A tasty break in time

This Creston eatery provides an excellent atmosphere and delicious food that you can feel good about eating

(L-R) Heidi Germann and her parents, Calvin and Judy, offer their customers delicious food at A Break in Time Caffé. — Kristen Mitchell photo

A Break in Time Caffé brought an international flavour and healthy alternative to Creston’s restaurant scene seven years ago. It wasn’t owners Calvin and Judy Germann’s first restaurant, but they’re currently serving cuisine from a variety of different cultures. They take pride in using quality ingredients that are often sourced locally, and offering alternatives to the town’s dining options. Calvin, also the head chef, developed the menu and changes it up regularly.

Where do you find the inspiration for your cuisine?

Because I was born and raised in Asia—in Indonesia—I have a lot of Asian influences. I also have a lot of European influences, because of my European background. When I first started out (at age 16) I worked under a chef in Switzerland. I just love fusing different cultures. If there’s a passion in cooking, my passion is experimenting with different dishes and fusing them together.

We also wanted (to offer) a healthy alternative. Something that was locally done.

Did you have a particular cookbook that has influenced your cooking style?

Yes. The Moosewood cookbook, their first edition. When we started this it was kind of our bible. The Moosewood café was one of the original vegetarian cafés back in the 1960s. I go by that quite a bit with all our vegetarian options. It’s written as a cookbook for restaurants, so the portions are for 50-plus.

Do you have a favourite chef or cook that has influenced your style?

I wouldn’t say so. I try to avoid cooking shows when I go home because I’d rather put my mind somewhere other than cooking when I get home. One of my friends is always asking if I watch the Iron Chef, or different food shows, and I say, “No. When I go home I want to watch science fiction, or something that has nothing to do with cooking (laughs).”

Which dish do you consider your signature and why? Is it among the most popular at your restaurant?

Probably the burritos. That’s something that we’ve kept, and will probably continue to keep. Every Friday we have our chicken burrito (on special); I think we’ve done that from the beginning. The guacamole chicken wrap is also a favourite. We also have a line now called naan melts. They’re kind of like mini pizzas, except they’re not tomato based. It’s something that I kind of made up out of my head using naan bread and our different sauces—Monterey and guacamole and chipotle—and we top them with Kootenay cheese.