SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife's newest dining establishment is set to open any day now.

Elke Richter stands in front of her new restaurant on 47 Street. Elke's Table will open "any day now" with German and Greek cuisine. The establishment is located in the house formally occupied by the Gallery on 47th. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

Elke's Table is located on 47 Street in what used to be the Gallery on 47th. Owner Elke Richter said that she is just waiting for her business licence to be approved by the city and then she expects to open the doors on her new restaurant.

She said getting the establishment open has been a labour of love for about a year now. She said it will be a family restaurant, specializing in German and Mediterranean cuisine, specifically Greek food. Richter came to Yellowknife from Dresden, Germany, in 1994. She worked as a waitress at Bullock's Bistro for almost 20 years before deciding it was time to open her own restaurant.

"I had a Greek restaurant in Germany a long time ago. I was very happy at Bullock's but I felt it was time to do my own thing," she said. "I used to live in Greece and I loved the Mediterranean kitchen. The food is amazing."

Richter said there is always a risk in opening a business but she remains optimistic that it will go over well with Yellowknife's dining public.

"It's something different that we don't have in this city," Richter said. "People like food and people are always hungry. Tasty food - people love that."

Richter said there is much more to opening a restaurant than even she realized, including the six different plumbers she has used over the last year.

The interior has completely changed from when it was a gallery, including the addition of an industrial-sized kitchen.

She has also had to expand the washrooms to make them fully accessible. Richter said they will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays and may contemplate opening on Sundays after she sees how things are going.

Richter said she will also apply for a liquor licence to sell beer and wine once the establishment is up and running.

She hopes to cater to the downtown lunch crowd but also wants to attract people, especially families, for evening dinners.

She describes the prices as mid-range compared to other restaurants in the city.

She did not want to say how much of her own money is invested in the business other than to say it is a lot. The new restaurant will have a capacity of 23 diners and will employ about six full and part-time employees.

Colin Dempsey, who owns the property and ran the gallery since 2011, said that he hasn't held an art exhibition for about a year now and that the art industry isn't what it once was in the city.

The Gallery on 47th took over the building formerly occupied by the Dawn Oman Art Studio and was dedicated to the promotion, display and sale of work by Yellowknife artists.

"I've always thought a higher-volume business could be in here - something with bigger stakes. I think a restaurant could be a really good option," Dempsey said. "We killed ourselves because what I showed the art industry and the artists is that you can do these shows and you can connect with the market at a much lower cost and much lower overhead than the traditional gallery model. Unfortunately it's just too easy to replicate - we brought our own demise."

Dempsey said that closing the art gallery was bittersweet but he is really excited to see a restaurant take over.

"I've seen a lot of potential on this street. That's why we bought on this street," Dempsey said. "It could be doing a lot more commercially in terms of downtown development. I think this is a big step in that direction."