By RYAN KING
CODROY VALLEY — Hynes Chicken Villa in the Codroy Valley has an interesting new item on the menu that’s perfect on hot summer days. The Mitchell Milkshake is a cheesecake milkshake that has been named after Port aux Basques RCMP Constable Chad Mitchell.
Back in May, Cst. Mitchell went to the restaurant, which is owned and operated by Pauline Hynes. He asked her if she could make a cheesecake milkshake.
“He came in and asked me if I knew how to make it. I never heard of it before because it’s done with cheesecake. It’s different,” noted Hynes.
Mitchell has been stationed at the Port aux Basques detachment for about seven months, but had only been there a month when he decided to check out the well-known restaurant.
“Throughout the meal I made a call into my partner about not seeing a milkshake on the menu. So, I asked the owner at the time if they serve milkshakes, and she said ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Ok what kind of flavours do you do,’ and she advised that she makes any type of flavour. So, I asked her about a cheesecake milkshake, and she said that she’s never done something like that before,” said Mitchell.
The idea for the shake came from Mitchell’s childhood, when he would visit a small campground in his home province of Alberta. There were wide varieties of ice cream used to make milkshakes, and cheesecake ended up being his favourite.
“I explained (that) when I was a kid, I had a milkshake that had cheesecake ice cream in it. She said ‘Well, I could probably make you a milkshake with an actual piece of cheesecake in it.’ I was like, ‘Well, if you’re going to attempt that, you might as well name it after me.’ And it was more kind of in a joking manner,” said Mitchell.
Hynes liked the idea of offering a milkshake that was different from the ones she was already offering, and she decided to start selling it in her restaurant. She named Mitchell’s milkshake after the officer it was created for.
“I said I have to distinguish that one from the one that I make, so I asked if it was alright to put his name on it. And he said yes. He was tickled to death!” said Hynes.
Mitchell says that he is flattered Hynes named it after him, and thought it was a nice way to be welcomed into the community after only being here a month.
“It’s been incredibly humbling. I would say that it’s been a surreal experience. I didn’t expect it to actually happen, and when they contacted me, I was 100 percent excited to say yes, and they’ve been very kind, very professional, and they’ve been good people for doing so. So yeah, it’s been very exciting,” said Mitchell. “It’s very incredible for it to have happened, and it’s very nice that Pauline did that for me.”
Hynes says that the new frozen treat is quickly catching on now that she’s added it to the menu. She makes it with milk and a flavoured syrup, and Cst. Mitchell usually gets cherry. Then a slice of homemade cheesecake is blended in with it. Mitchell swings by to grab a shake every time that he gets a chance.
Hynes is allergic to dairy products and cannot try one, but in the interests of research this reporter can confirm that it is indeed delicious, and perfect for a trip in the Codroy Valley on a sunny day.
Cst. Mitchell agrees.
“It’s delicious!”