The campaign includes selling a new authentic Hoito pancake mix, and a pop-up online merchandise store.
Development of the pancake mix has been underway for the past few months in partnership with Thunder Bay s Big Lake Pasta. We started with the original pancake recipe from one of the former Hoito head cooks, but that recipe is meant to make batter for hundreds of pancakes, says Finlandia Co-op interim president Paula Haapanen.
She said Big Lake Pasta owner Andrew Murchison has been an enormous help to find the right balance so that the pancake will taste and feel like the one you get at the restaurant.
THUNDER BAY - The historic Bay Street Finnish Labour Temple will maintain much of its outside façade, but renovations are well underway on the inside that will see some big changes.
Brad McKinnon, the new owner of the building, said the interior has been completely gutted, bringing it back to the original frame and foundation in the basement to prepare its transformation into apartments.
“One of the biggest challenges we have seen with this building is the multitude of renovations that have happened. It’s an old building. It’s 110 years old,” McKinnon said.
“Over the years, decade after decade, different things have been done to the building. Getting back to the original foundation and the original framing was very important for us. Trying to reconstruct a building while keeping an old shell and heritage aspects, trying to add spray foam insulation, new wiring, new plumbing, update the heating system. We are trying to make the building as efficient and safe as possible,