German Traces in Quebec
The "Niemand Bakery"
Located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the community of Kamouraska is not only famous for its splendid sunsets - the most beautiful in Quebec, according to some - and the eponymous novel by Anne Hébert, but also for the “Boulangerie Niemand“, named after Jochen Niemand, a bakery artisan from North Rhine-Westphalia.
The entrance to the “Boulangerie Niemand“
| © Boulangerie Niemand
Grandson of a miller and son of a baker, it was through the family business that Jochen was first introduced to the art of making integral bread. In the early 1990s, an acquaintance of his father was looking for help in the bakery he had just opened in the north of Montreal, and that is how the young baker began his cross-Atlantic journey. After having worked in Saint-Jovite, Quebec, and Peterborough, Ontario, Jochen began a bike trip in the east of the country. During a stop in Kamouraska, the young man met Denise Pelletier, an artist and painter of the region. With this, a new life project began.
The couple settled in an ancestral home in the heart of the village and inaugurated the “Boulangerie Niemand“ in 1995. Open from May until the end of October every year, the bakery was an instant hit with the clients, composed of both Quebecers and international visitors. Breads of German inspiration are offered, each kneaded and shaped by hand, and baked in a stone hearth oven. The grains of wheat and rye used in their compositions are local products. Ground on stone in the mill of the bakery, these goods offer maximum freshness and nutrients. In addition to bread, there are tasty Viennese pastries, “Brezeln” and Berry “Strietzeln”, a specialty from Jochen’s region made from brioche and puff pastry. Although the bakery is closed during the Advent season, lovers of German
The wide range of bread at the “Boulangerie Niemand“
| © Boulangerie Niemand
Christmas specialties are not left out. Indeed, Denise's daughter, Perle, and her husband, Kim Côté, make “Stollen”, the famous traditional cakes stuffed with candied fruit, which they sell at different Christmas markets. Another must-have are the linens with the emblem of the bakery. Designed by Denise, they are ideal for preserving bread and are a wonderful memory of this exceptional place.
The “Boulangerie Niemand“ is more than a German tradition located in Kamouraska; it is the fruit of collaboration between local partners dedicated to the produce quality goods. Do not hesitate to go there and see it for yourself!
Boulangerie Niemand
82, avenue Morel
Kamouraska (Québec)
G0L 1M0
Comments
Comment