Red Seal chef opens Landmark restaurant

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This article was published 04/02/2016 (2996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former Winnipeg restaurant owner and Red Seal chef has made his way to the Southeast and opened a new restaurant in Landmark.

Enzo Costantini is the owner of Big E’s 206 Grill.

He comes to town with 35 years of cooking experience under his belt. The Red Seal chef owned Sofia’s Café for over a decade in Winnipeg and was also a chef at another famous Winnipeg eatery, Hy’s Steakhouse.

“When I saw the ad for the location, I came and drove out here. It’s the only place in town. I thought it was a great opportunity to have almost a monopoly for the area for restaurants,” said Costantini. “The opportunity came up and it was just really good.”

Though Costantini is a Winnipeg resident, he has small town experience and understands what people are looking for in a business in their town.

“I’ve worked in small towns before. My wife’s from a small town. I know how people are and if you’re good to the people in the town, they’re going to treat you good,” he said.

Big E’s 206 Grill serves a variety of food. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving burgers, fries, chicken, ribs, pasta, and pizzas, among many others.

Costantini said his passion for cooking comes from his Italian background and watching his mother cook.

“Being Italian and growing up watching my mom makes these huge meals for when people come over was something I was always interested in,” said Costantini. “It’s a passion. Being able to create something and having people enjoy what you’re making and the smile light up on their face when they try a fettuccini or eat the pizza—I just love it.”

Though his ethnicity is an influence on his cooking, Costantini wanted to offer more than just one type of cuisine at his new restaurant.

“Coming to a small town, I didn’t want to do just Italian. My other restaurant was all Italian in Winnipeg on Corydon Avenue which was known as Little Italy. So, I just wanted to mix it up,” he said.

“I love cooking prime ribs, ribs, a lot of slow cooking meats—it’s one of my specialties.”

In the week the restaurant has been open, Costantini said it’s been quite busy and he’s received positive feedback from customers.

“I only signed a one-year lease. I wanted to see what it was like for the first year, but if it stays the way it’s going now, I’d be willing to sign a lot longer and continue to grow it,” he said. “Just having a spot for people to come out and enjoy themselves and have a nice meal.”

Costantini said he’s working on getting a liquor license for his restaurant and looking into having a patio outside in the summer.

Big E’s Grill is located at 240 Main St. in Landmark.