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Sometimes, a small business in a tiny community can be a real surprise. As in jaw-dropping.
Last weekend I was in the Clear Lake area, where my son Austin and I were shooting in an archery tournament.
We arrived on Saturday, checking into the charming Honeycomb Bed and Breakfast just south of Onanole, our appetites whetted by recommendations for the Foxtail Café and Whitehouse Bakery in Wasagaming. Alas, both are closed until the summer season kicks off in May. (Despite Google saying Whitehouse is “permanently closed,” the resto’s website reassures it will reopen in May.)
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With our options narrowing, we checked out McMunny’s Restaurant in Erickson. It’s essentially the kitchen and common area of the local curling rink, and the ambience is exactly what you’d expect based on that description. But don’t let initial impressions throw you off.
There we were, in burg with a population of 473, eating dishes that would not be out of place in some of the country’s best restaurants.
My pickerel with beurre blanc, sauteéd vegetables and roasted potatoes were perfectly cooked, properly seasoned and served with a delicate sauce. French onion soup, house salad, even the sirloin steak — all had the hallmarks of an expert chef running the kitchen.
I had to learn more. The story behind who runs McMunny’s may be as surprising as the quality of the food he turns out.
Scott McMunn has been cooking since he was 14, and, he says, has always been drawn to higher forms of cuisine. He was formerly head chef at the Clear Lake Golf Course and also proprietor of a food truck on Salt Spring Island in B.C.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because of a terrifying home invasion in December that left Scott’s wife, Candace Richardson, who was then pregnant with their first child, with grave knife wounds. As we dined Saturday, Candace cradled their son Jet, born in January, while helping direct operations in the kitchen. Mom and baby are doing fine. “She’s such a strong person,” Scott says.
From left, Scott McMunn and his wife, Candace Richardson, and a group of volunteers who fed about 300 people at a pancake breakfast fundraiser following the attack on Richardson. (Geena Mortfield / Brandon Sun files)
About a year and a half ago, a light bulb went off for McMunn, who was looking to start his own business, when he heard the Erickson curling club’s kitchen was vacant. He’s been running it since.
For dinner, the haute cuisine selections include escargot, seafood fettuccine alfredo, the aforementioned pickerel, a mussels frite and portobello mushroom ravioli. Down-menu options such as burgers, perogies and chicken tenders fill out the menu. McMunny’s is also licensed.
For the archery tournament, held in the now ice-free curling rink, McMunny’s pivoted to breakfast and lunch menus of simple, tasty dishes Scott could crank out in volume for the crowd of 80 archers.
There are a few takeaways here, it seems.
First, you never know when, or where, opportunity will knock. Don’t be afraid to open the door, even if it’s in a small town that, for many people, is an 80-km/h blur on the way to Clear Lake and Riding Mountain National Park.
Second, when your business is in a small town, you have to go out of your way in your offerings to make sure people go out of their way to visit.
It worked, at least as far as we were concerned: if the menu on McMunny’s social media page had been the typical collection of small-town curling rink fare, it likely wouldn’t have piqued our interest. It was also enough to overcome our initial impressions driving up to the rink.
The third takeaway is the power of small communities. There are the big things, like a neighbour leaping into action to perform first aid on Candace’s near-fatal wounds or a crowd of 300 showing up at a pancake breakfast fundraiser following the attack — and also the little things, such as being regular customers of the town’s awesome eatery.
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