Baba's Bistro is the newest addition to the Estevan restaurant scene, and owner Deedee Chomyk says they have something unique to offer the community.
"Everything is homemade. Even our barbecue sauce. We make our own barbecue sauce. It's right from scratch. We've got that sauce on our whiskey ribs. All our soups are made from scratch - I don't mean out of a box. If we have turkey soup it's from the turkey," said Chomyk.
The Bistro, which is located at 1210 7th street, features everything from perogies and cabbage rolls to a variety of desserts - all made in store. Chomyk pointed out that while she personally enjoys the occasional french fry, she has to go elsewhere to get them as her Bistro has no deep fryer, and no deep-fried foods.
"If you have something good to offer, I think people find you. And we're in a small enough place and they're finding us," she said.
Chomyk, who lived in Prince Albert for 30 years before moving to Estevan, grew up making and eating the Ukrainian dishes being served at Baba's Bistro. She cites her love of cooking as the reason for opening the restaurant.
"I really like cooking, I love cooking. I was always having 20-30 people over so I could make big meals. If you're making cabbage rolls, you want to make hundreds of them, right? So for years and year, I thought it would be nice to have something with real, homemade food," she said.
Since opening in June, Baba's Bistro has received a warm welcome from the Estevan community. So far, the favourites among customers have been the rigger's feast meal and the creme brulee.
"(Estevan has been) awesome, awesome. The feedback makes it worthwhile being tired. People have been wonderful," Chomyk said.
The homecooked food isn't the only feature unique to Baba's Bistro; the decor, too, sets the restaurant apart. In addition to the expected tables and booths of a restaurant, the Bistro boasts a wall inlaid with logs that Chomyk brought with her when she moved to Estevan.
"Literally we cut them down. That was going to be next year's firewood. I don't know if I'm ever going to get back up north again, so I brought them with me," she said. "It was just a lot of fun, we had a blast putting it together."
Thus far, Chomyk said she has enjoyed interacting with the customers who come into the restaurant, as well as working with the Bistro's staff.
"I lucked out with staff. I have such wonderful people here, really, I'm so lucky. We have a lot of fun, we goof off a lot and they work hard."
