HALIFAX - A popular Halifax area restaurant that shut down nearly a month ago is firing up its stove burners again, temporarily reinventing itself as a community kitchen to support groups providing food for those in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Canteen in downtown Dartmouth, N.S., is teaming up with the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre and Margaret's House, run by Feeding Others of Dartmouth Society, and plans to prepare 300-400 meals per week beginning Monday.
Renee Lavallee, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Doug Townsend, said they were looking for a way to help the community since temporarily closing in mid-March and laying off the majority of their 30 employees.
Lavallee said the couple has had an ongoing relationship with the Dartmouth Food Centre in particular, so it was a natural fit to have their idle kitchen help that organization with its food program.
"We're good, we're healthy, so we decided let's take care of the people in the community that we see on a daily basis who can't go to the grocery store, or get meals," said Lavallee.
She said the restaurant was able to retain five workers who will assist in preparing and packaging meals that will then be delivered by the community organizations, which are running short on food and the ability to prepare it.
"You can't prepare 400 or 500 meals with just four people in the kitchen so we told them that we would gladly take the bulk of what they can't do," Lavallee said.
The prepared meals will range from macaroni and cheese and vegetables, to stew, chicken and rice, meatballs and meatloaf.
"Just stuff that you can easily heat up in the microwave . . . and has enough nutrition to keep you going," said Lavallee.
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