Olivette Bakery Opens on Speers Road in Kerr Village

There was a line outside the door before the closed sign flipped on Sunday, November 1. Olivette, a bakery and cafe at 171 Speers Road, units 9 and 10, had promised a prize to the first 50 people inside, and Kerr Village showed up for the grand opening.

The name explains the menu. "Olivette means the little olive tree. We chose to branch out: we have things from France, things from Italy, Turkey, north Africa, and the Mediterranean with heavy influence from the French croissant," one of the co-owners told Oakville News. The same owner said the shop had been a year in the making: "I've been living this for the last year and seeing it in my dreams."

That works out to croissants, sweet and savoury, plus traditional and white shakshuka, avocado tartine with salmon and artichoke dip. The Rotondi come in cheese, bresaola and za'atar, and the breads include sourdough, olive and thyme, and a cranberry and walnut boule.

Mayor elect Jeff Knoll, who owns Film.Ca Cinemas next door, turned up for the opening and talked about what a cafe does for a neighbourhood. "One of the best things about a cafe is the fact that it is a 'third space,'" Knoll said, describing home as the first space, work as the second, and the cafe as the place where people gather over a coffee or a baguette and get to know each other.

The bakery sits in the newly expanded Kerr and Speers plaza, and it is open now for coffee, hot drinks and the full food menu.