St. Albertans have another option for eggs, bacon, and a whole host of other dishes as TuttiFrutti opened a new location in St. Albert on April 17.
Not to be confused with the frozen yogurt restaurant, this TuttiFrutti serves up a variety of different dishes, from breakfast staples like eggs Benedict and fresh fruit, to more elaborate lunch dishes like chicken quesadillas and poutine.
TuttiFrutti started in Montréal some 25 years ago, before expanding. Sam Ammar, TuttiFrutti's brand manager, said that when bringing the franchise to Alberta eight years ago, they wanted to offer breakfast dishes that weren't necessarily your standard bacon and eggs.
"It was really bringing some artistry and creativity to breakfast and putting a new spin on it," Ammar said. The restaurant offers new dishes for different "seasons" Ammar said.
The St. Albert location's owners, Shilpa Meston and Ashi Parmar, have known each other for eight years. They've always talked about opening a business together, and figured opening a community restaurant was the perfect opportunity.
"I like breakfast, personally. It's my favourite meal of the day," Meston said. It may just be St. Albert's too, as the Eggs Benedict is the restaurant's most popular dish, as it is for the other locations across Canada, according to Ammar.
They said the location was ideal to serve a demographic that is maybe looking for somewhere to sit, but not a diner. The brand being based in Montréal also made them feel like it would be a good choice for their venture. She added that the tight-knit community of St. Albert is what attracted them to the location.
"I firmly believe it takes a community for a business to be a success," she said.
"The values of the people of St. Albert, being local, eating healthy, and living an active lifestyle. I thought [TuttiFrutti] represents that," Ammar said. Having recently moved to Sturgeon County, he saw a demand for good food establishments with a local connection. He added that the response from the community since they opened on April 17 has been good.
Ammar said that despite some of the challenges with Alberta's weather, they strive to source their food and ingredients locally through Alberta, B.C. and the rest of Canada.
TuttiFrutti is located at 10 McKenney Ave. Diners looking for breakfast and lunch can stop by Monday and Tuesday between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. From Wednesday to Sunday, they are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
