About Us
Located in a refurbished 1904 Heritage home in rural Cedar, The Mahle House has been a local favourite for twenty seven years. Maureen Loucks partnered with her brother Delbert Horrocks to open the Mahle House in 1983.
Ginny Horrocks joined the front of house team in 1985 and assisted Delbert in juggling the day to day tasks of running a small restaurant – She proved to be so valuable that Delbert proposed marriage...They married in the restaurant garden in 1990.
Maureen’s youngest daughter Tara worked at the Mahle House in various capacities from dishwasher to server from 1983 to 1995 enduring all forms of abuse including low wages and blows to the head with hot pans...a fitting introduction to the restaurant industry.
Anticipating Delbert and Maureen’s wish to retire at some point in the near future, Tara returned to Nanaimo in 2009 with a desire to see the Mahle House continue to evolve over the next 20 years.
Tara and husband Stephen Wilson have now taken over operations at the restaurant and look forward to preserving the standards and traditions of the Mahle House where they will be serving time for the next quarter century.
Stephen and Tara spent years living in Victoria where they worked at many of the city’s respected restaurants and hotels including the Sooke Harbour House, Camille’s, Café Brio, Il Terrazzo, and the Fairmont Empress. Stephen is a certified Sommelier and manages the wine and beverage program at the Mahle House.
Our Kitchen Team
- Maureen Loucks – Executive Chef
- Naida Hobbs – Chef de Cuisine
- Stephen Wilson
- Shayne Shepherd
- Catherine Hall
- Ashley Smith
Maureen Loucks has compiled a unique selection of signature recipes – Her Calamari and Porcupine Prawns have kept Nanaimo diners returning to the Mahle House for years. Her passion for cooking has not diminished over the years and she continues to influence our kitchen team with her ideas and suggestions.
Naida Hobbs has worked with Maureen and family since 1988...Those of you familiar with family restaurant dynamics will grasp the significance of this accomplishment! Naida has contributed greatly to the success and consistency of the Mahle House over the past decades keeping us organized, well staffed, and prepared for daily service. Naida is also responsible for our much loved dessert selection...keeping us well stocked with quality ice creams and delicious favorites such as our Crème Brûlée Napoleon.
Our talented kitchen team: Catherine Hall, Shayne Shepherd and Ashley Smith bring with them years of experience, and an enthusiasm for maintaining and building on the traditions of the Mahle House.
The Gardens
The design and upkeep of the perennial style garden surrounding the house is the work of Ginny Horrocks. Starting from scratch 25 years ago, she has developed the gardens into what they are today. Her husband Delbert is sometimes allowed to help but only under close supervision as his ability to differentiate between a weed and a plant is suspect. Perennials were chosen to reflect the era of the house and provide a lovely setting for celebrations of any kind.
The Mahle House grounds house a large seasonal vegetable garden that produces both summer staples such as zucchini, beans, beets, tomatoes and carrots and an ever changing rotation of experimental crops from year to year.
Chef Loucks teams with the knowledgeable Scott Wiskerke and crew to bring the edible gardens to life each spring. Seed catalogues and sketches of the latest and greatest garden layout are sure signs of spring at the Mahle House!
Our herb gardens provide ample fresh seasonings that are showcased in summer dishes such as Maureen’s Green Bean Salad with mint vinaigrette, and cocktails including Stephen’s raspberry Mojitos.
