After an eventful first year at the new Visitor’s Centre in Buffalo Pound Provincial Park this summer, The Travelling Bakery’s owner Mike Huehn said he had to make the unfortunate decision to close the bistro.
The Travelling Bakery is now permanently closed as of Oct. 1, 2023.
“The reason why I shut it down is just because it wasn’t busy enough to make a living at,” he said. His original plan was to run through the summer and remain open on every second weekend during the winter.
He said the sole reason for his decision was due to financial constraints. “I needed some financial stability, and that wasn’t going to give it to me.”
Huehn has now taken on full-time employment and said he has no current plans to re-open the bistro. “I had a gentleman call me back in August, and he offered me a job, so I took it. Now I’m working full-time elsewhere,” Huehn said.
“I have no plans to relocate (the business),” he confirmed.
Regular customers and supporters of The Travelling Bakery aren’t completely without Huehn’s delicious home-cooked meals and baked goods, however.
“If people want to reach out to me on my Facebook page to order something, and if the order is large enough, I most certainly will do it and deliver (the order) to them,” he added.
For this to work, Huehn said the order would ideally be in the $75 - $100 range.
“Nancy and I in years past, when it was the off-season and we weren’t running the restaurant at the Long Creek Golf Course, were operating The Travelling Bakery. People in different areas would get in touch with a coupe of friends… and place orders, whether for pies, banana bread, cookies… all sorts of different things,” he recalled. “It was a win-win all the way around.”
“I have every other weekend off, so for those who wish to order baking from me, I can most certainly do it and deliver it,” he said. Huehn’s first available weekend begins Oct. 28, but he won’t be able to start taking orders until the weekend of Nov. 11.
Huehn currently lives near Avonlea and can deliver orders within a one-hour radius of the town.
The bistro was originally established to fulfil a life-long dream of Huehn’s wife, Nancy.
“In some ways, it made me feel like I was letting down the memory of Nancy, my late wife. That was really her dream, to have her own restaurant and with the bistro there at Buffalo Pound she was able to realize a dream she had pretty much her whole life,” he said.
Nancy was given the opportunity to fulfil her dream before passing, and she was able to work at the bistro for its first month in business. Her dream had been fulfilled thanks to Huehn’s dedication.
Huehn said the new Visitor’s Centre was a marvellous facility, and with generous support from the park staff, he never had any complaints. There was also a plan to include an outdoor kitchen, and this was only delayed due to a staffing shortage in the park.
“It was a marvellous facility – absolutely fantastic. They did a beautiful job with it. It had beautiful vibes, was nice, clean, modern, and updated,” he said. “It was literally perfect.”
Unfortunately for Huehn’s requirements, it was just not in the right location.
Huehn wanted to extend his thanks to the mountain biking group who met regularly in the park, his regular customers, the campers who supported the bistro, and everybody else including park staff for offering what support they could.
“You know what, I really enjoyed my time there. I didn’t want to shut down, I really didn’t,” he confessed.
“We had absolutely epic conversations – we’re talking half-hour to hour-long chats. It was wonderful. The folks that came into the bistro were absolutely wonderful,” Huehn said.
“The park staff, management, and the folks in the government were all very supportive. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them.
“If I won a bunch of money in the lottery, would I turn around next spring and open it again if they haven’t found anybody? Absolutely I would. One hundred per cent, no questions whatsoever I would do it,” Huehn said. “I truly enjoyed it.”
“It provided an alternative in the park to hamburgers and fries. I think that was important, and I think people truly did appreciate that.”
To show Huehn your support and place an order for delicious baked goods, you can text or call 306-513-7747. As a reminder, Huehn is only available every second weekend starting Nov. 11 – 12.
Huehn can also be reached on his Facebook page, ‘Travelling Bakery,’ which he plans to keep operational.
In response to some providers blocking access to Canadian news on their platforms, our website, MooseJawToday.com will continue to be your source for hyper-local Moose Jaw news. Bookmark MooseJawToday.com and sign up for our free online newsletter to read the latest local developments.
