ALL NATURAL
STORY LAURA CONNING
PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY MACKAY
“IS THAT GEORGIAN BAY?” CHRISTOPHE BOIVIN ASKED HIS WIFE WISPY ON A DAY TRIP THROUGH COLLINGWOOD BACK IN 2009. CHRISTOPHE, A MONTREAL NATIVE, AND TORONTO-BORN WISPY HAD BEEN LIVING AND WORKING IN TORONTO, BUT WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AT HOME, THE TIMING WAS RIGHT FOR A FRESH START OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
They weren’t exactly sure where to settle down, but that trip through the area after a Chefs’ Congress on Michael Stadtlander’s property and their realization that Collingwood sits at the heart of Georgian Bay, is what convinced them to make the move.
Fast-forward eight years, and Wispy and Christophe are well known figures in the community. “Opening a restaurant in a town where you know no one has been a great way for us to meet new people,” laughs Wispy.
Chris is the former owner and chef at The Tremont Café, and Wispy owns Press Market. Having worked in Montreal and Toronto as a chef, Chris found an opportunity during the restoration of the Tremont Studios building in downtown Collingwood, where he was able to pour his passion into The Tremont Café right from the beginning. He came in just after the building’s demolition, and was able to work through the commercial design process literally from the ground up. The Tremont Café has become one of the area’s top highlights for exceptional food and atmosphere.
In the past year, the Tremont Café was sold to new owners, Billy Vastis and Imad Abou-Chalha. Chris is thrilled with the way things have turned out with the new ownership. “You put so much of your soul into something like that,” he explains, “that it does kind of matter who you hand it off to. So, I couldn’t be happier with these guys.”
Wispy Boivin and Miranda Kofoed met at their respective children’s Montessori school. They each loved yoga, sold real estate and had children with food intolerances that made healthy eating a challenge, so they quickly became good friends. They had been toying with the idea of bringing Toronto’s Greenhouse Juice up to the area, or making their own juices commercially, and when a unique commercial space became available on Simcoe Street, it was the perfect opportunity. They weren’t sure if Collingwood was right for this sort of business, but they thought that if nothing else, the space would make for great real estate offices.
The response to Press Juice Company was huge. Within a year, they were discussing options
for a second location. When a space in Cranberry Mews became available, they jumped on the chance and opened Press Market. Now, Miranda operates Press Juice Company, and Wispy, Press Market. The two shops serve as a strong foundation for the area’s health and wellness community, providing gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options alongside a wide variety of fresh juices. Both restaurants are hot spots for millennials and foodies, thanks to their stunning Instagram photos.
With the atmospheres of each of their business ventures, it’s no surprise that the Boivins carry a stunning aesthetic into their homes as well. They’ve moved a lot, but their Nottawa farmhouse has been wonderful for the family, says Wispy. A big house was necessary with three children, Huxley, 12, Tennessee, 9, and Townes, 5. Here, there are two acres on the front of the property, where the buildings are, and another 22 at the back that look toward the escarpment. The family has enjoyed hiking the trails all year, with their dogs Lola, Patootsie and Boo, and in the winter Chris made trails for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.
Inside, a rustic, lived-in charm is made grand through washed white linens, faded print textures, thick wool blankets and a sun-dried, chic farmhouse style throughout the entire home. A white palette (including white painted hardwood throughout the upper floor) is offset by splashes of colour in artwork.
Wispy takes a lot of inspiration from local décor shops like Lëuk and Kettlewells, and she bounces ideas off friend and designer Kristen Vermeulen. Despite these influences, Wispy and Chris put their own unique characteristics throughout the house as well. A piano, donated from the kids’ school, was painted pure matte white, and sits in the great room. Chris’s love of music is expressed through album-cover art and concert posters that have been blown up onto large canvases.
This house was built by Robert and Tracy Gerschwiler, the home’s previous owners, who now live next door. Wispy and Chris were thrilled to have such expert homebuilders who meticulously and strategically designed and built the home. When the Boivins put an addition on the home – a high-ceilinged great room with large open windows and a massive fireplace – as well as extra bedrooms upstairs, the Gerschwilers helped the Boivins immensely with the design and building process.
Despite the beauty and their love of this farmhouse, the Boivins are moving on to a new and exciting project: a bed and breakfast, done in their own unique style. “Chris had a restaurant in the city. I had a yoga studio,” says Wispy, “We always dreamed about marrying the two ideas, and doing a retreat centre.” And they’ve found a property in the Pretty River Valley that will bring this idea to life.
Still in the planning stages, the retreat aims to be an intimate escape and special experience for guests. She explains, “It’ll be an à-la-carte sort of thing. You can stay, do whatever you’re doing, have a beautiful experience, or you can book a private dinner with Chris cooking, or you can have a yoga class, or afternoon tea, that sort of thing.” The Boivins are sure to bring out the best aspects of Georgian Bay with this project, yet another innovative cultural endeavour.
