In two week’s time, the owners of the Gateway Restaurant and Bakery in Killarney will begin their fall and winter hibernation process.
With the hustle and bustle of a busy tourist season over for another year, Andrea Duchesne and Dave Froats will get some much needed off-season rest.
The two re-opened the Gateway Bakery and Restaurant in 2019. Before them, the bakery had been the concern of owner Brad Roque since 1987. Roque passed away in 2012, which is why the restaurant closed down.
In recent years, the two have reconfigured the bakery and restaurant space, and now offer tourist merchandise of t-shirts, sweaters and stickers, as well as a sprawling patio that overlooks George Island and Georgian Bay.
Duchesne is originally from Killarney and met Froats when he was working as a stonemason laying bricks at the Killarney Mountain Lodge.
“I am a stone mason turned barista,” he jokes.
Froats was working on the shores of Georgian Bay in 2014 when there was no bakery or cafe to get a latte and a cupcake.
A baker her whole life thanks to the talents (and tasty foods) that came from her grandmother Bev Duchesne’s kitchen, Duchesne decided to put the pedal down on the Gateway idea.
“My grandmother was the baker at the Killarney Mountain Lodge for 30 years so I grew up learning to bake with all her recipes,” she said.
Some of the finest and most popular pastries are the fritters and the butter tarts with recipes from Grandma Bev and some from previous owner Brad Roque.
Froats brags that people have flown to the Killarney airport and have called ahead just to ensure they can pick up Duchesne’s butter tarts.
While she appreciates the butter tart compliment, Duchesne maintains the fritters are the first priority for customers.
“The fritters started with a bannock-style fry bread which was then glazed,” Froats said.
The delightful cinnamon buns also use the same fry bread-style base.
The store-made bread is also a staple in the community and coupled with many of the dishes served at the bakery and restaurant.
The bread is made all year. Locals pre-order loaves over the colder months for pick up.
Froats said the bread freezes well, is very fresh and comes in three styles: white, whole wheat and multigrain.
A lot of the staff are family at the Gateway Bakery and Restaurant, which means all of them follow the tried, tested and true recipes of Grandma Bev.
“She understood the science of food and they have followed in her footsteps with her recipes,” Duchesne said.
The bakery will reopen the last week in April. In the meantime, Gateway will watch the weather and hope for yet another season of unlimited boat traffic, foot traffic and a brimming provincial park nearby.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
