New Belledune café 'a nice little place' for community to gather

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A longtime vision for the municipal building in Belledune is about to come to life as a new café prepares to open its doors.

The Village Café owner Steve Bott said the business is set to open in the coming days, once the shipment of tables and chairs for the space arrive. He expects that to be around May 6.

“It’s going to be a nice little place to come sit down. It’s got a patio, it’s got speakers outside and inside – so nice music,” he said.

The café will open at 7 a.m. to serve breakfast and will also have homemade smoked meat and other sandwiches, soups, including a seafood chowder, smoothies, pastries and coffees. Bott said the café will also offer a selection of pre-made meals people can take home to enjoy.

“You’ll be able to stop by and pick up something,” he said.

Bott has a background in cooking, including a commercial cooking and food course from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and is also a welder by trade. He and his wife Ann, who is originally from Lorne, moved from Alberta to Belledune in 2015, to buy a house with an acreage.

Once in the community, Bott started out working in the kitchen of the Dalhousie Farmers Market, he later took over the kitchen and in 2017 he and Doucet purchased Dairy Delight in Belledune.

“That’s allowed me to branch out a little bit more,” he said of the expansion to also owning a café.

The Village of Belledune completed the renovation of the former Belledune School in 2018 to accommodate new municipal offices and council chambers. The project included additional space, including a café, the municipality intended to rent out to a tenant.

Bott said he was approached by a municipal councillor a number of years ago to see if he was interested in operating a café in the space. He considered it over the years, but the idea was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With few options for restaurants in the area Bott said the location makes a lot of business sense.

“I just wanted something where locals can come by and talk. I’m going to hopefully make a whole lot of new friends, and just bring people together,” he said.