A Sylvan Lake woman has won the right to say her restaurant has the best Caesar drinks in Alberta.
Kjeryn Dakin, owner of Bukwildz, on Lakeshore Drive, won at the Mott’s Clamato provincial Best Caesar in Town competition at the Calgary Stampede recently. She was the first woman to win the title.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion because I was very proud,” she said. “It was surreal … because I like to be the voice for females and say, ‘Hey we can do this, too.’ ”
In the finals for the provincial event, competitors had to participate in a “blackbox competition,” where they didn’t know what ingredients they would use until they had to make the drink.
Dakin said she really enjoyed the competition.
“I’m a business owner and a mom – I have so much going on in the summer – so I almost didn’t go to Calgary to compete at the Stampede,” she said.
Winners from each province will compete in the Best Ceasar in Town National Final in Toronto Nov. 25.
“I’m definitely going to bring my A-game,” said Dakin. “I don’t want to release any of my little secrets I’m planning, but I’m doing research already for it. I’d be very proud to win for Alberta.”
Dakin earned her way into the provincial competition after winning a regional event in Red Deer. She said she’s proud to represent Central Alberta at the national event.
“There are a lot of really talented people in Central Alberta. We have a huge amount of great restaurants, locally,” she said. “Talent doesn’t just need to be in the bigger centres, it can be found in smaller cities and towns.”
Caesars are a very popular item at Bukwildz, Dakin said, adding a new bar she is opening next door will have a variety of different types of Caeser drinks.
“People love Caesars, and I want to be known as a must-go-to for Caesars,” she said.
Dakin has recently started an Instagram page, @waitress_ceo, to help servers learn some tips and tricks on how to be successful.
“As a restaurant owner I want to help the wait staff make as much money as possible,” she said. “It’s the little things that matter (as a server), but it’s not first nature to a lot of people.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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