Austin Gourmet Continues to Grow and Expand New Product Lines
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
COQUITLAM - Austin Gourmet has expanded, renovated and added new product. I dropped in to get a first-hand look at the new bakery area and speak with owner Doug Crewe about the changes.
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| DOUG CREWE, owner of Austin Gourmet (centre) holding a selection of the famous John Bull meat pies; surrounded by Brandon, Jan, Cheryl Clark and Alisha McKay. |
Since buying the store next door and opening up the wall, they have added another 2,000 square feet to the bakery area and much more room in the back to work where they bake specialty pies, cakes, bread, buns, and their delicious scones. The extra footage has also expanded their busy catering business and left room for a full service deli. Because of the extended space, Austin Gourmet can also now offer meals-to-go.
An additional added feature are the bistro tables at the front window where you can sit-down, sip a cup of coffee, and enjoy some of the delicious specialty bakery items as you contemplate what you will take home for dinner.
Doug Crewe has recently bought out the famous John Bull Pies of Port Coquitlam and the baker of those delicious pies is now also at Austin Gourmet. Doug is very excited about this new product and said, “there seems to be quite a large following both on the wholesale and retail side for the John Bull Pies.
“We already have about 15 wholesale accounts spread out all over the city and given the amount of interest, there is bound to be many more. Along with the pies, we’re also going to make our British groceries available to the wholesale market such as our black and white pudding, mealy pudding, sausage rolls and pasties.”
For the past number of years, Austin Gourmet have had a tent at the B.C. Highland Games in Coquitlam, where they serve their delicious Scottish meat pies, sausage rolls and their famous scones.
Last year was the first year Austin Gourmet served Ayrshire Bacon on a bun and it was a huge hit. Speaking about the Highland Games, Doug said, “I wasn’t sure how the bacon on a bun would sell at the games. I thought they might be a secondary item, but surprisingly they sold very quickly. We sold 800 and by 11 AM, we were sold out. We also sold 2,400 scones, along with numerous sausage rolls and meat pies. We will, of course, make sure we have more bacon this year.
We’re also looking to expand our menu at the games this year and may add a few more not so traditional items such as samosas and pasties. Something that can easily be taken in the hand and eaten as you wander around the grounds.
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Austin Gourmet is located at 1046C Austin Avenue in Coquitlam. For more information, visit their website at: www.austingourmet.ca, or call (604) 939-4110. [Visit Austin Gourmet at the annual B.C. Highland Games in Coquitlam, on June 24.]
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