Cardinal Cafe and Shop opens for business

Julie Druker | Jul 09, 2015

On Canada day, July 1, hundreds of excited patrons streamed into the newly transformed former Catholic church in Sharbot Lake for the widely anticipated opening of the Cardinal Cafe and Shop.

Co-owners of the new business, Nicole Tarasick and Sylvie Smith, decided to welcome the public into the renovated century-old church three days earlier than planned after finding out they had passed all of their mandatory inspections.

The official grand opening followed on Saturday, July 4 and customer traffic was, not surprisingly, even busier. The day began with an official ribbon cutting ceremony where Town Crier Paddy O'Connor and Mayor Frances Smith each congratulated the owners, who both said they were thrilled to be so warmly welcomed and supported by the local community. The ceremony was orchestrated by Marcel Giroux, who said he felt the new business owners deserved a special welcoming by the local community.

Housed in the old red brick church, which was built in 1905 at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Road 38, just across from the Sharbot Lake Country Inn, the Cardinal Cafe and Shop is the perfect place to drop in, relax, visit with friends, enjoy a drink and snack, and many of the patrons have expressed their excitement at having a new place to go in town.

The church sat vacant for years after a new church was built on Road 38 further out of town. It was purchased by Steve Tarasick of Tarasick Carpentry (Nicole's father) and her partner Mike Dellios in February 2014 and the two men began the renovations a year later, in February of this year.

They gutted it back to the original brick and studs with the aim of preserving the building's original charm and unique features while also adding the owners' own personal aesthetics - simple clean lines, and bright wide open spaces. Preserved are the building's beautiful stained glass windows, its newly sanded and finished original wood floors and the gorgeous wooden overhead cross beams that float 40 feet above, as well as the large back window that inspired the business's logo. Ceiling fans give the room an open airy feel as do the clean white walls and white wood trim.

New are the double glass front doors, and a white tiled coffee bar and back wall that houses the servers and the prep area. On the opposite wall stretches one line of simple tables and chairs and one long bench that can seat 15-20 patrons comfortably.

Outside is a new patio that holds four large picnic tables that can seat another 25 customers and there is parking on site as well. The back entrance is wheelchair accessible and leads to two beautifully tiled washroom facilities that are also wheelchair accessible from the main front room.

At the jam-packed opening the owners, along with a few key helpers, offered guests the regularly available selection of espresso-based coffee drinks that include iced and hot lattes, cappuccinos and more, all made with Reunion Island Coffee, as well as a wide selection of loose leaf teas, home made lemonade and a fresh assortment of tasty home made sweet and savory goods direct from Field House bakery in Perth.

Also to be had at the opening day were grilled sausages courtesy of Seed to Sausage and thanks to a special events liquor license, Empire Cider from Bath, ON and MacKinnon Brothers beer from Brighton, ON.

Tarasick and Smith are highly committed to bringing only the best in high quality food and drink to their customers and their regular fare will also include fresh baked goods from Gray's Grocery, Chocolate by Ludwig, Conboy's maple syrup and more.

The cafe is not only a beautiful place to lounge, sip and nibble but also a place to shop. The owners, who are one half of the artisan collective known as Cardinal Handmade, (the other half are design/builders Mike Dellios and Lucas Brancalion) will be adding additional display space for a selection of the collective's hand made gift ware, which will include screen printed pillows, tote bags, t-shirts, candles, wooden toys and other cottage and home accessories, some of which were for sale on opening day.

As they are newbies to the cafe business, the ladies no doubt have their work cut out for them but are looking ahead and are currently brainstorming about possible special event nights, including a trivia night. They are also open to renting the space out and/or hosting private parties, receptions, anniversaries, birthdays and other community and private events. They also have plans to add more substantial light meal fare to their regular menu come late summer/early fall. Judging by the brisk business that they did on July 1 and 4 it looks as though the Cardinal Cafe is a much welcomed refuge for locals and seasonal residents alike.

The cafe is located at 14153 Road 38 in Sharbot Lake and is open Wednesday to Friday from 7:30 AM- 4PM and Saturday and Sunday from 9AM-4PM. For more information visit cardinalhandmade.com