SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Some might question the wisdom of opening a coffee house sandwiched between a pub and a drop-in centre.

Patrick Scott toasts his daughter and business partner Jawah Bercier yesterday behind the counter of their new restaurant on the eve of its opening. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

But not Yellowknife businessman Patrick Scott and his partner and daughter Jawah Bercier. They opened the doors to Birchwood Coffee Ko between the Kilt and Castle Pub and the Safe Harbour Day Shelter this morning.

Scott said he refuses to be rattled just because of the people who might frequent the neighbourhood. While he does accept there may be incidents, he said he wants to reach out to day shelter clients and develop a relationship with them.

"I wanted to be in this location, in this area. It's going to be part of the challenge of being here. Do we discover how to work with our neighbours? Our neighbours are people with challenges," Scott said. "So far they have been very respectful and I hope that continues ... I worry that it might scare some people away but we're going to treat people with care and respect. We hope that will encourage them to come here. This is about more than just making money - this is about developing a relationship with the community over a good cup of coffee."

The name for the restaurant came from Scott's love of birchwood. His said his father-in-law was an artisan who crafted snowshoes and drums from birch. So on top of the cafe's name, he's installed as many birch elements to the coffeeshop as possible, including the tabletops.

"It's such a beautiful part of the North. It's a beautiful wood," he said, adding the word Ko is Tlicho for house.

The menu aims for a Northern Dene flavour with locally caught whitefish tacos, bannock eggers as well as muffins and cookies. Meals will also be available for take out. They will offer vegetarian and gluten-free options as well.

Bercier said the idea of opening a coffee house is one that she and her father have been kicking around for years now.

"It's always been something we talked about but never pursued. It wasn't until last December that we finally decided to make it happen," she said.

Bercier is not new to the coffee business having been in it for the better part of the last decade. She has worked at another downtown coffee shop and was trained by J.J. Bean Coffee Roasters in Vancouver on how to make coffee properly - both by taste and by sight.

Scott said there was a lot of work involved in turning what used to be office space into a coffee shop - they've been hard at it since April 1.

Scott insists they will be serving the best coffee in town, adding the beans will be coming to Yellowknife by plane every week from the Vancouver-based supplier, J.J. Bean. He admits it will cost a little bit more but says it will be worth it.

"Coffee is about subtleties," he said. "If it gets a week too old then it starts losing flavour. You don't want it sitting on the shelf - it takes too long to bring it by truck. Even if it was coming out of Edmonton it would take two days to get here. We don't want that ... We want it out of the roaster onto the plane and then here."

With five office buildings in the immediate vicinity, Scott and Bercier are hoping to draw a strong lunch-time crowd to their cafe.

"The need I think in this town is a good space with great coffee - a place where people can come and feel good about being in the space and that's what we've tried to create here," Scott said, adding Birchwood Coffee Ko will also have WiFi.

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