Salamanders celebrating 10th anniversary

It’s been 10 years since Salamanders opened its doors in downtown Kemptville. The local restaurant is holding an anniversary celebration this weekend. The event runs Friday to Sunday and includes live music by local musicians. 

Co-owner Paul Cormier says the restaurant opened in September 2009, after he and his wife Beth were approached by Nik Wellstein, who owned the building. The prominent Kemptville property developer passed away tragically in 2011. Cormier says Wellstein was very generous and offered the couple free rent for three months to get things ready. 

He noted they held a colossal burn-in, which is where you invite all your friends and family to come eat for free for the weekend to work out all the kinks. Cormier says the place was packed for three days and that was the beginning of Salamanders client base. 

The restaurant serves cajun cuisine with Acadian flavours. Cormier says Liane Tucker, another co-owner, is the genius behind the menu. He noted the restaurant is environmentally friendly: all leftover food is composted and single-use plastics recycled. 

Cormier says Salamanders has become a community hub. He noted customers bring back salamander figurines from their holidays, which are displayed in a cabinet and on the walls. Cormier explained there are salamanders from all over the world, including Mexico, Guatemala and Hawaii.