A new definition of hospitality

Nova Scotia’s food and beverage industry sets the table for more welcoming and sustainable spaces

By Crystal Murray

Janna and Patricia Dellapinna know what it feels like to be the subject of discrimination. They say that, as a queer couple, they understand the importance of creating environments where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

“We both work in white male dominated industries,” says Janna, a former nurse, now brewer and co-owner of the Truro Brewing Company. Patricia, Janna’s partner in life and business, is an engineer, another male-dominated profession.

“There are a lot of mainstream ideas about what a bar should be and the atmosphere for a business like this should be. We wanted to make a space that is not just welcoming for the queer community but for all visible minorities,” says Patricia.

When the business opened three years ago, they posted a code of conduct in the tap room. This spring they took the code further and worked with a consultant to develop a set of house rules and a mission statement for staff that is entrenched in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Their rules, both online and on site, say that the business is queer-owned and queer-friendly. They won’t tolerate discrimination, hate speech, symbols of hate, harassment, violence, smoking, drugs, or weapons.

Truro Brewing Company

Photo: Truro Brewing Company

The couple have received a lot of positive feedback and thanks from customers, regardless of how they identify.

“While restaurants are doing more to more to promote what makes them unique with their dining experiences and offerings, establishments like the Truro Brewing Company are talking about their inclusivity experience,” says Heather Boucher, social-media manager with the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS).

Photo: Truro Brewing Company

The organization is seeing more businesses putting the real work into diversity and inclusion.

“It’s so much more than a smile and good service,” adds Natasha Chesnutt, RANS’s administration manager. “You just can’t just slap a sticker on your door and say that you are a welcoming place. No more can you just say that you are doing something. You have to show people.”

Danielle Doucette, the association’s research and marketing assistant, believes the first signs of inclusivity emerged in the last five years with the growing demand and popularity for gender-neutral restrooms. “There is a whole new definition of hospitality,” she says.

Lorne Caborn, of Crab Apple Cookery in Seabright, takes that commitment to change seriously.

Crab Apple Cookery champions sustainability

Photo: Bruce Murray, VisionFire

Crab Apple Cookery aims to make the restaurant industry greener.

Photo: Bruce Murray, VisionFire

He respects the work being done in diversity and inclusion but he also has sees his role in making the restaurant business more eco-friendly.

“I am a Master Composter Recycler,” laughs Caborn, explaining that he completed a five-week Halifax Regional Municipality certification in recycling and waste reduction.

When Caborn opened his business with wife Rachelle Brown in September 2021 they offered cloth take-out bags to customers. Caborn’s mother-inlaw makes the bags from scrap fabric and has been keeping the cookery stocked. While not every costumer accepts the handmade cloth bags, some opt for paper because they say the bags are too nice, Caborn says that they have given out hundreds of bags that customers can reuse.

“I think a lot of people just hear the cash register ring when they think they must invest in sustainable practices, but that’s not always true,” he adds. “There is an ethical reason to all of this: we are just borrowing this planet from future generations.”

Photo: Bruce Murray, VisionFire