera'swí:ioste' ki', ake'nisténha June Delisle eh ié:ien'skwe' naionkena'tón:hahse' tsi ní:tsi akkwatá:ko' ne ohwísta' aorihwa'shòn:'a kahiá:ton.
Akwé:kon wa'akwatena'tarón:ten', kanà:taro tsi niió:re' teiotá:ronte' kanà:taro tsi niió:re' wahkárakon' ioní'tote', tka'wà:ra, tewà:ia, teiona'taratsikhè:tare', tánon' tekahse'rhakwenhténston. Khò:ni' iohní:ron wa'akwaterihwahserón:ni' ne Kanawaki Golf Club, eh nón:we teiotsikhè:tare' wa'akhikhwahéhrhahse' néne tseià:ta ne raononkwe'ta'shòn:'a néne Rolling Stones tehshakoti'nikonhrawén:rion. Sports Complex ò:ni' ia'akhíhe'se' ne ken' nikana'tarà:'a tánon' teiotá:ronte' kanà:taro. Tka'wà:ra nà:'a ne tkakowá:nen akwé:kon nahò:ten' iakwatenhní:nons, sénha ne Rotón:ni Nikahá:wi', watiesenhón:we 800 nikana'tará:ke wa'akwatenhní:non', 200 nikana'tarakehátie' iakwatena'taróntha' sewenhniserátshon. Ok ne Rotón:ni, né: ò:ni' io'nenharáthen kanà:taro taiakwátkahwe' tsi nonkwá:ti ne Tehatiiahsonthà:ke, tsi nè:'e wáhontste' tsi wa'thatiierónnion' tsi kanonhsakèn:tore' ne ki' nè:'e teskaierón:tare' ne ononhsatokenhtì:ke è:neken nonkwá:ti ne ieia'tarástha'. Né: ò:ni' taiakwátka'we' ne io'nenharáthen kanà:taro kaiáhsa' tánon' kítkin ká:tsin, néne akhtsì:'a tiakoteweièn:ton tsi iakoia'tahserón:ni.
Ò:ni', ákta 500 skátshon tekahwawen'ékhon io'nenharáthen kanà:taro wa'akwatena'tarón:ten' né: ki' ne tehatiiahsóntha' raoná:wen. Ionkwaterihwa'karí:tehkwe' ne 1990 shiiohserò:ten, wa'akwatena'tarón:ten' othé:nen nahò:ten' ón:ton' wa'akwaié:na'. Thia'tewahsón:take, rakhtsì:'a tánon' ì:'i taiatiatáweia'te' aiakenina'tarón:ni' kanonhskhónhkha kanà:taro, aró:nen 100 nikanenniò:kwake thia'teio'karahtsherá:ke né: ki' orihwí:io akénhake' tsi rotina'tará:ien' thia'tewenhniserá:ke ne kanakeráhsera'. "Tekanatáhnhen Kanà:taro" wa'akwanà:tonhkwe', tánon' shé:kon nòn:wa é:so iá:kon iakè:iahre' eh nahò:ten'.
Né: ò:ni' tekaswà:ne' wa'akhiiatena'tarónthahse' ne kaniatarà:ke rotiió'te' ne tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' nonkwá:ti, ronónha wáhi shakotihnióhes tsi niió:re' Dorval tsi iehrahrhóstha'.
Ohnà:ken 10 niiohserá:ke, khare' ó:nen wa'akwahnhó:ton' ne tsi iehse'rhonnià:tha' tsi ó:ia' nahò:ten' saionkwaió'ten'. Kwah tokèn:'en wa'tewakkahkwaríhsi' kí:ken tsi nontià:tawen', é:so kanó:ron's onkerihónnien' néne shé:kon wa'khá:wi' tsi nonkwá:ti tsi nahò:ten' wa'kerihontakóhe' ne tsi wa'kenhátie'.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde