Having seen his business grow beyond capacity, Ron Pion opted to build in a new location

Locally sourced tamarack log uprights welcome the public into the Jaffray Pub and Sunrise Café. —Kris Lindblad Photo

by Joni Krats

Ron Pion is a man who embraces challenges and likes to roll up his sleeves to manage his own projects. When faced with a back injury that prevented him from continuing in his trade of millwright/machinist, he grabbed hold of the opportunity to purchase the Jaffray Pub, which at that time was a roadhouse-style bar. That was 16 years ago. Over a decade and a half, Pion developed the bar in several ways. He increased the size of the kitchen and expanded the menu. His Friday night steak special eventually became as much of a draw as the beverages. He added an outdoor smoking area on the deck, and finally, a cold beer and wine store. h3. Maxed out As the pub’s popularity increased, Pion was frustrated to see that he had to turn away business, due to his 95-seat capacity. He also found that his parking area was often crammed, and patrons’ parked cars trailed along Jaffray Village Loop Road. Pion wanted to go beyond adding another addition to the existing location. He had a vision of a new building, which he presented to his partners who actively run the business—his wife Tracey and his daughters, Kara, Krista and Keltie. Pion designed the building himself, and created an impressive, yet practical, floor plan based on years of experience. Over the course of the build, Pion has done everything from building concrete forms to logwork. He also acted as general contractor. h3. A great expansion The new building has seating for 250 patrons in the pub and the restaurant and includes outdoor patio space. The restaurant was named the Sunrise Café, which refers to the history of the Sunrise Service Station that once stood on the property. The structure features lofty ceilings with exposed trusses, creative logwork in the form of tamarack beams and many unique details, such as the stone mosaics Pion and Tracey imported from Mexico—now set in the floor at the entrance. The chimneys have copper flanges that will weather to a lovely green patina. And the entrance has a fantastic wrought-iron chandelier, also imported from Mexico. The new Jaffray Pub is heated and cooled by an environmentally friendly geothermal system and also includes a high-tech septic waste system that puts out clean water. Pion is pleased to share that the unique logwork was sourced from the Tembec firewood pile. He and his crew spent months sanding the logs, and with an eye for symmetry, Pion carefully chose the location of each log within the building. At the main entrance, he positioned a character log with a woodpecker hole at eye level. In the finishing stages of construction, Pion took a moment to reflect. “There were no big surprises—everything went pretty smoothly,” said Pion. “I enjoyed (designing and building) it—but I’m ready to quit enjoying now and open the doors,” he joked. Pion anticipates the grand opening of the new Jaffray Pub, Sunrise Café and liquor store will be around the end of July.

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