The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
The perfect combination
Meet the folks behind Cape Breton's beloved Neighbourhood Diner
The wacky and wonderful flavour combinations offered at both The Mermaid Food Truck and Selkie’s Neighborhood Diner in Cape Breton, N.S., aren’t the result of hours spent at the drawing board.
Believe it or not, as owners Kara Lackie and Cory Blundon explain, they just sort of happened.
And whatever makes them happen is keeping customers coming back for more. Whether it’s fresh mashups like the Mermaid’s watermelon, pop rocks, and hot sauce, or classics like Selkie’s eggs benny, Lackie and Blundon have something to please everyone’s taste buds.
Lackie and Blundon currently live in Gabarus with their dog Sweetpea and an ever-growing army of houseplants and frying pans, but the story of this couple’s food journey wasn’t always set on the little island they call home. After meeting in high school, the pair moved to Toronto, followed by the rainforests of New Zealand, where Lackie and Blundon spent countless hours with the crew of the famous food truck, The White Lady, eating burgers and learning that no matter where you are, as long as there’s love and good food, any place can become sacred and special.
After three years in New Zealand, Lackie and Blundon returned to Canada, putting down roots at the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland. There, the couple learned how to forage, how to turn local ingredients into elegant desserts, and perhaps most importantly, how to depend on their friends and neighbours in times of need.
“It was there that we saw how important community support is when living on a small island,” says Lackie.
“Chefs didn’t view each other as competition, but instead created a community to lean on each other and make it through together.”
Lackie and Blundon decided to take this inspiration home and apply it to their own community. So, the couple hopped on a ferry and made their way back to Cape Breton.
It was then that the Mermaid Food Truck was born. Lackie and Blundon had two goals: spend time working together and serve the highest quality food possible for the fairest price.
The community quickly fell in love with the Mermaid, and Lackie and Blundon expanded, opening Selkie’s Neighborhood Diner.
Lackie, a child who used to mix the bubble-gum and butter popcorn jelly beans in her mouth, has always been obsessed with strange combinations. She turns to her cupboard (now full of Cape Breton flavours) for inspiration, combining what she has on hand to create perfectly balanced dishes.
When Selkie’s opening dish of fiddlehead flammkuchen and African peanut soup took off with the locals, that’s when Lackie knew she had earned the community’s trust. Now, Lackie and Blundon stay busy between the two businesses, letting the customers dictate much of the menu by sharing their thoughts and suggestions.
“We want them to feel like they have just eaten at their parents’, grandparents’ or friend’s house,” says Blundon. “That they feel loved and comfortable and welcome to come back any time.”
As the weather cools off, the pair are turning their minds and tummies to comfort food, but the underlying passion behind their food remains throughout all seasons, it’s all about community.
“I read once that you can tell the health of a community by its food culture,” says Lackie. By how passionate people are for their restaurants, their church hall suppers, their family dinners and their potlucks. If that’s true, Cape Breton is an incredibly strong and healthy community.”