Submitted by Will Arscott 

 

 

This was an in person meeting with a Zoom alternative available. Twelve members gathered in the old dining room of the Saskatoon Club. We were joined by Graham Pearson on Zoom. 

 

Thanks to Paul Gauthier for organizing Zoom and the invitation link. Thanks to Avis Hardy for arranging the duty roster. The MC for the meeting was Jack Brodsky. 

 

The meeting began with the playing of ‘O Canada’. Maybe it was the larger room, or maybe it was the smaller group, or maybe it was the hangover after the election, but the singing was anemic at best. The blessing was asked by Al Morton. Al asked that we be persistent and steadfast as we were before COVID.  He ended the blessing with some traditional Irish wisdom.

 

 

This was handled by Mark Gryba. Our guests were Tim Squire, who is a newly accepted member of the club, and will be recognized and introduced in an upcoming meeting. Our other guest was our presenter Carmen Hamm who was introduced later in the program.

 

 

Gary Kerr was not present and there was no report for this meeting.

 

 

Tim Squire has been approved as a new member of our club.

 

The Saskatoon Club has approved a vaccination mandate effective this Friday. All people entering the club premises must be fully vaccinated and show proof of their status at the front entrance.  You may alternately show proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of entry.  The only exceptions are those that have registered their status with the club. Masks must be worn except when at your table eating or drinking. These rules will apply to all future meetings Rotary may hold at the Saskatoon Club.

 

Jack thanked Gary Rusu and Elaine Zakreski for organizing the hands-on service event last Monday at the Friendship Inn. Almost three hundred patrons were served. On the service line were Jack Brodsky, Gary Rusu, Elaine Zakreski and one other. Linda Petrow and Will Arscott worked in the kitchen chopping garden vegetables that had been donated. It was a good event and if you missed out there will be another opportunity to serve in November.

 

Grocery cards are now available. Again, this valuable project is in the capable hands of Donna Gauthier. If you can let her know what amounts are required Donna can have your cards available at the meetings. Cards are available from Sobeys/Safeway and Co-Op. Graham reminded everyone that the Co-Op cards are good at Co-Op liquor outlets. With Thanksgiving on the horizon members can have their traditional celebrations and help fund our projects. Let Donna know what you require.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmen was introduced by Tammy Pshebylo.  Carmen is a Saskatchewan girl having grown up and learned the restaurant business from the ground up in Martinsville. She began working in her grandfather’s Mennonite restaurant and learned all the positions very early. She started with dish washing and basic food prep and was eventually promoted to service which she could do at fifteen in an unlicensed restaurant. This was in the time when cigarette smoke was an occupational hazard even though the grandfather’s place had a nominal non-smoking section.

 

Carmen and her husband Brad began the Taste Restaurant group in 2016. She brought a restaurant background, and her husband brought a contracting background. Brad knew how to organize projects and he particularly understood managing people. They decided to bring their complementary skill sets together and open a restaurant in Saskatoon,

 

Carmen views this decision as one of many transitions in her life. Research indicates that the average person may experience as many as thirty major transitions in the lifetime. The fact is that these transitions are coming faster and faster as the world changes. Change is challenging even when it is good change.

 

Saskatoon has long been dominated by chain restaurants. Carmen and Brad wanted to bring something different. In their travel they had experienced independent restaurants that had an urban ambience that was missing from the Saskatoon scene. They knew they were inexperienced so wanted to go in with a partner who had a proven record of success.

 

One restaurant they had enjoyed was UNA Pizza and Wine Bar on 17^th Ave in Calgary.  They approached the management and there was no interest at the first contact. A later follow-up contact bore fruit and plans started to open a UNA in Saskatoon.

 

When the business opened it was very much based on the Calgary business. This included making the space extra cozy even when this did not make good use or full use of the square footage that was available. It was quickly learned that though the Calgary model had much to offer Saskatoon was a different market and changes had to be made. Carmen offered several examples. One example is that the Calgary restaurant has wine glasses on the table in its basic set-up. Saskatoon patrons find this off putting so the wine glasses were removed until wine was ordered. In the end the UNA model was used but decisions were made in Saskatoon to fit the market here. It is important to listen to customer feed-back and act accordingly.

 

In 2018 the building at 101 20^th St. W became available. If Afghanistan is the graveyard of armies, this address has been the graveyard of many Saskatoon businesses over the years. The expansion into this space required building an expanded leadership team. Eventually the decision was made to split the space between two restaurants with a shared kitchen. The kitchen would also be usable for catering. The new leadership had a solid background in hotels and general catering, so this became an add-on to the basic business.

 

At this time a corporate purpose stressing eight core values was developed. The pursuit of these values has set the Taste Restaurant Group apart. Always the plan was to hire people that were better than the owners and use their expertise. The plan was also to treat people right and be sure they got sufficient rest. This also helped to let the business survive the challenging times it has faced since Covid.

 

In the end the restaurants in the new space were only partially successful. The front space was Cohen’s Beer and Kitchen. This is a format familiar in Saskatoon and featured local microbreweries including Nine Mile and others. Porcaro was a niche restaurant that was not well accepted in Saskatoon and has since been closed. The move became successful overall because of the kitchen capacity and the ability to put that to another use.

 

The Taste group suffered through some difficult times even before Covid, related to the closure of the bridges and the difficulty in accessing the Riversdale area. It was at this time that the catering part of the business really began to take hold and the kitchen was put to a new use. It was necessary to follow the doors that had opened up to keep in business. No further restaurants have been opened but the business did expand into purchasing a butcher shop that had been a supplier, had partnership difficulties, and was brought into the group.

 

On March 20, 2020, the business experienced a total lay-off due to Covid.  At first it was not even certain that take-out would be possible. When it became clear that take-out would be possible some senior people came and cooked pizza. The take-out business grew quickly to five times its previous volume. Food provides reassurance in difficult times. In this period Carman and Brad had to go back to hands-on work in the business. The model from the beginning was that the owners would not work directly in the day-to-day business, but you do what you need to survive.

 

As things have opened-up things have improved. Hiring is difficult as many who had been in the hospitality industry have moved on and a new generation must be trained. Developing a stable workforce requires valuing people and providing for a proper work and life balance.

 

Next year there is a plan to open a new location away from Riversdale. So, watch for a Taste Restaurant to come to your neighborhood. Carmen was not specific about any locations.

 

Carmen has been involved in philanthropic work through her adult life including projects in Africa. As part of their take-out business the Taste Group asked customers to contribute to Saskatoon charities. Many did so and thousands of dollars were raised. There is also a plan to open a hospitality school in Addis Ababa once things settle back to normal.

 

Tammy thanked Carmen for bringing this business success story. It is obvious the business involves much more than just serving food. Tammy asked how we were going to support Carmen and businesses like hers as we come out of Covid.

 

Carmen was also thanked by Jack and the regular donation will be made to Bethany Homes.

 

 

Next Meeting                                                                    

 

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday on the second Monday of October, the next meeting will be next week, October 4, at the Saskatoon Club. We will hear Rotary vocational talks from Graham Pearson and Jack Brodsky.