Bliss Baked Goods

Back in 2002, Lawrence Bliss and his family could see that there wasn’t a place in Edmonton where they could enjoy delicious baked goods and keep their strict kosher diet. Lawrence decided to start his own bakery to fill that need in the market. Because he’d never been a baker before, he began with only two products, bagels and challah (traditional Jewish braided bread), which he taught himself to make.

Over time, business grew because the bakery — where all the products are dairy-free and nut-free, as well as kosher — had no other competition and “customers enjoy what we make,” says Lawrence. As business strengthened, Bliss Baked Goods expanded its selection to include other bread, buns, doughnuts, squares, cakes, cupcakes and croissants. With these changes, the original 495-square-foot bakery in west-central Edmonton became a tight fit for the growing staff — which Lawrence’s wife, Shaindel, joined in 2011 and their daughter, Hanna, joined in 2014 — to work in.

By 2014, the business was doing so well that the Bliss family decided they were ready to expand. In October, they moved into a larger space in the strip mall at 107 avenue and 142 street, only a short distance from the original location. The move has proven to be exactly what Lawrence  anticipated: More visibility and a greater audience. With proximity to several local schools, Lawrence made sure to have enough fryers to keep up with the student demand for fries at lunch.The overall philosophy of Lawrence and his team is: “we do our best within our limits to make people happy.”