This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Jeremy and Melissa Wilbur of Tipsy Tails Restaurant in Alma.

MY BUSINESS PARTNER (WIFE) AND I BOTH HAVE A BACKGROUND IN THE CULINARY ARTS. WE BOTH GRADUATED FROM THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF CANADA. WE HAD RECENTLY MOVED BACK FROM TORONTO AND THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP TO TAKE OVER THE TIPSY TAILS ESTABLISHMENT.
We made the decision in about 24 hours and we were all-in. It’s an amazing location, in our favourite little village in N.B.! My wife was working full-time in Moncton for the first couple of years but now is full-time on the business. She also has a background in business and I have fished the Bay of Fundy for lobster for years, so it was a no-brainer and a dream come true for us.

Most local products are of better quality than what you can get from large box stores or international suppliers. Some of the best ingredients that are local end up tasting better, lasting longer (better shelf life because they are picked and delivered the same day instead of travelling for days to get to us).

Perhaps most importantly, supporting local keeps money within our community. Customers love to hear the story behind our products and love to know that we have a relationship with all of our suppliers. It makes THEM feel as good as it makes us feel to support our community and to know where our food comes from. When we support local, the locals support us in return!

We are always trying to create new and exciting menu items and find new ways to wow our customers – both locals and tourists. Last winter, my wife and I ran the business just the two of us on the weekends. This year we have some help and we are excited about the prospect of being able to offer our community another dining option through the winter months.

Supporting local actually changes people’s lives! Seeing a server make enough money to buy their first car or go to college, or a cook that is learning all about the world of food from the ground up, or a host discovering their talent for managing and working with their team – it’s exhilarating!

For us, this is one of the most exciting industries to be in and we hope our community sees that excitement and buys our products and feels good about it because they aren’t just helping us fulfill our dreams, they are playing a role in the development of many people’s dreams.