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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - You practically need a map to keep track of Pierre LePage's growing restaurant empire.

But Yellowknife's eminent chef shows no signs of slowing down.

The Yellowknife airport restaurant, recently renamed Bush Pilot Cafe, is now being run by Pierre LePage, owner of Le Frolic and operator of the Wildcat Cafe. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

LePage's sights have landed on the Yellowknife airport, where last late month, he began operating Bush Pilot Cafe, formerly The Navigator, at the request of the territorial government.

"They approached me in the new year to take it over," said LePage, who already had expansion on his mind. "It's nice to cover every corner of the city."

In recent weeks, LePage has hired six new staff members at his downtown production centre, where much of the food served at LePage-run restaurants such as Le Frolic and The Wildcat Cafe is prepared, in an effort to make greater use of his production facilities.

Freshly-baked bread is now available at stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Gastown and the downtown Reddi Mart.

"We hope to be at Weaver and Devore's soon," he added.

Bush Pilot Cafe employs nine full-time staff members and is geared toward people who are on the go, either waiting for or destined for flights out of Yellowknife.

"It's grab and go," LePage said of the menu, which offers typical lunch fare like ready-made sandwiches and salads, the latter proving popular on warm days. "Not many people go to hang around the Yellowknife airport a couple of hours before their flights."

But they are flocking to the airport just for the food, according to Steve Loutitt, airport manager.

"He's attracting some very large crowds, including people who are just coming out to the airport for lunch," said Loutitt.

"There's some days where there are lineups outside the door. It's a very popular move as far as the public feedback we're getting."

With the cafe now open, LePage is now focusing on the (hopefully) late-August opening of Nico's Market inside the Center Ice Plaza currently being readied for tenants by owner Polar Development.

Nico's will house all the kitchen appliances and instruments currently lining shelves inside Le Stock Pot, also owned by LePage. Once Nico opens, Le Stock Pot will expand its deli, offer more hot food and increase its seating capacity.

L'Heritage Restaurant, which closed in its current 49 Street location last month, will reopen on the second floor of the mall shortly after Nico's begins operations, added LePage.

"First the market, then the restaurant," he said, adding that Le Frolic will eventually expand to the second floor that used to house L'Heritage.