Chuckwagon Cafe Media
Home-raised beef secret to award-winning dishes
Chuckwagon Cafe wins silver for best place to have breakfast
The Chuckwagon Cafe is a diamond nestled in Turner Valley and it is attracting customers from across southern Alberta.
The restaurant, which won a silver medal for best place to have breakfast in the Best of the Foothills Readers' Choice Awards, was the hot place to be on Father's Day — they served up a record 400 meals between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m..
Chuckwagon Cafe owner Terry Myhre said the restaurant's success could be attributed to the friendly staff, the cozy ambience and the delicious dishes made from scratch.
The restaurant also stands out from most because Myhre serves beef he raises himself.
“It's so unusual to be doing something like that,” said Myhre, who raises the Murray Grey-Angus cross cattle on his ranch west of Longview. “I love raising my own beef.”
Myhre is careful about the grains he feeds the cattle and does not implant growth hormones or inject steroids.
“A lot of people believe that's just bad for you — the more chemicals you thrown in there is just bad for you,” said Myhre.
Secondly, staying away from hormones and steroids produces a more tender beef, he said.
The tender beef is featured in dishes such as steak and eggs, beef barley soup and hamburgers and an egg dish called Chuckwagon Benedict.
“The thing we became famous for was the Chuckwagon Benedict — we use a beef tenderloin,” said Myhre.
A special that frequently shows up on the menu is homemade beef bacon, which is brined and smoked brisket.
“It's made with the same process as Canadian back bacon, but it's beef,” said Myhre. “So instead of pork bacon, which is quite fat, it's beef bacon, which is quite lean.”
Breakfasts range from $6.75 (breakfast bun) to $18.95 (Chuckwagon Benedict). They also offer homemade pancakes, French toast, chicken club, grilled cheese and steak sandwich.
“Nothing is out of a box and very little comes from the freezer,” said Myhre. “We make all our own hash brows, the fries, we make the gravy.”
The Chuckwagon Cafe has been operating since 1973, although Myhre bought the restaurant 10 years ago. Since then he has been collecting art pieces and décor that creates a warm western ambience. Cattle brands burned into wood line the archway into one of the dining rooms and drawing and paintings depicting the ranching lifestyle created by Alberta artists line the walls.
The art includes a cowboy mural painted by Will Magee and functional metalwork by blacksmith Christian Doppler, both Turner Valley artists.
“It has evolved. It's not like a cooke cutter let's–build–a–diner — it started with nothing on the walls,” said Myhre. “It's casual, it's really warm, the waitresses will be smiling and you can tell by the customers everybody is in a good mood and happy to be here.”
The Chuckwagon Cafe is located at 105 Sunset Boulevard in Turner Valley. It is open daily from 8 a.m. closing at 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and at 3:30 p.m. on weekends.
Driving Directions to the Chuckwagon Cafe
Chuckwagon Cafe & Cattle Co
105 Sunset Blvd,
Turner Valley, AB,
Canada
Telephone: 403-933-0003
Hours
Mon - Fri: 8am - 2:30pm
Sat - Sun: 8am - 3:30pm
