The South Marysburgh Mirror March 2024 /5 CCrreeaattiinngg aa PPllaaccee WWoorrtthh CCaarriinngg AAbboouutt:: IInnttrroodduucciinngg tthhee BBllaacckk RRiivveerr MMaarrkkeett Within the next few months, Cliff, supported by a small team of skilled employ- ees, will bring back cheese making, on a scaled down artisanal basis, to Black Creek. Laurie Tomin, a cheese maker formerly of British Columbia, has moved to the County and will soon start a developmental pro- cess of making cheeses such as brie in the summer and Alpine style Gouda and Em- mental during other seasons. A Café with an Option for an Adult Beverage That's just the start. Cliff has bigger ideas that he's about to launch, among them an outdoor farmers' produce market and a café that will serve adult beverages. He's applied for a liquor license (Continued from page 2) and if all goes well, that option might be in place later in the spring. He will be broadening his menu to include pizza and expresso and at some point, have live music to round out the cas- ual "stop by for a visit and chat with your neighbours at the community hub" at- mosphere. Cliff is accustomed to getting new ventures off the ground. A County kid who grew up near the Mas- sassauga Point Conserva- tion Area in northeast Prince Edward County, he developed a career in cre- ating software. When he and his wife and family moved to Black Creek four years ago, he launched a web based program called 'Locazoa' that enabled local farmers and producers to list the products they had available for sale. Local resi- dents can visit the site online to find locations to buy what they need, based on the environmental desir- ability of sourcing products from within a 100K radius. On a personal note, Cliff views this adventure as a way to "make a direct con- nection with my communi- ty". "It's a hands on way to engage with my neighbours. Everyone here is fantastic. We are very lucky to have such a committed, supportive community. I'm standing on the shoulders of giants here. I wany to preserve the history of Black Creek here so it doesn't disappear." *Referencing a TED Talk by James Kunstler discussing the importance of creating a "sense of place" that is wor- thy of being caring about".