by PAUL RAYNER

After pursuing life out west, Donnie Sims is happy to be able to come back to his home province and an area he is familiar with.

The chef at the Silver Saddle Grill in Minto has been with the restaurant since the beginning of the fall. He said he found out about the job on the Internet, and applied for several reasons.

“I applied here because it was something different,” Sims stated. “I had been cooking out west, and the community was nice and small and I have family out here.”

Sims originates from Swan Lake and went to school in Pilot Mound. For a few years in the late 1970’s- early 1980’s, he lived in Boissevain, saying he remembers playing hockey here as well. He said he became interested in cooking at a young age.

“I have been cooking since I was 15, a good 22 years. I always enjoyed it. I had a couple of brothers who were cooks too. I used to do it after school.”

In 1994, he moved to Alberta. During his years there, he worked for one company – Luigi’s Pizza and Steakhouse – in two locations. He was second cook in Pincher Creek, and head chef in Brooks. Also during that time he took the 3-year Culinary Arts program in Lethbridge College, finishing in 1998.

“I had started working out there a couple of years before,” he explained. “I took the course to get the background.”

He said his specialty is seafood, but he has not as of yet had the chance to indulge in it too much at the Silver Saddle.

“I’m still trying to find out what people want. Prime rib and steak are pretty popular. We do pretty much everything here.”

He said the business has been solid if a little up and down since he came, but that is to be expected in the restaurant business. Staffing has often been a concern at the Silver Saddle, but Sims said the situation is not bad at present, with another part time cook on the weekends. Still, more staffing could play a role in opening the restaurant on Monday and Tuesday, where it is presently closed.

“It would be nice to get it open then,” Sims stated, “but we’ll have to wait and see.”

As it is, there are several special evenings at the eatery – Thursday is pasta night, Friday is prime rib night and Saturday is steak night. On Valentine’s Day, they are planning a choice between steak and smothered chicken.

A lot of young people from Manitoba make the trip out to Alberta for the opportunities, but many come back after a while. In part, it is due to the higher cost of living in the western province, which was part of Sims reasoning.

“I was out there 13, 14 years,” Sims stated. “I wanted to be closer to my family, my mother still lives in Pilot Mound. But it was also getting too pricey. I experienced that. It is also a little rougher out there. You have to watch who you hang out with.”

“Things have been going well out here. People are really nice. They treat you with respect and open arms. Usually people in small towns are friendly.”

Sims lives in Minto, and although cannot completely predict his future, says he has no plans to leave the community or the Silver Saddle Grill.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be here for a while. We’ll see how things go, but I’m not planning to go anywhere.”