Grand Falls-Windsor restaurant aims to grow its own produce

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L. — The layout inside Juniper Kitchen & Bistro is very much in question.

Owners Dave and Tracey Rheault hope to be ready to reopen the dining room of their restaurant next week and they are busy figuring out how they’re going to meet the recommended 50 per cent of normal capacity by the provincial government.

They had one part of their dining area figured out and were grappling with the larger of the two rooms.

Meeting physical distancing requirements isn't the only thing the Rheaults are figuring out.

Three tables positioned in front of the trio of exterior windows that look out on High Street are covered with small gardening pots. They’re filled with asparagus, cilantro, peppers, and other herbs and vegetables.

“We’re going to be growing our own vegetables,” said Dave, who is also the chef at the restaurant.

Just outside the dining room area in the green space behind the restaurant is a set of newly built gardening boxes.

There isn’t anything in them at the moment, but they will be filled with soil, seeds and plants before long.

Since the lockdown, Juniper Kitchen & Bistro has been closed to the public and only recently started offering takeout options.

Presented with a lot more time than they had anticipated at this time of year, Dave and Tracey started doing something they’ve always wanted to do at their restaurant.

If one can take it as it, having that time is a silver lining for the couple.

“(The pandemic) helped us take a look at our business, per se, and what we really wanted,” said Tracey. “We wanted to (start a garden) before, we just didn’t have time.”

It can be difficult getting certain vegetables and herbs at times in the province, and the idea behind the garden is to make that produce easier to come by.

It may also cut down on some of their costs in the long run.

Since deciding to get into gardening for their restaurant, they’ve been getting an education in how to make sure it is done right.

Tracey has spent time watching and reading whatever she can about it.

“I enjoy gardening. I love it,” she said.

Given the short growing season on the island, Dave recognizes that they may not see their first batch of own-grown produce until later in the summer, and then things will quickly move into the fall.

Right now, it is about learning, finding what works and then improving as the next year rolls around.

“It is something that we’ve always wanted to do,” said Dave.

Nicholas Mercer is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Central Newfoundland for Saltwire Network.