A Tavistock woman opened a bakery during the COVID-19 pandemic with hopes to bring joy into her community.
Tavistock native Ana Ritsma-Moore opened Ana’s Kitchen, located at 55 Woodstock St. N, Tavistock, on July 22.
“Because everybody’s miserable about, you know, life in general right now, it’s not such a bad idea to come in and get something to treat yourself,” Ritsma-Moore says in an interview.
Customers can place custom orders for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries and pick up their freshly made desserts at the store, or walk in and purchase an already baked treat like her signature Ritsma Coffee Cake.
She also sells pre-made dinners like chili, liver and onions and chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and gravy.
“We have a lot of seniors in this town right [be]cause it’s an old town so they appreciate [it] right when they come in,” says Ritsma-Moore. “So instead of making a sandwich and you know eating maybe not as healthy as they could, they know they can come here and get like a homemade meal.”
When the summer ended and children went back to school, the bakery’s business slowed down a bit, but she’s kept busy with selling thanksgiving and now Christmas treats.
Usually Ritsma-Moore works alone but with the busy Christmas season, she has a few family members helping her out with orders.
Ana’s Kitchen is also a place to support local artists by purchasing handmade jewelry, sweaters, mittens and more. Jam, maple syrup, bread and other food items are available in the store as well.
Residents can visit the store on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
And although the store is only open from Thursday to Saturday, Ritsma-Moore is usually there five days a week or more, doing the behind the scenes work .
She hopes to hire another baker to help her out in the future, but until then she’ll continue running Tavistock’s bakery by herself.
What is Journalism?