CHIP & PEPPER SAVE 99 YEAR-OLD WINNIPEG LEGACY, KUB BAKERY

Chip and Pepper Foster with “the Nike of bread” at KUB Bakery in Winnipeg. Photo by Travis Ross.

Known across generations for NBC series, Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness and iconic global denim brand, Chip & Pepper California, Winnipeg-born twins, Chip and Pepper Foster have announced their purchase of Winnipeg-based legacy brand, KUB Bakery. At today’s press conference produced by JPPR, the super twins and previous KUB Bakery co-owner, Lisa Perkovic, confirmed that KUB Bakery will hit its 100th birthday and beyond. In November 2022, KUB Bakery announced the closure of the brand spurring a wave of heartbreak to its loyal customers across the province. Fans can rejoice knowing this legacy is here to stay.

“Breaking bread brings people together in such a heart-centred way. KUB Bakery has been a constant in our lives and it has brought together countless friends and families across Manitoba. We are ecstatic that these cherished recipes will live to see their 100th birthday and beyond,” shared Perkovik. “Today marks the day we pass the torch to Chip & Pepper to continue that legacy for Manitobans.”

From shelves of major retailers like CO-OP, Costco, Safeway and Shoppers Drug Mart to Manitoba eateries like the Pancake House and Nick’s Inn to wedding social late-night feasts, KUB Bakery houses a magnificent infrastructure connecting the province’s signature grain with its residents.

“Bread from Manitoba is on another level. The wheat here is one of the best things in the entire world to me and mixed with that secret ingredient of love that’s the trademark of Friendly Manitoba, they are truly little slices of heaven,” shared Chip Foster. “We used to go clubbing. Now we go KUB-ing!”

While the name “Chip & Pepper” is often paired first with fashion and entertainment, the food business is not a new venture for the Foster family. In 1938, the twins’ grandfather, Samuel Finkleman, started Elman’s Food Products. Selling delicacies like pickles, sauerkraut, horseradish and mustard, the Winnipeg-based business continues to this day. Passed on to Chip and Pepper’s father, Manny Finkleman, Elman’s family recipes continue to delight across the country.

Winnipeg small-batch artisan bakery, The Pennyloaf is another venture tied to the Foster family. Pepper and Vanessa Foster co-own The Pennyloaf, the maker of to-die-for loaves playfully called “the Gucci of bread” by local fans.

Alongside their culinary adventures, the duo’s 1980s television series has been reprised on Netflix with the release of Saturday Morning All Star Hits! The show is a parody of Saturday-morning cartoons from the 1980s and early 1990s, including Chip and Pepper's Cartoon Madness. With Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels as an Executive Producer, the show is hosted by twin brothers Skip and Treybor (parodies of Chip and Pepper), both played by American actor, comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member, Kyle Mooney. 

“When we moved to LA and people would reference the 60s and would talk about being a “flower child,” for a hot second, we thought they meant “flour child” and nodded along like, “Yeah, totally!” shared Pepper Foster. “That’s just one wild example of how Winnipeg is a part of our DNA. As proud flour children, we could not be more excited about carrying on such a precious part of Manitoba history.”

INDIGENOUS-OWNED CLOTHING BRAND SKYROCKETS: FROM CELEB FANS TO NETFLIX APPEARANCES TO DRAGONS' DEN MENTORSHIP TO RECORD-BREAKING SALES

By Jane Puchniak | @janepuchniak | November 2, 2021 | 6:00am

Indigenous-owned and operated brand, Decolonial Clothing Co. has won The Pitch, a competition open to all startups and entrepreneurs globally. The win means a chance to showcase their work to investors, a $25,000 cash prize and a mentorship with serial entrepreneur and star of CBC Dragons’ Den, Michele Romanow. This is one of the most recent milestones in the Decolonial Clothing success story.

Icons from around the world have been repping the brand and they’ve also hopped on Instagram Live streams with co-Founder and award winning artist, Dakota Bear to talk about the message of decolonization and justice for Indigenous Peoples. The brand has seen support from Marvel star, Mark Ruffalo to Drake’s long time producer, Noah ‘40’ Shebib to Netflix icon, Nathalie Boltt of Riverdale to MSNBC’s Liz Plank to Emma Watson and the list goes on. Decolonial Clothing has also been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Huffington Post and if you watch Netflix series, Coronor or Resident Alien on Hulu, chances are you’ll see a piece of Decolonial on screen.

Founded by life and business partners, Casey Desjarlais and Dakota Bear, the company began in 2020 and soared exponentially breaking a new record this fall when the company hitting the $500,000 mark in sales. This sparked an expansion of Decolonial's warehouse operation and staff growth in several facets of the business.

“We always worked towards being entrepreneurs. We wrote our first business plan on a broken iPhone in 2015. We never dreamed that years later, we would have ten employees, a Dragons' Den mentorship and that we’d be upscaling to a warehouse 10 times the size of our initial operation,” says Co-Founder and Creative Director, Casey Desjarlais. 

“We have shipped to almost every continent with orders going out to Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Australia, Nigeria, all across the United States, Asia, Canada and Australia. People aren’t just investing in the fashion, they are investing in the message behind the brand,” shared Bear. “We believe that it is time for the world to recognize the original peoples of this land and dismantle the colonial systems that have decimated Indigenous People for generations. People are starting to learn the real history and they are getting on board as active allies. Change is happening in the ways of thinking, in politics, in music and in media and it gives me great hope to see this happening. We are proud and honoured for our company to be a part of this movement.”

“As we scale, our goal is to create opportunities to hire and mentor BIPOC youth and support the mental, spiritual, financial and creative health of our community,” added Desjarlais.

Visit decolonialclothing.com to view the latest collection.