Owners Braden and Kylie Lawther met in Peterborough while attending Culinary School at Fleming College. While living in Peterborough, Braden was a baker at a fine Italian restaurant, whereas Kylie was the sous chef at a hyperlocal-focused fine dining restaurant. The couple moved to Belleville in 2021 and are excited to open their first restaurant, The Counter, in Quinte West.
While working construction over the past few years, Braden Lawther found that there were few places to eat that left him feeling satiated at a relatively affordable price and ready for the rest of the workday. “This set our goal to provide a culinary adventure in a familiar manner, pairing our passion for sandwiches and comfort food, with the pride for scratch cooking,” states Kylie, “ultimately leading led us to create ‘The Counter’, where quality ingredients are made different.”
The Counter aims to provide an elevated deli experience, offering soups, salads and classic sandwiches using quality ingredients. Everything will be made at The Counter, utilizing local providers and the market when available. The Counter will also extend the menu during patio season and will fulfill catering orders. Braden and Kylie are also looking to curate a culinary adventure where they execute a fine dining tasting menu experience monthly.
After having their first child in 2020, owners Kylie and Braden Lawther set a ten-year goal of owning a brick-and-mortar place to call their own and are looking to serve the Quinte West community with this new venture. They also want to thank the former owners of The Riverbrake Café, Raul and Connie, for making this transition a positive and exciting experience for their family.
The Counter is located at 11 Front Street, Trenton and is open 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday, with plans to extend hours during patio season. For more information, email info@thecounterrestaurant.ca, call 613-392-0168, or visit www.thecounterrestaurant.ca and @thecounterrestaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
