Nick Stam, or Nick the Dutch Baker as he was known by many, has passed away. The well-known baker died on June 24 at the age of 67.
Stam was a beloved member of the Moncton business community. His bakery, “Nick the Dutch Baker” was known and enjoyed by many.
Stam was born in a small town in the Netherlands, where he grew up baking with his grandfather. In the late 70s, he came to Canada to visit, but after meeting his wife Christine in Ontario, he decided to stay. Together they had 12 children.
The Stams moved to Notre Dame, near Moncton, in 1996. Stam wanted to open a bakery and start over in a new place.
His son, John Stam, who currently manages the bakery alongside his brother Peter, recounts how hard-working his father was. He explains that even though the business was slow at the beginning, his father always made sure to provide for them.
“My father never got rich but he was always able to feed his family,” John tells Huddle.
Nick was known as a family man, working in the business alongside his children. John says the whole family would contribute to the business, whatever their age. He explains that tasks at the shop would vary but that all of his siblings worked in the bakery at some point, even if it was just setting up at farmers’ markets.
“Whether we were very small, we would have very small jobs, or whether we were more mature or more grown up, then we did more work,” John says.
Nick was also an active member of his church, the St. George Anglican Church. According to reverend Chris VanBuskirk, Nick was quite involved in the church’s outbound activities. Whether it was through welcoming people to his house for supper, singing, or coming up with activities like ‘Cookie Making Time’ for the 12 days of Christmas.
“He just loved people so much and had that same [expression] on his face. There flowed this desire and interest to be supportive of people, to be interested in their lives,” VanBuskirk says.
The reverend explains that Nick’s desire to bring people together was incredibly natural. He could tell from the way he contributed to the congregation and managed the business that he cared about people’s lives and their well-being.
Nick’s hospitality and kindness will be forever remembered by his family and the communities he was part of, VanBuskirk says.
“[He] was just such a friend to many and [will] be greatly missed.”
In a Facebook post on July 30, John thanked the community for the outpouring of support and said he and Peter will continue baking. The shop is now open with a limited selection and will be set up at farmers’ markets in several communities over the weekend.
Katherine del Salto is a contributor with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
