Defenceman Josh Morrissey gets assist to open food kiosk Restaurateur Bobby Mottola teams up with Jet for The 44 By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:34 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2024

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This article was published 23/04/2024 (880 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wings, prime rib sliders, chili. It’s not the kind of food a person generally gravitates to while wearing white, but Whiteout party attendees might make an exception during the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff run.

The pub food is part of the menu at The 44, a new kiosk at Hargrave St. Market and a collaboration between local restaurateur Bobby Mottola and Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.

When he was drafted a decade ago, the hockey player and noted foodie became a regular at Pizzeria Gusto, Mottola’s popular Italian restaurant on Academy Road. A friendship was formed during Morrissey’s frequent visits, paving the way for an eventual business partnership.

“We’ve always talked about doing something collectively together,” says Mottola, whose Academy Hospitality group operates the grocery store and several restaurants in the True North Square food hall.

“He’s a very, very bright, intelligent, community-driven and genuine person, which is akin to what we try to do at our shops.”

A ghost-kitchen concept was bandied about for a while, but it seemed like a missed opportunity to highlight the local athlete’s involvement. Then, less than a month ago, the pair decided to pull the pin and open a food counter in the downtown market in a space previously occupied by sandwich shop Miss Browns.

The looming Stanley Cup playoff schedule gave them a hard deadline for menu and brand development.

“It was a really bootstrapped approach, but it was a wonderful experience because I was super excited, he was super excited,” Mottola says.

The 44 launched on Sunday, hours before puck drop and a series-opening win against the Colorado Avalanche. Named after Morrissey’s jersey number, the kiosk is kitted out with colourful hockey sticks, hockey apparel and photos of the Jet throughout his career.

With thousands of fans roaming downtown for the Whiteout street party, opening day wasn’t exactly a soft launch.

“It’s been so well received,” Mottola says, adding that a misty-eyed visit from Morrissey’s mom, Bev Jarvis, was a highlight of the day.

“That cemented the fact that we’re doing something that made sense; there’s an emotional attachment to Josh and Josh has an emotional attachment to the city.”

The 44 currently features a six-item menu of some of the player’s favourite dishes — wings, sliders, popcorn shrimp, a grilled cheese sandwich and a cucumber salad with fancy Spanish almonds. The aforementioned chili is a restaurant-ified version of Morrissey’s own recipe topped with Ducky’s Dills, a pickle brand launched by the family of famous former Jet Dale Hawerchuk.

Coming up with the menu was a true collaboration.

“He’s got a really, really good palate,” Mottola says of Morrissey. “I can get excited about a really good burger and I can get really excited about a five-course meal as long as (the food) is genuine — he’s of the same mind.”

The 44 is open for lunch and dinner, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays. The goal is to expand the hours and menu post-post-season, with a selection of smoothies and breakfast items.

Morrissey was unavailable to comment on the venture Tuesday, for obvious reasons.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

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