Simply Sweet: Mother-daughter duo opens pink bakery shed in Brookside, N.S.

A mother and daughter duo have turned their love of baking into a colourful venture.

Simply Sweet and Savoury started as a home-based bakery run by a mother-daughter duo in Brookside, N.S.

Now, Sharon and Beth Radford have expanded their venture with the addition of an eye-catching pink bakery shed.

“She really wanted to get it done for opening day, so my brothers-in-law, my sisters, my dad, even just some family friends came by and helped build the shed and paint the shed,” said daughter Beth Radford.

They opened the shed for the first time this past Sunday and couldn’t believe the community support they received.

“It was way busier than I anticipated. We sold out in an hour and 25 minutes I think,” said Beth.

The two have always loved to bake. It’s something that brought them even closer together when they were both dealing with health issues.

“We found that baking really helped us when we felt the need to do something, and I already bake when I’m anxious, so it just felt natural,” said Beth. “She taught me to bake, so it fit together and slowly we’ve been doing more markets because it gives us something to look forward to.”

For Beth, this venture is also about building community.

“People were walking down with their dogs and their kids, and you could see people recognizing each other in the community. It was the most wholesome thing,” she said.

The shed is first-come, first-served, but customers can also pre-order if they want to guarantee they’ll get their favourite treat.

“We have cinnamon buns, we have lemon bars always, and when we make lemon bars, we make coconut macaroons,” said Beth.

“We’re really excited about our pop tarts as well. We finally got a dough that we’re really happy with and is really flaky.”

Beth said the two have big hopes for the future.

“We do still have the dream of opening a café one day, and a place where the community can hang out around each other and get to know other locals.”

For now, the pink shed will feature a variety of sweets, but they do plan to host some special events this summer as well.

“Seeing the community reaction and how much people actually wanted to interact with their neighbours, we’re already talking about potentially doing a mini community party where you can just stop by, your kids can play together for a bit, you can pick up something if you want,” she said. The pink bakery shed, located at 764 Brookside Road, will be open this Sunday, May 3 from 12 to 4 p.m. or until they sellout.

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