Eatdrink #65 May/June 2017
The LOCAL food and drink magazine serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007
The LOCAL food and drink magazine serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007
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Issue <strong>#65</strong> | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
FREE<br />
Trending Now: The Tea Lounge<br />
is part of a Tea Renaissance<br />
Tea Rituals<br />
The Sommelier-Driven<br />
Tea Experience<br />
ALSO FEATURING<br />
Al Fresco!<br />
Dining & Drinking<br />
in the Great Outdoors<br />
John Szabo Interview<br />
A Master Sommelier<br />
Feast: Recipes and Stories<br />
from a Canadian Road Trip<br />
Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007<br />
www.eatdrink.ca
2 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Celebrate<br />
the art of life in in<br />
STRATFORD<br />
Spring is is bursting with with culinary culinary innovations, innovations, artistic artistic talent and talent and<br />
musical pleasures. Come Come join join us for us these for these happenings happenings and more. and more<br />
5-7 Country Weekend at The Hub<br />
6 Young Adults Stratford Writers Festival<br />
MAY<br />
7 Bradshaws Open House – A Canadian<br />
Marketplace<br />
7 Spring Foraging, Puck’s Plenty (more dates)<br />
19-21 Stratford Studio Tour<br />
20 Revival House VQA Wine Festival<br />
JUNE<br />
16 50th Anniversary Picnic, Gallery Stratford<br />
18 Father’s Day Craft Beer Festival,<br />
Stratford Perth Museum<br />
23-25 Stratford Blues & Ribfest<br />
25 Revival House High Tea<br />
Plan your Spring getaway at<br />
visitstratford.ca<br />
@StratfordON<br />
@SavourStratford<br />
StratfordON
SPRING EVENTS A T T H E IDLE WYL D<br />
The Courtyard Opens in <strong>June</strong>!<br />
.<br />
BBQ<br />
Buffet<br />
Dinners<br />
Wednesdays & Thursdays<br />
Seatings start at 5:30–9pm<br />
$36.95<br />
per person + hst & gratuity<br />
Mother’s Day Brunch<br />
& Dinner Buffet<br />
Sunday, <strong>May</strong> 14th<br />
Brunch, Two Seatings: 11am & 2pm<br />
$35.95 per person, Children 3–12 $18, + hst & gratuity<br />
Dinner Buffet, Two Seatings: 5pm & 7:30pm<br />
$39.95 per person, Children 3–12 $20, + hst & gratuity<br />
$40<br />
per person<br />
+hst & gratuity<br />
Our Famous Saturday Afternoon Tea<br />
<strong>May</strong> 20th & <strong>June</strong> 24th | 2:00 – 4:00pm<br />
Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea, featuring an assortment<br />
of loose leaf teas, homemade scones, Devon cream and<br />
preserves, cucumber sandwiches, savory mini quiches, and<br />
mouth watering treats and sweets!<br />
36 Grand Ave London, Ontario | 519.432.5554<br />
www.idlewyldinn.com |<br />
IdlewyldInnAndSpa
eatdrink<br />
<br />
inc.<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
eatdrinkmag<br />
@eatdrinkmag<br />
eatdrink.ca<br />
Living<br />
Energy!<br />
Full of enzymes.<br />
Packed with vitamins, minerals,<br />
and cleansing chlorophyll.<br />
Delicious!<br />
Conveniently packaged,<br />
living and ready to eat.<br />
Just snip, rinse & serve!<br />
Available at Wholesalers,<br />
Fine Restaurants & Retailers,<br />
and at our Farm Gate Retail<br />
7496 Calvert Dr., Strathroy ON<br />
519-245-1339<br />
slegersgreenhouses@gmail.com<br />
www.slegersgreens.com<br />
Think Global. Read Local.<br />
Publisher<br />
Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca<br />
Managing Editor Cecilia Buy – cbuy@eatdrink.ca<br />
Food Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Copy Editor Kym Wolfe<br />
Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Advertising Sales Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca<br />
Stacey McDonald – stacey@eatdrink.ca<br />
Finances<br />
Ann Cormier – finance@eatdrink.ca<br />
Graphics<br />
Chris McDonell, Cecilia Buy<br />
Writers<br />
Jane Antoniak, Gerry Blackwell,<br />
Renee Borg, Tanya Chopp, Darin Cook,<br />
Nicole Laidler, Bryan Lavery,<br />
Wayne Newton, Tracy Turlin<br />
Photographers Bruce Fyfe, Steve Grimes<br />
Telephone & Fax 519-434-8349<br />
Mailing Address 525 Huron Street, London ON N5Y 4J6<br />
Website<br />
City Media<br />
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OUR COVER<br />
The Tea Lounge, owned by<br />
Yixing Tang and Michelle<br />
Pierce Hamilton, manifests<br />
the exuberant enthusiasm for all<br />
things tea in <strong>2017</strong>. Story page 20.<br />
Photo by Spencer Drake
Every Saturday in <strong>May</strong>!<br />
Come for mammoth meals, deals & experiences at<br />
these stops:<br />
Shop & Sample our award winning Cheddar & Asiago.<br />
816503 Country Rd 22, Bright<br />
brightcheeseandbutter.com | 519-454-8600<br />
Tour, taste, & take home our award winning cheeses.<br />
445172 Gunn’s Hill Rd., Woodstock<br />
GunnsHillCheese.ca | 519-424-4024<br />
Sample our handcrafted chocolates & world teas<br />
38 King St W., Ingersoll<br />
Chocolate.ca | 519-495-6020<br />
Gourmet grilled cheese & cheese baked goods.<br />
544212 Clarke Rd., Ingersoll<br />
LeapingDeer.com | 519-485-4795<br />
Find more stops & details at<br />
www.oxfordcountycheesetrail.ca<br />
866-801-7368 x3355<br />
@TourismOxford
Contents<br />
Issue <strong>#65</strong> | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Food Writer at Large<br />
To B&B or Not to B&B<br />
A Diversity of Lodgings in Stratford<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
8<br />
Restaurants<br />
Al Fresco!<br />
14<br />
Dining & Drinking in the Great Outdoors<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
14<br />
8<br />
Spirits<br />
Craft Distillery Cocktails<br />
A Spring Visit to Wolfhead Distillery<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK<br />
46<br />
Various Musical Notes<br />
Celtic, Québecois, and Iconic<br />
Upcoming Highlights on the Music Scene<br />
By GERRY BLACKWELL<br />
48<br />
Culinary Retail<br />
Tea Rituals<br />
The Sommelier-Driven Tea Experience<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
20<br />
20<br />
The Classical Beat<br />
Happy Birthday, Canada<br />
It’s All About Us<br />
By NICOLE LAIDLER<br />
50<br />
Road Trips<br />
Destination: Nebraska<br />
A “Drive-to” State<br />
By WAYNE NEWTON?<br />
26<br />
The BUZZ<br />
Culinary Community Notes<br />
30<br />
Beer<br />
Last Castle Brewing Co.<br />
Nano Brewing in Port Stanley<br />
By WAYNE NEWTON<br />
40<br />
Wine<br />
Master Sommelier John Szabo<br />
A Taste for Excellence<br />
By TANYA CHOPP<br />
42<br />
26<br />
40<br />
60<br />
55<br />
Theatre<br />
Summer Theatre Is Back!<br />
Celebrating Canada Onstage<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK<br />
53<br />
Recipes<br />
Feast: Recipes and Stories<br />
from a Canadian Road Trip<br />
Review & Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN<br />
55<br />
Books<br />
The Trends that We Eat<br />
Devoured by Sophie Egan<br />
Review by DARIN COOK<br />
60<br />
The Lighter Side<br />
The Newbie<br />
By RENEE BORG<br />
62<br />
42<br />
62
Alternate Grounds Dockside, Sarnia<br />
©<br />
There’s a new culinary scene making waves in Ontario.<br />
Ontario’s Blue Coast is home to a rapidly expanding wine region and premium waterfront<br />
dining, all inspired by the laidback lifestyles in Lambton County.<br />
Sit back, relax, sip some craft beer and sink your teeth into some fresh-caught lake fish.<br />
It’s what we like to call the après-jet ski on the coast.<br />
GET A TASTE at tourismsarnialambton.com
8 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Food Writer at Large<br />
To B&B or Not to B&B<br />
A Diversity of Lodgings in Stratford<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
If you’re thinking of visiting<br />
Stratford before the summer<br />
season heats up, or in the<br />
thick of theatre season, you’ll<br />
find a diversity of comfortable<br />
hospitable lodgings no matter<br />
what your taste. The region offers<br />
a variety of hotels, boutique inns,<br />
luxury suites, hotel-style home<br />
and vacation rentals, farm-stays<br />
and over 70 bed-and-breakfasts<br />
(B&Bs). Be sure to book in<br />
advance for the most optimal<br />
experience.<br />
The lion’s share of Stratford’s<br />
lodgings is situated around<br />
the downtown area with easy access to<br />
theatres, restaurants, cafés and independent<br />
retailers. The gradual transformation from<br />
heritage homes to elegant guest houses and<br />
B&B lodgings has played a large role in the<br />
conservation of the heritage architecture and<br />
charm of Stratford and surroundings. Dating<br />
from 1953, Stratford’s B&B history harkens<br />
back to the beginning of the Shakespeare<br />
Festival, when residents opened their homes<br />
to unanticipated throngs of theatre-goers.<br />
Due to their smaller size, B&Bs and inns<br />
usually offer a more intimate, personalized<br />
Forest Motel and Woodland Resort<br />
Stewart House Inn<br />
guest experience, allowing visitors interaction<br />
not only with the owner but also other guests.<br />
Add the draw of staying in a unique property,<br />
breakfasts to remember, and comforts that are<br />
comparable, if not superior to, other lodgings,<br />
and it’s not surprising that many travelers<br />
prefer B&Bs and small inns.<br />
Stratford and Area Bed & Breakfast<br />
Association (SABBA) is the leading<br />
representative of independent B&B owners<br />
in Stratford and surrounding area. The<br />
organization has helped build a cohesive<br />
custom service experience for visitors looking<br />
for B&B accommodations, from the<br />
unassuming and cozy to the most lavish<br />
and luxurious. SABBA participants<br />
are committed to the Association’s<br />
quality standards, often surpassing<br />
local licensing requirements. SABBA<br />
properties are regularly inspected to<br />
ensure these standards are maintained,<br />
which results in guests having a more<br />
optimized and engaged customer<br />
experience.<br />
Be sure to check out the comprehensive<br />
list of B&Bs on SABBA’s website<br />
(www.bbstratford.ca). You’ll find<br />
choices such as the elegantly appointed
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
One of Stratford’s<br />
original fine dining<br />
restaurants<br />
FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE<br />
Key’d Inn<br />
Magnolia House, one of the newer properties<br />
to open in Stratford, in a beautifully restored<br />
Edwardian home. Perennial favourites also<br />
abound. The elegant all-season Stewart<br />
House Inn, a six-bedroom B&B, almost<br />
always experiences full occupancy during<br />
the Stratford Festival season. Frequently<br />
receiving rave reviews and five-star ratings<br />
on TripAdvisor Canada, the Inn was named<br />
Unique Luxury Hotel of the Year in the North<br />
American listings of the Luxury Travel Guide<br />
year-end America’s Awards 2016. The awards<br />
celebrate the very best accommodation<br />
providers.<br />
Cathy Rehberg, Marketing Manager,<br />
Stratford Tourism Alliance says, “Stratford’s<br />
boutique inns are small enough to offer<br />
personal interaction, yet large enough to allow<br />
for anonymity if that is what is preferred.<br />
Mercer Hotel (a walk up), The Lofts at 99,<br />
Bentley’s (a walk up) and The Parlour Inn,<br />
a Vintage Inn property, are good examples of<br />
this and situated in the downtown. They all<br />
feature dining on location and free parking.”<br />
Another highly recommended spot is Key’d<br />
Inn, operated by Keystone Alley. The Inn<br />
consists of two spacious suites located above<br />
the restaurant. You can enjoy a cocktail on<br />
the impressive rooftop patio or relax in front<br />
of the gas fireplace in the shared communal<br />
dining/sitting area.<br />
Forest Motel and Woodland Resort<br />
provides an unexpected surprise, with 19<br />
rooms in a wooded location on private<br />
McCarthy Lake. This is a popular location for<br />
weddings and romantic getaways, with chalet<br />
rooms separated from the main building.<br />
They also offer upscale B&B rooms across the<br />
road. The setting is well suited to families,<br />
with canoes, bikes and inviting outdoor space<br />
to explore and enjoy at the east entrance to<br />
Stratford.<br />
Featured in 15 of the<br />
best restaurants<br />
outside the GTA<br />
TORONTO LIFE<br />
Join us for a cocktail in<br />
our cosmopolitan new bar<br />
Visit our website and follow us on<br />
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for<br />
features and special events.<br />
theprune.com<br />
151 Albert Street in downtown Stratford<br />
RESERVATIONS t. 519.271.5052<br />
reservations@theprune.com
10 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Here are a few more suggestions and recommendations<br />
to highlight the variety of choices and styles<br />
in the Stratford area.<br />
Foster’s Inn<br />
In the heart of Stratford’s uptown, Foster’s Inn’s nine<br />
eclectic rooms offer comfort and strikingly unique<br />
furnishings in a casual and calming environment. This<br />
The Restaurant at The<br />
Bruce Hotel (above) and<br />
indoor swimming pool<br />
turn-of-the-century brick building features soaring<br />
14-foot ceilings, fully-accessible en suite bathrooms<br />
with modern amenities, an elevator and an excellent<br />
steakhouse with a street-level patio in a prime<br />
location off Market Square, just steps to the Avon<br />
Theatre. Friendly, personalized service and excellent<br />
breakfasts are the Inn’s hallmark. You will be the guest<br />
of the owner Craig Foster, who is passionate about<br />
hospitality. Drop by the quaint bar or street-side patio<br />
during cocktail hour or after theatre. Open seven days<br />
a week, breakfast, lunch and dinner. fostersinn.com<br />
Mercer Kitchen/Beer Hall/Hotel<br />
Mercer Kitchen/Beer Hall/Hotel, a unique, smartlyrenovated<br />
heritage walk-up located in the heart<br />
of downtown Stratford, is a balance<br />
between contemporary and traditional.<br />
The 14 expansive and comfortable<br />
rooms are among some of the most<br />
desirable in the core. The street level<br />
boasts Mercer Kitchen, a terroir-driven<br />
restaurant under the guidance of Chef<br />
Ryan McDonnell, with a delicious “from<br />
scratch” menu. They also offer one of<br />
Ontario’s largest craft beer selections.<br />
mercerhall.ca
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 11<br />
The Bruce Hotel<br />
The handsomely appointed, 25-room<br />
Bruce Hotel features 21 spacious rooms<br />
and four “petite suites” designed with a<br />
Shakespearean character in mind. There<br />
is a luxurious indoor pool and a stateof-the-art<br />
gym. The Bruce is situated<br />
on six and a half acres of property just<br />
a short walk from the Festival Theatre.<br />
The gazebo can be booked for special<br />
dinners. The dining room is white linen,<br />
chic with comfortable square-backed<br />
upholstered chairs and settees. This is<br />
the top end of dining in Stratford, with Chef<br />
Arron Carley featuring cutting-edge Canadian<br />
cuisine and wine pairings. thebruce.ca<br />
The Festival Inn<br />
The Festival Inn, offering affordable<br />
accommodations in several low-rise buildings<br />
and an annex adjoining the main hotel with<br />
a covered walkway, has a retro ambience. The<br />
hotel has been welcoming guests for over 50<br />
years and is a six-minute drive from the Avon<br />
Theatre. There’s an informal dining room and<br />
a casual lounge with a large-screen TV and a<br />
snack menu. A complimentary continental<br />
breakfast is served in the Anne Hathaway<br />
dining room, mornings between 7:30 am and<br />
11 am. festivalinnstratford.com<br />
Rundles Morris House<br />
Rundles Morris House, designed by the<br />
Canadian architectural firm Shim-Sutcliffe,<br />
launched the first ever fractional vacation<br />
home ownership opportunity in Stratford. As<br />
the beginning phase in the re-development<br />
of Rundles Restaurant, starting in the <strong>2017</strong><br />
season of the Stratford Festival, Rundles<br />
Morris House will be offered for sale in<br />
one-week segments. The house functions<br />
Rundles Morris House and kitchen (above)<br />
WATSON’S CHELSEA BAZAAR<br />
A fun place to shop!<br />
as a deluxe two-bedroom suite, has a living<br />
room, den, bedroom and en suite bathrooms.<br />
Enjoy the wood-burning fireplace in the<br />
living room, and views onto the Avon River<br />
and parklands. The adjoining restaurant has<br />
always been synonymous with innovative<br />
culinary classicism and a refined level of wine<br />
sophistication. rundlesrestaurant.com<br />
BRYAN LAVERY is <strong>Eatdrink</strong>’s Food Editor and Writer<br />
at Large.<br />
Smeg small appliances ... A perfect fusion of practicality, technology and beauty!<br />
84 Ontario St Stratford watsonsofstratford.com 519-273-1790
Stratford is more<br />
than great theatre<br />
visitstratford.ca<br />
StratfordON<br />
@StratfordON<br />
Bard’s<br />
“Buck A Shuck”<br />
Fresh Oyster Bar<br />
Every Friday & Saturday<br />
starting at 5pm<br />
Lunch & Dinner<br />
Tuesday–Sunday<br />
Limited Menu 3–5pm<br />
After-Theatre Menu<br />
Two Experiences, One Location<br />
27 MARKETPLACE<br />
Bard’s Steakhouse & The Hub<br />
27-31 Marketplace, Stratford<br />
519-508-BEER (2337)<br />
27marketplace.com<br />
Stratford’s ONLY Rooftop Patio!<br />
Open Daily at 11am<br />
Live Music<br />
Daily Specials<br />
54 Beers on Tap<br />
Dining. Imbibing. Events.<br />
Globally inspired menus using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients;<br />
featuring familiar, homestyle comforts alongside new & interesting creations.<br />
•<br />
Hand-crafted cocktails; also featured on tap & in bottles.<br />
•<br />
Local craft beer on tap, bottles from around the world.<br />
•<br />
Refined selection of wines from Ontario & abroad<br />
for reservations please call<br />
(519) 273.5886<br />
30 Ontario Street, Stratford, ON<br />
www.themillstone.ca
Our Gelato is ready!<br />
celebrating 122 years in stratford<br />
And our new Ice Cream Bars!<br />
hint: get them before they are gone!<br />
Mon to Sat 9am to 6pm, Sun 10am to 5pm<br />
dining + weddings + receptions<br />
concerts + dinner shows<br />
tour groups + private functions<br />
REVIVAL … our inspired dining + events venue<br />
BELFRY … a chill upstairs gastrolounge<br />
CONFESSION … Stratford’s VIP hideaway<br />
Special events<br />
may alter hours<br />
on Saturdays<br />
70 Brunswick St.<br />
Stratford<br />
519.273.3424<br />
www.revival.house<br />
Outdoor<br />
Garden Patio<br />
NOW OPEN!
14 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Restaurants<br />
Al Fresco!<br />
Dining & Drinking in the Great Outdoors<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
It is the launch of al fresco season and<br />
we’ve gathered a selection of some of<br />
the more interesting regional dining and<br />
people-watching venues. Sip a coffee,<br />
quaff a craft beer or enjoy a nosh or a full<br />
meal at a sidewalk café, in a private garden or<br />
secluded courtyard setting, under a pergola or<br />
gazebo, on a roof-top patio, or on a charming<br />
side-street terrace.<br />
Here is my short list of recommendations<br />
— not exclusive and in no particular order —<br />
for refreshing al fresco dining and drinking<br />
inspiration this season.<br />
The Lake Huron Shore<br />
In Sarnia, Alternate Grounds Dockside<br />
affords the best view of the city and the only<br />
water-top patio on the Canadian side of the St.<br />
Clair River. Open seasonally, April 1–September<br />
30, at Sarnia Bay Marina. agdockside.com<br />
Smackwater Jack’s Taphouse features<br />
a patio that literally hangs over the river<br />
in Grand Bend, where it empties into Lake<br />
Huron. Always a popular spot for boat<br />
watching and sunset views, they recently<br />
added a wood burning pizza oven to the multitiered<br />
patio. smackwaterjacks.ca<br />
Located between Grand Bend and Bayfield<br />
outside the lakeside village of St. Joseph,<br />
Hessenland Country Inn honours German<br />
culinary traditions. The Ihrig family relaunches<br />
their legendary al fresco Mongolian Grill nights<br />
in the summer on their outdoor patio with its<br />
great views of the bucolic grounds and fledgling<br />
vineyard. hessenland.com<br />
Alternate Grounds Dockside, Sarnia<br />
Smackwater Jack’s, Grand Bend<br />
London<br />
Looking for something different? How about<br />
trying a bistro-themed restaurant for plane<br />
spotters and aeronautical aficionados with<br />
its patio located next to the London airport<br />
Idlewyld Inn, London<br />
tarmac? Katana Kafe & Grill may be off the<br />
beaten path, but it offers a spectacular view of<br />
air traffic and Chef Chris Morrison’s cuisine<br />
receives rave reviews. katanakafe.ca<br />
The Early Bird, a diner with casual farmto-table<br />
cooking, has a retro charm and a<br />
26-seat seasonal patio placed across the<br />
sidewalk for outdoor dining. theearlybird.ca<br />
The close proximity to Budweiser Gardens<br />
makes both Waldo’s On King (waldos.on.ca)<br />
and Olive R Twists Food and Beverage<br />
House (olivertwists.ca) at the Covent Garden<br />
Market a desirable choice on event nights. Both<br />
restaurants overlook King Street’s restaurant
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 15<br />
Black Trumpet, London<br />
row and are perfectly placed<br />
for relaxing and watching the<br />
passing scene.<br />
For vegan diners, Glassroots<br />
(glassrootslondon.com)<br />
has a 14-seat elevated patio<br />
overlooking Richmond Row,<br />
and Plant Matter Kitchen<br />
(plantmatterkitchen.com) in<br />
Wortley Village also has<br />
street-side seating.<br />
Wolfe of Wortley is a<br />
compact 24-seat<br />
restaurant<br />
which is complemented<br />
by<br />
a 14-seat patio.<br />
This is casual but<br />
sophisticated dining focusing on curing, pickling,<br />
fermenting, and preserving, featuring craft cocktails<br />
and a compact wine list. wolfeofwortley.com<br />
The Springs, at 310 Springbank Drive, is<br />
one of London’s premier culinary hot spots.<br />
A beautifully appointed raised patio seats 40.<br />
Chef Geoff Tew features locally grown ingredients<br />
from farms specializing in sustainable<br />
agriculture, organic growing practices, and ethically<br />
raised livestock. thespringsrestaurant.com<br />
Idlewyld Inn & Spa is a grand Victorian<br />
mansion nestled at 36 Grand Avenue in a quiet<br />
Old South neighbourhood. Here the passion<br />
for food translates into updated classic cuisine<br />
showcasing local and seasonal products. The<br />
manicured grounds and elegant ambiance of<br />
the gracious front porch and hidden forty-seat<br />
“Garden Courtyard” create a welcome retreat<br />
for diners. idlewyldinn.com<br />
Black Trumpet is a prestige spot for al<br />
fresco dining in its beautifully appointed<br />
British colonial Indonesian-style courtyard<br />
garden. This secluded oasis on Richmond St.<br />
The Church Key, London<br />
Fresh flavours<br />
everyday<br />
Proud to celebrate our 1st Anniversary<br />
serving only our finest dishes with<br />
fresh, local ingredients.<br />
Restaurant & Bar<br />
226 658 0999<br />
soloportstanley.com
16 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
seats 60 and features several levels amidst the<br />
wild plantings and exotic foliage. Chef Scot<br />
Wessling and the culinary team have a modern<br />
take on iconic classics, with Mediterranean<br />
and Asian influences. blacktrumpet.ca<br />
The Church Key Bistro-Pub resides in<br />
a prominent heritage building across from<br />
the Grand Theatre and beside St. Paul’s<br />
Cathedral. Chef Michael Anglestad specializes<br />
in traditional food updated with gourmet<br />
flair. The pub features an intimate outdoor<br />
courtyard for casual cocktails or dinner<br />
SUNDAY BRUNCH<br />
11am−2pm<br />
PATIO<br />
Now<br />
Open!<br />
Sun–Tues 11am–11pm, Wed/Thurs 11am–midnight, Fri/Sat 11am–1am<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
pre- and post-theatre, and they also serve an<br />
exceptional Sunday Brunch featuring different<br />
entrée items every week. thechurchkey.ca<br />
Bertoldi’s Trattoria has a well-appointed<br />
rooftop patio that gives patrons a great view<br />
of the denizens on Richmond Row. The patio,<br />
with seating for 100, resembles an Italian<br />
garden, with hanging baskets and colourful<br />
umbrellas. On cooler evenings, an infrared<br />
heating system lends the patio a warm glow.<br />
On sunny days, a misting system helps cool<br />
things down. bertoldis.ca<br />
Marienbad Restaurant and Chaucer’s<br />
Pub share a Carling St. sidewalk patio with a<br />
smart black iron fence, pretty flower boxes,<br />
and comfortable tables with festive umbrellas<br />
that exude old-world charm. Chef Klaus<br />
Campbell evokes the traditional Mittel-<br />
European cooking styles of Central Europe.<br />
There is excellent steak tartare, schnitzels and<br />
a superior beer selection. marienbad.ca<br />
Craft beer enthusiasts have made Milos’<br />
Craft Beer Emporium a local landmark,<br />
part of Ontario’s rich craft beer culture. Chef<br />
Matt Reijnen prepares seasonally-curated<br />
menus that reflect their farm-to-table<br />
commitment and passion for everything<br />
local. There are 23 micros on tap with<br />
excellent style variation, and twin street-side<br />
seasonal patios. pubmilos.com<br />
The Morrissey House is a welcoming, warm<br />
and cozy local. Chef Andrew Harris features<br />
an innovative from-scratch menu. The 60-seat<br />
patio, set back from the street at 359–361<br />
Dundas St., is an industry and neighbourhood<br />
hot spot, attracting a large crowd of regulars.<br />
themorrisseyhouse.wordpress.com<br />
Toboggan Brewing Company is the concept<br />
of restaurateur Mike Smith, owner of the venerable<br />
London landmark Joe Kool’s. Toboggan’s<br />
craft beers are brewed below the floors of the
a step closer to Italy...<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 17<br />
Family-owned & operated, siblings Tina and Len<br />
are celebrating 10 years of bringing a genuine<br />
taste of Italy to Chatham. In homage to their<br />
mother Maria, they insist upon from-scratch<br />
cooking using the best of local ingrendients.<br />
The restaurant is sophisticated yet approachable.<br />
A beautiful patio overlooks the Thames River.<br />
Catering and well-appointed private function<br />
rooms are available.<br />
231 King Street West, Chatham<br />
519-360-1600<br />
Open for Dinner Daily / Lunch Monday-Saturday<br />
www.mammamariasristorante.ca<br />
Frendz is run by the creative team of Brenda<br />
Boismier and Chef Marc King. The warm, cozy<br />
Resto/Lounge is designed for friends to gather for<br />
good food and good times. Weekend entertainment<br />
features local talent. The upscale yet affordable<br />
menu features international cuisine, prepared from<br />
scratch, from Spanish tapas to steak and seafood.<br />
Craft beer is on tap, an extensive drink menu is<br />
on offer, and this may be the best patio in town.<br />
216 King Street West, Chatham<br />
519-436-1313<br />
Open Tuesday–Saturday for Lunch & Dinner<br />
a step closer<br />
www.frendzlounge.com<br />
to home...
18 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Revival House, Stratford<br />
Richmond St. brewpub. The 519 Kitchen features a<br />
large wood-burning oven, a large BBQ smoker and an<br />
enviable roof top patio overlooking Richmond Street.<br />
Smith’s other restaurants, Fellini Koolini’s and The<br />
Runt Club, feature charming twin patios with plenty<br />
of shade from mature trees at 155 Albert Street, just off<br />
Richmond Row. tobogganbrewing.com<br />
Stratford<br />
There is no shortage of great patios in Stratford. If<br />
you enjoy people watching, pull up a chair at Mercer<br />
Kitchen, Bentleys Inn, Fellini’s Italian Cucina,<br />
Downie Street Burger or Stratford Thai Cuisine.<br />
Other favourite spots include Anne Campion’s Revel<br />
on Market Square. This is a great place to grab a<br />
barista-prepared beverage and some homemade smallbatch<br />
baking and soak up the sun on one Stratford’s<br />
most striking patios. revelstratford.ca<br />
The relaxed osteria-style restaurant Monforte<br />
on Wellington — known for its small plates, each<br />
inspired by a Monforte cheese — has a charming<br />
35-seat courtyard with umbrellaed tables for al<br />
fresco dining. (fb.com/MonforteOnWellington) Another<br />
notable patio is located at The Parlour Inn by<br />
Vintage Hotels, just one block from the Avon<br />
Theatre and Studio Theatres in downtown Stratford.<br />
(theparlour.ca) Foster’s Inn (fostersinn.com) also<br />
offers a smart street-side patio, as does The Mill<br />
Stone (themillstone.ca). The HUB, at 27 Marketplace<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
above Bard’s Steakhouse, is the only<br />
three-season roof-top patio in Stratford.<br />
(27marketplace.com)<br />
Chef Aaron Carley, at The<br />
Restaurant at The Bruce at 89<br />
Parkview Dr., describes his cuisine as<br />
“New Canadiana,” using traditional<br />
techniques and global influences applied<br />
to the good things of this province. The<br />
luxe restaurant features a stunning<br />
36-seat terrace and a gazebo that can<br />
be booked for private dinners. Open for<br />
breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as<br />
pre- and post-theatre. thebruce.ca<br />
Revival House offers great local,<br />
seasonal food in the warm atmosphere<br />
of Stratford’s former Church Restaurant.<br />
Keystone Alley, Stratford<br />
Tucked along the Brunswick St. (south)<br />
side of the heritage church building, a<br />
new 40-seat garden patio is the perfect<br />
spot to enjoy anytime nosh, craft<br />
cocktails and local beer. revival.house<br />
Keystone Alley’s unique outdoor<br />
40-seat alley terrace is a hidden gem<br />
on Brunswick St. The patio features an<br />
Mamma Maria’s Ristorante, Chatham<br />
Chatham<br />
Tucked in the back of the Italian-inspired<br />
Mamma Maria’s Ristorante is a beautiful<br />
private dining area perfect for special<br />
events or parties. There are streetside<br />
tables and a stunning 50-seat patio off the<br />
private room overlooks the Thames River.<br />
mammamariasristorante.ca
SoLo On Main, Port Stanley<br />
“edible wall” of herbs used in their seasonal<br />
dishes. A great spot to enjoy the Ploughman’s<br />
Platter and some wine or a menu full of fresh<br />
seasonal and local foods. keystonealley.com<br />
Oxford County<br />
In Woodstock, we like to enjoy Eric<br />
Boyar’s delicious farm-to-table cuisine at<br />
Sixthirtynine and dine al fresco on the small<br />
and intimate patio surrounded by attractive<br />
raised flower beds. sixthirtynine.com<br />
In Ingersoll, maple and pine trees share<br />
space with bubbling cherub fountains along<br />
Elm Hurst Inn & Spa’s 33 landscaped acres.<br />
Inspired by the seasons, menus change to<br />
reflect the local harvest. The gingerbreadtrimmed<br />
mansion features a large outdoor<br />
patio in a bucolic setting. elmhurstinn.com<br />
Port Stanley<br />
Kettle Creek Inn’s dining options include a<br />
gazebo and a stunning garden terrace. Owner<br />
Jean Vedova says, “Guests can prop up their<br />
feet on their porch or balcony, sip a libation<br />
and amble down for dinner under the gazebo.<br />
It doesn’t get much better.” kettlecreekinn.com<br />
At SoLo On Main, Chef Lauren Van<br />
Dixhoorn’s cooking is refined and the<br />
presentation modern and thoughtful. There<br />
is a stunning patio and inviting front porch<br />
overlooking the harbour. soloportstanley.com<br />
The Windjammer Inn, at Smith and<br />
William, has comfortable seating on the newly<br />
rebuilt wraparound veranda. Owner and<br />
accomplished chef Kim Saunders sources her<br />
ingredients from the large farm network in<br />
Elgin County. thewindjammerinn.com<br />
Outdoor Farmers’ Market<br />
Thursdays, 8am–2pm<br />
Saturdays, 8am–1pm<br />
Opening Day is Saturday,<br />
<strong>May</strong> 6th! The<br />
Outdoor Market<br />
is London‘s best<br />
outlet for local<br />
produce, meat,<br />
cheese, wine<br />
and more.<br />
We have more vendors this year than ever<br />
before!<br />
Live Music from 10am–noon<br />
Recipe Samples from Jill’s Table<br />
Thursdays, 11am–Noon<br />
The market has partnered with<br />
the expert cooks at Jill’s<br />
Table for a weekly dish<br />
featuring market ingredients.<br />
Great suggestions for meals,<br />
soups, salads, desserts and<br />
more! Try the food,<br />
pick up a recipe.<br />
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BRYAN LAVERY is <strong>Eatdrink</strong>’s Food Editor and Writer<br />
at Large.
20 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Culinary Retail<br />
Tea Rituals<br />
The Sommelier-Driven Tea Experience<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
By BRYAN LAVERY<br />
London may be part of the explosion<br />
of indie cafés serving small-batch<br />
coffee roasts, which are part grab-andgo<br />
café and part bakery, but we’re a<br />
community of dedicated tea enthusiasts too.<br />
And now, with the rise of the wellness tea<br />
market, we are seeing several innovative teainspired<br />
concepts. These indie hot spots are<br />
about tea craft and accessibility and offer us<br />
a well-curated selection of ethically-sourced<br />
single-origin teas, blends, tisanes and infusions.<br />
The upswing in the popularity of tea<br />
translates to enhanced flavour profiles, and<br />
blends that add fruits, flowers and spices for a<br />
richer experience. Pairings of tea with herbs,<br />
spices and fruits for beverages, tea-infused<br />
jams, condiments, and desserts, cocktails, cold<br />
brews and ferments are all on-trend.<br />
In traditional tea growing countries like<br />
China, Japan, India and Sri Lanka (formerly<br />
Ceylon) the term tea specifically refers to<br />
beverages made from steeping the leaves<br />
of cultivars that have been developed for<br />
thousands of years.<br />
White, black, blue, yellow and green teas all<br />
originate from one of two tea plant varieties:<br />
the Camellia sinensis — a small-leaf tea plant<br />
that flourishes in cool, mountain regions of<br />
central China and Japan — and the Camellia<br />
The Tea Haus<br />
assamica — a broad-leaf variety of sinensis,<br />
growing optimally in the moist, tropical<br />
climates of China and North-east India. Like<br />
wines, teas are a reflection of their terroir.<br />
Processing after harvesting determines the<br />
type of tea produced. Tea leaves can be roasted,<br />
steamed and semi- or fully- fermented.<br />
The purpose of blending tea is to create a<br />
well-balanced flavour using different origins<br />
and characters. Tea cultivars have been<br />
developed for thousands of years, whereas<br />
the international commercial tea industry has<br />
only existed for a little over a century and a<br />
half. Tisanes, infusions and herbal blends are<br />
prepared like tea, but are made with herbs,<br />
flowers, roots, bark, fruit, seeds and spices.<br />
We love The Tea Haus, located on the<br />
second floor of Covent Garden Market. The<br />
hospitable proprietors have created a little<br />
oasis, which is the perfect place to unwind and<br />
escape the hustle and bustle. This premium<br />
loose-leaf teashop features black, green, white,<br />
herbal chai, Fairtrade, oolong, organic and<br />
fruit teas. The attractive kiosk boasts a solid<br />
inventory of teaware, pots and accessories.<br />
Long-time local tea purveyors, Gary and<br />
Martha McAlister of Everything Tea, located<br />
at the Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market at Western<br />
A guided tasting of four oolong teas at The Tea Lounge
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Fair on Saturdays, have transferred their boutique shop<br />
to their son Hadleigh. Called The Canadian Magpie<br />
Merchant, it specializes in organic and fair trade tea<br />
and accessories.<br />
The Tea Lounge<br />
Certified tea sommelier and nutritionist Michelle<br />
Pierce Hamilton and her business partner Yixing Tang<br />
opened The Tea Lounge in a small and charming house<br />
on Piccadilly Street east of Richmond Row last fall.<br />
Millwork shelving showcases an interesting selection<br />
of unique and traditional teaware. The focal point is a<br />
10-foot “Wall of Tea,” featuring over 100 hand-selected<br />
teas from around the world.<br />
The café has many seating options, including a<br />
rustic conference table with over-sized hand-carved<br />
dining chairs for groups and classes. A long crimson<br />
sofa accents the Indo-Asian decorative features of the<br />
eclectic central lounge. There is additional seating on<br />
the front porch in the warm weather.<br />
Tang and Pierce Hamilton offer a premium tea<br />
service experience, serving ethically-sourced singleorigin<br />
teas and tisanes from around the world, as<br />
well as retailing striking teaware. The pair offers<br />
traditional Chinese, Japanese and English teas, each<br />
with its own teaware and serving style. Chinese<br />
“grandpa style” is another option on offer. Or you can<br />
Business partners Michelle Pierce<br />
Hamilton and Yixing Tang<br />
We’re getting fresh ẹr!<br />
FRESH New Look!<br />
FRESH New Products!!<br />
FRESH New Location,<br />
simply get a quick cup to go. Guests<br />
can sip meticulously-sourced teas<br />
while experiencing their choice of<br />
traditional or contemporary style tea<br />
service in the laid-back lounge.<br />
Whether you’re in the mood for a<br />
tasty treat, wholesome ingredients,<br />
to serve you better!!!<br />
Photo by Spencer Drake<br />
The<br />
Pristine<br />
live<br />
Est. 2012<br />
st<br />
<strong>June</strong> 1 we’re moving, but only 800m away!<br />
884 Adelaide Street N. | London | 519-433-4444 | thepristineolive.ca
22 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
or have food sensitivities, delicious baked good<br />
and healthful snacks from Petit Paris Crêperie<br />
& Pâtisserie, Boombox Bakeshop and Bliss<br />
Specialty Foods add to the tea experience.<br />
A menu of light and nourishing food offers<br />
a daily wholesome made-from-scratch soup<br />
prepared by the culinary team at The Spruce on<br />
Wellington just around the corner. Other items<br />
include organic Mason jar layered-salads with<br />
names like Plant Protein, Fruitoxidant, Kitchen<br />
Sink, Greek Out and Sexy Mexi.<br />
There is an “All ’Bout Cheese Board”<br />
featuring a selection of local Ontario artisanal<br />
cheeses like Gunn’s Hill Cheese, served with<br />
condiments, nuts and other accompaniments<br />
that they switch up, to keep things interesting.<br />
Wisdom: Café,Teashop and Japanese Crêperie<br />
Wisdom Teashop, founded by David and Vicky Chandler<br />
nine years ago, sold tea and tea accessories in London’s<br />
Old East Village. In 2016, their son Aaron took over<br />
and rebranded as Wisdom: Cafe, Teashop and Japanese<br />
Crêperie. A strong background grounding his knowledge<br />
of tea, Aaron has a foothold in the blossoming “tea<br />
wellness” market. Yet the business remains one of<br />
London’s best keep secrets. The small but sophisticated<br />
café is housed in a long narrow shop with a clean<br />
modernist sensibility and aesthetic.<br />
Aaron Chandler lived in Japan for three years and<br />
was impressed by how small cafés and restaurants<br />
there flourish through their ability to focus on each<br />
individual customer’s enjoyment. He liked that<br />
they did only a few things, but that they were done<br />
exceptionally well. He wanted to bring this experience<br />
and ambience to London.<br />
As well as 145 teas and a large selection of teapots<br />
and accessories, the café features sweet and savoury<br />
Japanese crêpes, gelato, tea drinks and Propeller coffee<br />
(brewed on a state-of-the-art Nuova Simonelli coffee<br />
maker). Chandler prepares tea-based gelatos in small<br />
batches, such as matcha ( a finelyground<br />
powder of specially grown<br />
green tea) and white chocolate,<br />
cookies and cream with Earl Grey, and<br />
more traditional flavours like vanilla<br />
bean and triple chocolate. Everything<br />
is made by hand in the café to ensure<br />
freshness and quality.<br />
Chandler prepares the crêpes<br />
to order in the small open kitchen<br />
at the back of the café. Compared<br />
to their French brethren, these<br />
Japanese-inspired, thin, savoury<br />
crêpes are less sweet and are served<br />
in a cone shape for easy eating. Try<br />
the crispy Applewood smoked ham<br />
For the plant-based crowd, the “Nuts for<br />
Cheese Board” features a selection of artisanal,<br />
handcrafted, and vegan cheeses made from<br />
cultured organic cashews.<br />
What makes great tea? Pierce Hamilton<br />
believes, “It starts with excellent quality leaf,<br />
with permission to naturally unfurl and fully<br />
reveal its flavours and aromas. Not crushed<br />
or crammed into a little bag or a ball.” The<br />
tea lounge owners create blends that don’t<br />
diminish tea’s nutrients, antioxidants and<br />
essential oils. They do the legwork, sourcing<br />
and selecting teas and tisanes from around the<br />
globe. An informative and exciting schedule<br />
of classes and events is also part of The Tea<br />
Lounge experience. www.tealoungelondon.com<br />
crêpe with melted cheddar, or the<br />
smoked salmon, dill and goat cheese<br />
— they are both excellent. We have<br />
also sampled his outstanding matcha<br />
ice cream crêpe with<br />
fresh strawberries and<br />
chocolate syrup.<br />
The menu is continually<br />
expanding to accommodate<br />
customer sensitivities,<br />
and now includes<br />
a gluten-free crêpe and a<br />
dairy-free vegan gelato.<br />
www.wisdomcafe.ca<br />
Matcha Ice Cream, Chocolate<br />
& Strawberry Crêpes (left) and<br />
an array of teaware (above).
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24 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Distinctly Tea<br />
High Tea at Revival House<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Stratford<br />
Stratford offers several terrific ways to learn<br />
about and savour superior tea. Meet certified<br />
tea sommelier Karen Hartwick at Tea Leaves<br />
Tea Tasting Bar to experience the simplicity<br />
and intimacy of brewing, presenting, pairing<br />
and savouring tea. Tea Leaves is open<br />
Wednesday to Saturday, or by appointment.<br />
Distinctly Tea is nestled on York Street<br />
beside the river. Certified tea sommelier Dianne<br />
Krampien offers a broad selection of teas and tea<br />
brewing accessories. For the tea connoisseur, she offers sencha,<br />
tikuanyin, and many other Chinese teas of excellent grade.<br />
For over a century now, iconic hotels like the Toronto’s<br />
Royal York have honoured the ritual of afternoon tea, a<br />
remnant of India’s colonial British rule. Now, there is a<br />
renaissance and renewed interest by restaurateurs in the<br />
custom. Reserve your space at Revival House for High Tea<br />
and enjoy a special selection of Sloane tea and a custom<br />
menu of sandwiches, scones, petits fours and chocolates.<br />
Visit The Restaurant at The Bruce Hotel for its monthly<br />
afternoon tea, a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.<br />
Choose from twenty carefully curated teas — all of which<br />
are complements to the traditional (with a twist) nibbles.<br />
BRYAN LAVERY is <strong>Eatdrink</strong>’s Food Editor and Writer at Large.<br />
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26 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
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eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Destination: Nebraska<br />
A "Drive-To" Rather Than "Drive-Through" State<br />
Story and Photos by WAYNE NEWTON<br />
If you’re thinking of Nebraska as a drivethrough<br />
state while you’re en route to<br />
the Rocky Mountains or lush Pacific<br />
Coast, think again. This state, highlighted<br />
by its capital Lincoln and trendy Omaha, is a<br />
destination unto itself.<br />
It’s good enough for billionaire investor<br />
Warren Buffett, after all.<br />
My exploration starts at Omaha’s Henry<br />
Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, home to Lied<br />
(pronounced lead as in leader), Jungle, which<br />
is one of the largest indoor rainforest exhibits<br />
in the world. The zoo is also home to the<br />
world’s largest geodesic dome which houses a<br />
fascinating indoor desert exhibit.<br />
Underneath the dome, there is the world’s<br />
largest nocturnal animal exhibit, Kingdoms of<br />
the Night. In this enclosure, day-night cycles are<br />
reversed so visitors can observe animals such as<br />
the cat-like fossa of Madagascar, naked mole rats<br />
and aardvarks. The exhibit’s 600,000-litre indoor<br />
swamp is the largest in the world.<br />
As a bonus, the zoo has stellar dining options<br />
overlooking exhibits. These include the Omaha<br />
Steaks Grill and Patio nestled between the<br />
Lied Jungle and the cafeteria-style TreeTops<br />
Restaurant.<br />
In downtown Omaha, visitors are greeted by<br />
a beautiful sculpture of a Sioux warrior outside<br />
the Joslyn Art Museum.<br />
The museum’s collection features<br />
the expected and unexpected. There’s<br />
impressive 20th century American<br />
paintings and sculptures, but the most<br />
storied is a recently restored and altered<br />
Rembrandt from the 17th century.<br />
The painting Portrait of Dirck van Os<br />
was purchased in the 1940s in the belief it<br />
was authentic, but doubt was cast and the<br />
painting was displayed as being from the<br />
Rembrandt school before eventually being<br />
tucked away in storage for 10 years.<br />
In 2012, it was retrieved and sent to<br />
Amsterdam for analysis, where it was<br />
discovered to be a true, albeit altered,<br />
Rembrandt. Restoration work included<br />
removing embellishments believed to have<br />
been added after Rembrandt painted it,<br />
including a cross and chain and lace collar.<br />
Today, the restored painting is displayed as<br />
The state legislative building dominates<br />
the skyline in Lincoln, Nebraska.<br />
The lobby of the<br />
Durham Museum in<br />
Omaha recalls its<br />
railway days as a hub<br />
for troop movement.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 27<br />
BOLD JUST<br />
GOT BOLDER<br />
THE LEXUS F SPORT EVENT<br />
<strong>2017</strong> IS 200t F SPORT<br />
LEASE APR<br />
1.9 %*<br />
39 MONTHS<br />
<strong>2017</strong> RX 350 F SPORT<br />
LEASE APR<br />
1.9 %*<br />
39 MONTHS<br />
BI-WEEKLY LEASE PAYMENT<br />
$<br />
209 *<br />
DOWN PAYMENT $5,150<br />
PAYMENT INCLUDES $3,000ˆ F SPORT CREDIT.<br />
BI-WEEKLY LEASE PAYMENT FROM<br />
$<br />
339 *<br />
DOWN PAYMENT $5,410*<br />
PAYMENT INCLUDES $2,000ˆ F SPORT CREDIT.<br />
F SPORT CREDITS OF<br />
$<br />
3,000^<br />
F SPORT CREDITS OF<br />
$<br />
2,000^<br />
<strong>2017</strong> NX 200t F SPORT<br />
LEASE APR<br />
1.9 %*<br />
39 MONTHS<br />
BI-WEEKLY LEASE PAYMENT FROM<br />
$<br />
239 *<br />
DOWN PAYMENT $5,410*<br />
PAYMENT INCLUDES $3,500ˆ F SPORT CREDIT.<br />
CREDITS AVAILABLE ON<br />
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~<strong>2017</strong> LEXUS GS F SHOWN<br />
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LEXUS OF LONDON<br />
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~<strong>2017</strong> Lexus GS F shown: Complete Lexus Price of $100,273 and Delivery Credit of $2,500. ^F SPORT Credits in March are available on the purchase/lease of select new <strong>2017</strong> Lexus vehicles including <strong>2017</strong> Lexus RX<br />
350 ($2,000 on suffixes G & H), <strong>2017</strong> Lexus NX 200t ($3,500 on suffix F; $3,000 on suffixes G & H), <strong>2017</strong> Lexus IS 200t ($3,000 on suffix F), <strong>2017</strong> Lexus IS 300 ($2,500 on suffixes F & G), <strong>2017</strong> Lexus IS 350 ($2,500<br />
on suffixes G & H). F SPORT credits will be deducted from the negotiated purchase/lease price after taxes. *Lease offers provided through Lexus Financial Services, on approved credit. *Representative lease example based<br />
on a <strong>2017</strong> IS 200t sfx ‘F’ on a 39 month term at an annual rate of 1.9% and Complete Lexus Price of $47,623. Bi-weekly lease payment is $209 (includes $3,000 F SPORT Credit) with $5,150 down payment or equivalent<br />
trade in, $0 security deposit and first bi-weekly lease payment due at lease inception. Total of 86 bi-weekly lease payments required during the lease term. Total lease obligation is $22,844. *Representative lease example<br />
based on a <strong>2017</strong> NX 200t sfx ‘F’ on a 39 month term at an annual rate of 1.9% and Complete Lexus Price of $52,173. Bi-weekly lease payment is $239 (includes $3,500 F SPORT Credit) with $5,410 down payment or<br />
equivalent trade in, $0 security deposit and first bi-weekly lease payment due at lease inception. Total of 86 bi-weekly lease payments required during the lease term. Total lease obligation is $25,648. *Representative lease<br />
example based on a <strong>2017</strong> RX 350 sfx ‘G’ on a 39 month term at an annual rate of 1.9% and Complete Lexus Price of $67,273. Bi-weekly lease payment is $339 (includes $2,000 F SPORT Credit) with $5,410 down<br />
payment or equivalent trade in, $0 security deposit and first bi-weekly lease payment due at lease inception. Total of 86 bi-weekly lease payments required during the lease term. Total lease obligation is $34,089. 52,000<br />
kilometre allowance; charge of $0.20/km for excess kilometres. Complete Lexus Price includes freight/PDI ($2,045), Dealer fees, EHF Tires ($17.75), EHF Filters ($1), A/C charge ($100), and OMVIC Fee ($10). Taxes,<br />
license, registration (if applicable) and insurance are extra. Lexus Dealers are free to set their own prices. Limited time offers only apply to retail customers at participating Lexus Dealers. Dealer order/trade may be required<br />
(but may not be available in certain circumstances). Offers are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Offers expire at month’s end unless extended or revised. See your Lexus Dealer for complete details.
28 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Hedy Lamarr’s 1958 Cadillac at the Museum<br />
of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska.<br />
Crescent Moon Ale House in Milton, Nebraska.<br />
(Photo courtesy the restaurant)<br />
the Joslyn’s marquis piece.<br />
Equally impressive is the Durham Museum,<br />
as much for its building as its collection.<br />
The Durham is inside the former Union<br />
Station, an spectacular 1931 art deco<br />
passenger rail station saved from demolition.<br />
In its heyday, the building served seven<br />
different railways, including Union Pacific,<br />
peaking during the Second World War when<br />
over 10,000 passengers a day passed through.<br />
The last train left in 1971 and the building<br />
was donated to the city two years later to<br />
become a museum focusing on Omaha’s<br />
history as the Gateway to the West.<br />
Visitors enter through the Great Hall, which<br />
once served as the main passenger lounge, Most<br />
exhibits are downstairs at track level, including<br />
those highlighting the story of the Mormon<br />
movement west and explorers Lewis and Clark.<br />
There’s a nod to Omaha’s railway heritage<br />
with a hands-on steam locomotive exhibit<br />
and a row of restored rail cars to step inside,<br />
including a luxurious Pullman and caboose.<br />
Upstairs, there’s an authentic 1931 soda<br />
fountain serving sundaes, malts, and oldfashioned<br />
phosphate sodas.<br />
The Omaha craft beer scene is served by<br />
the likes of Benson Brewery, where instead<br />
of flagship beers there’s a constant rotation<br />
of recipes and styles, and Infusion Brewing,<br />
both in the city’s northwest. The owner of<br />
Infusion also owns Crescent Moon Ale House in<br />
Midtown, home of the 100-beer draft taps and<br />
the Blackstone reuben, chosen best in the city by<br />
the Omaha World Herald newspaper. (Locals will<br />
tell you the stack of corned beef, Swiss cheese,<br />
and sauerkraut on rye bread was invented in<br />
Omaha in the 1920s by Jewish grocer Reuben<br />
Kulakofsky, who was looking to feed hungry<br />
poker players at the Blackstone Hotel.)<br />
An hour away in Lincoln, the focus is on the<br />
University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football<br />
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The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
and basketball teams, the latter of which play<br />
at the new 15,500-seat Pinnacle Bank Arena in<br />
the historic Haymarket District.<br />
As you might expect, the thousands of<br />
hungry fans arriving in Lincoln help feed an<br />
excellent and diverse food and beverage scene.<br />
Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill in the eight-block<br />
Haymarket District was the first brew pub in<br />
the state. Outside the district and a 20-minute<br />
drive from downtown, MoMo Pizzeria and<br />
Ristorante puts a little bit of Italy into the<br />
Midwest. Pasta and pizza ingredients are<br />
either imported from Italy or sourced locally.<br />
ALWAYS<br />
a 3-course prix fixe<br />
menu option<br />
LUNCH Wed to Fri 11:30–2:30<br />
DINNER from 5pm daily<br />
Blue Orchid in Lincoln, Nebraska.<br />
(Photo courtesy the restaurant)<br />
Reserve Now<br />
HOLIDAY PARTIES<br />
One of Lincoln’s favourite restaurants<br />
is Blue Orchid, a Thai restaurant owned by<br />
university professor Witawas Srisa-an and<br />
wife Malinee Kiatachikow.<br />
Lincoln’s most testosterone-friendly<br />
attraction is the out-of-the-way Museum of<br />
American Speed.<br />
Located in an industrial park, the three-floor<br />
museum is diverse but focused on racing and<br />
hot rodding. There are hundreds of racecars,<br />
dating from the 1920s to more modern Indy<br />
cars. Collectible production cars include actress<br />
Hedy Lamaar’s seductive 1958 Cadillac.<br />
But there’s also an eclectic side to the<br />
150,000-square-foot museum with a wall of<br />
racing-related LP album covers, rooms full of<br />
children’s pedal cars, and a collection of Buck<br />
Rogers toys.<br />
As destinations go, there’s a bonus to<br />
visiting both Omaha and Lincoln. Each has<br />
a population of less than 500,000, making<br />
them big enough for fun, yet small enough to<br />
get around without feeling intimidated. It all<br />
helps make Nebraska a drive-to, not a drivethrough,<br />
state.<br />
WAYNE NEWTON is a London-based freelance<br />
journalist and photographer.<br />
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30 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
The BUZZ<br />
Culinary Community Notes<br />
Opening Day for Covent Garden Market<br />
Outdoor Farmers’ Market is Saturday<br />
<strong>May</strong> 6. The outdoor market is held every<br />
Thursday (8–2) and Saturday (8–1).<br />
The market has partnered with the expert cooks<br />
at Jill’s Table for a weekly cooking class featuring<br />
market ingredients (Thursdays, 11:45–1:15). Get great<br />
suggestions, try the food, pick up a recipe.<br />
The Squire Pub and Grill is an American-style pub and<br />
grill operated by General Manager Chris Cleary and Chef<br />
Joel Silva. The dining room has a casual atmosphere,<br />
with daily drink and dining specials. Located at the<br />
corner of Dundas and Talbot, it’s perfect for before and<br />
after events at Budweiser Gardens. Open for lunch,<br />
dinner and late nights daily. www.squirepubandgrill.ca<br />
The Early Bird recently expanded into the area formerly<br />
occupied by Rock au Taco and owners Justin and Gregg<br />
Wolfe will open a Mexican restaurant called Los Lobos<br />
in the former Talbot St. Whisky House space early this<br />
summer. The menu will share their love for tacos and<br />
take on classics and Mexican entrées, with the focus at<br />
the bar being on tequila, mezcal and bourbon.<br />
Jess Jazey-Spoelstra and Chef Andrew Wolwowicz’s<br />
new venture, Craft Farmacy, is opening in <strong>May</strong>, at 449<br />
Wharncliffe Road South. It will feature local craft beer,<br />
an oyster bar, rustic-style food, lots of sharing plates<br />
and great wines and fabulous house cocktails.<br />
Windermere Manor’s Restaurant Ninety One is<br />
celebrating its first anniversary. The menu pays<br />
homage to Modern Canadian cuisine. Chef Angela<br />
Murphy tells us that the Saturday Afternoon Teas have<br />
been popular. Murphy will release a new spring edition<br />
on <strong>May</strong> 6 and launch a new spring Sunday Brunch<br />
menu at the same time. www.restaurantninetyone.ca<br />
Karri Egan returned last month from 20 years in<br />
Alberta with a fresh idea — to bring Thai-inspired ice<br />
cream trend to Downtown London. Roli Poli – Hand<br />
Rolled Ice Cream will open in <strong>May</strong>, at 484 Richmond<br />
St. Not only will it offer premium ice cream, but also<br />
vegan-friendly, non-fat yogurt and coconut milk ice<br />
cream. The Roli Poli Food Truck will also be serving<br />
hand-rolled ice cream and artisan shaved ice. You’ll<br />
see it on the streets of London, in the parks and at<br />
festivals this summer. www.rolipoliicecream.com<br />
Chef Alana Coughlin’s Haven’s Creamery is coming to<br />
226 Piccadilly St. at Richmond. Look for from- scratch,<br />
batch-by-batch, high-integrity ice cream made with<br />
simple, local ingredients and fresh cream and milk from<br />
Hagerville’s Hewitt’s Dairy. www.havensicecream.com<br />
The former home of the Mongolian Grill on Richmond<br />
Row has been sold to the Warehouse Group of Vancouver,<br />
which plans a popular bar-restaurant concept that bills<br />
itself as a “premium dive” serving inexpensive meals.<br />
Wellington Market is opening in the space formerly<br />
occupied by the Organic Works Bakery and Revive<br />
Kitchen, bringing wholesome food to the SOHO<br />
community. Vegetarian, vegan, omnivore and glutenfree,<br />
dine-in or “grab-and-go”... everyone will find a<br />
favourite here.<br />
Visit the Organic Works Bakery new pop-up shop<br />
at Eldon House, offering a selection of breads, bars,<br />
cookies and treats. www.organicworksbakery.com<br />
Eldon House Summer Tea Program features tea,<br />
scones and jams with fruit and cream served on the<br />
beautiful lawns of the property, overlooking the<br />
Thames River. <strong>June</strong> 28–August 28, Tuesday through<br />
Sunday, 2–4pm. Cost includes a self-guided tour of<br />
Eldon House. Reservations recommended.<br />
Ontario Produce Year Round<br />
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Visit our Garden Centre for<br />
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The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
The Tea Lounge is launching Afternoon Tea Service on<br />
one Sunday per month. The first will be on Mother’s Day<br />
(two seatings available: 12pm & 2:15pm). Book a sitting<br />
at the recently launched monthly Tea Flight Nights to<br />
experience a comparative tasting. A cheese pairing tops<br />
off the experience. www.tealoungelondon.com<br />
Plant Matter Kitchen is an all-encompassing eatery<br />
offering chilled organic brews, daily specials and a<br />
smoothie and juice bar in Wortley Village. Look for a<br />
new expanded outdoor patio this summer. A second<br />
exciting iteration of PMK is expected to open downtown<br />
in the former Braywick Bistro premises in midsummer.<br />
www.plantmatterkitchen.ca<br />
Idlewyld Inn& Spa is featuring a Mother’s Day brunch<br />
and a dinner buffet. Reserve for one of two seatings:<br />
11am & 2pm for brunch, and 5pm & 7:30pm for dinner.<br />
The Courtyard opens in <strong>June</strong>. Savour a fantastic BBQ<br />
buffet dinner every Wednesday and Thursday. Enjoy<br />
Idlewyld’s Saturday Afternoon Tea on <strong>May</strong> 20 & <strong>June</strong><br />
24, 2–4pm. www.idlewyld.com<br />
Rebel Remedy Health Bar recently opened to rave<br />
reviews at 242 Dundas St. The downtown take-away<br />
features plant-based breakfast and lunch options,<br />
“bulletproof”coffee made with Pilot Coffee, cold-press<br />
juices, salads, and a kombucha brewery that is in full<br />
swing. www.rebelremedy.com<br />
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32 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 33<br />
#ldnbeerbbq<br />
rict<br />
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34 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Globally Local has announced the launch of the<br />
“World’s First” 24-hour Vegan Drive-Thru — located<br />
at a former Harvey’s at Highbury & Cheapside. “The<br />
revolution starts <strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong>.” If you haven’t tried their<br />
food yet, you can visit them in downtown London at 252<br />
Dundas St. Open daily 8am–10pm. globallylocal.ca<br />
Fresno’s: The Italian Table will open in the space<br />
previously occupied by Union Burger on Richmond<br />
Row. Kirk Anastasiadis, a partner in Burger Burger<br />
and The Barking Frog, anticipates a mid-<strong>May</strong> opening.<br />
Fresno’s will offer a signature hand-cut veal<br />
sandwich, fresh pastas, gelato etc.<br />
142 fullarton at richmond<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Aroma of India has opened in the space previously<br />
occupied by Amici Ristorante at 350 Dundas St. The best<br />
of traditional Indian cookery will be complemented with<br />
new Indian dishes to add innovation for those who love<br />
fine dining. The menu offers vegetarian, lamb, chicken,<br />
and seafood dishes at different levels of spicing. Open<br />
for lunch and dinner daily. www.aromaofIndia.ca<br />
Zen’Za, formerly Rico’s Pizzeria Downtown, is known<br />
for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free thin-crust<br />
pizzas. The organic farmer’s sausage pizza and a<br />
prosciutto-filled Hawaiian “Magnum Pi” are designed<br />
for carnivores. 71 King St. www.ricosDT.ca<br />
If you love cold beer and sizzling grilled foods, the<br />
London Beer & BBQ Show presented by White Oaks Mall<br />
is the place to be <strong>June</strong> 16–18. Quench your thirsts with<br />
Canada’s top breweries and Ontario’s craft breweries and<br />
a selection of wines, coolers, ciders and spirits all served<br />
ice cold and perfectly sized for finding your signature<br />
drink of the summer. You’ll find outstanding barbecue<br />
too, prepared by local grill masters. The fun continues<br />
with backyard games, live bands, bubble soccer, beer<br />
tours, cooking demonstrations, cook-offs, taste-offs and<br />
more! www.westernfairdistrict.com/beer-bbq-show<br />
Masonville Farmers’ Market will open on <strong>May</strong> 19 and<br />
run until the second week in October. The Market will<br />
be located behind London Audio at Masonville Mall<br />
this year, across from the bus depot.<br />
Stratford<br />
The new Market Square, opening July 1, welcomes<br />
people into a pedestrian-friendly space with trees,<br />
places to sit and relax with a good book, meet friends,<br />
enjoy lunch from a nearby eatery or while away<br />
the day. Just a short walk through Queen’s Park to<br />
Confederation Park brings you to a new butterflyshaped<br />
pollinator garden that offers a welcoming<br />
home for bees. www.visitstratford.ca<br />
Marc Chartrand joins corporate executive chef Ryan<br />
O’Donnell as chef de cuisine at Mercer Kitchen and<br />
will be handling the reins of the kitchen. A new menu<br />
continues the playful, quality-driven approach to<br />
Your love of all things Italian begins at<br />
OPEN SUNDAY FOR DINNER &<br />
MON–SAT FOR LUNCH & DINNER<br />
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The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
a hybrid Japanese izakaya/locavore Perth County<br />
pub menu that was so well received last year. Alex<br />
Kastner has left Mercer Hall. Myron Hussey is the<br />
new Restaurant Manager and Shazelle Beach the new<br />
Hotel Manager. Mercer presents a Father’s Day Picnic<br />
at the Stratford Perth Museum on <strong>June</strong> 18 with outdoor<br />
stalls, food and live music in a beautiful treed setting<br />
on the museum grounds. www.mercerhall.ca<br />
The Prune, a long-time Stratford favourite, is launching<br />
a new concept featuring a lounge and custom-built bar.<br />
Bar One Fifty One has a relaxed and elegant vibe, the<br />
perfect backdrop for signature cocktails and a varied<br />
wine list and tailored bar menu. Open for lunch, dinner<br />
and late night. Bryan Steele remains Executive Chef<br />
at The Prune. Inspired in part by the bounty of local<br />
producers and growers, with touches of world cuisines<br />
alongside the classics, the result is an experience that is<br />
uplifting and memorable. www.theprune.com<br />
Summer season at The Red Rabbit means the return of<br />
the pre-theatre menu (fixed price) and to being open 7<br />
days a week. Reade Haslam is the new restaurant manager,<br />
while Jessie Votary is across the square starting<br />
up Okazu, a new cocktail bar in the former Canadian<br />
Grub to Go premises. Okazu, a Japanese word meaning<br />
“side dish,” will be Stratford’s new late-night hot spot<br />
for grown-ups who want a little of everything, followed<br />
by a kimchi Caesar, a glass of sake, or a lemongrass<br />
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36 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
martini. Not just a Japanese snack bar, food from around<br />
the globe will be featured, clarified through a Japanese<br />
palate. Chef Justin Dafoe’s menu will feature dumplings,<br />
noodle bowls, and not-so-noodle bowls. Open 6pm-2am,<br />
Thursday-Sunday. www.OkazuSnackBar.com<br />
This season, The Mill Stone features a small seasonallyinspired<br />
all-day menu with small plates, bolstered by a<br />
rotating selection of feature dishes that focus on lighter<br />
and healthier fare. This high-energy bistro is looking<br />
to create a niche as the cocktail bar in town. Look for<br />
cocktails on tap and in bottles, homemade bitters, and<br />
fluidity between the kitchen and the bar with globallyinspired<br />
flavours and locally-sourced ingredients.<br />
Locally-brewed beer on tap and a varied bottle list, with<br />
a focus on Canadian wines and a refined international<br />
selection. www.themillstone.ca<br />
Chef Arron Carley of The Bruce recently staged at<br />
Swedish chef Fredrik Berselius’ two-Michelin-starred<br />
restaurant Aska in New York. Chef Kris Schlotzhauer<br />
and Tim Larsen have joined the culinary team, and<br />
Mark Craft and Rob Beavus from the former The<br />
Church Restaurant are now heading up The Bruce<br />
dining room. www.thebruce.ca<br />
For many years, the culinary opus at Bijou has been a<br />
front-runner in Stratford for inspired, locally-sourced<br />
cuisine. Mark and Linda Simone purchased the legacy<br />
restaurant and added a new entrance on Wellington<br />
St. and a small bar in the front area. They have now<br />
expanded into the yarn shop next door. Chef Roddy<br />
Eastman is launching “Food Flight Platters” as well as<br />
continuing to feature small plates for the second seating.<br />
Open now for lunch Wed–Sat and on Sunday evenings,<br />
commencing in <strong>June</strong>. www.bijourestaurant.com<br />
Bard’s Steakhouse is open Tuesday–Saturday, 11am–<br />
12 midnight. Stratford’s only modern steakhouse,<br />
Bard’s is located at 27 Marketplace, just steps away<br />
from the Avon Theatre, and offers casual fine dining in<br />
one of Stratford’s oldest buildings. There is a weekend<br />
oyster bar, triple-A Canadian beef and ethically<br />
sourced, ocean-wise certified seafood. 54 beers are on<br />
tap and a beer market features over 100 varieties.<br />
On July 1, The Hub, on the second floor of 27 Marketplace,<br />
celebrates its first anniversary. Offering a funky,<br />
industrial atmosphere and Stratford’s only rooftop patio,<br />
additions this year included an elevator for accessibility,<br />
patio heaters for chilly nights, and a 120-inch drop-down<br />
TV screen. Coinciding with Canada’s 150th birthday, The<br />
Hub will throw a weekend party to celebrate and thank<br />
customers. www.27marketplace.com<br />
Bradshaw’s Kitchen Detail presents a “Spring Grande<br />
High Tea” event to celebrate Mother’s Day, served in<br />
the lovely setting of Revival House. A selection of three<br />
loose-leaf teas from Canadian tea company Sloane<br />
FARM TO FORK &<br />
PLOUGH TO PINT<br />
DINING<br />
Old East Village<br />
f r e s h | l o c a l | o r g a n i c<br />
623 Dundas St.<br />
rootcellarorganic.ca<br />
Photo: Derek Boswell
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 37<br />
Fine Tea will be served with Revival’s custom menu of<br />
sandwiches, scones, petits fours and chocolates. Each<br />
guest will receive a special gift. Tickets and info at<br />
www.bradshaws.worldsecuresystems.com<br />
Keystone Alley has completely renovated the interior<br />
space, including the installation of sound-dampening<br />
panels in the restaurant for a quieter guest experience.<br />
Now open until 10pm Friday and Saturday nights and<br />
featuring a late night menu with some exciting “to share”<br />
items and live music on certain days of the month (on the<br />
patio if weather permits). www.keystonealley.com<br />
The Slow Food Market has secured an interim space,<br />
pending full completion of Stratford Market Square.<br />
Visit your favourite Slow Food vendors on Wellington<br />
Street, between Market Place and Soup Surreal at the<br />
corner of St. Patrick St.<br />
Revival House launches the spring menu with new<br />
hours and the patio is now open. Serving bistro lunches,<br />
a new terrace menu, and à la carte dinners Wednesday–<br />
Saturday (11–10pm) and Sunday brunch 11–3. After<br />
Victoria Day weekend, Revival House will open Tuesdays<br />
through Sundays for the Stratford season (11am–10pm).<br />
Upcoming dinner concerts at Revival House include<br />
London’s Sarah Smith Band (<strong>May</strong> 5), Juno Awardwinners<br />
Digging Roots (<strong>May</strong> 19), and Toronto acapella<br />
group Eh440 (<strong>June</strong> 9). On <strong>May</strong> 7, Stratford Symphony<br />
Orchestra presents Classical Brunch with performances<br />
by local Kiwanis Music Festival winners. revival.house<br />
On Saturday <strong>May</strong> 20, Revival House presents its First<br />
Annual VQA Wine & Food Festival —a Victoria Day long<br />
weekend wine sampling and food pairing experience. Sip<br />
and sample with some favourite Ontario wineries and<br />
hors d’oeuvres prepared by Revival House chefs. 1–5pm,<br />
$40 advance tickets available via www.visitstratford.ca<br />
SAV Eatery and Smokehouse welcomes chef Angie<br />
Mohr to the southern Low country-inspired smokehouse<br />
and diner, opening in <strong>May</strong> on Wellington Street.<br />
www.saveatery.com<br />
On <strong>June</strong> 18, celebrate at the Father’s Day Craft Beer<br />
and Cider Picnic. There will be over 20 breweries and<br />
cideries represented as well as food by Mercer, live<br />
music all afternoon and lots of activities for the kids.<br />
Tickets include a branded glass for tasting, admission<br />
to the event and to the Stratford Perth Museum.<br />
Pavilion Coffee and Crepes on Marketplace is a great<br />
place for a family breakfast and fresh made lunch.<br />
Look forward to sitting on the patio with the roller<br />
door open this summer. www.pavillioncoffee.com<br />
New owner of The Annex Restaurant Chef Cameron<br />
Jariott and his parents have revitalized the menu,<br />
making each dish from scratch, using fresh, local<br />
ingredients. www.annexrestaurant.com<br />
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Junction 56 Distillery has added three new flavoured<br />
moonshine products, Sugar Shack (maple), Fireshine<br />
(cinnamon) and Eclipse (anise and fennel) to the existing<br />
line-up of gin, vodka and moonshine. www.junction56.ca<br />
Tallgrass Mead is making Honey Pops, a refreshing<br />
beverage made with honey, and a variety of other wines.<br />
Order it at Monforte on Wellington or when you visit the<br />
Stratford Festival. www.tallgrassmead.com/products<br />
Stratford Blues and Rib Fest, <strong>June</strong> 23–25, is an outdoor<br />
family-friendly gathering over slow-cooked BBQ and<br />
all types of blues music in support of The Huron-Perth<br />
Centre for Children and Youth, The Stratford Kinsmen<br />
Club, and area Girl Guides/Boy Scouts. Activities include<br />
free live music, pro rib trucks and food vendors, licensed<br />
beverages, professional roller derby bouts, low and<br />
full contact games, Blues Cruises on the Avon River,<br />
a Weekend Warrior Amateur Open BBQ Competition,<br />
horse-drawn downtown carriage rides, artisans and<br />
crafters, a musician’s workshop tent, motorcycle &<br />
vintage tractor display, Classic Car Meet and Park and<br />
many other activities. www.stratfordbluesandribfest.ca<br />
Around Our Region<br />
Kitchen Smidgen is a small bakery — a smidgen of a<br />
spot along the beautiful Thames in St. Marys operated<br />
by Cindy Taylor. Stop by for sweet and savoury treats,<br />
perhaps pick up some C’est bon cheese or Transvaal<br />
Farm preserves. www.kitchensmidgen.com<br />
Sixthirtynine in Woodstock continues to evolve<br />
as one of Ontario’s best destination farm-to-table<br />
restaurants. Chef Eric Boyar recently finished staging<br />
at Vancouver’s ingredient-driven, award-winning<br />
Hawksworth Restaurant, with a few additional days<br />
at Nightingale, which also features modern Canadian<br />
cuisine. www.sixthirtynine.com<br />
Calling all curd nerds! Every Saturday in <strong>May</strong>, hit the<br />
open road to Canada’s Dairy Capital in Oxford County<br />
and enjoy the day celebrating all things cheese. The<br />
Oxford County Cheese Trail is stepping up its game<br />
with amazing culinary experiences, games, delicious<br />
local cheese menus, artisan workshops and of course,<br />
all the cheese you can get your hands on. www.<br />
tourismoxford.ca/blog/detail/articleid/7225<br />
The Donut Diner is a fun, funky and charmingly retro<br />
mini-donut trailer operating at the Pinery Market in<br />
Grand Bend <strong>May</strong> through Thanksgiving. Get fresh, hot,<br />
made-on-the-spot mini-donuts by the dozen. Watch the<br />
“donut robot” crank out 50 dozen donuts per hour and<br />
say hello to The Donut Lady! www.fb.com/DonutDiner<br />
Located at the Sarnia Bay Marina, Sarnia’s only<br />
water-top restaurant, Brian and Tammy Vickery’s<br />
Alternate Grounds Dockside, is open April–October.<br />
Stratford Chef School graduate Andrew McNaughton<br />
executes unique weekly à la carte menus, including a<br />
creative breakfast menu. www.agdockside.com
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Brian and Tammy Vickery, with Scott Dargie (co-owner<br />
of Paddy Flaherty’s Irish Pub) and manager Mike<br />
Pettigrew have opened Mixx Lounge, specializing in<br />
hand-crafted cocktails. Food is limited to charcuterie<br />
boards featuring cured meats, specialty cheeses or<br />
chocolate. For private events, they work with local<br />
caterers and restaurants, and can host up to 60 people.<br />
www.fb.com/180Front<br />
Point Edward Moonlight Farmers’ Market is producerbased<br />
with a vendor mix that evolves through the<br />
season. You’ll find it on the service road in Waterfront<br />
Park right under the beautiful Bluewater Bridge. Open<br />
Thursdays, 4–8 pm, <strong>May</strong> 25–October 5.<br />
Streamliners Espresso Bar will celebrate its grand<br />
opening <strong>May</strong> 6. Streamliners serves Las Chicas del<br />
Cafe premium beans, roasted and packaged inside the<br />
CASO Station, located across the street at 767 Talbot<br />
St. Owners Maria Fiallos of Las Chicas and Stacey<br />
Hayhoe are focusing on brewing the best cup of coffee<br />
in St. Thomas, one customer at a time.<br />
We want your BUZZ! Do you have culinary news that<br />
you’d like us to share? Every issue, <strong>Eatdrink</strong> reaches<br />
more than 50,000 readers in print, and thousands<br />
more online. Get in touch at editor@eatdrink.ca<br />
and/or with our Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery at<br />
bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Whatever your taste,<br />
experience it all in<br />
UPCOMING 2016 EVENTS EVENTS IN GODERICH<br />
IN <strong>May</strong> 6-8<br />
Goderich Home July 29 12th Annual Don Johnston<br />
<strong>May</strong> 5–7<br />
Goderich Home & Cottage Show<br />
& Cottage Show to Aug 1 Memorial Slo Pitch Tourney<br />
<strong>May</strong> 9<br />
The Sound of Goderich<br />
<strong>May</strong> 10 The Sound of Goderich July 31<br />
21st Annual Goderich<br />
<strong>May</strong> 14<br />
Run Around the Square<br />
<strong>May</strong> 15 Run Around the Square<br />
Firefighters Breakfast<br />
<strong>May</strong> 21<br />
<strong>May</strong> 20–Oct Goderich 7 Farmers’ Goderich Market<br />
Farmers’ Aug 1-5<br />
Market (every Saturday) Celtic College<br />
to Oct <strong>May</strong> 8<br />
21–Oct 8 (every Goderich Saturday)<br />
Flea Aug Market 5-7<br />
(every Sunday) Celtic Roots Festival<br />
<strong>May</strong> 22<br />
<strong>May</strong> 24–Sept Goderich 13<br />
Circle Flea Market<br />
City Cruize Aug 5-7<br />
Nights (every 2nd Goderich Wednesday) Art Club<br />
to Oct <strong>June</strong> 9<br />
1–Aug 31 (every Downtown Sunday)<br />
Concerts (every Thursday) Annual Art Show<br />
<strong>May</strong> 25<br />
<strong>June</strong> 2 & Circle 3 City Cruize Mocha Nights<br />
Shriners Aug Spring 13-14<br />
Ceremonial RC Model Air Show<br />
to Sept 14 (every 2nd Wednesday)<br />
<strong>June</strong> 16<br />
Relay for LifeAug 19-21 Goderich Salt Festival<br />
<strong>May</strong> 26<br />
Downtown Concerts<br />
<strong>June</strong> 18–Sept 3<br />
Sunday Concerts Aug 21<br />
Goderich Triathlon<br />
to Aug 25<br />
(every Thursday)<br />
<strong>June</strong> 24<br />
Children’s Festival Sept 2-3 West Coast Bluesfest<br />
<strong>June</strong> 18 Huron’s Multicultural Festival<br />
<strong>June</strong> 25<br />
Huron’s Multicultural Sept 2-5<br />
Festival Labour Day Fast Ball Tourney<br />
<strong>June</strong> 19<br />
Sunday Concerts by<br />
<strong>June</strong> 28<br />
Circle City Beach Sept Cruize 18<br />
Terry Fox Run<br />
to Sept 4 Goderich Laketown Band<br />
Oct 31<br />
Halloween Activities<br />
<strong>June</strong> 25<br />
<strong>June</strong> Goderich 30 Children’s Canada Festival<br />
Day Fireworks Display<br />
Nov 5 Country Christmas Craft Show<br />
<strong>June</strong> 29<br />
July 1 Circle City Beach Canada Cruize<br />
Day Picnic & Parade<br />
Nov 5-6<br />
Huron Tract<br />
<strong>June</strong> 30<br />
July 2 Canada Day Lions Fireworks<br />
Beef Barbecue<br />
Spinners & Weavers<br />
July 1<br />
July Canada 7 to 9 Day Picnic Festival & Parade<br />
of Arts & Crafts & Goderich Quilters’ Guild<br />
July 1<br />
July 7–Aug 25 Dash Piping for Diabetes<br />
Down the Sun (every Friday) Show & Sale<br />
July 3<br />
July 12 to 15 Lions Beef Kinsmen Barbecue<br />
Summerfest Nov 11<br />
Remembrance Day<br />
July 8-10<br />
July 15 Festival of Horticultural Arts & Crafts Nov Garden 12-13 Tour IODE Christmas House Tour<br />
July 8<br />
July 17 Piping Down American the Sun<br />
Wind Nov Symphony 18<br />
Orchestra Angel Tree Ceremony<br />
to Aug July 26<br />
22<br />
(every Memories Friday)<br />
Then Nov and 19<br />
Now Car Show Santa Claus Parade<br />
July 13-16 Kinsmen Summerfest Nov 19 Festival of Lights Celebrations<br />
July 23 Horticultural Garden Tour Dates are subject to change.<br />
July 23 Memories Then & Now For locations and more information,<br />
Car Show be sure to visit goderich.ca<br />
Dates are subject to change.<br />
For locations and more info, be sure to visit goderich.ca.<br />
1-800-280-7637 •• goderich.ca goderich.ca
40 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Beer<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Nano Brewing in Port Stanley<br />
Last Castle Brewing Co.<br />
By WAYNE NEWTON<br />
Craft beer is making waves in Port<br />
Stanley. The Lake Erie village, known<br />
for its beaches, summer stock<br />
theatre, and railway nostalgia, may<br />
soon be equally famous for an innovative<br />
brew pub which opened last year.<br />
Last Castle Brewing Co., which focuses<br />
on rustic farmhouse ales featuring local<br />
ingredients, is tucked inside the New New<br />
Age general store near Port Stanley’s main<br />
intersection at Bridge and Colborne streets.<br />
“We have strong family ties to the area and<br />
were drawn to Port for its relaxed and fun<br />
summer atmosphere,” said brewmaster Aidan<br />
Norton. “Many make the trip to Port for its<br />
charms, beaches and food scene and we are<br />
excited to contribute to the beer landscape on<br />
Lake Erie’s north shore.”<br />
Last Castle’s flagship beer is Field Magic,<br />
a Belgian-style saison brewed with spelt and<br />
chamomile, made with an eye to quenching<br />
thirsts on hot summer days. It has aromas of<br />
spice, bubblegum and pear. If that seems like<br />
a stretch from the light lagers often favoured<br />
by the summer crowd, it isn’t.<br />
“Port Stanley sees an influx of people in<br />
the summer,” said Norton, who does double<br />
duty by also working at a large craft brewery.<br />
“Its seasonal ebb and flow aligns well with the<br />
Belgian farmhouse<br />
tradition of producing<br />
refreshing summer<br />
ales.”<br />
“I take inspiration<br />
from my<br />
grandmother, who<br />
immigrated to southwestern<br />
Ontario from<br />
Belgium. Her family<br />
brought some of the<br />
old world treats such<br />
as gouda cheese, and<br />
operated a general<br />
store. Farmhouse ales,<br />
being fermented with<br />
house yeast cultures,<br />
are not too far off.”<br />
Last Castle draws<br />
from medieval beermaking<br />
practices,<br />
thus its name, and a<br />
passion for all things<br />
local.<br />
“Our team is<br />
inspired by our native<br />
Carolinian forest,<br />
which provides a<br />
backdrop and is a<br />
Selected in<br />
TOP 10<br />
Beer Bars<br />
in Canada
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 41<br />
last bastion of its kind here in Canada,” Norton<br />
said. “We aim to bring in a mix of seasonal<br />
ingredients wildcrafted or produced in the<br />
region. In terms of brewing tradition, we draw<br />
on some medieval approaches to ingredients,<br />
such as the use of herbs and teas. The brewpub<br />
has the fortune of operating in a store that<br />
specializes in custom herbal tea blends. We’re<br />
also fans of storytelling and want our customers<br />
to discover the story behind the beer.”<br />
Among ingredients used are chamomile<br />
from the New New Age farm in Elgin County,<br />
spruce tips from Three Ridges Ecological Farm<br />
near Aylmer, and hops from Common Ground<br />
Farm in Southwold Township.<br />
Norton uses a nano brewing system, producing<br />
about 100 litres per batch. The selection<br />
is constantly rotating, but Norton’s favourite<br />
recipe so far is Hex Breaker, a tart juniper gose.<br />
Amaranth Wild Pale Ale, which was available in<br />
late winter, featured its namesake ancient grain.<br />
“We love to use adjunct grains in our beers,<br />
as they can make unique contributions to<br />
finished beer,” Norton said. “Amaranth is an<br />
ancient grain that we use in this brew. It’s<br />
high in protein, like wheat, making for a fluffy<br />
presentation. It’s an American-style wild ale<br />
because it’s fermented 100 per cent with a<br />
yeast known as brettanomyces that provides a<br />
fruity character.”<br />
While exciting experimentation will<br />
rightfully attract the brewcationers and<br />
brewheads to Last Castle, beachgoers, theatre<br />
patrons, and train buffs are the core patrons.<br />
“For beachgoers, if they’ve been out in the<br />
sun all day, we likely recommend something<br />
like a Kombucha Beer, made in collaboration<br />
with London’s Booch Organic Kombucha,<br />
which is low in ABV and similar to a shandy<br />
or radler. As for the theatre patrons and train<br />
buffs, we’d encourage them to explore our<br />
ASK for ANDERSON<br />
latest seasonal and hope that it’s a memorable<br />
part of their visit to Port Stanley.”<br />
Last Castle beers are currently available<br />
only for in-house consumption.<br />
Last Castle Brewing Co.<br />
286 Bridge St., Port Stanley<br />
(inside the New New Age General Store)<br />
www.lastcastlebrewing.com<br />
WAYNE NEWTON is a freelance journalist in London<br />
who enjoys writing about beer and travel.<br />
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andersoncraftales.ca
42 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Wine<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
A Taste for Excellence<br />
How John Szabo became Canada’s first Master Sommelier<br />
By TANYA CHOPP<br />
It’s no wonder that when John Szabo speaks,<br />
people feel compelled to listen. His voice<br />
contains a well-deserved confidence. As he<br />
talks about wine, he jumps passionately<br />
between time periods, soil qualities, geographic<br />
zones and a whole catalogue of first-hand and<br />
textbook experiences that have led him to<br />
become a master of what it is to truly eat and<br />
drink well.<br />
Of course, his claim to fame — as Canada’s<br />
first Master Sommelier — is a title that he<br />
admits carries weight in his industry. But it’s the<br />
passion for lifelong learning, and an insatiable<br />
curiosity for "taste" that has led him to prestige.<br />
And even Szabo will tell you that the path to<br />
his current status was far from clear-cut.<br />
“I’m a serial academic,” he admits. After he<br />
earned a double major in Spanish and Italian<br />
from the University of Toronto, the idea of<br />
turning from student to teacher didn’t seem<br />
ideal. Though spending more time in academia<br />
would have been a traditional route, Szabo<br />
decided to go a different way.<br />
While he had been still entrenched in his<br />
studies, he had two experiences that proved to be<br />
turning points. “During my undergraduate, I lived<br />
in Spain for a year and Italy for a summer. While I<br />
Master Sommelier John Szabo,<br />
at Tastings<br />
was there, I was exposed to lots of great food and<br />
wine and I was fascinated with flavours,” he says.<br />
“I really just enjoyed eating, more than anything<br />
else.” So fascinated by flavours, in fact, that he<br />
decided to make a career of it.<br />
“After I graduated, I started working in<br />
restaurants, in the kitchen, and apprenticed<br />
with a nice collection of chefs in Toronto and<br />
Collingwood, including Michael Stadtländer,<br />
who was one of the first farm-to-table chefs in<br />
the country, in the early ’80s. I did everything in<br />
the kitchen,” he says, adding, “At Stadtländer’s<br />
farm, I would feed the animals in the morning,<br />
be chopping them up in the afternoon, and then<br />
serving them in the evening.”<br />
As he moved through different work<br />
experiences, at a range of establishments, wine<br />
began to take over as an area of interest. “I worked<br />
in Niagara, at Highland Estates, in the kitchen.<br />
When I could, I would wander to the winery and<br />
chat with the winemaker because I was curious,”<br />
he says. “I later worked in France, in Paris and<br />
then in the south. When I moved to Paris, I took<br />
a wine course, because I thought ‘If I’m going to<br />
eat well, then I’m going to learn how to drink well<br />
too’.” Szabo took a six-month course at a Michelinstarred<br />
restaurant, which exposed him to French<br />
wines from all over the country.<br />
“When I returned to<br />
Canada, I opened up a catering<br />
business with my partner, who<br />
is now my wife,” says Szabo.<br />
And even though he was back<br />
home, he decided to bring part<br />
of his international experience<br />
with him — he entered into<br />
the wine importing business.<br />
“I was put in touch with a<br />
wine importing agent, focused<br />
on French wine, mostly<br />
Burgundy and champagne.<br />
[The agent] wanted to get into<br />
the restaurant side with more<br />
reasonably priced bottles. So<br />
we had samples sent over and<br />
held a portfolio tasting with
<strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 43<br />
John Szabo in Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands<br />
the community, which was well received.”<br />
Afterwards, Szabo became an importer with<br />
Vinifera, and that’s when his work in the wine<br />
business, and path to becoming a Master Sommelier,<br />
truly opened up. He began to write about<br />
wines, and acted as a consultant for a few wineries<br />
in Hungary. He then embarked upon obtaining his<br />
Canadian Sommelier Guild Diploma, through the<br />
Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET).<br />
Never one to stop after each certification, when<br />
a friend suggested that Szabo also take the Master<br />
Sommelier exam through the Court of Master<br />
Sommeliers, he says “I just decided to do it.”<br />
Perhaps thanks to the passage of time — and<br />
popular documentaries such as Somm — many<br />
people are now familiar with the sweat-inducing<br />
intensity of the test, which encompasses tasting,<br />
theory, service, spirits, beer and global wine<br />
knowledge.<br />
However, the reward for those who pass is<br />
receiving the “highest distinction a professional<br />
can attain in fine wine and beverage service.” In<br />
2004, John Szabo became the first in Canada to<br />
receive the designation, after passing on his first<br />
try. To date only 236 professionals have earned<br />
the diploma, and only three in Canada.<br />
“It’s quite intense, and even more intense now,”<br />
he says. “You show up prepared and pass or fail.<br />
I felt confident, having already completed the<br />
course in France and having studied a full twoyear<br />
program through WSET. I like to take tests<br />
to see how much I know. I thought I might get<br />
some use out of it and it’s been more useful than<br />
I intended. It’s instant credibility, the title sounds<br />
grandiose enough.”<br />
So exactly what point of view does someone with<br />
such extensive experience hold, when it comes to<br />
making wine more accessible for the masses?<br />
“Half of me says ‘don’t make it more simple,<br />
because it’s not,’” he says of the tasting process.<br />
“Why try to candy-coat it when it’s a beautiful<br />
complex subject? The reason why a glass of wine<br />
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44 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
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of things that isn’t fully understood. That will<br />
always be the case, just to reduce it down to the<br />
most basic element is to destroy it.”<br />
“The other half is that I like to share the love<br />
and passion you can get out of it,” he admits. “And<br />
is one of London’s premier<br />
fundraising events, supported<br />
by the best of the region’s chefs and wineries from around<br />
the world — and Londoners who enjoy good food and wine for a<br />
good cause.<br />
<strong>May</strong> 4, <strong>2017</strong> Participating Restaurants & Chefs<br />
Black Trumpet: Chef Scott Wesseling<br />
Blu Duby: Chef Graham Stewart & Chef Cynthia Beaudoin<br />
The Church Key Bistro-Pub: Chef Cliff Briden<br />
Craft Farmacy: Chef Andrew Wolwowicz<br />
F.I.N.E. A Restaurant: Chef Erryn Shephard & Chef Ben Sandwith<br />
The Little Inn of Bayfield: Chef Michael Potters<br />
London Hunt and Country Club: Chef Michael Stark<br />
Restaurant Ninety One: Chef Angela Murphy & Chef Kris Simmons<br />
Sixthirtynine: Chef Eric Boyar<br />
All ’Bout Cheese: Rick Peori<br />
Petit Paris Crêperie & Pâtisserie: Chef Nicole Arroyas & Chef Nathan Russell<br />
O-Joe Coffee: Joe Ornato<br />
The Tea Lounge: Michelle Pierce Hamilton<br />
Tastings benefits the<br />
London Health Sciences<br />
Foundation Impact Fund,<br />
ensuring leading-edge care<br />
and research continues.<br />
These photos are from the<br />
2016 event at the London<br />
Hunt & County Club.<br />
All ’Bout Cheese<br />
The Springs<br />
2016 Participating Chefs & Sommeliers<br />
for that, there has to be a relatively simple starting<br />
point. If I were selling wine at the table or talking<br />
about a wine to a fresh audience, then I’d start of<br />
with just the basics: red or white, dry or sweet. And<br />
from there, you enter into other discussions.”<br />
“A great way to divide<br />
David’s Bistro<br />
styles is into fruity or<br />
savoury; cleave it into two<br />
basic camps. Most are either<br />
fruity or predominantly<br />
savoury, mushroom type<br />
flavours. People can generally<br />
grasp that. For instance, they<br />
know if they prefer their<br />
coffee with lots of sugar and<br />
milk, or mostly bitter. If they<br />
prefer bitter, then they’re<br />
more of a savoury person.”<br />
And as for how to pair<br />
food and wine together? Well<br />
that, Szabo says, takes some<br />
practice. “It requires lots of<br />
eating and drinking, which is<br />
not such a hardship. Although,<br />
specifically, I mean you have<br />
to be eating and drinking and<br />
paying attention.”<br />
Normally, once someone<br />
has taken their first sip, their<br />
attention has already shifted,<br />
and that can be the same with<br />
food too.<br />
“We don’t focus all that<br />
much on texture and nuances<br />
of flavour. If you want to<br />
get the most out of it, you<br />
have to stop and think and<br />
contemplate it, to assess<br />
how your body is reacting.<br />
You’ll sooner or later start to<br />
pick up on basic interactions<br />
between food and wine.”<br />
According to Szabo, the<br />
dance that takes place on<br />
your palate is not between an<br />
equally matched pair. The key<br />
is anticipating how the flavours<br />
will play off one another.<br />
“It’s context,” he<br />
says. “Most wines don’t<br />
dramatically affect the taste<br />
of food, but the taste of food<br />
does profoundly change the<br />
taste of wine. For instance,<br />
a dish with a lot of sugar in<br />
it — and I’m not talking about<br />
dessert, but let’s say a basic<br />
southeast Asian cuisine — a<br />
sweet substance will make
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
everything in your mouth afterwards taste that<br />
much more bitter, sour and astringent. On the<br />
other hand, if you put something really sour into<br />
your mouth, then everything after that seems<br />
sweeter, softer, rounder and more mellow.”<br />
But if you’re the kind of person who has the<br />
basics down pat, and is more focused on what’s<br />
emerging in the world of wine, Szabo has some<br />
insight there as well.<br />
“I would say that cool climates are hot, and<br />
that’s true, certainly within the trade. And now<br />
it’s trickled down to the consumer. It’s not<br />
quite mainstream but getting there. Countries<br />
like Canada are positioned for success, as are<br />
producers who are way out on the far coasts<br />
where it’s chilly, or in higher elevation sites like<br />
Argentina. And it all comes down to lower alcohol,<br />
fresher wines as opposed to high alcohol ‘jammy’<br />
wines. The wines are better balanced naturally.”<br />
However, what really has Szabo’s interest is<br />
volcanic wines. After all, he recently published a<br />
book on the subject, called Volcanic Wines: Salt,<br />
Grit and Power.<br />
“Volcanic wines, generally speaking, tend to<br />
be on the savoury side of the spectrum — and I<br />
take my coffee black and bitter,” he says jovially.<br />
“I’m attracted to them for the taste profile, but<br />
also for a number of other reasons. In volcanic<br />
regions around the world, there are indigenous<br />
grapes that have been preserved because of<br />
the soil. Many are positioned on steep inclines,<br />
which is not good for viticulture, so they were<br />
semi-abandoned<br />
Come sail<br />
which<br />
to Pelee<br />
preserved<br />
Island!<br />
grapes<br />
Explore<br />
from<br />
centuries Pelee past. Island There are by hundreds taking an of Island indigenous<br />
varieties Motor that have Tour, survived cycle dirt … it roads offers and<br />
amazing through world of the things vineyards to discover.” on a Biking<br />
It’s not surprising, given his journey, that<br />
Szabo still and possesses Wine Tour, the same walk insatiable up to the curiosity<br />
and drive. Lighthouse; Not “just” a catch Master a Sommelier glimpse any of the<br />
longer, Old Szabo Vin also Villa now Ruins, owns a stop winery at in the Hungary, local<br />
and he bakery, continues grab to consult a glass and of write. wine at the<br />
And perhaps one of the best-kept secrets of all<br />
is that Pelee Szabo visits Island London, Winery Ontario while regularly. listening to<br />
For the some past decade live music; he has been learn a a quasi-guest little history of<br />
honour and at London enjoy Health the limestone Sciences Foundation’s and sandy<br />
prestigious culinary fundraiser, Tastings, where<br />
beaches of Canada's Most Southern<br />
he holds a special pre-tasting event.<br />
This Inhabited year’s beneficiary Island. is the Stay Impact for Fund, a weekend which<br />
helps the or hospital a week acquire getaway! advanced Watch equipment the sunrise and<br />
technology, and and the advance sun set new on approaches the Lake to Erie.Turn care.<br />
“It’s one of my favourite events of the year,”<br />
back the time and enjoy island life at<br />
Szabo says. “Not only is it a good charitable cause,<br />
but my a mother slower is also pace. from London. I’ve been going<br />
there all my life and it’s like going home.”<br />
TANYA CHOPP is a storyteller and marketing professional.<br />
She enjoys crafting and amplifying meaningful<br />
communications across the arts, culture, entertainment,<br />
health, wellness, and technology industries.<br />
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46 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Spirits<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Craft Distillery Cocktails<br />
A Spring Visit to Wolfhead Distillery<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK | Photographs by BRUCE FYFE<br />
Time to bring out<br />
the patio glasses<br />
and refresh your<br />
cocktail list for<br />
the new season! It’s fun to<br />
set aside the single malts of colder days past<br />
and to reach for the lighter splashes of spirits<br />
such as grapefruit vodka, banana caramel<br />
vodka and apple caramel whisky, all of which<br />
we recently found at Wolfhead Distillery in<br />
Amherstburg, near Windsor. Nick Connoy,<br />
front of house manager and bartender, shared<br />
some tips on making refreshing seasonal<br />
cocktails at home.<br />
Celebrities such as Madonna<br />
and Sarah Jessica Parker, portraying<br />
Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in<br />
the City, helped to bring the pink Cosmopolitan<br />
to every bar menu in North America in the<br />
1990s. Served in a martini glass, this vodka,<br />
cranberry and citrus mix was a stylish and<br />
often sweet concoction that carried a sparkle<br />
and Hollywood-to-New-York panache. The<br />
Cosmo is still a mainstay today. Connoy has<br />
made it “less of a sugar bomb” by using not<br />
The Howler<br />
Add:<br />
1 oz Wolfhead Banana Caramel Vodka<br />
1 oz Wolfhead Coffee Whisky Liqueur<br />
2½ oz milk<br />
Shake with ice until metal part of mixer starts to frost.<br />
Strain into low ball martini glass.<br />
Garnish with grated Belgian chocolate.<br />
Wolfhead Old Fashioned<br />
Stir:<br />
1 orange slice muddled with angostura bitters<br />
Splash of cherry simple syrup<br />
1½ oz ginger ale<br />
2 oz Wolfhead Premium Whisky<br />
Pour into rocks glass. Top with ice and orange slice.<br />
only grapefruit vodka but<br />
also muddled grapefruit for<br />
an added texture and zing.<br />
The sweetness in this drink<br />
is citrus driven.<br />
Connoy warns new mixologists not to mask<br />
the flavours when making cocktails with small<br />
batch infused spirits. “Adding fresh citrus<br />
makes the flavour of the vodka pop,” he says.<br />
For example, he likes to use banana caramel<br />
vodka in a daiquiri, and fresh orange in his version<br />
of the very popular Old Fashioned. Wolfhead’s<br />
Banana Caramel Vodka carries a lot of<br />
sweetness, making it a good mix<br />
in a cocktail, needing a minimal<br />
touch. The Coffee Whisky<br />
Liquor has less sweetness, as it<br />
is steeped in Costa Rican espresso. These two<br />
make for a natural pairing for those who like<br />
banana flavours countered with strong coffee,<br />
without the sickly sweetness of some coffeebased<br />
cocktails. The Apple Caramel Whisky<br />
is more on the sweet side, but with a burn. It<br />
could go well with ginger ale and ice.<br />
JANE ANTONIAK and BRUCE FYFE are regular<br />
<strong>Eatdrink</strong> contributors. Jane is also Manager, Communications<br />
& Media Relations at King’s University College. Bruce<br />
is also Librarian, Weldon Library, Western University.<br />
The Howler<br />
Wolfhead Old Fashioned
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
The heart of<br />
Downtown<br />
Strathroy<br />
Cosmopolitan<br />
<strong>2017</strong><br />
Cosmopolitan <strong>2017</strong><br />
Muddle a wedge of grapefruit with two wedges<br />
lime to create a fresh juice<br />
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Add:<br />
Splash of orange simple syrup<br />
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Shake with ice<br />
Double strain into chilled martini glass which has<br />
been rimmed with lemon and sugar<br />
Garnish with slice of lemon<br />
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48 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Various Musical Notes<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Celtic, Québecois, and Iconic<br />
Upcoming Highlights on the Music Scene<br />
By GERRY BLACKWELL<br />
John McDermott<br />
Oh, to be in Ontario now that spring<br />
is here! Unless of course we skip<br />
spring this year and go straight to<br />
summer, always a possibility. Either<br />
way, it’s a good time for music fans. Bob Dylan<br />
is coming, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt. And a<br />
bunch of much younger folk.<br />
If you’ve got Celtic blood in your veins, the<br />
next couple of months will be particularly<br />
good. It starts Friday, <strong>May</strong> 12 at the Grand<br />
Theatre with John McDermott — Mr.<br />
“Danny Boy” himself — and his Raised on<br />
Songs and Stories show (7:30 p.m., $47.50).<br />
The self-trained balladeer and former member<br />
of the Irish Tenors is in fact Scottish by birth,<br />
but no matter. The man has over 25 albums<br />
to his credit. He’s big. If you miss him at the<br />
Grand, he’s at the Capitol Theatre in Chatham<br />
the next<br />
night<br />
(7:30<br />
p.m.,<br />
$47.50).<br />
From<br />
big and<br />
experienced<br />
to<br />
young<br />
and<br />
fresh. Up the street at the London Music Hall,<br />
a trio of local freshman folkies play the LMH’s<br />
Rosewood Room that same Saturday night:<br />
Karen Emeny and Ian Raeburn from London,<br />
and Justine Chantale of Stratford (8:00pm,<br />
$10). If you want to know what the next generation<br />
of singer-songwriters sounds like, come<br />
listen. (FYI, you can hear previews of all three at<br />
music-sharing site soundcloud.com.)<br />
With Home County only a couple of months<br />
away, folk music, Celtic and otherwise, is very<br />
big this season. The Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club<br />
continues its series of concerts at Chaucer’s<br />
Pub on Sunday, <strong>May</strong> 14 with dueling fiddlers<br />
Maja &<br />
David<br />
(7:30pm,<br />
$20/$25).<br />
David is<br />
David<br />
Boulanger<br />
of La<br />
Bottine<br />
Souriante,<br />
the<br />
Quebecois folk band. Maja is Maja Kjær Jacobsen<br />
from the Danish fiddle trio Fru Skagerrak.<br />
Holy catgut, Batman!<br />
Revival House in Stratford has another of<br />
its dinner-and-show concerts on Friday, <strong>May</strong><br />
19, this time featuring the Juno-winning<br />
Digging Roots ($25 concert only, $35 with<br />
prix fixe dinner). It’s a return engagement for<br />
the indigenous blues ‘n’ roots outfit. Last time<br />
they “blew the roof off,” receiving a standing<br />
ovation in the middle of their set. Digging<br />
Roots is Barrie-based husband and wife Raven<br />
Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish.<br />
The London<br />
Music Club,<br />
coincidentally, has<br />
another Raven<br />
the same night.<br />
Folk-rockers The<br />
Wilderness<br />
of Manitoba,<br />
Maja & David<br />
Digging Roots<br />
with singer<br />
Raven Shields,
Raven Shields and<br />
Will Whitwham of The<br />
Wilderness of Manitoba<br />
are playing the club<br />
(7:30pm/8:30pm,<br />
$10/$12). Front-liners<br />
Shields and Will<br />
Whitwham are in duet<br />
mode for this show. The<br />
full band meanwhile<br />
has a new album due<br />
any day.<br />
There’s more Quebecois<br />
folk music — which,<br />
let’s face it, isn’t so different<br />
from Celtic folk music<br />
— at Aeolian Hall on Friday, <strong>May</strong> 26. Sunfest is<br />
bringing in Bon Débarras (7:00pm/8:00pm,<br />
$25/$30.) The group plays original compositions<br />
FREE<br />
ADMISSION<br />
July 6 - 9, <strong>2017</strong><br />
Victoria Park, London, Ontario, Canada<br />
5 Stages Over 35 World Music & Jazz Groups 225 Food & Craft Vendors<br />
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Over 220,000 Visitors<br />
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Bareto (Peru) Bixiga 70 (Brazil) Black Umfolosi (Zimbabwe)<br />
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Djmawi Africa (Algeria) Gabacho Maroc (Morocco/France)<br />
Gustavito (Brazil) Korrontzi (Spain) Marutyri (The Netherlands) •<br />
ODE (Sweden) Tanghetto (Argentina) WÖR (Belgium)<br />
plus more to be announced soon!<br />
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SUN Nation Under a Groove & Suntario150<br />
Delhi 2 Dublin (BC) Five Alarm Funk (BC) Diyet (Yukon)<br />
The Jerry Cans (Nunavut) Lazo (ON) Rosie & the Riveters (SK)<br />
plus more to be announced soon!<br />
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SUPPORTED BY TOURISM LONDON
50 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Sean McCann<br />
but in a traditional<br />
style<br />
— lots of<br />
fiddle, guitar,<br />
step dancing,<br />
body percussion.<br />
The title<br />
of the new<br />
album may<br />
be an apt<br />
description of<br />
the evening<br />
in store — En<br />
panne de silence (a shortage of silence.) Special<br />
guest this night: Juno-nominated pop-folkster<br />
Andrew McPherson.<br />
On Sunday <strong>May</strong> 28, there’s a choice of Celtic<br />
fare. Bud Gardens has Irish balladeer Daniel<br />
O’Donnell, the wildly popular star of a string<br />
of PBS specials, and the only artist to have a<br />
new album on the UK charts every year since<br />
1988 (7:30pm, $61.50-$127.) A few blocks away,<br />
The Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club at Chaucer’s Pub<br />
is bringing in Caim, a vocal-instrumental duo,<br />
“direct from Scotland”: Heather Innes, vocals<br />
and bodhrán (the big drum-tambourine<br />
thing) and Pauline Vallance, harp, flute<br />
and vocals (<strong>May</strong> 28, 7:30pm, $20/$25.)<br />
On Saturday, <strong>June</strong> 3 we get a short<br />
break from non-stop Celtic. Blues troubadour<br />
Bonnie Raitt comes to Centennial<br />
Hall (8:00pm, $79.50–$95.50+.) Raitt is<br />
best known for the 1991 hit, “Something<br />
to Talk About.” She’s currently touring her<br />
2016 album — her 17th — Dig in Deep.<br />
Canadian favourite Royal Wood opens.<br />
If you miss them in London, Kitchener’s<br />
Centre In The Square has the same show<br />
Buddy Guy<br />
Wednesday, <strong>June</strong> 7 ($72.50–$118.)<br />
Meanwhile, back in Celtic town,<br />
Bayfield Town Hall has Sean McCann —<br />
okay, not strictly or exclusively Celtic, but<br />
close enough — on Sunday, <strong>June</strong><br />
4 (7pm.) The ex-Great Big Sea<br />
Neema Children’s Choir (Photo: Ian Davies)<br />
frontman, always<br />
an engaging<br />
performer, has<br />
been touring solo<br />
for awhile. On<br />
Friday, <strong>June</strong> 16<br />
at Aeolian Hall,<br />
Home County<br />
is bringing in<br />
Irish Mythen<br />
(7:00pm/8:00pm,<br />
$25/$30.) Don’t<br />
know Mythen?<br />
The Irish-born Canadian performer, now<br />
based in PEI, plays her own compositions:<br />
contemporary folk meets traditional Celtic.<br />
Irish Mythen<br />
She’s played with greats (Rod Stewart, Gordon<br />
Lightfoot, Lucinda Williams), graced festival<br />
bills the world over, and wows audiences<br />
everywhere.<br />
Then we get seriously un-Celtic with a pair of<br />
music legends to herald the coming of summer.<br />
Budweiser Gardens has ageless bluesman<br />
Buddy Guy on Wednesday, <strong>June</strong> 21 (7:30pm,<br />
$64.50–$109.50.) What can you say about<br />
Buddy Guy? He is a giant. Guy, 80, didn’t<br />
invent the blues, but he surely helped<br />
define it. Two weeks later, on Thursday,<br />
July 6, the Bud follows up with<br />
Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan<br />
(8pm,<br />
$59.50–<br />
$89.50.)<br />
Dylan, 75,<br />
helped define<br />
an era. Legends<br />
don’t last forever<br />
folks: catch ’em while<br />
you can.<br />
GERRY BLACKWELL is a<br />
London-based freelance writer.<br />
TD Sunfest celebrates 23 years<br />
of transfiguring Downtown<br />
London’s Victoria Park into<br />
a culturally diverse jewel<br />
for 220,000+ devoted visitors. More than 35 stellar<br />
world music & jazz ensembles from around the planet<br />
will perform on five stages, while 225 exhibitors whet<br />
festivalgoers’ appetites for scrumptious global cuisine<br />
and one-of-a-kind crafts & visual art. Acts include iconic<br />
bands like Kiev’s DakhaBrakha and Brazil’s Bixiga 70 and<br />
returning favourites like Ontario’s Samba Squad and BC’s<br />
Five Alarm Funk. July 6-9, Victoria Park, free admission.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 51<br />
The Classical Beat<br />
Happy Birthday, Canada!<br />
It’s All About Us<br />
By NICOLE LAIDLER<br />
A<br />
party just isn’t a party without<br />
some great tunes. And with<br />
Canada’s 150 th birthday celebration<br />
in full swing, music groups across<br />
our region are pulling out all the stops to mark<br />
the occasion.<br />
Stratford Symphony Orchestra<br />
Stratford Symphony Orchestra celebrates<br />
Canada’s 150th on <strong>May</strong> 13 with a concert that<br />
showcases Canadian composers and shines<br />
a spotlight on local talent. The program is a<br />
mix of light Canadian classics and Canadian<br />
folk, and features special guest artists from<br />
nearby St. Marys performing together as<br />
Trent Severn.<br />
This acclaimed trio, comprised of singerssongwriters<br />
Dayna Manning, Emm Gryner<br />
and Lindsay Schindler, performs original,<br />
contemporary folk songs with a distinctly<br />
Canadian flavour. “This is the first time Trent<br />
Severn has performed with an orchestra,”<br />
says SSO’s David Murray. In addition to<br />
Trent Severn<br />
debuting orchestrations of current hits and<br />
new songs, the three will step out on their<br />
own to present a set of new songs from their<br />
latest recording, Portage.<br />
SSO’s final event of the season will be the<br />
annual Cows and Classics concert, to be held<br />
<strong>June</strong> 25 at a farm just west of Stratford. A<br />
hayshed, lawn chairs, refreshments, and music.<br />
It doesn’t get much more Canadian than that.<br />
The London Concert Band<br />
The London Concert Band wants to pack the<br />
house at the historic Beal Auditorium, <strong>June</strong><br />
18, for a free musical birthday bash. CBC news<br />
anchor Heather Hiscox will act as emcee.<br />
The London Concert Band<br />
“Expanding the availability of music to<br />
young and old alike is very important to us,”<br />
says LCB conductor, Robert Kennedy. “So<br />
we embarked on developing a concert that<br />
would be available to all — equally — and<br />
then set out to find a venue that could hold<br />
many people.”<br />
“With Glowing Hearts: Canada 150 features a<br />
program that celebrates our country’s music<br />
and diversity,” says Kennedy.<br />
“Highlights for me would be the performances<br />
of our many guests. The riveting clarity and fun<br />
provided by the Percussion Trio, the colour of<br />
our visiting Bhutanese dancers, the poignant<br />
honesty of the folk-singing couple The Married,<br />
and the historical significance of Ojibway<br />
Storyteller, Aaron Bell, speaking on the history<br />
of the drums in their Nation.”<br />
The matinee concert also features The<br />
London Concert Band’s premier of a medley<br />
of music by Guy and Carmen Lombardo and<br />
their Royal Canadians.
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
World<br />
Premiere<br />
<strong>June</strong> 28 to August 19<br />
MR. NEW YEAR’S EVE:<br />
A night with<br />
Guy Lombardo<br />
Written by David Scott<br />
Directed by Gil Garratt<br />
His father opposed Guy’s love of Jazz;<br />
Canadian radio stations showed<br />
active disinterest; but no obstacle<br />
could block Guy’s path to stardom.<br />
For tickets call 1.877.862.5984<br />
or visit blythfestival.com<br />
Amabile<br />
London’s Amabile choirs also ends the season<br />
on a Canadian note. True North<br />
is a joint presentation by the<br />
Junior Amabile Singers and<br />
Amabile Da Capo Choir, <strong>June</strong> 3<br />
at New St. James Presbyterian<br />
Church, while Strong and Free<br />
features the Amabile Youth<br />
Singers and Prima: Amabile<br />
Women’s Choir, <strong>June</strong> 11 at St.<br />
John the Divine Parish.<br />
Bach Festival of Canada<br />
Exeter’s bi-annual Bach Festival of Canada is<br />
back for its fourth installment, with a slightly<br />
new format<br />
and a decidedly<br />
Canadian<br />
focus. This<br />
year’s festival<br />
will be held<br />
over two long<br />
weekends,<br />
explains<br />
festival<br />
manager Jean Jacobe, with concerts offered<br />
July 6–9 and July 14–16. “We wanted to<br />
make it easier for people from out of town to<br />
attend,” says Jacobe, adding that she’s already<br />
fielding inquiries from as far away as Toronto.<br />
The line-up includes local talent like<br />
Marlene Fagan and John Avery (July 6),<br />
cellist Cameron Crozman (July 8) and<br />
fiddlers Shane Cook and Gerry Smith<br />
(July 14), as well as international stars like<br />
Spanish pianist Leopoldo Erice (July 7) and<br />
London-born, New York-based violinist Lara<br />
St. John (July 9).<br />
This year’s festival wraps up July 16 with<br />
a traditional gala performance. To honour<br />
Canada’s birthday, the 170 choristers,<br />
orchestral players, and soloists, will be<br />
performing an all-Canadian program that<br />
includes the debuts of four new works<br />
commissioned especially for the occasion.<br />
Jeffery Concerts<br />
On a completely different note, The Jeffery<br />
Concerts wrap up a two-year cycle of<br />
presenting the complete Beethoven String<br />
Quartets with a performance by Pacifica<br />
Quartet, <strong>May</strong> 13 at Wolf Performance Hall.<br />
“It’s a great privilege to hear any Beethoven<br />
quartets well-played at any time, but a<br />
particular privilege to hear them played in a<br />
series, so I felt very lucky to have been able<br />
to hear them here in London,” comments<br />
Pacifica Quartet<br />
audience member Ernest Redekop. “One live<br />
performance is not enough for anyone who<br />
loves Beethoven’s music,” he adds, “but it is<br />
one significant step to a deeper emotional<br />
and intellectual understanding of some of the<br />
greatest works of music ever written.”<br />
As a feature writer, story-based copywriter, and content<br />
consultant, NICOLE LAIDLER helps people find the<br />
right words to share their stories with the world. Visit her<br />
at www.spilledink.ca
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 53<br />
Theatre<br />
Summer Theatre is Back!<br />
Celebrating Canada Onstage<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK<br />
It’s a sign that summer is coming when<br />
the season begins for regional theatre<br />
companies. Theatre-goers can look with<br />
anticipation to Stratford, Blyth, Grand<br />
Bend, Port Stanley and Petrolia for a change of<br />
dramatic scenery.<br />
Stratford Festival<br />
The grand dame of Ontario theatre is coming<br />
off a successful season, both financially<br />
and artistically. Stratford experienced<br />
a very strong 2016 season with posted<br />
revenues of more than $62 million (providing<br />
a surplus of nearly $700,000)<br />
and attendance of more than half a<br />
million people. Of note was a 25%<br />
increase in attendance for Shakespeare<br />
productions, led by Macbeth, directed<br />
by Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director<br />
of the Festival. As well, there was an increase<br />
in people under 18 attending shows. Possibly<br />
these statistics went hand in hand with the<br />
fact that more school groups attended Shakespearean<br />
productions tied to curriculum. Still,<br />
it bodes well for Stratford that it is building<br />
a future audience. And what’s good for the<br />
Festival is good for the municipality. There is<br />
now a twice-daily bus service from Toronto to<br />
Stratford, which generated almost $14 million<br />
in spin-off economic benefits for the region.<br />
Stratford Festival also sees benefits in<br />
adding food to the program. This year there<br />
will be Treasure Hunt Lunches. Families can<br />
pick up a bagged lunch and go on a scavengerstyle<br />
search of downtown Stratford before<br />
seeing Treasure Island. In July, a series called<br />
Table Talk, with buffets and lectures, will be<br />
offered before certain performances.<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, to mark Canada’s 150th, the<br />
Festival is centered on exploring questions<br />
of identity. “In this sesquicentennial year, it<br />
is important that we not only celebrate but<br />
also reflect on what it means to be Canadian,<br />
says Cimolino. “I think the 14 beautiful and<br />
powerful plays of the <strong>2017</strong> season will help<br />
us to re-examine our identity as a nation,<br />
and us as individuals. We will look at how we<br />
prepare our face to the world, deal with our<br />
hidden desires, or balance our self-interests<br />
with the environment around us — ideas that<br />
we will delve further into through the events<br />
of the Forum. We have also commissioned<br />
The Breathing Hole, by Colleen Murphy —<br />
an epic allegory that is one of the most<br />
ambitious and unique pieces of writing I<br />
have seen in years. Each of the three acts<br />
breathtakingly captures a snapshot of this<br />
country’s development, from the moment of<br />
First Contact, through a startling encounter<br />
with the Franklin Expedition, to a profoundly<br />
moving conclusion in a future ravaged by<br />
climate change.”<br />
Previews for the 65th season are underway<br />
at Stratford.<br />
Blyth Festival<br />
Heading up towards Lake Huron, about an<br />
hour and half north of London, is the uber-<br />
Canadian theatre company —Blyth Festival.<br />
Situated in the recently renovated former<br />
town hall, Blyth prides itself on superior<br />
Canadian productions. So it is natural to<br />
expect something special from Blyth for the<br />
150th. Those who remember the Stork Club<br />
of Port Stanley, or watching the ball drop on<br />
New Year’s Eve to the twang of Auld Lang<br />
Syne, are in for a treat. Blyth opens its season<br />
with previews on <strong>June</strong> 28 and 29 and officially<br />
opens on <strong>June</strong> 30 with the world premiere of
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
followed by an Elvis tribute musical All<br />
Shook Up. A new comedy by Ontario<br />
playwright Norm Foster opens on <strong>June</strong> 28<br />
in Playhouse II. Jonas & Barry in the Home<br />
is about two seniors looking for love in a<br />
nursing home. As with all Foster plays there<br />
is certain to be light-hearted relationship<br />
and sexual humour.<br />
Mr. New Year’s Eve; A Night with Guy Lombardo<br />
by David Scott, directed by Gil Garratt,<br />
Artistic Director. Garratt says they don’t have<br />
to do something special for the 150th because<br />
Canada has been celebrated with every show<br />
for 43 seasons.<br />
“With more than 130 world premieres<br />
to date, The Blyth Festival has been the<br />
foundation many of the country’s hottest<br />
playwrights have built their careers on. The<br />
Blyth Festival is the place to see the country’s<br />
finest new works, all written by Canadians,<br />
directed by Canadians, and performed by<br />
Canadians, for the most adventurous audience<br />
in the land,” says Garratt.<br />
Huron Country Playhouse<br />
Drayton Entertainment operates theatres<br />
across Southern Ontario including the<br />
Huron Country Playhouse and Playhouse<br />
II, a few kilometers into the farmland from<br />
the lakeside village of Grand Bend on Lake<br />
Huron. Hugely popular with school and bus<br />
groups, tourists and day trippers, Huron<br />
Country Playhouses provide a lot of toetapping<br />
entertainment for cross-generation<br />
summertime fun. Almost 60,000 people<br />
attended shows at Huron Country last<br />
summer.<br />
“There’s a lot of variety on stage this season<br />
in Grand Bend,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic<br />
Director of Drayton Entertainment. “There<br />
are grand scale musicals with familiar stories<br />
loved by everyone,<br />
rare gems with<br />
incredible music<br />
and fun characters<br />
that make audiences<br />
laugh and<br />
sing, larger-than-life<br />
comedies with outrageous<br />
plots and even<br />
more outrageous<br />
characters and so much more. I know audiences<br />
are in for a real treat this season.”<br />
The season begins on <strong>June</strong> 3 with Joseph<br />
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,<br />
Port Stanley Festival Theatre<br />
On the shores of Lake Erie is the recently<br />
renovated Port Stanley Festival Theatre.<br />
PSFT opens on <strong>May</strong><br />
23 with the very<br />
patriotic Oh Canada,<br />
We Sing for Thee! starring<br />
Leisa Way and the<br />
Wayward Wind Band.<br />
This production,<br />
along with a gallery<br />
style showcase of<br />
Canadian musicians,<br />
has been sponsored by Celebrate Ontario<br />
under the Ontario 150 Community Capital<br />
Program Grant.<br />
Port Stanley Festival Theatre produces<br />
a number of Norm Foster plays, and <strong>2017</strong><br />
is no exception. On <strong>June</strong> 7 the PSFT presents<br />
Foster’s production of On a First Name<br />
Basis which will be performed by two of the<br />
theatre’s favourite actors, Susan Johnston-<br />
Collins and Terry Barna. This production will<br />
run until Canada Day.<br />
Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia<br />
You can’t get anything much more<br />
stereotypical Canadian than a show called<br />
Fiddler on the Moose! This “musical ride<br />
across Canada” runs <strong>May</strong> 2-19 at the Victoria<br />
Playhouse in Petrolia, deep in Southwestern<br />
Ontario. Promising cover versions of songs<br />
from The Tragically Hip, Stompin’ Tom<br />
Connors, The Guess Who, Bareknaked Ladies<br />
and more, this will be a fun ride for devotees<br />
of Canadian content.<br />
Canadian playwright Mark Crawford’s<br />
new comedy, The Birds and the Bees, will be<br />
staged from <strong>May</strong> 30 to <strong>June</strong> 17. A hit at both<br />
Blyth and Port Stanley last summer, the show<br />
intertwines beekeeping with romance — with<br />
plenty of hilarious twists. Oh Canada!<br />
JANE ANTONIAK is a regular contributor to <strong>Eatdrink</strong><br />
magazine. She is also Manager, Communications & Media<br />
Relations, at King’s University College in London.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 55<br />
Recipes<br />
Feast<br />
Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip<br />
By Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller<br />
Review and Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN<br />
What do you get<br />
if you take two<br />
friends, add a<br />
37,000-kilometre<br />
road trip, and five months<br />
of camping? For most of us<br />
this could equal a recipe for<br />
disaster. For two Canadian<br />
authors, it adds up to a lot<br />
of fun.<br />
Lindsay Anderson<br />
and Dana VanVeller<br />
describe themselves as<br />
“Vancouver-based writers,<br />
adventurers, wanderlusts<br />
and co-creators of Feast: Recipes<br />
and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip. The two<br />
women spent half of 2013 travelling across<br />
Canada collecting recipes and stories, and<br />
exploring the country’s sense of national<br />
identity as it relates to food. They chronicled<br />
the trip on their blog, edibleroadtrip.com.<br />
Back at home, they compiled their notes and<br />
photos to create the book. It’s a beautiful<br />
collection gleaned from chefs, food writers<br />
and educators, friends, family and a few<br />
Canadian food icons.<br />
Lindsay Anderson is from northern BC,<br />
while Dana VanVeller is originally from<br />
Sarnia. Both have worked<br />
and studied across the<br />
country as well as across<br />
the ocean. Check out<br />
their blog for more tales<br />
of their adventures, from<br />
Sarnia to Sri Lanka.<br />
Along with the recipes<br />
in Feast are stories<br />
from each province and<br />
territory that the authors<br />
visited. Photos are mostly<br />
their own and include<br />
some haunting images<br />
that capture of the beauty<br />
of our country, as well<br />
as some that bring<br />
memories of childhood<br />
visits to grandma’s<br />
kitchen, wherever that<br />
might have been.<br />
I received this book very<br />
early in the spring and was<br />
leafing through it when I<br />
noticed that the rhubarb<br />
in my garden was already<br />
trying to peek through the<br />
snow. A few years ago, in a<br />
fit of nostalgia for childhood<br />
memories of rhubarb stalks<br />
dipped in sugar, I transplanted<br />
a bit of the stuff from my mom’s garden. That<br />
small cutting became firmly entrenched in<br />
my tiny herb garden and now threatens to<br />
take over the entire thing. A sensible person<br />
would probably just dig it up. But I discovered<br />
that I love rhubarb — stewed, baked or added<br />
to homemade applesauce. It has become my<br />
first taste of spring. So I was delighted to<br />
find a recipe in Feast from Canadian Living’s<br />
Elizabeth Baird for “Lunar Rhubarb Cake”.<br />
This is not the prettiest dessert you’ll ever<br />
make but, like so many messy things, it is<br />
well worth it. It gets its<br />
name from the crumbly<br />
topping of brown sugar<br />
and butter that makes it<br />
look like the surface of<br />
the moon (and taste like<br />
a slice of heaven).<br />
While I was watching<br />
my poor, optimistic<br />
snow-dressed rhubarb<br />
I noticed that the poor,<br />
Authors Lindsay Anderson<br />
and Dana VanVeller
56 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
neglected barbecue had icicles dripping from<br />
its cover. Suddenly, Elk Burgers with Blue<br />
Cheese and Balsamic Roasted Red Onions<br />
were all I could think of making. I’m not sure<br />
I can wait until the snow melts. I might try<br />
these on the grill pan in the kitchen, using<br />
lean beef, until I can find elk meat and get the<br />
BBQ ready. In fact, by the time you’re reading<br />
this, I may already have the BBQ up and<br />
running. I hear that we have a local supplier<br />
for elk. I’m heading down the farmer’s market<br />
to see if I can find it.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
The recipes in Feast are as eclectic as the<br />
people who contributed them. Whether you<br />
are looking for a new cocktail or a lesson<br />
on a classic Canadian dinner, you will find<br />
something delightful every time you open this<br />
book. <strong>May</strong>be it will even inspire you to dust<br />
off the camping gear and take a road trip of<br />
your own.<br />
TRACY TURLIN is a freelance writer and dog groomer in<br />
London. Reach her at tracyturlin@gmail.com<br />
Excerpted from Feast: Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller.<br />
Copyright © <strong>2017</strong> Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of<br />
Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.<br />
Elk Burgers<br />
with blue cheese & balsamic roasted red onions<br />
Serves 4 to 6<br />
When we arrived at his ranch in Kanata, Ontario,<br />
Thom van Eeghen handed us a pair of helmets,<br />
loaded us into the trailer of an ATV, and drove us<br />
out to his herd of elk. We first visited the cows and<br />
calves in the field, then made our way over to the<br />
woods, where an impressively antlered bull was<br />
hanging out on his own. The photo below remains<br />
one of our favourites from the trip — what a<br />
goofball.<br />
Elk meat is a great alternative to beef. It’s lean,<br />
a good source of vitamin B, and ever-so-slightly<br />
sweet, rather than gamey. If you don’t have any<br />
elk producers nearby, you can easily substitute<br />
beef or bison.<br />
ROASTED ONIONS<br />
1 large red onion (about 220 grams), sliced into<br />
½-inch-thick (1 cm) rings<br />
1 Tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar<br />
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil<br />
⅛ tsp salt<br />
BURGERS<br />
½ medium red onion (about 80 g), finely chopped<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
⅓ cup (80 mL) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley<br />
1 Tbsp (15 mL) grainy or Dijon mustard<br />
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce<br />
¾ tsp (3 mL) salt<br />
½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper<br />
1½ pounds (680 g) ground elk, bison, or lean beef<br />
¾ cup (185 mL) crumbled blue cheese (see note)<br />
FOR SERVING<br />
4 to 6 buns, toasted<br />
Tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and any other<br />
desired burger toppings<br />
NOTE: You can use any blue cheese you prefer,<br />
as long as it’s firm enough to hold its shape<br />
when you’re mixing the burgers. Some great<br />
Canadian options include Ciel de Charlevoix,<br />
Bleu Bénédictin, and Dragon’s Breath Blue.<br />
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).<br />
For the roasted onions, add the sliced onion rings to a<br />
large bowl and toss with the balsamic vinegar, olive<br />
oil, and salt. Spread out evenly on a large baking<br />
sheet. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turn the slices<br />
over, and roast again until soft and caramelized,<br />
another 10 to 15 minutes.
<strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 57<br />
Preheat the barbeque<br />
on medium-high (about<br />
450°F/230°C).<br />
To make the patties, mix the<br />
onion, egg, parsley, mustard,<br />
Worcestershire sauce, salt,<br />
and pepper. Add the ground<br />
meat and gently mix with your<br />
hands until just combined (over<br />
mixing will make the burgers<br />
tough).<br />
Add the crumbled cheese and<br />
mix again until just combined.<br />
Divide the meat mixture into six<br />
even portions (or four, if you’d<br />
prefer larger burgers) and<br />
shape each portion into a patty.<br />
Grill on the barbeque, flipping<br />
once, until their internal<br />
temperature reaches 160°F<br />
(71°C) or they’re no longer pink<br />
inside, 8 to 10 minutes.<br />
Serve the burgers on buns with<br />
the roasted onions, lettuce,<br />
tomato, mayo, and any other<br />
toppings you like!<br />
‘Altogether different … and so very, very tasty.’<br />
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58 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Lunar Rhubarb Cake<br />
Serves 12<br />
This cake, by Canadian food icon Elizabeth Baird,<br />
is ridiculously simple and tasty. Because she’s the<br />
pro, here’s Elizabeth’s take on it:<br />
Rhubarb is the universal Canadian fruit,<br />
growing as it does in Canada’s north, south,<br />
east, and west. And yes, it is a vegetable, but in<br />
most Canadian kitchens, it’s treated like a fruit.<br />
Many years ago I was working on an article for<br />
Canadian Living magazine with home economist<br />
Sandy Hall. Wyn Hall, her mother-in-law, gave<br />
us her recipe for Rhubarb Cake to include in the<br />
article. It was a winner — a no-fail butter cake,<br />
with chopped rhubarb in the batter and a sugarcinnamon<br />
crumble topping that baked into a<br />
crusty crater-like surface. As soon as Sandy and I<br />
took it out of the oven, its moonscape top inspired<br />
us to rename the cake “Lunar Rhubarb Cake.”<br />
A number of these ingredients need to be at<br />
room temperature when you make the cake, so<br />
take them out of the refrigerator well before you<br />
start baking.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
CAKE<br />
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
1½ cups (300 g) white sugar<br />
1 egg, room temperature<br />
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract<br />
2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp (6 g) baking soda<br />
½ tsp (1.5 g) salt<br />
2 cups (500 mL) rhubarb, cut in ½-inch (1 cm)<br />
pieces (about 4 large stalks; see note)<br />
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk, room temperature<br />
TOPPING<br />
1 cup (213 g) lightly packed brown sugar<br />
2 tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon<br />
¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, cubed and at room<br />
temperature<br />
FOR SERVING<br />
Vanilla ice cream<br />
NOTE: You can increase the rhubarb by another<br />
½ cup (about 70 g) if you like. The cake will work<br />
with other fruits — apricots, plums, raspberries,<br />
and wild blueberries — but rhubarb is the<br />
best. If using frozen rhubarb, measure it while<br />
still frozen and let thaw completely. Drain in a<br />
colander, but do not press liquid out.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Line the bottom and sides of a 9 × 13 inch (23 × 33 cm) cake<br />
pan with parchment paper, or use soft butter to grease the<br />
pan; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).<br />
In a large bo w l, beat together the butter and white sugar<br />
until smooth, light, and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape<br />
down the bowl once or twice during this process. Beat in<br />
the egg and vanilla and make sure all the ingredients are<br />
combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour,<br />
baking soda, and salt. Scoop out 2 Tbsp of this mixture and<br />
toss with the rhubarb, then set the rhubarb aside.<br />
Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in three<br />
parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts.<br />
Sprinkle the rhubarb mixture over the batter and fold in.<br />
Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.<br />
For the topping, add the brown sugar and cinnamon to<br />
a medium bowl and mash together using a fork. Add the<br />
butter and blend together until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly<br />
over the batter.<br />
Bake in the centre of the oven until the fragrance from<br />
the oven overwhelms hangers-on in the kitchen and the<br />
surface is crusty and golden brown with pink lumps here<br />
and there. A toothpick inserted into the centre should<br />
come out clean. This takes about 45 minutes.<br />
Let cool slightly. Enjoy warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.<br />
If making ahead, let cool completely. Double wrap in<br />
plastic food wrap and freeze for up to 2 weeks.<br />
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LOCAL - NATURAL - QUALITY<br />
WE ARE YOUR LONDON OUTLET FOR<br />
• Metzger Meat Products • Lena’s Lamb<br />
• Blanbrook Bison Farm • Little Sisters Chicken<br />
• Glengyle Farm Organics<br />
Western Fair Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market: Saturdays, 8am–3pm<br />
226-376-6328 • www.thevillagemeatshop.ca<br />
Monday,<br />
<strong>June</strong> 5, <strong>2017</strong><br />
11:30 – 1:30 @<br />
budweIser<br />
gardens<br />
Join us for a showcase of some of London’s<br />
best restaurants and catering companies<br />
and their Signature dishes! Check out<br />
parkinsonsociety.ca for a complete list of<br />
restaurants and caterers.<br />
Tickets only $20<br />
available at:<br />
all Finch Auto Group dealerships, Budweiser Gardens box office,<br />
online at www.parkinsonsociety.ca or call (519) 652-9437<br />
All proceeds support local programs and services for people with Parkinson’s.<br />
in partnership with<br />
Mendes<br />
Law Firm
60 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Books<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
The Trends that We Eat<br />
Devoured: From Chicken Wings to Kale Smoothies<br />
— How What We Eat Defines Who We Are<br />
Review by DARIN COOK<br />
“<br />
Tell<br />
me what you eat,<br />
and I will tell you<br />
what you are” is a<br />
maxim attributed<br />
to the nineteenth-century food<br />
philosopher Jean Anthelme<br />
Brillat-Savarin. Culinary<br />
Institute of America program<br />
director Sophie Egan has put a<br />
modern twist on this wisdom<br />
in her book, Devoured: From<br />
Chicken Wings to Kale Smoothies<br />
— How What We Eat Defines<br />
Who We Are (William Morrow,<br />
2016, $35.99). The book is divided into ten<br />
themes that deal with a multitude of topics<br />
about how our lifestyles can drive what we<br />
eat given the bombardment of food choices.<br />
Even with all its traditions and habits, food<br />
selection is a very individual choice based on<br />
what we love to eat, what is convenient, what<br />
we crave, what fits into our current diet, what<br />
is in season on the farm, or what menu items<br />
chain restaurants are promoting.<br />
The book is rich in research details that<br />
statistically portray the human relationship<br />
with food: only 26 percent of Americans<br />
eat breakfast every day; Starbucks has<br />
87,000 drink combinations; 66 percent of<br />
Americans eat more types<br />
of global cuisine than five<br />
years ago; 20,000 new items<br />
are introduced to the food<br />
market each year; pancakes<br />
and French toast recipes have<br />
the highest number of online<br />
searches. Where there are<br />
statistics, there are trends,<br />
and Egan writes about how<br />
these numbers translate<br />
into our food culture, from<br />
eating the free samples at<br />
Costco, to the astronomical<br />
number of chicken wings<br />
eaten during the Super Bowl,<br />
to the explosion of on-the-go<br />
protein bars that have<br />
replaced breakfast.<br />
Egan’s book is a look into<br />
the food psyche of the United<br />
States, but given its heavyhanded<br />
emphasis on statistics,<br />
she throws in plenty of comparisons<br />
with Canada and other<br />
countries, such as how countries<br />
rank in alcohol consumption.<br />
Although mainly a journey<br />
through the American food world, the “mainstreaming<br />
of global cuisines” has given foods<br />
from many other countries a home outside<br />
their places of origin. Italian food, in particular,<br />
made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to<br />
find a permanent place in American meals. In<br />
a fascinating chapter called “The Story of Spaghetti”<br />
Egan explains what it is about Italian<br />
food that makes it, along with Chinese and<br />
Mexican, one of the top takeout choices.<br />
Aside from survival, one of eating’s other<br />
main draws is that it has historically been a<br />
communal activity. In the modern world it is<br />
becoming less so, and one of Egan’s contentions<br />
is that office life has not been<br />
good for eating habits. Eating<br />
alone at our desks (one<br />
of every five workers takes a<br />
lunch break), constant snacking,<br />
and a workaholic mentality<br />
have messed up the<br />
three allotted times that we<br />
customarily consume food.<br />
On the other hand, brunch,<br />
or “secular church” as Egan<br />
Author Sophie Egan
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
calls it, could be the saving grace for communal<br />
eating, even though it is one big extravagant<br />
meal replacing two separate ones.<br />
Egan also writes about “the democratization<br />
of wine” that started with the boom in<br />
cheap vino at Trader Joe’s in 1967. Since then,<br />
marketing ploys have succeeded in spreading<br />
wine’s appeal outside of its clichéd cliques,<br />
with tactics such as using cute animals on<br />
wine labels that have nothing to do with<br />
the product (critter labelling), using artistic<br />
Americans love the Super<br />
“ Bowl because some of them<br />
like football, most of them<br />
like day drinking, and all of<br />
them like feasting.<br />
”<br />
— Sophie Egan<br />
license in the naming of wines (Bad-Ass Cabernet),<br />
and using unconventional containers<br />
(tin cans and Tetra Paks).<br />
Fast food chains are expert in drawing in<br />
crowds by developing “stunt foods.” These<br />
stunt foods, such as Taco Bell’s tremendously<br />
popular Doritos Loco Taco, provide shock<br />
value even though they are “nutritional train<br />
wrecks” — an unhealthy backlash compared<br />
to the diet trends Egan discusses in chapters<br />
entitled “Diet Evangelism” and “The Selling of<br />
Absence” (i.e., low-fat, gluten-free, non-GMO,<br />
reduced calories). Egan writes: “As a people,<br />
we are health seeking on the one hand, while<br />
indulgence seeking on the other” and she finds<br />
no answers to the juxtaposition of fad diets<br />
with expanding fast food menus. Nothing<br />
defines these contradictions more than the<br />
feeding frenzy that is Super Bowl Sunday,<br />
as crowds gather around “snackadiums”<br />
before, during, and after the big game. Egan’s<br />
perspective is that “Americans love the Super<br />
Bowl because some of them like football, most<br />
of them like day drinking, and all of them like<br />
feasting.” And because we all like feasting, this<br />
book is a very interesting look at how trends,<br />
marketing, and modern life influence our<br />
tastes and eating habits.<br />
DARIN COOK is a freelance writer based in Chatham<br />
who keeps himself well-read and well-fed by visiting the<br />
bookstores and restaurants of London.<br />
Experience the<br />
World of Tea<br />
Light & Healthy Menu<br />
Afternoon Tea • Flight Nights<br />
268 Piccadilly Street (beside Oxford Book Store)<br />
519-601-TEAS (8327) • www.tealoungelondon.com<br />
SUN-MON 11am-4pm • TUES-THURS 10am-6pm • FRI & SAT 10am-9pm<br />
<strong>June</strong> 2-4, <strong>2017</strong><br />
WINGHAM, ON<br />
www.alicemunrofestival.ca<br />
THE STORYTELLERS<br />
michael ONDAATJE jane URQUHART<br />
kyo MACLEAR lee MARACLE<br />
cherie DIMALINE falen JOHNSON<br />
marni JACKSON paul THOMPSON<br />
merilyn SIMONDS brian d. JOHNSON<br />
•<br />
arturo PEREZ TORRES eva CROCKER<br />
•<br />
aviva ARMOUR-OSTROFF<br />
scott MCKOWEN rachel THOMPSON<br />
•<br />
photo by: Janet Hull ah
62 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
The Lighter Side<br />
The Newbie<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
By RENEE BORG<br />
Fresh out of culinary school, early one<br />
morning I found myself standing<br />
before one of the most prestigious<br />
hotels in town. I had scored a position<br />
as a prep cook, hand-picked from a bevy of<br />
eager graduates. Riding an incredible high,<br />
I felt I was embarking on a glorious career<br />
filled with future restaurant openings,<br />
TV appearances and cookbooks<br />
with my face on the cover.<br />
Anxious to make a good<br />
impression, I had splurged and<br />
kitted myself out in spanking<br />
new chef’s duds (my student<br />
uniform relegated to the back<br />
of the closet): gleaming white<br />
jacket with snappy black<br />
buttons, fresh new apron,<br />
crisp checked pants, and a<br />
saucy black cap that read ‘Chef’! I<br />
had also sprung for a very expensive<br />
leather knife case. Bristling with<br />
hardware, it held everything I felt necessary<br />
for my new role: assorted chef’s knives, fruit<br />
knife, vegetable peeler and all kinds of nifty<br />
gadgets including a melon-baller and cherrypitter.<br />
Beaming, I rode up the back elevators<br />
to the floor where the kitchens were. When<br />
the elevator doors whooshed open, I stood<br />
and surveyed the exciting panorama of<br />
culinary activity before me. I’d made it!<br />
After Chef welcomed me to the brigade, I<br />
was handed over to the sous chef and given<br />
a tour. Then he led me through the busy prep<br />
kitchen to a lonely back counter. Stacked<br />
next to it, standing in a puddle of water, was<br />
a towering pile of cardboard crates. The sous<br />
chef cracked open the top box to reveal jumbo<br />
tiger shrimp, packed in ice. “We need all<br />
these shelled and deveined by 5 o’clock for a<br />
function,” my new boss said.<br />
“Yes, chef!” I barked out to his retreating<br />
back, as we had been taught in school. I then<br />
forlornly turned to the tower of shrimp.<br />
For the next several hours I shucked, peeled<br />
and deveined at a ripping pace, using my bare<br />
hands, which quickly became wet and frozen.<br />
Back then, latex gloves weren’t worn, and no<br />
fancy gadget in my new case would make my<br />
task any easier.<br />
After a couple of hours, one of the other<br />
cooks came by to see how I was doing. “Just<br />
great!” I smiled through clenched teeth. At<br />
noon the sous chef reappeared. I had<br />
now been standing for over four<br />
hours, increasingly covered with<br />
shrimp detritus that turned my<br />
pristine white jacket and apron<br />
into reeking, purplish-stained<br />
rags. The sous chef wordlessly<br />
pulled up a stool for me to<br />
sit on and walked away again.<br />
By then my wet fingers were<br />
covered in slippery bandages<br />
from peeling back the sharp shells.<br />
I no longer thought of cookbooks<br />
and restaurant openings but just<br />
kept smiling and shelling, smiling<br />
and shelling in my little shrimp hell corner.<br />
I finally finished the last shrimp at 5:30.<br />
Filthy and soaking wet, I watched as the trays<br />
of prepared shrimp were whisked away by the<br />
garde manger staff. The cook who’d checked<br />
up on me earlier sidled over. “You passed,”<br />
he said. “They always give the newbies the<br />
worst job on day one, to see if they whine and<br />
complain. You did well.” Suddenly I felt a glow<br />
of triumph which sustained me all the way<br />
home on the bus (as fellow passengers dove<br />
for the windows).<br />
The next day, I humbly put on my old<br />
school uniform and presented myself wearing<br />
a plain white cap. The Sous chef led me into<br />
the kitchen again and pointed at an empty<br />
space on a bench beside another cook. “Today,<br />
you mince parsley,” he said. The cook beside<br />
me smiled. “Welcome to the Hilton.”<br />
RENEE BORG is a newbie freelance writer based in<br />
London who enjoys travel and food adventures but avoids<br />
shrimp at all costs.
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>2017</strong>/18 season<br />
subscribe today!<br />
once<br />
a christmas carol<br />
silence<br />
blind date<br />
a thousand splendid suns<br />
chariots of fire<br />
ronnie burkett’s<br />
the daisy theatre<br />
what a young wife<br />
ought to know<br />
the glass menagerie<br />
beethoven lives upstairs<br />
evita<br />
jeans ’n classics<br />
grandtheatre.com 519.672.8800
64 | <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
OUR FULL SEASON OUTDOOR FARMERS’ MARKET<br />
STARTS ON SATURDAY MAY 6 TH<br />
FAMILY STORYTIME: JULY 8 TH ~ SEPT. 2 ND @ 10:30 AM ~ 11:00 AM • LIVE MUSIC - EVERY SATURDAY<br />
11AM – NOON<br />
UPSTAIRS IN THE MARKET KITCHEN<br />
Local chefs demonstrate quick and tasty<br />
meals made with market-fresh ingredients!<br />
Market Hours:<br />
Mon. to Thurs. • 8am – 6pm<br />
Friday • 8am – 7:30pm<br />
Sat. • 8am – 6pm<br />
Sun. • 11am – 4pm<br />
Every Saturday:<br />
(Starting <strong>May</strong> 6)<br />
8am ~ 1pm<br />
Every Thursday:<br />
(Starting <strong>May</strong> 11)<br />
8am ~ 2pm<br />
coventmarket.com<br />
/coventgardenmarket
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