Angie Atkinson loving her life quite literally serving the community

Written By CONSTANCE SCRAFIELD

Angie Atkinson told the Citizen, “I've been here [Gabe's Country Bake Shoppe] for three years. Before that, The Old Trail Coffee shop for about seven years,” adding humorously, “So, coffee shops in Caledon East are my forte.

“My family and I have lived here for 22 years. We came for the price of houses at the time. I moved from Bolton and I was born and raised in Wildefield.”

Not surprisingly, she remarked, “I love it up here - it's beautiful.”

Ms. Atkinson and her husband, Brian, have “two children. We've been married 52 years. Our son is 42 years old and our daughter is 40. They both followed in my footsteps, in hospitality, in the city. Now, my son is in sales and my daughter manages an art gallery in Toronto. And she writes.”

She said, “Obviously , I like my job because I've been in it for 50 years. I like dealing with people. I had a good teacher in Gabe how to make good espresso. I've never worked for anyone as nice as him.

“I open early in the mornings. Sometimes, the coffee guys beat me to the door. We call them the mayors. It's going to be 7:30 a.m. next month. We open now at 6:30 a.m. but Gabe lets me come a half hour earlier, so, I open at 6:00 a.m. Nothing else is open that early and the regulars love coming here. 

“Frank, the barber is up early. His rooster wakes him up, he says. They told me that they're going to let me make them coffee and they're going to sit on my patio and watch my chickens – I do a short shift here and go home mid-morning.”

Fifty years but, obviously, as she says, not all at Gabe's.

“I trained people at Red Lobster in Winnipeg and Brampton. My husband's job took us to Winnipeg for about 10 years and we moved back to Caledon after that, to Bolton and then, Caledon East.”

“I worked in restaurants and bars, and trained as I went. I was working before I became a mom, bartending. I started my family when I was working for Howard Johnston and my customers gave me a party when I was pregnant, bringing me gifts. People who are regulars become friends, sort of, people that you like and they like you. I love kibitzing around and dealing with the public.”

Going back a bit further in her personal history, Ms Atkinson related, “I was working at the airport for Aero Caterers. I met my husband there. We worked together. He was a civil draftsman, designing bridges rather than roads.

She added, “Brian's retired now; now he raises chickens. One of them is Princess Leia. She's the beauty. 

“We do take trips in the winter and we like to cruise, anywhere from two weeks to a month. So far, we've just been doing to the Caribbean but we're saving to go to Europe. We have been to the Panama Canal on the Princess Line. We went, last time, to the ports we've already been to and we thought, we have to go somewhere new.”

Her work life began in food at the airport in her job with Aero Caterers.

“I was working at the airport, preparing meals for the flights. I was in high school when my brother and sister worked there. My older brother was the first and, then, he brought my sister and then me. I worked in the bake shop, on the deserts. It was a four or five man operation on the belt line. You go down and put them in the warming boxes. There was first class and economy. They were good, trays and trays of them moving on the belt like you see in the bake shops. They take them and put them on the belt. It reminded me of Lucy and Ethel on the backed up lines and they were eating more than they could because they couldn't keep up with the belt...”

Back to these days, “Gabe's opening in the mornings at 7:30 a.m. next week. He is very good. He cares a lot about his product; it's gotta be good or else he won't sell it. Word of mouth is the best advertising.”

Everybody loves Gabe's goodies.

“I love my life.” she commented simply. “What's not to like? I get to get up in the morning and I get to come here and then, I have the rest of the day to myself . Sit on my deck, read my books.”

As for husband, Brain, now quite retired, “He just talked himself into re-joining a bridge group. There's a new bridge [format]. He's going to be very good at it. He loves playing bridge. There's all new rules on how to bid and he's catching on and getting good at it. There's a lot more involved in the bidding.”

In other news, “I am a grandmother for the first time. She just turned one and her name is Scarlett. She takes my breath away. It's my son and his wife, Rachael. They live in Orangeville. He travels a lot by car.”

She said, “They're both very busy; I don't get to see her as often as I like. She has a nanny. Both Rachael and her business partner had a baby a month apart and the nanny takes care of them both.” 

Looking forward, Ms Atkinson cares, “just about my health and that my kids are happy and they're healthy.” 

Philosophically, what matters is, “being content and being happy with your family – with yourself.”