The love of food

Customers at Main Street Café in Revelstoke can rest assured that there's a little love in each delicious bite

Cooking is truly a joy for Shelley Klassen of Main Street Café. — Photo courtesy Shelley Klassen

Main Street Café in Revelstoke is known as an excellent place for breakfast and lunch.  Owner and head chef Shelley Klassen believes in great food, good atmosphere and a friendly attitude. The restaurant, located on Revelstoke’s main street, is in an 1899 heritage home with a big patio. Klassen described it as cute and homey while chatting about the café with Kootenay Business magazine.

Where do you find inspiration for your culinary creations?

For me, it’s just the love of food. I looked around the kitchen and started designing what I wanted to make and—boom—there it was. I cooked in the past in different restaurants around Revelstoke. I just loved to cook.

Who would you name as your favourite chef or cook? Have they influenced your own style?

My inspiration has always been my grandmother. She was Italian and all she did was cook and bake, cook and bake. That’s basically where I got my inspiration from, along with my children.

Does the menu at Main Street Café reflect that Italian background?

Not necessarily, no. It’s breakfast and lunch. I think that I have a flair for Italian cuisine, so there’s a couple things in there. I have one sandwich called the Little Italy, because I live in Little Italy, as they call it, across the tracks. Most of the menu items are named after different places in Revelstoke—just trying to keep it central to the area. I have a Begbie benny and a Frisby benny, a Downie wrap and a Revy wrap—just things like that to go with Revelstoke.

Do you have a favourite cookbook?

My own cookbooks are my favourites. Those are called Cooking with Love by Shelley (editions 1 and 2). They’re available here at the restaurant. (People can expect to find some of my menu items), along with family favourites and favourites from friends. I’ve made it quite a personal cookbook with my family, my children, my grandchildren all in it. Just different things that have happened in my life. It’s just really a wonderful book.

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

A dish? Well, I make wicked soups, so I’m going to have to say that I think I’m a soup diva. I love to make soups, but I think my real flair is breakfast. I just put love in every dish I put out. The eggs benny is huge—that’s really big on the weekends. People say my omelettes are amazing. I have one guy that comes in and he has about a six-egg omelette. It’s almost like I need a shovel to flip it over on the grill.

I just love cooking. I’m here every day and I try to sneak away every so often just for a little time away. It’s been 10 years coming up that I’ve had the place. I try to keep it a very homey atmosphere. People walk right in the kitchen to talk to me and they’ll put their dishes away. Grab a cup and come to talk—that’s the kind of atmosphere it is here.