EVEN THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION!

OMG! Freshly grilled! And that sauce…Mmmm! Where did you get that? It looks and smells delicious! Good Heavens….here I am on Clapperton Street following take out in someone’s hands down the sidewalk!! Finally, almost running I called out, “From Where?”
At last, he turned and called out, “Skewers at # 9!”

I know where I’m going – right now! It was a bleak day just after the noon hour and my tummy was really rumbling. Those same delicious and tantalizing smells enveloped me as I finally reached # 9 on Clapperton Street in Barrie. I had managed to make it through all the construction and it was now time to satisfy my hunger urge.

FOUND IT! SKEWERS AT #9 CLAPPERTON

In I go. Oh, nice! Clean and bright! I was so hungry now, ready to check out the menu and happy there was an eating area, as I was famished. Such a cool place – and then I met Luke.

Luke seemed to recognize that I hadn’t been in before and was hungry. Offering me some dumplings as I checked out the menu, I was as surprised as I was pleased. The dumplings were wonderful and the menu easy.

I decided I’d ask the story behind the menu choices. You see I felt lucky as the restaurant wasn’t overcrowded and Luke seemed to have a few moments to chat.

What I couldn’t understand was why there wasn’t a line right out the door and down the street, COVID or not!
After discussing the choices, the decision was made – A Bulgogi Beef sandwich with a salad. Luke insisted that I try it just how it comes, no additions – just to enjoy the full experience.

DARE TO DREAM

Everything was being prepared right in front of me, so I asked Luke just what his story was.

So two guys, Luke and Miles (his Korean business partner) had spent years designing restaurant equipment and just wanted something more. Enter Korean street food! A fresh concept for the City of Barrie. Simple and Oh so Yummy! However, the timing just couldn’t have been worse! Such an incredible start…the lunch and dinner crowds were happy and the after bar crowd loved the fresh easy street food! Then everyone was struck by the Pandemic – no more open to the public – just delivery or curbside, no after bar crowd at all! Everything shut down.

HELP US - HELP OUR DOWNTOWN

On top of that disaster, the much-needed construction downtown topped it all! Could or should the construction have been delayed, allowing business owners to regain some of their footing? It’s a hard call. The construction is necessary and did employ some people, but simply couldn’t have come at a worse time. As Pandemic protocols lightened, the downtown core remains a ghost town. These guys had put their life savings into a dream. Can they hold out? NOT WITHOUT OUR HELP!! We all need to recognize the business owners in our Downtown, like Skewers. The dreams and ambitions of these two men must not be lost. Their tantalizing simple Korean street food needs to be kept. Everyone, we must support the diversity of cuisine in Barrie. I know…I tasted it…and I’ll be back!! My Beef Bulgogi sandwich was fantastic.

Make it happen “Barrie-ites”! Make Skewers a destination!

Creative Bean Owner’s Fight With Covid-19

It was great news when we heard that Creative Bean was reopening to serve their coffee and treats. Creative Bean has a place in our hearts as we used to meet there when we first started. We were always treated very well and it was always friendly. The coffee was great, their wraps always fresh and we do like their bakery. So when we heard Rene Segura had contracted Covid-19 we prayed he would be okay. When he recovered and was strong enough to get back to work we went to talk to him and his wife Tracy Segura. In his own words he told us what he went through, how at first he was sent away from the hospital as they thought he had a cold. A week later he was admitted to the hospital when it was diagnosed as Covid-19. He told us about being unconscious for 3 days and then his fight back to fitness and health.

It is an uplifting story as he tells of the fantastic support he got from his family, especially Tracy. How it brought them even closer together as a family. The messages of support he received from his customers and from some who were not. The part that we thought was so good to hear was the support they got from fellow businesses, they rallied to help get them to get up running again. So to hear their story in Rene and Tracy’s own words give the podcast a listen, there is some background noise in some parts for which we apologize.

Pictures by Stephen Elliot.

Barrie Uncovered · A Feel Good Covid Story – Rene Segura of Creative Bean