~ Lia Crowe ~
鈥淚t was different,鈥� Peter Wood says with a smile and a shrug when asked about opening a cafe in the thick of a global pandemic. 鈥淚n some ways our timing wasn鈥檛 the worst. For a long time I was thinking, 鈥榯his is going to be a disaster!鈥� We were finally at the point when we were ready to open and then a pandemic hits. It was a bit of a kick in the teeth.鈥�
But like any good entrepreneur, Peter quickly pivoted to a pared-down menu focused on takeout and says he鈥檚 been pretty 鈥渃huffed鈥� by the positive response.
Officially open since early May, Bear and Joey Cafe, where I meet owner Peter to chat life and style, is a beautiful space. It鈥檚 like nothing I鈥檝e seen in Victoria before: gleaming in gold, green and pastels, playful and fresh and idly waiting to delight this city.
READ MORE:
As we sit inside the cafe on one of the days it鈥檚 closed, Peter has to smile and wave his apologies to a steady stream of would-be customers coming up to the door and hoping for a flat white or perhaps Bear and Joey鈥檚 incredible granola bowl.
Peter grew up in Sydney, Australia (more specifically, in the northern beaches), where he met his now wife who is originally from Vancouver Island.
鈥淚n Sydney, I had two cafes and a pizzeria with a few partners. I studied business and property and worked in residential sales, commercial property management, as well as for a property developer. But I had an awakening, and realized that hospitality is my true passion. I started looking to do a restaurant overseas and when I came to Canada to meet my girlfriend鈥檚 parents, I saw Victoria and thought, this is a no-brainer. So we started putting the wheels in motion to move here.鈥�
Now after three years in Victoria, Peter鈥檚 vision has become a reality with Bear and Joey. Asked to describe how his approach is different, Peter says, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to reinvent the wheel, but our food program is about light, balanced, healthy and colourful dishes, paying attention to gluten free, vegan and vegetarian. Australian cafe culture is coffee every morning and a simple breakfast grab-and-go, so you can eat off our menu many times a week and feel good about it.鈥�
And what inspired the style of the cafe? 鈥淲e were always going to go with pastels, perhaps a bit mid-century modern. We wanted something youthful, not formal, something inviting. We really want to delight the few and that was our thought process behind everything.鈥�
Like every business owner, I assume, Peter must wear many hats, and I wonder what specific aspect of his work gets him fired up the most?
鈥淪ervice,鈥� he says. 鈥淔ront row centre, service: seeing people delighted, choosing us and walking away happy. I have a thought process about what people will enjoy and then I get all the moving parts together. Like the staff we have now, they are super friendly, enthusiastic, all-round lovely people. Team them up with skilled chefs, and then there鈥檚 the room鈥nd when people walk away happy I think, 鈥榃e did it; job done!鈥� That鈥檚 what gives me goosebumps. It鈥檚 not an ego thing; it鈥檚 being confident in what you鈥檙e doing and confident that you can please people, and then delivering an all-round experience. That鈥檚 what service front row centre is and it鈥檚 a great feeling.鈥�
READ MORE:
Like us on and follow us on .
