It’s an hour before closing and every seat is full. The sound of the espresso machine occasionally roars over the chatter of people, as cups clatter and orders are taken.
The scent of coffee and grilled bread is thick and row upon row of books are visible in the background.
Victoria Foulger is dashing back and forth behind the counter, laughing with employees and carrying a large, clear box of sandwiches.
She and her partner, Christopher Webb, are the owners of Pavia Gallery Espresso Bar and Café. Webb is stuck in a meeting and is running late, but she promises he’ll arrive shortly.
Webb is a visual artist of Italian heritage, while Foulger is a registered nurse originally hailing from England.
Located in the newly opened Halifax Central Library, Pavia competed with large chains and local businesses alike to win the contract to provide coffee and snacks to the bibliophiles of Halifax.
The cafés are located on the first and fifth floors of the library and are both packed with people.
It is not with these two new spaces that the story of Pavia starts, however, but with the café’s first location: a small building on Herring Cove Road.
“We were running tours to Italy and we’d always talked about how lovely it would be to have a real, authentic espresso bar. You can get really good coffee here but we wanted something that was real, more authentic Italian,” says Foulger.
The “we” refers to Foulger and Webb. Webb’s meeting is running late, so Foulger is speaking on behalf of them both.
However, it is only as my interview with Foulger is winding up that Webb arrives, still clutching the notes from his meeting.
“We were joking today that sometimes I’m the talker so I get more credit, or Victoria will get more credit on some things, but everything that we’ve done is both of us, so how amazing is that?” he says.
Webb casts a quick grin in Foulger’s direction as he explains the realities of working with his partner.
“I joke when I speak sometimes that Victoria’s my business partner and she’s very much in love with me,” says Webb. “We’re a couple that love each other a lot and sometimes people say ‘Oh, what’s it like to work with your partner?’ and there’s a lot of couples that talk about ‘spending their lives together.’ But we spend our life together.”
The couple met through mutual friends and soon set about planning to open their own espresso bar. When scouting locations, they realized that a café in downtown Halifax would be very expensive.
“A building then came up for sale in Herring Cove and we bought it. It was hard; we had a lot of naysayers. A lot of people said we were absolutely crazy to open up something of that calibre in Herring Cove, what were we doing?” says Foulger.
Pavia’s first location opened in September 2011 and quickly drew in people from all over Halifax. The space not only serves authentic Italian espresso, but also sells foods and doubles as an art gallery.
Grilled paninis, fresh breads, Italian pastries and homemade waffles are featured alongside the coffee and visitors have the chance to peruse the array of hand-selected artwork that hangs on the walls as they eat.
The naysayers’ fears were soon discredited. “If you have a quality product, people will travel to it,” says Foulger. “As much as we can, we source locally. For businesses like this you walk a very fine line and things like eggs we’re paying double for. So you have to weigh your ethics and your philosophies while, obviously, trying to make a living out of what you’re doing.”
Food and ingredients are showcased at Pavia, with local suppliers listed on large bulletin boards. The true star here, however, is the coffee.
Webb and Foulger looked all over for the specific type of espresso flavour that they wanted. They finally discovered a small, family-run business in Florence, Italy, that has been around since the 1940s.
“We know the family: it’s two brothers, and their father roasted before they did,” says Foulger.
The Italian espresso on which Pavia prides itself is composed differently than most North American espressos. In North America, espresso is usually made from 100 per cent Arabica coffee beans. Italian espresso, however, uses 60 per cent Arabica beans and 40 per cent Robusta beans, creating a smoother blend of flavours.
It is now just a few minutes before closing and the café is still full. Some clients are rushing in, getting coffees to go, others are lingering at the tables, talking and snacking. Pavia’s combination of quality ingredients, local produce and an eye for detail seems to be a magnet for customers.
This model is entirely at the hands of Foulger and Webb. The couple own all three cafés together and are orchestrating plans to open a fourth. They curate the coffee, scout out produce and organize tours to Italy. They manage the staff and pay close attention to every aspect of their business.
An announcement chimes over the library PA system, declaring that the building will be closing in 15 minutes. With this cue, Foulger and Webb take me to the top floor, to see the café looking over the city.
As the elevator slowly makes its way to the fifth floor, Webb and Foulger tease one another. She brushes white dust off his jacket shoulders, while he jokes about his supposedly old age.
They quickly debrief about their afternoons and make plans to pick up some beer for the staff meeting that evening.
“We build our life together. And we share our life together. And we make big decisions on our life together. And we deal with challenges together. And we have a family and we have a house and I don’t think we would argue any more or less than any average couple,” says Webb.
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