The first time Mike Jacques donned a chef’s hat and coat, he was helping prepare food for a grand opening attended by Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley. “I was a Grade 12 co-op student in the cafeteria at St. Francois Xavier high school the year it opened, and we made quiche for the mayor,” he recalls…. Read more »
It’s been a challenge for Manjit Singh to find a chef to prepare authentic Indian cuisine at his Sitara Indian Cuisine restaurant. Luckily, the full-time health specialist is also talented in the kitchen. “I truly believed from day one that if I wanted to run a restaurant, I’d have to be very involved,” says Singh,… Read more »
Brian Bailey, president of Bailey Toyota on Confederation, sits in temporary office quarters and marvels at the ongoing reconstruction work at his dealership. His office these days is in the new service area that was built just before Bailey and his sales staff needed to move and make way for demolition at the front of… Read more »
There’s nothing as satisfying as a room full of people enjoying your food, says Sarnia chef Mike Barnes. His career has focused on catering rather than restaurants because Barnes likes the feeling he gets from a happy event organizer or smiling bride. “At a wedding, I’ll approach the bride and groom to see how they… Read more »
Sarnia’s Floriano Persichetti believes in jumping at a good business opportunity. Ten years ago, he started AutoWerks Collision Experts where he has four employees. In April, he opened TradeWerks Plumbing and Mechanical. By summer, he’ll also own and operate a new Italian takeout and delivery restaurant. “It’s really about good employees giving me the opportunity… Read more »
Mike and Mary Jorgenson are introducing a new approach to massage therapy to Sarnia. They are franchise owners of Massage Addict, a membership-based massage provider with 15 locations in Ontario. The Jorgensons, each with 15 years of retail experience, have rights to the Southwestern Region. They opened their first Massage Addict on April 1 at… Read more »
John DeGroot is one of those rare individuals who doesn’t mind fundraising. While others might dislike asking for donations for their favourite cause, DeGroot says he chooses projects that bring “good stuff” to the community and surrounds himself with people he considers strong. That makes it possible for his ideas like the Awesome Foundation to… Read more »
You’re familiar with sweet and sour, salty and bitter. But do you know the taste of umami? Greg Laviolette says umami is his specialty. “It’s the fifth flavour,” explains the chef at Greens Organic Café on the corner of Lochiel and Christina streets. “Umami translates from Japanese and means deliciousness. When you’re cooking and it… Read more »
Score one for Sarnia’s research park A Sarnia-based tech developer is teaming up with Canada’s largest mushroom producer to build a facility in Ontario using a process developed at the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park on Modeland Road. The $1.4 million project will convert waste from mushroom farms into a liquid mineral fertilizer, said Mohammad Rahbari,… Read more »
She’s a problem solver, a single mom, an entrepreneur and a bit of a chemist. Sarnia’s Jen Smith, 34, has spent the last year in her kitchen developing her own line of body care products. She makes everything from “Wondermama Bum Cream” to “Boo Boo Balm” on her stovetop, and pours each all-natural product into… Read more »
