Catching up with… staff from DFF

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/06/2025 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since Dakota Family Foods, at 1099 St. Mary’s Rd., closed last year, I often think of owner Scott Clement, and the many fine people I met and befriended during my time visiting the neighbourhood grocery store on a regular basis.

So, I decided to reach out and find out how some of them are doing.

Fittingly, Scott was on the hotseat first:

“After closing down my independently run grocery business, I took some much-needed time off,” he wrote in response to my email.

“I kept myself busy with some travel and my other business interests, rental properties. After a few months off, I felt ready to jump back to work and I am excited to be working with a national food wholesaler.”

As often happens when people go their separate ways, Scott has lost track of a few of them.

“(I) occasionally run into a few every once in a while, (and) I am happy to report many were able to find employment quite quickly, many stayed in the retail trade in the area.”

Assistand manager Chris Ducharme was up next, and I’m happy to report that he landed on his feet quickly. “Shortly after the store closed, I was recommended by Scott as an assistant manager at FreshCo nearby the old DFF store,” Chris said.

“I would have to say that I miss the regular customers the most, as well as the staff that I worked years with. I have stayed in contact with some staff and I’m very close friends with a couple of the department managers as well. I check in on some of the cashiers from time to time, too.”

The closing of Dakota Family Foods was the end of an era.