Jeff Camacho, owner of Burger Revolution.
BELLEVILLE – Showcasing the diversity of Bay of Quinte cuisine, Quintelicious 2024 will feature 13 local restaurants, with the aim of getting more people supporting local restaurants.
Quintelicious 2024 will kick off on October 9 and run until October 26.
QNet News spoke to the co-owner of Burger Revolution (Belleville), Jeff Camacho. Burger Revolution was founded by couple Jeff and Rayling Camacho, looking to bring a more flavourful, out-of-the-ordinary burger to the Quinte region.
When asked why he decided to participate in Quintelicious, Camacho said he wanted to bring more attention to Belleville’s strong dining experience.
“A lot of people don’t know that Belleville has a really good culinary scene,” he said.
“A lot of people have this view of Belleville’s dining scene – that it’s not the greatest. These guys are bringing out delicious food and it’s a great opportunity for everyone to try it.”
This is not the first time the Camacho’s have entered Burger Revolution into Quintelicious.
“It’s like a segue into our restaurant,” he said.
“Some people view our restaurant as too expensive. The reason we’re more expensive is because we use quality products. So, if that one burger we offer on the Quintelicious menu (at a lower price) will make people discover us and come back, that’s what we want.”
Burger Revolution (Belleville) was able to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their Trenton location had to close as a result.
“It was hard and it still is hard. Everyone gets scared around this time of year,” Camacho said.
“From now until February/March, when it’s cold, flu and COVID season, we’re just like ‘What’s going to happen next?’ But, with the pandemic, we did it. We’re okay.”
Camacho felt getting support as a local business goes a long way.
“We are pushing the envelope about locality,” he said.
“Our beef, pork, potatoes, cheese are all local, the milkshakes come from Reid’s Dairy, so we took it a step further to say ‘We’re actually local’. We want to support this entire community.”
Camacho is urging the community to partake in Quintelicious and try all of the restaurants available to them at a discounted price.
QNet News also had the opportunity to speak to Roshan Safi, owner of OXUS Kebab & Shawarma.
OXUS Kebab & Shawarma opened in Belleville last year, bringing Middle Eastern flavours to the Bay of Quinte. Safi is also the owner of Khawar Supermarket in Pickering, Ontario.
When asked why he chose to participate in Quintelicious for the first time, Safi said their first year of business has been a success and they want to continue on that wavelength.
“We have had a really good response from the community,” he said.
“Our authentic food has been very well accepted. We want to be involved in every part of the community, Belleville, Quinte West, that’s another reason we wanted to be a part of Quintelicious.”
There are over 100 restaurants in Belleville with a population just shy of 59,000. When asked what it’s like competing with so many other restaurants in a smaller demographic, Safi felt the uniqueness of OXUS Kebab & Shawarma helped them to stand out.
“The main difference in our restaurant compared to the rest of the food industry with our neighbours is the authentic and fresh food,” he said.
“Also our experience with the supermarket. We know how to make the food delicious, healthy, and that’s appreciated by our customers.”
Safi is big on supporting the community in any way he can.
“We like to help the community in different ways. We grow with the community,” he mentioned.
“We’ve been in contact with the city to support the food bank, we participate in some of the fundraising for Sick Kids Hospital, and we also participate with the schools for cultural food awareness.”
Safi says OXUS Kebab & Shawarma will be involved in many more local cuisine events.
The other restaurants participating in Quintelicious 2024 are BayLeaf Indian Cuisine, Capers, Dinkel’s and Paulo’s Restaurants, L’Auberge de France, Little Italy on 62, Rodeo Roadhouse, Sans Souci, The Kafana, The Lark, The Local Social House and The Smokin’ 116 Bistro.
Print This Post
