Local News
Rachel Corrin Nedelec’s flowery flour creations unmatched anywhere else in Canada
By MYRON LOVE It started with a request four years ago from her mother to bake a cake for her zaida’s (that would be Percy Goldberg) special birthday.
“I wanted to bake a cake that would be really special for him,” recalls Rachel Corrin Nedelec. “I thought that decorating the cake with fresh flowers would be just the right touch. Then I learned that some flowers are edible.”
The finished product – incorporating some of those edible flowers – added a nice artistic look – a touch of elegance. Thus was born Corrin Nedelec’s Flour and Flower, the first and only business in Winnipeg – in all of Canada for that matter – that offers a selection of luxury baked goods that incorporate edible flowers.
And, just over a week, ago, Corrin Nedelec is happy to report, the still relatively young entrepreneur was able – for the first time – to open her own store front – at 530 Waterloo Street at Corydon – where customers are able to drop in and pick up one or more of what Flour and Flower has to offer.
Up to now, Corrin Nedelec has operated out of a commercial kitchen and her products have only been available to order either online or by phone. “I am looking forward to meeting customers in person,” she comments. “It will be nice to be able to put names to faces.”
Corrin Nedelec notes that her love of baking was inspired by her grandmother, the late Elaine Goldberg. “Growing up, I loved spending time with my baba in her kitchen baking,” she recalls. “I still have her old mixer which will be on display in my store along with other memories of her kitchen.”
While the daughter of Rick and Hennie Corrin (and granddaughter of Jack and Evelyn Corrin as well as Percy and Elaine Goldberg) always enjoyed baking, her principal passion in earlier years was the performing arts. As a youngster, she took lessons in acting, voice and dancing. One of her acting credits was a role in the 1998 Winnipeg Jewish Theatre production “Anne Frank and Me.”
She adds that she also used to do Yiddish concerts at the old Sharon Home in her teen years.
Following her high school graduation – from Balmoral Hall (she attended Ramah School for Elementary) – she enrolled in the University of Winnipeg Theatre School. After a year, she relocated to Toronto where she was accepted into a performing arts program. “It was there – the day after school began – that disaster struck.
“I was practising ballet,” she recalls. “I did a beautiful double turn but the landing ended badly. I broke my ankle. I needed extensive surgery.”
Returning to Winnipeg with her dream of being a dancer crushed, she turned to the next best thing – teaching others dancing and voice.
”I worked for a dance school for a few years after returning to Winnipeg,” she says. “But after I had my first child (the first of three aged 7, 9, and 11 now), I wanted to spend as much times as I could home with my kids.”
It wasn’t until after that first floral cake that Corrin Nedelec had an “aha” moment. As things progressed, other family members and friends began asking her to do similar cakes for them, too. She officially opened for business in August 2019.
Naturally, there was a learning curve. “I didn’t know that most flowers are edible,” she says. “I found a course online teaching about edible flowers. I spent many a late night after the kids were asleep doing the program and earned a certificate. I am continuing to broaden my knowledge.”
Among Flour and Flower’s offerings are cakes and minicakes, cookies and shortbread, barks and jams, the ever popular petal pops and cakesicles on a stick – all available in gift pots and bouquet boxes. There are also vegan options.
“We don’t use any artificial flavours or colours,” Corrin Nedelec adds.
“We source as much as we can locally. We have one supplier in the United States – but the shipping costs exceed the cost of the flowers.”
Flour and Flower ship their gift bags across the country. Corrin Nedelec and her company received a big boost in publicity last winter when she scored an order for the Grammy Awards of 200 gift boxes for the nominees.
“I sent an email and got a really quick response,” she notes. “Each box contained three petal pops made of white chocolate and edible flowers. We had a great response.”
Another major order – for short bread cookies – came from a leading fashion designer in New York who followed up with a second large order.
“We can ship most of our products – except for cakes and cupcakes,” Corrin Nedelec. “We are still trying to figure out how to do that.”
The baker has hired two employees for her new store front location and is looking forward to taking on more staff as business grows.
As for hours of operation, she says that is still to be determined based in part on public demand. And customers can still order online as well.
Although fully engaged in her new career direction, Corrin Nedelec still has a passion for the arts. “I am continuing to take singing lessons every two weeks fit in between operating Flour and Flower and taking my kids to their various programs,” She notes.
Local News
Shaarey Zedek celebrates reopening September 29
By BERNIE BELLAN After a period of renovation that began in the spring of 2022, the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue was officially reopened on Sunday, September 29.
Here is a montage of photos from the “Chanukat Habayit” that took place on Sunday afternoon.
Local News
Canadian Yazidi Association honours Winnipeg friends who helped start Operation Ezra
By BERNIE BELLAN On Sunday, September 22, members of Winnipeg’s Yazidi community showed their appreciation to Winnipeggers who had helped Yazidis move to Canada and settle in Winnipeg since 2015 by inviting a number of Winnipeggers to a dinner at Temple Shalom. Many of the guests were individuals who had played vital roles in helping Yazidis escape persecution by ISIS in Iraq back in 2015.
It was in 2015 that a spokesperson for the Yazidi community at the time, Nafiya Nasso, came in contact with some members of the Jewish community who were touched by the plight of the Yazidis in Iraq. Through the facilitation of Jewish Child and Family Service the seeds for what was to become Operation Ezra were planted. Since then Operation Ezra has helped more than 50 Yazidi families immigrate to Canada and settle here. The strong bonds that were established back then helped what was then a very small Yazidi community grow into a much larger – and what is now a thriving community.
The Canadian Yazidi Association, under the direction of Nafiya Nasso, organized a sumptuous buffet dinner at Temple Shalom on September 22. Not only was the food delicious, at the end, attendees were handed empty containers and invited to go fill them up to take home whatever they wanted. (If someone from the Yazidi community ever wanted to open a restaurant, I bet it would do very well.)
Local News
Temporary Federal Government visa program paves way for Israelis looking to Canada for reprieve from war
By MYRON LOVE Shortly after the Oct. 7th Hamas attack, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) instituted a temporary immigration measure for Israelis (as well as Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank) to apply for a temporary reprieve in Canada through applications for work permits. According to Iael Besendorf, Jewish Child and Family Service’s Settlement Services Team Lead, since last October, 70 families have arrived from Israel, comprising 191 individuals.
“While some of these families were already in the process of applying to move to Winnipeg, the conflict in Israel hastened them to leave sooner,” she reports.
She adds that approximately 50 of the families – comprising over 150 adults and children – have come through under the aegis of the temporary work visa program.
Besendorf points out many of the individuals, couples, and families arrived in Winnipeg in great distress, only taking the few belongings they needed to settle here.
“Most left behind family, friends, and jobs in a sudden state of emergency,” she notes.
”During the first few weeks following their arrival, JCFS was there to hear and acknowledge their immediate trauma. We at JCFS continue to provide individual counselling and group supports as needed.”
She further adds that JCFS created – with the financial support of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg – a special War Response Team to assess and respond to the needs of local community members and new arrivals.
“Mental health and counselling professionals on our team are available to meet with anyone needing services,” she says.
“As an adjunct of this, we at the JCFS Settlement Team are the first to interface with newcomers to our community and are also available to help triage and refer clients in need. These new arrivals receive our typical settlement supports such as: information and orientation about their first steps in Canada, which includes help with practical needs such as housing, daycare, schools for their children, employment resources, and an orientation to all the various Jewish organizations.”
The newly arrived Israelis have also been showing up at our community’s summer camps and Gray Academy of Jewish Education.
“After October 7, we welcomed 17 temporary students who came from Israel to be with friends or family in Winnipeg,” reports Lori Binder, Gray Academy’s Head of School and CEO of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education.
“Eight of those students remained at Gray Academy, and 12 more Israeli students have joined us for the 2024-2025 school year.”
She adds that enrolment at the school is over 500 (as compared to 472 last year) – with almost 100 of them brand new to the school. Quite a number of the new students, she points out, are from local families who see the value in a Jewish education.
Ian Baruch, Camp Massad’s Planning and Engagement Director, reports the camp at Sandy Hook welcomed “quite a few” IsraeIi kids this past summer among the 136 campers who were registered.
“About a quarter of our campers and half our staff are Israeli or from families from Russia who came here by way of Israel,” he notes.
The BB Camp office was closed through the first half of September so no comment was available as to the number of Israeli children at the Lake of the Woods camp.
Iael Besendorf further observes that among the challenges the Israeli newcomers are facing here is the length of time that it is taking the Federal Government to issue work permits.
“As a result,” she says, “the adults are unable to work, and many families are feeling this financial pressure.”
She adds that “as the situation in Israel appears to be far from over, we expect more people will seek reprieve outside of Israel. The Federal Government just announced an extension of one more year, to March, 2025, for this temporary visa program. As such, JCFS expects that more will arrive and that we will are likely to see a steady stream of more people over that time.”