Who are we?

We are Mothers, residents of our community, entrepreneurs as well as active participants in our local economy. We individually have a history of owning and operating successful local businesses.

Jo-Ann Laverty

With over 17 years of experience in the food industry, Jo-Ann built a thriving catering and pastry shop – the Emerald Bakery – which was regularly featured in articles in the Ottawa Citizen. Jo-Ann’s achievements include numerous community involvement awards. In 1997, Jo-Ann was asked to bake a 100 foot long cake to be cut by Queen Elizabeth during Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa.

Jennifer Heagle

After an exciting career in Ottawa’s High Tech sector, Jennifer studied at the Cordon Bleu, and opened a critically acclaimed restaurant in the Outaouais. Gambrel – which specialized in Regional and Seasonal Cuisine - received a number of outstanding restaurant reviews and was identified as “Discovery of the Year” in Le Voir’s annual restaurant guide in 2005.

Bringing it Home

Our commitment to getting people “back to the table” starts at home and extends to our community through a number of philanthropic endeavours.

Our sense of community stems from our belief that it is impossible to ignore the connection between our environment and the food we eat. In our daily lives we have explored the wonderfully diverse selection of produce that is available from farmers and small family enterprises in this Region. Because “fast food” is so easily accessible, these people face an up-hill challenge in getting their produce to your table. The demands of a fast-paced society afford little time to seek them out.

Community Involvement

As members of our neighbourhood, our city and our world, we feel a responsibility to contribute to the health and well-being of ourselves and those around us.

The most effective and immediate way for us to achieve this is by making every effort to buy food supplies from local producers in our region who grow delicious food in ecologically friendly ways.

We participate actively in our communities, and frequently donate food to local Charities, Fundraisers and Community events.