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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013
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Want frites with that? A
Massey to get $10.7M
SkyTrain stop led Dan Close to an appealing location for a restaurant concept he’d fried up during his years in the restaurant business. Close and his partner, Tim Ferguson, were searching for a spot for Spud Shack Fry Co., a Belgian frites shop, when Close came upon the Shops at New West – the vast retail space at the New Westminster SkyTrain station. “I hadn’t taken the SkyTrain for awhile, and I stopped here, and I was like, ‘Uh, what’s this?’” NIKI HOPE says Close, a triathlete who was on his way to a fivekilometre race. “On the way back, I had a chance to see the development. I was able to walk around and get a sense and a feel. I saw all of the towers that had just come up over the last five or six or seven years, some of the plans for the downtown core. Then I started looking at the numbers, the ridership: a quarter of a million people a week.” Close and his partner decided it was the perfect space to “fry” out their new venture. The concept is based on the national snack food of Belgium: frites. And don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just a fancy way of saying fries. Frites are distinguished by the fact that they are cooked twice, are thicker than American fries, fresh cut and are served in a paper cone with a choice of flavour-packed dips, like lemon and chive, chipolte, roasted garlic, and on and on. The Spud Shack Fry Co. space also includes touches of the western European country. The room’s colours: black accents, red chairs, yellow tiles all incorporate the colours of the Belgian flag. “We are old-world Europe meets the west coast,” Close says about the atmosphere. Close brings a dash of Canadiana to the shack by offering poutine, which has become the most-popular staple at the restaurant. Interestingly, vegans – those who eat no animals products or by-products – have fallen in love with a meat/dairy-free poutine offering Close cooked up by chance one day. Local vegan Melissa Balfour was in the Spud Shack one day and told Close she
City’s contribution is ‘final cornerstone’ in plan to replace old secondary school BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
ON MY BEAT
For more photos, scan with layar Larry Wright/THE RECORD
Nice fry: Spud Shack Fry Co. owner Dan Close fried up a new venture based on the national snack food of Belgium: frites. The spud spot has become popular with local food lovers. wished there was a vegan poutine for her. Close thought to check the gravy mix he uses and discovered it was vegetable based. He them popped downstairs to Safeway and grabbed some vegan “cheese,” came back upstairs, threw some frites in the fryer and served Balfour up a vegan version of the rich gravy dish. Balfour was delighted, and the vegan poutine has become a cult favourite for vegans in the know (it’s not officially on the menu). Along with frites, Spud Shack’s menu includes sandwiches, burgers and, of course, – another touch of Belgium – artisan draught beer. Close began his cooking career about 15 years ago with a Red Seal apprenticeship at
the Fairmont Waterfront, where he spent six years. Later, he worked at the test kitchen for Cactus Club. The father of two lives with his wife in Cloverdale but spends a great deal of time in New West, where he’s carved out a band of loyal and hungry followers – especially through the social media site Twitter, where locals rave about his salty frites. “New West loves us, (and) we love being in New West,” Close says. “Right now, it’s all referrals. It’s Twitter. It’s Facebook. It’s social media. It’s my food. It’s all about the food. It has to be.” Spud Shack is located at 352-800 Carnarvon St. To check out the menu, visit spudshack.ca. nhope@royalcityrecord.com
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The much-awaited replacement for New Westminster Secondary School is a step closer to becoming a reality. New Westminster city council has approved a resolution to spend $10.7 million on the reconstruction of a new Massey Theatre that will be built as part of the high school. In addition to the city’s contribution, a staff report stated the school district would contribute $10 million in provincial funding for a new theatre with up to 1,000 seats. The city’s contribution would be used to upgrade the facility from a school theatre standard to a regional civic theatre standard, said the report. “It is a momentous day,” school board chair Michael Ewen told council Monday night. “It is a very exciting day.” Ewen said it’s a “momentous” occasion because it marks the final cornerstone for the district to move forward and build a new high school. “This has been a long process,” he said “As I am constantly reminded, public consultation takes time” A staff report states the school district anticipates that
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