Lennox going for Lebanese

work had to get the place into shape.

There is currently no electricity, she said. The space is being rewired to accommodate the new appliances, some of which have yet to enter the building because the door isn’t wide enough.

Rather than widen the door, Ghadie said a company will come from Montreal, dismantle the appliances, and reassemble them once inside.

“When you open up walls, you never know what you will find,” she said, insisting it will cost less to have the appliances taken apart.

The floors have been redone, some walls were removed and a new paint job was done, with purple trim around the doors and windows, a complete coincidence, Ghadie says.

“I thought it would be nice with the old look,” she said.

The Galt location, close to the University of Sherbrooke, is green, according to Ghadie, who said it could easily be seen to echo the Vert & Or.

Ultimately, if student populations should identify with their school colours in the restaurants, all the better, she said.

Ghadie attended Bishop’s and studied physics.

“This is something different, a new challenge.”

“Everything is doing everything here,” Ghadie explained, pointing to the future baker for Rima in Lennoxville, Johnny Farah, who was mopping floors in the building.

“My father was a baker, and my grandfather was a baker. I’m third generation, but now I want to make my own bread,” he said, anxious to introduce his own recipes.

“We’ll have sourdough, old fashioned baguettes and special breads, all handmade,” Farah said. He is especially excited to try out a new oven, which recreated the heat of an old brick oven.

“It will take up half of the room,” Ghadie pointed out. “We’re mixing everything to fit everybody, French, English and Lebanese.”

In addition to the standard bakery favourites, Farah will offer a few traditional Lebanese pastries.

When asked about the ambitiousness of launching a second location before the first has even had its one-year anniversary, Ghadie said she believes she and her brother have a working formula.

“The Galt location is small, it’s close to students and the factories on Roy Street,” she said. “We had no delivery, we did no publicity, but it’s work- ing.”

You need two things for success, Ghadie explained, the place, and the food.

“Me and my brother are picky about food,” she said, insisting freshness is important.

“We make everything fresh. Between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. people are preparing every day.”

Ghadie and her brother, who live together in town, said Lennoxville was actually their first choice for a restaurant, but no locations on Queen were available.

“Lennoxville needs something like this. People want healthy food. They want variety.”

Following the opening, Ghadie and Tony plan to offer delivery from the two locations. Ghadie said she is also considering setting up a lunch buffet eventually to accommodate crowds during a lunch rush.