Kassem Fedda (left) and son Hassen own the delightful Pita Hut Bakery in Leduc, Alberta

It’s a bone-numbing winter’s day (-35 Celsius with wind chill) as I step inside Leduc’s Pita Hut Bakery, south of Edmonton. So I’m enviously eying the woman stationed in front of a large, metal gas-fired oven. It’s like a pizza oven, complete with the long-handled paddle. But instead of pizzas, she’s tending made-to-order pita pies and stuffed pies, the latter a Lebanese version of a calzone.

For a bargain $4, I get a half-and-half pita pie—zatar (oregano, sumac, sesame seeds and olive oil) on one side and Lebanese cheeses on the other. These savoury mixes are enhanced by my choice of additional briny toppings, including crunchy, pickled turnip. I top things off with some delightfully crispy and slightly oily pita chips and garlic dip and a piece of complementary baklava.

Half zatar, half cheese pita pie for only $4 at Pita Hut Bakery

Pita Hut is a friendly Lebanese family affair, with father Kassem Fedda assembling the food in the kitchen, his wife tending the oven and son Hassen kibitzing with takeout customers at the front counter when I visit. It’s a great, inexpensive new place for a delicious light meal just two minutes off Highway 2.

Pita Hut Bakery
Unit 40, 4916 50 Avenue, Leduc, Alberta
Monday to Saturday 9 am-7 pm