Have you met Jennifer?

Jennifer and her husband Derek are the enthusiastic, fresh-faced owners of the newly opened Sunset Grill in Peterborough.

For Jennifer, Peterborough will always be home. She grew up there. She was about 14 years old when her parents decided to move the family out to the region of Niagara. It was there she met the love of her life, Derek.

“I felt an immediate connection as soon as I met him,” she tells. They met through Derek’s old boss, who was also the emcee at their wedding.

They’ve been together almost 10 years now, and they balance each other out well. “Derek is the realist,” says Jennifer. “He’s very smart. He looks at the world as it is.” Jennifer tends to always think with her heart. “I wear my heart on my sleeve,” she says. “That’s just the type of person I am.”

In the past, people have sometimes taken advantage of Jennifer’s kind nature, however, she’s tough enough to not let that get her down. She perseveres, despite the challenges life presents her with.

And it’s been a challenging year for Jennifer and Derek.

Sadly, Jennifer experienced a tragic loss a short time ago. She had a miscarriage.

“It changes you,” she says. “Personally, I’ve felt like there’s a stigma behind miscarriage. People don’t talk about them. A lot of people suffer in silence.”

She hopes to change that.

“I’ve been very open about that since it happened. All the staff here know. I like to keep an open communication line between me and the staff.”

Talking about it has helped Jennifer and Derek find their way through.

Unfortunately, a few short weeks later she also lost her grandmother, who was a huge inspiration to Jennifer growing up.

“Before she passed, she had come in for lunch one day and I opened up to her about my miscarriage,” Jennifer explains. “She told me that she had one too, and that it’s something that happens. She said it doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you. It doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong in general. It’s just something that happened. The best thing you can do is be strong, get past it, and try for another one.”

Nearly 20 per cent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. That’s one in five.

Jennifer was trusting enough to open up about her experience with loss and hopes that sharing her story will resonate with other women out there.

Her message is simple: you are not alone. You do not have to suffer in silence. Talk to your partner, your family, those you trust. Talking about it is the only way to move forward in a healthy, positive way.

“My grandmother taught me strength,” she says. “How to get through the tough times.” She taught Jennifer to live her life to the fullest, with no regrets. A lesson she carries with her every day.

Her grandmother was always the type of woman that was very straightforward. She didn’t sugarcoat anything, she was straight to the point, Jennifer says.

“Up until this past year, I haven’t had a lot of bad things happen to me,” she explains. “I’ve been very blessed. This year forced me to wake up.” You don’t want to regret living your life, says Jennifer.

“You look at the children that walk in here differently,” she says. “You look at every child as a blessing.”

It’s given her a new perspective on life and has made her even more grateful that she had such a healthy pregnancy with her daughter, Haley.

“I would do it all over again, 100 per cent,” she says. “I want Haley to be a big sister. To go through this, and then to look at her… I am so grateful for [her]. She makes me realize you need to live every day fully. Live in the moment.”

They’ll be celebrating Haley’s third birthday in June.

“She’s a ball full of energy. Smart as a whip,” Jennifer says with a big smile on her face.

You can sometimes spot Haley at Sunset Grill munching on pancakes with a side of bacon. She has to have her side of bacon, and ice in her milk. Sometimes she’ll even hand out suckers to lucky guests at the restaurant. She loves Paw Patrol and trying on mom’s makeup when she’s not looking. “She’s her own little person,” Jennifer laughs.

“She makes me want to be a better person,” Jennifer says. “She makes everything we are doing right now worth it.”

Sunset Grill has provided Jennifer and Derek the opportunity to be there for Haley while still pursuing their entrepreneurial dream.

Their journey with Sunset Grill began back in St. Catharines. They used to frequent the St. Catharines Sunset Grill locations, as well as the one in Niagara Falls.

At the time, they knew they wanted to get into the franchise world, they just weren’t entirely sure what kind of franchise.

Jennifer’s father has been working in the franchise business for the last 20 or so years, so it wasn’t a foreign concept to her. Her brother even owns the Pita Pit in the same plaza.

“[Sunset Grill] spoke to us in terms of hours,” Jennifer explains. “We had a small child at the time; it was important for us to still have that family life.”

By the time her dad got home from work, they were usually in bed. She knew how hard that was on her parents and wanted to forge a different path for Haley.

“That’s part of the reason we went into this franchise, so we could still spend time with her after close, and give her a normal life,” says Jennifer.

That and she loved our coffee.

Jennifer admits that she’s still learning, as the restaurant has only been open since late October, however, she’s up for the challenge. She’s had a chance to work both the kitchen as well as front-of house, so she can jump in wherever she’s needed.

She’s lucky enough to have two amazing parents who visit every weekend to help out with Haley while she and Derek work at the restaurant. She’s also happy to be back in her hometown and hopes she can one day give back to the community that helped nurture her.

“To be somebody that grew up here, it’s nice to be back into the community,” she says. “It’s nice to see the regulars come in. You get to know them, their families.”

The next time you stop by for breakfast or lunch at our Peterborough Sunset Grill, be sure to say hi to Jennifer!

STORE INFORMATION

Lansdowne St. W. & The Parkway

1005 Lansdowne St. W., Unit 2,
Peterborough, ON, K9J 8N2

(705) 749-0222

Open Daily 7 AM to 3 PM