Tuesday October 12, 2021
I grew up in Acton and my best friend was Patti Gordon.I spent a lot of time at her house, and she spend a lot of time at mine.She had a younger brother, Craig, who we all loved.Way back then, he was such a friendly and lovable guy.Many years later I was surprised to learn, while doing my laundry at the laundromat in the village of Haliburton, that Craig and his husband had bought it.It was the nicest laundromat I had ever used.It still is.Craig and I re-conected and became fast friends again.Soon after,I watched Craig and Colby start to dream about opening a fish fry, cottage bakery, cafe.I remember them saying over and over that our little town was the perfect location for good fish fry and a bakery.And so they began to create their dream. They were intentional every step of the way as they created Baked & Battered (B&B).They renovated the building to become beautiful and cozy and welcoming.It quickly became a gathering place for friends, many groups such as my yoga students after a class or the adult tappers after their class.It became a drop in spot for cyclists and motor bikes.Cottagers loved it.Craig and Colby and their staff welcomed everyone and always had time for a quick chit chat.They always positioned B&Bas a business that would support the community when they could. Prior to Covid they invited artists to showcase their work on the walls. It was like having coffee in an art gallery every morning! They opened their place early mornings in December so we could do fundraising yoga for the Food for Kids Program.They allowed SIRCH to use their kitchen when they started Cook It Up, a 16 week training program that provided food services and employability skills.B&Balso allowed groups to run their own special events such as theLGBTQ coffee houses for young people in our community.Everyone who went to B&Bhad their “favourite” food items. Craig and Colby only used the absolutely best ingredients for all of their food items. My husband will have one last Cubano this weekend.Chris and John Postlethwaite will walk around the lake one more time to have a cinnamon bun.My friends will have Fish and Chips for take out on Friday night.Seriously, the best Fish and Chips ever.I will swing by and pick up a Hello Dolly square for my daughter who is coming home for Thanksgiving.I might have to buy some scones and freeze them. We will all remember the most amazing chocolate cakes that you made Colby We have had so many years of good food, good company and lots of laughter in this business that we have all loved for many years.On behalf of the entire county, thank you Craig and Colby for getting up so early all these years and making such good food for us and welcoming us into your place.Thank you for creating such a beautiful business with the red umbrellas that welcomed people as they drove into town.We wish you all the best, and we look forward to meeting the new owners.Take good care guys. We love you.