One of Manitoba's most unusual and charming attractions recently underwent an extensive renovation.
The Whytewold Emporium, often referred to as "a little slice of Europe" on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, is now 3,000 square-feet larger due to an initiative by owner Karen Cote and her husband, Jan Cote.
The couple bought the former UDO lumber yard in Whytewold in 2004 with the intention of creating a flower, herb and vegetable business to supplement their retirement incomes.
They erected their first greenhouse in the fall of that year.
"It was operational by the spring of 2005, but our plants were destroyed by excessive rainfall and below normal temperatures," recalls Jan.
Undeterred, the couple decided to enter the restaurant business by renovating the UDO retail store and building "Big Bertha," a stone oven capable of reaching cooking temperatures of 393 C.
Jan said the construction of the wood-fired oven was a mutual effort including Keystone Masonry of Winnipeg and a lot of grunt work by himself and a group of friends.
The specifications were provided by Allan Scott, a mason known worldwide for his efficient and aesthetically stunning brick ovens.
By the spring of 2006, the mammoth cooker was ready to be stoked with cherry or oak hardwood.
"We produced healthy, thin-crust pizza made with 60 per cent whole wheat, low fat mozzarella and a variety of fresh toppings," said Jan, adding the wood-fired pies were an instant hit; gluten-free crusts are available.
Encouraged by the pizza success, Jan and Karen decided to add Brittany-style crepes to their menu.
"My grandparents lived in the towns of Kernoues and Braspart in France," said Jan, adding both towns were known for the diversity and fabulous taste of their crepes.
"We decided to introduce these delicacies to the Interlake in 2006 and our customers devoured them."
The crepe batter is prepared from secret recipes passed down from generation to generation of Cote's family in France.
Since their introduction, the delicate pancakes have become more complex due to the imaginations of cooks hired specifically to create new variations of the old world staple.
One favourite is the Decadent Crepe, a combination of bananas, fresh berries, ice cream, whipped cream and maple syrup, all covered in chocolate sauce.
As the restaurant side of the business began to expand, the greenhouse and garden centre also started to flourish.
The restaurant and other buildings are festooned inside and out with hanging baskets of flowers, a backyard patio with an herb garden where clients can "sit, listen and contemplate life" was added quite recently.
"We use our own fresh-grown herbs in season and our flower and plant sales have really increased," said Jan.
The patio addition and renovation made room for a backyard Traeger smoker grill so the restaurant's menu could be expanded to include baby back ribs, roasted chicken and hot buttered corn.
"We also offer gourmet hamburgers including a reasonably priced six-dollar burger as a thank you to our loyal customers," he said.
By 2009, it became obvious a major renovation and expansion of the business was required to keep up with customer demand.
A year later, Jan began to pour the piles and grade beams to support a two-storey addition to include a new restaurant area, an outdoor screened porch and more cooking space. (The Emporium now has four separate kitchens and 32 full and part-time staff.)
Olympic Builders was hired to build the frame in the winter of 2011. It was covered with a grey metal roof and red metal siding to resemble a gabled barn in keeping with the restaurant's traditional theme. In-floor heating was installed throughout the main level's concrete slab floor.
Jan found several boxes of oak parquet flooring from the 1970s hidden in a storage area once used by UDO lumber.
"The wood was in perfect shape and there was enough to cover the entire 1,500 square-foot upstairs," he said, adding the second floor houses Country Jenny's Antique store.
The store has an eclectic collection of antiques and new, handmade items -- by local or Canadian people -- such as bird houses constructed of recycled licence plates, washable leather goods made from moose, deer and buffalo hides, as well a kid's wood wagon in pristine condition, a ticket cabinet from a former railway station, coal oil lanterns, rail carts and furniture made of oak, mahogany, pine and other woods.
Downstairs there is a glass cabinet featuring jewelry from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Arizona and Italy.
"My wife goes on buying trips to handpick the sterling silver jewelry. Many pieces such as rings, toe rings, bracelets, earrings, anklets, pendants and chains are set with authentic stones from garnet and turquoise to opal and moonstone," said Jan.
Some might think Jan and Karen have enough on their plates between operating The Emporium and working at other jobs. But the indefatigable couple are now renovating the restaurant's original screen porch into a lounge called the Driftwood.
Jan has already constructed a funky bar top of large timbers held together by long bolts that span the width of the distressed top.
"I made the timbers look like old railway ties by staining them dark like creosote," said Jan, adding "Not to worry, unlike creosote the water-based stain is approved for countertops from which people eat or drink."
The Driftwood remains a work in progress with decisions still to be made about furnishings, a colour palette and many other decorative details.
Jan also built an area under the Emporium's original arbour/pergola devoted to "Yard Art," an all encompassing phrase that includes a 36-inch diameter wood-mill ripping blade, coopered whiskey barrels, pieces of driftwood, a selection of car parts, a homemade metal wheelbarrow with a quarter-yard capacity, old-style spoke wagon wheels and, naturally, a display of hanging baskets and half-barrels filled with flowers from the greenhouse.
To keep busy during slow hours, he hand-mixed and poured a multi-cubic-yard concrete base to hold up a handsome new sign that he and Karen commissioned for their renovated business.
"An engineer was required to design and stamp the drawing for the base because there was concern it might blow over in a wind storm," said Jan. "With the amount of concrete and re-bar that went into its construction, I suspect it's over designed, but better safe than sorry."
You might think that Jan and Karen should take a long vacation from the daily hustle of their busy lives. But no, the couple has applied for and received a licence from the government to conduct eco-bird tours of the Netley Marsh area.
"It's a birders' paradise containing untold species from eagles to pelicans," said Jan, who has plans to build a boat launch from which avian lovers could be ferried to and from the marshes.
It would be another offshoot of the little greenhouse that prospered and flourished after an inauspicious start.
Contact www.wwemporium.com or 204-389-4567.
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