Foothills foodies are raving about a Turner Valley café that received high marks from a popular restaurant reviewer last week. CBC food critic John Gilchrist awarded the Chin Up Café eight out of 10 for quality, value and sincerity on May 11 after stopping in for a bite with wife and business partner Catherine Caldwell two weeks ago. “We heard the Chin Up’s butter chicken is good so we had to try it,” Gilchrist said during his show last week. Gilchrist admitted he found it unusual when owner Raj Ubhi served up butter chicken on a bed of greens, carrots and radishes. “It’s an odd idea but it worked somehow, the creamy spiciness balanced against the crisp fresh greens,” he said on the CBC’s Eyeopener on Friday. “An excellent butter chicken too - rich, spicy, complex. Seriously one of the best butter chickens around town.” Gilchrist described Ubhi’s homemade vegetable samosas as “lovely” and the lentil soup as having “a real depth of gentle spices.” “I would have Chin Up’s food anytime,” he said. “It’s just good food prepared by people who care about it, who eat it themselves and who want you to enjoy it. It’s reasonably priced, it’s hearty if not heart healthy and it’s very tasty.” Ubhi, who opened the small café five years ago, said she was delighted by the review. She got a call from Gilchrist about it last week. “I stood there and froze,” she said. “I got a little tear in my eye. They loved my food.” Ubhi was born and raised in India in a household where she learned the value of hard work. Her grandmother taught her about spices and her mother, Bibi, who works alongside her in the café, instilled a healthy work ethic. Ubhi also credits her success to brother Rajinder, who she said has been a huge support. The name Chin Up, which was named by Ubhi’s friend Jean Cousins and her daughter Heather, refers to putting one’s chin up for the last sip of coffee and is an expression in Indian culture that means don’t worry. Ubhi’s menu features a variety of smoothies, milkshakes, frappuccinos, espressos, teas, butter chicken dishes, samosas and plenty of homemade desserts. Regular customer Lauren Davis discovered the café while driving through Turner Valley one day before moving to town. “We saw the sign so we popped in,” she said. “Everything was so delicious. It was a really nice first impression of Turner Valley.” In addition to offering delicious, wholesome food, Davis said she found Ubhi to be very warm and welcoming. “She deserves the rating,” she said, while visiting the café on Saturday with her son Kade. “Of course we would give her a 10 out of 10.” Enticed by Gilchrist’s review, Calgarian Alice Kryzan stopped by the café for lunch Saturday after biking the 546 with a friend. “I come to Turner Valley often and have said several times that I should go in there,” she said. “I listened to the review on CBC and said, ‘I really have to go.’ I thought it was a regular coffee shop so when he said there was Indian food and a family owned business I was like, ‘wow.’ I always followed his reviews.” Ubhi said she has dreams of expanding the Chin Up Café, despite all of the hard work involved. “I love this café,” she said. “I believe in hard work. Being in business is not easy, especially the food business. To make homemade from scratch takes time.” Uhbi said Gilchrist’s rating is icing on the cake for a business that has been as close to her heart as her family. “I really appreciate all of my customers in the Foothills area and everyone who have helped me,” she said. “I love it here because of their love.” Gilchrist, who has been a food critic for more than 35 years, is retiring at the end of June.
