Twisted Lemon

Dan and Laurie moved to Cayuga in hopes of building a business and raising a family in a tight-knit community.

In 2009, Dan and Laurie Megna had a newborn baby, two young kids, and the crazy idea to turn their house into a restaurant. Located in the heart of Cayuga, the Twisted Lemon Restaurant & Boutique Inn has been a community cornerstone since then. With a passion for the culinary arts, Twisted Lemon Restaurant and its accompanying Clarity Cocktails create food experiences with a story that surprises the senses, and an atmosphere offering a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment to celebrate every occasion.

Dan and Laurie moved to Cayuga in hopes of building a business and raising a family in a tight-knit community. Chef Dan Megna graduated from Humber College's Culinary Program and went on to cook in some of the best kitchens in Ontario before starting up his own. Laurie’s signature Clarity Unruffled Cocktails are what brought this business to the next level following COVID-19.

At Twisted Lemon, hospitality isn’t just a service; it’s an art. The sense of pride, passion, and integrity can be felt as soon as you walk through the door. Extremely local and sustainably-minded, their flourishing backyard garden breathes life into every dish. Freshness doesn’t just describe their ingredients – it defines their entire philosophy. Meals at the Twisted Lemon are made with ingredients that can be found only 30 steps away. Vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs are grown onsite, picked fresh each day, and then orchestrated into a symphony on your plate, elevating the farm-to-table style.

Clarity Cocktails – an invention born from the 2020 pandemic – sustainably, creatively, and mystifyingly distills ingredients from popular cocktails into clear concoctions by utilizing a dairy filter, which then becomes sauce, spice and even ice cream in the restaurant. That’s right! You can enjoy a beverage that tastes exactly like a classic Caesar, but so clear, it doesn’t look anything like it.

Twisted Lemon has also expanded to include a beautiful boutique inn with three unique rooms perfect for a night of tranquillity. They offer a variety of dine and stay packages to create a fun night, weekend getaway, or staycation.

With all of this culinary innovation, Dan and Laurie felt there was more potential from their space. From the very beginning, Twisted Lemon knew its mission was to embrace evolution. Remember, these are the people who turned their own house into a restaurant. There was no chance they were going to slow down! When they looked around, they recognized something very important. There’s never been a shortage of things to do, nature to fall in love with, or small businesses to explore in Haldimand County, but there was no common thread tying it all together.

Haldimand is a beautiful region of “hidden gems” where some of the best growers, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, healers, teachers, bakers, brewers & thrill seekers live, this being part of the reasons Dan and Laurie settled here. Twisted Lemon decided that it was time to share that with the world. So, the Experiential Tourism Getaway Packages were born.

The experiences, designed to be paired with a Twisted Lemon Dine & Stay Package, have become a catalyst for driving regenerative tourism to Haldimand County, as well as promoting and supporting small businesses around. Pick a room in the Boutique Inn, book a table at the Twisted Lemon Restaurant, and let them know which experiences you’d like to explore. It’s that easy!

Showcasing the astounding natural landscapes and vibrant culture of Haldimand alike, this Twisted Lemon initiative is weaving a web of shared values between small businesses, the local community, and the astounding surrounding landscapes.

Haldimand locals and travellers now have a new way to adventure in the area, transforming the local economy and culture in the process. This innovative, groundbreaking project hasn’t only attracted the attention of Ontario tourism companies, but it’s also generated a sense of pride from residents of Haldimand County.

Because of their forward-thinking mindset, in late 2023 and early 2024, respectively, Twisted Lemon received the Innovator of the Year Award from the Southwestern Ontario Tourism Corporation, as well as the Best Small to Medium-Sized Business Award by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. No small achievement! To cap off 2024, Twisted Lemon also took home Ontario Southwest's Luminary of the Year award.

Recently, they’ve also been invited to become keynote speakers at hospitality conferences and mentor other small businesses in the same industry.

Celebrating their 15th anniversary in July 2024, Twisted Lemon simultaneously has deep roots planted in their home of Cayuga and is only just getting started. With an awesome crew, supportive community, and mindset of creativity, there’s no limit to where Twisted Lemon can go.

We can’t wait to see what else the Twisted Lemon Restaurant & Boutique Inn shares with Haldimand County and our visitors.

Who: Owners Dan and Laurie Megna
Year Established: 2009
Website: twistedlemon.ca

Learn more about starting or moving your business to Haldimand County. Contact us at 905-318-5932 ext. 6331 or email opportunity@haldimandcounty.on.ca.