Renaat Marchand has turned to his Belgian roots to find an upside to the economic downturn.
The artisan carver and woodworker, who immigrated with his family to Sooke nine years ago, started selling authentic Belgian waffles on the Inner Harbour causeway this spring.
And early indications are that Waffles To Go is popular as tourists, government and office workers and locals gobble the thick, golden slabs off the portable grill, located just down the stairs from the wax museum.
Marchand says he's the first to provide Belgian liege waffles in the city. The variety is made from dough and is more of an "all-day waffle" than the Belgian breakfast variety we're used to eating, which is made from batter.
The 47-year-old father of two returned to Belgium in December to gather traditional recipes and form a business plan after seeing a downturn in demand for his woodworking skills.
He does not provide maple syrup or whipped cream because "the waffle is good as it is, and people see that when they try them," said Marchand.
In Belgium, he said, liege-waffle stands are plentiful, with every town and city having several kiosks and windows selling them.
Marchand, whose wife Krista, daughter Dana, 17, and son Arno, 20, will assist him as the season gets busier, was a longtime woodworking teacher in Belgium before immigrating to the Kootenays in 2000. The family moved to Sooke, where Marchand started a carving and woodworking business.
He's currently operating the stand on fair-weather days, but will start full-time in the weeks ahead.
Arno is pushing them off, they are heavy....
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