Milton native moves bakery into new home for holidays in Hamilton

A little bakery whose owner has roots in Milton is going to have a new home for the holidays in Hamilton.

Batches Bake Shop secured a pop-up retail space at 321 Dundurn St. S. for November and December. The site is the former location of the popular Cake and Loaf Bakery, which was a fixture in Hamilton’s Kirkendall neighbourhood for 15 years until it closed its doors for good on Oct. 8. 

In a social media post, Cake and Loaf Bakery announced that Kate Batchelor, its former pastry manager, will be using the building as a pop-up for her own business venture, Batches Bake Shop, which was previously an online business.

“We are filled with mixed emotions. So sad to see Cake + Loaf close but excited to come full circle and fill the neighbourhood with delicious smells once again!,” Batches wrote in a recent social media post. “We’re so grateful for this opportunity, and can’t wait to share more details with you once our approval from the city and public health comes through!”

Batches will open its doors for the two-month pop-up bakery on Thursday, Nov 9 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Inthehammer.com asked what the future holds for the bakery at the location. 

For now, it will do the pop-up for two months and “then we’ll see where the new year takes us!”, Batches wrote in a social media message.  

From cookies and scones to soup and chicken pot pie, Batches says it makes fresh sweet and savoury goods from scratch using classic recipes and quality ingredients.

“Basically, you’re in good hands, folks,” Cake and Loaf Bakery wrote.

Batchelor’s grandfather owned a bakery in Milton. Her mother and siblings worked there when she was growing up. Her mother and uncle will work with her as they build Batches Bake Shop into a business that they can leave for future generations, Cake and Loaf said in its announcement.

For Batches, regular hours are Wednesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also sells its goods at Connon Nurseries Market on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The former occupant of the Kirkendall building, Cake and Loaf Bakery, turned off its ovens for good on Oct. 8. The popular bakery’s owners Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham didn’t share their reasons for leaving the business, but said they were looking for any “culinary dreamers” who wanted to keep a bakery going at the fully equipped building.

In its farewell post last month, Cake and Loaf Bakery thanked customers for their support over the years and reminisced about the “adventure” of running the business since 2011, “packed full of fulfilling, challenging, joyful, and delicious memories.”