My husband, Terry Rooke and I, Carolyn Rooke, had been retired for a few years, and found that we needed to do something we both enjoyed with the extra time on our hands.
Since we were both retired bakers we decided to open up a handmade Butter Tart and Pie Shop in Maynooth, Ontario, a small town near the world-famous Algonquin Park.
In the beginning, we carried plain and raisin tarts, but after a trip to our local bulk barn, we decided to add more variety to our tart list.
The one-time Ingram’s Hardware store has re-opened as the Coe Hill Farmer’s Market Cafe and Bakery. The old-style hardware store closed more than a decade ago. It reopened for a couple years as the Old Dog Cafe bakery a few years ago. Now husband and wife team of Jessie Wilson and Faz Rahman have a plan for the building.
John and Barb Rua have run Rua Meats for 24 years. As well as the abattoir, they have a small farm, where they rear beef cattle feeding them on hay and corn.
The Stone Kitchen is a Jam and Gift Shop at 33 Sherbourne St. North in Bancroft where the owners, Kathy and John Pires, produce Hubers and Stone Kitchen jams, jellies, marmalades and spreads. There are 33 flavours including some savoury recipes like chili sauce, pepper relish, hot red pepper jelly and is the home of the famous Toe Jam and Middle Age Spread.
Empire Cheese and Butter Co-op won the Grand Champion for its medium Cheddar and Reserve Grand Champion for his old Cheddar at the 2008 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Much of the milk produced in Hastings County goes to Reid's Dairy in Belleville to be processed into a variety of milk products. Reid's Dairy has a long history.
Bob Palmateer runs Palmateer's Abattoir at 2553 Crookston Road west of Tweed. He has a butcher shop there where one can buy fresh meat as well as frozen meats.
Jessie’s homemade jams is a small family business established in 1985. "It was named by my brother Don Douglas, after his daughter Jessie Douglas," said Mary Ann Rutledge.