Photo Andy Harjula.
Pictured is Amanda Mitchel in her new café with customers Leah and Mandi who dropped in for some ice cream which has not been served in Bethany since the beginning of the pandemic.
It might seem like a new business, but Amanda Mitchell has been working her magic in the kitchen as a small business owner since 2017. She began by offering cooking classes and workshops for children. Classes included cake and cupcake decorating, meal prep and lessons on food safety and recycling. She also held birthday parties and ladies’ night events. In 2020, she and her family moved to Bethany where she continued to offer cooking classes.
As word spread she began to accept custom orders for treats including cupcakes, brownies and cheesecakes. Her business took off when Covid struck and she began to prepare custom baked goods on a full-time basis. As things began to open up, Amanda considered switching it up and opening a year round café.
On Canada Day, Amanda opened a café located in the heart of Bethany at 1482 Highway 7A, beside the drug store and post office. Open seven days a week, it offers great-tasting drip coffee featuring coffee from Mountain View Estates of Toronto, as well as a wide variety of specialty coffees thanks to her new espresso machine. Caramel Macchiato seems to be the current customer favourite. Summer drinks include Shirley Temples, Root Beer Floats, juices and cold coffee beverages. Her ice cream bar serves up Kawartha Dairy ice cream, and the shop’s location around the corner from the local ball diamond has made it a hit for after-game sports teams looking for some after game refreshments. To make things more interesting, the café has recently introduced custom made ice cream sandwiches, where customers select their favourite cookie and ice cream flavours and a sandwich is made on the spot!
Now that it’s a café, the menu has expanded beyond dishes featuring sugar. There are still gorgeous cupcakes, plenty of cookies, muffins and croissants, as well as deli sandwiches and Greek, Caesar or macaroni pasta salads. Customers are encouraged to place orders in advance to ensure they are not disappointed.
At the moment, the café is open from 8am to 8pm on Monday through Thursday, until 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 11 am to 7pm on Sunday. Next week, there are plans to experiment with a 6 am opening to attract commuters with a quick take out breakfast. There is no room to create a dine-in area, but a table and chairs are set up on the front porch and will remain there year round. Perhaps travelling snowmobilers will take advantage of the quiet spot for a break in their travels during the winter months.
Amanda has also joined the Bethany team of Sandwich Sisters, which is one of several local groups who provide sandwiches and snacks once a week for distribution to clients of Peterborough’s One Roof shelter. Administered by the Saint John’s Anglican Church, this is a drop-in center that services a variety of marginalized clients suffering from homelessness, food insecurity and social exclusion.
To learn more, visit the café’s website at www.sprinklesnthings.ca. or its Facebook page. KG
