logo
  • Explore
    • Local Events
    • Local News
    • Local Organisations
  • News
    • Community
    • Local Government
    • Sports
    • Alberta Politics
    • Opinion
    • Deke
  • Peaks & Valleys
    • Wildlife
    • Snow Sports
    • Hiking and Climbing
    • Biking
    • Fishing
  • Culture
    • Jasper Arts & Culture
    • Local Dining
    • Local Literature
  • Jasper History
    • Explore
      • Local Events
      • Local News
      • Local Organisations
    • News
      • Community
      • Local Government
      • Sports
      • Alberta Politics
      • Opinion
      • Deke
    • Peaks & Valleys
      • Wildlife
      • Snow Sports
      • Hiking and Climbing
      • Biking
      • Fishing
    • Culture
      • Jasper Arts & Culture
      • Local Dining
      • Local Literature
    • Jasper History
Arts and Culture, Business, Local Dining, News
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Mayor’s Special Award recipients specialize in comfort food and compassionate outreach

Lynn and Andrew Wannop were not the first to find out that the Municipality of Jasper had some news to share with them. 

“I was in a meeting with our school coordinator,” Lynn said. “All of a sudden my phone started going crazy.”

Lynn’s friends were blowing up her phone because they had just watched a two minute video in which Mayor Richard Ireland congratulated the owners of Coco’s Café for being selected for the Mayor’s Special Award for Humanitarianism. 

“I bawled for three days,” Lynn said.

Andrew, a decidedly less-emotional type than his wife, said the video (watched in between loading the dishwasher at the café) “took some time to mentally process.”

“It was really nice,” Andrew finally said. 

Lynn and Andrew Wannop outside of their Patricia Street café. The couple have recently been recognized for their contributions to Jasper via a Mayor’s Special Award for Humanitarianism. // BOB COVEY

If his reaction seems reserved, it might be because the Wannops have always been community-minded business owners. They have always tried to help fellow Jasperites in need.

“That’s what gets me through life,” Lynn laughed. 

Still, when the pandemic hit Jasper and Coco’s reached out, time and time again, to people who were vulnerable, it did not go unnoticed. They had sweets for grocery store workers. Savouries for pharmacy clerks. Gift certificates for garbage collectors. Cupcakes for bank tellers. In lieu of the annual Christmas Dinner at the Jasper Legion, they cooked, and helped deliver, 160 turkey dinners across town. 

“The efforts of these two individuals softened the blow for so many during months of stress and uncertainty,” Ireland said.

The nominator, whose identity The Jasper Local agreed to protect (at least until she can tell Lynn and Andrew herself), said the tradition of community care and inclusiveness at Coco’s Café expanded with the arrival of COVID-19.

“This wasn’t a business opportunity, this was humanitarianism at its best,” she said.

The Wannops also provided an opportunity for others to help. Coco’s set up an online portal though which people could donate to others. And a year after the pandemic was first declared, a sign in the café window implores those who can’t afford a meal to please let them know, no questions asked.

Years ago, when Lynn and Andrew first bought Coco’s Café, a friend gave them a piece of business advice they never forgot: If you own a restaurant, you can either have friends or money, not both.

Measured in friendships, the Wannops are rich indeed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bob Covey// thejasperlocal@gmail.com

Articles You May LIke ›
Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Adios, amigo!
Wildlife
Adios, amigo!
Bob Covey 
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Grazing happily on the greened-up lawn at a local cabin resort last week, a five-year old grizzly bear was blissfully unaware—or at least unfazed—by t...
this is a test
Water line break closes Wabasso campground ahead of May long weekend
News
Water line break closes Wabasso campground ahead of May long weekend
Parks Canada has set up a “hotline” for campers with reservations who need to rebook
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 19, 2023
Jasper National Park staff were scrambling to rebook hundreds of campground reservations after damaged facilities at Wabasso and Whistlers Campgrounds...
this is a test
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Opinion
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Thursday, May 18, 2023
re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent (May 5, 2023)  Dear Editor, The Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail is a Canadian icon ...
this is a test
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Bob Covey 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Rick Lagace has stocked his last shelf. The store manager at TGP Your Jasper Grocer is retiring. Over hotdogs and pop in the TGP parking lot, Lagace s...
this is a test

NEXT ARTICLE

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN: The Dynamic Beauty of Maligne Canyon in Winter

Hiking and Climbing, Peaks & Valleys

Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Wildfire, now under control, likely ignited after bear electrocution
News
Wildfire, now under control, likely ignited after bear electrocution
Two wildfires detected and extinguished in Jasper National Park
Bob Covey 
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
A wildfire in Jasper National Park which likely started after a black bear cub climbed a power pole and was electrocuted is smouldering but under cont...
this is a test
Loon landing: The big bird behind the iconic call
Peaks & Valleys
Loon landing: The big bird behind the iconic call
Mark Bradley, freelance contributor 
Monday, June 5, 2023
“Hey Mark, check out these little loons!” Garth, a Parks Canada resource conservation staffer, had just walked into my office. On his camera were phot...
this is a test
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
News
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
Women’s Golf Day at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club is June 6
Bob Covey 
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Dressed in Sunday red, balanced perfectly on her follow-through and watching her golf ball arc above a stand of aspens on the hardest ranked hole at S...
this is a test
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Alberta Politics
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Bob Covey 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Despite pundits calling this election the most important in Alberta’s history, only one in four eligible Jasperites made the trip down to the Jasper A...
this is a test

Copyright © The Jasper Local

This site complies with Jasper requirements
Contact us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
About The Jasper Local
Accessibility Policy
This site complies with Jasper requirements
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • About The Jasper Local
  • Accessibility Policy

Follow Us

Advertise with us

Measurable, targeted, local. Email example@thejasperlocal.com

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store

© Copyright The Jasper Local