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The Quest for goodness

Squamish Gourmet columnist Susan Hollis takes a trip up to Quest
Susan Hollis/Special to The Squamish Chief
Quest University café staff are (from left) general manager Eric Lamontagne, coffee shop manager Jay Prodger and chef Jamie Campbell of Black Katz Catering.

 

We Squobbits of the Highland Shire have a slightly still-unknown gem of a nosh-spot that is ideal for eating breakfasts, second breakfasts, morning dinner, brunch and lunch. It’s ideal for those with toddlers, visitors, or anyone in tow who likes a mountain range with their eggs and coffee. 

In the halcyon pre-children era, my husband and I used to go there for our weekly Sunday-Funday (it’s licensed, which didn’t bode well for our Monday, but such is the folly of youth) and now we frequent the cafeteria at Quest University almost every week for the views and the breakfasts. 

It’s rarely busy, and if it happens to be that way so that it has the capacity to seat the majority of its student body, well… you never feel crowded or jostled. It’s as close to a sure thing as you can get on a weekend morning when your kids are fussy, the dog needs a walk and you need coffee like a witch needs frogs’ blood. 

The service is self at Quest, so loading a tray and moving from station to station is part of the process, and with sandwiches, on-demand burgers, stir-fries, soups, breakfasty things, and salads, the food is flexible for all whims and preferences. On rainy days a designated, carpeted toy corner surrounded by tables is where we usually land, which allows us to eat and converse in relative peace while the kids swoop in and out for bites of food. In good weather, the patio is hands-down the prettiest place to eat in all of Squamish (well, now that the gondola is open, it’s being given a run for its money, but that’s another column), and is also open and forgiving for little people who can only sit still for minutes at a time. 

Throughout the school year, Quest University hosts a series of lectures and events based on relevant world issues from across the social and hard sciences — keep an eye on their website and advertising for dates, as it’s a great way to break up the longish, rainy winters and keep the brain from atrophying. Who needs the big city for stimulation when we have Ivy-league academic talents on display here?

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