Foodie Alert: Lennoxville Lidstone Catering

Foodie

alert!

Lennoxville is now home to a brand new reception hall and home-base for some of the most clever, personalized dishes around, where people can eat-in or take-out. Billy Lidstone, who grew up in the area, has taken expertise garnered from cooking experiences and expertise across the country, from Whistler, B.C. to Nova Scotia and brought to Townshippers' tables with his new pied-àterre, Traiteur Lidstone Catering.

'I was in my late teens when I began thinking about what kind of business I would like to operate,' Lidstone recalls, 'I always wanted to open my own establishment. My first job in the restaurant business was washing dishes at Jerry's Pizzeria when I was seventeen!' He chuckles. Billy laughs easily. He has a true passion for the food service industry. It is the medium of sharing that has adjusted over time, beginning with a bartending course when he was eighteen years of age, that led to a year of studying Hotel Management at Montreal's Lasalle College.

'I think that's when I really realized that I loved cooking.' Lidstone shares.

Traveling through his twenties across the country, bartending and in the kitchen in a variety of eateries, he later returned to the Lennoxville area, and began a nine-year career with the SAQ, where he was a trained sommelier.

In 2014, Lidstone launched a catering service. He cites the encouragement of his wife, Cynthia Kerr, as the fuel that gave his talent structure. Her vision and ideas brought Billy's skills together in a marketable way that he could build on. Working from home or in rental kitchens with three small children became a challenge however, and the couple began brainstorming new ways of helping the small business to flourish. The obvious answer was location, location, location.

This Fall saw the catering service find ground, specifically the ground at number 7 - 3004 College, just behind the Lennoxville Library, conveniently just up from the intersection of College and Queen streets.

The space incorporates take-out services, with regular menu updates, personalized menu services, or customers may choose to eat-in on site, as well as a reception hall ready for the busy holiday season, accommodating up to forty guests.

On last week's menu, Lidstone featured homemade tourtière, zesty stirfry chicken rice, turkey veg soup, roast pork with apple, leek and caramelized onions (gluten-free), cheesy veg lasagna, and in the gluten-free, vegan variety, Pujabi lentil dahl with rice and garlic naan bread (gluten-free and vegan), butternut, carrot and ginger soup. Folks, I truly hope that list got your attention. I don't want to be the only one who is suddenly hungry.

Lidstone credits his sous-chef, Colombian-born Carlos Zambrano, with being an inspiration in widening the plantbased items on the menu. Zambrano's passion for a vegan diet has brought a whole new palette to play with, and with it, a whole client-base to cater to. Pun intended.

Lidstone is listening. 'I love working with personalized menus. I want to know what customers like, and what they would like to have. With that in mind I can create a whole series of menu options for them.'

There's something truly remarkable about that kind of attention. In a world where so many folks are eating on the fly, Traiteur Lidstone Catering offers meal portions in a variety of sizes, from personal plates to platters, depending on the clients' needs. This business is successfully conceiving of healthy comfort food that looks amazing too!

There is also the option of a brunch service for reservations of ten people and more.

With regards to the reception service, within three weeks Lidstone can work out the liquor license request should clients require one, in order for them to bring their own beverages, and by Spring the full license will be on site itself, as the process can be somewhat lengthy.

First there was the sommelier training and career, the catering business (that continues on in this new location), and now a space of his own - I asked Billy Lidstone what comes next?

Clearly, keeping up with the current plan is on deck. However, a five-year plan involves a goal of full-on event planning. As a musician himself, his connections within the local entertainment community, and abundant contacts in other spheres means that those looking to get an event off of the ground could treat themselves to a one-stop-shop.

Traiteur Lidstone Catering is located at number 7 - 3004 College, Lennoxville, and is open from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and can be reached at 1 (819) 446-7021.