Minary family reopen bakery, keep parents’ memories alive

Friday, 29 May 2026 10:00

Minary family reopen bakery, keep parents’ memories alive

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Minary siblings Cody and Kendra, along with brother Adam, recently reopened the Minary Homestyle Bakery in Souris. The three worked there with their parents Darwyn and Cindy, who both passed away this spring. The Minary family is keeping this Souris landmark open, something a part of their lives for so many years. Connor McDowell, the Brandon Sun

The children of Cindy and Darwyn Minary are keeping their family legacy alive in an important part of their community.

Minary Homestyle Bakery in Souris reopened on May 14. This is a joint venture by the Minary children Kendra, Cody and Adam. They grew up in the establishment and are honouring their parents, who both tragically passed away this spring. Kendra said they opened up briefly at the end of March after the passing of their mother on March 1, but then had to close again when their father passed on April 10. She said they were overwhelmed by the response of their return.

“We are so grateful that the community (and beyond) has been so unbelievably supportive,” Kendra stated. “They were very patient and understanding during our time off, and very welcoming when we came back. Our weekends are back to the usual lineup through the door and down the street for the first hour. We have been greeted by so many familiar faces, and many new customers as well.”

Kendra said the bakery had been a part of their lives from the beginning. Their father Darwyn worked there for many years prior to buying it, and she said she and her brothers spent a lot of time visiting him as kids, playing with toy cars and dolls in the extra dough balls and picking out their favourite treats. She added they always had the best birthday cakes with special characters growing up.

The Minary’s purchased the bakery in 2006, with Darwyn becoming the full-time baker and Cindy balancing the bakery with the library for a while before also moving to full-time.

Since then, they have all been a part of Minary Homestyle Bakery. They worked part-time until they graduated – Adam in 2007, Cody in 2011 and Kendra in 2014 – and then it became their full-time jobs. This is part of what made it important to keep it going despite their trials and heartbreak.

“In true Minary stubbornness, we weren’t going to give up very easy. We had the determination to do whatever we could to get the doors open again and keep the bakery going in honour of our parents. They dedicated so much of their lives, time and love to this place that it didn’t feel right to let it end. We also know and take pride in how lucky we are to not only have a close family, but one that can tolerate working together as well (most of the time anyway).”

“It’s all we know how to do, and all I ever think about is making mom and dad proud,” Adam added.

Kendra said the bakery is best known for their “Bigfoot sized” apple fritters. Granola bars and cheese n’ garlic pull apart buns are also popular, particularly with campers and tourists. She added they would focus on the items that have made them a standout with customers for 20 years, but might add a twist or two as time goes on.

At this point, the three siblings are operating the whole bakery. Their aunt and uncle have helped out with frying doughnuts, packaging buns and whatever was needed to keep them from being overwhelmed.

Their parents remain a big part of the business. Kendra said they keep their handwritten notes and recipes, their dirty aprons stay hung up in the corner and their advice and memories will always be a part of them, as they will always be a part of the bakery.

“Lots of things happen, and questions arise where we would love to ask them for their suggestion or guidance and aren’t able to,” Cody said, “and that will definitely last forever.”

“Dad taught me everything I know,” Adam explained. “At the start I was there to help him keep up, but in the end and for quite a while now I was the one doing it all and he was there to help me keep up. We worked together as a team very efficiently, but now all the main baking side of things is just me. The work itself hasn’t changed too much for me, but the feel of it has. Something always feels missing, and it always will. I worked early mornings alongside both my parents for many years and miss them everyday.”

The siblings said they stay as long as they can, with a next generation making their decisions when the time comes. Their 20th anniversary will be coming in August, which will be an exciting milestone. For now, they are happy to keep the bakery and their parents’ memories alive.

“We hope to keep the business going and profitable and to continue providing for all of those who love what we do,” said Cody.

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff

Read 245 times Last modified on Thursday, 11 June 2026 11:17

Published in News

Minary family reopen bakery, keep parents’ memories alive

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