In their six years running a baked goods and catering business, Krystal and Milton McKenzie have seen food prices balloon.

“A 50lb bag of popcorn kernels was $30,” said Mrs McKenzie who runs The At Home Bakery. “After Covid-19, prices really went up. The kernels shot to $55 and $60.”

They have tried to soften the blow for their customers, only raising prices once a year.

“When we first sold our popcorn, we were retailing for $3 a bag,” she said. “After two years, we raised it to $3.50. Now we have increased it again to $4. Some local popcorn makers are selling their products for as much as $6 a bag.”

Despite pricing challenges, their popcorn, cakes, cookies and sandwiches have garnered a steady following.

Three days a week they deliver items to clients in offices around Hamilton. Pushing a cart with freshly baked eatables along City streets can quickly pick up new fans.

Mrs McKenzie thinks it is the warm heady smell of pumpkin bread that calls them.

People will sidle up to her and ask if they are for sale.

“They approach me,” Mrs McKenzie laughed. “I don’t solicit.”

A popular item on the menu is their “hegg” McMuffin.

“It’s ‘hegg’ like the Jamaicans say,” Mrs McKenzie said. “Shout out to the Jamaican heritage in the family. It is a frittata filling on a ricotta cheese biscuit. A lot of people think the biscuits look like our Johnny bread, but they are smoother and softer because of the ricotta.”

She confessed it is hard not to eat orders along the way.

“We are known for our freshness,” she said. “We bake and deliver three times a week. Sometimes the food is still warm when we deliver it.”

The At Home Bakery also does vegetarian and vegan event catering out of a commercial kitchen.

“I have been a vegetarian for life, so it is the only thing I know how to do,” Mrs McKenzie said. “Most of the items we make can be made vegan upon request if they are not already so.”

She said their vegan “rice krispie” treats are popular.

“Many people are surprised to find that regular marshmallows are not vegan,” she said. “I’ll bet you can’t taste the difference.”

They are also known for their vegetarian haystacks — deconstructed taco salads with beans replacing the meat.

“We do get plenty of comments on how good the food is to the point that folks don’t even miss the meat,” she said. “It is encouraging.”

One of their biggest catering affairs so far was the Greenrock Expo at the Botanical Gardens in Paget last November.

“I would wager there were a few thousand people there,” Mrs McKenzie said. “It was very crowded.”

Afterwards, they still had food left over.

“Better to have too much than too little,” she shrugged.

They have just obtained their licences to run a food stall at the Agricultural Exhibition in April.

“That will be the first time that we have done it,” she said. “To do that you have to agree to donate 10 per cent of your profits to charity.”

They both cook and bake.

“Milton is a far better cook than I am,” Mrs McKenzie said. “I will say I taught him well when it comes to baking, but he can hold his own independently now. I have learnt from him as well. I would say we are on an even playing field in this way.”

One of the biggest challenges in running the business has been time.

“I have no social life,” Mrs McKenzie said with a laugh.

After working as an admin in the community, she comes home and does popcorn popping and baking.

“It does take a lot of time,” she said. “Sleep deprivation is real.”

However, she was grateful for the opportunity to start and maintain the business for so long.

“There were times when neither of us had work in the traditional sense and we had this to fall back on,” she said. “It has really kept us afloat.”