King’s 12 Café opens just north of Greenbank
Just north of Greenbank and south of Saintfield, on top of the hill, is a new hidden gem, called King’s 12 Cafe. Sneider De La Cruz opened his farm fresh restaurant on May 13th of this month. Mr. De La Cruz is a veteran of the culinary scene, having worked for nine years in the kitchen of the Ajax casino, 23 years at the Rogers Centre and 10 years at the Air Canada Centre. He has also done extensive catering. So far the highlight of his catering career was the opportunity to cater for the Pope, during his visit to Toronto in 2002. Such a busy schedule left little time for family. Wanting to make time for his new bride, Sneider decided it was time for a change. He and his family chose to visit, what is now the location of King’s 12 Cafe. There was an existing restaurant there, and the owners wanted to offer the space to Sneider to rent. Originally Mr. De La Cruz just wanted to work for someone else. Mr. De La Cruz spent a month just sitting in the restaurant, getting familiar with the community and the clientele. He could see there was a lot of untapped potential there. The building’s owners where very supportive and spent time crunching the numbers with him before he decided to go for it. When asked what his inspiration was for pursing a culinary career, beaming he replied “My mother is an excellent cook and has done a great deal of catering herself.” For Sneider cooking is truly a labour of love. “I have always tried to raise the standard in cuisine wherever I have worked. I worked at a private school, where, when I arrived, 75% of the food they served came as pre-made frozen meals. By the time I left I had reversed that percentage to 25% frozen with 75% made fresh.” The students loved it. Mr. De La Cruz insists that fresh, local ingredients are what make a great meal. “We take pride in featuring locally grown, fresh, high quality and grass fed products from Durham farms, in all our delicious and mouthwatering food; cooked to perfection, just for your taste buds.” All his bread, eggs, ice cream, meat and pastries are locally sourced and he is working on purchasing more produce from local farmers, based on the season. “Our food is made daily in-house, from whole, and natural ingredients.” he added. The King’s 12 Cafe is a family restaurant specializing in good, hearty, comfort food with a twist. They serve an all day breakfast, with such classics as The Barn Buster and the Farmers Breakfast Skillet. Their menu also includes sandwiches, such as Canadian Kaiser on the Go and Vegetarian Panini. There are also burgers, such as the Road Rage Burger and the Perfect Grass Fed Burger. Best of all are the pasta dishes, such as the classic King 12 Ultimate Lasagna or the Skillet Pasta with Sausage. For sports lovers there is also a flat screen TV, for viewing sporting events. They serve, dine in and take out. To order take out call their order line at 289-507-6873. They are also available to host catered events in their restaurant after hours. So, whether you are looking for somewhere to eat lunch or a family friendly locale for your next event, consider King’s 12 Cafe.
COLLEEN GREEN
King’s 12 Café
289-507-6873