New eatery at marina plans healthy takeouts
Jenna Tait and Derrick Pierre have no shortage of ideas, listing possible future endeavours as they sit by the riverfront, outside the New Glasgow Marina building where they’re about to open a new business.
The entrepreneurs who already operate a downtown bar are preparing for the grand opening of their newest venture, a healthy takeout lunch spot dubbed Pier 15.
Tait says they decided to operate a business out of the marina building after attending meetings of the New Glasgow business advisory committee.
“Every single person said one of the biggest assets is the river,” she noted.
“I think to be able to come down and grab some nice, fresh food and sit out and enjoy the river and watch the boats come in… I think it’s definitely a spot that needs to be used more.”
Pierre said since they moved here from Toronto a few years ago, they see a lot of potential in the town and the chance to add more variety.
“There’s tons of buildings and tons of things that can still open.”
They noted a few other new businesses have recently opened, and suggested having more people willing to take that risk would be positive.
“People (can) feel free to contact us at any point with an idea…. We’re open to any different idea that will bring more people and more attention to New Glasgow.”
“We think it’s awesome,” Pierre enthusiastically added.
Their grand opening is scheduled for July 1, with plans to continue operating until October. Menu items will include offerings such as grain bowls, smoothies, soup and salad. They also plan to sell barbecued items on the weekend.
“Sometimes the menu items will change depending on what’s in season and what’s available,” Tait said, noting that they plan to support local producers as much as they can with plans for a gift shop filled with work from local artisans, too.
The business owners have plans to host events at the marina, the first being their grand opening July 1 and the release of an album they helped make through their bar, The Commune, in partnership with Pictou County’s Shoebox Studios.
With 12 local artists performing originals, Tait said Due East, Pictou County is “just a chance to showcase all the amazing local talent we have here in one compilation.”
Through hosting performances at The Commune, Tait said they’ve seen how much talent the area has.
“…We’ve had a lot of bands touring through, but we try and set them up with a local opener as well to showcase the talent that we have here as well as what’s coming from away. We just thought that it needed to be put out there,” she said, adding they’ve heard the process can be lengthy and pricey. The Commune and Shoebox Studios covered the costs, and if it goes well, want to do additional volumes in the future.
The artists on the recording are Kitchen Criminals, Steven Auld, Niki Veniot, Leah and Kyle, Hot Mess, Layne Greene, Ian Kamp, Adam Mak Bain, Scott DeCoste, Pat Walsh, Stone House and Ashley George.
They plan to have some of the musicians playing at their grand opening, taking place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.