Former Ruddell restaurateur retires, sells brand to A.M. Bistro and Bakery

HAFFORD — Emmett's Tea Room, a business which started up in Ruddell in the mid-1980s, has taken on a new life.

Restaurateur  Valerie Kingsmill, whose croissant-based menus were featured for many years in the publication Where to Eat in Canada, has sold exclusive rights to the brand, processes and menus to the owners of the A.M. Bistro and Bakery at Hafford.

April LaFreniere and her sister Meghan Ruedger first opened their bakery, catering and restaurant operation at Hafford in 2014. Ruedger had worked for Kingsmill on the riverboats in Saskatoon for several years, including preparing and serving Emmett's croissants at the boat dock downtown during lunch time.

"I thought Emmett's Croissants would be a perfect complement to our menu at the bistro," she says, "so we approached Valerie about making an arrangement so we could do that."

Kingsmill, who has recently retired from the riverboat business, says she was pleased to seal the deal.

"I am delighted to have our Emmett's croissants continue to be part of the food scene in our part of Saskatchewan," she says. " In fact, I am thrilled that once again Emmett's menu items are part of a unique, locally-owned small-town restaurant in the Battlefords and Saskatoon area. Meghan and April have created a beautiful little restaurant with marvellous menus of their own, so I hope this will be a perfect fit for them."

The A.M. Bistro is located at the junction of Highways 40 and 340 at Hafford.