Peter’s Restaurant & Bakery comes by its family atmosphere naturally.
Following their take-over of Peter’s in 2014 the restaurant quickly became home to both Chelsea and Mitch Fowler, as well as their children Liv and Liam.
“Both the kids spent their high school years working here” says Chelsea. “In fact, they still do. Liv is currently on maternity leave, but expects to return a day or so a week and Liam, who now lives in Ottawa, still helps us with our social media.”
When they bought the restaurant Chelsea and Mitch knew they were taking over a long-standing local tradition. There had been a restaurant at that location in downtown Perth since the time John Reid opened a fish & chip stand there back in 1941.
Most people growing up in Perth in the fifties and sixties knew it as the Bright Spot until Tony Noonan bought it in 1969 and opened Noonan’s Restaurant. Eventually, it was taken over by Tony’s son, Peter, who renamed it Peter’s Family Fare Restaurant.
“I certainly knew the place as a young girl growing up in Perth,” recalls Chelsea who was born and raised here and whose family has well-established roots in the area.
“My grandfather’s (Dr. Kidd) picture hangs in the hall at the Great War Memorial Hospital,” Chelsea points out proudly.
Following graduation from PDCI, Chelsea became a certified Dental Assistant and worked for fifteen years in the office of Perth’s Dr. Bob Chaplin.
“I loved every minute of it,” says Chelsea. “To this day, Bob and I are still good friends.”
Despite her love for what she was doing, Chelsea harbored a passion for food and the restaurant business. So much so that she’d occasionally tend bar at Maximilian’s while working at the dental office during the day.
When Peter’s Restaurant became available, Chelsea and Mitch, whom she met when they were both working at Home Hardware, decided it was time to follow their hearts and dreams.
From the outset, their goal was to ensure that their restaurant was a place where people felt “at home.”
“We wanted everyone to consider a seat at the restaurant to be like it was a chair in their living room,” says Chelsea.
Over the years many have done just that. Some customers are so regular that “we have their table set before they get here,“ laughs Chelsea.
For such people the pandemic has been especially difficult, particularly the seniors whose daily trip to Peter’s are often the highlight of their day. Many come to chat and visit, as much as they do to eat.
“Sometimes you don’t realize how large a part you play in their life,” reflects Chelsea. “Recently one of our regulars passed away and the restaurant and staff were mentioned in his obituary.”
These days Chelsea and her staff phone some of the regulars just to check in on them to make sure they’re doing OK and occasionally to bring them food.
“It’s a difficult time,” says Chelsea. “We are all feeling the effects of isolation and maybe a little unmotivated and uninspired.”
The challenge of the pandemic struck home to Chelsea most recently when her husband Mitch suffered a heart attack. He was rushed to the Heart Institute where he underwent a triple bypass. It was a bit of a wakeup call.
“This has been a trying time for all of us and a bit of a reminder that we need to put ourselves and our health first” says Chelsea.
“Stress is high and business owners often put themselves last….we need to take care of ourselves,” she advises her fellow business owners.
It’s times like these that remind Chelsea just how important the extended Peter’s family is her life.
From the outset, Chelsea and Mitch chose their staff carefully.
“We wanted those who shared our vision,” says Chelsea. “We wanted those who had a welcoming personality.”
It was a philosophy that has worked well and over the years, the couple have been rewarded with a loyal and dedicated staff.
“I love going to work,” says Chelsea. “The Peter’s family is a community I’m very grateful for.”
It’s also a sentiment shared by many of her customers as well.