Isaac’s Way – Perceptions and Reflections of a Food Artist
by John Murray
I have been working at Isaac’s Way Restaurant for the better part of four years now, and with it has come a wide range of new and different experiences. These experiences range from learning new cooking techniques, to trying new foods and different ways of fostering and facilitating the dining experience for the customer.
All of these learning experiences have broadened my perspective of what it means to be a cook. I have also learned the different ways that a restaurant can view itself and its relationship with its customers. As I’m sure we all know, each restaurant creates its own identity. This is an ongoing process which includes the menu, the décor, the music, the training and instruction given to the staff, not to mention countless other details that are taken into account and laboured on by the staff and owners, details that may get overlooked on the surface but factor greatly to the overall atmosphere and experience of the diners.
John Murray is a cook at Isaac's Way
None of these things happen by accident and are all taken into account by anyone about to open a restaurant or anyone looking to build on a long established restaurant reputation. They also factor greatly for the patrons when choosing an ideal dining destination. So inevitably the question continues to come up when I tell people where I work is… “What kind of restaurant is Isaac’s Way?” or “What does Isaac’s Way have to offer?” Most people that I talk to about this have visited at least a few times and enjoy telling me what it is that they like about Isaac’s Way (with the occasional suggestion on how to improve things), unless of course they have never been there and they just want to know “what kind of restaurant” we are.
This is a relatively simple question and one I feel that I can answer, however not with the simplicity of a one word answer that some of my previous places of employment have allowed (for example Pub, Cafeteria or Mexican). The thing that makes Isaac’s Way an interesting and exciting place to work is the same thing that makes it an interesting and exciting place to visit – it offers an ever changing array of experiences, and it has a broad range of things to offer a wide range of tastes.
You can swing by for a quick lunch on your way back to work and grab one of your ol’ favourite burgers or salads, or try one of our ever changing Red Plate Lunch Specials. Maybe you are looking for a place to bring a date or entertain your visiting family members in the evening and want to enjoy a nice stuffed chicken breast or pasta dish with a great bottle of wine to compliment the food. Then again maybe you are planning a children’s party and are looking for a corresponding menu and private dining room for games. Whether you are looking to have fun with friends and have a few drinks at the bar (staked with local features, foreign and domestic beer and wine, or a wide range of specialty cocktails), or looking for somewhere to host a private and important business meeting, Isaac’s Way is capable of meeting all of these needs and wants.
All of this, along with ever changing and always creative dinner features, ongoing menu updates, contest draws and give-aways (bikes, canoes, SCOOTERS), not to mention working with community charities, Green Matters, and our continuous local art action, all of this makes our restaurant a unique one indeed.
So when people ask me what kind of restaurant is Isaac’s Way, the answer is not a simple one, but it is a good one… that Isaac’s Way is a diverse community-based place with something different for everybody at any given time, a place with quality food and even better staff (HaHa)!
Isaac’s Way is a place where a person can enjoy the fundamental sensory experience of eating coupled with the lofty aesthetic experience to stimulate your higher brain functions. I see OUR restaurant as a place where the owners, staff and customers co-create the experience that we are looking for in a restaurant. So, that being said, I guess I would just have to say that it is a great restaurant and I think you all are just going to have to come and see for yourselves what is going on at Isaac’s Way today.
