Jasper’s Patricia Street Deli rises from the ashes with new Edmonton eatery

As the town of Jasper continues to rebuild from the devastating wildfire of 2024, a beloved eatery has officially relocated and reopened in downtown Edmonton.

Patricia Street Deli was one of several Jasper businesses lost to the flames. Owners Glen and Wendy Leitch had just celebrated the business’s 20th anniversary days before the fire hit.

Glen and Wendy had planned to retire in Jasper, but the fire forced them to relocate to Edmonton — which is where they  plan to stay for the foreseeable future.

Now in their 70s, they didn’t think they could rebuild and reopen. However, their kids became shareholders and lead the way to move to Edmonton for a start fresh.

When speaking with Global News earlier this year, the couple said reopening with the deli’s old traditions would not have been possible without the help of their children.

A binder containing all their recipes and product photos was lost to the fire, however before that, their kids spent time  copying all the info inside it into digital cloud storage.

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“Without the recipes, it would have been really difficult,” Glen said earlier this year.

The efforts appear to have paid off. Before opening day on Monday, Dec. 1, Wendy said they had people waiting in their cars outside the  new deli at 10567 111 St. near MacEwan University.

“We had people from Jasper drive to have a bite to eat, and head back home,” Wendy said.

“There were tears and hugs.”

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The pair said they will be serving their well-known sandwiches, with a new celiac-friendly menu.

With files from Phil Heidenreich and Erik Bay, Global News

• Jasper deli moving its rebuild to Edmonton