If you thought that Louis Gervais was simply a caterer – wait until you visit his bistro on Harbourside Drive. A way to a journalist’s heart is through her coffee cup and the scones only made me fall deeper in love with the menu.
The new space, which opened only 18 months ago, has a peaceful patio, an “express take-out” espresso bar, and an open view of the commercial kitchen. Louis is nothing if not a showman, and now his patrons can see him in action. The best seats in the house just became even better: The kitchen is equipped with birds-eye-view mirrors creating a perfect venue for hosting public, private and corporate cooking classes.
Louis and his wife Kelly, co-owners of Louis Gervais Fine Foods & Catering, have been in business together for 12 years and have perfectly mastered their roles of the stand-up and the sweetheart. While Kot was snapping photos, Kelly made sure to add, “don’t let him make any funny faces, we already have a hundred million pictures like that!” However, the tables are turned when she joins her husband in front of the lens: Louis’ ad-lib approach to photography kept Kelly laughing and smiling shot after shot.
This is a couple that is always on the go: “We’re very ‘what’s next? what’s next? what’s next?’” Louis explains as he reflects on their past careers.
After earning his culinary accreditation from the Culinary Arts program at the Institute of Hotel & Tourism in Montreal (where European princes have found their inner foodie!) and studying under many of the famous local chefs, Louis decided to make his move West.
He spent 3 days straight on a bus looking for an adventure. “I looked like this total hippie dude with a beard and long hair. I shaved in the bathroom of the bus depot then went looking for a job.”
It was at this first restaurant job that he met Kelly, who was working as a waitress. From there they travelled to Bridges restaurant as a package deal.
A couple years later, Kelly got out of the restaurant business. She finished the 2 year Marketing and Communications Program at B.C.I.T. and then got a job in their research office.
Pretty soon Louis’ career was as hot as the kitchens he worked in! He spent 2 years as the sous-chef at the Wedgewood Hotel. Then he moved to Le Meridien Hotel – 1 of Canada’s Top 3 “5 Diamond Hotels” – which is now the Sutton Place Hotel. It only took him 2 more years to climb the ladder to Executive Chef, a position he held for 7 years.
During their years in the Sutton Place family, Louis and Kelly married and started their personal careers as parents to now-teenage daughters Chloe and Sabine and “canine son” Dugan.
Louis had reached the top as a Canadian chef, so he looked at potentially going overseas, but nothing seemed the right fit.
The job offers came flooding in. He wrote menus and wine lists as a consultant for a jazz bar, but the restaurant didn’t make it to opening. Louis just wasn’t ready to go back to the same thing as before, but what else can you do as a chef? Catering fell right into their laps.
Louis and Kelly have spent the next eight years finding their perfect kitchen. They first started sharing a space with Artisan Bakery over on Franklin and Clark. The delivery trucks were finished by 3am and then Louis could use them all day.
Both businesses outgrew sharing the space, so Louis and Kelly built a full commercial kitchen (complete with stainless steel tabletops and double-door fridges) in their North Vancouver heritage home.
During the era of their culinary “home office” two things happened: First they landed a large account with Delany’s, allowing Louis and Kelly to move to a new kitchen. They now provide sandwiches to five of their locations.
Then Kelly voluntarily left during the BCIT layoffs and Louis Gervais Fine Foods & Catering became their sole income. “It was a real jumping off point for us” she remembers.
The next move was into a refurbished mechanic garage. Louis turned the greasy, dirty concrete box into a clean, creative culinary space.
Now they have found their niche in their cafe-style kitchen on Harbourside Drive. “We always knew this was a goal for us. If you’re going to be cooking in the kitchen, you may as well be selling it out the front at the same time” Kelly explains.
What’s next for this on-the-go couple? “We’re expanding! It’s so exciting!” Louis tells us, “There’s going to be a board room, a storage room and Kelly can finally have her own office. We’ve also hired a new financial coach They’re stupid expensive but if you can find the right one for you at the right time in your business – it’s priceless.”
A culinary student from Montreal and a marketing student from Vancouver, you must have a great “love at first sight” story.
Louis: I started working at a steakhouse, because I had no money, like maybe twenty bucks. It wasn’t my first choice, but it was a job and I started as a cook in the kitchen. I met many young attractive women there, but my wife was most beautiful of them all. I decided to fling a raw meatball at her when she walked by the dish-pit. [laughing] She hadn’t been paying any attention to me!
Kelly: He was smart enough to know he needed to purposely miss me. It hit the wall. Then he got a job as the sous-chef at Bridges and so I applied as a server. That was back in the boom days for that restaurant in 1980 and we’ve been together ever since.
Do you remember your first catering job?
Louis: I started off peddling Christmas dinners, large enough for 12 people, at $140 a shot. Then, a snowstorm hits. When do you get a snowstorm in Vancouver? Never… There were two trucks; people were yelling and screaming on the phone, “my guests are here. Where’s my Christmas dinner?” I came home and broke down in tears. It was Christmas day; my family was all over and Kelly handed me a big Scotch. But it was a good kick in the bum and really made me feel like I wanted to keep going.
Louis: The next one was a law firm and the full order came to about $32. We kind of laugh about it now, but it felt great! It was the first time somebody had acknowledged me and called to place an order. I was like “I am the man!”
With both of you being new to entrepreneurialism, how did you educate yourselves to build your own business?
Louis: A new division at B.C.I.T. had just opened up beside Kelly called the “BEST” program.
Kelly: It was an entrepreneurial skills course. My boss was able to get Louis and I into the program. Once you’ve completed the program, the government gives you a few advantages. One of them was an unsecured loan, which you get after showing them the business plan that was required to graduate. So we were able to use that loan from VanCity to build our kitchen in the refurbished garage.
You’ve mentioned being able to have your “work suit your life” rather than the other way around: what does success look like for you?
Kelly: This is what we’ve been talking about for the last 12 years. We can say that we did it. We need to build this – we need to be doing marketing to start bringing people in more. I remember walking in and standing there and looking at it going, “wow! This is mine!” [laughs and looks at Louis] Well, it’s ours, but, you weren’t there at the time!
What is your favourite thing about working together?
Louis: The trust, for sure. I never thought I wanted a partner in my business. I’ve heard a lot of nightmare stories about partners. There are days when I have to take some criticism because she does have equal say. The reality hurts, but the next day I’m ready to go at it again because if it’s coming from her I know it’s great advice.
Kelly: And we’ve gotten better and figuring out that dynamic. It was hard at first but it’s not an anonymous partner. It’s your partner who cares for you. He just said to the business coach yesterday, “the number one thing I want is to make my wife happy.” Well, I can’t ask for more than that!
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MeganH
More Megans = More Love! Fresh off a 5 month student exchange in New Zealand, Megan’s final year of her Creative Writing degree at U.B.C. is just around the corner. She’s got punch, pizazz and personality – and her writing reflects it all. Literary bachelor of choice? Mr. Darcy of course.
