Employees from an electric company get charged before work at where Foothills residents voted the best place for breakfast.
“We are here every Friday morning for sure and sporadically throughout the week,” Brent Ballash of Bold Electric said while finishing off his Basic Breakfast at Sweetgrass Deli and Eatery on Sept. 10. “We love the owners and we love the food.”
The definition of basic at Sweetgrass Deli and Eatery is anything but typical.
The basic consists of two eggs served with hash browns and choice of ham, bacon, homemade sausage or links and two pancakes or two wedges of french toast. There is also a generous portion of fruit.
“Really good food and huge portions,” Ballash said. “The service is great – always friendly and attentive. The food comes out hot and fast, plus there’s real fruit — we crush real fruit."
Meanwhile his coworkers, Cole Chapman and Nick Timons, typically load up on a three-egg benny and a triple egg omelette, respectively.
It all starts with a fresh start.
“The key is do everything fresh – it is all made to order, nothing is pre-made,” said Sweetgrass chef and co-owner Roland Griesser. “And trying to do it 100 per cent every time.”
The food is as local as possible. The hashbrown potatoes and the eggs come from a nearby Hutterite colony.
Providing the best breakfast in the Foothills means no skimping.
“Nobody should ever leave hungry,” Griesser said. “If we didn’t have the generous portion size, it wouldn’t be the same anymore.”
He gets in at 6:30 a.m. for an 8 a.m. opening. He cuts the boiled potatoes so they are ready to be cooked when ordered by the customers.
The fruit slices are pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, oranges and if possible, cherries.
As for the most important part of breakfast — coffee —the brand is Jitterbug from Rebel Bean, right next door to Sweetgrass.
Large portions are great, but if doesn’t get to the customer quickly, who cares?
“I have great staff right now – they are awesome,” Griesser said.
Brad Schell has been coming to Sweetgrass for the past few years.
“I just happened to wander in here one day and I have been coming ever since,” Schell said. “I typically have bacon and eggs and it comes with fruit, toast.”
It also comes with a secret ingredient by request.
“They have homemade jam and marmalade but you have got to ask for it,” Schell said. “The entire service is friendly... it’s the best breakfast in Okotoks.”
