Acquiring a taste for Creston

Jamie O'Neil and Lisa Elsworth are two world travellers who have made Creston their home and their place of business

Lisa Elsworth and Jamie O'Neil are using many locally sourced ingredients in their offerings. — Photo courtesy Lisa Elsworth

Jamie O'Neil and Lisa Elsworth have lived across the globe, from Bulgaria to Massachusetts to the United Kingdom. They've backpacked across Canada, going from Nova Scotia to Whitehorse—but they've chosen Creston as the site of their new restaurant, the Real Food Café. Why? 

The couple, both originally from Great Britain, knew they wanted to live in B.C. because of the opportunity for outdoor recreation. Having spent time in the large cities, they knew a small town was where they wanted to settle permanently. Several years ago, they had passed through Creston while travelling the Kootenays.

"We wanted to use as much local produce as possible, and Creston was just it," said Elsworth. "We found a farm-fresh guide on the Internet and thought, 'Gosh, we can get everything there. There’s wineries, there’s cheese, there’s meat and free-range eggs, there's cherries and fruit.' It was just the best community—it had everything so close for us to put on the menu."  

While living overseas, the pair put together a business plan and submitted it to the provincial government, falling under the regional business category of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program. This program encourages immigration to B.C. for those wanting to establish a business, with some conditions, such as hiring at least one Canadian. If the business plans are approved, the province nominates the applicants to come to B.C. and eventually become Canadian citizens.

After being accepted into the program, Elsworth and O'Neil arrived in Creston earlier this year. They opened the Real Food Café on June 3, and Elsworth said the response from Creston residents has been fantastic. This should come as no surprise—listening to Elsworth describe themenu choices is enough to make anyone's stomach growl.

The restaurant is capitalizing on the plethora of Creston food producers—for example, hickory-smoked bacon from Famous Fritz Meats & Deli, dried cherries from Cherrybrook Farms and cheese from Kootenay Alpine Cheese. There are also options for those adhering to gluten-free or vegetarian diets. Elsworth said that the willingness of Creston businesses to help each other has been amazing.  

And the most popular thing on the menu? Authentic English-style fish and chips.

"Jamie cuts big fillets—it’s not like when you go to a restaurant and get two small pieces," said Elsworth. "This is one huge piece on the plate, and we make our own chunky chips with proper British mushy peas, coleslaw and tartar sauce."

Anybody hungry?