While this summer brought challenges for Shuswap restaurateur Ivan Gracia, it also brought opportunities to expand.
Like other restaurant owners across the province, Gracia was forced to temporarily close his Salmon Arm business, Cantina Vallarta, in March 2020 as the B.C. government attempted to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic.
As restrictions began to ease, Gracia was able to re-open and transition from take-out only to letting a small number of customers back in the door. He said the response from locals and visitors alike was amazing.
鈥淩ight away, they were like, 鈥業 haven鈥檛鈥� been anywhere but I want to try your food;鈥� 鈥業 didn鈥檛 go to Mexico this year鈥� instead of that, I come to your place.鈥� And I was, 鈥極h, that鈥檚 awesome, thank you very much!鈥� It was more like that than anything else,鈥� said Gravia.
As this was going on, Gracia was spending time in Sicamous where he secured commercial space to open a second Mexican restaurant, La Cantinita Sicamous.
In the midst of this, he was contacted about another opportunity, a proposed partnership on a restaurant in Lake Country.
鈥淪he talked to me about the restaurant and I saw the potential of it and I said that will be great if we can get it,鈥� said Gracia. 鈥淭hen I saw the numbers, and then I saw how much it would cost to get it, and I thought it would be doable. We have to invest a little bit and put a lot of time and effort, but I told her it鈥檚 doable, we can make it happen.鈥�
All of this resulted in the opening of La Cantinita Lake Country, located off Highway 97A at 9685 Winfield Plaza, and La Cantinita Sicamous, located at 444 Main Street, in the former Happy Corkers location.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 a little bit risky but, at the same time, everybody is kind of sick of cooking,鈥� said Gracia about opening new restaurants at any time, let alone amid a pandemic. 鈥淪ociety and the culture here in Canada, it鈥檚 go out and eat. It鈥檚 part of the culture, it鈥檚 part of the thing that us in normal life we do. That鈥檚 why I took the risk.
鈥淲e have to take risks to make our dreams come true or whatever you are planning for in the future鈥� If we focus on the bad things that can happen, we never get it.鈥�
Regarding the Sicamous location, Gracia plans to keep it open year-round.
鈥淪icamous鈥� population is not as big鈥� But I say, if I get just five per cent of the population coming through the door, I鈥檒l be golden, I鈥檒l be great,鈥� said Gracia. 鈥淚 think we can make it. And local people like to support local and small business.鈥�
Compared to the Salmon Arm restaurant, Gracia said the La Cantinita locations will have fewer menu offerings, but for each item 鈥� burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas 鈥� there will be a variety of options. In addition, based on input from locals, Gracia would like to have the Sicamous location open for breakfast.
Along with opening the new restaurants, Gracia and another business partner, Kyle Schumacher, have seen growing success with their Caliente Hot Sauce Company. Along with being carried in local stores, the raw, formerly made-in-the-Shuswap product line is now on the refrigerated shelves of Buy-Low Foods stores across Western Canada.
Gracia explained the increased demand for the line of sauces 鈥� habanero (based on Gracia鈥檚 mother鈥檚 recipe), chipotle and jalapeno 鈥� required moving production from Cantina Vallarta鈥檚 kitchen to the Lower Mainland.
鈥淭he deal was to use local produce from local farmers. It was a little bit more expensive but it was worth it,鈥� said Gracia.
Rivera is grateful for all that he, his family, business partners and co-workers have been able to achieve. He said when he returned with his wife and children to the Shuswap in 2014 they had nothing. Having overcome past barriers, Gracia believes he, fellow business owners and North Okanagan-Shuswap communities as a whole can and will rebound from the challenges we face now.
鈥淚f you come from another country and you don鈥檛 speak the proper language and you have a lot of barriers鈥�,鈥� said Gracia. 鈥淚 had two little ones at that time and now I have four. Life is tough but when you go through all these difficult times, it keeps you going, it makes you stronger and makes you tell people it鈥檚 OK. It鈥檚 going to be OK.鈥�
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 tough right now but I think we have to believe in ourselves and also in our community and if we support each other, that鈥檚 the way we鈥檒l make it happen.鈥�
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