Monday, October 20, 2008

Early season success for Just Crepes


Published in North Country Business, July 2007


The writing is on the wall at Just Crepes, and what does it say? Carpe diem - among other sayings - and that's what patrons have been doing since its opening on Victoria Day weekend. With the fiavourful variety of dishes ranging from eggs Benedict breakfast crepes to fruit-filled dessert crepes, there is something for everyone's taste buds. The fresh Port Calling hot spot has the feel of a quaint frenen café, and the walls throughout are decorated with uplifting and nspirational sayings. Owner Janine Hcaslip says she and her husband designed the interior of the
restaurant as well as the menu to suit their own tastes in hopes that their approach would please others as well. The old building, which is now painted a vibrant yellow, is located across from Tommy Bahamas on Port Carling's main street. Heaslip says it required quite a bit of restora-
tion, and to keep some of the character she and her husband incorporated some of the old floor joists into the bathroom sink fixtures.

"It would have been nice to open up last summer but that would have meant rushing things and not putting that finishing touch on a lot of stuff,"says Heaslip of their original plan to open for the 2006 season. "We decided that it was more important from a patron point of view and that's basically what we built this on."

Heaslip has more than 12 years of experience in bakery management, and spent countless hours working on the menu. With Ihe help of her sister-in-law, she came up with unique names for each dish, such as Just out of the Blue, a combination of chicken, blue cheese and broccoli florets wrapped in a crepe, or Heaslip's favourite Wholly Crepe Marie, which is beef tenderloin with a red wine portabello mushroom red wine sauce created by her husband. They also offer gluten-free and whole wheat crepes for health conscious patrons.

"Initially when we thought about a menu we were going on our taste buds but trying to be health regulated, however, it seems that everything has just gone to our taste buds," says Heaslip. "But everything is delicious and fiavourful, and we worked on the menus for a very long time."

The restaurant met with early success this spring, drawing large crowds on weekends. Heaslip predicts weekday patrons will also increase during midsummer and despite being open just a month, future opportunities have already presented themselves.

"Franchising is a thought for us. it was brought up to us the first day we were open," she says. "We were approached, and it took me by surprise because I had never even thought of that yet."
Other future plans may involve opening in the evening, although Hcaslip says she wants to focus on perfecting breakfast and lunch before pursuing the dinner crowd. Thought is also being given to whether or not to stay open during the winter months, but will be decided as demand dictates.
"The summer is definitely where your gravy is for this community and we will work at a plan." she says. "A lot of locals are coming in and asking so I'd like to make everybody happy, and it just works better too when there's a constant."

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