Fuego's comes to Wildcat Cafe
Extra menu items and events in the works with new management team
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The papers are signed and the lease is official - Fuego's is the new operator of the Wildcat Cafe.
Sato Chankasingh, left, and Graham Shiskov, stand in front of The Wildcat Cafe. Chankasingh, the owner of Fuego's, recently signed a two-year lease to run the historic restaurant with Shiskov as his manager. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo
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"I'm feeling very excited," owner Sato Chankasingh told Yellowknifer. "I'm looking forward to a new challenge."
With his two-year contract for the historic waterfront establishment now confirmed, the entrepreneur and long-time resident said he plans on adding his flair to the menu with items like duck confit spring rolls, bison steak with peppercorn sauce and smoked char cake. "We're bringing our own style to the food," he said.
The plan is for the menu to be as Northern as possible and buying local produce to stay cost-effective. However, Chanksingh admitted that sourcing ingredients beyond bison and char could be difficult both logistically and financially.
"Things are expensive," he said. "Running a restaurant's hard."
"We want to keep the price point as low as possible," said manager Graham Shishkov, a videographer who has also worked in restaurants for years, including Fuego's, Thorton's and the Wildcat Cafe itself.
The two stressed that they didn't want the Wildcat Cafe to become a tourist trap, and that they wanted to attract as many locals as possible.
"I know the neighbours want that too," Chankasingh said.
Even though Chankasingh has been a Yellowknife resident for more than two decades, this was his first time bidding on the Wildcat Cafe contract with the city. There was only one other proposal submitted.
The city's director of community services, Grant White, said starting on the May 26 weekend this summer, the cafe will be open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. On the weekends, the Wildcat will also be open for breakfast starting at 8 a.m.
However, Shishkov said they plan on running a weekend brunch and working with the Folk on the Rocks committee for possible jams with visiting musicians. The pair are also looking into organizing late-evening events on the patio for holidays like Canada Day, Aboriginal Day or the Summer Solstice. "Can you imagine being on the patio under the midnight sun?" Shishkov said.
They also acknowledged that a major potential hurdle would be a repeat of the fires that happened near Yellowknife last summer, as well as the heavy smoke that discouraged people from coming into town and going outdoors.
"A lot of local businesses suffered," Chankasingh said.
Even with these challenges, including the immediate need to hire front and back positions for the restaurant, there was plenty of smiles and optimism between Chankasighn and Shishkov about their plans going ahead.
"Who wouldn't want to run this place?" Shishkov said.
