Quietly tucked in a downtown church basement is a Galt brunch staple—apple dumplings.
Every Saturday morning at 6:30am, the Apple Corps, a group of faithful volunteers, files into the 19th-century Wesley United Church to prepare apple dumplings. They have been serving them for 27 years.
The tender fist-sized dumplings are packed with fruit chunks and smothered in a rum-flavored, brown sugar sauce.
On this frigid January morning, they have served 160 steaming bowls of apple goodness. An Apple Corps volunteer estimates the group has made 200,000 over the years.
The idea originated with congregation member Laurene Ziegler who set out to raise funds for building restorations. She started off by selling the apple dumplings amongst the farmers’ market’s outdoor stalls. As they grew in popularity, she expanded by adding a variety of pies and eventually started the church basement café.
The baked goods have contributed toward restoring the church steeple, bringing the fire doors up to code, and installing new windows. In addition, they help support the church’s donations to the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, the Bridges shelter, and disaster relief foundations.
Today the Apple Corps is 50 strong with rotating members. Though we can only enjoy the café on Saturdays, they work throughout the week to make these sweet treats. The week kicks off with making sauce on Mondays, followed by selecting fruit on Tuesdays, baking pies on Wednesdays, preparing ingredients on Friday, and finally assembling dumplings early Saturday.
Location: Ainslie Hall of the Wesley United Church at 6 Cambridge St.
Hours: Saturdays from 8:30-11:30am
Cost: $4 for an apple dumpling, $1 for coffee or tea – cash only
nourish is an ongoing review series of food purveyors within reach of UWSA students. If you are interested in contributing to this series or have related inquiries/concerns, please contact us.
Michelle is a MArch ('20) and HBAS ('16) graduate from Waterloo's School of Architecture. She was an author & editor with BRIDGE from 2013-2019.
Leave a Reply