Nothing comes from a box; everything is made from scratch using the freshest ingredients possible to create the homemade meals that’s Aida Tahhan is most proud of. Aida opened her business in Brandon, Aida’s Catering, almost three years ago. While catering is a big part of the business, the enthusiastic entrepreneur also offers customers take-home family meals and is a bed and breakfast host. Originally from Bethlehem, Aida uses her Mediterranean background to create healthy dishes using a lot of vegetables and little fat. As demand for fresh, homemade meals has increased, she recently decided to team up with a local restaurant where she will be able to serve or deliver her tasty dishes in individual or family serving sizes. The launch of this enhanced portion of her business will start at the beginning of June, also at which time the restaurant that she is teaming up with will be announced. Aida’s fresh and unique dishes will be included in the local restaurant’s menu selection. While Aida has always offered fresh (as well as frozen) meals it was difficult to efficiently gauge the quantities that might be needed. “People love fresh homemade meals, but with busy and hectic schedules they wouldn’t always get a chance to pre-order. Now, it will be much more convenient for my customers and it will be easier for us to meet and fluctuate to the demand,” said Aida. Homemade frozen meals that are intended to be cooked at home are still available for pick up. As well, Aida also caters to small and large events and can host gatherings at her Princess Avenue location for as many as 20 guests. “We host a variety of gatherings, everything from small business luncheons to baby showers and wedding rehearsal dinners. We also have cooking classes for a fun night out with friends or for couples,” said Aida. While the main floor of the business houses the commercial kitchen and space for entertaining, the second floor of Aida’s Catering is a bed and breakfast which has received five-star ratings through airbdb.ca.

Brandon, MB – Interlake Broadcast Group has announced that a new on-line radio station will launch in Brandon early next month. The overall focus of this radio station will be community based, with a music format driven by Light Rock-Adult Contemporary music hits of today as well as spanning the last 30 years.   CHANNEL 1 is a new and exciting concept for Brandon and the Westman area. “It’s a station that is missing right now in the Brandon market. We’re going to run hourly news, sports and weather throughout the workday, and we’ll always play the top Adult Contemporary songs and better adult hits,” said Interlake Broadcast President Ray Walker. The new station becomes the second on-line property in the company’s 13-year history. BIG FM was Interlake’s first venture.  That station, dedicated to sports broadcasts and modern rock music, was on-line for 10 years between 2005 and 2015, winning recognition in 2009 as “Canada’s Most Listened To Internet Radio Station”.  First launched in Selkirk, it was re-located to Souris in 2010.   In order for CHANNEL 1 to be a success, local business leaders have had a very positive response to date.  The station will only have room for 12 business partners, and it is hoped that they will all be secured before the launch in June.   Walker is no stranger to radio listeners in Brandon, he celebrates 30 years in broadcasting in September, a career that started right here in Brandon at CKX Radio.

Joe Beeverz Bar & Grill, a truly Canadian Bar and Grill with locations in Brandon and Yorkton will be opening a new location in Clear Lake.   The Joe Beeverz Take Out Shack, located in the Scraces Mercantile building between the Foxtail and The Lakehouse, will be hosting their soft opening this weekend and will be completely ready to go stating the Thursday night of May long weekend. "We feel that our menu fills a niche in the market in the park. We also feel that our brand is a perfect fit for a Canadian National Park" Chad Wallin tells bdnmb.ca on why they decided to open a location at Clear Lake. "We have some brand recognition with a lot of Brandon people who frequent the park as well as the rest of western Manitobans, Winnipeger’s and Saskatchewan visitors are familiar with our location in Yorkton.  We felt that the park is a little under serviced in terms of restaurants and in particular quick service restaurants that offer catering and delivery" added Chad. The Joe Beeverz Take Out Shack will be a different setup then what their regular guests are used to.  Customers can still expect the same great food and service and everything will be packaged in takeout containers.  The menu will be a condensed version of their current menu including all of their most popular items including 8 different poutines and some breakfast items.  The full menu will be posted on-line soon. This  location will be a strictly a takeout restaurant, with limited patio seating.  They will offering online ordering and payment for your convenience, as well as delivery within the Clear Lake area including the beach and boat launch.  Catering services will also be offered. Hours for May-June will be Friday-Sunday 9 am -10:00 pm.  Starting the Thursday of July long weekend they will be open Sun-Thurs from 9:00am - 10:00 pm and 9:00 am -11:00 pm on Fri/Sat.

If you happen to be driving down 10th Street in the last day or so, I’m sure that you couldn’t help but take a second look at the big gaping hole in the front of one the buildings.   Contractor Ryan Lamont of Rylam Developments said the building at 122-10th Street is undergoing a complete facade renovation. It is a joint project by Brandon Downtown Development Corporation and the owner of the building, Brent Campbell.   “It’s getting a full facelift. We’re replacing the windows at street level, as well as up top. We’re painting the entire building, adding some modern siding, tin and such,” said Lamont.   Rylam Developments, operating in the Wheat City for over nine years, have worked on a variety of construction projects similar to this in downtown Brandon, plus they are also new home builders. Lamont said the improvements to this building will flow with the rest of the work that has been done in recent years in the 100 block of 10th Street.   “It’s going to be a cool mix of old with some new, modern touches. The look is taking more of an arts theme to highlight the businesses that are currently located within the building including the Brandon School of Dance, Empower Boxing and Kirin Martial Arts Club,” said Lamont.   Demolition started on May 1 and the project will continue for the next three to four weeks. The City of Brandon announced through the road closure notices that the sidewalk on the West side of the street (in and around the building) is closed for one month during construction.   The main level of the building is currently available for lease. For full details and complete information, contact Realtor Brad Hardy with Royal LePage.

Brandon, Manitoba - May 1st, 2018 - South End Lumber has announced that they have purchased North American Lumber in Carberry, Manitoba. The acquisition, along with a recently expanded lumber yard in Brandon, Manitoba, will allow the company to serve the community of Carberry and surrounding area. “The purchase of North American Lumber made a lot of sense to us," said Scott Norosky, owner of South End Lumber. "It was a well managed company with a long history in the Carberry region as well as strong contractor relations and a team of talented staff. The Carberry economy is robust and we can provide a lot of value to the community through employment, contractor services and a commitment to the region." About South End Lumber Founded in Brandon, Manitoba in 1954, South End Lumber is a third generation family owned business presently owned by brothers Scott and Tyler Norosky along with their dad, Wes. From its location at 1550 13th Street in Brandon, the company has grown significantly by serving clients with industry leading customer service and competitive prices. As one of the founding members of the Tim-BR Mart buying group, South End Lumber offers prices that compete with multi-national lumber yards while maintaining the familiarity and relationships that come along with small business. “Things will be business as usual in Carberry for the former North American Lumber store,” said Tyler Norosky. “We will be re-branding the Carberry business to South End Lumber but will be retaining all of the staff. We think we can continue the relationships built by North American and help grow the business while being a committed member of the community of Carberry.” While North American Lumber has been in business for over a century, the ownership group has come to a point where they are looking to transition out of their retail locations across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario. "We’re proud to do business in every community that we operate and are committed to those regions," said Martha Konantz, owner of North American Lumber. "When selling the Carberry location it was important for us to find a community-minded buyer that had a vision to grow the business and help the community thrive. The Norosky family has a long history in the area and we felt this store was a natural accompaniment to the business that they were already doing in Westman." North American Lumber, located at 18 Simcoe Street , in Carberry will transition to South End Lumber on June 1st, 2018.