Django Smokehouse

At the end of 2016, the Symons Valley Ranch was forced to close for the second time after it was devastated by a massive fire. The former home of the Symons Valley Market was destroyed and left a mess of rubble and ash. But through the devastation, Witold Twardowski saw an opportunity to restore the one part of the ranch the fire didn’t reach – the Symons Roadhouse restaurant.

Witold wanted to reopen the restaurant as Django Smokehouse and resuscitate the heart of Symons Valley and he wanted chef Michael Scarcelli to help him do it. So on Sept. 7, 2017, the pair opened the doors to their new spot. “I thought the whole market and everything was demolished by the fire," Michael says. "But you can literally see it stopped right before reaching the restaurant here.”

A veteran proprietor who helped open spots like Teatro and the River Café, Witold first partnered with Michael in 2016 to open Plowshare Artisan Diner. Since then, the pair have made it their mission to bring Calgary diners the unexpected.