After clinching an award at the Lakeland Business of the Year Awards, Jennie's Diner and Bakery is once again in the limelight, having been named a finalist in the 2016 Alberta Business Awards of Distinction.
“We've put our heart and soul into this business and to be nominated and to win locally it does really say that it's paying off for us,” said Jennie Hamel, the owner. “It definitely affirms what we're doing is what people want.”
Since being crowned Bonnyville's most promising new business, Hamel and her team have been nominated under the Woman Entrepreneur category by the Alberta Chamber of Commerce.
“She's the one that made this family and made this team and brought to light a business that a woman's created,” said Alisha Hamel, Jennie's daughter who helped open the business back in 2012 and continues to work with her mother. “It's been very rewarding working with my mom.”
Calling it fate, Alisha said the opportunity open the diner came just after she finished college. Seeing as she enjoyed working with her mother, she jumped at the opportunity, much to the pleasure of her mother.
“Alisha is my partner in this business, without her I'm not sure how far I would be going,” Hamel said.
Much like the acceptance speech at the Lakeland Business of the Year Awards, Jennie gives credit for the honours to her family, staff and members of the community that patronize her business.
“As much as I'm the forefront person, you know (with) my name up there, it truly is everybody else that makes the business.”
Hamel was notified in an email that the provincial chamber had nominated her business, which she figured was just junk mail at first. After doing some more research about the award and getting in touch with the Bonnyville Chamber of Commence, she realized it was the real deal.
“We are very excited to see our local award recipients be recognized at the provincial level and it is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our entire business community,” the Cold Lake Chamber of Commerce said in a release on Dec. 21.
Being a finalist in the Woman Entrepreneur category is fitting for the diner, as 90 per cent of the staff is female.
“I employ more women than men, which is very odd in the restaurant industry,” Hamel noted. “It makes us unique in a whole other way.”
Since opening its doors over a year ago, the business has grown and expanded, and the owners continue to learn with each passing day.
“It started out with a menu that was meant to be similar to other restaurants so that people would want to come here because they knew what they were getting,” Alisha said. “We've done something different (since then) and we've grown from just being like everyone else to bringing a little gem to the Lakeland area.”
Hamel brings decades of experience into the restaurant business. She used to manage her mother's restaurant in Saskatchewan, following which she did catering for a number of years.
Her diner sits at the location of the old Legion hall. The building is dear to her not only because of its storied past, but because it carries on her family's legacy. The sink, for example, is from her catering days and is over two decades old.
“This place really is our heart and soul,” Hamel noted. “This building was really built with love.”
Award recipients will be announced during a gala evening at the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel on Feb. 26, 2016. The other 2015 Lakeland Business of the Year Award recipient that has been nominated is the Cold Lake Public Library, having been named a finalist in the Arts and Culture Category.
