Double restaurant boldly opens in pandemic

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This article was published 24/11/2020 (1945 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Launching a brand new restaurant in the midst of a pandemic is not for the faint of heart.

But local chefs Kelly Cattani and Michael Dacquisto must have a taste for bold ventures, since they opened a double restaurant in Charleswood on Oct. 16, in partnership with WOW Hospitality president Doug Stephen.

The dual-concept eatery combines two restaurants under one roof at 3670 Roblin Blvd., with Bluestone Cottage (www.bluestonecottage.ca) on one side and Alena Rustic Italian (www.alenakitchen.com) on the other.

“Doug and I have been looking for a location to house our Bluestone Cottage bakery and café concept for a couple of years. I had hoped to land in Charleswood, ideally the downtown Charleswood area,” Cattani explained.

“When the opportunity came up to take on our current space, we realized that it was going to be too big for Bluestone alone, so we pulled Michael on board and dreamed up Alena Rustic Italian. We have a shared kitchen and cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.”
Keeping an eye on the ever-changing circumstances, the trio approached the idea of opening during a pandemic very carefully.

“We are still nervous about it but the space was a pretty great fit for us and we thought we had better give it a try. We really hope that the food we are doing resonates with Winnipeg,” said Cattani, who believes wholesome food can be a powerful medicine to maintain well-being.

“I think that the healthy, vibrant and nutrient-dense food that Bluestone Cottage is producing will really resonate with people during this current lockdown. We feel that the delicious and hearty comfort of Alena’s food will be a big hit in our area. Between the two concepts, we really have a great range of options for our guests to draw upon.”

Since Cattani and Dacquisto both live in the area, they’re pleased to provide mouth-watering meals to their neighbours, friends and family. Meal kits and grocery items are also available, and handmade retail items will be coming soon — right in time for Christmas shopping.

However, the new business will need the community’s support to get through this tough time.

“We have transitioned to takeout only and we are now available for delivery on Skip the Dishes as well,” Cattani said.

“It is a hard time to be in the restaurant business, but we love caring for people and feeding people and really hope that our offerings to the neighbourhood resonate with folks. We look forward to being a permanent fixture on Roblin Boulevard in Downtown Charleswood.”

Dacquisto shares Cattani’s sentiments.

“It’s complicated enough opening a restaurant from the start, and then to do it with all these other protocols and everything else going on with COVID, it adds a lot more complications,” he said.

“It’s kept us on our toes, so we haven’t really had a chance to sit back and enjoy the opening of a new restaurant. It’s been a whirlwind these last couple of weeks, but we’re happy to be open to serve the community.”