With changes at home and work, the owners of Terra Cotta in downtown Windsor have listed the wood-oven pizza restaurant for sale.
“Business has been awesome,” Greg Gynp said. He and his older sister Dina Gynp have operated the 36-seat restaurant at 318 Pelissier St., just south of University Avenue, since 1998.
He said he wants to spend more time with his wife Kristi, who he married a year ago, and his sister has moved on to the Toronto area to manage a Panera Bread artisan bakery and cafe.
“I love the restaurant. I need a break,” said Gynp, 45, who’s also midday radio host for 93.9 FM The River.
Terra Cotta’s wood-burning oven was uncommon for restaurants in Windsor when it first opened.
“That’s what made us buy it,” Gynp said, of the previous restaurant’s traditional, Italian approach.
Terra Cotta has continued to support both community causes and area artists, who have displayed their works.
Since the downtown street reconstruction project that continued for several months last year, there’s been a renewal in business, Gynp said.
“We had some really stupid, crazy days.”
Terra Cotta is a fully functional, licensed restaurant, Gynp said. The business is listed for about $110,000. For information about the restaurant menu and hours, call Terra Cotta at 519-971-0223.
BACK TO SCHOOL NUTRITION
Windsor dietitian Chris Wellington supports and encourages parents to step in, stick with it and do what they can to enhance nutrition for their children, especially with busy school schedules ahead. A University of Windsor research study in recent months points to the need, showing almost half of the Grade 7-age children in this area are overweight.
“Parents have to work harder at supplying more healthy foods at home,” Wellington says. “You know they’re not going to eat well when they’re out.”
Lunches get tossed, exchanged or half-eaten, she says. “We have to go back a step. Get the kids involved.”
She warns that many prepackaged, prepared lunch items are designed more for the convenience of the parent than nutrition for the children and may be high in salt, fat and calories.
Wellington, who works with the Family Health Team at the Jackson Park Centre, advises: Don’t let kids skip entire meals, remember eating some food is better than no food especially during rushed mornings. Look for portable items with nutrition such as grapes, homemade trail mixes, yogurt drinks and containers, hulled strawberries, easy to peel oranges. “Two baby carrots are better than no vegetables at all,” she said.
Apples may be readily available, but children may not want to sit and eat a whole apple. Instead, they take only a few bites, Wellington said.
She says dietitians.ca by Canadian dietitians as a resource for ideas and information.
MARBLE SLAB BACK IN BUSINESS
Warm weather has helped heat up sales just in time for the new owners of the Marble Slab Creamery location in Lakeshore.
“We’re doing pretty well,” said Shawn Byrne, who operates the franchise with his wife Kristen.
The Belle River couple was among fans disappointed when the shop closed in October 2009, leaving them without the premium ice cream, freshbaked waffle cones and more than three dozen mixed-in ingredients like candy, fruit and fudge.