Fall River Café reopens with new owner

Jeff Green | Jun 08, 2022

The challenges that come with re-opening an established restaurant, that had been closed for a couple of years, are not lost on Pradeep Vablachandran, the new owner of the Fall River Café in Maberly.

“This is a big chance for me. After many years in the restaurant industry, to have my own business is a dream come true,” he said, while taking a short break after the lunch rush last week.

Breaks have been few and far between for him since opening on May 1st.

Fortunately, he has been supported by family members as he has navigated all of the issues around getting the kitchen up and running, developing a menu that fits both his kitchen experience of 25 years in the Toronto area, and his Sri Lankan roots as well, all the while dealing with all of technical issues that come with starting up a restaurant.

All of that seemed to be behind him, by the time the Victoria Day long weekend arrived. Business was good on the Friday and Saturday morning and afternoon, when the wind storm hit. Luckily the restaurant was not damaged, but the power did go out for 4 days.

“The building has a generator system, but checking it, and making sure it is working, was one of the things I had not yet gotten to with all the work that has been involved in getting open,” he said.

Some of the neighbours from Maberly chipped in, and with the help of a diesel mechanic, the system eventually got up and running, but not before the refrigerated and frozen stock had to be thrown out.

“These are all growing pains,” said Pradeep, “a part of life when pursuing my dream.”

Pradeep arrived in Markham when he was 11 years old. Along with his brother, he left his parents and moved to Canada where his older sister was already settled with her husband.

“There was a civil war in Sri Lanka at that time and my parents wanted both of us to get away from what was going on,” he said.

A few years after settling into life in Canada, Pradeep started working. His first part-time job was a dishwasher job at Fran's, an historic 24-hour diner type restaurant, in Toronto. After a few months, he started working in the kitchen, and aside from a two year stint at Business College, he has been working as a cook, and kitchen manager, in the restaurant business ever since. He worked at Golden Griddle, in a management position at a Dennies, among numerous other roles in small and large restaurants.

All the while, he did not forget his Sri Lankan roots, in his palate or his cooking, and after the war in Sri Lanka ended, he has been able to make annual trips back home to visit his parents.

“The food we eat in Sri Lanka is always fresh. The fishermen stop at my parent's place before they even get to the market. There is nothing like preparing fresh food,” he said.

At the beginning of the pandemic he moved to Smiths Falls, with his wife Surabi, to help out at a friend's restaurant. He began looking around for a location where he could start his own restaurant, and found the Fall River Restaurant, which he has re-named the Fall River Café.

When designing the menu for the Fall River Café, he brought those two threads of his experience, how to prepare food that all Canadians enjoy and are familiar with, along with a commitment to fresh food preparation.

The Fall River restaurant is open for breakfast every day, featuring all of the classics, from bacon and eggs, to Eggs Benedict, waffles and more.

The lunch menu is extensive, including pasta, chicken souvlaki, butter chicken poutine and butter chicken. And, coconut cream-based curry with chicken or beef, samosas and spring rolls are on the menu as well.

Pradeep's wife Surabi, who is continuing to work in Smiths Falls where she is part of the management team at a large grocery store, makes desserts for the Café as well, including cheesecake and Tiramisu.

Coffee and treats are available for takeout at the Café, and the former Fall River Coffee shop location, a straw bale building on the site, will be opening soon as a convenience store.

This week, the liquor license for the Fall River Café came through, and the café is now open until 7pm on Thursday to Saturday.

“Mostly, what I would like to do is provide a good restaurant for people in the local community to enjoy. We are looking forward to the tourist season of course, but remaining affordable and welcoming to people from the local area is more important than anything for us,” he said.

The Fall River Café is open from 8am – 4pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, and 8am-7pm Thursday – Saturday. Closed on Mondays.

For information call, 613-268- 0003 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.