Burger master

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/08/2018 (2076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Out of the full mouths of babes…

In March, Grade 1 students at Linwood School were given an assignment to write a report about an attraction or business in their St. James neighbourhood they enjoyed frequenting, along with a few reasons why.

While most pupils handed in papers on old reliables such as Polo Park and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, seven-year-old Ethan Raposo opted for the St. James Burger & Chip Co., a 10-month-old take-out stand situated at 1866 Ness Ave., the former site of the venerable Red Boot Drive Inn.

“I opened this letter and said what the heck is this?” says owner Ravi Ramberran, referring to the essay that began, “I think St. James Burger and Chip Company (sic) is an amazing restaurant,” a copy of which Ethan’s teacher mailed to the restaurant for Ramberran and his staff to peruse.

“I finished reading it and was completely blown away by all the nice things he had to say about us. Plus, the picture he included is the best drawing of our store I’ve ever seen.”

“What you need to know about Ethan is he is an extremely, extremely picky eater,” says his mother Jenn Raposo. “So when I first started going there and bringing supper home, for him to try the food and want to continue eating there was a huge deal.”

Chicken fingers, french fries seasoned with cinnamon salt and a Thanksgiving burger slathered with bacon stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce (yes, that’s a thing) are a few of the selections Ethan has wolfed down to date.

Raposo wishes she had taken a picture because a week after students turned in their essays, the lot was posted in the school’s hallway along with the logo of everybody’s individual pick.

‘It was like boom, immediate lineups. I’ve been involved with a lot of businesses in my time but I’ve never seen one turn on instantly like that’– Ravi Ramberran

“In a sea of Sargent Sundae, the zoo and 7-11, smack dab in the middle was the only write-up of St. James Burger & Chip Co.,” she says with a hint of pride. “This taught Ethan it’s truly OK to be different and go against the trends.”

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For a while, Ramberran, a marketing professional with an extensive background in the hospitality industry, had his eye on the 55-year-old red-and-white-striped building near the corner of Ness Avenue and Ferry Road. His wife, Samantha Ramberran, works at a nearby hair salon. Whenever they drove past Pop’s Burgers, which succeeded the Red Boot at that location in 2014, he often caught himself musing aloud, “Man, if that place had crazy, wicked burgers they would absolutely kill.”

In September 2017, Samantha was on her way home from work when she spotted a “for sale” sign in Pop’s window. She immediately called her husband, who in turn contacted the listing agent.

“Even from the curb this place had such a legendary, dive-burger-shop-feel,” he says. “There aren’t too many places in the city like it and I wasn’t about to let it slip through my fingers.”

St. James Burger & Chip Co. opened in October 2017. Although the Red Boot and Pop’s had been seasonal spots only, Ramberran made plans from the get-go to remain open through the winter. Figuring business would be relatively quiet from November to March, he felt that would give him a good opportunity to build slowly, without being run off his feet. Fat chance of that, he discovered.

“It was like boom, immediate lineups,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve been involved with a lot of businesses in my time, but I’ve never seen one turn on instantly like that. Looking back though, I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised given there’s so much history here. Honest to god, it seems like every second person who pops by has a story about the Red Boot.”

Quick history lesson: the “Boot,” founded by the late Jim Karvelas in 1963, was known far and wide for its Karveys — crinkle-cut french fries flavoured with Karvelas’s personal blend of herbs and spices. Because so many people have asked Ramberran if Karveys are still on the menu, he reached out to Karvelas’s daughter, inquiring about her dad’s original recipe. Stay tuned: he’s still waiting to hear back.

One of the first things that jumps out at you about St. James Burger & Chip Co. — aside from burger add-ons that include a cheese-and-potato perogy, slice of pineapple and sunny-side-up egg — is the respect paid to the military, particularly the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Not only is the Royal Canadian Burger (a six ounce patty drizzled with maple syrup, topped with mozzarella cheese, bacon, pickle and onions) one of Ramberran’s best-selling sandwiches, 25 per cent of all tips — just under $6,000 to date — are donated to the Royal Canadian Legion’s St. James branch’s Poppy Fund.

“This area is super-military and growing up around here you’re well aware of that,” he says, seated at one of six cedar picnic tables that border his parking lot. “As a kid, my dad used to take us to visit that plane museum down the street (the Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park on Air Force Way, just off Ness Avenue) all the time but do you know how many people don’t know it even exists? Last week a customer was all, ‘Man, I just went to this amazing place with all these planes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, where did you grow up? That’s been there forever.’”

In February, St. James Burger & Chip Co. took home the People’s Favourite prize in Winnipeg’s inaugural La Poutine Week, thanks to a Shepherd’s Pie poutine boasting mashed potatoes, peas, carrots and ground beef slathered over double-fried, thick-cut “chips” seasoned with the restaurant’s signature spice and topped with cheese curds.

Soon, Ramberran will attempt to duplicate that success when his locale participates in its first Le Burger Week, Sept. 1 – 7.

“It looks like we’re going to go with what’s already our most popular burger, which is the 17 Wing Burger (six-ounce patty, barbecue sauce, bacon, fried onions, pickle, tomato, mayo and a fried egg served on a brioche bun),” he says, adding if given a sec, he should be able to find a picture on his phone of a fellow who ordered — and downed — a four-patty version of the meaty monstrosity.

“I know the idea behind Burger Week is to come up with something new and creative, but our way of thinking is we prefer to feature something we serve already… something that kicks ass that you can order again if you come back a week or two later.”

Oh, by the way, if you think Ramberran boxed himself in by naming his biz for a specific neck of the woods, and that he’ll have to rebrand himself if he adds an outlet in, say, Garden City or Transcona, think again.

“If and when that comes to pass, we would keep it original, for sure,” he says.

“Not that we have any immediate plans to expand but if and when we do, I like to think we’ve built up enough of a name already and that St. James Burger & Chip Co. would work, no matter what end of the city we set up shop in.”

David Sanderson writes about Winnipeg-centric businesses and restaurants.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca