While it’s one hour west of Sudbury, Massey offers the cutest little colourful, whimsical and witchy-inspired cafe complete with all the fixings.
Staff at The Little Brew serve up cold and hot brews, soups, sandwiches and sinfully delicious desserts on the daily.
Owner, Roux Gillespie celebrated her two-year anniversary in the spring.
Gillespie had been living in Vancouver, but moved back home during the pandemic as she struggled to balance limited work at a pizzeria while paying the bills associated with big city living.
“I came home and started working at the local gas station. I was talking to my mom one day about my golden life and how I always dreamed of baking and whipping up lattes for people,” she said.
“My mom informed me that the cafe and sewing boutique down the street was for sale. Everything fell into place rather quickly.”
Gillespie said she’s had a lot of local foot traffic, but those passing through the area are catching on, too.
“Many people drive through and have never heard of Massey before, but need a bite to eat,” she said.
The chicken and cranberry salad sandwich is well sought after as well as the avocado egg salad with lettuce grown in the backyard of the cafe.
The soups are worth writing home about, too. They are made in house with herbs grown on site. The butter chicken soup and the roasted red pepper with gouda cheese make for happy slurping customers. The soups vary each day with potato bacon and broccoli cheddar also making the list.
Gillespie is known for having the best homemade scones in the district, so many will visit her back pastry counter with takeout boxes. That being said, the lemonade and strawberry danishes made with strawberries from the local farm up the road are also show stoppers.
When it comes to hot and cold drinks, Gillespie offers coffee with beans from Espanola Roasters, standard chai and london fogs.
That being said, she loves to get creative with the espresso machine by whipping up mocha lattes, cappuccinos and red eyes.
A summer treat is the Summer Affogato which combines ice cream with a shot of espresso.
Gillespie is not a trained chef, but admits she thinks with her stomach, and is always inspired with the ideas she gets from her mom, aunt and the general public.
She said it’s really a family approach to business as her mother helps with the accounting and advertising. She focuses on quality food and her aunt helps out in many ways, too.
Gillespie has watched the transformation of the cafe from locals to travellers, and is taking it all in one day at a time.
She enjoys seeing families come in with board games now and really wants it to be a place of community gathering and social connections for the future.
The Little Brew Cafe and Bakery in Massey can be followed on Instagram and Facebook.
It’s located at 365 Imperial Street South in Massey and is open Wednesday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.