It’s official: Vancouver foodies have simply gone bananas (pardon the pun) for banana bread – Erin Ireland’s It’s To Die For brand of banana bread, that is.
Last week, this multi-talented writer, contributor, and TV host added successful baker/entrepreneur to her cache of talents with the official launch of her addictive baked goods at Vancouver’s Commune Cafe in Yaletown.
Banana bread as noteworthy you say? Indeed! Erin has steadily built a following among friends, media, colleagues (and pretty much everyone in between) with the creation of her tasty take on a traditional comfort food.
What makes this bread better than your Grandma’s? Perhaps it’s the addition of melt-in-your mouth Callebaut milk chocolate and crunchy macadamia nuts, guaranteed to leave you wanting more. We think it might also have something to do with its creator’s infectious passion, professionalism, and down-to-earth personality that make this an easy sell. You would be hard-pressed to find a better spokesperson than Erin for this delectable treat; sold by the slice at Commune Cafe. What is certain is Ireland’s secret is staying on lockdown as she’s set her sights on bigger goals – namely landing en masse on grocery store shelves in the near future.
And we think that day may come soon enough…
With daily requests for more loaves feeding into the social media world, posted to Facebook, Twitter and her blog, Erin still manages to maintain her business cool. In the meantime, this ‘sweet and salty’ confection has already amassed rave reviews and accolades, from attracting the interest of a Dragon’s Den producer to numerous TV appearances and on-air taste tests to receiving rave reviews from Michelin star chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Ireland’s It’s To Die For Banana Bread was recently entered (and won) a coveted ‘gold ticket’ as part of Food Network Canada’s Recipe to Riches search, so we’re sure this story of home-grown success holds a few more surprises for Erin.
To read more about Erin and her It’s To Die For Banana Bread quest to take over the world, visit her blog or jet down to Commune Cafe for your fix and hope they’ve got a slice or two left (good luck with that!). Commune Cafe is located at 1002 Seymour Street, Vancouver, 604-681-2551.
Images by Jeremy Lim.