The sweet idea for Salted Sunday was born out of a less-than-savoury situation.
Foodie Kylie Pinder found 2019 to be a difficult year. That was when she was diagnosed with Celiac disease.
“Sugar, butter, flour,” was baked into her DNA.
“I’ve been baking my entire life, since I was a little girl,” she said, recalling time spent in the kitchen with her grandma and nana.
With the autoimmune disease diagnosis forcing the elimination of gluten from her diet, Pinder found herself mourning the loss of what had been a gastronomic passion.
It was during the pandemic that Pinder poured her energy into baking. She applied to baking competition shows and started an Instagram account, Salted Sunday, where she posted photos of her culinary creations. A photographer by trade, Pinder was soon inspired to create her own recipes and learn more about gluten-free treats.
In addition to social media, the native of Bahamas developed a website, and her efforts became somewhat as a food blog, which she kept up for about a year. It was while travelling through Hawaii that the wanderlust began to turn her mind to the possibility of opening a bakery.
A series of unfortunate life events over the course of two months in 2023, including a breakup, the loss of $7,000 to fraud and a car crash, had Pinder thinking, “what more could I lose?”
She went all in, jumping “head first” into the business.
Pinder had a vision for Salted Sunday but didn't want to be locked down to one location.
In speaking with her parents at home in Burlington, she said, “It’s too bad I can’t just do a pop-up bakery somewhere and then do another pop-up somewhere else.”
Then her mom quipped, “Why can't you?”
Serendipity often happens at the strangest of times — and places.
The family has been Muskoka cottagers for years and during a drive to Port Carling, Pinder was looking for a sign that she should begin her baking journey. It quite literally appeared in the middle of the community.
“It says ‘Leasing available, perfect pop-up location.’”
With that nudge from the universe, she got to work and after a whirlwind month of building up her new business and transforming a trailer into a gluten-free bakery, she opened up shop at the end of June.
Business at Salty Sunday “has been, honestly, really, really good,” said Pinder. “It’s crazy to me how many people are gluten-free.”
Already, the pop-up shop has gained a following, with many customers making regular visits to the Medora Street location to indulge in Pinder's gluten-free delights. A favourite among them, she said, is the brown butter chocolate chunk cookie — a guaranteed sellout.
“Everyone’s so excited, which is super motivating for me,” she said of her business and baked goods, which received rave reviews from hungry patrons, who are also gluten-free.
“Jaws on the floor,” were the words used by a Salted Sunday customer to describe Pinder's cinnamon rolls. “She’s like, ‘I can’t believe how good it was. I forgot what cinnamon buns tasted.’”
Pinder is adamant that gluten-free shouldn't be taste-free. And she has a love of food — and a family of food lovers, including her dad who is an avid cook, a brother who is a trained chef and grandparents who owned a restaurant, to taste test her creations as she perfects her recipes.
“I love food,” she said. “My whole world revolves around food — even before I was … Celiac.”
