Celebrating 15 years

“Time does fly when you are having fun”, goes the old saying. Well, managing and operating a restaurant day after day for 15 years is not always fun, as you can imagine. There are regulatory bodies breathing down our necks, inflation in the marketplace, finding and maintaining staff members and lately, of course, the Covid pandemic.
We are still here and many of you make it worthwhile to remain in business and continue serving the community. Over the years, we have seen people come and go, the elders of the community pass on and the kids who came in with their parents as babes in arms flourish into teens. We have tried at all times to provide a quiet and comfortable place for our guests to relax and enjoy each other. No televisions blaring, right?
Of course, our first attraction has always been the food, cooked from scratch with special care in our tiny kitchen. When you have four people working in a limited space, you have to get along well as a team. The patio has also been a key attraction in spring, summer and fall. It doesn’t explain why we are also busy during the winter months. What does is simply that we have become a hub for the community, a meeting place for all kinds of meetings, parties and events.
This week, the week of 16 September 2024, we are celebrating our 15th year serving Kemptville, North Grenville and the surrounding area. We have countless stories of the kindness of many of our guests, who have become close friends. We also have stories of those who come in with a sense of their entitlement, not realizing the opportunity they are missing to simply relax and enjoy. A good many people don’t understand that they are coming into our second home, not so much a public place. They behave as strangers rather than as guests. We always find those people rather sad. Thank goodness, those who do understand what they are receiving from our dedicated staff are in the majority.
What goes on in the background of Salamanders is Kemptville is also part of our contribution to the community. We help youngsters who are interested get into the culinary arts; we sponsor athletes and events in support of their community activity; and we take an active part in trying to develop the downtown as a mecca for residents and visitors alike. Last Saturday morning, our maintenance team arrived to view a magnificent heron standing on the municipal dock in the Harbourfront. All was quiet as we and others walking that morning tip-toed around taking pictures. That too is part of Salamanders.
We are Salamanders of Kemptville. Come and celebrate with us 19-22 September with music and as always, great food prepared and served by great people…