Mark Kindrachuk, President of Intermarket Developments is excited about the prospects of renovating the former Pine Grove School House, once known as Little Paradise. ‘We have a rare opportunity to restore a heritage structure and breathe new life into a significant part of the community‘s history. The new restaurant will include adding onto the existing building and creating a layered design that will integrate the best of old and new’.

Kindrachuk added, ‘the Borealis Grille is an ideal match for our project as they are commited to using the best locally crafted foods and beverages and they have been serving local for 20 years. Borealis strives to serve naturally raised foods on their menu; and items such as fish/seafood are harvested in a sustainable manner (they are accredited by Ocean Wise)’. Recently, Borealis Guelph was one of three restaurants chosen to cater a Cuisine Canada event at this year’s Royal Winter Fair.

The Neighbourhood Group of Companies, operators of the iconic downtown Woolwich Arrow Pub and the Borealis Grille and Bar in Guelph, are the driving force behind the new restaurant in Kitchener. The President, Bob Desautels, says that, ‘the goal is to create a restaurant that serves locally crafted foods and beverages at everyday prices. We want to bring the best products from Ontario farmers, breweries and VQA wineries to our guests. Photos of local cheese makers and farmers will be displayed in our Farmers Hall of Fame across the hall from our kitchen’.

The ‘buy-local’ approach is based upon five key tenants:

• Fresh food is better

• Local food is safer

• Buying local diversifies the community’s economy

• People are connected to the farmer/producer

• The environmental impact is minimized due to less transportation

‘It’s great to see more top chefs serving exceptional local foods,’ says Desautels, ‘but most of those kind of places are designed for special events. They are often very pricey so a person goes there for an anniversary celebration once a year. Whereas the Borealis Grille & Bar is meant for frequent visits... a home base for ‘regulars’. Desautels also emphasizes that ‘we are excited about offering different things like live jazz music and wine tasting sessions at our heritage restaurant; and we look forward to opening in the summer of 2010’.