Black Rock Pizza and Bakery now ready for business
Jon Massey photo
Lorna Gilmer, designated baker, taking out fresh buns for the bakery
JON MASSEY
Pass Herald Contributor
A new and improved version of a pizza joint that's going bigger and better is now open in Blairmore to food enthusiasts. Formerly BlackRock Pizza, it's now BlackRock Pizza and Bakery,
The new hidden gem is located on 12817 21st Ave. and has been opened and running since August 5th. Further plans are being made to do a grand opening for the entire building in September.
BlackRock was established just over over two years ago and moved locations in June. It was during the move that owner John Warlow decided to expand the business and add a full on bakery.
The menu offers a full pizza menu with sides such as wings and riblets. But having a hand in Blairmore's next potential hot spot, Warlow feels that Blackrock also offers plenty more options on the bakery side. “We'll be doing a full range of breads from white and brown to gourmet breads. We're also looking at doing cakes and other treats like baked donuts.”
Lorna Gilmer, designated baker of the establishment, cites the apple fritters as one of the hottest items on the menu. The fritters are baked in the oven as opposed to being deep fried. Close to seventy are made per day. The sticky buns have also been popular, as have the spinach and feta bread.
Blackrock also wants to let it be known that they do not have a deep fryer at all in the building. It is just one example of how the place will always choose to go a healthier route whenever possible.
While they could have moved to many other parts of the country, both Warlow and Gilmer see Blairmore as a great place to help see their business take off. It adds something more to an already beautiful town.
“We feel that it's a void that was missing and we wanted to do our best to fill it”adds Warlow, but he also hinted at further expansion down the road.
“We're looking at also expanding into Pincher Creek and Waterton and Castle Mountain with different products.”
Bakeries, it seems, are everywhere and it can be difficult to know what makes a bakery stand out from the rest and become a hit with the locals. However, Gilmer sees a distinct difference.
“Our uniqueness. The product that we're going to be providing, you're not going to find anywhere else.
Not only do you want to be able to accommodate the community but it's with our unique products that we're creating. We're making our own ideas and our own creativity. We're going for higher-end products”
Adds Warlow “A grocery store has a model that they have to follow, so they need to have the same exact thing.
We can take something and create it and change it and mold it to how the customer wants it. If you come in and say you want twenty dozen buns and you want sesame seeds on it, we'll do a flat for you. We custom cater to almost any needs that you have.”
In this day and age, there are a great number of people who are unable to consume anything which contains gluten. BlackRock caters to those needs too.
“We're not creating gluten-free products in the building because of chance of cross-contamination, but we will be bringing in a full line of gluten-free products available to customers from another bakery out of Calgary.”
As much as they've talked the place up and let us in on many intriguing reasons to come, Warlow and Gilmer just want to let the public know that they're ready for business.
“We just want to get the word out that we're here and we're going to start moving into earlier hours.
Next week we're going to start opening at 8 p.m and products are available until 9 p.m while they last. We're going to be open seven days a week.”
