SHELBURNE, N.S. — What started out as a chance conversation on the sidelines of a soccer field has turned into a business partnership that is already making its mark on the community in a positive, charitable and healthy way.
Kandace Asprey had just moved to Shelburne with her five children and Megan Egan was a soccer coach to her daughter.
Egan, who is a caterer, had a wedding buffet coming up and knew Asprey did some baking and cooking commercially so she asked if she wanted to help.
“That was October last year. That very first job working in the kitchen together, right out of the gate everything absolutely worked perfectly and when you find that, we’re like this works and just went from there,” said Egan.
The duo officially opened the Nova Scotia Rollies & Catering Company in downtown Shelburne on June 24. A red compass rose is the company’s logo because for Asprey and her family, moving to Nova Scotia was like coming home.
"Shelburne for us is a lighthouse, a guiding light,” she said. “The welcome and the love and the support we’ve gotten from Shelburne – I feel everything we put on a plate is love for us. Is gratitude, is appreciation, is friendship, is giving a fraction of what Shelburne has given my family.”
It didn’t take long for Nova Scotia Rollies to start giving back to the community, such as when port-tropical storm Dorian struck in September.
“We had lived through the ice storm in Quebec but this was our first hurricane,” Asprey said. “We didn’t really know what to expect so I said to the kids, let's just get busy. There must be people who want hot coffee or need a break so we just started emptying out our fridges accordingly and cooking and offered it for free.”
At first, the goodwill was intended for the first responders and those that needed it, but as the days went on without power for many residents, more and more people were treated to the hospitality.
“We had so much fun with it,” said Asprey. “We didn’t charge, but people wanted to pay so I said I would do a collection and donate it to the fire department.”
The fire department was able to buy equipment with the donation. “It was a very proud moment for all of us, especially my kids,” said Asprey.
Roseway Manor and the local food bank will be the latest beneficiaries of Nova Scotia Rollies’ goodwill. For the month of December, Asprey and Egan are donating all of their tips to the Roseway Manor van fund.
The van is “massively important" to seniors in the community, said Egan – and not just manor residents but to seniors who still live in their own homes. “It’s key to getting seniors out” in the community, she said.
Nova Scotia Rollies are also doing a small food drive. “Anybody that brings in a non-perishable food item we give them a hot drink in return,” said Asprey.
And then there are the Rollies’ red ornaments, which will become a tradition, said Asprey. Guests are invited to write a wish, a prayer, or a kind word on one of the ornaments and hang it on the garland in place of a candy cane, which is their treat.
More than just a lunchtime café, Asprey and Egan are constantly tweaking and fine-tuning their business to maximize its potential.
With a background as a naturopath, Asprey has the knowledge to adapt recipes for dietary concerns which has led to the company being the exclusive supplier of fresh single serve meals for Simply for Life in Barrington Passage.
“We’re establishing a fantastic working relationship with them,” said Asprey.
The duo has also come up with other initiatives such as offering ready to cook fishermen’s feasts which are becoming very popular.
