ODE TO THE ROLLED OAT

Photos by The Grapevine

For Lindsay Reid and Amanda Ferguson opening a restaurant was never the plan. The two Ontario transplants moved to Wolfville in 2008 with their now husbands. Both were working at local businesses when the opportunity to take over a local cafe presented itself.

They jumped at the opportunity to open a business of their own and have full autonomy for their work. They knew they wanted to create a place that offered healthy alternatives and used fresh local ingredients. The Rolled Oat opened in the summer of 2010, with Lindsay and Amanda operating the café.

"We were always a little funny – always in the grey area. We weren't a pub, but we weren't fine dining and we’re not fast food, and we're not just a coffee shop," reflects Amanda. Since The Rolled Oat’s opening, involvement in the local art scene had been part of their plan. Though the café was small, it provided an intimate venue for musicians to play for a very attentive audience. They were happy to be able to give the musicians a place to play and artists a place to exhibit their work.

Over the years, The Rolled Oat became a staple in the Wolfville food scene. Lindsay and Amanda saw a change in 2015, which they attribute to the Acadia Men's Hockey Team. "The team started to come in for lunch, and just by word-of-mouth, we saw an increase in customers. We catered some of their pre-game meals, which catalyzed our growth.”

It is not a secret that working in the restaurant industry is no walk in the park, and The Rolled Oat has had its fair share of mishaps – from forgetting a catered lunch, dealing with difficult customers, and surviving a global pandemic. No matter what challenge was thrown at them, Lindsay and Amanda faced it together and moved forward.

"This industry is not for the faint of heart – we've had to compromise a lot of stuff for the last 12 years," Lindsay says. “People will keep asking for as much as you want to do – learning to say no was a powerful lesson for us. It's in our nature to want to do everything for everyone, but we learned our limits and stuck to them.”

"We never planned to run the café forever, and we're surprised we made it to 12 years. One day, we both looked at each other and realized that we had reached our limits and were ready to say goodbye. So, that is exactly what we did." "We always could have made more money – but that wasn't the goal. We wanted a job that made us happy and did that to the very last day. We will die on that hill. We did exactly what we wanted – we are proof that you can do that and be successful." Amanda reflects.

Although Main Street is a little emptier and there is no longer a place to find a good-tasting vegan cupcake. We must celebrate that Lindsay and Amanda are two women who ran a business from start to finish on their own terms - and succeeded.

What's next for them? Well, they will not be sharing their recipes any time soon, but a cookbook may be in the distant future. ❧