When Mike Boersma and Adrienne Betts start talking about food, their passion and excitement becomes noticeable.

The two, along with Jordan Cook and Camille Betts recently moved to Summerland from Alberta to take over Granny鈥檚 Bakery and Cafe at Granny鈥檚 Fruit Stand on Highway 97 in Summerland.

They are working to provide good meals, using locally-produced foods as much as possible.

鈥淲e鈥檙e able to develop the concept of farm to table a lot more than we could in Alberta,鈥� Boersma said.

They describe the Okanagan Valley as 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Italy鈥� and when the opportunity came to take over Granny鈥檚 Bakery and Cafe, they were interested.

They also saw the community as a good place to raise their young family.

The cafe and the fruit stand both have a long tradition in Summerland and the new business operators want to build on that tradition.

The bakery and cafe has been known for its pies, something Boersma said will continue, using the same pie recipes as in the past.

However, they also are considering some changes, including expanded hours and offering pizza nights and date nights.

They bake a Dutch bread, a tradition from Boersma鈥檚 Dutch heritage.

They have added some items to the menu, including the 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Your Beef?鈥� sandwich, featuring roast beef on a ciabatta bun.

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They are also making pizzas, soups and other entrees.

While they are new to the community, they have plenty of experience in food services.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got over 70 years of restaurant experience between the four of us,鈥� Adrienne Betts said.

This experience, working in restaurants in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta, has helped shape their vision for the Granny鈥檚 Bakery and Cafe.

However, some of the restaurants where they worked previously, especially when they were in Ottawa, featured cuisine quite different from that at Granny鈥檚.

Today, they are focussing on providing fresh, locally-produced foods as much as possible.

They are considering the foods Summerland produces and how to highlight these food items on their menu.

He added that he wants to become part of Summerland鈥檚 agri-tourism experience.

While they are still in the first weeks of operating Granny鈥檚, Boersma and Betts are looking to the future. They plan to work to createe good meals and a good experience for their customers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try the best we can, every single day,鈥� Bett said.

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