Home Cooking like MOM’s?

Kelli Mcrobert | Jan 12, 2022

Food. Just the thought of it makes me happy.

For those that know me, if there are snacks involved, then I am a keen participant in that activity, event or outing. Food sustains us, it nourishes us and gives us the energy to make it through the day, with some opting for that midday snack to carry them through until the evening. Often, we use a specific food to celebrate a special day like birthday cake or turkey for Christmas, maybe ham for Easter.

Each culture has their own flare and flavours, and food can bring us back to a place or a time one taste bud at a time. For me, it would be a beef stroganoff simmering in a pan or tuna casserole as it cools on the countertop awaiting that first savoury bite. Home-made shortbread with a tiny silver ball atop it, warm out of the oven, the smell wafting over me as I spent time with my mother in the kitchen. These tastes and smells are some that take me back to fond childhood memories and I enjoy trying new foods, when given the opportunity, hoping to find the sweet, savoury, or exciting sustenance that may create a new memory.

As we head north away from the hustle and bustle of Kingston, the spacing between homes increases and the option for sit down meals reduces. The landscape takes a new shape with jagged rocks that align the roadway, the Canadian Shield ever present as the journey north weaves its way through the rugged and rustic terrain.

Not far north of the 401 lies the small town of Verona where one such ‘family-owned’ restaurant has recently changed hands. M.O.M. Restaurant, located at 6775 Hwy 38, has been a fixture of the community for many years and ‘Peter’ was the owner who maintained a friendly and welcoming place to meet, eat, and chat about the events of the day. For the past few months, Gus has been supporting the transition over to the new owners Yash, Smit, Mike, and Krishna who are working carefully to maintain the nostalgic charm of the location, while beginning to introduce some new flavours and traditions of their own. The exterior will get a freshen in the summer, once the weather warms up and they plan to retain most of the memorabilia inside to support the past and present hockey teams and locals that are part of the rich M.O.M history.

I spoke with Yash, who hails from Kitchener where he completed his schooling in Project Management and Networking. He speaks 4 languages and was friendly and forthcoming while sharing his brief history and journey as a restauranteur. He has a passion for eateries and franchises and began working in the United States with 25 Burger and Hickory Wine Cellar, where he developed a keen business sense and was always on the lookout for the right opportunity to bring him back to Canada. Fast forward to a chance meeting and a discussion with Gus and Yash felt that this would be a good opportunity to move to Kingston and perhaps settle in South Frontenac or surrounding area.

Yash is young and enthusiastic and has a goal to build a M.O.M ‘chain’ with a sister restaurant possibly in Sydenham. His dream has been to one day open a Greek style restaurant and he continues to work on new menu items incorporating some Indian flavours like butter chicken. He is “hesitant” to add too much spice, too soon, as he is still getting used to what customers like and want. The restaurant has added pizza back on the menu and they are currently doing take out from 10 AM - 7:45 PM, 7 days a week. They currently have removed breakfast from the menu, while restrictions for COVID are still in place. When asked how the pandemic has hit them, he states that they have moved to take-out only and he had to lay off 1 employee, but they are managing to juggle the remaining shifts so that other employees can still share in the hours equally.

Yash says that one thing that sets them apart is that they take whole fish like Haddock and Halibut and fillet it themselves in house. The portions are very generous, and he states, “we are only 1 of 2 restaurants that offer this deluxe style of fish & chips”. When I spoke with a customer who had sampled the meal, they had nothing but rave reviews for how large the portions were and exclaimed “1 piece is more than enough to fill you up” and satisfy a yen for the east coast.

We had the opportunity to pop over and try a breakfast prior to the in-dining shut down and were pleased with the hot breakfast served up with real potatoes and tasty bacon that complemented our ‘over -mediums’, and toast.

If you are in the area, drop by and say hello, or give them a call for a speedy pick-up order. The menu can be viewed easily online for quick reference through their Facebook page. They would love to hear your feedback as they continue to build their relationship with the community offering home cooked meals that satisfy the ‘foodies’ amongst us.

Welcome to Verona and we look forward to seeing your creative dishes as they evolve!