Elk Valley residents will now have a new choice in dining options with the opening of Sparwood's Coal Miners Diner. Unique in many ways, the Coal Miners Diner is recognized for its in-house smoked meats and all from scratch home cooked meals.
Owners Seann Harper and chef Kawna Cameron, originally from Saskatchewan, had established a well-known catering business in Calgary. Although the catering was going well, the two of them had dreams of opening a ‘mom and pop’ restaurant. They searched many areas and different locations and decided to plant their roots in Sparwood.
"We looked around at many different locations and decided on Sparwood. The community is beautiful, the people were really friendly and we found this location. This restaurant was really run into the ground and needed a lot of work, but we put in the time, changed things up and revamped it all," said Cameron.
The theme of the restaurant's decor is really a mirror image of their meals. "We wanted to give it a just-like-home feel, all the photos are old local mining pictures and the antiques are really representative of the area as well. It is classic, yet comfortable and inviting," said Harper. "We created a corner of the room with cozy big backed chairs and a fireplace, for people that just want to come sit, have a coffee and take a load off," he said.
The Coal Miners Diner showcases many specialty menu items. All of the smoked beef is made from 100 per cent Angus beef, the hamburger meat is purchased from across the street at local butchers Rocky Mountain Meats and every single menu item, including the bread, buns and gravy is made from scratch. "Our pulled pork and smoked chicken are phenomenal. We take the time to really do everything properly the way it should be done," said Cameron. "We just really want to provide a good service and good food. I think it is a good service to bring good food to the area. I also wanted to ensure we had really reasonable prices, which I think we have accomplished," said Cameron. "All the prices on the menu include HST," she said.
The Coal Miners Diner's winter hours will be from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. A lunch buffet will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a beef buffet featuring the classic smoked beef and a huge array of other buffet options will take place on Friday evenings from 5p.m. to 8 p.m.
"We would like to sincerely thank the residents of Sparwood for welcoming us into the community and we extend the invitation to everyone to come on down and check us out," they said.
The Coal Miners Diner is located at 104 Centennial Square, Sparwood. Catering is also available for all types of special occasions and features smoked beef and whole smoked pig. For more information call 250-425-2625.