By Melanie Jacob
Journal Editor
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It's been three months since Triskeles Cafe opened and so far it seems to be a success.
"This just seemed to fit Humboldt so well," said Jonathon Lee, one of the co-owners. "People have the taste for it. They want a really good coffee and we craft it. We're not fast food."
Lee's café has a partnership with Andy McAnally's neighbouring Causeway Natural Health store and it seems to be the perfect collaboration. It was originally supposed to be a high-end coffee shop, but Lee says they've done so much food that they might as well be running a restaurant. A part of that edible success might be due to the unique aspect of the food they make.
"This business is about supporting local business. We get ingredients from local farmers and we raise our own meat on our sister farm, Blue Heron Organic Farm," said Lee. "That's why we understand food; we grow it ourselves."
While this means the food is always fresh, it also means that the menu is constantly changing to accommodate the seasons. While Lee says now is the best time to cook, winter will bring some new challenges for them when modifying the menu. Nevertheless, he's confident that while the food items will be different, they'll be just as good.
"We'll cook anything from scratch and everything is thought about," he said. "We're keeping quality high and making sure people are excited about the food."
Lee said being a "big city expresso café" has been really exciting and has brought in a diverse crowd. They see people from all walks of life, from farmers to people with businesses downtown. He says that's what makes a great café.
Despite the great opportunity the Humboldt community, Lee is still facing the same challenges any business owner faces. He had previously run a similar business in another community, but was forced to close because there wasn't enough of a population to sustain it.
"We got burnt out but we've got the experience to run this café because we've done it before," he said. "Right now, we're starting with nothing so we've been creative. We're winging it with no financial backing."
So with what little they had to start with, Lee is growing his business on the strength and quality of their food and service. Eventually they hope to invest more into the place, hopefully by starting with hiring an apprentice chef.
