Abbey of the Genesee

My birthday continued today with a road trip. I'll write about each of the 3 stops my parents and I made in upcoming blogs. Our first stop was to Piffard, New York and the Abbey of the Genesee. Have you heard of Monks' Bread? You can buy it in most grocery stores...at least most grocery stores in Western New York. At any rate, the Trappist Monks at this abbey make this bread. It's a beautiful place, in the middle of verdant farmland, quiet and peaceful...the perfect setting for a contemplative community. Although the monks live a contemplative life with limited speaking and no TV or radio, they do share part of their life with the public, aside from their bread bought from the grocery store or online. At the monastery the public may visit their chapel and attend some services, there is a retreat facility, and they do have a shop where they sell their bread as well as cakes they make and other goodies, most of which are made by other monks in other locations. I bought my favorite variety of Monks Bread-Sunflower Seed as well as a chocolate chip cake made with whiskey. Actually, a lot of their cakes were made with whiskey..and they made a creamed butter with brandy. Hmmm. It's a lovely location and if you're ever in the area I recommend a stop. If you can't make the trip you can also satisfy your hunger for Monk's Bread and their cakes by ordering online.