When they open a new restaurant, the owners hope people stay, enjoy their time, and come back.
But not the people behind Kalamansi, a new restaurant in The District downtown on Bernard Avenue.
Chef and co-owner Alex Lavroff said they brought the idea for Kalamansi to investors in the middle of the pandemic as many restaurants and eateries struggled to stay afloat.
While it was a daunting task, Lavroff said he felt driven to move on with his vision.
“I was very excited about the fact that I knew restaurants would not be the same for a long time,” he said.
“I just wanted to try to do something that would match the changes, maybe something before the curve.”
Instead of opening a traditional sit-down restaurant with a dine-in experience, he instead wanted to open a healthy take-away counter to keep evolving within the industry while filling a gap in food choices.
Lavroff said her goal is to offer a healthy fast food option that serves fresh food at around the same time you need to get a burger from a fast food chain.
“I often find that I go out and eat and afterwards I just feel full and sick,” he said.
“We always try to think about it, our main thing is how do you feel after eating? Our whole focus is on giving you that boost for the rest of the day. “
The restaurant takes its name from a Southeast Asian citrus fruit most commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lavroff said kalamansi is one of his favorite fruits that he incorporates into his cuisine because of its fresh, citrus flavor.
“I’ve studied citrus for years and it’s starting to define my cuisine.”
“Here at Kalamansi we like to play with acidity and citrus fruits to combine our flavors instead of heavy sauces.”
Lavroff said that since they opened a week ago it has been difficult to say how they will perform in the near future – especially given new health care contracts in the provinces that put a greater strain on the service industry.
“We keep our fingers crossed, we have set ourselves the goal of being successful through the pandemic, especially if further standstills occur.”
Going forward, it’s a little early to say what’s next for the Kalamansi team, but Lavroff said they plan to open other locations in hopes of giving new meaning to Kelowna’s fast food chain landscape to lend.
To learn more about Kalamansi, visit their website.
READ: Central Okanagan restaurant owners are frustrated after indoor dining is banned
Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
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