Dec. 02, 2009 - Issue #737: Climate Crossroads
DEE BATEMAN AND GRETA SIEBEN: Take ownership
Dee Bateman and Greta Sieben aren't Wild Earth's only owners
In fact, regular customers make up a large portion of the 300 to 400 people who wander through the café doors each day—an impressive number, considering Wild Earth's only form of advertising comes from current customers who rave about "their" café to the uninitiated.
Wild Earth is an unpretentious café that serves honest food. "When you're here, it's kind of like hanging around your grandmother's kitchen," describes Sieben. "We have a kitschy, cozy atmosphere, real food, and the most incredible smells imaginable."
By real food, Sieben truly means real. Real ingredients are chopped or mixed or stirred or caressed, all by hands belonging to real people. "Everything we serve is made in-house," explains Bateman. "We make all of our soups, salads, wraps, sausage rolls and breads—we even make the hummus and tzatziki."
And yes, the plethora of baked goods covering the counters, occupying the shelves and tempting you from behind the display case are all made in-house. Every single scone, cake, square, cookie and loaf of bread you encounter is made the old-fashioned way by one of the seven bakers on staff. They take a mixing bowl, add flour, butter and whatever else they happen to need, and mix everything up. One thing you won't find in Wild Earth's kitchen is a prefab mix of any kind.
"Everything you find behind the display case is made fresh daily," stresses Sieben. "We don't have any day-olds. If anything's left over at the end of the day it goes to various inner-city schools and charities."
While some of the recipes that Wild Earth works from originally came from Bear's Paw Bakery in Jasper, Seiben says 99% of their creations are now unique to Wild Earth. "The recipes have been tweaked so much since we opened they're now truly our own."
"We give our bakers total creative license to do whatever they want," Bateman adds. "In fact, some of the best ideas have come from our employees."
There are certain items customers simply can't do without everyday, like the white-chocolate raspberry scones and the lemon bundt cake, but you never know what else might make an appearance. Baker Darcy Scott grins and says "Sometimes I just look at the cake pan and ask it what it wants to be."
Nothing ever leaves the kitchen without being sampled first. If it's not good, it doesn't go out. Customers get to sample, too—a lot. But everything they get to nibble on has already been approved by the bakers. "We always have something out for our customers to try," laughs Sieben. "People say we're even better than Costco."
Although Wild Earth uses some organic ingredients—all the coffee is organic—Bateman says it isn't really a health-food place. There's something for everyone, from whole wheat to gluten-free to vegan to sugar-free. And then there's the simply downright decadent. "We're a bakery and café with a conscience. We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch, whether it's a gluten-free cake or a rich chocolate-overdose square. And it's all made by people who love what they do. At the same time, we strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible."
"Another great thing about our place is that something is always coming out of the oven, whether it's eight in the morning or three in the afternoon." comments Bateman. "Other bakeries run out of stuff in the afternoon. We never do. Something fresh is always making an appearance and giving off the most amazing smell." In fact, the ovens run 22 hours a day, seven days a week. The only time they get a break is between 10 pm and midnight.
Coffee is also taken very seriously at Wild Earth. Barista Chelsey Campbell laughs, saying she's "obsessed" with it. "We're always striving to craft the perfect drink to go with all the great food. It's an experience in and of itself."
Bateman and Sieben both feel Wild Earth is more than just a café and bakery—it's a gathering spot that has turned into the hub of the neighbourhood, with its own unique vibe and spirit. Employees are treated with respect and customers feel like family.
Larry Dufresne, one of Wild Earth's many regulars, says he simply can't stay away. "I'm here five to six days a week. Coming here feels like being at home." V
Dee Bateman and Greta Sieben
Wild Earth Bakery & Café
8902 - 99 St, 780.425.8423
RECIPES
Lemon Bundt Cake
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
Cream butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy.
Add eggs, lemon peel and lemon extract and mix.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder.
Alternate adding the milk and the flour mixture, mixing only until combined.
You can add raspberry jam or whole raspberries to half the batter. Swirl into a well-greased bundt pan.
Bake at 350° for 70 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Apple Cheddar Potato Soup
1 litre cream
4 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 cup asiago cheese
6 carrots
10 apples
7 celery sticks
8 cloves of garlic
3 onions
1/4 cup veggie stock base
15 potatoes
7 to 8 litres of water
5 tablespoons thyme
3 tablespoons basil
4 tablespoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon turmeric
Chop all veggies, boil together with water and stock until tender.
Puree.
Season with salt and pepper and add cream and cheese. V
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