In 1912, Aaron and Sarah Ladovsky, a young couple from Kielce, Poland, opened a bakery/coffee shop in downtown Toronto. Their plan was simple: to recapture the flavours of the life they’d left behind and to make a living here in Canada. They called their business The United Bakers.
Little could they have imagined that this same business would still be welcoming customers through its doors a century later. After eleven decades of continuous operation, United Bakers has carved a niche place of its own in the story of Jewish Toronto.
The Ladovsky family are quick to acknowledge their own good fortune, having enjoyed what they call “front-row seats” to witness the evolution of Toronto’s Jewish community: a decade in the Ward, followed by 66 years on Spadina Avenue near Kensington Market, and for the past 40 years at Lawrence Plaza. As the community moved, so did they. Over time, the business transformed from “just another eatery” into something of an institution.
Philip and Ruthie remember the start of their stewardship of the restaurant in the late 1970s. Their father, Herman, had operated the Spadina location for 40 years with a warm and generous hand. He was confident that his children could do the same, by following one simple rule: keep the doors open for business. Philip took care of maintaining the quality and consistency of the foodservice, while Ruthie infused the operation with her own personal warmth. Together, they carried forward a unique sense of place that still characterizes their business as the restaurant that feels like home.
Philip’s eldest son Nathan entered the company with the additional advantage of a master’s degree in hospitality. While his focus is on industry-best practices, his personal motto remains: “a restaurant is nothing without a community to serve.” Today, he brings that vision to United Bakers, where customer service includes careful food preparation, as well as genuine care for the well-being of those he serves.
The Ladovskys take pride in living their Jewish identity: delving into Jewish learning; reproducing the recipes of their grandparents; visiting Israel and welcoming Israelis who visit Toronto; and engaging with the Toronto Jewish community.
They understand that United Bakers is more than a business. Like their grandparents, they continue to support community agencies and to share with those in need. They established a fund at the Jewish Foundation specifically to help sustain the causes they cherish.
The menu has evolved—shakshuka and niçoise salad now share table space with latkes and gefilte fish —but the spirit and the values remain unchanged. The Ladovskys continue to keep the doors open, the pea soup consistent, and the welcome genuine—serving not just meals, but community, one table at a time.