An inspired co-operative

Four owner-members run the Kootenay Bakery Cafe Co-operative in Nelson, B.C.

The Kootenay Bakery Cafe Co-operative (KBCC) is a member-owned business in Nelson, B.C. — Photo courtesy KBCC

Cynthia Olivas baked at Nelson's Kootenay Bakery Cafe Co-Operative (KBCC) for years, and now she’s in administration. She explained that 25 people work at the co-operative and four are owner-members. This arrangement has been very successful—readers of Kootenay Business magazine rank the KBCC as one of the best places to eat in Nelson.

Do you have a favourite cookbook or other source of inspiration for the café's menu offerings?

So many people do the creating here that our inspiration comes from everywhere—the Food Network, restaurants and other bakeries, and requests from our customers—not from any particular cookbook.

Is there a particular chef or cook that has influenced your cooking style?

Actually, I’d say that the biggest influence on what we cook is the ingredients themselves. We use mostly organic ingredients, lots of which are sourced locally. 

What do you consider the café’s signature dish? 

Well, if we’re talking savoury dishes, our pizzas are our best seller—everybody likes pizza. Breadwise, likely our sourdoughs. For a sweet dish, we do lots of cakes, including organic cakes.