Birch became enamoured with sourdough culture in the 1990s and dove right into 100% whole grain recipes. His passion led him to Alpine Bakery in Whitehorse where he learned to bake organic bread at a commercial scale. Eventually he became Head Baker, a position that involved regular use of the brick oven. Since then he has worked for bakeries in BC and Ontario, helping develop sourdough recipes to add to their non-sourdough varieties. His passion for fermentation also led him to become a brewer with Yukon Brewing Company where he learned the science of zymurgy.

The daughter of an artist and hairdresser, Leila was introduced to the arts at a young age. Lino cuts and line drawings are her preferred methods of expression. She enjoys tinkering with the mechanical workings of the grain mill, and gets incredible satisfaction squishing air bubbles out of dough balls.

One winter, Birch and Leila went for a snowshoe to scout out nearby timber to haul to their sawmill to finish their cabin.  Leila pointed out a dead trembling aspen, and Birch walked up to check the soundness of the trunk.  A piece of bark fell to the ground, exposing a cavity and two neat piles of food.  One was a ball of rice and the other was sourdough bread, cut into chunks by Leila to make it easier for birds to carry away.

Whisky Jacks are one of few northern animals who decide to have their babies in the middle of winter. Expecting parents spend months hiding food in thousands of little caches around their nesting area. This way, they can feed nutritious food to their young while there is still four feet of snow on the ground. Whisky Jacks will eat almost anything, but they particularly love whole grain bread.

A big thank you to Thomas Drasdauskis for taking our beautiful photographs.

We hope you enjoy our bread as much as the birds do,
Leila & Birch
Owners/Miller/Baker
Whisky Jack Cache