Shane McCartney has something no one else in Hamilton has: a 15-foot salad bar.
Shane McCartney and his 15-foot salad bar.
The four-and-a-half metre salad bar offers more than 70 items, including organic and local foods.
McCartney & Son Salad Emporium at 282 James Street North opened on Tuesday and McCartney, the chef, has been rocking ever since.
“In my eyes there isn’t a proper salad bar here because it’s always a secondary thing and isn’t featured (in a restaurant),” he said when asked about opening the restaurant in Hamilton.“I think there w as a huge void in Hamilton for something fresh, quick, easy and from scratch.”
The salad bar features organic and local produce, and a lot of healthy options such as quinoa, edamame and kale, he said.
Dressings for salads and the soups are also made from scratch. The bread comes fresh from the Dundurn Street bakery Cake and Loaf, McCartney added.
McCartney’s restaurant is on James North just south of Barton in an area where he has lived for the past eight years.
“I’ve been doing this for about 10 years and it’s something I learned on the job – I didn’t have any schooling,” he explained. “I sort of fell into it and found that I had a passion and palate for it.”
Over the years, McCartney has worked in various cities such as Halifax and Toronto, where he fed many high profile stars. He was the head chef for Jack & Lois, a restaurant on James North, for the past year, and continues to act as their food consultant.
In addition to the bricks and mortar restaurant, he offers full service catering from fine dining weddings and deli platters, to a mobile salad bar.
The salad bar is open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will be closed on Sunday’s.
There will be a grand opening in a couple of weeks.
Originally posted in Your Hamilton Biz.
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