Alma Snackbar & Grocery Rogersville NB
The idea of a hidden gem is something of a convenient myth and one possessed of a certain charm and quaintness: but in this case, it’s true.
Roughly a 90-minute drive from Moncton, Alma Snackbar & Grocery, in Rogersville, New Brunswick, is a small restaurant and store that’s out of the way but will prove to be a remarkable find if you make your way to it. I’m guessing that thousands of diners already have.
Opened by Rob and Nicole McKim in 2023, the building is both a home and the restaurant. Rob did culinary training at George Brown before heading to a cooking school – Alma – headquartered Colorno, Parma. The McKims named the restaurant as an homage to the school and have been inspired, in part, by some Italian family heritage.
“I knew what I wanted to do ever since I could pretty much walk. I always enjoyed drama and art, but I felt that the culinary art form was the best way to express myself,” says McKim, 39 and Oshawa-born.
So, his passion become his profession.
He has worked at notable Toronto restaurants and with some equally notable chefs: Susur Lee, Mark McEwan at Bymark, Lorenzo Loseto. “I apprenticed at under Loseto at George. I owe a lot of my attention to detail and seasonality to him.”
He gained a love and understanding of Neapolitan street food in his work with Rocco Agostino. “I really got thrown into the nuances of Neapolitan pizza around 2013 have been hooked since then.”
However, a slower pace called, he says. “We were fed up living in downtown Toronto, and we were looking at homes in New Brunswick, where we have family ties,” says McKim, who describes himself as having spent half his life in the industry.
“We came across the building (in 1938 it was the Rogersville post office) for sale and decided we could kill two birds with one stone opening up a restaurant and a home.”
They packed up their lives and a three-month-old and moved 1,300 kms across the country. “We didn’t necessarily think that this is where we would end up in terms of in the Maritimes, but it was probably the best move that we’ve ever made.”
After some time renovating, Alma Snackbar & Grocery opened in November 2023. They serve woodfired pizza and sandwiches, and they serve them very well indeed, as I can attest to.
“I chose to specialize in Italian food and wanted to showcase the best of the food that I grew up eating and fell in love with. The village of Rogersville has been hugely supportive and welcoming, but there are so many people that we get to meet from every corner of the Maritimes, and that has been amazing,” he says.
His food is made-from-scratch: breads, pasta, desserts. On a small menu, there’s a selection of meats and cheeses, some marinated olives and home-made ricotta. I’m fine with the fun/kitschy pizza and sandwich names (because they’re so damned good): “Italian Stallion” with Mozzarella and dry-cured pepperoni; “Super Mario” with a medley of woodfired mushrooms, confit garlic and whipped ricotta; and, handhelds on woodfired bread like “Good Fella” with pork-veal-beef meatballs and “Dolce Vita” packed with roasted vegetables and whipped ricotta.
Striving to open a venue that is “super hospitable and welcoming,” the format at Alma is twofold: it’s a grab-and-go model during the daytime – when it’s gone, it’s gone. Saturday evening assumes more of a fine-dining approach, called “Alma After Dark,” according to McKim. “We change the menu every two weeks, and it’s influenced by the seasons.”
The restaurant is heavily supported by local farms like La Coopérative de la Ferme Terre Partagée in Rogersville and Green Thumb Farm in Acadieville, according the McKim. “We’re smack dab in the middle of both farms, and we get to use the best produce. You can literally see and taste the difference in freshness.”
Alma is located within a fairly small population base. The catchment area draws a wide range of customers who venture there as a dining destination. Citing the fact that many people have the preconceived notion that “pizza is pizza,” McKim was eager to change that perception. “I wanted to show what pizza should be or can be. I applied the training that I’ve received and showcase and share the love of food that both Nicole and I have. We wanted to bring that to people here.”
He describes the space as simple and casual and serves food that isn’t overly expensive executed so that that you can eat “incredibly well” in season and with local ingredients. “This is what the farm-to-table approach means,” he puts it.
Ask him if the model has worked so far, and he says the results have exceeded their expectations and the elevated hopes they had. Seating is for about 30, with additional space on outdoor picnic tables – which, incidentally, were built for the restaurant by the local school. “We donated the lumber to the tech classes. The grades 7s and 8s built four tables and the 11s and 12s four.”
He has a few part-time students helping him in the kitchen and front-of-house, but for the most part, McKim is one-man show, with Nicole helping out when she can. What they’ve achieved is remarkable – and delicious.
Like any restaurant in any location, operations are busy and demanding. McKim constantly adjusts recipes and searches for the quality local ingredients he needs. During a hectic service, he still does his best to check in with his customers. That connection is perhaps another aspect of what qualifies as a hidden gem: pure east-coast hospitality.
“I always try to take the extra second to talk to the guests and get feedback from people.”
