Brantford Travel: Exploring
Paris and Enjoying Great Hospitality St. George
We had already seen and experienced so much on
this gorgeous fall day: from Brantford’s signature
sights such as the Bell Homestead and the Mohawk
Chapel to the Farmers’ Market, a bike ride
by the Grand River and lunch in a café /
gallery that is part of Brantford’s railway
station, we now continued our explorations to the
historic riverside town of Paris.
Paris abounds with historic architecture
A small community with about 11,000 residents,
Paris can look back on a long history. It was first
settled in 1829 and officially became a town in
1850. Paris is probably most well-known for the
fact that the first “long distance”
telephone call was made on August 10, 1876 between
Paris and downtown Brantford.
Downtown Paris, Ontario, offers many shopping opportunities
The name of the town stems from “plaster
of Paris”, referring to the gypsum deposits
that were mined in the area in the mid 1800s. Paris
is also known as the “cobblestone capital
of Canada” because it features numerous buildings
that were constructed from rounded riverstones.
The historic architecture and quaint main street
have also earned Paris the nickname “prettiest
town in Canada”.
The Café de Paris offers a great riverside
patio
We strolled along the main street which was flanked
on both sides by Victorian-era buildings with retail
shops on the main floor. At the Café de Paris
we headed inside to admire the spacious river-side
terrace that is a popular gathering spot for locals
and tourists alike. Two licensed patios overlook
the Grand River and beckon visitors to sit down
in this bistro bar.
Viewing platform over the Grand River
From Paris we continued our country drive through
the rolling hills of Brant County to stop at Robert
Hall Originals, a showroom where we admired a wide
variety of artistic creations made from pewter and
natural stone. Robert is a master pewter smith with
a big passion for collecting rocks and minerals,
and he merges his passions in his artistic creations.
His rock collection comes from all over the world,
and his crystal specimens hail from as far away
as Brazil, India, Morocco, Russia and other places.
Robert with his wife Betty in the showroom of Robert
Hall Originals
The pewter ware at Robert Hall Originals features
hundreds of different designs in themes such as
Canadiana, Celtic and equestrian. The artist took
us into his workshop to demonstrate the elaborate
process of creating pewter art, which starts with
the creation of clay moulds that are used to create
rubber moulds which are then used in the casting
process. Robert indicated that he uses about 3000
different moulds to produce his wide assortment
of artistic products.
Some of the designs at Robert Hall Originals
The three-dimensional clay mould creates an impression
in the rubber which is put inside a casting machine
and subjected to 1.5 tons of pressure. Pewter melted
at 550 degrees Fahrenheit is then poured into the
casting machine and fills the cavities in the rubber
mould. Once the casting is finished, the mould is
allowed to cool for a brief period of time, and
then the pewter objects are removed from the mould.
A pewter letter opener from Robert Hall Originals
At this raw stage all the individual cast objects
must be cleaned up with a knife or a file to remove
the rough edges, and from here forward they are
painted and polished and all remaining sharp edges
are removed. Pewter casting is a very labour-intensive
process, and Robert stresses that he only uses lead-free
pewter which consists of 98% tin, 2% copper, antimony
and silver. This stands in contrast to many imported
low-cost pewter products that could still contain
lead.
Polished stone
Robert’s love for stone manifests itself
in his extensive rock and mineral collection that
features many colourful and intricately patterned
specimens. His wife Betty says that they regularly
attend large mineral shows in the United States
where Robert spends hours studying different rocks
and minerals. A love for the delicate patterns and
textures of natural rocks and minerals has been
in Robert’s blood for a long time.
Polished natural stone
The showroom also features a bead store for artists
who want to make jewellery themselves where they
can also purchase settings and mountings. It further
showcases a variety of pewter pendants that have
been made by Robert himself. Beautifully polished
stones can be displayed on pewter stands to bring
out their best features.
A polished agate at Robert Hall Originals
We had enjoyed our introduction to pewter casting
and mineralogy and continued on to our final destination
of the day: the quaint village of St. George. There
we met our hosts for the night: Rene and Jose Gonzalez
from the Two Roses Bed and Breakfast who have worked
miracles to restore their 1860s mansion to its former
glory. This Victorian jewel was going to be our
home for the night.
Jose and Rene Gonzalez from the Two Roses Bed and
Breakfast
Surrounded by an elevated ½ acre garden
and a scenic view, the Two Roses B&B was originally
a mansion that was built in 1880 by a certain Mr.
Thompson, a brickmaster from Scotland. Jose, an
engineer who came to Canada from Cuba many years
ago, and his wife Rene, who hails from Serbia, had
always dreamed of owning and operating a bed and
breakfast. So after finishing their earlier careers
they embarked on a search for a suitable property
a few years ago and purchased this house in 2008.
Rene & Jose and their gorgeously renovated mansion
Renovations started on April 1, 2008 and after
working for many weeks almost around the clock on
the restoration, the Two Roses B&B opened its
doors in July of 2008. Jose was primarily in charge
of construction and technical issues while Rene
focused on interior décor, often attending
auctions and antique shops to create an authentic
period property with a real Victorian touch.
The Ladies' tea room at the Two Roses B&B
Much had to be done on the property: plasterwork,
woodwork and floors had to be restored; four bathrooms
had to be installed; some of the rooms did not even
have electrical outlets for ceiling lights; ceilings
were falling down and had to be reconstructed. Rene
and Jose wanted to restore their heritage property
back to its original splendour without destroying
what was there. They made sure that nothing was
torn down.
The Gentlemen's Room
Rene spent lots of time researching authentic Victorian
decorating and colour schemes to create an authentic
environment. She gave me a tour of the property
whose main floor includes the dining room, a gentlemen’s
room and a ladies tea room in addition to the kitchen.
Outside the kitchen is an attractive patio where
guests can enjoy breakfast outdoors during the warmer
months. Upstairs are three guest bedrooms with three
luxurious bathrooms so all the guests can enjoy
their privacy. The Victorian decorating theme visually
ties the entire property together.
Sitting area in one of the upstairs bedrooms
Back downstairs in the kitchen, Rene and Jose indicated
that their bed and breakfast guests are welcome
everywhere including the kitchen. Rene is in charge
of the breakfast which could include a hearty Canadian
breakfast, various egg dishes, omelettes, fresh
fruit and baked goods. Special dietary needs are
taken into consideration and Rene will try to accommodate
special requests. Special events are also frequently
hosted at the Two Roses B&B: from Christmas
dinners to birthday parties for up to 25 people
to hosting the local bridge club a couple of times
a month. It is evident that this couple thoroughly
enjoys the bed and breakfast hospitality experience.
Dining Room at the Two Roses B&B
To cap off this amazing action packed day we had
dinner at La Cantinella, an Italian restaurant on
St. George’s main street, housed in a historic
1850s former inn. We enjoyed a tasty combination
of “linguini alla puttanesca” and “gamberi
al pesto”. The hosts Renato and Susanna Reale
provided us with an excellent dining experience
and a truly welcoming atmosphere.
Main dining room at La Cantinella
Renato actually owns a car repair business while
Susanna’s original background is in the arts.
Years ago they walked by the building, which was
a fitness studio at the time with apartments above,
and Susanna fell in love with it. She was intrigued
by the building and just felt that this would be
a great place for a restaurant. But the building
needed a lot of work and it took the couple six
years to renovate it.
La Cantinella on St. George's main street
Today it houses their restaurant on the main floor
with two large guest rooms and a spacious patio
while the couple turned the upstairs, which had
consisted of 19 small rooms, into their private
living quarters. Renato handmade the countertop
for the bar from a large piece of walnut wood. With
a modest smile he added that he just used a lathe,
some woodworking tools and lots of elbow grease.
The Reale family: Renato, Susanna, Domenic and Alex
The entire building had to be rewired and lots
of work had to be done to modernize the infrastructure
of the building, including new heating and plumbing
throughout. The second guestroom just opened this
past week, added an extra 40 seats to the restaurant
and will feature live music on a regular basis.
The new dining room at La Cantinella
Susanna is a passionate cook and very customer-oriented.
She loves it when her guests have a great experience.
All the pasta is made on site by Susanna and she
even sells it to other restaurants. Susanna and
her daughter Alex even took me a tour of the kitchen
where I found out that this is truly a family business:
the owners Susanna and Renato get reinforcement
from daughter Alex and son Domenic, while Susanna’s
mother and aunt work in the kitchen as well. Despite
the hectic demands of the restaurant and the hard
work, it seemed that everyone was having a great
time and enjoying the hospitality experience.
Delicious food at La Cantinella
At about 11:30 pm I finally fell into my plush
bed at the Two Roses B&B, absolutely exhausted
from an awesome day of experiences. I reflected
back on the day, hardly able to believe how much
I had seen and how much I enjoyed all the places
I saw and the people I met in and around Brantford.
I drifted off into some much-needed sleep for another
interesting day in Brantford.
