Into the Blue Bakery returning to its roots

By Lisa Gervais

Abbey Gardens has announced that Into The Blue Bakery is bringing its wood fired pizza home.

Founded in 2014 by Janine Papadopoulos, Into The Blue Bakery was one of the first small businesses Abbey Gardens supported in their business incubator program, which aimed to support economic development in Haliburton County as part of its mission to create a more sustainable community, said Ashley McAllister, director of operations at Abbey Gardens.

After a successful first season, Into The Blue grew, expanding into catering events and going from a mobile pizza oven to a food truck and full-scale mobile catering business.

McAllister said, “similarly, Abbey Gardens has grown, developing a reputation for quality, local food with a farm-to-fork focus.”

She added more recently, they have established a community event space that has already supported numerous organizations in the arts, environment, business, and social work industry.

In 2019, Into The Blue added a pizza truck, and has been set up in Eagle Lake since 2020, serving pizza, salad, and grilled sandwiches. They’ll now be setting up next to Haliburton Highlands Brewing.

McAllister said, “The truck will still feature the same menu, serving up wood fired pizzas with local, seasonal ingredients. Brewery customers will be

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able to enjoy pizza on the patio, and we'll have picnic tables at the truck for visitors who want to grab a hot lunch on their way back from a round of disc golf or hitting the trails.”

There will be a grand re-opening at Abbey Gardens’ Maker Market Friday, July 1 from noon to 4 p.m.

Back to the old ball game in Minden

After two years, the Minden Fairgrounds and ball diamonds are buzzing with baseball Monday night.

“Get your gloves, get going,” coach Tammy Smith called out as a gaggle of orange-clad kids scampered into positions around the ball diamond June 20.

As the opposing blue team stepped up to bat, Smith traded jokes and baseball advice in equal measure with her players, many of whom she has coached for years.

From the bleachers, parents shouted encouragement, shared laughs and cheered for every swing of the bat, whether or not it connected with the ball.

Smith said it’s “fantastic” to kick off a full season of baseball after two years away due to COVID-19.

She estimated there were 600 people at the fairgrounds during the first week of play. Smith, who runs the league alongside her partner Craig Smith, said baseball is her passion.

“It’s my sport,” she said, surveying the players who crowded the field.

When asked about her team, she turned to the ball diamond with a grin: “We have the best team. Hey, team orange,” she called. “Who’s the best team?”

“Orange!” the kids called back.

Braxton Cooper, watching the game, started playing ball when he was seven, often with Smith as a coach. Now a high schooler, he plays competitive baseball in Fenelon Falls, but also plays for fun in Minden.

“It takes my mind off things,” he said.

Top left: Marty Lopez runs to first base during his second-ever baseball game. Top middle: A player takes a swing. Top right: Linda Hamilton and Jill Hamilton supply new players with shirts and help them find their teams. Middle: A coach throws a pitch during the team warm-up. Bottom: Smith estimates 600 people attended the league’s first night of play June 13. Photos by Sam Gillett.