SaltWire E-Edition

A shore thing

Snack on sun, fun and fresh-cut fries at Clare foodboat Snacks on Shore

SARA ERICSSON THE SOUTHWEST WIRE Sara.Ericsson@saltwire.com

Have you ever heard of a food boat? It’s like a food truck, except it’s a landed yacht that sits ashore on Mavillette Beach in Clare, about 25 minutes from Yarmouth.

Doreen Wilson is the proud owner of Snacks on Shore, where she delights in feeding visitors mostly from Nova Scotia, a province that could be looking at a staycation summer due to the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions.

But a staycation is exactly what Wilson’s food boat eatery faced when it opened in August 2020 to a smashing success. It has found its place with locals and visitors alike, just as Wilson has found her home.

“You know that feeling where you know it’s home? That was the feeling I got when I came here,” she says.

TESTING THE WATERS

Owning a food business is nothing new for Wilson, who lived in Belize for five years and operated a waterfront bakery on a pier in Punta Gorda.

Wilson says she’d often wondered about having a floating restaurant docked at the pier, where visitors could enjoy the experience of being on the water while dining beside the shore.

“The concept has been in my head since 2010,” she laughs.

Wilson returned to Nova Scotia and moved from Halifax to Digby and then to Weymouth, veering even further down the coast to Clare and soon buying the Mavillette Beach boat.

The purchase was a homecoming for Wilson, who’d grown up in Ontario but whose grandmother was born in Digby and grandfather in Halifax.

Wilson says she soon rolled up her sleeves and got to work on turning the boat into a self-sufficient eatery. She finished her renovations in July 2020, opening up for business one month later in August.

Almost immediately, Wilson began getting visitors. Testing the waters soon became a full opening, with locals and staycation visitors alike coming to Snacks on Shore.

“When people come up, their first impression is wow, what a cool idea, who would’ve thought to do this? People have told me this was the busiest summer for that beach in the time they have been around here.”

SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD

This year’s official opening is set for the May long weekend, with Wilson opening the eatery every weekend until then.

“The regulars we accumulated in (2020) are already showing up and talking about how excited they are,” she says.

Wilson will serve a fullfledged menu of homemade items like gluten-free freshcut fries, tacos, gourmet hot dogs and double-patty burgers,

with vegetarian options that ensure as many dietary restrictions as possible are accommodated.

The menu items are fresh, made to order and delicious, according to Wilson, who says she’s very excited about adding fish and chips to her offerings, which she worked on perfecting over the winter.

“My neighbours have been my taste testers. I gave them a taste in the fall and they really loved one batter in particular,” she says.

Wilson says that Snacks on Shore’s location and her hospitality make it a warm and inviting place for people to check out. She says there’s one ingredient in particular that keeps bringing people back — love.

“It’s my magic ingredient

— I put love into everything I do,” she says.

For more information on Snacks on Shore, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/snacksonshore/.

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2021-05-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

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