The host of the Baking Space on Soo SPACES still has a love of baking … despite being a full-time baker at a café some time back, which, she confessed, was “a lot!”
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SPACES is Village Media’s social network, where community members can gather and talk about what’s local, what interests them and what’s happening in their community.
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The Baking space has more than 800 members, and host Leah Johnson isn’t surprised. “There are a lot of really good bakers here, much better than me!” she said.
Johnson co-owned the Westport Café in Station Mall with her partner in 2018. “I was the main baker, so I got to explore baking at a larger scale and got to try new recipes often.” Favourite baked goods of her customers included her butter tarts. “I couldn’t keep them in stock!” she laughed.
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After that baptism by flour, Johnson took a break from baking for a while. “I couldn’t look at another baking pan!” She had a love of baking from childhood, though, from helping her mom and grandma bake, so she knew she would go back to it one day.
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The Baking space has given her the opportunity to do just that. “People post yummy recipes, and I think, oh I should try that one!”
It’s just Johnson and her partner at home, so she tends to bring a lot of her baking to work with her … at Village Media’s head office here in Sault Ste. Marie, where she works as a project designer. “My coworkers are wonderful, and they seem to appreciate the goodies I bring in,” she said. Apparently, her chocolate chunk cookies were quite a hit with everyone at the office.
The Baking space is quite busy, with several folks other than Johnson posting regularly, including fellow Village Media team members. “I try to post a couple of times a week, a recipe that I have tried, or one that looks good,” said Johnson. “I did some themed posts around Easter too, or the warmer weather.”
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Others have posted about what worked and didn’t work for them, and photos of successes and failures are common. These also elicit the most interaction, with members virtually cheering when something turns out, or giving advice, as in this sourdough post.
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“I would like to have the space have more of that, showcasing recipes that worked or didn’t, as well as interesting ingredients people have tried. I would also like to showcase the baking in local cafes and bakeries … there are so many good ones here!” said Johnson.
Johnson is enjoying her Baking space hosting. “It’s nice to meet other people who share the same interests, and definitely there are some good recipes being shared, as well. I made red velvet cheesecake brownies the other day and they were incredible! And not too complicated either!”
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Johnson added, “I’m excited to see the Baking space grow, and to see more interaction with each other. We had an in-person meet up May 15, and it was great to see people in real life, too.”
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Just another advantage to a hyper-local social site!