We love making food. We love making people happy. We love what we do. And we’re thrilled to be doing it in Campbellford! Many years ago, we successfully ran our own restaurant in Pickering, Ontario. From there, we opened a corporate catering business in Toronto, which we ran for over fifteen years — until late 2019.
Ready for change, we began exploring the beautiful towns and villages east of Toronto in search of a unique, waterfront location for a new restaurant. We had spent time in Peterborough and the Kawarthas and knew we were drawn to the area. It was a realtor that suggested we check out Campbellford — which we did and immediately fell in love with the town and the wonderful people in it!
Having considered several locations, the former Baptist Church Street at 67 Queen Street became available. It was perfect! A unique building with history right on the Trent Severn Waterway. We had found our ‘forever’ restaurant! Now the hard work began. The building needed a complete renovation, a patio built, an industrial kitchen installed … the list goes on. Working night and day, we set a target of Spring 2020 for our grand opening. Then COVID hit ….
This caused a multitude of delays in opening The Dockside Bistro. From lockdowns to keep everyone safe, to scarcity of building materials in the supply chain to overbooked tradespeople. Needless to say, it has been a stressful year and a half!
Despite the ups and downs, creating The Dockside Bistro has been a true labour of love. We are absolutely thrilled to be opening our doors and welcoming the community in!
Sandy and Sarah Sanyal
