SASKATOON -- Talayah’s Southern Grill opened in February only to quickly be shut down due to COVID-19.
However, the Saskatoon restaurant has grown and received tons of community support since it reopened in July.
“We opened at a funny time,” owner Michael Page said. “When COVID hit, me and my wife were like, ‘oh my goodness what are we going to do.’”
They started with takeout and delivery, but then reopened their dining room to 50 per cent capacity.
Page said the restaurant was busy over the summer and he was able to meet and form connections with his customers.
“Without all the local support, our doors wouldn’t be open today,” he said.
He and his brother and sous-chef Roberto Pooyak feel that COVID-19 helped their business.
"It helped us build other ways and other measures to serve food and also helped us get to where we need to be in this whole process,” said Pooyak.
With the community support and Page’s passion for his food, Talayah’s Southern Grill is keeping Page’s family's legacy and his daughter’s memory alive.
Talayah Page died of cancer in 2018 at the age of five months. The restaurant is named after her.
“Soul food means from the heart, from the soul. We make our food, its real, it’s from us,” said Page.
