About Nestor's Bakery
Since purchasing the bakery in 1978, John and Audrey Matushewski have set the highest standards for quality and freshness in a wide range of baked products bearing the Nestor's Bakery and Uncle John's labels and sold at the bakery as well as grocery and convenience stores across central and northern Saskatchewan.
The bakery boasts a heritage dating back more than five decades. The business was founded on December 1, 1937 when brothers-in-law Jack Jaciuk and Nestor Wiwchar formed a partnership to buy Brothers Bakery located at 238 Avenue I South. At the time, a bread price war was waging in the city and bread was selling at two loaves for a nickel.
Audrey Matushewski
Business grew steadily as the bakery acquired major contracts with local hospitals, several institutions, and the Department of National Defense. To keep up with demand, the bakery was relocated to larger facilities at the present site of 912 - 20th Street West.
During the 1940s, bread was the mainstay of the business. On an average weekday, the bakery would produce 400 loaves with over 1000 loaves on weekends. In the spring of 1946, Nestor Wiwchar bought out his partner and became the sole owner of the bakery.
From 1951 to 1961, due to health reasons, the bakery was rented out. On January 16, 1961, Nestor and his wife Doris opened the doors for business once again under the name of Nestor's Bakery. During the 1960s, as head baker, Doris Wiwchar trained may of the city's current top bakers including the present owner, John Matushewski who worked there from 1963 to 1966.
In 1979, John and Audrey Matushewski became the new owners of Nestor's Bakery and have continued the traditions which made Nestor's Bakery so successful from the beginning, focusing on quality and freshness. For example, the bakery still uses the original 1940 recipes for Nestor's famous rye, pumpernickel, and Easter bread.
"You have to enjoy baking to be successful at it. You have to have a feel for it. That's why we're successful, because we are so interested in the business."Audrey Matushewski
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in sales of specialty breads including multi-grain, flax, wheat germ, and light and dark rye breads. Audrey recently developed several very successful new recipes for flax bread, flax muffins, and fancy grain bread.
Nestor's sells a wide variety of muffins, danishes, and donuts as well as 15 to 20 different varieties of delicious dessert squares. In October 1992, Nestor's Bakery introduced the Uncle John's line of specialty breads which has been a big hit with the public.
Nestor's Bakery continues to stay attuned to changes in customers' wants and needs. The new trend is towards deli-style products including pizza pops and pretzels, submarines, sandwiches, and meat pies. Croissants and bagels are also very popular.
While featuring new food trends, many traditional bakery products are regaining popularity including a return to saskatoon berry pies and tarts, butter tarts, and rhubarb desserts of any kind. Cookies are also coming back, especially the old-fashioned varieties. Nestor's is also famous for traditional Ukrainian braided breads and "pampushky", a Ukrainian bismark with a poppy seed filling.
Nestor's Bakery will continue to build on the success of the past, committed to quality and the art of baking.
