Tropikis closing, Miss Christine’s Kitchen moving to more spacious digs

A West End Caribbean eatery that’s served four generations is winding down operations, but the doors won’t stay closed long. A Jamaican business is using the site as its expansion plan.

Tropikis Restaurant will permanently turn off its lights at the end of June. The owners are retiring.

They’re looking to wind down quietly, said Michelle Scott, co-owner and manager at the eatery. Chef Denesh Bahadoosingh was busy in the kitchen, preparing rotis for a Saturday afternoon crowd.

Bahadoosingh and his wife are passing the keys to Christine Pattison, the founder of Miss Christine’s Kitchen.

“I’m glad I’m going there,” Pattison said of 878 Ellice Ave. location.

Pattison takes possession at the end of July and plans to begin renovations. By fall, she said Miss Christine’s Kitchen should be open for business.

“There’s nothing like having your own space,” said Pattison, 52.

Currently, Miss Christine’s Kitchen operates out of Chaise Café on Provencher Boulevard. Pattison cooks her jerk chicken and oxtail in a second kitchen.

The set-up works well, with one caveat — Pattison’s customers aren’t guaranteed a dine-in seat; it depends how busy Chaise Café is.

Pattison must confirm reservations with the other restaurant before accepting patrons. The issue will dissolve once Pattison assumes the Ellice location, she said.

She heard Tropikis Caribbean Restaurant was up for sale through a city councillor and acted quickly.

However, she declined the proposition of taking Tropikis’ name and recipes: “I already have a name for myself,” said Pattison.

The entrepreneur began Miss Christine’s Kitchen in 2018. First, she’d occupied a small restaurant in the Chalet Hotel.

Business boomed during the pandemic, Pattison said. She sold out daily — oxtail was popular.

Pattison will sell roti on Ellice Avenue, like Tropikis, but with a different recipe. She’s also updating her menu — the Jamaican fare will remain, but pizza, pasta and sliders, along with more vegan options, will be added.

“You have to make sure you pay attention to what your customers are eating,” said Pattison, adding long-time fans have asked for the different types of food. “It’s only fair that I give them what they want.”

To do so, Pattison plans to hire a chef to join her. She’ll also hire two servers and a dishwasher, she said.

“It’s no longer going to be a one-woman show,” said Pattison. After all, it will likely be an every-day operation in the 32-seat locale.

Pattison said she has an open-door policy with the owners of Tropikis: they can help out if they want to be back in the restaurant during retirement.

Elizabeth Ashe has been ordering from Tropikis for the past two decades. The beef roti, the chicken roti, the salads — it’s how she introduced her children to Caribbean food.

“(It) always tasted great,” Ashe described. “It was always quick.”

“You come to have something familiar, and it’s hard when something closes,” she continued, adding she’s “equally excited to try something new.”

Ashe hopes the new prices match Tropikis’.

Bahadoosingh moved to Canada from Trinidad in the 1970s. He opened Tropikis as a way of showing Winnipeg residents food from his home country, he told the Free Press in February.

Bahadoosingh creates roti, callaloo soup and chickpea doubles, among other meals.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com