As part of the City of Orillia’s My Main Street Local Business Accelerator Program, the My Main Street Success Story series highlights businesses in the Business Improvement Area that have achieved success through new and innovative business practices and partnerships.
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In September 2020, city council was presented with a new master plan for the Stephen Leacock Museum (SLM) with a vision to improve operations without compromising the site’s collection or heritage assets.
Grounded in research into current industry trends, the unique features of the property, municipal interests and community desires, the master plan outlines a series of strategic recommendations related to operations, infrastructure improvements, food service, financial growth, programming, and partnerships that would transform the site into a vibrant year-round destination for residents and visitors alike.
One of the compelling features of the property is its frontage on Old Brewery Bay. With that in mind, along with the unique backdrop of the museum house and heritage gardens, the master plan recommended the city look to attract a food service operator who could transform Swanmore Hall into a destination restaurant.
Waterfront dining was also identified as one of the top regional tourism investment opportunities in the Ontario’s Lake Country Regional Tourism Opportunities Project.
Over the past year, city staff worked on a recruitment strategy grounded in these recommendations, which included an advertising campaign, signage, a project webpage and one-on-one meetings with a range of potential restaurateurs.
As a result, the city was successful in not only attracting a local entrepreneur with an extraordinary reputation for their catering service, but also ensuring that the new enterprise worked well within the context of the site’s museum operations. Kalvin Sherry and Sarah Butler are the team behind the new enterprise, FARE Restaurant.
“We were looking for visionaries like Kalvin and Sarah who could see the site’s beauty and potential as a full-fledged restaurant operating throughout the year,” said Jacqueline Surette, manager of culture for the City of Orillia. “The site is truly spectacular and provides the restaurant bragging rights as Orillia’s only waterfront dining experience.”
Sherry is a Red Seal chef and founded KREW Catering Co. in Orillia in 2017, which specializes in unique fusion food from all over the world. Butler is the operations guru behind FARE, with over 20 years in the restaurant industry. Together, they were hungry to create their own restaurant and had a compelling vision for the blank slate provided by the open concept of Swanmore Hall.
“Kalvin had been eyeing Swanmore for a couple of months before and told me about the opportunity,” said Butler. “At that moment we realized our vision of opening a restaurant was very similar and Orillia was missing a waterfront restaurant. It was a no-brainer that this was the perfect spot.”
This new enterprise is not only a premier waterfront dining experience, but also a hub for family and friends to gather year-round.
Nestled amongst the beautiful backdrop of the museum’s 9.5-acre grounds and heritage gardens, and located along the city’s paved bike trail, FARE is a wonderful destination where you can enjoy great food, the company of family and friends, and the area’s culture, heritage and natural beauty. The restaurant is located in the administration building at 50 Museum Dr. and includes outdoor dining on the terrace overlooking Old Brewery Bay.
“Orillia is a beautiful city with loads of potential, and we are proud to be a part of one of the attractions here at the Stephen Leacock Museum,” said Sherry. “(We) cannot wait to see what the future brings.”
To learn more about investment and business opportunities in Orillia, visit the city's business development website at businessinorillia.ca, subscribe to the Quarterly Newsletter or contact the city’s business development office at 705-325-4900 or [email protected]. To learn more about the My Main Street program, visit orillia.ca/mymainstreet.
