By Jack Krayenhoff

After a bracing walk on a windy day to the end of the Breakwater and back, you feel you have earned a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, and the café is right there to welcome you in. It is such a landmark in James Bay that The Beacon decided to find out more about it, also because it has been under new management for the past year and a half.

The new manager-owners are the brothers Michael and Adam Helm. If the name 'Helm' rings a bell with you, it may be because of Helm's Inn on the corner of Douglas and Superior, which was started by their grandfather, or it may be because of their father who built Maud Hunter's Pub on Shelbourne, and Christie's Pub on Fort near Richmond. Those are substantial forefathers to have in the hospitality industry.

But the brothers do not rely on ancestral reputation alone: they were trained at Christie's Pub, starting as bus boys, dish washers and janitors, and working their way up. They understand how it all operates.

Now your reporter thought he was visiting a café, but here he needs to be enlightened, for the sign says 'Café and Bistro'. So how does a bistro differ from a café?

Mike Helm explains that a café, as the name indicates, is centered on coffee. But a bistro, after its French model, is a place where you can also get a good portion of food at a reasonable price, as well as wine and other drinks.

Next question: but isn't that what you can get at a pub?

No, says Helm, you cannot take families to a pub. A pub is a 'liquor primary.' The Breakwater Bistro has a food primary liquor licence, which means at least 50% of their sales must be from food. It means that you get offered a full breakfast and lunch menu, served café-style. If you want beer or another drink - that's available too. After 4 pm the seating is changed around a bit, and full table service is started. It has a separate menu, including seafood, but sandwich-style food remains available as well.

The Beacon comments that this full-dinner service does not seem to be widely known yet.

Helm shows that in spite of his relative youth (he is 31) he already has valuable wisdom. "We didn't want to jump right in," he says. "The employees were used only to café-type service, and we wanted to take time to train them. Also there was the bartending, and changes in the kitchen. But by the summer of this year we hope to have developed a clientele for dinner." He adds, "People don't like sudden changes - except the one we did make right at the start, and that was to lower the price of everything by 10-15%."

Does his location at the Breakwater make a difference for the sort of people that come to his place?

 "We are a destination spot. Dads come to take their kids fishing. There's a lot of salmon here - it's great to see a man coming in with a 25-30 pounder! And there's the diving centre - they are located right below us. Also, look at that lovely park we look down on. It's beautifully maintained, it has a picnic table, very interesting displays of information; even a bandstand. And it's waterfront, with a view of those enormous cruise ships coming in - they are amazing!"

He adds, "And it is not just for a sunny day in June. In the Fall, when it's windy and those huge waves come crashing in - you have to bundle up for it, but it's spectacular!

Yesterday there were really high winds, and people literally got blown in here. We had a ring of people around the fireplace, drying out their gloves and hats. It was fun!"