BIZZ BUZZ

Plans are under way to create a specialty culinary centre at 211 Locke St. S. in the building that was constructed as a Unitarian Church in the early 1960s.

Two Hamilton entrepreneurs will be partners in the enterprise, to be called The Culinary Office. The business will offer cooking demonstrations and lessons, wine tastings, catering, restaurant dinners by reservation, and specialty food products and cooking tools.

Michael Stauffer has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph, was trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and worked in the Splendido and Rain restaurants in Toronto, and Langdon Hall in Cambridge. His partner Steven Suggitt also has a commerce degree from Guelph, has worked in bars and restaurants in Whistler, British Columbia, and was most recently manager of The London Tap House in downtown Hamilton. They are hoping to open their new facility this spring.

Fenian Films will continue to operate in the lower level of the building.

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Despite Wednesday's winter storm, Brick Brewing Company president and CEO George Croft floated into town on a river of suds as the guest speaker at a luncheon at The Hamilton Club. Croft, who joined the Waterloo-based brewery last May, shared his plans to turn around the fortunes of the company, which lost $2.6 million in fiscal 2008.

He explained that while his business is relatively recession proof, it is not weatherproof and last summer's cool and rainy weather hindered beer sales. He is hoping for a more beer-friendly summer this year. Croft was the chief operating officer for Hamilton's Lakeport Brewery until it was sold to Labatt in 2007.

Tricia Hellingman is president of Hellingman Communications, a Hamilton-based public relations and marketing agency. You can e-mail her at thellingman@hellingman.com. BizzBuzz appears every other Friday.