A social gathering place

Cranbrook has embraced the new Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse

by Marie Milner — October 28, 2013

Smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white shirt and blue scarf

1 of 3Heidi Romich recently opened The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse in Cranbrook, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

Woman wearing a white shirt and black pants stands with her hand on one of a row of large, shiny metal tanks

2 of 3Heidi Romich, owner of The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse, takes people on tours of the beer-brewing area. — Marie Milner photo

Two smiling women with shelves of glassware behind them

3 of 3Marlies Romich Johnson (L) is the brewmaster in training at The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse, owned by her mother, Heidi Romich (R). — Photo courtesy Marlies Romich Johnson

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Restaurateur Heidi Romich opened her new establishment, The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse, in Cranbrook, B.C., on June 17, 2013. Romich previously owned and operated Heidi’s Restaurant, long established as one of Cranbrook’s best dining rooms, and had been considering a change for some time. She and her daughter, Marlies Romich Johnson, agreed that a brewhouse would be a good option for them and a great addition to the social amenities available in Cranbrook.

Making the change

Romich started the approval and licensing application process in May 2012, closed Heidi’s Restaurant on March 2, 2013, and reopened the restaurant as The Heid Out on June 17—remarkably quick work, considering the scope of the changes that had been made.

From opening day, business boomed. Cranbrook fell in love with the atmosphere (warm, fun and a little bit noisy), the decor (open, high-ceilinged, minimalist—and still a work in progress, Romich hastened to clarify), the food (always Romich’s strong suit), and, of course, the brewed-on-the-premises beers. Several of the steel brewing tanks are visible through windows in the restaurant, and the rest stand in shining rows in a locked and immaculate room on the restaurant’s lower level.

A shake-up behind the scenes

All appeared to be going smoothly, but a major challenge faced Romich just three weeks after The Heid Out opened. Her brewmaster and business partner opted to leave the partnership, and Romich had to restructure both her finances and the restaurant management.

“BDO has been just wonderful,” she said, “and I get to go on with my business. The finishing touches will take a little longer than I had hoped, that’s all.”

The Heid Out’s new brewmaster is, according to Romich, “Amazing!” Mark Simpson of Vancouver has an impressive history as both a brewmaster and a winemaker. Simpson was a brewmaster originally with Molson, Lowenbrau, Coors and Kirin. He had nine years with Granville Island Brewing, developing award-winning brands like Cypress Honey Lager, Belgian Christmas Ale and cask-aged Scottish Ale. He has since worked with microbreweries all over the U.S. and Canada.

“Mark has an amazing resumé and a lot of industry experience and international experience,” Romich said. “He comes in every few weeks to brew the beer, and then we’re in communication pretty much every day. Marlies is looking at studying (brewing) in Chicago and in Germany, and she’s working under Mark’s supervision. Because Marlies has experience cooking and running front of house, she’s very well rounded. And (Romich smiled) research has it that women make the best brewers.”

A vision in the making

Romich is intent on serving the best, freshest food possible, and has brought in a top chef consultant to work with her kitchen staff, many of whom worked at Heidi’s.

“In the chef world, Bernard Casavant is like the hockey world’s Wayne Gretzky,” she said. “His impressive history includes the title of Executive Chef of the Four Seasons in Vancouver; he’s worked with Chateau Whistler and Burrowing Owl Winery as well as owning his own restaurant in Whistler for 18 years. In November of this year he will be leading the (Canadian) team to an international culinary competition in Dubai. He and my team from Heidi’s are working on the new menu.”

Romich is philosophical about the inevitable bumps along the road.

“Every single change and challenge that has presented itself has, in the end, been a positive thing,” she said. “We’re able to be more community oriented, which is what I really want. My hope and my vision is that all generations can come here and feel comfortable.”

Atmosphere and vibrancy

The design of The Heid Out dining area was done by Romich and Romich Johnson, with help from Laurie Goodlad of Muriel and Jane’s General Store in downtown Cranbrook. When the decorating is complete, the pictures and artifacts on the walls will represent the history of Cranbrook and the surrounding area, and there will be more work done on the outside of the building as well.

“In the next six months,” Romich said, “we are looking at getting a bottling line (for beer) and we’ll also be able to sell kegs. We’re sitting at about 12,000 litres of beer and we will eventually be up to 28,000.

Romich said The Heid Out will be doing more beer-and-food pairing events, and will offer tours to explain the brewing process.

"We’ll be doing cask dinners—custom casks with specialized dinners to go with them," she said. "I’ve had four live music nights that were really popular and I plan to continue with those.

“What I would like to create is a place where people of every age can feel comfortable, whether they are with a group or alone. This is becoming a social gathering place, and that’s just what I hoped it would be.”