Boulangerie Cheskie

If you ask Estie Lebowitz, she’ll tell you that her favourite thing about her father’s bakery is the people she meets from behind the counter. Members of Montreal’s Hasidic Jewish community bump up against people who’ve never set foot in a synagogue,  and francophones wait in line in front of anglophones in the bright, homey Boulangerie Cheskie. It’s a microcosm of the city in 200 square feet. “My father’s bakery, it attracts everybody,” she says. “It’s just nice to meet so many different people.”

Estie, the daughter of owner Cheskie Lebowitz and his wife Malky, has worked for her father since she graduated from high school. But “I’ve been here since ever,” she jokes. “I’d want to take off from school and go to the bakery. I’ve always liked working here.”