Discovering the Beauty of Sourdough

Family gatherings are different for everyone. For me, a big family gathering usually looks like a lot of us spread out in various rooms. Some of us are enjoying a glass of wine, some of us a beer, all the while reminiscing on old memories and catching up on each other’s day-to-day lives. At the center of all these gatherings is my grandparents’ kitchen – where a variety of food is displayed for all of us to enjoy throughout our time together.

Many such gatherings have been limited or even eliminated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can take heart in knowing that we’ll get through this and they will return.

I know by how I was raised that family meals are something of great importance. It forces loved ones to sit down and enjoy conversation together. You reconnect and recharge after a long day. A lot of love – whether we see it or not – goes into making a meal for someone.

This type of tradition and meaningfulness in how food is prepared is somewhat of a lost art, it seems. With food delivery subscription boxes, grocery shopping delivery services and Uber Eats, it can feel like the heartwarming traditions of a good sit-down meal are vanishing. Luckily, companies like Voyageurs Sourdough in Green Bay are helping to bring that feeling of love and a shared meal back into our lives.

I had the opportunity to sit and visit with owners Ben Cadman and Celeste Parins of Voyageurs Sourdough. As Celeste and I chatted, Ben and one of their team members, Sam Brown, were hard at work crafting the artisan bread.

The first question I had, and one that many may also have, is a simple one: what exactly is sourdough bread? As I learned, sourdough is not a flavor, but rather a technique in making bread.

“The term sourdough simply refers to a technique and breadmaking process that uses wild active yeast for fermentation. This is used rather than a commercial yeast starter, which comes in the form of a powder,” said Ben in a recent newsletter regarding the topic. At Voyageurs, they use their wild yeast starter to ferment their dough, which is what the term “naturally leavened” means. And while keeping true to their core beliefs, they source their grains from local farmers like Meuer Farms in Chilton and Ledgecrest Family Farms located atop the beautiful Niagara Escarpment in southeastern Brown County.

Although they have not always called Green Bay their home, world travelers Ben and Celeste were thrilled to settle down in our area and create a business that would focus on the importance of preparing food with love and simply bringing darn good bread to the area.

Voyageurs owners Ben Cadman and Celeste Parins. Photo by Leslie Gast

“There’s something really amazing to see how this type of bread is made, and to open up that window for people to see.”
— Celeste Parins, co-owner, Voyageurs Sourdough

Voyageurs sourdough. Photo by Jamie Domnick

“Exploring food is an adventure and there are many things to learn and discover by tasting, making and sharing foods,” is the basis for the name according to the bakery’s extensive website.

Since they first started selling at local farmers markets in June 2018, Voyageurs now delivers fresh-baked bread to approximately 50-100 homes per delivery day throughout the Green Bay area.

Their bread is also being sold at local retail stores such as Terry Naturally, Austin’s Grocery, The Free Market in Appleton and in Door County at Fish Creek Market, Healthy Way Market and Waseda Farms. They also are in a variety of local restaurants, including Hinterland Brewery, Toast & Co., Iron Duck, Plae Bistro and Ledgestone Vineyards.

With such a healthy start to their business, Ben and Celeste decided to open up a Voyageurs Sourdough Bakehouse & Café. The intention behind the Bakehouse is to bring the community together to celebrate good eats, togetherness and to watch the bakers work their magic with bread. It has also allowed the couple to more than triple production.

“There’s something really amazing to see how this type of bread is made, and to open up that window for people to see,” Celeste said. “We were inspired by concepts like breweries where you get to see all the beer equipment, tours, etc.”

Located inside the former Larsen Canning building at 340 N. Broadway, the Bakehouse is open Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for walk-in and take-out. It has an open concept and experiential café. The Bakehouse offers European coffee and espresso bar, as well as a variety of their breads that are featured in different sandwiches.

Voyageurs Sourdough's new Bakehouse on Broadway in Green Bay. Photo by Leslie Gast

Different baked goods feature the sourdough technique and locally-sourced heritage grains. The main focus – of course – is the bread and what it means to bring it back to the community. Tuesdays are limited to coffee, sandwiches and cookies while fresh bread and bakery is added to the menu from Wednesday through Saturday.

“We’re not reinventing bread. What’s unique about Voyageurs Sourdough is that we are bringing this type of traditional hand-made bread to the Green Bay community,” Ben said. “I think it’s a unique opportunity to invite people to be a part of the creation of something that has been at the centerpiece of the table for centuries. Plus to re-introduce people to this type of bread and grains which have been grown for centuries … it’s like a history lesson and total delight to your taste buds all at the same time.”

This concept of bringing people together: It’s a beautiful one many of us can agree with. In a fast-paced, delivered-right-to-your-door, screen-consuming world, why don’t we take the time to slow down and break bread together? The warm feelings we receive during a family gathering, they don’t need to just be shared during the holidays or a celebration. We can share that and feel that simply in passing around a good loaf of bread – one that when you bite into it, you know it was handmade with love, care, creativity, and passion.

“One of the things we are very passionate about is preparing food with love. That gathering around food is such a powerful experience and something we believe in doing regularly,” says Celeste. “We sit down every single day for breakfast as a family. We hope the Bakehouse will be a place that people will come to be inspired, to discover, and to connect over food.”

Voyageurs Sourdough Bread is available for home delivery on Wednesday through Saturday. To order, visit their website at voyageurs.co. You can also find them at the Downtown Summer Farmers’ Markets on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.