Our Story

LOAF is a chef-led bakery on Vancouver Island. We bake small-batch bread and pastry with long ferments, simple ingredients and a focus on technique, seasonality and low waste.

LOAF was founded by James Sarafinchan and Liz Lee after years in fine dining kitchens, bakeries and butcher shops across Canada, Australia and New Zealand. What began as a single loaf shared among friends grew into weekly bakes, pop up bake sales and partnerships with local farms and shops.

We shape everything by hand and keep our menu small so we can focus on quality. We work closely with local growers and preserve fruit and vegetables when they are at their best, letting the seasons guide what we bake. Our sourdough starter is more than a century old and is the base of much of what we do. Our goal is simple. Make food that feels honest, grounded and connected to the place we live. Above all we make things we want to eat and hope you feel that in our food.