It’s always nice to tell you about new businesses opening up in town, especially during this time where we’re seeing so many big and little store closures.
Let me introduce you to owner and operator Randy Rivera, who some of you might already know – or at least recognize as the winner of the 2013 “Giving you the Business,” Food Network Canada’s reality show.
Well, he and his team at the new Firecrust Custom Salads & Pizzas held their grand opening celebration yesterday (Friday).
Rivera described the opening of Langley’s newest restaurant as a life-long dream come true for him.
“After working in the restaurant business for many years, it has been a vision of mine to open up my own restaurant,” Rivera said.
“That time is finally here and my whole family is so excited to welcome the Langley community. We have amazing pizzas and salads at Firecrust and we can’t wait for you to try it,” he added.
Langley becomes the fourth of Firecrust franchise location, opening in the Rio Can Langley Power Centre, near the Olive Garden, Montanas, and Nando’s.
Founded in 2015, Firecrust has restaurants in Lloydminster and Grande Prairie, Alta., as well as one in downtown Vancouver. Now, there’s one in Langley with more scheduled openings in 2018.
Firecrust prides itself not only on its authentic Neapolitan pizzas, served on a hand tossed crust and baked in a wood burning oven at 900 degrees but also on its fresh, custom made salads, Rivera explained.
“Customers are invited to build their meal with over 30 premium ingredients, or let us build it with a full menu of delicious chef-created dishes.”
Looking for healthy lifestyle or other mouth-watering options? This might be worth checking out, especially if you’re hunting for gluten-free alternatives.
The restaurant is located #40- 20160 Langley Bypass. Let me know what you think.
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Charity auction on tap
John Pybus and his team at Murrayville Town Pub are once again gearing up for the 23rd annual charity Christmas Auction on Thursday, Nov. 30, starting at 7 p.m.
Through the years, this event has raised more than half a million dollars for local charities.
And this time out, the auction is raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Langley.
“This charity, who receives no direct government funding, relies heavily on community support and is highly recognized for all their contributions back to the community,” said Pybus.
He pointed to the charity and its work, and said Bigs have connected 420 at-risk youth in Langley with mentors in 2016 alone, and he quotes a parent of one of the little brothers: “Whenever my son makes decisions about things in his life, he will think in the back of his mind ‘what would my Big Brother do?’ His Big Brother has been a big influence in his life.”
It’s comments like that that continue to motivate Pybus to organize this event, and he’s once again expecting a packed house.
“Come out early to secure a table, view the auction items, have some fun, and buy your Christmas presents early,” he said.
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Save-On boss lauded
Also on the food front in Langley, there was an honour bestowed upon the head of the Save-On-Foods empire.
Darrell Jones, president of the Western Canada’s largest grocery chain – the grocery conglomerate with its head office in North Langley – was named given a prestigious lifetime achievement award by the a national grocery industry.
Jones, who became president of Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group in 2012, was given the Golden Pencil award recently in Toronto.
The award itself is presented by the Food Industry Association of Canada and was founded in 1957. The ‘golden pencil’ is a symbol of the partnership between supplier and retailer that forms the foundation of the grocery business.
Under his leadership, the company has embarked on a path of growth, expanding into new markets in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon, and establishing one of the first online shopping pickup and home delivery programs in Western Canada.
“This award is truly a testament to the people who work at Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group,” said Jones, the fourth president of Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group to accept this award.
“It’s humbling to accept it on behalf of our 18,000 team members, because it’s their passion, dedication and commitment to this company that have inspired me to dedicate my career to making our company the best place to work and shop from B.C. to Manitoba.”
Earlier this fall, the South Surrey business leader was recognized locally when he was given an honorary degree to Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
READ: more about Jones’ recent degree
