Meet the Tamil Canadian Baker Who Turned a Pandemic Hobby Into a $1M Business
When COVID-19 shut down her dental receptionist job in April 2020, Priya Nalliah started baking sourdough bread to pass the time. She posted photos on Instagram. Neighbours started texting. Within three weeks she had a waiting list. Within three months she had saved enough from bread sales to buy a second oven.
Today, Priya's Bakehouse occupies a 1,200 square foot commercial space on Kingston Road in Scarborough, employs four full-time staff including her younger sister, and produces over 300 loaves, 500 butter cookies, and dozens of Tamil-inspired cakes each week. Her murukku-spiced shortbread sold out at the 2025 Toronto Tamil Food Festival in 40 minutes. "My mother used to say bread and rice are the same — they are both love," Priya says. "I just found a way to share the love in a new form."