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Volume 15 Issue 7 > JULY 7 — AUGUST 3
@sunpeaksnews /sunpeaksnews
YOURS FREE TO TAKE HOME
A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:
Bolacco celebrates two decades by JEAN STRONG
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wenty years after opening the doors to their cafe for the first time, Konrad Glowczynski and his wife Elzbieta are still behind the counter almost every day. Over the years the couple has used their strong coffee, fresh snacks, warm greetings and a little bit of magic to create a community that returns year after year. Originally from Poland, the Glowczynskis didn’t know they would find themselves in a small but growing Canadian ski village when they left Italy in 1990. Greeted by cherry blossom trees in Vancouver, they held various jobs in the restaurant scene until in 1994 their journey lead them to to Sun Peaks.
Then, like many other locals, they fell in love with the new resort and kept coming back. When the Sundance Lodge was constructed in 1996 the pair saw their chance and decided to open a cafè and move their family to the Interior. It was a risk, they had never run a cafe before, or even owned a business. Konrad said he purchased the smallest commercial space in the new building on a credit card and struggled to secure financing. But on Easter weekend of 1997 they opened their doors and didn’t close them for seven years, even for one day. They faced many challenges compounded by the extreme seasonality of the young resort but Konrad said it was their persistence that allowed them to succeed. “Things like this you build
Konrad and Elzbieta behind the counter in their café. | PHOTO SPIN
probably once in your life,” he said. “I don’t think you can build too many like this. It takes time to build it, there’s no overnight success.” Many stories of their special blend of coffee and hospitality have now spread across the globe, as they welcome guests hailing from all over. Part of their success came from working side by side for many years. Konrad said he focused on the front while Elzbieta, who is more hands on, carefully crafted sandwiches and baked pastries. They had to learn to self sufficiency, without a bakery or grocery store yet in sight, making
their own products from scratch photos cover the walls, all memsuch as their famous in-house ories they have shared with their mustard and Elzbieta’s berry customers. “It’s an extension of our house, scones. Now their fresh sandwiches and homemade baking our living room,” Konrad said. “We never treat compete with customers as a their perfectly one time cusbrewed cups of “Things like this you tomer. Now we coffee for most build probably once in see people who popular product. your life...I don’t think were here as kids More than supyou can build too many coming back with porting their familike this. It takes time their kids. They’re ly of five financialto build it, there’s no almost our family, Bolacco served overnight success.” ly.” as a place for their Konrad said own children, and he wished they the community, to could have spent more time skigrow up. Now years of seasons passcontinued on next page es, racing medals and school
Vol 15 Issue 7 July 7 — August 3
sunpeaksnews.com
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