Cheftimony Snack: McKellar Confectionery
“ McKellar is best known for its legendary Coney-style hotdogs and hamburgers.”
Two more full-length episodes are in the works. Soon I’ll be sharing with you a really fun Sunday evening I spent in my now hometown of Gibsons, BC with the team at Buono Osteria. Chef Mike Buono welcomed me into his kitchen, and I had a great time working through service with his team. When we were done, I sat down with Chef Mike and with Ryan Kingsberry, Director of Hospitality at Buono. We had a fun talk about Italian food, hospitality, and the joys and challenges of running a restaurant on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
In Vancouver, I met up recently with Chef Robert Belcham at Campagnolo Restaurant for a talk about both the good old days and the current reality of the restaurant industry. Chef Robert is a mainstay in Vancouver and has a great perspective to share, both on the pure culinary side of the restaurant business but also on the business side of the business. In fact, the future of the industry is so important to this chef that Robert is a key player in a very interesting initiative called Cooks Camp 2020, an event that is going focus on the future of cooks and restaurants, and serve up the world’s biggest family meal!
Before we get to those two episodes, I’m sharing with you today a short interview from my birthplace and childhood home, Thunder Bay, Ontario. There’s a place there that everyone knows called McKellar Confectionery. Don’t let the name fool you. Although they do stock gum and chips and pop, McKellar is best known for its legendary Coney-style hotdogs and hamburgers. I grew up with the place, visiting regularly with my Dad who’d remind me that he had been able to buy hotdogs for a nickel when he was my age. My father and his contemporaries called the place George’s, after the original owner. For me and my friends, it was always “Gus” because we came of age when George’s nephew Gus was in charge. Now, there’s another George behind the counter, grand-nephew to the original owner.
Join me and George for a quick talk about a place that has been moving many a hotdog, day in and day out, since 1926. I’m already planning a visit for the centennial celebrations.