OTTAWA -- As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps eateries closed across Ontario, a Kemptville man is bringing the best Ottawa has to offer to his hometown, one restaurant at a time.
Tim Wasylko, who has spent his career serving up meals to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, heads of state, and celebrities like Bono, found himself unemployed because of the pandemic.
After a few months of wondering what he would do, Wasylko decided it was time to try something new.
Inspired by the movie, "The Chef”, Wasylko invested in a food truck and "Curbalicious" was born.
Specializing in comfort food, the mobile kitchen is open five days a week in the parking lot of the BMR Building Supply Store on County Road 43 in Kemptville.
"It’s the food we like to eat; so tacos, Cubanos and other comfort foods. We do have a burger special once a week as well, we like to change it up," Wasylko said. "It’s been fantastic, we are very fortunate to be in this community."
With Wasylko’s business taking off five days a week, he decided to share his success with restaurants and chefs who like him have seen their livelihoods decimated by the pandemic. His idea is to hold pop-up restaurant events on select Sundays. He partners with Ottawa restaurants and chefs to bring their foods to Kemptville.
"We let them use the truck on Sunday like it was their own space. We just facilitate the sales through our website and help serve the guests," Wasylko said. "A lot of chefs don’t get the chance to be in a food truck. Most people in my industry at one point in their life thought, 'How fun would it be to open a food truck, and to be mobile and cook the foods you love.'”
Partnering with Kiko Sushi Bar on Sunday, they could not be happier with the result. Serving up 200 orders of sushi to locals who miss being able to come in to Ottawa and sit down for a meal. Tuan Nguyen of Kiko says this helps business and builds connections in other communities.
"It’s really important for us. It’s nice to be exposed to different communities and we also want to be part of those communities." Nguyen said.
The next pop-up planned for Kemptville is on Fathers Day, June 20 when Chef Rene Rodriguez, who competed in Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Canada, will be bringing Mexican flavours to the community.
To sign up for your Curbalicious pop-up dining experience go to their website.