MarJo Bakery co-owner Jonathan Silvera said baking is something that has been passed down in his family.
The new Newmarket bakery’s name is an amalgamation of Silvera and his sister, Maria. The siblings have learned the craft from their parents — orginally from Uruguay — who have been baking for more than 30 years.
Now, he and his sister have opened a “true Canadian” bakery themselves.
“There’s a little bit of everything from different parts of the world,” he said. “You got Italian cookies, you got some South American empanadas. You got some french desserts. It’s kind of like a mashup of everything.”
The bakery has been in business for more than three years in North York but opened up a new location at 130 Davis. Dr., unit 21, east of Yonge Street, last November. It offers cookies, pastries, desserts and more, made from scratch with their own recipes, Silvera said.
Silvera said Newmarket is the ideal location, central in the region between Barrie and Richmond Hill. It was also a chance to get into a larger space, three times the size of their first location.
“We started pretty small,” Silvera said. “We wanted to just get more exposure to different customers and a different neighbourhood.”
Kidu Ramocaldo, who owns a store in the plaza, said the bakery "is great to visit.”
“There are lots of choices, whether you like sweet or the savoury side.”
Customer Darlene Glover said she is impressed.
“The prices are reasonable, and they're very informative of what they're actually baking, and everything is baked right there."
Silvera said the reception has been positive and they value the word-of-mouth recommendations from their customers.
“(We offer) something that you don’t find at any local supermarket or any supermarket,” he said. “Come join us and give us a try, (you) will not be disappointed.”
