businessNOW: The Crepes of Wrath restaurant opens in downtown Peterborough

businessNOW™ is our round-up of business and organizational news from Peterborough and across the greater Kawarthas region.

This week, we’re featuring The Crepes of Wrath, a new crepe restaurant now open in downtown Peterborough.

There’s also the seven Peterborough-area businesses that are receiving Starter Company Plus grants, the Publican House in downtown Peterborough creating an open-air heated patio for the winter, and Peterborough illustrator Jason Wilkins’s social media campaign to get Tim Hortons to adopt his coffee cup design.

Local artist Nick Leniuk has opened a new studio in Peterborough, Peterborough native Robert Brunsch is opening two new cannabis stores in Peterborough, and Fleetwood Hills Farm in Kawartha Lakes scored four wins at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. We also provide some highlights of other business and organization news from across the Kawarthas.

New business events added this week include the Innovation Cluster’s virtual breakfast webinar on clean technology on December 10th, the Innovation Cluster’s virtual “Women Breaking Barriers” panel discussion featuring kawarthaNOW’s Jeannine Taylor on December 15th, Camp Kawartha’s virtual annual general meeting on December 15th, the Bobcaygeon Chamber’s virtual networking event on December 16th, and the Peterborough Chamber’s student work placement webinar for employers on December 18th.

The Crepes of Wrath crepe restaurant now open in downtown Peterborough

The Crepes of Wrath is now open in downtown Peterborough.

Located at 170 Hunter Street West (the former location of Hunter Street Books), the take-out restaurant offers crepes — very thin pancakes — with both sweet and savoury fillings.

Owner Brian Goeckel was inspired to name the restaurant after the eleventh episode of the animated series The Simpsons, which has been called its greatest episode and which is itself a take on the name of the famous John Steinbeck novel.

The menu includes sweet crepes such as “The Classic”(banansas and nutella) and “The Burning Man” (marshmallows, nutella, graham crackers, caramel and cinnamon) and savoury crepes such as “Full Metal Jackfruit” (shredded jackfruit, green apples, red onion, greens, and bourbon BBQ sauce) and “Roast Beast” (roast beef, feta, white cheese mix, avocado, tomato, red onion, greens, chimmi churri sauce, and garlic aioli).

The Crepes of Wrath is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, inclduing the full menu, visit facebook.com/crepesofwrathptbo/.

Seven Peterborough-area businesses receive Starter Company Plus grants

Seven local entrepreneurs will receive $36,000 in micro-grants from the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre as part of the fall intake of the Starter Company Plus program.

Offered through the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre with funding from the Government of Ontario, the business development program provides training for aspiring to experienced entrepreneurs 18 years and over in the City and County of Peterborough who are launching a business or expanding an existing one that’s been operating for five years or less).

The 12 entrepreneurs who participated in the eight-week program submitted their final business plans and a video pitch to the judges for review during the week of November 16th. The following seven of the 12 participants were selected to receive micro-grants to support the growth of their businesses:

• Debra Ragbar of the Kawartha Spice Company in Peterborough
• Lyle Saunders of the Saunders Tax Service (c/o Peterborough Disability Tax Services) in Peterborough
• Jocelynn Vieira of The Kawartha Craft Company in Trent Lakes
• Alicia Doris of Living Local Box in Selwyn Township
• Susan Dunkley of Suzi Home Maker in Peterborough
• Dean and Amy Howley of King & Tupper in Cavan-Monaghan Township
• Christopher Nayler of Douglas Works in Peterborough

Applications for the winter intake of the Starter Company Plus program will open on January 1st. For more information, visit peterboroughed.ca/business-support/starter-company-plus/.

Publican House in downtown Peterborough creates an open-air heated patio for the winter

The Publican House Brew Pub at 300 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough recently completed a “secret winter project” — creating an open air patio to serve customers throughout the year.

The heated patio is surrounded by high walls to block the wind, and is decorated for the season.

“Make sure you dress appropriately,” owner Brad Watt says in a Facebook video. “This is Canada.”

Publican House Brew Pub, which continues to offer indoor seating as well, is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Peterborough illustrator Jason Wilkins wants Tim Hortons to adopt his coffee cup design

Peterborough illustrator Jason Wilkins has designed an inspiring Tim Hortons coffee cup and has launched a social media campaign to get the company’s attention.

“I’m looking to get as many people as possible to share and tag Tim Hortons,” he says.

Illustrated in Wilkins’ unique style, the cup features the Toronto cityscape along with positive messages such as “Donut give up”, “Strength in Community”, and “We’ve got this”.

He has got Tim Hortons’ attention, having recently received a delivery of free Tim Hortons products, along with a note “We love your artistic take on our new cups! Enjoy! – Your friends at Tim Hortons”, but no word on whether they’ll use his design.

Local artist Nick Leniuk opens a new studio in Peterborough

Local sculptor Nick Leniuk recently opened Riverbend Studio in Peterborough.

The name of his studio pays homage to Kapuskasing — the northern Ontario town where Leniuk grew up — which is the Cree word for ‘bend in the river’.

Leniuk carves both tree silhouettes and imagined creations from stone. As an avid paddler and hiker, his designs are inspired by the lakes and forests of Ontario.

He also creates unique designs from images he sees in random patterns, which he calls his ‘pareidolia’ pieces — pareidolia being the tendency to perceive a specific and often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.

Riverbend Studio is located at 831 Crowley Crescent in Peterborough. The studio will be open on Saturdays prior to Christmas from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

For more information, visit nickleniuk.com.

Peterborough native Robert Brunsch opening two new cannabis stores in Peterborough

Peterborough native Robert Brunsch is opening two new retail cannabis stores in Peterborough under the brand Sparq Retail.

The first location at 340 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough is scheduled to open in January 2021, with a second location at 861 Lansdowne Street (Unit 4) to follow.

Born in Peterborough, Brunsch grew up in the city with his parents and sister. He and his wife, who both attended St. Peter’s Secondary School and are graduates of Trent University, recently purchased their first home in Peterborough’s north end.

“It was an exciting opportunity for me to continue to work in the community that has given so much to me over the years, and provide employment in an economic time that is filled with so much uncertainty,” Brunsch says of Sparq Retail. “We are proud to boast that we live in Peterborough, work in Peterborough, and most importantly, want to support our community any way that we are able.”

Brunsch says Sparq Retail will offer an educational experience geared toward consumers who may have never consumed any cannabis products, while also being able assist those customer who may have extensive previous knowledge.

“We want to ensure our clients leave our stores feeling empowered, educated, and are comfortable with any purchases they do decide to make,” he says.

For more information about Sparq Retail, visit sparqretail.ca.

Fleetwood Hills Farm in Kawartha Lakes scores four wins at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Fleetwood Hills Farm, located south of Lindsay in Janetville, recently scored four wins at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Stephen Moore decided to enter his liquid white honey in the competition for the first time, along with some of the farm’s maple products.

The farm’s honey won the Lorna Robinson Trophy and was crowned Champion-White Liquid Honey and Grand Champion Liquid Honey-Reserve.

The family-owned farm — well known as the home of Moore’s Maple Syrup — was also recognized as having the best maple butter in the maple competition.

Stephen’s parents, Jim and Carolyn Moore, moved to the farm in 1983 and started producing maple syrup soon afterwards. Stephen has been beekeeping for over 10 years and helping with the maple syrup production in recent years. He moved back to the farm with his family in the fall of 2019 when his parents moved into Peterborough. This year’s maple syrup season was a bit of a role reversal, with Stephen’s parents now helping him with the maple syrup production.

For more information about Fleetwood Hills Farm, including where to purchase the farm’s products, visit mooresmaplesyrup.com.

Highlights of other business and organization news from across the Kawarthas

• The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha has donated $1,600 to Community Care Peterborough to assist with the non-profit organization’s Meals on Wheels and Grocery Delivery programs.
• Community Futures Peterborough has launched the Advanced Services & Advisory Project to connect struggling entrepreneurs with local professionals for advice, training, and counselling critical to navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply, visit subscribepage.com/community-futures-advanced-services-project.
• The Ontario government is investing more than $2 million to support province’s 47 Small Business Enterprise Centres to create a new Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Network. This includes the Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre (180 Kent St. W., Lindsay), Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (700-600 William St., Cobourg) and the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre (102-270 George St. N., Peterborough). For more information, visit ontariobusinesscentre.ca.
• Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation has launched the Storefront to Online (S2O) Program, a new training program to assist traditional brick-and-mortar,home-based business owners and not-for-profit agencies in extending their businesses online as an additional revenue stream. The free program will provide educational webinars, business tools, and digital resources directly to the business owner. The program also includes one-on-one coaching to help business owners keep on track to reach their online goals with results in 90 days. Registration closes on December 31st. For more information, visit storefrontto.online/kawarthalakes.
• The Kawartha Lakes Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre recently presented Starter Company Plus grants to six businesses in the Kawartha Lakes: Hobbies and Beyond in Lindsay, Maverick Kennels Dog Training in Woodville, Ping’s Homemade Chinese Food in Lindsay, Lindsay Axe Club, Bobcaygeon Bakery, and Kawartha 411 News.
• The federal government recently provided $1.1 million in additional funding through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund to Community Futures Peterborough and $560,000 to Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) To date, Community Futures Peterborough has provided almost $987,000 in liquidity support to help 42 local businesses impacted by the pandemic to cover fixed operating costs and maintain 85 jobs, and Kawartha Lakes CFDC has provided over $880,000 in liquidity support to help 24 local businesses impacted by the pandemic to cover fixed operating costs and maintain 131 jobs.

Innovation Cluster hosts virtual breakfast discussion on clean technology on December 10

Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas is hosting “Power Breakfast: Advancing Canada’s Clean Technology Landscape” from 8 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 10th.

The virtual session is intended to provide business leaders, thought leaders, and startups with a perspective on the evolving situation and its implications. This discussion on the future of clean technology in Canada, with a focus on the advancements taking place in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, features Martin Yuill, executive director of the Cleantech Commons, and Innovation Cluster client Brandon Robinson of Horizon Aircraft.

The first 50 registrants will receive a complimentary gift of two fruitful smoothies from Chimp Treats to enjoy the morning of the breakfast. This free event takes place on the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

To register, visit eventbrite.com/e/126816412303

Innovation Cluster hosts virtual “Women Breaking Barriers” panel discussion featuring kawarthaNOW’s Jeannine Taylor on December 15

Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas is hosting “Women Breaking Barriers: A Panel Discussion” from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15th.

The discussion features four female founders who have successfully pursued and highlighted a path for women in the Peterborough business community: Jeannine Taylor (founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of kawarthaNOW.com), Rhonda Barnet (president and chief operating officer of AVIT Manufacturing), Shelby Leonard-Watt (owner of Save our Soles), and Sofie Andreou (founder of 123DigitalPower digital marketing services and training).

This panel discussion is not just for a female audience; all are encouraged to attend. This free event takes place on the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

To register, visit eventbrite.com/e/129903554027.

Camp Kawartha hosts its virtual annual general meeting on December 15

Camp Kawartha is hosting is annual general meeting virtually from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15th.

The agenda includes annual reports and special presentations. The keynote speaker will be local naturalist Drew Monkman.

This free event takes place on the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

Register by Monday, December 14th at campkawartha.ca/event/annual-general-meeting/.

Bobcaygeon Chamber hosts virtual networking event on December 16

The Bobcaygeon and Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual “Cocktail Connection” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16th.

Everyone from the community is invited to join in this networking event and discuss how their year has been shaping up so far. This free event takes place on the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

Register at bobcaygeon.org/event-4080696.

Peterborough Chamber hosts student work placement webinar for employers on December 18

The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting “Speaker Series: Incentive to Hire a Student” from 12 to 1 p.m. on Friday, December 18th.

The Magnet team will be explaining to employers their student work placement program, how businesses can earn a $7,500 wage subsidy, and the benefits of program. The Magnet team will also cover the eligibility sections and give some examples of businesses that could benefit from the funding.

This free event takes place on the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

For more information and to register, visit web.peterboroughchamber.ca/events/SpeakerSeries Incentive to Hire a Student -765/details.

For more business-related events in the Kawarthas, check out our Business Events column.