Rocky Mountain Flatbread will close Kits outlet
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co, has announced that it is closing its original Vancouver location, at 1876 West 1st Avenue. In a May 20 open letter, co-owners Suzanne and Dominic Fielden said the Kitsilano closure will not affect any of its other operations, including its restaurant at 4186 Main Street in Vancouver.
The pizza, pasta, salad, and soup restaurant also has two Alberta restaurants, in Calgary and Canmore (its first, in 2003). The Kitsilano shuttering, after 16 years, will take place on May 29, according to the letter. The notice did not give a specific reason for closing the doors for good on West 1st Avenue, but it did offer the following: “We are also going to further pursue opportunities and interests in community food security such as Suzanne’s EarthBites school garden program and Chef Oliver’s hydroponic farming. That can only be done by freeing up time in our lives and downsizing a bit.”
The community-minded chain—with its “farm to pizza” philosophy, its use of homegrown greens, and its many vegan and vegetarian options—sold an enormous number of pizzas in Kitsilano, the letter said. “During those 16 years we have literally made and served over a million pizzas from ingredients sourced from over 50 local farmers, donated thousands of meals to worthy causes, launched a brilliant frozen pizza brand and taught over 75,000 kids how to make their favourite pizza.
“And do not forget the 30 000 students in VSB schools we have worked with to create their own productive school gardens,” the letter continued, “where they work with our urban farmers and nutritionists to grow their own food through EarthBites.”
Until May 29, the restaurant will sell about 1,000 frozen pizzas for pickup at a suggested price of $5 each. The fundraiser is for its nonprofit EarthBites school garden program. g