Oh
my goodness, you blink and two years have flown by in our new home for Saskatoon. (Well, can you still call the place new after having been in it for two years?) The “new” location has afforded us so many opportunities: a larger restaurant space to serve more customers, an expanded kitchen to more efficiently prepare Paleo Meals and an Event Space that has hosted some many different events. Yes, the past two years have truly flown by; I often describe it has “drinking from a firehose!” In fact,Renee and I are both working as many hours every day as we have ever worked! Now, if I was to tell you that in these two past years, we often get to the restaurant between 8 or 9 a.m. and most days finish work between midnight to 1 or 2 a.m., you would tell me that I was crazy! And you would be right, if we were just doing it for some material thing like money. But what drives us are the moments with our teammates and customers, changing clients’ lives by transforming them with our Paleo Meal Prep program or creating lasting memories in all the events in our Event Center. This issue of Lodge & Legend, shares a portion of this through the eyes of our customers and employees. We are truly grateful.
In this issue, you will meet some of these wonderful “stakeholders”: • •
•
•
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Bob Ellis, a family friend for 60 years and the architect who designed our new space
Bob Miller, a local entrepreneur and very good customer (what else do you call someone who comes in monthly, or even weekly?) Angie Finazzo, a fellow restaurateur, good friend and advisor who is now heading our Corporate Events
Jackie Heintzelman, a Paleo Client and one of the most disciplined and motivated people I have ever met and had the honor of serving
Carrie and Kevin Ballenger, old friends who allowed us to share their memories when they got married at Saskatoon…
Thank you to each of them and to you for your support and patronage, without which, Saskatoon would not be here today. As 2019 draws to a close and 2020 begins, I am truly so grateful for what the good Lord and this great country has given us—the chance to live a full life, working hard in an honorable work that touches people’s lives to make a difference.
May you have a glorious New Year, and I leave you with this blessing: “May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door!”
See you at The Lodge,
Edmund, Renee, and the family at Saskatoon Copyright @2019 by Saskatoon Lodge and The Brand Leader. All foreign and U.S. rights reserved. Contents of this publication, including images, may not be reproduced without written consent from the publisher. Published for Saskatoon Lodge by The Brand Leader.
FOR THE WINTER
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IN THIS ISSUE
19
TWENTY
FROM THE GARDEN
Planning for Winter Growing
4 Paleo-a-Go-Go PA L E O P R O G R A M B E G I N N I N G S
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PA RT N E R S P OT L I G H T
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
10 12 14
Bob Ellis
Angie Finazzo
A PA L E O S U CC E S S STO RY
Jackie Heintzelman EVENT SPOTLIGHT
A Rainy Day Wedding RECIPE
Paleo-Friendly Comfort Food: Zuppa Toscana
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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
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T H E S A S K ATO O N LO D G E M E N U
Bob Miller
Our Appetizers & Entrées 1
LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO SPEND HOURS OF YOUR LIFE PREPPING HEALTHY MEALS. Since 2009, thousands of people have discovered our healthy, convenient at-home meal plans prepared by the same team of chefs that make dinner at Saskatoon Lodge every night. Try it for yourself to keep your diet and your schedule in peak form with our pre-packaged Paleo meals, available by weekly order. If you’re tired of fad diets, are ready to try a sustainable, healthy plan and want to learn more, visit saskatoonrestaurant.com/low-carb-paleo or email edmund@edmundwoo.com.
681 HALTON RD. GREENVILLE,SC 29607 • 864.297.7244 •
saskatoonrestuarant.com/low-carb-paleo
FROM THE GARDEN
F R O M
T H E
G A R D E N
Planning for WinTer Growing Most farmers, even in the South, will take the winter off of vegetable production to recharge their batteries from the long drain of physical, mental, and emotional abuse incurred over the course of the year on the farm. Not us! We feel like we would be missing out on some of the most pleasant growing conditions of the year, and we pride ourselves on growing 365 days a year.
It can be a long year-round grind, but there are many benefits. The bugs are non-existent, the cool days make field-work enjoyable, and there are no weeds to compete with the crops. However, winter farming presents its own challenges. If you’ve tried growing over the winter, you’ve probably noticed the painfully slow or seemingly non-existent growth in your garden. Even though we have a mild climate that is suitable for certain cold-hardy varieties to grow throughout the winter, the shortened days cause crops to go into a sort of suspended animation with dramatically slower growth rates. Eliot Coleman, the father of the modern organic farming movement and winter farm production expert,refers to this time as the “Persephone Days” in honor of the vegetation goddess’s annual return to Hades over the winter. From November through February, the plants don’t seem to grow much at all. However, if you can get your crops to at least 50 to 60 percent of their mature size before the end of October, they should then mature and are able to be enjoyed over the winter. At Saskatoon, our goal is to plant as much of the garden beds as possible in bulk quantities of each crop by the end of October and cover them with frost blankets. The frost blankets help to trap the heat that is in the ground from escaping over the night when the temperatures cool, and also protect the plants from the cold winter winds, while still allowing for 80 percent light transmission. The greenhouse will be closed up and allow us to grow salad greens throughout the winter, and provide a comfortable environment to grow our spring starts in late January or early February. Basically, we hope to treat the gardens as a giant refrigerator and pull out a nice weekly mix of root vegetables and cold-hardy greens for the restaurant each week!
MY FAVORITE THINGS TO PLANT FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL FOR A SPRING HARVEST •••
Beets, Carrots, Radish, Lettuce, Leafy Greens, (Kale, Collards, Chard, etc), Cabbages, Turnips, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mint, Leeks, Potatoes (if covered) •••
Go grow em!
Chris Miller That Garden Guy, LLC yeahthatgardenguy.com
Do you keep a winter garden? What are your favorite tips for keeping your crops during the cold months? Whatever you do, don’t get frustrated—a slow growth in the cold means a bit boost when spring finally comes!
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o e l Pa
a go-go
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Y
ou may know Edmund Woo as the owner of Saskatoon Lodge, among several other restaurant businesses over the years. But in addition to running the recently relocated and rebranded Saskatoon, Woo maintains a thriving Paleo diet service through Saskatoon that serves thousands of locals. If you had asked him eight years ago if he could pull off this venture, you might not have heard an “of course!"
Whatever you can do, or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power & magic in it. JOHANN
WOLFGANG
VON
GOETHE
With the New Year comes an opportunity for new beginnings. If you want to eat healthier and get fit in the New Year, consider letting Saskatoon be your personal chef. Read about our Chef Prepared for You Paleo Meals Program in the following article by Greenville Business Magazine.
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It was a lot of work because I didn’t have the staff for it,” Woo says. “In the beginning, it was me, my wife, and one of the chefs. We would be here physically working from eight or nine in the morning Saturday morning till one or two on Sunday morning. We would be back on Sunday morning at about nine and we would work straight through to about five a.m. Monday morning! So, every week we would look at each other and say, ‘Maybe we should stop. Maybe we should wrap this up.’And I’m glad we didn’t, because otherwise we wouldn’t be here talking today.” Woo, who along with his wife, Renee, has owned Saskatoon for nearly 25 years and has been in the restaurant business for almost 40 years, had his first foray in the Paleo diet field in 2010 while working out at a local Crossfit gym. The owner, Billy Fletcher wanted a good, healthful source of meals for his clients and knew that with his cooking prowess, Woo could be that source. Despite the initial reluctance and hardships, Woo began to really believe in the benefits of the diet and wanted to expose other people to it. It wasn’t until the end of the second year that his program began to pick up steam.
PA L E O P R O G R A M B E G I N N I N G S
The Saskatoon 5-Week Paleo Program 15 meals a week for 5 weeks: 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches , 5 dinners, 4 shakes (2 for breakfast & 2 for lunch), 10 snacks, & 5 desserts Additional Benefit: Saving time from not having to shop for groceries & prepare meals.
From his experience going from gym to gym, it became clear to Woo that many people who worked out just didn’t diet. So, he instead began to market to people who were focused on eating right—particularly, people who wanted to lose weight. “The Paleo diet tells you what to eat if you want to eat well,” he said. “The Paleo diet is not necessarily a weight-loss diet, but it becomes a weight loss diet, because if you eat well, your body naturally doesn’t want to hold on to the excess fat. And if you take out a lot of the things the Paleo diet tells you that you shouldn’t eat, your body actually sheds that weight.” The Paleo diet, short for Paleolithic diet, is restricted to the natural hunter-gatherer diet of its namesake time period: meats, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The idea is that these foods have always been more easily processed than the foods that humans eat now, such as dairy, starches, and refined sugars. The Saskatoon five-week program offers five breakfasts, five lunches, and five dinners; 10 snacks; five desserts; and four shakes, two for breakfast and two for lunch, totaling 15 meals a week for five weeks. Adding in the time gained from not having to shop for groceries and prepare meals, many see it as an excellent value. While some versions of the Paleo diet, such as the Whole 30, are very strict and completely cut out other foods, other versions of the diet occasionally add a few non-Paleo foods in small amounts. Woo and his team will sometimes add cheese or grains to a meal because, while they understand the importance of sticking to a healthier diet, it can be overwhelming to completely cut out certain foods—something
that Woo cites as a reason it’s difficult for people to stick to diet- or exercise-related resolutions, and why he cut out the required workouts that were originally part of his program. Each week, the Paleo team at Saskatoon has a meeting to decide what will be on the next week's menu, so dieters aren’t eating the same thing over and over. Some of the items are inspired by the cookbooks Woo has, others are meals they’ve done before, while still others are non-Paleo dishes made Paleo-compliant—for example, a chicken curry dish, inspired by the curry Woo helped his daughter make for a class project. Woo’s focus and attention has resulted in the program’s growth—so much so, in fact, that there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen at Saskatoon’s Haywood Road location. In order to keep up with the demand, not only for the program but for the restaurant itself, Woo began searching for a new home. This ultimately led Saskatoon to a move to a bigger location just over a year ago. The Halton Road Saskatoon has two kitchen lines, plenty of dine-in seating, and a large event room. Eight years ago, Woo might not have been completely confident about his Paleo program. Now, he has no regrets about the time and effort put into it. “The Paleo business was something that I was very passionate about,” Woo says. “[The program] allowed me to articulate that passion into a business. It allowed us to do something else with our business that helped people besides just providing great experiences at the restaurant. This was something that invigorated us and gave us a new lease on life.”
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Bob Ellis
B
The t tec c r A hi e lodge h t ehind
Bob E l l is
FR OM THE GROUND UP: THE ARCHITECT BEHIND THE LODGE
While many people can say they’ve known Edmund a long time, or been to Saskatoon’s for years, few are able to top the claim Bob Ellis holds: he’s known Edmund since he was born. During childhood, Bob’s father left his own career to open a produce stand off of Poinsett Highway. Named for his two sons, Bo-Nat’s (Bo for Bob and Nat for Nathaniel) quickly became a core component of the area, serving as a convenience store for local homes and restaurants. In fact, Bob’s father rented the land where the convenience store was located from Edmund’s parents. The store was located right next to the New China restaurant— Greenville’s first ever to deal in Asian cuisine, and the workspace of the Woos.
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While they grew up together, the two boys’ lives soon diverged. After interning in the Daniel building and receiving a degree in architecture from Clemson University in 1978, Bob decided he wanted to learn as much as he could within the industry from as many different people as possible. “I wanted to work with as diverse a group of architects as possible,” he said. “The most eccentric, the most conservative, the most detailed—I wanted to learn it all.” That’s exactly what he did, working for firms like Harry Payne and Associates, Townes and Associates, Joe Hiller, James Lawrence, the Diran Corporation, and others. He worked for large companies, independent architects, and even development corporations, creating layouts for golf courses. Finally, after working for a firm that was laser-focused on the medical industry, Bob got his fill of working for everyone else. In 1983, he went out on his own. “I thought, ‘I’m sick and tired of hospitals; I’m just gonna leave,’” he remembers. “So, I left and started my own firm—without one client or job.”
PA RT N E R S P OT L I G H T
The lack of clients didn’t last long. Soon he picked up a few small projects that kept him busy. He began to focus on restaurants, and word spread, until he was asked to do a project for a group out of Atlanta. The name of the project: TJ Applebees. Bob helped convert an old Wendy’s into the first Applebees restaurant. When that client expanded his franchises in South Carolina, Florida and Virginia, Bob was already on board. Still, after a background filled with such a high level diversity, he was concerned. “I got scared,” he says, remembering back. “You don’t want to be known for just one thing, because if that market goes soft you’re in trouble.” To combat that fear, he took on different projects, including apartments and shopping centers, and soon became known across 16 states for his craft. Locally, however, he was still well-known in the restaurant industry, having worked on plans for everything from the Dragon’s Den restaurants to Firehouse Subs as well as the Plaza Diner restaurant for his childhood friend, Edmund. When Edmund decided to create a new restaurant concept, Bob’s opinion not only mattered, but helped shape what Saskatoon’s would be. “We talked about what it should be, and I said it should be a destination location so he could keep from paying high real estate prices in the trendy areas of town,” Bob notes. “As we talked about that and he asked me what I would do, I told him I would do some sort of hunting lodge with a special menu—not like the type of food you can find in the woods around here, but something from far away that people don’t get to sample that often.”
Acoustical issues like those revealed through the high, hard ceilings were solved with speaker cloth and gapped boards to absorb sound. As Edmund recalls, “Bob is truly some kind of a savant when it comes to design. I remember we were all in this meeting, all of my consultants (not Bob as he had not arrived yet) and we just weren’t coming up with the solution I was look for. Bob arrives, listens for a couple of minutes, then takes out some tracing paper and sketches out the perfect solution. He is awesome!” The Lodge was one of Bob’s most recent designs, but not one of his last, no matter how bad he wants to retire. Now on project 1,389 under the Ellis Architecture umbrella, he realizes the community isn’t quite ready for him to stop just yet. “I’ve been trying to retire for the last year or two,” he said. “I’m trying to ease out but unfortunately, I have all these relationships and friends, and now I have more work than I’ve had in the past three or four years. “Still,” he adds, “it’s been a fun ride!”
Together, they discussed in detail the idea of a Northwestern Hunting Lodge—the types of which might be found in Canada. That idea became Saskatoon, and for years it was well-known not only for its food and service, but for its ambiance, as well. “I remember that conversation.” Edmund reminisces. “We were outside of Bob’s old office on Washington Street. I had been thinking about a hunting lodge motif and Bob says, ‘How about a hunting lodge?’ It was uncanny!” Fast forward about two decades later, Edmund reached out to Bob again, to find a location for the new lodge location for Saskatoon, and an architect that he trusted. “When the opportunity to build our new location came up, I didn’t think twice about who would design it,” Edmund declares. Bob designed the new Lodge with amazing similarity to the original location. In fact, long-time regulars might notice everything in the main restaurant is in the same place as the original, just larger. The main differences—an added event space and an Upstairs area that could eventually serve as private dining—were added on to the main design.
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The Second Time Around — M E E T— AN GI E FINA ZZO
If you’ve been to an event at Saskatoon recently, chances are you’ve already met Angie Finazzo. But if you’ve been around the restaurant scene in Greenville for any amount of time, there’s a high likelihood that you’ve seen her before that, as well. Angie splits the Saskatoon Lodge Events duties with Jane Hanna, who focuses on Rehearsal Dinners and Weddings (more on Jane in a future issue). Angie books the non-wedding related events such as Corporate events, Celebrations of Life, as well as the food for all of the events. Her husband, Peter, is on Edmund’s de facto board; he was one of those that helped Edmund decide on the site for this new location and continues to be a sounding board whenever Edmund runs into a challenge. Before that, however, Angie was a longtime staple in the Upstate culinary industry, with a story that started way back in 1969, in a French restaurant in Florida. “Our family was on vacation in Sarasota, and my two little girls and I (Daddy Peter and Young Peter were fishing) went into a little French restaurant for lunch,” she recalls. “So I’m looking around and I said to the girls, ‘I think I want to open a restaurant.’” As small children often do, they spilled her musings to their dad the first chance they got. The family was already close to the industry—Angie’s husband, Peter worked in corporate feeding and healthcare as Director of Food Service for Anderson Memorial Hospital. But while Angie wanted to open a restaurant, it was a misdirected catering order that led her into the business, when someone approached Peter to do a wedding reception.
Angie Finazzo With more than 18 months & 150 events under her belt as the Event Planner for Saskatoon Lodge, Angie has brought Saskatoon events to a whole new level.
While Peter couldn’t take that job due to a conflict of interest with his job at the hospital, Angie could, and before she knew it she was making 800 eggrolls from scratch in her own kitchen. Word quickly spread in the small town of Anderson, and soon Angie was made an offer she couldn’t refuse—to open a restaurant in the Caldwell Johnson Morris House, an historic property built in the mid-1800s. By the time she opened her doors to customers on November 11, 1981, it was called the Morris Street Tea Room. From there, the catering offers poured in—for weddings, parties and Seders. As the business grew to jobs that covered the likes of Michelin and other large corporate clients, Angie’s reputation spread. “One Pictured left: Peter Finazzo tending the fire for Saskatoon’s Oregon Salmon Bake
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Monday—and I remember it was Monday because we were closed that day—a man came knocking on my door,” Angie remembers. “It was Bob Hughes (the famous real estate developer), and he told me, ‘I want to put a restaurant up at River Oaks Shopping Plaza. Everyone I talk to, your name comes up.’” Angie and Peter went to look at the space, but faced a big decision: while the opportunity loomed large, Angie knew she would need Peter’s help, but he was still employed with a great position with the hospital. Eventually, Peter left the hospital to help Angie run what would soon become Peter David’s—one of Greenville’s most well-known, high-end restaurants of its time. In fact, Angie and Peter were named S.C. Restaurateurs of the Year in 1993! While the restaurant was well-known, Angie and Peter’s catering business grew even more. After the opening of the BMW Zentrum, they were asked to do the United Way Event that was held there. Only a few years later, they were awarded the contract to serve more than 300 guests at the Performance Center for 12 days, culminating with the reveal of the new BMW X5. It was an opportunity Angie never could have seen coming, but relished when it happened. “We had to present every meal for the two weeks at the performance center, including the tables, chairs, linens, china, silverware, flowers, food—everything, for every meal. Then, we were selected to do that event,” she says (Edmund actually remembers this saying, “Peter and Angie beat out several ‘big name’ regional caterers for this job). One of Angie’s favorite memories from this event was a compliment from Sandy Hale, who was the Event Planner for BMW Corporate, “You had them eating out of your hands!” Other large events included being asked to serve then-President George H.W. Bush
when he came to Greenville for benefit of Congressman Bob Inglis, the opening night of the Peace Center serving over 500 guests and the Self Family wedding, which hosted 1,500 guests in the arena at Greenwood—an event that featured hanging chandeliers, draped ceilings, 167 ficus trees, 5 hand ice sculptures by Peter, 17 bartenders and more. Finally, in 2012, the Peter David’s property was re-leased, and Angie and Peter decided to retire, but remained involved with a number of local charities like Taste of the Nation and Meals on Wheels. Angie was restless, doing small catering jobs for close friends, but knowing she needed to find something to do. Then, in 2016, received a call from Edmund Woo, and the two talked event planning. Edmund says, “Our main experience was in the restaurant side of the business as well as in the Paleo Meal Prep business. While we had catered many events and hosted more at the restaurant, we felt we needed to take our ‘event’ game to the next level at our new home. Renee and I had long admired Angie and Peter as fellow restaurateurs, and as caterers, their reputation was phenomenal! Angie had both the knowledge and experience, so I asked her for help!” Angie’s response was simple: “Here I am.” Now, with 18 months and over 150 events under her belt as Event Planner for Saskatoon Lodge, Angie has found her niche for the next stage of life. “Every event is the most special event, and I love working with my clients,” Angie says, “My motto now as it was in my Peter David days is: ‘When only the best will do!” “Angie’s knowledge and experience have been crucial in helping Saskatoon put on stellar events,” the Woos add. “But it is her infectious good spirits and drive to do her very best for our clients that has really resonated with us.” 9
Before
After
As most Paleo connoisseurs know, there is a self-protectiveness that begins when you start the plan. You have to stay focused on your goals and you have to be careful when you go out to eat. Stay on plan and don’t accidentally (or in a moment of weakness) eat something that could set you back mentally or physically. So when Jackie Heintzelman first started Paleo meals with Saskatoon, she too was rather strict, to ensure that she would be able to stay on plan and on the road to health. Jackie, however, went to the extreme. “One time we went to Saskatoon for dinner, and I had just started the meals,” she remembers with a laugh. “I was so strict that I actually took my pre-packaged meal and had them heat it up for me at the restaurant.” Outside of how Edmund and the team feel about heating up their own Paleo creations during dinner hours (he just chuckles fondly when he remembers this), that level of commitment had huge payoffs for Jackie. Since starting the Saskatoon Paleo meal plan a little over a year ago, she has had significant health benefits that she loves to tell others about whenever possible.
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A PA L E O S U CC E S S STO RY
About three years ago, health complications led Jackie to believe that she might have Barrett’s Esophagus, a potentially serious side effect of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Her internist at the time, Dr. Sheila O’Grady Irwin, recommended significant dietary changes to help rein in the issues she was having. “If there was ever anyone I wanted to thank, it would be her,” Jackie says. “I knew I had to make a choice then: Do I want to have a healthy lifestyle or continue down the path I was going?” With high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar, she knew she had to do something. With Dr. O’Grady-Irwin’s help, she first started by removing gluten, dairy, caffeine and sugar from her diet, and while it helped, eventually she hit a plateau. It was at that point that she remembered something a co-worker had once told her about. “About three years ago, a girl from work came in with one of their Paleo meals and told me about it,” she remembers, “We had eaten at Saskatoon for years, but I hadn’t heard of the Paleo meals. But after that point I didn’t think any more about it.” Eventually, though, her doctor would recommend Paleo, and that conversation would pop back into memory. So, she signed up, and noticed huge results. “I noticed a big difference when I went on Paleo; my acid reflux was gone, I came off my blood pressure medication, and this past year my cholesterol drastically went down,” she says, noting that the portion control the meals offer is a big part of her health. “I like it being portion controlled. It’s too easy overeat otherwise, and I am miserable when I do. “I’m probably now in one of the best spots I’ve been in a long time.” “Jackie’s story is one of success,” Renee Woo says. “While we are the ones who prepare her food for her, it is because of her self-discipline and drive that she has transformed herself.” But even though she has seen great success with the Paleo plan, Jackie remains strict with her regimen—one that includes a consistent exercise routine, as well as eating her meals at home as often as possible.
“When we went on vacation & I was off the plan for a while, I noticed the symptoms coming back.” Now, she’ll eat at home every night, even if it means she misses eating out with her husband. “He eats at a local restaurant most nights. So much so that one of the servers asked if we were still together, because they never see me.” Still, because of her successes, Jackie has become an inspiration for many—even though she says she doesn’t see it that way—to embrace the Paleo lifestyle and reap the benefits for themselves. “People I have worked with, like my boss and his son, have went on the plan. Then, building management went on the plan because they saw how successful they were with it,” she remembers. “One of the girls who works for building management said I was a walking advertisement for Saskatoon and how I inspire others without even knowing it. “I don’t know about that,” she adds, “but I would like to think I do.”
If you’ve been considering a change in your diet or food lifestyle and want to learn more about the Saskatoon Paleo program, visit the Saskatoon website at
Saskatoonrestaurant.com/low-carb-paleo
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EVENT SPOTLIGHT
INSIDE KEVIN & CARRIE B A L L E N G E R ’S B I G D A Y The biggest worry for any wedding is that something will go wrong. In the South, one of the biggest challenges is the constant change of weather. For Carrie and Kevin Ballenger, their outdoor wedding took a turn when a few days before the big day, the weather called for rain. “Kevin has some property on a farm, and we were going to get married on that property and then have the reception at Saskatoon,” said Carrie, of their plans. Having been longtime customers of the Lodge, they had selected the space for the reception after seeing the new event space. “We liked the lodge feel, and when we looked at the event center there it was just perfect.” Edmund and Kevin had been workout partners for years (Kevin owns and teaches at Hurricane Martial Arts on Haywood Road). Before Kevin and Carrie even started dating, they were both customers at Saskatoon—Kevin was even one of Saskatoon’s first Paleo Meals clients. Carrie is a nurse practitioner which proved lucky for the Woos this past Valentine’s Day, when Ayden (the Woo’s younger daughter) fractured her wrist in two places all the way through in an intermediate gymnastic tumbling accident. “Carrie was there and made sure Ayden got the best care and help her through a very traumatic experience,” Renee says. “We love her!” Coming up on the Wedding Day, the forecast, however, had them scrambling to make new plans on short notice. Fearing the worst, they called Jane Hanna (Saskatoon’s Wedding and Rehearsal Dinner Events Planner) and Edmund a few
days before the wedding and asked if they could move the ceremony there, as well. The staff came together to adapt the rooms for what was needed. “We changed it really quick, but they were super easy to work with,” Kevin and Carrie agreed. The couple opened up the sunroom—which would later be used as a dance floor— to host the nuptials, and even found the perfect location for what Carrie calls “gloomy weather photos” (take a look at their wedding photos…aren’t they great!?!) In the end, the rain held off long enough for the wedded couple to grab photos outside the large bay window in the floral archway, before the reception proceeded as planned. But even with rain, the Ballengers knew they had had the perfect day. “It was a very special day,” Edmund says. “It was a beautiful wedding, a great reception and made all the better that Carrie and Kevin are such dear friends and patrons!” The Ballengers says, “We were overwhelmed with Edmund’s staff, and their professionalism; there wasn’t a thing we could have asked for that they didn’t provide. We left that day thinking that we don’t think that this day could have gone any better.”
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PA L E O F R I E N D LY CO M FO RT FO O D TO
Wa r m Up T h i s Wi n t e r
Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients: Serves: 4
• 4 slices bacon • 1 pound mild Italian Sausage • 2 heads of Cauliflower (about 1½ pounds) diced into bite size pieces (if you don't like cauliflower, substitute rutabaga or turnips, keeping in mind that after adding them, you will need to cook for about 15 minutes until soft) • 1 medium yellow onion • 2 tablespoons minced garlic • 7 cups chicken stock • 2 cups kale diced bite size (stems removed) • 1 can unsweetened full fat coconut milk (if you do not need the soup to be diary free, you can add heavy cream instead) • Salt and pepper to taste • For a little heat, add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
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With a name that means “soup in the style of Tuscany,” Zuppa Toscana is a soup made famous by the Olive Garden. This is a great warm addition to the winter months, and a great one-pot meal for busy families. We cook this often for our Chef Prepared Paleo Meals program, so here is our take on it to make it healthy, paleo, gluten free, diary free and sugar free for your 2020 meal planning!
Directions: 1. Brown Italian sausage and bacon until done and remove, leaving ½ of the grease in. 2. Add onions and garlic and cook until clear. 3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil 4. Add cauliflower and reduce heat to medium. (I prefer my cauliflower al dente. If you like them softer, cook a little longer.) 5. Add coconut milk and sausage, then stir until smooth. This should be at the very end of the cooking. 6. Finally, add in kale and bacon. Cooked kale is bright green (do not overcook the kale). 7. Add sea salt and ground black pepper to taste and serve!
For information about our Chef Prepared Paleo Meals program, visit saskatoonrestaurant.com/low-carb-paleo.
CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
W
hen Bob Miller and his family started frequenting Saskatoon almost 20 years ago, it was for the same reason that so many others do—it was an experience they couldn’t find anywhere else. It was just a different place to go, and they always recognize you when you walk in the door,” Miller notes. Because his close family lives in Greenville, they often use their trips to the Lodge to catch up and spend time together— not just grab a bite to eat before running to the next thing. “It’s nice to just be able to go in there and relax; you’re not going to be in and out in an hour.” The big draw for Bob to the Lodge? Premium steaks. “When you look around Greenville, you don’t have a whole lot of steakhouses, and every time someone closes a restaurant it seems they put in another Mexican restaurant. Here, we know we can get a steak, or a filet, or prime rib. There aren’t a lot of those places around.” But while the food is a huge reason for coming—even for his son, who is vegetarian—there’s something else that resonates on a deeper level. Like Saskatoon, his business is built on incredible service. After moving to Greenville 35 years ago from Pittsburgh, Bob began work in the HVAC industry. In 2006, he went out on his own, and in 2013, he started Miller HVAC Service in Greenville. The move was significant for him; he wanted to create a business that truly focused on the service to the customer. “I’m in a business that is a service business, and we have a lot of customers that we’ve had for 20 years or more,” Bob says. “Sure, there are always people who just come to work to make a couple of dollars, but at our place we don’t do that. When we show up, they know they’re gonna get good service.” That customer-focused approach has paid big dividends, as well. With 20 percent growth year over year, Bob now has almost 40 employees, and runs 25 service trucks around the Upstate. In addition to that, Miller HVAC has consistently given back to the community through various charities like Meals on Wheels, Folds of Honor, Upstate Warrior Solution, the Gateway House, and many others. In fact, Bob estimates that since the company’s inception, they have given away just under $100,000 to local charities. “They all have good causes, and we know that if you give, you get back,” he says. “Mostly they are all local, and we know that the money is going right into the charity.” In the smaller gaps of downtime, however, you might find Bob and his family relaxing together. Bob likes to play golf and his wife, Kelly, likes to ride her horse. When they travel—which is as often as possible, and a favorite pastime for them—you can find them across the globe on expeditions like a fishing trip to the Florida Keys, an adventure to Lake Tahoe, or even jet-setting to Italy. But more often than not, if you catch them at the right time, you’ll find the full Miller family spending a late Friday night catching up together and spending time over great food in a comfortable atmosphere—in their favorite go-to spot, Saskatoon.
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T H E S A S K ATO O N LO D G E M E N U
APPETIZERS Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Pan-seared, then oven-roasted with citrus garlic cream and rémoulade dipping sauces. 9
Wild Game Sausages
THE F OUNDER’S PROMISE —
WE BUILT SA SK ATOON LODGE ON THREE PROMISE S: UNIQUE EX PE RIENCE We believe you deserve an unparalleled experience. Our staff’s been with us for decades, and many of our guests have become more like family than visitors, so every detail matters.
SU PERIOR QUALITY We serve only hand-selected meats, aged in house, hand-carved daily by our lodge chef and grilled over hickory fire, cooked to your preference and sealing in a burst of flavor inside every cut.
The chef ’s selection of three unique sausages; smoked, then seared on live hickory fire served with horseradish cream and Yukon golden-honey mustard sauces. 10
Portabella Mushroom
Stuffed with roasted chicken, black olives, tomatoes, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. 7
Buffalo Flank Steak
Served over caramelized onions and house-made hickory barbeque sauce. 9
Yukon Chicken Tenders
Fresh chicken tenders taken from the breast, skewered, grilled, and served with Yukon golden-honey mustard, and hickory barbeque sauces. 7
Saskatoon Spicy Shrimp
Plump shrimp skewered, grilled and served with Cajun rémoulade sauce. 9
Spinach Bacon Dip
Creamy Swiss and Monterey Jack cheeses laced with spinach & crisp bacon. Taste the outdoors! 9
House Salad
Served with your choice of Caesar, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Creamy Garlic Ranch, or Honey Mustard. 4
HOME GROW N We provide optimal freshness and taste in a superior culinary experience by supporting local farms, cultivating relationships with hardworking business owners and growers experienced in best practices of sustainability in working with the region’s unique soil and climate conditions. We also support local hand-crafted beer brewers and winemakers who put their heart and soul into their products. SO RELAX, ENJOY AND LET US TAKE
Try our exclusive collaboration with local brewery Thomas Creek! Saskatoon Lodge Fireside Brown Ale has a deep leather hue with notes of roasted
caramel and molasses. This beer has a perfect balance of hop bitterness that finishes with a piney citrus flavor and aroma.
YOU TO A FARAWAY MOUNTAIN LODGE… A PLACE PRESERVED IN TIME AND AN EXPERIENCE YOU’LL TREASURE FOR LIFE.
C AL L AH EAD SEAT I N G
864.297.7244 16
T H E S A S K ATO O N LO D G E M E N U
ENTRÉES Your dinner includes fresh vegetables and your choice of our farmhouse-special potatoes (Our signature Northwest skin-on garlic mashed potatoes, jumbo baker or golden wedges).
WILD GAME
L O D G E
S P E C I A L T I E S
Elk Tenderloin
Eight-ounce portion with grilled portabellas and our signature ginger demi-glace. 30
Antelope
TA M E G A M E
B E E F
Cracked pepper, sea salt, hickory-grilled twelve-ounce cut, finished with parmesan peppercorn butter. A lodge specialty! 32
Filet Mignon
Buffalo Flank Steak
Sirloin Steak
Our nine-ounce cut is hand-selected, aged, trimmed and grilled. A wonderful cut of beef! 34 Ten-ounce cut, seasoned with our special Northwest blend of herbs, then hickory grilled. 21
Saskatoon’s Mixed Grill
Chef ’s choice! A selection of three wild game cuts with a wild mushroom cream. Ask your server for today’s selection. 26
FISH & SEAFOOD
F R E S H
&
S A L T
W A T E R
Cedar Plank Salmon
Oven roasted on cedar aromatic slats, then finished with citrus chardonnay cream. 20
THE BIRDS
C H I C K E N
&
D U C K
Remington Roasted Duck
Herbed, oven-roasted half duck finished with a l’Orange. A truly unique flavor! 23
Campfire Chicken
A Saskatoon favorite! Hickory grilled, herbed, double breast finished with a tarragon cream sauce and pecans. 16
PORK
Pecan Crusted Salmon
Lightly seasoned, then brushed with Dijon mustard and honey, crusted with Georgia pecans and oven roasted. 20
S T E A K S
Ribeye Steak
Eight-ounce free range and field harvested from Texas, grilled over live hickory. Very lean and high in protein. 35 Hickory grilled with caramelized onions and house-made hickory barbeque. Tender and flavorful. 24
&
T E N D E R L O I N S
Pork Tenderloin
Citrus Shrimp & Scallop Skewers
Pan-seared, oven-roasted medallions prepared with a mustard-herb bread crumb crust and a white wine Dijon cream sauce. A Lodge tradition! 19
Sizzlin’ Rainbow Trout
NOTE: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
Hickory grilled and served with garlic cream and rémoulade sauces. 20 Fresh from the cold, clear, Idaho waters and grilled for a light smoky flavor, served sizzlin’ in the pan with your choice of wild plum or lemon pepper seasonings and garnished with a large shrimp. 19
Fresh From The Stream
After your meal, be sure to ask your server for a Dessert Menu!
Ask your server for today’s selection. Market Price
HAVE AN U P C O M I N G EVEN T ? Our new event center is now available for company get-togethers, family gatherings, and everything in between. Be sure to ask your server for more information. 17
681 Halton Road Greenville, SC 29607
S A S K AT O O N R E S T A U R A N T. C O M