Back in the days when immigrants flooded over from the “old country” to work at Cominco and the C.P.R., the single men lived in boarding houses. The wives and children remained in Italy until the men could afford a home and enough money to bring their families here. In the meantime, the boarding houses did a booming business serving all-you-could-eat dinners at low prices.

This tradition was later carried on from one restaurant to another as cooks retired or moved on. In 1972, The Colander, a small restaurant in a three-bedroom apartment attached to the Terra Nova, was opened.

A colander is a kitchen utensil used to strain pasta. It was, therefore, thought to be a fitting name for our restaurant. As a matter of interest, when we first opened, our catch phrase was “Water go – Pasta stop”. We now use “The Trail Tradition” or “Come twirl with us”.

In 1974, the Colander moved to our present location to accommodate a growing business. This location was formerly the home of the Trail liquor store. The Colander is a family restaurant that has been owned by the LeRose family since its inception in 1972. Our meal is still served in the same manner as when it was first introduced back in the fifties. Despite numerous requests, our recipe for the pasta sauce, which has been carefully developed over the years, to this day, has remained a Colander secret.

The Colander Restaurant has been chosen by Beautiful BC magazine as one of the top 24 restaurants to dine in BC. We have also been chosen as the #1 Italian Restaurant in the East and West Kootenays, as well as locally, as the best place to bring an out of town guest.