Real Fine Food
Ask kids about their favourite foods and chicken fingers are likely to land on the list. For Sandi Boulanger, the favourite comes with a childhood memory as sweet as a side of honey dill.
“Kids loved coming over to our house,” recalls Boulanger, the owner of Hoffmann’s Fine Foods St. Vital. Her father, Chef Klaus Hoffman, was working on perfecting the recipe for Hoffmann’s legendary chicken fingers. “He would ask us which breading flavour was our favourite.” His recipe remains the go-to for the family business, in addition to herb and Cajun-spiced versions.
The original Hoffmann’s opened at 107 Plymouth St. in 1986, a location where Hoffmann’s line of heat-and-eat products are still made today, under the watchful eye of Boulanger’s brother, Darryl Hoffmann. In 1996, the store at 1504 St. Mary’s Road opened.
The care their late father took in creating his recipes is the standard they follow today, said Boulanger. “Everything is handmade, nothing is chopped and formed by machines. There are no additives or preservatives, or extra salt.” The chicken fingers are solid white meat, lightly breaded in the way they were made in the family’s home all those years ago. “We’re staying with our old faithfuls. It’s what people come back for again and again.”
Through the years, their customers have become like family. “I like coming to work. It’s not a job. I like to talk to people. The kids who used to come in and couldn’t see over the counter are bringing their own kids now.”
Their selections are convenient for families who still want to serve good hearty food without the guilt, from their four-pound meat lasagnas to meatballs, cabbage rolls, shepherd’s pie, scalloped potatoes, perogies and their signature 40 Creek whiskey-sauced barbecue ribs. “You can pop a lid, put it in the oven and crack a beer or open a bottle of wine. Easy!” Hoffmann’s offers combination deals for weekends and special occasions, like the current Mother’s Day special dinner for four including steak or ribs, corn on the cob, potatoes and a dessert for $34.99.
They are able to keep their prices reasonable by putting quality local ingredients ahead of extras like packaging. “Our packaging isn’t fancy, a simple bag or plain box.”
The secret to their success is really not a secret at all, she said. “Real food tastes good.”
All Photos by Claudine Gervais
