For Ben Healy, the smell of brown bread baking is the smell of home.
A recipe passed down
Ben grew up in Clane, County Kildare, Ireland, and his path to farmers’ markets started in a hotel kitchen. “Around the age of 18, I started working as a kitchen helper, assisting with banquets, dinner service and whatever else needed to be done,” he says. One of his regular jobs was baking large hotel pan batches of traditional Irish brown bread, and it was there that something clicked. “It was there that I discovered just how simple and honest the recipe really was. There was no yeast, no complicated process, just a handful of quality ingredients that came together to make something special.”
That simplicity turned out to run in the family. Ben’s grandmother, Nancy Healy, passed away long before he was born, but years later his father found records of her traditional brown bread recipe. “It contained the ingredients, but none of the method or technique,” Ben explains. When he started Healy’s Foods, that recipe became his foundation. “I used that recipe as my foundation and drew on what I’d learned working in professional kitchens to develop my own process for producing consistent artisan loaves. After baking thousands of loaves over the past few years, I’ve refined that technique while staying true to the simplicity and flavour of the original family recipe.”
The business itself began with a bit of homesickness. Ben moved to Vancouver in 2019 to work as a chef, and once he was here, he couldn’t find the bread he grew up with. “I missed the bread I had grown up with and realised there was very little authentic Irish brown bread available here,” he says. “Starting Healy’s Foods became a way to preserve a piece of my family’s history, share an authentic part of Irish food culture, and build something of my own.” Today, he still bakes every loaf himself.
One dish, done right
At the centre of it all is one dish: traditional Irish brown soda bread. “It’s one of Ireland’s most iconic everyday foods, made without yeast using buttermilk and baking soda,” Ben says. “For generations, it has been a staple on Irish kitchen tables, served with everything from soups and stews to seafood, breakfast and simply a generous spread of Irish butter.” He can’t source Irish flour in BC, so he has built the same flavour and texture with what’s available locally, including organic stone ground flour from the Fraser Valley and fresh BC buttermilk. “For me, every loaf is about preserving a tradition and introducing people to an authentic piece of Irish food culture.”
Building it alone
Running the business solo hasn’t been easy. “The biggest challenge has been building the business entirely on my own,” Ben says. “I mix, bake, package, transport, sell at markets and manage everything behind the scenes.” What keeps him going, he says, is the response he gets from customers. “Whether it’s someone from Ireland telling me the bread reminds them of home or someone trying Irish brown bread for the first time, those conversations make the long hours worthwhile. Seeing people come back week after week reminds me that quality and authenticity still matter.”
A deeper sense of community
Farmers’ markets have reshaped how Ben thinks about community altogether. “Before starting Healy’s Foods, I thought community simply meant supporting local businesses,” he says. “Since becoming a farmers’ market vendor, it’s taken on a much deeper meaning.” He points to the fellow vendors who have offered advice and encouragement, and the regulars who have supported him from day one. “It’s shown me that farmers’ markets aren’t just places to shop. They’re places where relationships are built, stories are shared and traditions continue to be passed on.”
What’s ahead this season
This season, Ben is focused on keeping up with growing demand without cutting any corners. “I’m working on improving production to keep up while still baking every loaf by hand,” he says. He’s also looking forward to the simple, recurring joy of the job. “Seeing someone discover it for the first time is still one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.”
Find Healy’s Foods at farmers’ markets across Metro Vancouver, including:
- West End Farmers Market
- Downtown Farmers Market
- False Creek Farmers Market
- Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
- Riley Park Farmers Market
- Loutet Farm Farmers Market
- Lonsdale Quay Farmers Market
You can also order directly through healysfoods.com, where you’ll find Ben’s current market schedule, pickup information and online ordering.