On Oct. 31, Michael’s Off Main celebrates 15 years of existence at 355 Fourth St. in downtown Courtenay. It had previously operated on Cliffe Avenue.
Various types of Eggs Benedict are a popular choice among Michael’s patrons.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time,” said Michael Gilbert, co-owner with Terry Chaney. “We make real hollandaise (sauce), which is something we’ve done since the beginning.”
Gilbert has been in the restaurant business since he was 16.
His first gig was a busboy at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Vancouver.
He and Chaney moved to the Valley from Prince George in 1983, since which they have operated several local eateries, including the Back Room Restaurant and the Nova Cafe.
“We’ve had a clientele for quite a while,” Gilbert said.
“We had gone bankrupt in 1999. It’s from the depths of the very bottom that we climbed ourselves back out, and made what we have today.”
Michael’s Off Main is open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.