Cinnamon bun scents may waft through a corner of St. Boniface this fall.
Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co., a 34-year-old Winnipeg institution, is opening its largest location yet off Provencher Boulevard.
“It just felt very right to all of us,” said Tabitha Langel, co-owner of the Wolseley-born bakery.
MIKE SUDOMA / FREE PRESS FILES
Tabitha Langel, a co-owner at Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co., is shown in this 2021 photo.
Tall Grass Prairie isn’t expansionist, but it’s pragmatic, Langel said. It needed more space.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s wholesale and catering orders have skyrocketed, Langel said. She spoke briefly, needing to head to a bar mitzvah the company was feeding Saturday.
Closures of catering businesses during the pandemic and more locals wanting Manitoba-made food at their events could both be reasons for Tall Grass Prairie’s increased sales, Langel said.
Regardless, the company has signed for a 3,000 sq. ft. space at 390 Provencher Blvd. It’s a former gym and a “fairly big undertaking” renovation-wise, Langel said.
A handful of chairs will be available for seating when the place opens in September or October. Mainly, the site — to be called Tall Grass sur la Seine — will be a kitchen and bakery for St. Boniface customers and wholesale clients.
Tall Grass Prairie’s bakeries in Wolseley and The Forks will continue operating. When the St. Boniface space comes online, it might produce foods like soups for The Forks’ location — Tall Grass Prairie closed its kitchen in the downtown market.
“Each neighbourhood has its own charisma,” Langel said. “I think St. Boniface will be an exciting part of… the mix.”
It checks Tall Grass Prairie’s boxes, she added: the company prefers to operate in older Winnipeg neighbourhoods, in areas accessible via walking and bus.
The head baker is French, and the business already has many St. Boniface customers, Langel continued.
“I’ll find them,” said Esther Blum, a long-time Tall Grass Prairie enthusiast.
She lives in central Winnipeg; though Wolseley is her go-to, she plans to make the trip to St. Boniface. The fresh bread and vegan options draw her, she said.
Management at Seine River Café, an eatery near the new Tall Grass Prairie location, is welcoming the bakery’s arrival.
“We’re very excited,” said Todd Torgerson. “Any new businesses like them coming into the neighbourhood… brings more traffic.”
Tall Grass Prairie began in Wolseley in 1990. A majority of its ingredients — notably, its grains and vegetables — are grown in Manitoba.
The Forks tapped Tall Grass Prairie to join its market as an organic option some 22 years ago, by Langel’s recollection.
Decades later, customers continue to line up for bowls of soup, loaves of bread and sweet treats.
The new location will be setting up shop next to Molly’s Meat Pies in St. Boniface.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens,” said Don Smith, a lead at the store.
Molly’s Meat Pies and Tall Grass Prairie have overlapping items — both sell tourtière — but have very different offerings. Customers often ask Smith for bread, which Molly’s doesn’t sell, he said.
Langel noted Winnipeg is full of “wonderful, independent small bakeries.”
“We feel honoured to just be in the middle of that,” she said.
Tall Grass Prairie has received many franchise offers — from Vancouver, Toronto, New York — but its owners prefer to stay local, Langel explained.
She expects the St. Boniface menu to include all the favourites from Wolseley and The Forks.
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
Gabrielle Piché
Reporter
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
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