The Mellios family started the long journey to owning Hemingway's Catering in 1955 when Manny's father immigrated to Canada from Greece and became a diswasher at a Montreal restaurant. Over the next few years he moved to Toronto to take cooking courses and then back to Montreal where he opened several restaurants. After growing up in the restaurants their father owned, both Manny and his brother started working full-time in the restaurant business after completing their studies. His brother in 1982 and Manny in 1986.
In 1982 Hemingway's was opened in Ottawa and in 1989 it was bought by the Melios family. Over the years the business has grown and given back to the community. The three main charities that are close to their hearts are CHEO, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. For the last 12 years Hemingway's has fed the volunteers for the CHEO Telethon. They also cater
many government events (they are security cleared) and have catered for the Tulip Festival.
At last week's onsite (held at the Cock 'n Bull Pub on Richmond Rd.), Manny shared with members history of both Hemingway's and the Cock 'n Bull and introduced members to some of his long-time employees including Antonia (since inception), Wendy (20 years) and Penny (17 years).
Manny advised that every dish prepared by Hemingway's Catering passes through the hands of an owner at one point in time or another during its trip to an event and that 90% of events are attended by either him or his brother because they feel strongly that it is important to have the owners onsite. Although they have extremely competent and dedicated staff, having an owner onsite allows them to handle any issues that may arise so that their staff can focus on the service and turning out a great event.
As always members were treated to a wonderful meal including steak, roasted potatoes and mushrooms.
To find out more about Hemingway's Catering and how they can make your next party or event a resounding success, contact Manny at (613) 596-1610 or manny@cocknbullpub.com. 
