Virden, MB
There couldn’t be a better place to be on a cool, drizzly and grey morning than the inside of Gopher Creek Coffee Company. Stepping through the unassuming door and onto a shinning floor of pennies, you are instantly enveloped in the warmth, brightness, and friendliness that is so evident, it is almost tangible. Greeted with a smile and a steaming aromatic cup of coffee, I felt instantly at home. Amanda and Paul are the co-owners and chefs and are cheerful, humble, and very talented Red Seal chefs.
So what are a pair of such gifted chefs doing in Virden? The answer lies within a love story. Paul and Amanda met and lived together in B.C. until life took them in different directions; Paul ended up in Montreal and Amanda in Manitoba to be with her mom. At some point later on, Amanda uncovered a box of photos that were Paul’s and a phone call about them ended up with her taking a week-long trip to Montreal to return them in person. Upon her return to Manitoba, Paul soon contacted her and informed her he was moving to Manitoba, to be with her. This series of events proved to be the birth of the establishment they own today.
A restaurant in a small town can be a tough business, and not being local to Virden, either of them, makes it even more of a struggle. They had to build up a presence within the community and find a way to fit into the lives of the people in this small rural prairie town. They did this by offering familiar dishes, with a little Gopher Creek Coffee Co. twist, that takes the dish just a step further. Also by introducing new “exotic” items, like arugula, slowly.
They have perhaps built a trust and presence in the town by their belief in supporting their local community; they purchase as many local ingredients as they can. All the dishes we tasted during our visit had been made with local ingredients. The pumpkin soup had been made from produce purchased from The Pumpkin Patch, the smoked lamb sandwich was Manitoba lamb, smoked themselves, with homemade bread, pickles, and mustard, and sauerkraut.The rabbit stew was made with Manitoba raised rabbits, and the apples for the apple crisp had been purchased from Ed’s Apples.
Along with buying local as much as possible, their restaurant is also designed to have as low as a carbon footprint as possible, with compostable take-out containers purchased from a Winnipeg company. They are committed to running a business that they can be proud of and have their community proud to have them. If you are in the area, make sure to stop by for some of their lick-your-bowl-clean meals or maybe even attend one of their cooking classes. I can’t wait to return, and try their new winter menu, that will undoubtedly showcase more of their creativity and undeniable culinary talent.
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