From lemonade with a hit of espresso to zesty soups, new Canadians are having a tasty impact on this bakery
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Inside a bustling bakery and café in Mount Pearl, sweets are being baked, drinks brewed and sandwiches assembled — and the menu is getting a boost from the new Canadians who work there.
Kelly Mansell, co-owner of Rocket Bakery, said a lot of the staff at the company’s three locations are new Canadians who are working toward permanent residency. And not only are they helping grow the business, she said they’re also leaving their mark.
“They bring their food and their cuisine to us,” Mansell told CBC News. “That’s really fun for me.”
For example, the menu already had a Moroccan red lentil soup when they hired a number of people from Morocco. Kelly said the new employees tried the dish, said it was good, but that it could be better.
“It made me laugh so hard. So anyway, they tweaked that recipe and it’s a true Moroccan red lentil,” said Mansell.
Another new dish is a soup called harira, a tomato-based soup with chickpeas and lentils that is popular in North Africa.
The Rocket staff have come from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Morocco, Taiwan, Germany, Tunisia and other Canadian provinces.
Ghizlane Echalh, who is originally from Casablanca, created a bar made from peanuts, honey, chocolate and caramel they call the Casablanca bar. (Curtis Hicks/CBC)
Mansell said the bakery’s manager, Ghizlane Echalh, is from Casablanca. She created a bar made from peanuts, honey, chocolate and caramel. They call it the Casablanca bar.
She said Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are keen to try new foods, and the new staff members are helping to meet that demand.
Missing flavours of home
Ashlyn Lin, who works at the shop’s Water Street location, was missing a particular taste from her home in Taiwan, where sparkling ice lemonade with espresso is a popular beverage.
“When I first got here, during the summer, I really missed that flavour,” she said.
Lin said the Rocket lemonade already being served was the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
“So I just tried it with espresso and it worked,” she said.
“I’m so happy that people liked it.”
WATCH | ‘I really missed that flavour,’ says Ashlyn Lin:
This shop’s international staff are bringing new flavours to its menu
Missing the taste of home, Ashlyn Lin was inspired to mix lemonade and espresso, which she since introduced to the Rocket Bakery menu.
She said she enjoys being in Newfoundland and Labrador, but wants to share more of her memories of home.
“I’m just trying to do something similar, just to try to bring a little bit [of the] memories back,” she said.
‘Supporting them back’
Mirvala Sadrafshari moved from Iran to attend Memorial University and took a job working at Rocket as floor staff. He’s now the general manager and recently graduated with his masters in computer engineering.
“Rocket is a kind of environment that’s helping us,” he said, adding that for many staff it’s their first time in the Canadian workplace, and it’s helping to build their confidence.
“Every corner of this Rocket [shop] and menu, you can just find something from one of the countries.”
The best treat, he said, is a German pecan sticky bun.
Mirvala Sadrafshari says his favourite treat is the schnecken, a German pecan sticky bun. (Curtis Hicks/CBC)
“It’s my favourite,” Sadrafshari said, adding he recommends it to customers.
He said Rocket has been welcoming to many new Canadians, who bring their own skills and their culture to the business to help it grow.
“Rocket is supporting them back,” he said.
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