SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Two restaurant spots in Yellowknife are set to undergo transformations this winter, one of them into a completely different venue.

Twist owners Colin Snow, left, and Jason Perrino stand behind the bar. The two are planning to completely renovate the restaurant downstairs where Fuego used to be for a new dance club called Shout. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo Jeremy Flatt stands in front of the diner where he plans on opening his new restaurant, the Fat Fox. The co-founder of IserveU said years of experience working in kitchens, including a few months at the Black Knight, taught him cooking was his real love, especially items like curry. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo

Twist owner Jason Perrino told Yellowknifer he plans on completely stripping out both raised platforms and the kitchen in the space that formerly housed Fuego to create a nightclub named Shout.

"We've been thinking about it since January of last year," he said.

Perrino said the concept came about after observing how the original idea for the restaurant pairing - doubling revenues by offering two restaurants - didn't work.

After recently announcing plans to sell the After 8 Pub, Perrino said he and co-owner Colin Snow's focus is now about how they could own their business rather than continuing to rent.

For those patrons concerned about Twist's menu, Perrino said that he and Snow plan to keep popular items like the Thundercrunch chicken sandwich, but add more vegetarian options due to customer feedback.

With the change to a dance club downstairs, Perrino said he and Snow are also looking at extending the kitchen hours at Twist to serve customers who are hungry after last call or those who simply want to help manage their alcohol consumption.

"Like at After 8, we offer popcorn for free," he said. "We might have pizzas or other alcohol-friendly food, but not steak at two in the morning."

Perrino said the two main challenges over the next few months is getting the capital required to finish the reservations and figuring out when they'll be able to open the space.

"We have a date and goal in mind," he said. "But Northern Time is the "ish" in January-ish. It might be March."

Perrino is excited about the prospect of patrons not having to wait outside in -40 C for the nightclub. And the lineups for Shout will mean three to four new jobs, a full-time supervisor and two to three door people.

As for the name, Perrino said one of his staff thought of it.

Despite all the work involved in his new venture and the sale of After 8, Perrino said he and Snow are committed to their vision of building ownership, reinvigorating Twist and the new nightclub for the long term.

"Colin and I are going to be in business for the next 20 years," he said.

IserveU co-founder Jeremy Flatt told Yellowknifer may currently be working at Ecology North, but his new venture The Fat Fox doesn't just come out of nowhere.

"The main reason is I really like socializing, hosting and cooking for other people," he said simply. "And my first job was working in a restaurant."

Flatt plans on opening the restaurant with his partner, Emma Atkinson, in the space near the Gold Range Bistro that currently hosts the Diner.

"I saw gaps in the food market," he said, adding he'll offer items like palak paneer and beef stifado, a dish that's like beef bourguignon that is popular in Greece and Cyprus.

Flatt said he wants to create a community space located downtown that has good coffee, live music, and beer but is also an all-ages venue for musicians, artists and teens to gather at.

"There's not really a lot of that besides the Dancing Moose," he said.

Originally from Cyprus and sporting a noticeable British accent even after six years in Yellowknife, Flatt said he's had years of experience cooking and working in kitchens, including the Black Knight.

After negotiating a relatively low price for rent and a lease of six to 12 months, Flatt said that he plans on keeping costs low by employing only one other person besides himself and keeping the menu limited to a few items.

"I don't know if I've blocked out the trauma," he said of the prospect of working an enormous amount of hours. "We're really trying to keep the number of variables at a minimum."

It doesn't hurt that Flatt also loves to cook things in giant pots, especially curries. During his time in Yellowknife he's helped cook at fundraising dinners at Northern United Place for Food

First, where he's on the board and a volunteer.

"I also worked at my brother's company for about a year and I learned a lot about Indian food," he said, calling his brother a curry champion.

Flatt said sourcing some of the necessary ingredients might be a pain and require trips to Edmonton.

"It's really annoying," he said of the search for items like whole coriander, cumin seeds, cassia bark or black cardamom pods.

And while many other restaurants, food vendors and private caterers in Yellowknife also make butter chickens, Flatt is confident his version and his curries will be distinctive in their quality.

"It'll be the only thing I focus on that day," he said.

"It takes all morning and then you leave it for hours. It's really work intensive. It'll be awesome."

"There's something magic about it, you feel like a wizard."

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