4 days ago
Patricia Street Deli aiming to open Edmonton restaurant in September
If all goes well, Patricia Street Deli could be opening its doors in September.
The family business was a staple in the town of Jasper before it was struck by wildfire last July.
'We left our life in Jasper and we're starting out new here, and so that whole experience hasn't been easy, like transitioning from a small mountain town to the city,' owner Wendy Leitch said.
Wendy and her husband, Glen, started the restaurant 21 years ago. Since then, they've built a loyal customer base of both locals and tourists.
'The relationship we built over 20 years ago, they've stayed with us,' Glen said. 'The people are waiting patiently for us to open. There's so many fond memories that we can't even count.'
The deli suffered severe damage last summer and couldn't reopen.
'There was nowhere to rebuild in Jasper at the time,' Wendy said. 'So we just started looking at Edmonton. We need to get open.'
Wendy and Glen Leitch
Wendy and Glen Leitch at the new Patricia Street Deli location in Edmonton. (Marek Tkach/CTV News Edmonton)
But that hasn't happened yet. Their new location behind MacEwan University has been empty for weeks awaiting a construction permit.
'Once the engineers got in here and did what they needed to do, they realized that there wasn't enough power to run all of our equipment,' Wendy said. 'That has to be resolved before the city can issue a permit.'
They hope to be serving sandwiches again in September, and they're looking forward to seeing new and familiar faces, four hours west of where it all started.
