By Vivian Collings

Local new owners of what was formerly the Kinmount Grill hope to share their lifelong love of the area by providing delicious food to residents and visitors.

The Hancocks purchased the building at 4027-4049 County Road 121 back in March. They appropriately renamed it the Edgewater Grill for being situated next to the banks of the Burnt River in Kinmount.

“I am looking forward to the entire process of running a new business. The opportunity for all of us to be together and work together will be a really nice change,” said Edgewater Grill owner, Donna Hancock.

While creating an establishment for themselves, they also hope to offer an additional dining option in the Kinmount/Irondale/Gooderham area. 

Jeremy, Donna’s son, said, “There aren’t a lot of places to eat around here, for both locals and people cottaging or coming to visit. We hope to fill that gap.”

Although this is the family’s first time operating a restaurant, they will have no shortage of exceptional food with the help of experienced family members. Devin, Donna’s daughter, said she loves cooking and is excited to work in the kitchen.

Jeremy said, “It’s pretty exciting creating your own recipes. It’s like an art form where you can come up with your own ideas and put a unique spin on them and then see what’s popular with customers. One thing I’m excited to make are cheesecake chimichangas, which are deep-fried cheesecake sticks served with strawberry jam.”

Along with exciting specials, Edgewater Grill will still offer familiar food like burgers and fries. The family hopes to keep adding new items to the menu each week as they get acquainted with the workings of a restaurant.

After living in Whitby for a few decades, the Hancock family decided to move back to Irondale in 2021, the place where they have fond memories of spending summer weekends with relatives.

“My husband has always wanted to come back (to the area) because we were raised in Irondale, and we figured that it was getting close to retirement for us. My husband will spend the last five years of his career working from home and travelling when needed, and this way, we get to try something new for all of us,” Donna said.

If everything goes according to plan, the Edgewater Grill will be open by Monday, May 16, just in time for the long weekend. The restaurant will be open for three meals a day, seven days a week.

“We’ve been completely renovating the entire inside of the restaurant ever since the weather got a little warmer. We have new cupboards, new paint, and more. It has slowed down the opening, but we wanted to make sure everything was exactly how we wanted it before we welcome customers,” said Donna.

The restaurant is take-out only with the option to eat at their picnic tables outside. The family is hoping to be able to operate the restaurant long into the future.

“We are mostly thinking about the kids when we decided to open up the restaurant. We wanted to start something that they would be able to eventually take over and run themselves,” Donna said. 

Edgewater Grill will soon be on social media platforms, and any updates can be found at www.edgewatergrill.ca.