Fomi's Bakery

Bakery: Fomi's Bakery 
Address: 6049 BC-6, Winlaw, BC 
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian, Russian
Price: $$

I do love stumbling on bakeries that shoot up right to the top of their class, and Fomi's Bakery -- a cozy bakery and cafe serving some old-fashioned Doukhobor Russian food in a rather unlikely and unassuming location down a driveway right off Hwy 6 -- has to be the best bakery in the Kootenays and the only 4-star bakery for hundreds of kilometres.

Operating out of a house, this small, colourful bakery counter past the wooden seating area features a classic - and fairly large for a rural bakery - selection of bread and baked goods like cinnamon buns, doughnuts, and cream-filled treats behind the glass. Along with a few surprising and less common finds.

I started out with two single items (don't even remember what the second one was anymore) but as soon as I went to the cash, I spotted the must-have item and immediately changed my mind: the poppy seed snail ($6.50). There was no doubt about me leaving with this one; the worker recommending it to me didn't change a thing. Consisting of seven small-ish interlocking "snails", this was amazing from start to finish. I loved the consistency of the dough, the poppy seed mass with just a hint of cocoa, and that thin layer of glaze, with its fantastic slight crackle upon biting into it, covering the entire top. Mmm... the moment I saw it, I knew this would be a winner. And it was. This is, yes, BC's best poppy seed baked good!

Also purchased was the deliciously fried, fluffy blueberry fritter ($2.50). It's not that easy to find fritters with anything besides apples, so this was a nice change; good amount of fresh fruit and that yummy glaze over top. What a bakery!

Rating: ****