Now Open: The Sourdough Savants at Tall Shadow Have an East Van Bakery Now

There’s something about the farmers-market to brick-and-mortar-shop pipeline that feels romantic to us—a tale as old as time, a song as old as rhyme, et cetera, et cetera. We just love a scrappy underdog finally getting a chance to shine, okay?! So learning that beloved sourdough purveyors Tall Shadow just opened the doors of a new East Van bakery and cafe fills us with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Hope is rising inside our chests, as if it were powered by an irresistible artisanal yeast. Try hard, bake bread, and success could be yours.

Tall Shadow co-owners Cass Helps and Dayle Kennedy were farmer’s market regulars, inspiring a cult following with their craft sourdough loaves and other baked goods. Now, with the help of industry vets Miki Ellis and Stephen Whiteside (owners of Dachi, Hanai and Elephant), the duo will hawk their treats in a cheery 2,000-square-foot space on East Hastings.

They’ve got an all-star team to help sling their collection of delectable carbs: Annabelle Choi is leading the front-of-house operations, while pastry chef Kiko Nakata will whip up a selection of sweets.

Tall Shadow will continue cranking out its ever-popular sourdough using organic grains and its signature slow-fermentation process. At the new bakery, you’ll also find milk bread, sandwich loaves, buns, bagels, seasonal pop tarts, funfetti cookies, cream puffs and more. Guests can also snag a coffee (made from Modus bean) or tea (Cultivate will provide).

The 16-seat space will be open daily Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. until all the goods are gone. And, really, there’s something romantic about that, too: the stability of knowing where to find your love (sourdough bread, in this particular case) when you need them most.

Tall Shadow Bakery
2474 E Hastings
tallshadowbakery.com