Devon MacKenzie/News contributor
Having spent decades in Sidney’s restaurant business, you could say Fish on Fifth owners Burt and Amanda Minter are in touch with what diners want.
Armed with their experience and a zest for life, the restaurant power couple saw an opportunity in Sidney to offer diners thin crust, wood fired pizza, and in 2012 they opened Woodshed Restaurant.
“We felt that Sidney needed that traditional, wood fired pizza. The kind of pizza where you can eat a whole one and not feel overly full,” explained Amanda.
“We spent two months renovating the space and learning about the oven and we haven’t looked back since,” Burt added.
The two are in the restaurants every day and spend their mornings prepping for the busy days at both Fish on Fifth and Woodshed.
“We make everything in house daily for Woodshed,” explained Burt.
“The sauce, the dough, we prep the meats and veggies every morning. And the best part about our food is that we try to source everything as locally as possible. We recently entered into a partnership with Whitehouse Stables to provide us with fresh veggies every week and we even grow our own herbs on the patio of the restaurant,” he explained.
The dynamic duo also offer rotisserie chicken, ribs and chicken wings.
And to keep up with all their customers’ needs, the two offer vegan and gluten free options.
“And we also have a great craft beer selection,” Burt points out.
The two credit much of their success to their staff – many of whom stay with their businesses for at least five years.
“Josh, who manages Woodshed, he’s been with us for 15 years. And that’s what we try to do, we like to hire for the long term. And it’s so rewarding to see them grow up from being new hires at 15 years old, to coming back with families of their own years later. That’s special,” Amanda explained.
They also credit their customers for being incredibly loyal and supportive.
“Sidney is such a special place in that respect, and we love seeing the same people in the restaurants year after year.
“There is a real sense of community here and we love that,” she said.
(Fish on Fifth and Woodshed Pizza were finalists in the Peninsula News Review’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards, handed out on July 11.)
