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A Buttery Day In The Life Of ‘Cadeaux Bakery’ On Powell Street

We’ve been big fans of Eleanor C. Waterfall’s baking since she launched her Cadeaux Bakery on Powell Street back in 2011. This short film takes us inside Eleanor’s world – “day in the life” style complete with delicious timelapses and music by Sophie Hunger – and boy does it ever make us want to crawl right inside a gigantic toffee-sauced cinnamon bun and eat our way out. It was made by Amanda Zotek, a young local filmmaker and producer. The short was her last assignment in her final semester in BCIT’s Television & Video Production program. Below is the email she sent Eleanor to convince her to be a part of the project:

…..I have been tasked with an exciting and interesting final assignment, create a 2-3 minute video on “A Day In The Life” of someone, someplace or something.

Initially, when the idea was proposed my gut reaction was to try and shoot in an authentic bakery or a coffee shop in YVR and combine the somewhere and something. I want a location where I can essentially be a fly on the wall, where I can capture intimate and sometimes over-looked encounters of people and objects and also have a very distinct beginning, middle and end story structure.

I imagine the story develops quite naturally with the initial images of ovens being turned on, dough rising, bakers kneading, flour particles floating in the air as the light hits it, preparing the shop before it opens, glazing the baked goods, placing them in the displays, the sign is turned to “Open”, a beautifully exposed time lapse of customers coming into the shop and out, the flow of time essentially in a warm and energized space, like a bakery.

I would also only capture what is in front of me, what I mean by this is I would not ask an employee to repeat an action or stage any of these movements and encounters. To me, as a filmmaker, it is important to be authentic and with this particular project I really want to stay true to the 24-hour guideline and the authenticity of a daily routine…

What Amanda neglected to mention in the email was that she was mourning the recent loss of her 92 year old Grandmother.

My Baba was by far the most essential and influential woman in my life. She made me the woman I am today. My Baba Jean (also my middle name) was the kindest, sweetest, most generous and caring person to walk this earth and the most memorable moments I shared with her were in the kitchen — baking. Jean was always baking something. Always. She practically lived in the kitchen, and like many grandmas she took it as a personal insult if you rejected any food offers, especially her baking. But most rejection of her food stemmed from being too full of cookies! She could honestly make a bad day, a good one. She taught me many lessons while measuring ingredients and kneading bread. However, most importantly, she educated me on how to honour my Ukrainian heritage through baking traditional items such as the ‘Kolach’ and her famous Birdie Breads.

So in some ways this video was a small tribute to all that baking that allowed for her and I to get to know one another and for her to teach me her way of life in the most comfortable way possible. I miss her dearly; but being a “fly on the wall” in Cadeaux Bakery, I was able to see the supportive relationships that have been cultivated by Eleanor, her attention to detail and commitment to baking as a craft. It isn’t just a bakery; it is a family bakery that cares about their ingredients, their bakers, and their front staff. Cadeaux genuinely strives to be a caring, warm and inviting environment, just like my Baba’s kitchen! It was such a pleasure getting to know Eleanor and her staff. Filling myself with the most amazing treats from Cadeaux was a pretty great bonus! Overall it was an amazing experience and I hope the final cut reflects this.

We definitely think it does. Nice work!

There is 1 comment

  1. I had the great honour of knowing Baba Jean. She even taught me how to make birdie breads many moons ago! She created magic, and evidently so does her granddaughter. Definitely need to check this bakery out!

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