Traditional fare is still a favourite

Kimberley’s Old Bauernhaus restaurant is making diners happy with traditional Eastern European specialties

1 of 2Chefs Michelle and Nils Fuhge are owners of the Old Bauernhaus restaurant in Kimberley, B.C. — Photo courtesy Michelle Fuhge

2 of 2The Old Bauernhaus restaurant was imported piece by piece from Bavaria and rebuilt in Kimberley, B.C. — Photo courtesy Michelle Fuhge

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How did a guy from a small community near Berlin, Germany, happen to cross paths with a girl, from Wynndel, B.C.? Simple. In 1995, Nils Fuhge and Michelle Klassen were both in Switzerland while completing their chef training. They met, married in 1997 in Bad Frienwalde, Germany, and in 1999 took over the Old Bauernhaus restaurant in Kimberley, B.C.

Their German-style food continues to be a favourite with locals and visitors to Kimberley; the restaurant is among the winners in Kootenay Business magazine’s Best Places to Eat & Drink Awards for 2014. We spoke to Michelle about how she and Nils maintain the restaurant’s popularity.

Where do you get your inspiration?

It’s important to us to support our local economy. We are members of the Slow Food Movement, which advocates for local, sustainable eating. We’re all about using whatever produce is in season locally, and we don’t have a steam table—everything is served pan-to-plate. And we make everything in-house—pastas, smoked meats, sausages, breads—even our mustard and our dressings. I want people to feel like they are coming home to dinner. Because we do everything to order, we’re able to accommodate almost every dietary request.

What’s your signature dish?

The Bavarian feast is certainly our most popular dish, which is served platter-style. Our other signature dish is our “schwiene haxen,” which is a slowly braised pork hock or knuckle. It always turns heads as it’s served. We require 24 hours' notice on this menu item as we believe fresh is best. Personally, I also love our pizza. It’s our homemade pizza crust with roasted garlic, tomato sauce, chevre and local cheese, with roasted vegetables.

What local ingredients do you use, specifically?

We get our veggies from Fort Steele Farms in the summer, milk from Kootenay Meadows and coffee from Kootenay Roasting Company. We’re using asparagus every day right now, from Sutcliffe Farms in Creston. We’re about good food—it’s not rocket science. We believe you don’t have to do anything fancy, but whatever you do, do it well. Using local ingredients makes our costs higher, but we think it’s important to do that.

When you decide to dine out, where do you like to go?

We love The Livery in Fernie for their great food and atmosphere, and Nils has a passion for ice cream so we love Happy Cow. We also love Cantina del Centro in Nelson, and my favourite from childhood is the Other Side Café in Creston—they have the best Thai soup and cornbread, and iced Vietnamese coffee. I don’t even want to know how they make their food, I just want to savour it.