Outstanding New Business - Chez Angela Bakery & Café

OUTSTANDING NEW BUSINESS

BREAKING BREAD

Chez Angela Bakery & Café wins 2021 Outstanding New Business Award

Chez Angela Bakery & Cafe, which specializes in French cuisine, recently took home the Outstanding New Business Award at the 2021 Brandon Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards.

What started off as a $300 investment to purchase a table at a farmers’ market quickly turned into one of Brandon’s most popular bakeshops and cafés.

Chez Angela Bakery & Café, located at 29C 10th Street in Brandon, officially opened their doors on July 27, 2018, exactly one year, one month, and 26 days after Angela Chambers started her booth at a farmers’ market. The husbandandwife duo of James and Angela Chambers had the idea for opening their own restaurant ever since they were dating as teenagers. Angela ended up pursuing her culinary arts diploma from the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts – graduating with distinction – and obtained her business degree from Brandon University. With a dream and a business plan in hand, they soon started to make Chez Angela a reality, and the café now has seating for up to 44 people (prepandemic), a staff of 26 employees, and over 2,000 unique customers a month.

“It was a cool experience, just really awesome to see her grow all of those things and build a team. We laugh about it because in our business plan it says ‘James will be in the front of house and if customers come then he will serve them or help out’,” says James Chambers, general manager. “Now we actually have five fulltime staff members and four parttime staff members at the front of house. It’s a little bit bigger than what we have imagined, but we are thankful for what it has become.”

The café originally started as just a bakery, with the idea that people could pop in and grab a coffee and pastry. Almost right away, customers started asking for sandwiches and other mealtype items, so the menu quickly expanded to include items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The bakery and café, which specializes in French cuisine, recently took home the Outstanding New Business Award at the 2021 Brandon Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards. Chambers

Do you employ foreign workers?

• Permanent Residency • LMIAs • Work Permits & Visas • Citizenship

Visa2Canada

Immigration & Settlement Services

Phone: 1-204-717-4426 Website: www.visa2canada.ca Visit: 4th Floor Scotia Tower (above Scotia Bank) Rosser Avenue, Brandon, MB

Specializing in Reverse Osmosis Home/Office/City/Rural Delivery Water Cooler Sales Rentals | Sanitizing Water Treatment/Filtration Systems Sales & Service Now Selling R.O. Ice and Gourmet Cof ee

1040 26th Street, Brandon, MB R7B 2C1 Phone: 204-729-8844 • Toll Free: 1-866-768-4847 • Fax: 204-727-4630 www.bluemoonwaterinc.com

says that although it’s nice to be recognized, both he and Angela attribute the award to their staff. He says that their numberone goal from day one was to create the kind of place that is hard for their staff to quit. They didn’t want to just create jobs, they wanted to give people opportunities to find careers. He adds that they are set to open a second location this year and in the future they would like to create a hospitality group to grow the business even more.

“Longer term, we would like to see something where the reins are easy to take from Angie and myself, and for other people to step in and fill our shoes,” says Chambers. “We are looking beyond location two as well and trying to lay the ground work for that and ultimately trying to have a hospitality group that serves the community in a number of different ways and different contexts. We would like to build niches that we aren’t seeing offered right now.”

Although the business is expanding, like most in the restaurant industry, they were hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic over the past year. Chambers says that they had been following the news prior to March 2020 and already had a plan in place when the government started to mandate businesses to close. They introduced new menu items, retooled the restaurant to include more freezers and fridges, and expanded their meal kits, which they had been offering since they opened their doors in 2018. Chambers also credits the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, of which they have been a member since 2019, for rallying for the local hospitality and restaurant industry. He also adds that with the neverending change in restrictions, they have had to reinvent themselves often, so it’s like they have been a new business multiple times.

“We recognize that this was an incredibly difficult year for everyone in business, and small businesses were significantly impacted, the hospitality industry was significantly impacted, and we are very humbled to be sitting on the other side of this and to be recognized in this way,” says Chambers. “Our thanks, gratitude, and celebration are directed towards not only the community members who have supported us, but our wonderful team here at the bakeshop who have really carried us through and led us through this last year of business.” ¢

“Take a walk through our woods”

Peter Behrens - Manager

Fax (204) 727-2619 toll Free 1-800-224-7506

Telephone (204) 728-4243

email: peterbehrens@windsorplywood.net Website: www.windsorplywood.net Windsor Plywood

CANADA’S Original FINISHING STORE

1840 - 18TH STREET NORTH - BRANDON, MB R7C 1A5

Serving Westman for over 15 years

Brandon Office:

244 – 10th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 4E8 Fax: 204-725-1018

204-727-2177

www.centummortgagechoice.com Get Organized

For 2022

Come see us for the Plus...

Office Supplies Furniture Supplies Breakroom Supplies

Connect with us! Place your order today! Email: orders@christiesop.com Website: christiesop.com PH: (204)727.1423 TF: (866) 280.7555