Photo: Walla Foods

Benjamin Manea

A beloved Penticton bakery has announced its closure due to the ALS diagnosis of its owner.

Benjamin Manea has built a loyal following over the past decade with his long-fermented breads at Walla Artisan Bakery and Cafe in the Cannery Trade Centre.

In a letter to customers posted to Facebook this week, Manea summed up the “unexpected development” with a Yiddish saying, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”

There is no cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and Manea has been given three years to live.

“Despite my most careful planning, life took an unpredictable turn and perhaps this is one way that the universe signals to us that the perception of control is merely an illusion,” he wrote.

Manea explained his “retirement plan was nowhere in sight,” and he had hoped for many more years working 100 hours a week.

An expansion plan was in place to increase floor space and grow his product line to include pretzels, bagels and pita bread. He was also working towards opening a pub called “Walla After Hours” that would have served local beer, baking, pizza and sandwiches.

“Slow” was always his mantra, and time his ally in extracting flavours from bread, pickles and pastrami.

“I assumed that I had all the time in the world. Now, as I am running out of it, Walla will have to be liquidated, along with its legacy; the bread that was baked here and all other things that made your life better and brought a smile to your face — will fade into history.”

Manea’s wife, Sharon, says there has been an outpouring of support and love from the community since the closure was announced.

“They are streaming in, some of them are weeping and hugging him,” she said. “But he’s not dying yet, he’s still functioning and working and in really good spirits.”

“He doesn’t want people to come here and eat and have sad faces. He wants people to come here and enjoy, while he can still serve and do what he loves.”

Sharon says Manea plans on continuing to make bread and serve tables for “at least the next few weeks,” after which he will begin selling off equipment.

She said the location could work perfectly as a commissary kitchen, something the Okanagan currently lacks.

“Wouldn’t it be great, if all these people that are always coming around looking for a commercial kitchen to produce for the farmers market… maybe a few people could get together and buy it, run it, rent it.”

“Everyone you could need is here,” she added.

Manea is going ahead with a lecture, Beyond Sourdough, on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Shatford Centre. 

Information on Manea's baking schedule for the coming weeks can be found on Facebook.