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WM i it“! ) CHRONICLE OWediiesday. lune IO. 2009 ~ 13 W 5-Wâ€" __cH_ Former insurance agent becomes new co-owner of David (9 Gourmet BYMEUNDA DAuoN ,, .. ,. , V if" ,. (Jimnicle bra/f .‘ ”35: g. '~ 1 I fit it ' ' ~ . we ' ~ a” f“ ; His name may not be DaVid. but he is 873.33 in 3 . " g one of two men behind the rebirth of ' " . ‘ ‘ “A one of the region's most recognizable ii § . gourmet food stores. at 1 f - Meet Andre Lavoie. a grocery store man- ,_ .’ 5 , . ' y‘v. , are" ager. tumed insurance agent. turned general ‘ . a, gar , “Q 55:1” is . , manager and co-owner of the re-vamped ‘ , g 11; . ~ . chi-15352 ”ff“. g . - Daw‘d's Gourmet Waterloo. " Agata”. . . 1, . if? - “l grew up in this business," lavoie said. l "u ”ya-i ‘ H" “ x” ‘P ' _, ,. . ,. . 3 my ow .. .- flanked by the aisles of gourmet delights the ~â€" .~ _. ' ' store has become known for since opening in f 5 - if» f *’>?f»"‘i‘~" ‘ . " ' ’ " “ "“ ' ' ' _,_. ' 1 2006. “l'm having a riot doing this. I've always . ‘ enjoyed it . . . 1 get to work with people and l ' i ' z ' . . “a .‘ , -‘ get fed every day." .‘ Lavoie was semi-retired when he heard . ' the flagship Northfield Drive store and a l , , . downtown Kitchener location would be clos- “ â€"\â€"O ' ing this spring. The original owners were I“ shutting down the businesses while founder. ' ti; my w David Ehernworth, opened a new location _,. 4 ' fl"; .. - on Bruce Street. Wm‘ " Bruce Norman, who sewed as the store's ’ ' ’ 30“ original manager for the first 18 months it ‘ s; was in business. teamed up with Lavoie and a put in an offer to buy theWaterloo location. ' ’ That was seven weeks ago. . Today. they've relaunched the Nonhfield ;:' . Drive location with new products. familiar ”71 ' ' ' “ staff and a renewed dedication to their cus~ Andre Lavoie is the new general manager and cwwner of David's Gourmet and its flagship store on Nonhfield Drive. tome“. “MA BM?“ ”070 They decided to keep the name. adding a Life agent. selling the business in 1997. and chemical-free meats They're expanding one pre-made and deliver it themselves. or “Waterloo" on the end to distinguish it from A regular customer himself, Lavoie met their produce section and building upon customize it and have it delivered anywhere Ehernworth's store. because the community Norman on the day David's Gourmet first brands they already carried. across the country. already recognizes the brand. The partners opened back in 2006. The both saw opportu- They have a new exclusive lasagna recipe Already. Lavoie said. customers who have nowown the rights to the name. nity in the business and jumped at the and new deserts on the menu. Many of the heard the news about the new ownership are "When people ask where David is, 1 point chance to take the helm. prepared dishes feature products they also filtering back into the business to the statue and tell them. ‘He's right there," “Bruce and 1 got to talking and decided sell in the store. Lunch, he said. remains one of their Lavoie said, pointing to a re-creation of that weweren't going to let it close," he said. While they are an international market. busiest times Michelangelo's David, which greets cus» They officially purchased David's on April lavoie stressed they also carry gourmet from What Lavoie and his partner want to bring tomers as they enter the store. 17 and have since poured themselves into closer to home. to David's Waterloo is a renewed emphasis on lavoie has a long history in the food busi- making the business work for past and future “I'm a Canadian. lfl can find a Canadian the customer and meeting their needs. mess. He started out packing groceries at age customers. Given the state of the economy. product of equal quality, we’ll stock it. lt won't whether they've been shopping at the store 12. He eventually worked his way up to gen- they didn't want to close the store down and replace the other stuff, but we’ll carry both." since its opening or its their first time setting era] manager of a wholesale food processing start from scratch. Instead they opted for a Catering is a big part of the business and. foot in the shop. operation. soft transfer. getting work done while the as part of its grand reopeneing, David's Lavoie said there have been challenges His father was a director at the Oshawa business was still running and maintaining Waterloo is launchinga newmenu. with walking into an established business. group. which owned several grocery chains most ofthe existing staff. “From a single deli sandwich to a whole but the customers are what makes it all including IGA and Knecthel's until they were "We’ve got the store turned around pretty wedding. we can do it." he said. wonh it. bought out bySobeys. well.” he said. “We've got it pretty much back “We aren't restricted to what's on the “It‘s a competitive business, but if you lavoie left the grocery business in his late to its former glory and we want to take it menu either. Whatever you want, we can know your way around it. it's a lot of fun.” he 205 after he was approached with an copper. beyond that.” make it." said, “The bottom line is people got to eat. We tunity to work in the insurance industry. They're adding more variety to the busi- The store will continue to make gourmet provide them with a different experience More neariy 20 years he worked as a Mutual ness. including fresh fish from Owen Sound gift baskets as well. Customers can pick up than what they get elsewhere." TUESDAY MARKET Open for the summer... {if FRESH FL .\ cg . - I - Meat & Cheese . Fresh Produce - Baking - Crafts - Quality Flea Market ‘ - Buskers Entertain - Animal Petting Barn for Kids St. Jacobs , ' as - Horse-Drawn Tour To Mennonite Farm -- > 9 a... . , , at . _. :.' a: "its; â€"‘ .- a . arr? "5 "W ‘ . r: use as»; id .- . ' . ' ._ .,.- ‘ . t: “ 3 " ' V t ' . l v‘it' .,- .~.« » ‘ .’4 > a a , 3; l a; ‘ a . . 51:1 ‘ ' ‘ > ‘ v. 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