Local Love Blog Series –
Mountain Fire Foods

Welcome back to the Local Love Blog Series! 

I found myself having to write this feature first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee, because any other time I sat down to write in the afternoon or evening I would be too hungry and end up just looking through photos of delicious food instead!

Damian targets anyone who is hungry and enjoys real, fresh food. 

He puts out a new menu every week, which keeps him on his toes and his customers from becoming bored. His homemade comfort food always includes super fresh ingredients, and will be delivered to your doorstep. 

Damian makes ordering amazing home-cooked meals beyond easy! 

A new menu is released every Wednesday for the following week, but you can also sign up to have it emailed to you as soon as it is released! Then you peruse the menu, make a few selections, and place your order! As long as your order is in by 9 pm on Saturday, you’ll receive your meals the following week (Monday for Canmore and Tuesday for Banff). If you’re not home when Damian drops by, no worries! Just leave a cooler or reusable bag at your front door for your meals to be safely stored in until you make it home. 

Damian spent so many years of his career working incredibly hard within the regular constraints of restaurant kitchens, whereas now he has the ability to be completely creative while also providing restaurant-level meals for people to enjoy in the comfort of their own home. He got his start as a dishwasher at the Banff Springs Hotel in the mid-80’s, where he caught the bug for cooking while watching other chefs.

With a new menu every week, we just had to ask Damian where he gets his inspiration from? 

He often tries to outshine last week’s menu while he puts together the next one. Drawing inspiration from the seasons and new seasonal ingredients, Damian is able to put together interesting menus every week that will keep customers excited. As a proud First Nations Chef, Damian finds it comes naturally to draw menu ideas from what is readily available and in season. “Fresh is the name of the game,” he says. 

Now based in Canmore, Damian grew up in Nova Scotia but his heritage is from Saskatchewan. 

He has huge goals for Mountain Fire Foods, hoping to have the business grow to a nation-wide level. With a completely unique business model, Damian knows that he has something people want with restaurant-quality mobile meals that doesn’t leave a huge hole in your bank account. 

Despite having thought about the business idea for a long time, taking the leap to get started was, of course, the hardest part! It wasn’t until Damian’s crossfit coach asked if he would make some meals in anticipation of an upcoming competition. At this point, Damian figured there was no better time to start and so put his plan into motion. His first order was 6 meals, and he now fulfills 200+ orders every week. 

Amazingly, Damian has been able to support Bow Valley Locals with free meals through his “Feed the Bow – a helping hand” initiative. 

With the support of the Banff Canmore Community Foundation and the Rotary Club of Canmore, Damian received a $10,000 grant to provide free meals to residents of the Bow Valley. Damian has a simple goal of helping those in need in the Bow Valley. He believes that those who work in the service and hospitality industry are the ones who truly make the Bow Valley run, and they’re also the ones who have been the hardest hit by the pandemic. So, he felt a natural need to support Bow Valley locals who need a little bit of a helping hand.

As always, we asked who in the Bow Valley Damian felt he wanted to shout out. 

Carson, from Crossfit Canmore, was the first on Damian’s list for the great work he does keeping people healthy and motivated. Damian also wanted to shine some light on Ray from Full Steam Carpet Clean, and Ilona from Adventure Tails.  

With restaurants closed due to restrictions, Damian was still able to provide restaurant-quality meals to the doors of people all over the Bow Valley. The hardest obstacle to overcome was adapting to the new level of busyness while struggling with supply issues and sorting out new systems to handle the flow of food in versus the flow of food out. 

At the end of the day, what keeps Damian continuing to make amazing meals is because he loves the heat and smells of the kitchen, and the creation of something that brings a smile to people’s faces. That and coffee, taking time to breathe and smell the flowers, and then more coffee! 

So, if you’re anything like me and fail time after time to meal prep and plan for the week, give Mountain Fire Foods some love. Affordable meals with delicious menu options delivered right to your door – how can you beat that? Check out his new menu every Wednesday and get your orders in by Saturday night!

Interested in being featured in the Local Love Blog Series? Check out more information here and make sure to follow us on Instagram!