Edible Vancouver Island Jan/Feb 2023

Opposite page: spreading pizza sauce at Wild Culture Bakery. This page, clockwise from left: pizzas being prepared at Wild Culture Bakery; Dave Paul of Loveshack Libations; beer being poured at Loveshack Libations. Photos by Rae-Anne Guenther.

The limited hours and products also allow the business to feel more intimate. “We develop relationships with our customers, and that is kind of lost nowadays and I think people crave it,” Jean says. “They like that connection; they like to be remembered by name.” Their neighbourhood location also lends itself well to limited hours and community connection. For Jean and Dave, this is a business model that works, and one that is growing in popularity in the region, with other culinary entrepreneurs also adopting limited releases and hours—such as Tidal Taco, Salt Pizzeria and Bome Cheese. Jean isn’t surprised that many businesses in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region are adapting this “smaller is better”model. “I think that we as a culture are looking to experience things on a small scale,” she reflects. “It gives a different ambiance, and that balance as a business owner keeps you inspired, keeps us wanting to do the work that we do.” So next time you’re in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region, plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss out on a pizza from Wild Culture Bakery or a limited release beer from Loveshack Libations, and know that you’re truly supporting the lives and passions of the people behind the business signs.

explains. “In the winter I brew around my skiing schedule. If I got bigger or changed things, that would change my life and I do not want it to change.”He adds, “As soon as this stops being fun, I will be out.” A sustainable work-life balance is also a main reason why Jean Wilson of Wild Culture Bakery has embraced a limited release, minimal opening hours business model. “We’re only open three days a week mostly because it’s a choice we’ve made for our lifestyle,”she explains. “Most of our staff are artists, and they work really hard for three days, and then they get to do other things.” After their three work days, they have the opportunity to rest and recover, “and then we have more capacity for creativity,” Jean says. But the business didn’t start this way 25 years ago. It began as a completely wholesale bread business. They delivered bread throughout the island and into Vancouver, with much of their time consumed with packaging and driving. But a decade ago, they decided to buy a storefront, hiring a pastry chef (who still works for them) so they could add sweets to the roster. They’ve also recently added sourdough pizza to the menu but have limited the offer to Friday nights. They do this because of the amount of prep work involved, and also because the community seems to enjoy the element of scarcity. “People know they have to order ahead, because they’re usually sold out by Thursday. It makes it more of an occasion,” Jean says. “It makes it a little bit more exciting.”

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