Imagine a Saturday afternoon taking your whole family to bake bread or bake your pizza dough in a wood-fired oven with your next door neighbors. While attending to the food, your kids roam around playing with other kids. At the same time, the rest of adults keep an eye on them. At the community bread oven everyone finds its place. A place to gather, have fun, share resources and cook together.

What is a community oven? Community ovens are one of the centuries-old forms of public cooking. They once served as a shared public resource for those who couldn't afford their own oven but needed a place to bake their bread. Countries like Turkey or Morocco still maintain the tradition of public ovens. For example, in Morocco people bring their own dough to the public oven to bake it in the wood-fired oven for its special taste, low cost and to avoid heating their house during a hot season.

Today the construction of community ovens is gaining in popularity in many cities in North America and Europe. Why? Community ovens have been used as gathering spaces for the community to strengthen neighborhood ties and to create communities that are vibrant with a deep sense of belonging. Many cities also use public ovens to address social isolation, or food security to help transform communities into places of solidarity and civic engagement. Often a variety of activities, such as local markets, music, theater, takes place around public baking.

Laval would benefit from a project that addresses all residents without exception. The power of food invites people to share and collaborate, so I cannot imagine a better project for the Laval community. A community project that connects people and offers an affordable activity for everyone.

Let’s start this year investing into our neighborhoods to make them safer, resilient and sustainable with projects like a community bread oven. Will you join me in supporting a public drive to build a community bread oven in Laval by Lavalois for Lavalois?

Join us on Facebook Four à bois communautaire de Laval to raise public support for community bread oven realization in Laval.