An oral history of one of the cultural icons of Nova Scotia's South Shore, featuring photographs, illustrations, and recipes.

Everyone who has travelled the roads of Nova Scotia's South Shore knows the iconic landmark that is the LaHave Bakery. The vintage shop packed with whole-grain breads and irresistible sweets is a required stop on any road trip.

LaHave Bakery: The Building, the Baker, and the Recipes that Revitalized a Community tells the bakery's unique story, from the construction of the historic building in 1901 as a general merchant and ship chandler to its present-day multi-faceted use as a bakery, a craft co-operative, a skateboard manufacturer, a bookstore, and a grocery.

This fascinating history is told through nine compelling first-person voices—including those of proprietor Gael Watson and her adult children, as well as friends and past and present employees—who share reflections on the bakery, the building, and the community. Their memories are supplemented with more than seventy curated images dating from the building's early days and encompassing the bakery's four decades of operation, beginning in 1984. Artists contributing to the book include Kat Frick Miller, Anna Bald, and Marnie Troyer.

And for the literal icing on the cake, LaHave Bakery also features a baker's dozen of Gael Watson's signature recipes for delightful breads and sweets.

Jane Morrigan, MSc, is a retired dairy and beef farmer, university instructor, and consultant in farm animal welfare. She lives on her farm in Pictou County, NS, with her wife, co-author Susan Ivany. Older sister of Gael Watson (the proprietor of the LaHave Bakery), Jane has personal knowledge of the Bakery from its first imaginings to the present day.

Jane Morrigan's profile page

Susan Ivany, BA, came to Nova Scotia's South Shore as a constable with the RCMP. She went on to work with women's centres, transition houses, municipal police forces, and Department of Justice Victim Services before retiring in 2020. Familiar with the LaHave Bakery from its earliest days, Susan has the added good fortune to know Gael Watson as her sister-in-law.

Susan Ivany's profile page