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RESTAURANTS • RECIPES • WINE • TRAVEL 

Culinary 

Tourism 

The New Fork 

in the Road 

Refreshing Changes in 

London’s Pub Scene 

• The Church Key Bistro-Pub 

• The Morrissey House 

• Chancey Smith’s 

Steak & Seafood House 

ALSO 

Learning From — Dining With — 

Stratford Chefs School 

Issue 20 • December/January 2010 

The Stu�ed Zucchini 

in Lucan 

Ferguson Apiaries 

near Hensall

Stratford... unplugged 

Stratford is known for imaginative and innovative experiences in food 

and this season is no exception. Taste and critique the menus of 

celebrity chefs as Stratford Chefs School students enthusiastically 

serve their creations to eager diners. Follow the rich aromas of fresh 

roasted coffee, hot chocolate and pastries wafting from bohemian 

cafes. Savour Winterfeast menus created by local chefs during our 

Winterfest celebrations. Spice things up with community chili tasting 

fun at our annual Heartburn Day. 

Stratford’s long tradition of entertaining our guests is heightened this 

winter with special surprises. Live at City Hall begins a series of Jazz 

and Blues concerts with Dan Hill on January 2 and Harrison Kennedy 

on January 16. Randy Bachman entertains at the Festival Theatre 

on January 27 as part of Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada 

celebration. Come and share our love of hockey, music and food 

– a culture to embrace. 

Visit www.welcometostratford.com/eatdrink 

to plan a winter getaway to Stratford.

CONTENTS DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 ISSUE 20 

9 

12 

16 

50 

24 

45 

58 

FOOD WRITER AT LARGE 

6 Culinary Tourism 

By BRYAN LAVERY 

RESTAURANTS 

9 �e Church Key Bistro-Pub, in London 

By SUE MOORE 

12 Chancey Smith’s Steak & Seafood House, in London 


16 �e Morrissey House, in London 


19 �e Stratford Chefs School, in Stratford 

By DAVID HICKS 

SPOTLIGHT 

24 �e Stu�ed Zucchini, in Lucan 

By MELANIE NORTH 

26 Honey, Honey: �e Ferguson Apiaries 

By JANE ANTONIAK 

TRAVEL 

32 Charleston Cooks! 

By JANE ANTONIAK 

NEW & NOTABLE 

37 �e BUZZ 

COOKBOOKS 

45 Je� Crump’s Earth to Table 

By JENNIFER GAGEL 

50 Lucy Waverman’s A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen 

BY JENNIFER GAGEL 

BOOKS 

52 Watching What We Eat 

BY DARIN COOK 

WINE 

54 Eat Drink Wine Chocolate 

By RICK VanSICKLE 

BEER 

58 A Year of Beer: �e Best of 2009 

By THE MALK MONK 

THE LIGHTER SIDE 

62 A Cook’s Life: Part IV 

By DAVID CHAPMAN

eatdrink 

RESTAURANTS • RECIPES • WINE • TRAVEL 

A Food & Drink Magazine Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario 


A Virtual Magnet for All �ings Culinary 

Read an Interactive Magazine Online, Find Restaurants, Read Reviews and More! 

Publisher 

Chris McDonell — chris@eatdrink.ca 

Managing Editor 

Cecilia Buy — cbuy@eatdrink.ca 

Contributing Editor 

Bryan Lavery 

Finances 

Sande Marcus — smarcus@citywoman.ca 

Advertising Sales Director 

Diane Diachina — ddiachina@eatdrink.ca 

Advertising Sales Representatives 

Jane Antoniak — jantoniak@eatdrink.ca 

Sue Laur — slaur@eatdrink.ca 

Telephone & Fax 

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Mailing Address 

London Magazine Group 

525 Huron Street, London ON N5Y 4J6 

Contributors 

Bryan Lavery Jane Antoniak Jennifer Gagel 

Darin Cook Rick VanSickle D.R. Hammond 

Sue Moore David Hicks David Chapman 

Chris McDonell 

Editorial Advisory Board 

Bryan Lavery 

Cathy Rehberg 

Copy Editor 

Jodie Renner — www.PolishedProofreading.com 

Graphic Design & Layout 

Joanne Grogan 

Chris McDonell 

Website 

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Copyright © 2009 eatdrink, Hawkline Graphics and the writers. All rights reserved. 

Reproduction or duplication of any material published in 

eatdrink or on eatdrink.ca is strictly prohibited without the 

written permission of the Publisher. eatdrink has a circulation of 

12,000 issues published monthly. �e views or opinions expressed 

in the information, content and/or advertisements published in 

eatdrink are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 

represent those of the Publisher. �e Publisher welcomes submissions 

but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 www.eatdrink.ca 5 

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER 

’Tis the Season 

By Chris McDonell 

I 

hate to get too far ahead of myself, but 

with 2010 already encroaching into my 

calendar, I �nd myself simultaneously 

wondering how on earth another year 

has passed already while also planning for 

the NEW year. Of course, there’s the matter 

of “the holidays” to attend to �rst, but that’s 

business that I truly enjoy. I am in the enviable 

position of having no dreaded “social 

obligations” to attend to this year, only the 

company of good friends and family to look 

forward to. I hear a whisper within that 

perhaps more diligent networking would 

produce a more taxing schedule but, regardless, 

I will enjoy the next month with gusto. I 

hope you will be able to do the same. 

Mirth and merriment, some special food 

and drink, laughter and enjoyment of the 

people around us — this is the order of the 

day, and that should be easy to embrace. I 

�nd it curious that we are bombarded with 

an image of Scrooge as the bitter, miserly 

old codger that he was, as if we didn’t quite 

buy his redemption and, as Charles Dickens 

wrote it, subsequent years of generosity and 

recompense for years spent wallowing in 

wealth and loneliness. Let’s remember the 

redeemed Scrooge, whose �rst act after his 

night of reckoning was to buy the best turkey 

the butcher had to o�er, and to send it anonymously 

to the family he knew needed it 

most. In the true spirit of A Christmas Carol, 

I hope Scrooge is seen happily at work all 

through the holiday season, and ever after. 

We look forward to seeing many of you at the 

London Wine & Food Show, January 15-17, at 

the Western Fair. We’re at work also on New 

Year’s Resolution Number One, to be in better 

communication with our readers and the 

culinary community. Your thoughts, ideas 

— and news — are always welcomed. 

Peace,

6 www.eatdrink.ca 

FOOD WRITER AT LARGE 

issue no. 20 

Culinary Tourism 

Interest is growing for a London Initiative 

By Bryan Lavery 

Regular readers of eatdrink magazine 

may recall my recent articles about 

culinary tourism and community 

building. I would like to give you 

an update on conversations and progress in 

this area. 

In speaking with Tourism London, I identi�ed 

the need to de�ne culinary tourism 

and to catalogue the multiple culinary tourism 

experiences and opportunities 

in the London region. I also determined 

that much of the infrastructure 

is already in place, that 

there is a need to further identify 

collaborative partners and then 

develop and grow existing culinary 

forums and services. 

In an e�ort to uphold the 

case for London to be formally 

recognized as a unique culinary 

tourism region, I am continuing 

to map and track the most sustainable and 

economically relevant social and cultural 

forces at work in our culinary sector. �e next 

steps are to further develop a local Culinary 

Tourism Initiative Association and Board, as 

well as a blog, newsletter and website. 

I am encouraged by the initial steps for a 

more vigorous culinary initiative in the London 

region. Tourism London has embraced 

the �rst step and is partially funding a local 

culinary guide. Published by the London 

Magazine Group, publishers of eatdrink, the 

culinary guide will take a comprehensive 

and integrated approach to promoting our 

local culinary community by identifying 

London and area as a desirable destination 

for those interested in culinary tourism, as a 

primary or secondary consideration. 

To this end, the early adopters in this 

initiative want to create an annual, unique 

publication that will highlight the diverse 

culinary people and businesses in London 

and area. �is will function as much more 

than a restaurant guide, although it will do 

that well too. �is resource will complement 

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 

and supplement the London Visitors’ Guide 

published by Tourism London. �e culinary 

guide will be ported to the web, where it will 

also be enhanced with video and interactivity 

and integrated with the innovative new Tourism 

London website designed by local design 

studio Velocity and Associates under the direction 

of Marco Di Carlo and Shane Stuart. 

�e culinary guide will show our city to its 

best advantage. eatdrink will provide some 

mentoring, if desired, for the culinary 

community in promoting 

their businesses in this publication. 

It will be of bene�t for foodrelated 

businesses to advertise in 

this publication as it is so closely 

linked to their industry. �e primary 

target audience includes 

people from London and region, 

and those visiting the area who 

have an interest in culinary experiences, 

whether that is the purpose 

of the trip or an added attraction. 

�e guide will complement Tourism London’s 

marketing to the corporate meeting and 

incentive travel audience, as well as group 

and motor coach tour marketers. �e publication 

will include original, local and innovative 

photography and original, more comprehensive 

editorial content to more e�ectively 

promote the culinary businesses in the area. 

Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit 

I recently attended the Ontario Culinary 

Tourism Summit in Toronto to investigate 

current developments, funding opportunities, 

strategic partnerships and best 

practices of other Ontario regions that are 

leading in the �eld of culinary tourism. I 

was joined by one other person, who represented 

a London-based business association 

and was very interested to learn how 

a more broad-based culinary tourism may 

bene�t existing London businesses and help 

to attract more culinary-related investment 

in the vicinity. Together we looked at the

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 issue no. 20 www.eatdrink.ca 7 

tremendous opportunities to encourage culinary 

tourism in our region. 

Building on the empowering success of last 

year’s inaugural Culinary Tourism Summit, 

the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) 

partnered with the Province of Ontario, Wines 

of Ontario, Savour Ontario Dining, Toronto 

Food Business Incubator, Green Belt, Local 

Food Plus and other stakeholders to create this 

year’s summit by bringing together over 350 

delegates. �e delegates consisted of growers 

and producers, chefs and restaurateurs, 

educators and students, destination marketing 

organizations, accommodators and media to 

enhance and develop culinary tourism o�erings 

across the province. 

�e event was hosted by Rebecca Le Heup, 

Executive Director of the Ontario Culinary 

Tourism Alliance. �e day’s agenda included: 

the importance of buying local, the value of 

supporting local farmers, establishing regional 

culinary tourism sectors in Ontario, 

food sustainability, mapping culinary destinations, 

and charting sustainable solutions to 

advance culinary tourism in Ontario. 

�e summit consisted of panel discus- 

sions, presentations and networking, allowing 

delegates to learn from the experiences 

and knowledge of the practitioners of 

Culinary Tourism in Ontario. �e summit 

also provided an opportunity to learn more 

about culinary tourism best practices, and 

inventory and infrastructure development. 

�e �rst panel consisted of moderator 

Kevin Brauch, aka �e �irsty Traveler on 

the Fine Living Network; Arlene Stein, Director 

of Catering and Events for U of T’s 

Hart House and co-chair of Slow Food Toronto; 

and Chef Jason Parsons, of Niagara’s 

Peller Estates. 

Presentations were given by Jon Ogryzolo, 

Dean of Food and Wine Sciences for the 

Wine and Visitor Education Centre at Niagara 

College. �e Wine Visitor and Education 

Centre is the �rst on-campus facility of its 

kind in North America. �e centre celebrates 

Ontario and Canadian wines, is the home of 

the Niagara College Teaching Winery, and 

is set among 40 acres of teaching vineyards 

at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, a UN 

World Biosphere reserve. 

Suzanne Caskle of George Brown’s Culi-


nary Tourism Management Program spoke 

about the college’s new interdisciplinary 

program that explores the relationship between 

food and travel as it relates to destinations, 

agriculture and economic development. 

Caskle and her student panel talked 

about how the program examines successful 

culinary destinations and products as well 

as examples of emerging culinary tourism 

destinations in Ontario, across Canada and 

around the world. 

Among the highlights of the summit was 

the opportunity to discuss the diverse terroir 

of our province at a “Farmer–Chef Meet and 

Greet.” We sampled excellent regional foods 

from six culinary tourism regions across the 

province, as well as a variety of Ontario’s 

exceptional wines and local beers at a “Taste 

of Ontario reception,” which was sponsored 

by Savour Ontario and Wines of Ontario. 

Stratford, Durham, Peterborough and 

the Kawarthas are four of �fteen emerging 

culinary tourism destinations in Ontario 

who shared their challenges and successes 

in advancing culinary tourism in their regions. 

�e OCTA was also pleased to have 

issue no. 20 


the continuing support of the Minister of 

Agriculture, Food and Rural A�airs, Leona 

Dombrowsky, as a guest speaker. Minister 

Dombrowsky gave an informative speech 

that encouraged the growth of the agricultural 

and tourism industries through the 

development of culinary tourism in Ontario. 

With the premise that food is the foundation 

of our culture, culinary tourism experiences 

o�er both locals and visitors to the city 

of London and Middlesex County the opportunity 

to taste our multiculturalism and 

unique culinary identity along their journey. 

Building relationships among growers and 

producers, farmer’s markets, chefs and 

restaurateurs facilitates the development of 

new culinary tourism experiences and ensures 

a sustainable local food culture. 

BRYAN LAVERY is a well-known local chef, culinary 

instructor and former restaurateur.He is both a Contributing 

Editor and “Food Writer at Large” for eatdrink, and he 

shares his thoughts and opinions on a wide spectrum of 

the culinary beat.


RESTAURANTS 

�e Church Key Bistro-Pub 

Open Up To A Heavenly Experience 

By Sue Moore 

Pubs are a longstanding institution in 

Britain, and as a result, people have 

some very de�nite expectations of 

what a pub should be. Depending on 

the region and sensibility — and to a lesser 

extent the age demographic of the customers 

— a pub can be a convenient place to enjoy 

a few drinks and meet friends, a dependable 

spot where wholesome, quality food is 

consumed regularly, or in some cases, one’s 

“local,” where family celebrations and o�ce 

parties routinely unfold. 

Combine all of these positive notions — 

and forget any others that you might have 

(based on Coronation Street, or worse still, 

lamentable pub adventures from your past 

involving sawdust on the �oor or a “Gents 

Only” sign outside), and you will have a 

good picture of what �e Church Key Bistro- 

Pub on Richmond Row is all about. 

�e Church Key has only been open since 

May, yet there is an underlying sense of heritage 

and belonging already palpable as soon 

as you enter — perhaps because the building 

itself, previously occupied by Copper�eld’s, 

and for many years prior by the celebrated 

Bon Appetit, was built in the late 1800s. �e 

Church Key’s name is a witty allusion to both 

their location (heavenly neighbours include 

both St. Paul’s Cathedral 

and the nearby St. 

Peter’s Basilica) and to 

the old fashioned pretwist-top 

bottle opener 

of the same name. 

With over four decades 

of food industry 

experience between 

them, both restaurant- 

and bar-related, 

owners Vanessa and 

Pete Willis (one of 

London’s most wellknown 

bartenders), 

have a clear vision of 

what they mean to 

The back corner at The 

Church Key, with a view of 

the neighbouring Cathedral 

Church of Saint Paul 

achieve here: a 

pub to be sure, 

but a top level, 

consistently �ne 

dining experience 

as well. At 

the heart of this 

philosophy is 

a thinly veiled 

perfectionism 

and drive to get 

it right. “I’ve been told that you can’t please 

all of the people all of the time,” Vanessa 

observes with a smile, “but you still have to 

keep trying every single day.” A commitment 

to using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients 

— organic when possible — and a diverse 

menu to present “the best of the best” 

are both part of this process. �e Church Key 

cures all their own meat, including a stellar 

corned beef, and they also produce their 

own smoked salmon. A duck Andouille sausage 

and the immensely popular duck breast 

bacon are also house-made. 

�e interior of the building has undergone 

a thoughtfully conceived and extensive 

renovation. With a long bar in dark wood 

�anking one side of the room and a series of 

good-sized tables and plump seating as you


issue no. 20 

progress into the restaurant itself (part of the 

wall has been exposed to reveal the brick), 

the result is a warm, understated elegance 

lie’s that Cafe evokes the feeling of an Oxonian common 

room. A steady undercurrent of traditional 

blues and jazz adds another strata of 

sophistication. �e service sta� is friendly 

and attentive without hovering. Outside, a 

H chic patio can easily seat 45. 

Vanessa Willis’s �rst choice for Chef, hav- 

e ing worked with him 

t 24, at 2009 �e Tasting Room in 

London , was Michael 

Anglestad. He brings 

a hefty twenty years 

of experience, and 

clearly understands 

the notion of fusing a 

pub atmosphere with 

elegant dining. As a 

result, although there 

is plenty of traditional 

pub fare on the menu, This dish, unpretentiously called “Stuff in Pots,” 

at very reasonable 

consists of a trio of potted preserves: duck & pistachio 

prices, you will also pate, Moroccan vegetable puree with hummus, and 

�nd that each and ev- shrimp and crab spread with clarified butter — all 

ery o�ering has been intended to be spread lavishly on toast. 

polished and thoughtfully 

remastered. “�e Church Key Burger,” 

for example, features the addition of Stilton 

cheese and tomato jam; and with the obligatory 

“Ploughman’s Plate,” you will �nd a 

�rst-class assortment of English cheeses 

accompanied by pickled quail eggs and 

duck breast bacon, as well as the anticipated 

Branston pickle. Anglestad’s version of the 

Ploughman, according to one industry insider, 

has been called the best item currently 

on any menu in the entire city, in terms of 

value, quality and presentation. 

Moving away from the Pub Fare section, 

LUNCH 

Monday to Saturday 

11:30 AM to 3:00 PM 

DINNER 

Last Friday of the month 

CATERING 

www.williescafe.on.ca 


the menu boasts a variety of other choices for 

diners both bold and shy, including Salmon 

Wellington served on a tomato tarragon 

béchamel, oven-roasted Pork Tenderloin with 

a mild chili rub, and Rack of Lamb crusted 

with pepita (ground pumpkin seeds) and 

served with a cranberry champagne sauce. 

On the day of my visit, my lunch included 

a celestial Cheese and Onion Tart — like 

a savoury galette — and the experience 

was akin to being 

introduced to the 

aristocratic cousin of 

the “Cheese Pasty,” a 

regular feature in pubs 

throughout Northern 

England. I also 

sampled the soup — a 

velvety leek and potato 

— which was outstanding 

and included 

the addition of tender 

house-smoked bacon. 

Sunday Brunch — a 

new and imaginative 

menu is o�ered each 

week — is excellent 

value at a �xed price 

and shows o� Anglestad’s innovative and 

evolved style: perfect for those who are ready 

for an elevated alternative to traditional 

bacon and eggs. Past examples of brunch 

items include an oven-roasted potato and a 

smoked salmon rosti with poached egg, and 

a melon and cucumber salad served with a 

sambuca vinaigrette. Pastry chef Cli� Briden 

prepares his fresh-baked o�erings for the 

brunch in the wee small hours of Sunday 

morning. Be forewarned: those seeking 

a bacon butty or anything stacked on an 

English mu�n need not apply. 

Willie’s 

731 Wellington Street 

(Just South of Oxford) 

London ON 

519-433-9027


�e appearance of more than one 

authentic curry dish on the menu is interesting, 

since outside of an Indian restaurant, 

curry is notoriously di�cult to 

procure here as a late-night snack. Good 

to note is that the kitchen at the Church 

Key stays open late, so such lager-induced 

cravings are easily satis�ed. 

And speaking of beer, there’s plenty 

of it here; and most notably you can 

sample Fuller’s London Pride, the number-one 

selling premium ale in the UK. 

�ere are craft brews to choose from, 

such as Upper Canada and Mill Street, 

as well as more traditional, classic o�erings 

such as Guinness. 

Set-price wine-tasting dinners — 

which may well evolve into beer-tasting 

dinners — are currently in the planning 

stages and could soon be o�ered once a 

month. �e atmosphere at �e Church Key 

would also lend itself perfectly for book 

club meetings and post-Christmas-shopping 

expeditions. 

NEW 

MENU 

The Church Key bar 

The Church Key is located 

directly across from the Grand Theatre 

All in all, the Church Key is getting it 

right. Londoners are discovering — and 

are wildly appreciative of — its ambience, 

professional sta�, quality of the food, and 

real value for money. And as Pete Willis 

remarks, they are managing to “live 

the dream” every day. 

Amen! 

�e Church Key Bistro-Pub 

476 Richmond Street, London 

519-936-0960 

www.thechurchkey.ca 

hours of operation 

sunday & monday: 11 a.m. to midnight 

tuesday to thursday: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 

friday & saturday: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. 

SUE MOORE is a freelance writer who also works in 

the London Public Library system. She lives in London 

with her teenage sons and a floating population of dogs 

and cats.


RESTAURANTS 


I 

still love a great hamburger 

or a big, juicy steak, even 

though I’ve been trying 

to cut down on my red 

meat consumption. trü on King 

Street used to make a superb 

mini-hamburger with foie gras that melted 

in your mouth, and you could order it at the 

bar until midnight. Waldo’s on King makes 

a truly outstanding burger with organic beef 

from Field Gate Organics, which is served 

with generous garnishes and condiments. 

I swear it is the best hamburger in the city, 

hands down. Chancey Smith’s Steak and 

Seafood House has always been a carnivore’s 

dream because of its great steaks. 

Chancey Smith’s also has its own delicious 

½-lb beef burger, and the twist here is it 

comes with a suggested beer pairing: Cameron’s 

Auburn Ale, Paulaner, #9 IPA or India 

Pale Ale. Chancey’s also has a more upscale 

½-lb. bu�alo (read American bison) burger, 

stu�ed with short rib meat and served with 

mushrooms, smoked provolone, bacon, 

roasted onions and tomato relish, for $17.99. 

Suggested beer pairing: Aventinus Doppel 

Bock, IPA or Belgian Dubbel. For an appetizer, 

the grilled sirloin steak with roasted 

bacon-wrapped goat cheese, greens and 

mustard vinaigrette for $10.99 is a standout. 

Recently, while researching London’s 

culinary history, I came across 

a photograph of fruit vendor 

Chancey Smith posed in front 

of his market operation on 

Market Square at Market Lane. 

�e photograph taken in 1915 

(which you can also see in the 

dining room) is just a few feet 

from the eponymous restaurant 

of today, owned by his 

great-grandson, the local restaurant/bar 

entrepreneur and 

raconteur Mike Smith. 

Chancey Smith’s is a destination 

steakhouse, just one 

issue no. 20 

Hats o� to Chancey! 

Chancey Smith’s Steak 

and Seafood House 


part of the Mike Smith empire, where you 

know for certain you can get a damn good 

steak and a perfect martini with good quality 

olives, or a decent glass of wine. Mike Smith 

is tongue-in-cheek on the surface (his corporate 

umbrella motto: “Is this any way to run a 

restaurant?”), but he is seriously committed 

to the local hospitality scene and to London 

in general. Smith is also the owner of Joe 

Kool’s, the irreverent, popular restaurant and 

bar that has been a landmark on Richmond 

Row for over a quarter of a century, as well as 

Fellini Koolini’s, Jim Bob Ray’s, the Runt Club, 

and more recently, P Za Pie. 

. Smith was one of the early members of 

the MainStreet London board of directors. 

He is a fan of creative cities and always brings 

back interesting ideas and insights from his 

travels. Smith has been a relentless proponent 

of both Tourism London and the revitalization 

of downtown London. So much so that 

two years ago, MainStreet London honoured 

Smith with its Downtown Champion award, 

highlighting his signi�cant contributions to 

making downtown better, through not only

CY 

CMY 


K 

Chancey Smith’s, but also his support and networking 

on behalf of the downtown. Smith’s 

commitment to this city extends to the Clean 

and Green event, an annual spring cleanup 

2 

he 

and Joe Kool’s Manager, Ron Scarfone, started 

in 1995. Over the years, it evolved into a downtown 

initiative and has built a lot of momentum 

since then, catching on across London 

and attracting a broad base of both public and 

private support. 

Milos Kral (former longtime Marienbad/Chaucer’s 

manager) is at the helm of 

Chancey Smith’s and it shows. Vivacious 

Assistant Manager Michelle Novackas is 

also an asset: professional, knowledgeable 

and gracious. Longtime sta� members Nick 

Farmer and Deb Denton add a certain je ne 

sais quoi, good humour and comfortable 

familiarity to the proceedings. 

Chancey Smith’s still o�ers diners that 

“big city feeling,” while maintaining all the 

romanticized charm of a Chicago-style 

chophouse. �e attention to detail of the 

modern interior marks a departure from 

the ubiquitous, corporate, cookie-cutter 

steakhouse décor seen elsewhere. �e feeling 

is not stando�sh or overly ingratiating. 

Chancey’s bar re�ects the �air and re�ned 

style of its classic dining room, but with a 

more relaxed, down-to-earth ambience. A 

large mural made of ten separate panels designed 

by local artist Ronald Stanley Milton 

adds vibrant colour and a fantastic sequence 

of pleasing farmers’ market imagery over 

the bar. Patrons also �nd themselves surrounded 

by dozens of framed photographs 

of historic London architecture, businesses 

and personalities of former local prominence 

that include fruit vendor Chancey 

Smith. �e bar area is bright and welcoming, 

with a bank of spotless windows, comfortable 

tables and chairs, bar stools and yet 

more cheerful, well-groomed sta� who contribute 

to your sense of comfort. 

�e dining room is nicely appointed 

with dark stained wood surfaces, elegant 

cove ceilings, black checkered tablecloths 

covered with butcher paper, natural sunlight 

in the day and the glow of a series of 

contemporary arts and crafts styled light 

�xtures at night. O� to the side of the dining 

room, the open kitchen sports a copper 

hood. A spacious outdoor patio/terrace 

with classic black and white striped awning 

wraps around the restaurant and overlooks 

London’s King Street restaurant row and 

FARMERS MARKET 

We’re not just about fresh food! 

Come see our amazing 

vendors on the 2nd floor! 

Open Saturdays, 8am-3pm 

Dundas at Ontario St. 

www.londonsfarmersmarket.ca 

Eat Drink 1/4 page 

2.375 x 3.935”


the market square. �e popular destination 

bar and patio in season is a relaxing place to 

lounge after work or before dinner. Its close 

proximity to the John Labatt Centre makes 

it a popular choice on event nights, both 

before and after — as is Waldo’s on King, 

its symbiotic but uniquely idiosyncratic 

counterpart next door, with which Chancey’s 

shares a large clientele of regulars. 

One of the strongest tenets of North American 

etiquette is that it is inappropriate to 

View of the Dining Room 

tell others they are not following proper etiquette. 

However, etiquette considers it even 

more impolite for men to wear baseball caps 

(whether backward or forward), while dining 

indoors. Despite the casual conviviality of 

Chancey’s and its relaxed management style, 

unless you are su�ering from an illness that 

would cause embarrassment, ill-mannered 

patrons should be encouraged to remove 

their baseball caps in the dining room. 

Chancey’s delivers with a well-chosen wine 

range and o�ers the most comprehensive 

issue no. 20 


and impressive selection of beer in London. 

As of this writing, there are 120 beers on o�er 

and there will soon be a total of 17 draft lines. 

Kral, who started in the hospitality business 

in Czechoslovakia at �fteen, has built a reputation 

as a “beer sommelier.” He has a history 

of assembling solid beer lists showcasing 

some of the �nest Canadian craft beers, and 

a strong repertoire of Belgians and other 

di�cult-to-�nd European beers. Working 

alongside Chef Larry Cvetic and the kitchen 

and �oor sta�, Kral pairs beers that complement 

each entree item by listing them on the 

menu. �is entails the necessity for a thorough 

knowledge of the complexities of different 

beers and how they work in harmony 

with food pairings as a distinct and worthy 

alternative to wine. While wine and food pairing 

has been a common practice for years, 

many people are realizing that beer, with its 

diversity of unique �avours and aromatic 

characteristics, can rival wine in its ability to 

harmonize with food. With the growing stylistic 

diversity in today’s beer scene, people are 

discovering new ways that unique beer styles 

enhance their culinary experience. 

“A Trappist beer is brewed by or under the 

control of Trappist monks. Of the world’s 171 

Trappist monasteries, seven produce beer 

(six in Belgium and one in Holland). Only 

these seven authorized breweries are allowed 

to label their beers with the Authentic 

Trappist Product logo that indicates compliance 

to the criteria set by the International 

Trappist Association,” explains Kral. 

�e dinner menu sports some interesting 

items, but Chancey’s is primarily known for 

its comfort food: excellent steaks, lobster tails, 

and especially its fresh oysters on the half 

shell. Roasted lamb shanks braised in Belgian 

Abbey Ale are a new and welcome addi-

Another view of the Dining Room 

tion to the menu, and on this occasion were 

served with barely al dente root vegetables 

and tru�e mashed potatoes. Suggested beer 

pairing: Trois Pistoles, Rochefort Trappist Ale 

(yummy), Le�e Brun and Belgian Abbey Ale. 

Chancey Smith’s is a convenient downtown 

choice for lunch, which they serve until 4 p.m. 

�e menu o�ers a variety of sandwiches, salads, 

appetizers and daily specials. I recently 

had a commendable roasted chicken quesadilla 

with onions, pepper, tomato, Monterey 

Jack cheese and pico de gallo. 

�is past October, the Covent Garden 

www.eatdrink.ca 15 

Market celebrated 10 years in their new 

premises. �is, the third incarnation of the 

Covent Garden Market, opened its doors on 

October 21, 1999. Designed by London architect 

Russ Scorgie, the building’s architecture 

in many ways pays tribute to the original 

Covent Garden Market of 1853. 

Chancey Smith’s keeps the spirit of the old 

market alive and brings it forward for a modern 

audience while honouring its traditions 

and history — and faithful Londoners love 

that nod to nostalgia. 

Chancey Smith’s Steak and Seafood House 

130 King Street, London 

519-672-0384 

www.chanceysmiths.com 


sunday to wednesday: 11 a.m. to midnight 

thursday, friday & saturday: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 

BRYAN LAVERY is eatdrink’s Contributing Editor and 

Food Writer at Large, and shares his expertise and opinion 

on a wide spectrum of the culinary beat.


RESTAURANTS 

issue no. 20 

�e Morrissey House 

The Mo’ — “Where Every Day is Like Sunday” 


Traditionally, the pub that people 

frequent most often is referred to as 

their local. Despite its etymology, the 

fundamental nature of a local would 

seem to be only partly geographical. A local is 

the neighbourhood pub nearest to your home. 

However, some denizens choose their local for 

other reasons: proximity to their workplace, 

convenience as an informal meeting place 

for friends, the availability of a unique selection 

of beers, innovative pub food offerings, 

or perhaps the traditional pub game: darts. 

More often than not, the idiosyncratic nature 

of a local will lend itself to organized events 

several times a month, ranging from pub quiz/ 

trivia nights to live music, as is the case of the 

Morrissey House on Dundas Street. 

Proprietor Mark Serré, a 12-year veteran 

of the Spoke at UWO and an 8-year veteran 

of GT’s, wants to make �e Morrissey House 

feel like your living room. It’s a place where 

you enjoy a sense of familiarity, knowing with 

certainty that you will always run into a friend 

— even if the friend is someone on sta�. “�e 

Mo’,” as �e Morrissey House is often referred 

to, is a natural hub for the inhabitants of its 

immediate area and an important meeting 

place where people can gather in a relaxed 

and convivial atmosphere. 

�e Morrissey, 

which 

opened this 

past July, 

has quickly 

become 

a popular 

neighbourhoodwatering 

hole, 

serving 

interesting 

and innovative 

pub fare 

to clients 

of a very 

wide demo- 


graphic. Situated in London’s downtown hotel 

district, �e Morrissey House is hospitable, 

intimate and friendly. �is neighbourhood 

pub accommodates 120 seats in six rooms. 

�e beer o�erings are comprehensive and the 

bar features 18 draught taps and 18 a�ordable 

wines by the glass. �e wines are mostly the 

usual suspects, including a riesling from Niagara 

and a merlot from British Columbia. 

�is past summer, the 60-seat patio, set back 

from the street, become both an industry and 

neighbourhood hot spot, attracting its fair 

share of foot tra�c and hotel business. In the 

resurrected heritage yellow brick house once 

occupied by the Oxford Arms, the main �oor 

has undergone renovations and a signi�cant 

refurbishment. Gone is the staircase to nowhere 

at the entrance, and the front door has 

been changed, making the entry more inviting 

and accessible. �e premises have been recon- 

�gured to improve capacity and tra�c �ow. 

�e establishment o�ers plenty of choices in 

terms of nicely upholstered, comfortable and 

sturdy chairs and tables that a�ord plenty of 

elbow room. �ere is colourful and thoughtprovoking 

original art on the walls, which are 

painted with warm colours, and many of the 

building’s original heritage features are still in 

evidence. Two rooms have �replaces, one for 

ambience only, the other working and able 

to provide solace during cold winter weather. 

�e bar area itself has been redesigned and it 

is divided into two distinct areas. Two of the 

rooms can be closed o� by pocket doors, allowing 

privacy for private parties.


Speaking of private parties, the fact that 

Ceeps and Barney’s had their Christmas 

party at �e Mo’ this November speaks to 

the measure of industry credibility. �e 

Morrissey House website emphasizes that 

it is not an Irish pub, a British pub, a gastro 

pub, a resto pub, a sports bar or a luncheon 

spot…but a local. “We want to convey the 

feeling that all are welcome, that we are 

good neighbours and that we have a sense 

of community. �e Morrissey is a living 

space and we want people to feel like they 

are going over to a friend’s house for a dinner 

party. �e atmosphere is comfortable 

and warm, the music is non-intrusive, and 

the service is caring. �e idea is that guests 

will walk in and know fellow guests as they 

feel that same sense of community.” 

Proprietor Mark Serré is also a savvy social 

media strategist who has opened up a 

two-way communication between himself 

and the customer. �e Morrissey House 

has a Facebook page, a WordPress blog application 

on their website, and can also be 

found on Twitter. �is has allowed Serré to 

constantly update and inform his clients 

about what �e Mo’ has on o�er, as well as 

allowing feedback about what the pub is 

doing well and what they can improve upon. 

One side bene�t of this type of social media 

strategy is the ability to conduct a free focus 

group. Once you’ve opened up the lines of 

communication, joined the conversation 

and engaged your customers, there’s the 

opportunity to create a larger community 

around your brand — something the Morrissey 

House seems to be successfully accomplishing 

and part of what Serré’s business 

plan has been predicated on. 

Although I originally visited the Morrissey 

House twice, just two weeks after it opened, it 

had the feel of a well-oiled, smooth running 

and long-established operation. �e menu is 

contemporary with everything from ’Wichcraft 

(read sandwich) and a variety of burgers, 

to a jambalaya that was reminiscent of paella, 

with shrimp, chicken, chorizo and �avoured 

with piri piri. �e classic pub fare of �sh and 

chips was in this instance fresh �aky haddock 

served with the option of sweet potato fries. 

Mo’sa Fe Salad, a mélange of chicken, corn, 

black beans, tomatoes, mixed greens and 

romaine lettuce with tortilla strips, mixed in 

a spicy peanut vinaigrette, is a standout. �e 

sausage plate with locally produced hunter, 

chorizo and village sausages, bread, a duo of 

The sausage 

plate is great for 

sharing (or not!) 

cheeses and generous pots of dipping mustards 

makes a great sharable appetizer. Chef 

Ricardo brings a de�nite Portuguese in�uence 

to many of the o�erings. �e website 

cautions that they plan on making changes 

to the menu on a regular basis, and this has 

been my experience. 

A Sunday breakfast with out-of-town 

guests was a hit on two occasions. Our 

server tells us that Eggs Benedict is the 

popular choice. �e co�ee is good. �e desserts 

are top-notch and homemade, just not 

in their home. �ey are purchased from La 

Pâtisserie Fine Cakes and Pastries in Kitchener. 

Gelatos are locally produced by Coppa 

di Gelato. Everyday is like Sundae, with


The Mo’s superb selection of single malt scotch whisky 

strawberry, coconut and chocolate gelato 

scoops, whipped cream, cherries, caramel 

sauce, chocolate fudge, cashews and crème 

anglaise, is fast becoming their signature 

dessert o�ering. 

When I go out to eat, if I have good food 

and attentive service in a comfortable and 

relaxing atmosphere, the potential exists to 

become a loyal customer. When I make an 

authentic connection with a professional sta� 

member, the chef or the proprietor, I want to 

be a faithful supporter of the business. When 

my custom is appreciated, I always make a 

issue no. 20 

�e Morrissey House 

359–361 Dundas Street, London 

519-204-9220 

themorrisseyhouse.wordpress.com 

www.themorrisseyhouse.com 

twitter.com/morrisseyhouse 


determined e�ort to promote 

a new establishment. 

Like most diners, 

I’m also inclined to share 

the experience with others. 

By feeling valued, I 

instinctively want to introduce 

their business to 

other patrons. �is is the 

experience of the Morrissey 

House. 


monday–wednesday: 11am to midnight 

thursday: 11am to 1 am; friday: 11am to 2am 

sat: 9am to 2am; sun: 9am to midnight 

BRYAN LAVERY is eatdrink’s Contributing Editor and 

Food Writer at Large, and shares his expertise and opinion 

on a wide spectrum of the culinary beat. 

..

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 issue no. 20 


SPOTLIGHT 

Stratford Chefs 

School 

Where You Can Train With the 

Best. Or Feast With Them. 

By David Hicks 

Are you sitting comfortably? �en 

let’s begin the lesson: Tuna tartare 

with spicy lemon-ginger 

vinaigrette and sesame tuiles, 

followed by a ragout of sweetbreads, mushrooms, 

prosciutto and white tru�e oil, then 

a third course of medallions of lamb with 

anchovy-black olive sauce and artichoke 

fritters, and �nally, orange risotto in brandy 

snaps with passion fruit sauce for dessert. 

If by now you’ve moved from relaxation to 

subconsciously squeezing your thighs, your 

inner foodie will thank you for discovering 

that this four-course indulgence is just one 

of dozens o�ered by the region’s worst-kept 

dining secret, the Stratford Chef School. 

School? While a far sigh from cafeteria fare, 

this is actually a student “lab” served in the 

rooms of Stratford’s �e Old Prune Restaurant 

on bone china and linen table cloths, 

with aperitif, paired wines and tea or co�ee. 

And at a prix �xe of $60, all in, you could afford 

to cab it back to your B&B. 

�e only catch, besides reserving 

in advance, is that, despite your 

euphoria, you must objectively 

grade the assignment in a brief 

survey, from the maitre d’s introductory remarks 

and promptness of the service, to the 

appearance, taste and aroma of the food. 

Seriously, the feedback is not just a 

gesture — it’s an important aspect of the 

training that the students receive at a gastronomic 

institution that is building an 

international reputation. In fact, you’ll see 

one of the School’s Founding Directors and 

hands-on faculty members, James Morris, 

dining at a nearby table and �lling in an 

evaluation form too. Personal attention is 

such a part of the School’s ethos that Morris 

typically eats and evaluates �ve weeknight 

dinners a week, plus two three-course midweek 

luncheons, throughout the four-month 

The lead chef, whether a second-year student or a culinary 

star like Riccardo Camanini, presides over every aspect of a 

Stratford Chef School dinner. 

semester. (How he maintains his trim frame 

mysti�es both sta� and patrons.) 

Morris, who is also the proprietor of 

Stratford’s renowned Rundles Restaurant, 

teamed up, in 1983, with fellow restaurateur 

Eleanor Kane, co-owner of �e Old Prune, to 

create a chef’s academy for the theatrical o�season, 

with a vision to help cultivate “a distinctly 

Canadian food culture.” A lofty ideal, 

but between Kane’s contagious energy and 

Morris’ cool acumen, the School launched 

with half a dozen students, and has graduated 

nearly 500 in its 25 years of operation. 

�e School is a government accredited, 

private, not-for-pro�t educational 

institution, and the goal of the 

two-year course is to produce 

top-quality culinary professionals. 

Witness the school’s 100 percent 

graduate placement rate. 

Not that there aren’t other colleges out 

there with solid programs and commendable 

results, says the School’s Executive Di- 

0 0 0 

rector, Kimberley Payne. “But this program 

is a di�erent education in signi�cant ways.” 

First, there’s the rigour. “We seriously 

screen for students who intend to make a career 

out of their passion for �ne dining,” says 

Payne. “�is isn’t for someone looking for a 

hobby or taking a year out — we’ve had engineers 

and a pharmacist switch careers for 

this. We even had a restaurant owner who 

did the course so he could hire and manage 

the very best people for his own restaurant.” 

�e two-year program comprises two


four-month semesters running November 

through February (versus the normal academic 

three months), with related work 

experience required during the intervening 

eight months. Half of the student body (currently 

numbering 71 with a capacity of 76) is 

�rst-year, learning and working alongside the 

returning second-year students. Fourteenhour 

days are the norm, and there is attrition. 

�e other point of di�erentiation is that 

the School is operated and sta�ed by a dozen 

working restaurant professionals. “�e curriculum 

is based on [Auguste] Esco�er’s 

philosophy of French dining and kitchen 

organization,” says Payne, “but the School is 

also geared to the chef/owner model of restaurateurs 

who want to be passionately and 

personally involved in their work.” 

So the students are immersed in culinary 

history, nutrition, restaurant design, purchasing, 

sustainable farming practices, front 

of house and table service, communication 

and food writing, wine pairing, cheese making, 

baking, pastries and desserts, cookery 

and presentation from a broad range of nationalities 

and regions… right down to how 

to bend while picking up a stray fork. 

�e students gain perspective on food 

at every level and stage, including visiting 

local sources and talking to producers, 

vintners, brewers and livestock farmers. �e 

fare served at the nightly dinners and twiceweekly 

luncheons emphasizes fresh local 

ingredients with a preference for organic. 

“Occasionally, someone will question 

strawberries in January or sea bass on the 

menu, but we’re a landlocked culinary 

school running fall through winter. But 

nothing we serve is frozen or prepackaged — 

you won’t �nd that in a 120-seat place.” 

In addition to all the theory and class time, 


Renowned chefs, such as Tuscany’s Riccardo Camanini, 

come from around the world to spend a week teaching 

teams of a dozen students prepare and serve 

luncheons for up to 25 people on Wednesdays 

and Fridays, and larger teams rotate to 

prepare the dinners for as many as 60. 

For the three-course luncheons, the 

menus span classic bistro to nouvelle cuisine, 

tapas, southeast Asian and Indian. 

Every station is manned by students, and in 

addition to personally checking every plate 

before it leaves the kitchen, the lead student 

chef visits each table to meet the guests 

and answers questions. Add a glass or two 

of wine and a co�ee, and Wednesday afternoon 

never looked and felt so good. 

�e nightly dinner series begins with Culinary 

Repertoire menus of Chefs School favourites, 

for example, Salmon and Tuna Tartare; 

Salad of Curly Endive, Bacon and Roquefort; 

Grilled Leg of Lamb with Moroccan Ratatouille 

and Rosemary Aioli; Iced Chocolate and Coffee 

Mousse with Co�ee Granita.


�e evenings then transition to a series of usually more �exibility to get into the luncheons. 

North American and international chef menus “In addition to practical training for the 

borrowed from well-known gastronomers, 

estaurant such as Equipment chef Normand & Supply Laprise, CO from Montre- 

students, we really hope that our guests will 

learn from the experience,” says Payne. “I 

al’s “Relais & Chateaux.”-designated La Toqué! encourage people to come and try some- 

restaurant. On his menu: Duck Tartare with thing they wouldn’t normally chance order- 

Tarragon Pickled Golden Beets and Fingerling ing — you might discover that you like lamb 

4 H 

Potato Chips; Pan-Seared Scallops with Fresh 

Cod and Leek Brandade and Lemongrass 

after all. If you don’t normally order �sh, you 

can a�ord to try it at these prices.” 

Infused Yellow Pepper Juice; Roasted Leg of Interest piqued? Here’s how it works. 

iane Venison with Dates, Almonds, Potato Galette 

ept 28, and REV Roasted Sept Salsify; 29 and Chocolate Brioche 

with Creamy Manjari Chocolate, Clove Ice 

�ree-course luncheons: Stratford Chefs 

School Luncheons happen most Wednesdays 

Cream and Port Reduction. All executed, and Fridays, from November through Febru- 

wine-matched and served by student teams. ary (check the calendar and menus online) 

Midway through the semester, some of and served at Pazzo, 70 Ontario Street. Guests 

the students’ favourite days and evenings are are asked to arrive at 11:45 a.m., and lunch �n- 

spent with visiting chefs. Where menus on the ishes by 1:30 p.m. Capacity is 25 people. Cost 

School calendar tagged with surnames like 

“Stadtländer” and “Kennedy” will sell out in 

is $27 ($35 for two special Christmas menus) 

and includes wine, tea and co�ee. 

(literally) minutes, there’s a roster of 15 guests 

from �ne restaurants who come to work with Four-course dinners: Monday to Friday, late 

the students. “�e School’s repu- 

October through February, the 

tation is now such that we have RECIPE ONLINE Culinary Repertoire Dinners ($47), 

chefs lined up to come and spend A Stratford Chefs School North American and International 

Favourite: 

a day instructing. We just can’t 

Dinners Series ($60), two special 

accommodate all of them,” says Purée Palestine Christmas dinners ($74), and the 

Payne. “So we not only consider (Jerusalem Artichoke Soup) Guest Chef dinners ($100) are all 

their culinary reputation but their 

Click HERE on the served at �e Old Prune, 151 Albert 

teaching skills — the students rate Digital Edition online 

Street, 6:30–10:00 p.m. Beverages 

the instructors too.” 

included. Many menus are posted, 

Special attention is given to four week- some not until con�rmed with the guest chefs. 

long stints by internationally known chefs 

considered to be rising stars in the culinary 

world. �is year, they’re �ying in from Australia, 

Italy, India and Denmark to teach in 

the kitchen and supervise dinners. (Last year 

there were four Michelin-starred chefs in the 

Stratford Chefs School 

www.stratfordchef.com 

519-271-1414 

School’s kitchen.) 

DAVID HICKS is a branding consultant in the Strat- 

Understandably, reservations are essential ford area with (praise God) a high basal metabolic rate. 

(call 519-271-1414), earlier is better, and there’s You can reach him at dchicks@mac.com. 

RESTAURANT 

EQUIPMENT 

& SUPPLY CO. 

ser ving the industr y since 1944 

Shop like a chef! 

Wholesale Prices on Complete lines 

of equipment, cookware, china, glassware, 

stainless serving pieces and much more! 

Open to the Public Mon-Fri 8am-5pm 

Sat 10am-1pm 

234 William St., London, 519.438.2991 

resco@look.ca, www.rescolon.ca

22 www.eatdrink.ca issue no. 20 


Stratford is 

www.stratfordchef.com 

more than 

great theatre. 

“I made a delicious discovery: Stratford has a culinary obsession. 

And, for me, �nding what I call a ‘food town’ is a rare and 

magni�cent t hing . .. You’ve got a place that feeds all the senses.” 

— Marion Kane, Food Writer (www.marionkane.com) 

Details and menus online 

Gift certificates available 

DINNER CLUB 

Join us for lunch or dinner 

A remarkable culinary experience 

Reservations 519.271.1414 

admin@stratfordchef.com 

Stratford Chefs School | Eat Drink Mag | December 2009 | 4.875” x 1.905”

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 issue no. 20 www.eatdrink.ca 23


SPOTLIGHT 

Lucan’s �e 

Stu�ed Zucchini 

Deli - Bakery - Cafe 

By Melanie North 

Irene and Tony Demas, owners of the 

Wilberforce Inn in Lucan, �rst met 37 

years ago in London. Irene had just 

�nished school and Tony was working 

in real estate. He had just bought an old, 

abandoned restaurant he planned to renew, 

and o�ered Irene a job as hostess. �e partnership 

sparked immediately. �ey not only 

fell in love with each other, but with the 

restaurant business. Irene learned to cook, 

and Tony developed his interest in wines. 

Together they opened what was one of the 

�rst exclusively ethnic restaurants in London, 

a radical notion back then. It was called 

�e Villa and served authentic Greek food. 

Twenty or so years later, they migrated 

north to Lucan and in 1999 opened their 

�ne dining restaurant, �e Wilberforce Inn. 

�ey built a special place there. Almost 80% 

of their clientele are regulars. As Irene says, 

“We feel we are welcoming them into our 

own home. Our customers may come in as 

strangers, but they leave as friends.” 

Tony developed one of the �nest wine cellars 

in Ontario, with over 900 bottles of 150 

varieties. And while he manages the front of 

the house, Irene still focuses on the kitchen. 

She has planted her own garden for the restaurant, 

with tomatoes; herbs such as basil, sage, 

parsley and tarragon; and edible �owers: nasturtiums, 

violets, pansies and calendula. Many 

of the seeds she planted she bought in British 

Columbia at the illustrious Sooke Harbour 

House, a restaurant that inspired her by growing 

their own organic produce. 

Irene’s latest endeavour is �e Stu�ed 

Zucchini, just up the street from �e Wilberforce, 

and next door to Lucan’s famous Area 

Heritage and Donnelly Museum. �e museum 

has exponentially increased Lucan’s 

tourism business. In addition, Irene says, 

“I always had a lot of requests for take-out 

food. �e Wilberforce Inn is �ne dining and 

issue no. 20 

Irene Demas 


many people equate that with dressing up 

and making reservations. �e Stu�ed Zucchini 

is more grab and go, or grab a quick 

lunch. People want healthy meals and the 

demand was there.” 

Irene’s goal is to buy local and organic as 

much as possible. All baked goods are made 

on the premises. Dishes such as chicken 

pot pie, quiches, lamb shanks, moussaka 

and stu�ed peppers, as well as soups, sandwiches 

and salads, are all made fresh. Irene 

sources her vegetables from Devlaeminck’s 

Farm just north of Lucan, and apples from 

Crunican’s further south on Highway 4. 

Artisanal breads from Quebec’s Premiere 

Moisson are baked on the premises. You can 

buy whole loaves of everything from organic 

�axseed to sourdough walnut, country-style 

round and olive 

fougasse (the 

French version 

of the Italian 

focaccia bread). 

Irene also sells 

all natural and 

naturally dried 

pasta by Maria’s 

Homemade 

Noodles, based in 

Kitchener. Some 

of the selection 

includes organic 

spelt pasta, red 

lentil or chickpea 

pasta, and vegetable 

mix rotini. 

She and Tony also


import a selection of olives, olive oils, wild 

mountain spices and teas from Greece, their 

homeland. Deli meats are from Metzger’s in 

Hensall, duck from Everspring Farms, and 

C’est Bon goat cheese from St. Mary’s. 

�e Stu�ed Zucchini provides one-stop 

shopping. You can grab a bite there or take 

meals out, or you can buy deli meats and 

cheeses and breads, a litre of homemade 

chicken or beef stock, and even Irene’s 

homemade preserves that colourfully line 

the handmade Amish cupboards from Lucan 

Architectural Salvage. Choose from jars of 

Arkona sweet cherries in brandy or calvados, 

or yellow cherries in brandy. �ere are lots of 

prepackaged holiday gift baskets to choose 

from, as well as a catering menu for small or 

large parties. Christmas dinners can be ordered 

ahead of time to save you all the work 

and leave you time to relax in front of the �re. 

With its rough plaster walls and warm 

atmosphere, �e Stu�ed Zucchini is a great 

reason to take a short drive north of the city, 

unwind and enjoy some of the treats at this 

cozy café. 

�e Stu�ed Zucchini 

175 Main Street, Lucan 

519-227-0404 


monday–friday 10-7 

saturday 10-5, sunday 11-3 

Wilberforce Inn 

161 Main Street, Lucan 

519-227-0491 

www.wilberforceinn.com 

MELANIE NORTH is the Editor of CityWoman 

magazine.


SPOTLIGHT 

issue no. 20 

Honey, Honey 

A Visit to Ferguson Apiaries, near Hensall 

By Jane Antoniak 

True fact: bees don’t bite”, jokes beekeeper 

Bill Ferguson. Actually, they 

sting. Truth is, they don’t even seem 

to do that to Bill. Standing with 

him next to an active hive, I watch a little 

nervously as he calmly inspects the combs 

and urges me to get a closer look. “Just don’t 

swat at them,” he cautions. “We know how 

they are going to react. �ey go after your 

motions, and also they are attracted to certain 

smells — they don’t like perfumes or 

deodorants.” I step back as I realize that I 

am wearing at least one of the above. 

But there’s no stepping back from enjoying 

the Fergusons’ honey, on tap 

at the Honey House located 

on Highway 84 between 

Hensall and Zurich in Huron 

County. Velvety smooth 

streams of golden goodness 

pour from the taps as they 

o�er samples of pumpkin 

patch, basswood, buckwheat 

and clover honey. I long for 

a toasted English mu�n and 

maybe some peanut butter. 

Similar to a wine tasting, 

Sherri Ferguson 

each honey carries its own aroma and �nish. 

No wonder the bees are cross when people 

try to harvest their nectars! 

Bill Ferguson starting keeping bees while 

a high school student in Bay�eld back in the 


early 1960s. He 

worked for the 

Haberer Brothers 

beekeepers 

in Zurich before starting his own operation 

in 1967. He and wife Rosemary and their 

children Sherri and Susan have grown it into 

an 800-colony operation with more than 40 

locations for their “supers” across Huron, 

Perth, Middlesex and Lambton counties. 

(Supers are the boxes in which the bees 

store their honey. A deep super full of honey 

can weigh close to 90 pounds.) “�e crops 

grown in the area and the time of year determine 

the type of honey 

we produce,” says Ferguson. 

“For instance, with ‘pumpkin 

patch’ honey, the bees 

pollinate large �elds of 

pumpkins, over 100 acres. 

�e farmer gets the pollination 

and the bees get 

some nectar.” �e result 

is a delicious, mild, lightcoloured 

honey. For those 

of us who are used to buying 

commercial honey, 

this is huge positive jump in �avour and 

texture. Some of the Fergusons’ honey runs 

sweetly and some is creamed, so choose your 

weapon: honey dipper or spreader. 

Renting out bees to the farmers for

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 Bill Ferguson and www.eatdrink.ca his grandson William 27 

attend to the bees, at Ferguson Apiaries. 

pollinating pumpkins and apples is a key 

part of their business. And so is the raising 

and sale of bees and queens across North 

America. �e second generation of Fergusons 

has taken to producing more than just honey. 

Sherri runs the retail arm of the Honey House 

now, while Susan is a beekeeper. Both have 

helped develop a line of “Skin Food,” which 

is made and packaged on site, and includes 

an all-natural lavender honey body cream. 

It seems sticky at �rst touch but goes on 

smoothly and without any oily �nish. �ey 

also produce a delicious line of honey butters 

in a variety of �avours, honey barbeque 

sauces, and a honey chicken sauce, and 

they are keen to share recipes with chefs. 

�e Fergusons also make and sell beeswax 

candles and natural bee pollen. Some 

customers buy the combs as a treat to chew 

on — it makes a natural, digestible chewing 

gum. Other people spread it on toast — it is a 

naturally occurring wax, which some believe 

to be a mild laxative. 

Honeycombs are brought to the Honey 

House for extraction with automated equipment, 

and the honey is stored in barrels, 

allowing for sale year round. �e Fergusons 

produce, on average, seven varieties of 

honey, including capping honey and spring 

and fall honey. 

�eir products are sold at the Honey 

House on �ursdays to Saturdays, or you can 

pick them up in the London area at Unger’s 

in Hyde Park, Doris Produce at the Covent 

Garden Market, and Crunican’s on Highway 

4, just north of the city. 

If you are interested in more information 

about the sweet business of honey, you can 

join serious beekeepers like the Fergusons, 

as well as general hobbyists, at meetings of 

the Ontario Beekeepers Association, which 

has numerous chapters in our region. 

As for me, I now like to say, “Pass the 

honey, honey” over the breakfast table! 

Ferguson Apiaries 

Highway 84/Zurich-Hensall Road 

519-236-4979 

www.fergusonapiaries.on.ca 

Ontario Beekeepers Association 

www.ontariobee.com 

JANE ANTONIAK is a writer and owner of Antoniak 

Communications in London. She is now claiming to be a 

bit sweeter, too.


r’s Farm 

issue no. 20 

Dine • Shop • Stay • Play 

Enjoy Ontario’s West Coast 

Gobble up the goodness, 

the festive season is coming! 

Order Your Fresh Turkey 

or Roast for The Holidays 


“On the way to the lake” Highway 83, Dashwood Road 

519.237.3561 

LCBO Agency & BEER STORE Retail Partner 

www.haytersfarm.com


Gift & Fashion Boutique 

Luxury Guest Guest Suites 

www.theredpumpinn.com 

Company Name: The Red Pump Inn 

Ad Size: 1/4 Page Horizontal 

Date: 11/20 /08 

Gourmet Fine Dining 

Season’s 

Greet 

ings 

Lunch & Dinner 

Wed.–Sun. until 

New Year’s Eve 

Bayfield,ON 519-565-2576


issue no. 20 


Explore 

Ontario’s West Coast 

Dine 

• 

Shop 

• 

Stay 

• 

Play



TRAVEL 

issue no. 20 

Charleston Cooks! 

Discovering the Taste of The South 

By Jane Antoniak 

There’s a world of di�erence 

between traveling south and traveling 

to �e South: a mouthwatering 

di�erence! Charleston, South 

Carolina, with its unspoiled, historic setting, 

warm temperatures and rich, culinary culture, 

is certainly worth an extended weekend 

escape for those who want more than 

sun and sand on a holiday. 

I traveled there this fall with �ve members 

of my book club from London. While we 

went expecting antebellum homes and crab 

cakes, instead we discovered an interesting 

world of southern hospitality, mixed in 

with bourbon, bacon and a cooking school, 

which left us satis�ed on a multitude of 

levels. It was the perfect escape for a book 

club whose members love to cook, travel, 

explore and enjoy each other’s company in 

a relaxed, yet thoroughly interesting, setting. 

Charleston does indeed cook! 

With direct �ights from London to Detroit 

and then direct on a small yet speedy Lear 

jet to Charleston, we were in the Southern 

city by noon �ursday, starting our extended 

weekend jaunt on a high note, ready to shop, 

eat and visit! With an easy cab connection to 

historic Charleston from the airport, we settled 

in quickly at the uber-convenient, well- 

Londoners Paula Smith, Jude Teskey, Kerri Lefebvre and 

Susanna Hubbard Krimmer get chopping at Charleston Cooks! 


Culinary Instructor Emily Kimbrough 

equipped Embassy Suites hotel (337 Meeting 

Street), which is located in the original Citadel 

Military College in Charleston. �e hotel 

is a grand restoration, and the building is on 

the National Register of Historic Buildings. 

It has many positive amenities, including an 

outdoor swimming pool, �tness room and 

the welcome concept of generous two-room 

suites with a full hot breakfast every morning, 

including made-to-order omelettes and 

cooked oatmeal. 

Embassy Suites is located at the top end 

of the historic quarter, which is perfect for 

walking some extra steps needed to burn 

o� all those gourmet delights — especially 

the pecan praline candies! �e hotel is also 

located adjacent to Marion Square, which 

on Sundays o�ers an impressive market with 

high-end jewelry and a variety of interesting, 

locally grown items such as peanuts, decorative 

cotton stalks, and crepes. 

Many visitors to Charleston start out with 

a carriage ride. Our group took an hour-long 

tour in a large horse-drawn carriage that can 

carry about 20 people through the streets of 

the historic old city. �is is an easy way to 

get your bearings before heading out on foot 

for the remainder of the weekend. 

Our destination for the weekend was 

Charleston Cooks! — a cooking school and 

shop that is part of the impressive Maverick 

chain of food and hospitality outlets in 

South Carolina. Located in the heart of the 

East Bay Street restaurant district, the cooking 

school is a draw for passers-by, who gaze 

through the large windows of the Maverick 

Kitchen Store. Classes are o�ered several 

times a day to visitors. We had booked a 

private, hands-on group session in low-


country cuisine, the cornerstone of coastal 

South Carolinian heritage. We were able to 

pre-select our menu — which was helpful, 

as members of the Book Club did not want 

seafood or �sh. We settled on Apple Walnut 

Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette, Corn Fritters 

with Tomato Chutney, Sweet Potato and 

Date Hash, Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin 

with Bourbon Sauce, and Chocolate Chess 

Pie — or the locals say, “it’s jess pai”! 

One of my book club traveling mates was 

Susanna Hubbard Krimmer. She has been 

to Charleston before, but this trip provided 

her with new experiences. “�e people of 

Charleston take great pride in their southern 

hospitality. Food and its enjoyment with 

new and old friends forms a huge part of 

that hospitality and is evident in the choice 

of a pineapple, used everywhere as a sign 

of welcome. �e cooking school provided a 

wonderful opportunity to experience both 

the cultural and culinary aspects of lowcountry 

cooking,” says Hubbard Krimmer. 

Another member of the club, Janet Carr, 

was also enjoying a subsequent visit to the 

old South. She, too, found culinary tourism 

a great experience in Charleston. “While I’ve 

visited Charleston in the past, I discovered a 

di�erent city than I was previously exposed 

to. […] Before, all I saw was the history, excellent 

cuisine and architecture, and during 

this trip, in the company of great girlfriends, 

I also discovered a wonderful world of shopping! 

�e cooking school was very di�erent 

from those I’ve attended in the past — the 

instructor was able to relate to every level of 

experience and was wise beyond her years 

in culinary information.” 

Emily Kimbrough was our culinary instructor. 

She is the lead culinary instructor 

at Charleston Cooks! and is a graduate of 

Johnson and Wales University in food service 

management and culinary arts. She set 

us up at three cook stations and we were 

invited to move freely between stations to 

work on di�erent aspects of the menu. From 

rolling out pastry to frying fritters to basting 

with bourbon, our group enjoyed the learning 

aspects of the course. Book club member 

Kerri Lefebvre, an accomplished cook, says 

she enjoyed learning new, simple tricks in 

the kitchen, such as how to properly cut 

an onion or how to sauté without stirring. 

“�ese steps have already made my own 

cooking easier. It was learning how to have a 

lighter touch in the kitchen that I enjoyed —


the little tricks of the trade.” 

After all our hands-on work was complete, 

we enjoyed a generous-sized meal, 

with wine. All were given the recipes to take 

home, some of which have already been 

tried again here in London. We also bought 

local ingredients, such as grits for the corn 

fritters — which certainly gave the security 

scanners at Charleston airport 

some pause as they scanned our 

carry-on bags! 

Charleston o�ers many excellent 

dining establishments. On this 

trip we enjoyed lunch at Sermet’s 

Corner at 276 King Street (in the 

heart of the shopping district) and 

at Fleet Landing (186 Concord Street), on the 

patio overlooking the busy industrial harbour. 

Be sure to take a jaunt over to the nearby pineapple 

fountain, a marvel, and a salute to the 

symbol of welcome in Charleston. 

We enjoyed dinner at Cypress (East Bay 

Street), which also o�ers low-country cuisine, 

although with a modern �air. It is the sister 

restaurant to Blossom and Magnolias, both 

popular dining spots. It is here, along East Bay 

Street, where you can easily grab a ride in a 

issue no. 20 

Apple Walnut Salad With Bacon Cider Dressing 

SALAD 

4-6 green apples, small dice 

2 stalks celery, small dice 

¾ cup walnuts, toasted 

½ cup raisins or other dried fruit 

Fresh lemon juice 

½ cup cheese, such as blue, parmesan, or goat, 

crumbled or grated 

1 Combine the apples, celery, walnuts, and raisins 

MORE RECIPES 

ONLINE 

from Charleston Cooks! 

Click HERE on the 

Digital Edition at 



two-person bicycle taxi — a wonderful openair 

experience that allows you to zip along 

through the market and down quiet back 

streets in the warm evening air after dinner. 

It is an a�ordable break from all the walking, 

and is especially important for those in heels 

who may �nd it more than challenging to 

navigate the cobblestone roads. 

Finally, if you’re looking 

for a lovely break in the day, try 

Baked (160 East Bay Street) for a 

co�ee, slice of cake or any number 

of other sinful delights. It’s an 

excellent spot for a pick-me-up 

while you rest from touring the 

homes or shopping for yet another 

must-have Southern fashion item. 

For a real taste of �e South, consider a 

long weekend in Charleston — where the 

food and atmosphere really do cook! 

JANE ANTONIAK is a journalist in London and a 

devoted member of her book club (with Connie Atkinson, 

Janet Carr, Susanna Hubbard Krimmer, Kerri Lefebvre, Karen 

Nixon, Paula Smith and Jude Teskey), which has been 

meeting monthly for more than a decade. 

in a large mixing bowl. Toss with some fresh 

lemon juice so the apples. 

2 Toss salad with just enough of the bacon cider 

dressing to coat the apple mixture. Top with the 

cheese. 

DRESSING 

bacon, 3 thick slices or 7 thin slices, diced 

1 large shallot, diced 

1 garlic clove, minced


1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

¼ cup cider vinegar 

Olive oil, as needed 

1 Place the bacon in a cold medium sauté pan over 

medium-high heat. Do not stir until browning 

can be seen in the bottom of the pan. Stir and 

then allow the bacon to �nish browning. 

2 Meanwhile, whisk all other ingredients, except 

olive oil, together in a small bowl. 

3 When bacon is brown, slowly drizzle the bacon 

fat and bacon pieces into the vinegar mixture, 

whisking constantly. 

4 If the dressing is not thick enough, continue 

whisking and slowly drizzle in olive oil, a little at 

a time, until desired consistency. Season with 

salt and pepper. 

Sweet Potato & Date Hash 

Serves 4-6 

Olive oil 

1 red onion, sliced 

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 

½ cup bourbon 

1 cup chicken stock 

½ cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch segments 

½ cup dried dates, chopped 

½ cup pecans, chopped 

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 

1 Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. When 

the pan is hot, add enough olive oil to generously 

cover the bottom of the pan. 

2 When the pan is hot, add the onions to the pan, 

and sauté until onions are lightly browned. 

3 Add the sweet potatoes to the pan. Cook until 

the bottoms brown. 

4 Remove the pan from the heat. Add the bourbon 

and allow the pan to stop simmering before 

returning it to the heat. Cook over medium heat 

until the pan is dry. 

5 Add chicken stock and cook until sweet potatoes 

until fork tender. 

6 Add the green beans to the pan and cook until 

al dente, about 2-3 minutes. 

7 Stir in the dates, pecans, and thyme. Remove 

from heat. 

8 Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Chocolate Chess Pie 

PIE CRUST 

1 stick butter 

1½ cups �our 

Pinch of salt 

Whole Milk 

1 Place butter, �our and salt in a medium bowl. 

Cut butter into the �our with a pastry cutter. 

2 Add the milk one splash at a time and stir gently 

until mixture is crumbly. 

3 Scrape the contents of the mixing bowl into a 

large piece of plastic wrap. Form a ball with the 

dough using the plastic wrap. 

4 Chill dough for 8 minutes. 

5 Roll dough out into desired shape. 

FILLING 

½ cup butter 

2 ounces unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate, 

chopped 

2 tablespoons bourbon 

2 tablespoons �our 

issue no. 20 

1 cup sugar 

3 eggs 

¼ teaspoon salt 


1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2 Place butter and chocolate in top of double 

boiler, and melt over low heat stirring occasionally. 

Remove from heat, and set aside to cool. 

3 Place sugar, eggs, �our, bourbon, and salt in a 

large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. 

4 Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture, and 

whisk until smooth. 

5 Pour �lling into pie crust, and bake in preheated 

oven until edges are browned, and �lling is 

pu�ed and set (but still wiggly in the center), 

about 30 minutes. 

Variation: 

Add ½ cup chopped pecans to the �lling before 

pouring it into the crust.


NEW AND NOTABLE 

�e BUZZ 

“Change” seems to be the operative word in our 

area’s current culinary conversation. In every 

issue, we strive to bring you all that’s new and 

di�erent (but still local and seasonal, of course!), 

freshly harvested from our thriving grapevine. 

If you or your business has news to share with 

eatdrink readers, be sure to let us know. 

Never one to rest on her well-deserved laurels, 

the ever-creative Betty Heydon of Blackfriar’s 

Bistro & Catering (www.blackfriarsbistro.com) 

has taken over a satellite kitchen in the premises 

once occupied by Chef Zaikia Haskouri, the 

London Casbah (on Dundas Street, between 

Clarence and Richmond). Haskouri joined 

Heydon’s team of Jacqueline Shantz, Abby 

Roberts and Julianna Guy last year. �ough the 

space was primarily needed to meet the growing 

demands for Blackfriar’s catering services, there 

are plans afoot to also use the space for handson 

cooking and team-building classes. 

Dynamic duo Paul Harding and Jason 

Schubert, the applauded chef/owners of �e 

Only On King, have three of their recipes 

featured in Cooking With Canada’s Best by 

Karen Dubrofsky. All proceeds from the book 

sales will be donated to the Kilee Patchell-Evans 

Autism Research Group. Cookbooks are 

available from �e Only, as well as at Chapters 

book stores. 

Gibb Design of London has created an exciting 

re-design of �e Only’s website, which now 

features online cooking demonstrations. Visit 

www.theonlyonking.ca to see Schubert entertainingly 

preparing Chicken Boudin, grilling a 

leg of lamb at a barbeque, or foraging for exotic 

mushrooms. Full-length versions of all segments 

will be included on an upcoming DVD. 

LUNCH W 

DINNER y 

Joe and Diane Pritchard, of the ever-popular 

Billy’s Deli (on Dundas at Talbot), have revised 

their hours to better suit their loyal clientele. �ey 

are now closed Mondays, but open Sundays from 

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. �e legendary breakfast-goddess 

Brenda Bissett remains a much-loved constant 

in the lives of early-morning diners. 

Gozen Bistro and Grill, well established now 

at Central Avenue, just west of Richmond, has 

developed a following with a menu of authentic 

Japanese Sushi and Korean specialties. �ey’ve 

now opened a new location in the premises that 

was recently occupied by Savvy and Scallions, 

on Queens at Clarence Street. 

Congratulations to Jill Wilcox and sta� at Jill’s 

Table on King Street. �e renowned culinary 

emporium (o�ering specialty foods, kitchenwares, 

tablewares, cooking classes and gift baskets), 

has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. 

Waldo’s on King has recently presented a 

revamped new menu that features Chef Mark 

Kitching’s Braised Beef Short Rib Poutine 

with Foie Gras and Goat Cheese. Restaurant 

manager Joe Duby says it has been a strong 

performer and worth a visit to hear the word 

poutine pronounced at the bar with an Ottawa 

Valley accent. 

�e Bungalow Neighbourhood Hub’s proprietors, 

Scot and Rosemary Crawford, Karl 

and Pam Lansdowne, continue to do a brisk 

business in the premises recently occupied by 

North at Waterloo and Cheapside. �e menu 

features a variety of thin-crust pizzas, gourmet 

sandwiches and burgers. Check out their 

website (www.bungalowhub.ca) for further 

information. 

Portuguese chicken a�cionados have a longstanding 

tradition of going to London’s Hamilton 

Road to satisfy their hunger for the heat of 

piri piri. Rei Dos Leitoes (translation: King of 

the Pigs), a popular hotspot at 706 Hamilton 

“Always a three-cours 

prix-�xe menu” 

David’s 

bistro 

432 Richmond St. at Carling • London 

FREE PARKING 

After 6 pm 

www.davidsbistro.ca 

o� Queens Ave.


We service all major 

household appliances. 

519-601-1050 

mrappliance.com/london 

Locally owned and operated franchise. 


Road since 1994, recently opened a second location 

in the Cherryhill Village Mall on Oxford 

Street. �e new locale features the same menu, 

with grilled chicken, steak, seafood and a variety 

of specials competing with the famous pork as 

diners’ favourites. 

Tiago’s of London, in Covent Garden Market, 

is the place to get Portuguese chicken, and 

more, downtown. Gourmet sandwiches round 

out the basic o�ering of Portuguese chicken. 

In particular you might want to try the chicken 

and goat cheese pressed sandwich. One of the 

best o�erings at this restaurant has to be the 

fantastic spicy olives that Tiago makes himself. 

Speaking of Covent Garden Market, Chris Doris 

of Doris Family Produce has not only been 

supplying hard-to-�nd items like quince to local 

chefs, but he is developing a line of olive oils. 

His �rst foray into this �eld is his For the Love of 

Garlic product, a garlic-infused olive oil. 

Smith Cheese at Covent Garden Market is now 

carrying Fifth Town Artisan Cheese. Speaking 

with self-titled Milk Sommelier Dave Smyth 

recently at the Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit, 

we learned that Prince Charles sampled 

the Bonnie & Floyd cheese from Fifth Town 

while he was in Toronto. �e Prince liked the 

cheese so much he turned to Minister Jim 

Flaherty to see if he could spot him $10 to buy 

the cheese. It was noted that the Prince and 

Camilla also sampled some of the Monforte 

Dairy selections at the Royal Winter Fair. 

Gigg’s Grillhouse is opening soon in the space 

formerly occupied by Honey Garden, at the 

corner of Talbot and Carling Streets. �e building 

owner, Mauro DeLaurentiis, is making his 

�rst venture into the restaurant business with 

much excitement and has made a number 

of improvements to the interior. Chef Henry 

Barthalt hails from Grand Bend, where he has 

worked in recent years. �is will be a welcome 

addition to the number of drinking and dining 

establishments in the area — “an upscale roadhouse” 

according to DeLaurentiis — and for 

event goers at the John Labatt Centre. 

Updating two recent cover stories, we’re happy 

to report that Abruzzi has quickly established 

itself as a hot spot in the local culinary scene. 

Manager Karen Brown and Chef Josie Pontarelli 

have earned enthusiastic kudos from local 

diners. Rob Taylor’s much anticipated Braise 

Food and Wine should be up and running by 

the time you read this. 

Richmond Row is set to come alive with the 

new production of �e Wizard of Oz. Cast

DECEMBER/JANUARY 

Sarnia 

2010 issue no. 20 www.eatdrink.ca 39 

and Lambton County 

Discover 

Blue Water 

Country


members have been spotted dining out at 

nearby restaurant �e Tasting Room, and certainly 

surrounding dining establishments, including 

Garlic’s of London, Maggie’s Jazz and 

Supper Club and �e Church Key, will be busy 

entertaining patrons before the show. 

Recently at the Downtown London annual 

meeting, we heard guest speaker Robert Gibbs, 

a retail planning specialist, give local businesses 

tips on how they can improve their operations. 

He told the audience that we have a number of 

anchors and destination businesses that other 

issue no. 20 


cities would �ght for, and promised to bring a 

lot of people back to London to show them what 

we do well. �ere were a number of downtown 

restaurateurs on hand to hear this talk. Attendees 

had the opportunity to sample the food and 

hospitality of the London Convention Centre. 

Heading over to London East, we noted that 

True Taco is now open on Dundas between the 

Aeolian Hall and the East Village Co�eehouse. 

�is is a third location for True Taco, which 

also operates at Trail’s End and the Western 

Fair London’s Farmers Market. Speaking of 

Mexican food, Under the Volcano operates at 

the Western Fair market, and one of our writers 

notes that they serve excellent chicken �autas. 

London’s Farmers Market is located in the 

historic Confederation building on the Western 

Fairgrounds, which started as a place for 

local merchants to o�er their wares in 1927. 

Dave Cook, owner/roaster of the Fire 

Roasted Co�ee Company and manager of 

London’s popular farmers markets (at Western 

Fair, and seasonally at Masonville Mall) embraces 

change and growth in notable ways. �e 

Farmers Market at the Fair is seeing some major 

changes: the roastery itself, which has been 

operating out of premises in south London, will 

soon be installed upstairs at the Confederation 

Building, providing an opportunity for market 

visitors to watch the process. Cook will also be 

creating a stylish lounge, retail and meeting area 

in this architecturally intriguing space. 

A treasure trove of vendors and food purveyors 

can be found here on Saturdays: some 

of the regions’ best butchers, bakers and 

candlestick makers. �e recently recon�gured 

second �oor is also home to artists, artisans, 

booksellers, and collectables and antique 

dealers. (Sorry, there are some names we just 

won’t drop). �ird anniversary celebrations are 

scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, when 

the market will be open to the public.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 issue no. 20 


La Chocolaterie Forrat and one of London’s 

favourite chocolatiers, Marc Forrat, has 

expanded to new locations in Windsor and 

Hamilton. �e �agship location remains at 

the Covent Garden Market, where customers 

can watch the tru�es being made. Forrat also 

retails his products at Remark Fresh Markets 

at Oxford & Hyde Park Road. Check it all out 

on his newly redesigned website, www.forratschocolates.com. 

Félicitations Marc! 

�e East Village Co�ee House has overcome 

those pesky problems with the phone connection. 

You can reach the Co�eehouse at this new 

number: 519-266-7584. If that’s too old school, 

�nd them on Facebook: pages are up for both 

the East Village Co�ee House and its sibling, �e 

Briscoe Café, at 325 Wharncli�e Road South. 

Here’s a save-the-date for February: Food 

Fusion (Feb 18-28, 2010) will be encouraging 

area restaurants and diners-out to support 

Heart-Links, a London-based charitable organization 

(www.heart-links.org) concerned 

with social justice in Peru. Participating restaurants 

will o�er a special �xed-priced menu at 

lunch and dinner. Look for more information 

at www.foodfusionlondon.ca, and at the London 

Wine & Food show. 

Darryl MacDougall is the new head chef at Timbers 

Chop House, Wellington Road South. Many 

in the industry know Darryl from his previous 

position as Ontario Regional Manager for the Canadian 

Restaurant Association for the past �ve 

years. He received his chef training at the Windsor 

Arms Hotel in Toronto. Timbers’ customers 

can anticipate some exciting new changes and 

additions to the menu in the new year! 

Chef Je� Crump, whose recently published book 

Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic 

Farm is reviewed in this issue of eatdrink, 

is coming to London! Crump will be delighting 

visitors with his culinary skill on the kitchen 

Welcome to Windermere’s Café, 

where our unique character, charm and 

distinctive natural setting are sure to 

captivate you! 

Reservations encouraged... 

200 

@ The Research Park 

The UNIVERSITY of WESTERN ONTARIO 

(Windermere at Western Road) • London 

demonstration stage at 5 p.m., January 15, helping 

to kick o� the London Wine and Food Show 

(January 15-17 at the Western Fair). Chef Crump 

will also be signing books at the eatdrink booth. 

We expect all of you to drop by and say hello. 

London’s busiest restaurateur, David Chapman, 

has recently unveiled new menus at 

both �e Katana Kafe and at his eponymous 

David’s Bistro. When he posted his latest 

installment of “A Cook’s Life,” (see page 62), 

our memoirist also reminded us that David’s 

always o�ers a three-course, prix-�xe menu.



Many of the best restaurants in Stratford stay 

open in the theatre’s o�-season, and for many 

of the shops in town it’s “business as usual” as 

well. We know that Ruth Klahsen makes great 

cheese at Monforte Dairy. But Monforte (www. 

monfortedairy.com) is also o�ering a scrumptious 

(and useful!) gift basket. It includes 750 g 

Smoked Cheddar, 1 kg Perth County Mennonite 

Summer Sausage, Monforte Crackers, 375 ml 

Bauman Apiaries Honey, two handmade beeswax 

candles and a Monforte Dairy apron. Cost 

is $80 + $20 shipping, with all applicable taxes 

included. �e o�er is good in Canada only. 

�ere are several new taste sensations in Stratford, 

perfect for gift giving or just enjoying over 

the holidays. Rheo �ompson Candies (www. 

rheothompsoncandies.com) is well known 

for their delicious mint smoothies. Now a new 

complement, double chocolate smoothies, is 

available for those who love the creamy texture 

without the mint �avour. �is new candy has a 

velvety, tru�e-like centre in a chocolate shell, 

in both dark and milk varieties. 

Local Ontario Herbal Tea, from Canada’s 

Tea Sommelier, Karen Hartwick, is a unique 

blend of 100% Ontario herbs. Tea and gift 

packages can be ordered online at www.stratfordtealeaves.com. 

At Chocolate Barr’s (www.chocolatebarrs. 

com), a new mulled spice tru�e is now 

available. A creamy dark chocolate centre, 

�avoured with anise, orange, cloves and cinnamon, 

is enrobed in milk chocolate and can 

be identi�ed by a light dusting of silver luster. 

�ese treats are available individually or custom 

packed to your speci�cations. 

Fred de Martines of Perth Pork Products 

(www.perthporkproducts.com) supplies many 

of the province’s best chefs with his heritage 

pork. �is holiday season, he is o�ering a line 

of Berkshire Pork gift boxes that can be ordered 

online. Give the gift of pork! 

Feeling the need to get away? Here are two 

thoughts with a gastronomic bent: 

Retreat to Foster’s Inn for one of their special 

packages, which include suite accommodation, 

Perth County Home-made Brunch, and dinner 

at the Stratford Chefs School. For details and 

reservations contact info@fostersinn.com. 

�e town of Bay�eld celebrates the season 

in style. �ey have lots of events, and if you 

want to stay over, �e Little Inn of Bay�eld 

has some tempting o�ers. Call 1-800-565-1832 

or 519-565-2611, or go to www.littleinn.com. 

�is year Christmas at McCully’s is on the 

weekend of December 12 & 13 from 11 to 3 pm. 

Enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides (or wagon 

rides, depending on the snow), a visit in the



barn with all the animal friends, and Christmas 

crafts and music, along with a visit with Santa 

on his sleigh (and he’s giving out treat bags). 

McCully’s Hill Farm is now on Twitter — so if 

you like to Tweet, check them out! 

Tuckey Farms of Exeter and the Optimist 

Club of Middlesex London have teamed up to 

raise funds for needy kids. Tuckey Farms has 

made and bottled maple syrup in 500 ml gift 

bottles, which the Optimist Club members are 

selling as a fundraiser for club activities. �e 

Club supports a free after-school program at 

Northbrae Public School, which also includes 

cooking activities. �e syrup is being sold for 

$10 a bottle and can be purchased through club 

members or by contacting club president Jane 

Antoniak at jantoniak@eatdrink.ca. 

Neil Baxter, renowned both as a chef and as 

past instructor and Master Chef at the Stratford 

Chefs School, is holding a series of handson 

workshops in the new year, at Rundles 

Restaurant. For details and to register, go to 

www.rundlesrestaurant.ca or contact Chef Neil 

Baxter at Rundles (519-271-6442). 

After you’ve put away the festive gear, get out 

your sporran and sharpen your dirk: Robbie 

issue no. 20 


Burns Day is coming! �e Waltzing Weasel 

and �e Scots Corner in London, the Black 

Dog Pub in Bay�eld, and FINE Restaurant in 

Grand Bend will all be serving Robbie Burns 

suppers in late January, as, no doubt, will 

many others. 

FINE is also hosting a New Year’s Day 

Brunch called �e Breakfast Club. �e special 

seating will include Matt Tuckey’s French Toast 

— named after a popular customer — and a variety 

of breakfast and lunch items such as Lobster 

Pot Pie, Beef Short Ribs and Eggs Benedict, 

all created by Chefs Erryn Shephard and Ben 

Sandwith. Following the event, FINE will close 

for holidays and re-open for their Robbie Burns 

Supper on January 23. 

* * * 

To all of our readers, please remember that 

throughout the year, but most poignantly at 

this time, there are many of our neighbours 

who could use a helping hand. Don’t know 

where to start? Try the Ontario Volunteer 

Centre, http://volunteer.ca , or your local food 

bank (in London at 519-659-4045, or http:// 

web.ca/~londonfb/).


COOKBOOKS 

Earth to Table 

Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm 

Review and Recipe Selections By Jennifer Gagel 

Every meal starts from the earth, 

sometimes with a veritable chasm of 

unsustainable practices in between 

source and destination. Je� Crump, 

Canadian slow food pioneer, has set out to 

narrow the gap in Earth to Table: Seasonal 

Recipes from an Organic Farm (Random 

House 2009, $45). 

Je� Crump is the executive chef at the 

Ancaster Old Mill, a restaurant devoted to 

food sourced locally and prepared to perfection. 

Earth to Table re�ects his philosophy, 

strongly in�uenced by food guru Alice Waters 

and his time spent at her restaurant, 

Chez Panisse, in Berkley, California. But he’s 

�exible in his approach, too, citing certain 

imports, such as vanilla, olives and �sh, as 

items he cannot live without. Nor does he 

shy away from the admission he also occasionally 

partakes of burgers and fries. �is 

book isn’t about turning people into “slowfood 

hippies.” It’s about moving a little slow 

food hipness into our relationship with what 

we eat. 

“What we set out to communicate is not 

the de�nitive set of answers to all of the 

questions surrounding our food culture, but 

a year’s worth of our experiences as we did 

our best to answer them for ourselves.” 

Along with Bettina Schormann, the Ancaster 

Old Mill’s pastry chef, Crump has put 

together a 

book from 

which to 

create 

your own 

seasoned 

experiences,cultivating 

a 

personal philosophy towards 

food that responds to burgeoning questions 

and takes advantage of food that is practically 

right next door, but obscured by supermarkets. 

�ere is plenty for Londoners to choose 

from locally. For charcuterie, Crump’s answer 

to fast food, try Angelo’s, or Alicia’s Fine 

Foods on Trafalgar (formerly Sikorski’s). 

Atlantic Sea Fish Market (708 Hamilton 

Road) is where I go Friday afternoons for 

the freshest �sh in the city — and where 

the sta� will discuss recipes and cooking 

methods. Saturday mornings are well spent 

at Trail’s End, �nding the authentic farmers 

(not the resellers) who are ready to discuss 

growing methods and bumper crops. Or visit 

the vendors at one of London’s markets. My 

personal favourite is Doris Family Produce 

at Covent Garden Market, where Mr. Doris 

once noticed me ri�ing through all his


fennel. He quickly took o� to the back to �nd 

me the perfect sized bulbs to nestle inside 

the succulent red peppers I wanted to roast. 

And he’s always prepared to tell me exactly 

what is at its peak and where it comes from. 

Crump believes, “if the world were fair, we’d 

have celebrity farmers.” And maybe celebrity 

vendors, too. 

Crump explains that adopting the slow 

food mindset doesn’t have to be expensive. 

“Start with basic but local seasonal produce 

and perhaps a cheaper cut of meat from 

a good butcher, and you’re better o� than 

you would have been with something more 

convenient but less nutritious.” Or less 

�avourful. Superior taste is, for many, 

the slow food philosophy’s most alluring 

enticement. 

Tempting photos by Edward Pond 

showcase the recipes, �elds, and farmers 

that make up this cutting-edge ethical 

movement. You’ll want to run to a 

farm just as much as you want to race 

to the kitchen. Some of the recipes look 

extensive on �rst glance but are actually 

just exceptionally detailed, sure to deliver 

succulent results every time, while 

still being suitable to experimentation. 

Crump’s pairing suggestions make it 

easy to put together a menu worthy of a 

chef and provide a springboard to make 

your own �avourful combinations. 

�e essays are just as inspiring and detailed 

as the recipes. �e seasons are placed 

in context by what is happening on the farm, 

linking our joy of food to the place where 

it comes from, and in context to what is 

achievable at home. Winter is the perfect 

time to plan an herb garden, even if only 

pots or sunny windowsills are available for 

now. Discussions about modern methods 

issue no. 20 


of food production are di�cult ones, but 

Crump handles them with honesty and integrity. 

Earth to Table is a complete journey 

through all aspects of food culture. 

More than a just cookbook, this is a transformation 

of mindset that culminates with 

luscious, healthy recipes on the table. 

JENNIFER GAGEL can be found cooking in anyone’s 

kitchen who will let her. She can be reached via jennagagel@gmail.com. 

The following recipes are courtesy of Jeff Crump, from 

Earth to Table, Random House, 2009. 

Braised Short Ribs 

Chefs love working with gnarly cuts of meat. They 

often make the most �avorful, succulent dishes, 

perfect for a cool evening. 

6 beef short ribs (about 7 lbs or 3–3.5 Kg) 

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper


½ cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions (½-inch chunks) 

1 cup (250 mL) chopped carrots (½-inch chunks) 

1 cup (250 mL) chopped celery (½-inch chunks) 

3 cloves garlic 

2 dried bay leaves 

2½ (625 mL) cups local hearty red wine 

1½ cups (375 mL) port 

2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar 

6 cups (1.5 L) beef stock 

Citrus Gremolata (recipe below) 

Fresh bay leaves, for garnish 

1 Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper. 

In a large skillet, heat 3 tbsp (40 mL) of the oil 

over medium-high heat until smoking. Add short 

ribs, in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, 

until a deep, rich golden brown on all sides, about 

15 minutes per batch, adding more oil between 

batches as needed. Using tongs, transfer ribs to 

a large Dutch oven as completed; set aside. Preheat 

oven to 325°F (160°C). 

2 Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 

oil, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves to 

the skillet. Sauté until vegetables begin to caramelize, 

about 5 minutes. Add to the Dutch oven. 

3 Add wine, port and vinegar to the skillet, stirring 

to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the 

pan. Bring to a boil and cook, until reduced by 

half, about 10 minutes. Add to the Dutch oven. 

4 Add stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer. 

Pour over short ribs. (The stock should just cover 

the ribs; if it doesn’t, add more stock until the 

ribs are covered.) Cover with a tight-�tting lid. 

5 Bake until meat is very tender and yields easily when 

pierced with a knife, about 2 hours. Using tongs, 

transfer ribs to a serving platter and keep warm. 

6 Strain liquid from Dutch oven into a saucepan. 

Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by three 

quarters, about 25 minutes. Season to taste with 

salt and pepper. Pour over ribs and garnish with 

Citrus Gremolata and fresh bay leaves. 

CITRUS GREMOLATA 

3 tbsp (40 mL) minced fresh �at-leaf (Italian) 

parsley 

1 tsp (5 mL) �nely grated lemon or orange zest 

1 medium clove garlic, minced 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

In a bowl, combine parsley, lemon zest and garlic. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Make ahead: 

Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.) 

Seasons Greetings 

Stay Connected to the Farm! 

Certi�ed Certi�ed Organic Chicken 

Pastured Beef 

Fresh Brown Eggs 

42828 Shorlea Line, St. Thomas 

519-631-0279 

mcsmith@amtelecom.net 

www.mcsmithsorganicfarm.com 

phone to order and arrange pick up

48 www.eatdrink.ca issue no. 20 


Roasted Fingerling 

Potato Salad with Watercress 

and Horseradish Dressing 

Horseradish and potatoes have a real love for one 

another; try some horseradish on french fries. 

2 lbs (1 Kg) �ngerling potatoes, peeled 

3 tbsp (40 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 

3 tbsp (40 mL) dry white wine 

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves 

1 tsp (5 mL) salt 

2 bunches watercress (about 10 oz / 250-300 g), 

trimmed 

DRESSING 

¼ cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 

¼ cup (50 mL) sour cream 

2 tbsp (25 mL) red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly grated horse-radish root 

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

1 Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). In a medium bowl, 

toss potatoes, oil, wine, thyme and salt. Spread out 

in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until 

very tender, about 40 minutes. 

2 Prepare the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together 

oil, sour cream, vinegar and horseradish. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Make ahead: 

Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.) 

3 Add warm potatoes to dressing and toss to coat. 

Divide among 4 plates and top each with a handful 

of watercress.


Bread and Butter Pudding 

Serves 6 

I serve this pudding as the dessert for our Sunday 

suppers all winter long. I bake it in a cast-iron frying 

pan and serve it steaming. The aroma of the 

sizzling maple syrup wafts through the whole restaurant. 

It may be a simple dish, but this is a dessert 

that really turns guests’ heads. 

¼ cup (50 mL) dried currants 

¼ cup (50 mL) dried cherries 

16 cups (4 L) cubed day-old bread (preferably 

real-butter croissants or brioche) 

6 eggs 

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar 

3 cups (750 mL) whipping cream (35%) cream 

1 tsp (5 mL) ground nutmeg 

1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract 

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange 

¼ cup (50 mL) chopped pecans, toasted 

¼ cup (50 mL) maple syrup 

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place currants and 

cherries in a bowl and cover with hot water. Set 

aside for between 10 minutes and an hour. 

2 Place bread cubes in a shallow 16-cup baking dish 

and set aside. 

3 In a bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Stir in 

cream, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, 

orange zest and orange juice. 

4 Drain dried fruit and sprinkle evenly over bread 

cubes, along with pecans. Pour in egg mixture, 

making sure bread is completely saturated. Cover 

with foil. 

5 Place baking dish in a large roasting pan, place in 

oven and pour enough hot water to come halfway 

up sides of dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil 

and bake until golden and pu�ed, about 15 minutes. 

Pour maple syrup over top. Let stand for at 

least 20 minutes before serving. 

Je� Crump is o�ering a 

cooking demonstration at 

the London Wine & Food 

Show, January 15 at 5pm, 

and will be autographing 

copies of Earth to Table at 

the eatdrink booth.


COOKBOOKS 

issue no. 20 

A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen 

Seasonal Recipes and Memorable Meals 

Review by Jennifer Gagel 

Lucy Waverman is an extremely 

busy woman. She writes weekly for 

�e Globe and Mail, has written 

nine cookbooks, is the editor of the 

LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, appears 

regularly on radio and television, reviews 

restaurants and she even twitters. As well, 

she entertains often and holds family festivities 

dear. How does she do it? 

“I invite you to stay in my kitchen through 

an entire year, as I prepare feasts and simple 

meals to entertain friends and celebrate 

family occasions,” writes Waverman in her 

latest book, A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen: Seasonal 

Recipes and Memorable Meals (Random 

House Canada, October 2009, $35). 

Lucy seizes opportunities as they arise. 

Whether it’s tree-ripened plums from an 

orchard just outside the city as summer 

closes or Seville oranges from Spain in January, 

she takes advantage of everything when 

it is at its peak. “Besides,” she says, “superb 

fresh ingredients require less cooking.” 

Zucchini Carpaccio is a testament to this. 

It is uncooked, incredibly simple to prepare, 

and the quality ingredients meld perfectly. 

It’s the best way to eat this summer squash 

at its freshest and most abundant. 

She’s also practical, changing direction 

with the rhythm of the year as it passes. 

October is the perfect opportunity for an 

adult Hallowe’en party, as Lucy responds to 

a growing trend in theme parties. December 

contains the holiday treats and menus you’d 

expect along with a welcome Harried Shopper 

menu to provide some relief during the most 

hectic season of the year. �en in January and 

February her meals take a leaner turn in anticipation 

of extra holiday pounds that may have 

resulted from some of those holiday treats she 

tempted us with the season before. 

�is book showcases Lucy’s extensive 

and in-depth knowledge throughout. For 

example, she notes “Shell�sh are at their peak 

in September when the water temperatures 

begin to cool, triggering changes in their food 

sources and 

creating the 

characteristic 

sweetness that 

turns people 

into shell�sh 

lovers.” She’s passionate about 


sustainability and encourages preservation of 

Canada’s excellent shell�sh supply by pointing 

us to the Seafood Selector available at 

www.edf.org/seafood. 

Every recipe turns out, regardless of skill 

level and without many complications. 

�e scallops may not come out exquisitely 

browned to perfection like hers (it seems 

a combination of bravery and heat is the 

trick), but tips like her admonishment to 

cook them only “until just opaque in centre” 

made sure they turned out sweet and succulent, 

especially when set o� with a light 

glaze of the citrus and tarragon sauce. 

In addition to timely menus and food 

ideas, Lucy’s book provides wine tips. Her 

husband, Bruce, “loves wine and has made 

it his avocation. For all our meals we discuss 

what we will drink.… Friends have sought 

his advice for years.” His wine suggestions 

add an extra dimension to the menus. 

�ey both glory in Canada’s culinary contributions. 

While Bruce is extolling the virtues 

of Pinot Gris from British Colombia, or the 

local late autumn Rieslings of Ontario, Lucy is 

remarking on the growing number of Canadian 

artisanal cheeses or the heirloom Brandywine 

tomatoes growing in organic farms. 

So maybe her book won’t divulge all the 

secrets to managing a schedule as intense as 

hers, but it does show how to �ow with the 

seasons and enjoy fully what’s right in front 

of you. If you were to limit yourself to only 

one cookbook this year, this one would still 

have you running the gastronomic gamut. 

JENNIFER GAGEL can be found cooking in the 

kitchen of anyone who will let her. She can be reached 

via jennagagel@gmail.com. 

Cover image credit: Rob Fiocca 

Fiocca


Photo courtesy of Cottage Life Magazine. Photographer: Jim Norton; Food 

Stylist: Ruth Gangbar; Prop Stylist: Laura Branson Recipe courtesy of Lucy 

Waverman, from A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen, Random House Canada, 2009. 

Thai Chicken and Tomato Stew 

�is recipe is “a great favourite” of 

Lucy Waverman, and her personal 

recommendation for eatdrink readers. 

Serves 4 

If you prefer to use boneless chicken breasts instead 

of thighs, cut them into chunks, season and sear for 1 

minute per side before adding to the sauce. Simmer 

the breasts in the sauce for 4 minutes, or until just 

cooked through. 

Serve this with steamed rice. 

3 tbsp (40 mL) vegetable oil 

2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions 

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped garlic 

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped gingerroot 

1 tbsp (15 mL) Thai red curry paste 

1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk 

2 cups (500 mL) chopped canned tomatoes 

½ cup (125 mL) water 

2 tbsp (25 mL) lime juice 

½ tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar 

1½ lb (750 g) skinless, boneless chicken 

thighs, halved 

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

1⁄3 cup (75 mL) chopped fresh coriander 

1 Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium 

heat. Add onions and sauté for 10 minutes, 

or until onions are golden. Stir in garlic, 

ginger and curry paste, season with salt and 

cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. If spices stick, 

reduce heat and add oil if necessary. 

2 Stir in coconut milk, tomatoes, water, lime juice 

and sugar, scraping up any bits from the bottom 

of the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and 

simmer for 10 minutes. 

3 Season chicken with salt and pepper. Stir 

chicken into tomato mixture and cook, covered, 

over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or 

until chicken is just cooked through. Stir in coriander 

just before serving. 

Editor’s note: many thanks to Dominique Fox, of Books for 

Cooks in Covent Garden Market. Dominique came through for 

us when our review copy went astray.


BOOKS 

issue no. 20 

Watching What We Eat 

The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows 

By Darin Cook 

Watching celebrity chefs on the 

Food Network can be as addictive 

as eating your favourite 

meal. Television has brought 

the entertainment value of food from visceral 

to visual, even though it’s paradoxical 

that an entire network serves up mouthwatering 

dishes that viewers will never eat. 

Although it may be a tease, Kathleen Collins 

tells us in her book Watching What We 

Eat (Continuum Books, 2009) that “people 

love to watch cooking, but it does not mean 

they love to cook or that they even do it at 

all.” Collins takes us on a tour of how cooking 

shows have become top-notch entertainment, 

even though they started out as 

instructional programs for housewives, 

and she reveals how 

a combination of 

compelling chefs and 

scrumptious food presentapresenta- DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 

tion keeps us tuning in day after day. 

Preceding any cooking on television, radio 

shows in the 1920s introduced the idea 

of sharing recipes. Betty Crocker (not a real 

person, just the voice of an actress) o�ered 

kitchen tips and dictated recipes over the 

airwaves. �is idea was expanded upon with 

educational cooking shows on television. 

Everyone these days knows of Bobby Flay 

and Rachael Ray, but this book takes us back 

to 1946 when James Beard became the �rst 

professional chef to gain visual exposure on 

a television show called I Love to Eat. Dione


Lucas, a Cordon Bleu trained chef, also began 

airing cooking shows in 1947 with a formality 

that was respectable and informative, 

but not so entertaining. 

Cooking shows in the 1950s gained 

momentum with more candid and lighthearted 

shows to succeed as a viable source 

of entertainment. Chef Milani was 

one of the �rst, in 1949, with the chef 

joined by his whole family on the set 

as they joked around amid the on-air 

food preparation. �en, in 1962, came 

Julia Child with �e French Chef, shifting 

focus so that “much of the food 

prepared on the show was not for 

the homemaker but for people interested 

in what chefs do in restaurants.” Graham 

Kerr became �e Galloping Gourmet in the 

1970s, spreading the gospel of cooking to an 

even wider audience than Julia Child, making 

recipes more accessible to the common 

cook, rather than the trained professional; 

although, like Je� Smith as �e Frugal Gourmet 

in the 1980s, Kerr was criticized for not 

being a true chef. Collins writes, “�ere is 

an expectation, perhaps, that if someone 

is teaching us to cook, they ought to be a 

master. Obviously, however, it has little 

bearing, if any, on the success or popularity 

of a cooking show.” By the end of the 1980s, 

cooking shows transformed food into a 

spectator sport and turned people into foodies. 

Wolfgang Puck popularized designer 

pizzas. Emeril Lagasse started turning it up a 

notch. Chefs with star quality were 

sought after and continue to make 

the Food Network as entertaining as 

it is today. 

Watching What We Eat not only 

gives us a laundry list of celebrity 

chefs, but also an in-depth look at 

television’s in�uence on culture and 

family life. A good portion of Food Network 

viewers may only watch to see culinary 

geniuses with razzle-dazzle knife skills, but 

television has changed our view of food, not 

only entertaining us but also o�ering education 

along the way with practical kitchen 

techniques, nutritional information, and 

try-at-home recipes. 

DARIN COOK keeps himself well read and well fed by 

visiting the bookstores and restaurants of London.


WINE 

Eat Drink Wine Chocolate 

A match made in heaven 

By Rick VanSickle 

Wine and chocolate: they are 

two of life’s greatest pleasures, 

bringing joy to our everyday 

lives. But the two of them 

together? Now that would be heavenly, 

would it not? 

I decided to pair them up with a taste test 

at one of Niagara’s �nest wineries, Konzelmann 

Estate. Konzelmann provided the wine 

and I brought along a brand of chocolate 

called Brix, which is speci�cally and scienti�cally 

designed to match with di�erent wines. 

Herbert Konzelmann, a fourth-generation 

winemaker and the �rst in his family to 

leave Germany in search of the perfect spot 

to plant grapes, founded his 

Konzelmann Estate Winery, Niagara-On-the-Lake 

lakeside winery in Niagaraon-the-Lake 

in 1984. It is one 

of the prettiest properties in 

Niagara, along the shores of 

Lake Ontario, and is a spot 

that reminded him of Alsace, 

France. Not because 

of the scenery, but due 

to the climate, which is 

similar to that of Alsace, 

with a wonderful balance 

of sun, soil, air �ow and 

moisture conditions 

ideal for the production 

of clean, aromatic, delicate 

and fruity wines. 

Konzelmann is up 

for the challenge as 

we gather in the loft 

of his stunning, newly 

renovated estate with 

gorgeous views overlooking 

the vineyards 

and shimmering Lake 

Ontario. He’s like a 

kid in a candy shop, 

proudly pulling out


bottles of his wine for us to 

try and match with the Brix 

chocolate samples brought for 

the experiment. 

Sorting through various 

bottles of many of the 49 different 

wines he crafts, laid out 

on a table, Konzelmann starts 

pouring glass after glass. We 

taste through the wines, 

his eyes lighting up when 

he hits a winner. “Oooh, 

try this. And this,” he repeats, 

as I try to keep up. 

Konzelmann’s tastes are 

obviously still married to 

German-style rieslings and 

Alsatian-style pinot blancs 

and gewürztraminers. But 

he’s also put together a �ne 

program of red wines and 

sweet icewines. 

I’m cutting up pieces of 

Brix chocolate (named 

after the unit of measurement 

for the sweetness of 

grapes). First, we try the extra 

dark with the big Konzelmann 

Winemaster’s Collection Heritage 

2007 red blend, which works well, and next 

with the Konzelmann Cabernet Sauvignon 

Icewine 2007, which is astonishingly good, 

matching sweet red berries to bitter bits of 

dark chocolate. Next up is the medium-dark 

chocolate, which pairs well with Konzelmann 

Shiraz Reserve 2007 and the Konzelmann 

Winemaster’s Collection Merlot 2006. 

�e �nal pairing is with the milk chocolate 

Brix. Herbert suggests we try it with his 

amazing Konzelmann Vidal Icewine 2007, 

which hits all the right notes — honey, 

peach, apricot — and proves a powerful 

matchup of sweet fruit versus creamy chocolate. 

It is delicious. But more impressive still 

is the Winemaster’s Collection Four Generations 

Pinot Noir 2007. A sensational taste 

experience that seamlessly matches with 

milk chocolate. 

Konzelmann wants to go back and try the 

Vidal Icewine with the extra dark chocolate 

and decides that this is the best pairing of 

all. I can’t stop thinking about that dark, 

bold, red-fruit-laden pinot noir with the milk 

chocolate. My, oh my, what a treat. 

Enjoy!


Brix Chocolate 

What: Brix Chocolate, 

sold in eight-ounce 

bricks, meant to be fractured 

like a hard cheese. 

Meaning of Brix comes 

from the term that measures 

the sweetness of 

grapes before harvest. 

Why: Brix is the �rst 

chocolate brand 

speci�cally designed 

to match with wine. 

�ere are three blends 

available — milk, dark 

and extra dark — that 

pair beautifully with 

di�erent styles of wine. 

Brix is formulated using 

the �nest chocolate 

from Ghana. 

Where to buy: Indigo/ 

Chapters and many Niagara wineries, including 

Konzelmann Estate Winery. 

Website: www.brixchocolate.com 

Cost: About $40 for 

three eight-ounce 

bricks. 

Suggested Wine 

Pairings 

Milk Chocolate Brix 

— Designed for lighter 

reds and dessert wines. 

Try with Port, icewine, 

or pinot noir. 

Medium Brix 

— Designed for lighter 

cabernet sauvignons 

and heavier pinot 

noirs. Try with zinfandel, 

syrah, Rhone Valley 

red blends, merlot 

and shiraz. 

Dark Brix 

— Designed to pair 

with big reds such as 

cabernet sauvignon, 

Bordeaux blends and 

syrah. Try with Barolo, 

Bordeaux or California 

cabernet sauvignon. 

issue no. 20 


Konzelmann 

Winery 

Konzelmann wines 

are well represented at 

the LCBO. Here’s one 

to try that’s a�ordable 

and delicious: 

Konzelmann Pinot 

Blanc 2008 ($11) — 

What a great wine with 

refreshing apple fruit 

in an o�-dry style. �e 

sweetness is perfect in 

mouth with balancing 

acidity and citrus-apple 

�avours that linger 

on the palate. 

If you can make it 

down to Niagara, here 

are a couple of wineryonly 

bottles that are highly recommended: 

Konzelmann Winemaster’s Collection 

Gewürztraminer Late 

Harvest 2007 ($17) 

— If you like Alsatian 

gewürztraminer, you 

will love this wine, with 

notes of rose petals, 

grapefruit and subtle 

lychee nuts on the 

highly perfumed nose. 

It’s broad and slightly 

oily on the palate with 

grapefruit, tropical 

fruits and honey on 

the palate, all leading 

to a long �nish. As 

Konzelmann said during 

our tasting, “�is 

wine makes me happy.” 

Couldn’t have said it 

better myself! 

Konzelmann Vidal 

Icewine 2007 ($65 for a 

half bottle) — �e 2006 

version of this wine 

made it to the Wine 

Spectator Top 100 list, 

and was the �rst Canadian 

wine to appear on 

the list. Herbert says 

the 2007 is even better.


It hits all the right notes — honey, peach and 

apricot, all in perfect balance. 

RICK VANSICKLE is an avid wine collector and 

freelance wine writer. He writes a weekly column on 

Niagara wines in the St. Catharines Standard. He can be 

reached at rickwine@hotmail.com. You can also follow 

him on Twitter @rickwine. 

Tips for Matching Chocolate to Wine 

1 Start by tasting the wine, allowing the �avours 

to fully saturate your mouth. Then try 

the chocolate, letting it melt on your tongue. 

Sip the wine again and savour the moment; 

2 The wine you match should be sweeter than 

the chocolate; 

3 Chocolate coats the mouth when you eat it 

so you’ll need a wine that’s big enough to 

cut through the richness; 

4 Try for similar �avours in the wine and the 

chocolate. 

— R.V.


BEER 

�e Year of Beer 

By The Malt Monk 

The year-end holiday 

season is a great time for 

beerophiles to sample 

the seasonal winter 

o�erings of our local craft brewers 

and to stock up on seasonal imports 

we won’t see any other time of year. 2009 

was a year of steady industry growth — of 

brand and style expansion — for Ontario’s 

craft brewers. Six new microbrewers have 

opened, and there have been dozens of new 

well-crafted beers made available for retail. 

More cafés and restaurants are working craft 

beer onto their menus and into their cuisine. 

�is is encouraging, as it indicates Ontario’s 

craft beer culture is becoming more established, 

maturing in its tastes and expecting 

more quality crafted beer. To celebrate the 

achievements and milestones of our local 

growing craft beer culture, I humbly submit 

my nominations for “Year’s Best Awards” in 

the local craft beer community. 

Best Domestic Import 

Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel (LCBO 125401). 

Demand has �nally made this Quebec 

microbrewed elixir available in Ontario. 

One of Canada’s highest rated 

beers, Péché Mortel (French 

for “Mortal Sin”) is a no-compromise 

deep dark intense 

double stout with rich roastyco�ee 

tones. You’d never 

guess the “sin” is its 9.5% abv, 

which is totally hidden in 

this stout’s exquisitely rich 

�avour. 

Best US Micro- 

Brewed Import Brooklyn 

Black Chocolate Stout 

(LCBO 95034). Long anticipated, 

this award-winning 

highly rated US craft Stout 

is available in this market. 

�e attributes that set this 

stout apart are the intensity 

of the cocoa/roasty 

�avour and the decadent 

issue no. 20 


silky-smooth mouth 

feel. Rich, intense and 

warming, an excellent 

stout to savour, to 

cellar or to light up your 

beer cuisine. 

Best Euro Import 

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel 

(LCBO 125435). From the oldest working 

brewery in the world (where beer has been 

brewed since before the Crusades) comes the 

original and authentic German wheat ale. �is 

dark version (“Dunkel”) adds the lush tones of 

toasty malt and cocoa to the clove and allspice 

notes of the hefeweiss. �is is the universal 

standard for the style. 

Best Locally Brewed Seasonal 

O�ering 

Creemore KellerBier (LCBO 134148). I know 

I’ll catch �ack from other beer geeks for this 

choice, as they no longer consider Creemore 

to be a microbrewer. However, I chose it 

anyway because this is the �rst appearance 

of this great under-appreciated German style 

in this market. I personally prefer un�ltered 

lagers, but many casual beer consumers don’t 

like a cloudy beer. It took guts for Creemore to 

risk marketing commercial quantities of this 

style in an untried market but I’m glad they 

did. It was deeply �avourful and authentically 

soft-palated but hoppy, well made from 

top-notch imported malts and hops. I was 

happily sipping away on this fantastic beer all 

summer. I hope they make it again next year. 

Best New IPA 

Michael Duggan’s Number 9 IPA (Available 

at the Cool Beer brewery store or better 

beer bars). Winner of the Ontario Cask IPA 

Challenge, this brew won out over all the best 

locally crafted IPAs. Beer geeks will recognise 

Michael Duggan as one of the founders of the 

Mill Street Brewery and as an accomplished 

and well-respected craft brewer. He has 

plans for a new brewery opening soon, but 

is currently working out of Cool Brewing in 

Etobicoke. We can hardly wait for “Duggan’s 

Brewery” to open, if this Number 9 ale is any


»» eatdrink.ca


indication of the o�erings. Number 9 is a 

copper-orange ale with a meringue-like 

head and pungent malt and hop aromas; 

bready, doughy, to�ee, �oral, citrus, 

grassy — but the thing that makes it 

stand out, and why I chose it as best 

IPA, is seldom do you get an ale this 

intense with such precise balance. 

Best Beer Selection 

Chancey Smith’s (130 King Street, London). 

With a great location right beside 

the John Labatt Centre, Mike Smith 

has a great little bistro and beer bar 

here. Chancey Smith’s has an appealingly 

relaxed retro ambience, [see the 

pro�le of Chancey’s in this issue], and 

is replete with a bar, dining room and 

large patio. But the real attraction here 

for yours truly is the great beer selection. 

Besides domestic premium taps, 

there is a constantly rotating variety 

of local microbeers and exceptional 

imports on tap. In the cooler, there 

are 100 or more di�erent bottled craft 

beers from all over the world, with an emphasis 

on the classic Belgian styles and soughtafter 

microbeers. 

Milos Kral, Chancey’s manager, talks of 

wanting to expand the beer café theme by 

getting more of these great beers into the cuisine 

and expanding the tap handle selection. 

I enjoyed a fresh draft of German Oktoberfest 

Marzen and the house’s delicious specialty 

corned beef dinner the last time I dropped 

in. �e time before, I had a Trappist dubbel 

ale with a slice of Espresso Crème 

Brulé. �is is the appeal of Chancey’s: 

a large, constantly rotating 

variety of craft beers to pair with a 

decently varied menu. �is is London’s 

own beer bistro. 

Best Innovative Marketing 

Flying Monkeys Brewery 

“Hoptical Illusion”(LCBO 132670). 

Peter Chiodo over at Barrie’s 

Robert Simpson craft brewery has done a 

bang-up job in transitioning the brewery into 

a more freestyle West Coast type microbrew 

market. Redubbed “Flying Monkeys Craft 

Brewery,” this portion of the operation will 

produce more free-form beers that defy style 

restrictions and may appeal to the person who 

likes more eclectic West Coast microbrews. 

�e �rst o�ering, “Hoptical Illusion,” is a 

great amber-coloured pale ale with some big, 

issue no. 20 


layered malt �avour and bright sassy hop 

bite — it de�es the two-dimensional pale ale 

style so it is trademarked as an “almost pale 

ale.” �e marketing is an eye-catching 

neo-psychedelic theme and graphics. 

Certainly a welcome break from the 

conventional cautious restrained marketing 

of the local craft brewing industry. 

Although the packaging may lead one to 

believe this is some over-the-top beer, it 

is actually very �avourful, approachable 

and great for sessions in front of a 

CFL game. A second o�ering, branded 

as “Netherworld India Pale Porter,” is in 

the works and will certainly be another 

must-try beer for the winter season. 

Best Draft Beer Delivery 

Systems Innovation 

Flying Monkeys “Hopapotamonkey.” 

Peter Chiodo is at it again, this time 

inventing a canister device that sits 

in the tap line between the draft beer 

keg and the tap. It’s an in-line infuser 

which runs the forced draft beer 

[Hoptical Illusion] over a bed of hop cones, 

infusing more hop aromatics into the beer 

just before it hits the mug. Kudos, Peter! 

�at’s a �rst in this market and beer fans 

salute you for it. I hope to see one of these in 

more bars serving your ales. 

Best Cask-Conditioned Beer Variety 

�e King Edward, Ilderton. Rich, at the King 

Eddie pub in Ilderton, continues to run with 

the hand-drawn cask-conditioned beer trend 

by o�ering a constantly revolving 

array of special one-o� cask beers 

along with the great cask ales from 

Neustadt, Grand River, Fuller’s, 

and other local brewers. It takes 

passion for real beer to do what 

the Eddie does in a market that 

is not too familiar with authentic 

pub ale or cask-conditioned beer. 

Bravo King Eddie, keep the real ale 

culture alive. 

Best Long-Awaited News 

Denison’s Wheat Beer (hefeweiss) in 

cans at the LCBO (LCBO #132480). Fans 

of this world-class Weissbier have been 

begging Michael Hancock, the brewer of 

this multiaward-winning German-style 

wheat ale, to make it available for home 

consumption. Previously it was only available 

at select beer bars on tap, Denison’s is


now available in 473 mL cans. Many thanks, 

Michael! Happy beer geeks can now qua� 

a spicy Denison’s at their family room Grey 

Cup parties. 

Best New Taste 

Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 2009, wet hop harvest 

ale. (LCBO 157784 – 650 mL bottle). A hat 

tip to Mike Arnold at Trafalgar Ales for taking 

the leap and producing a real “wet hop” 

harvest ale, a �rst in this market. A small explanation: 

“wet hop” ales are ales made with 

freshly harvested (not dried or pelletized) 

green hop cones. Harvest ale is made once 

a year at hop harvest time with green whole 

cone hops usually picked the day the ale is 

brewed. �e idea is to create a super-fresh 

beer where all the hop �avours are bright 

and vibrant before natural oxidation removes 

much of this in a dried hop. 

Wet hop ales have been enjoying phenomenal 

popularity, and the best ones are naturally 

from brewers in the large hop-growing 

regions of the Paci�c Northwest. Our local 

market has not had a wet hop harvest beer 

because our hop industry was destroyed by 

a blight in the 40s and is just starting to make 

a resurgence — driven by local craft brewing 

demand. Supplies are limited. So my respect 

goes out to Trafalgar for making this wet 

hop ale the right way: sourcing locally grown 

hops, getting them harvested and into the 

beer the same day, then getting the �nished 

beer to market fast enough to ensure this ale 

is as fresh as possible. 

�e e�ort was de�nitely worth it. I rate this 

the best beer ever from this brewer. If you 

were thinking this is some over-the-top microbrewed 

hop bomb like the West Coast wet 

hop ales, think again. Trafalgar Hop Nouveau 

is an un�ltered pleasant pale ale. Aroma has 

bright notes of succulent fruits and citrus peel 

over caramel-cereal undertones with a faint 

earthiness. You taste fresh gristed pale malts 

meeting fresh hop cone aromatics, like exotic 

fruit with a light grapefruit rind bite, over 

dulcet biscuit dough... quenching, demure 

character…wet, bright citrus-resinous �nish. 

Very fresh tasting, approachable and thirst 

slaking. Perhaps next year other local brewers 

may follow Trafalgar’s lead and make a wet 

hop harvest ale, but it will still be Trafalgar 

that broke trail on this popular new style. 

THE MALT MONK is the alter ego of D.R. Hammond, 

a passionate supporter of craft beer culture.


THE LIGHTER SIDE 

The word restaurant comes from the 

French verb restaurer — to restore. A 

place to go and be restored, not only 

with food and maybe wine, but also 

with friendship, goodwill and good times. 

Why then did the two sides of “the troubles”* 

in Ireland target so many pubs, restaurants 

and hotels? Without getting too deeply into 

the philosophic reasons why anyone would 

want to bomb another human 

being, the answer, to a large part, 

was the sectarian nature of Northern 

Ireland. 

Many of the buildings 

bombed were neighbourhood 

places patronized by one particular 

religion or group. �e 

toll was devastating, not only 

in the bombing itself, but on 

the whole psyche of the population. 

Some of the worst attacks were 

on McGurk’s Bar in 1971 (15 people killed, 17 

injured), the Mulberry Bush Pub in 1974 (21 

people killed, 182 injured) and the La Mon 

Hotel in 1978 (12 people burned to death, 

30 injured, by an incendiary device). Still, 

throughout all this destruction, life went on. 

�e indestructible Irish spirit (and some 

40-proof spirit) was not broken. 

In 1969, I started work at Dunadry Inn in 

Temple Patrick. It was an old mill owned 

by an eccentric man called Paddy Falloon, 

and was not only beautiful to behold but 

set the standard for food. It was also sta�ed 

with a lot of good-looking debutantes from 

England. �ere were sta� quarters near the 

hotel, as it was quite remote, and I “heard” 

there were many sta� parties. 

At the time, I had a motorbike and would 

travel home each night after work. One late 

night, the roads were quiet and I was going 

at a fair speed. Suddenly, someone shone a 

�ashlight at me. It was one of the frequent 

army checkpoints, which would appear at 

issue no. 20 

A Cook’s Life: Part IV 

Nobody Knows the Troubles I’ve Seen 

By David Chapman 


random. With visions of being shot for failing 

to stop, I braked hard and come to a stop 

just in time. It is unnerving to be questioned 

with a ri�e pointed at you — especially when 

that person is younger than you are. 

�is was all part and parcel of life during 

the troubles. Every place of business 

usually had a security person at the door to 

check purses and pat you down. When 

people complain about security at 

airports since 9/11, I think back to 

how everyone in Ireland had to go 

through worse just to get a pint 

of milk. 

On the lighter side, the 

Dunadry chef was English 

and the manager was German. 

Perhaps they didn’t 

know the Second World War 

was over, because they hated 

each other. Getting into the kitchen during 

service was di�cult, as a table was put 

across the entrance to hold extra plates. Yet 

each night, the manager would squeeze 

through this gap to speak to the chef. 

When Chef was in a foul mood one night 

(it happens), he decided to take it out on 

the manager. He spread a thin layer of butter 

along the edge of the table. When the 

manager squeezed through, he got a nice 

stripe of butter on the back of his suit. No 

one said a word, but he never squeezed 

through again. 

* A long period of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, referred 

to as “the Troubles,” began in the 1960s and formally ended with the 

Belfast Agreement in 1998. 

DAVID CHAPMAN has been a creative and respected 

�xture in the London restaurant scene for over 20 years. He is 

the proprietor of David’s Bistro and manages The Katana Kafe.


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Online 

Bonus 

Recipes 

�

WEB2 www.eatdrink.ca 

ONLINE BONUS 

Purée Palestine 

(Jerusalem Artichoke Soup) 

Makes about 6 servings 

PURÉE 

½ cup (125 mL) butter 

½ cup (125 mL) onion, sliced 

½ cup (125 mL) celery root, cut into ½-inch dice 

2 lbs (1 Kg) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled & sliced 

About 6 cups (1.5 L) light chicken stock 

Salt 

GARNISH 

Parsnip chips 

Chive 

1 Preparing the Purée: 

In a large saucepan, melt ¼ cup (50 mL) of butter 

over medium-low heat; add onion and celery 

root; cook until softened but not coloured. Add 

Jerusalem artichokes, about half the stock, season; 

bring to a simmer, and cook until Jerusalem 

artichokes are tender. 

2 Pour soup into blender, blend until smooth; pass 

through �ne sieve into clean saucepan. If necessary, 

adjust consistency with remaining stock. 

3 Serving the Purée: 

Gently heat soup, check seasoning. Add remaining 

butter, bit by bit, to glaze and enrich soup. 

Ladle into shallow warm soup bowls. Serve 

immediately, garnished with parsnip chips and 

chives. 

Recipe courtesy of: 

Auguste Esco�er, The Esco�er Cookbook: A Guide to 

The Fine Art of French Cookery, (1975), Crown. 

issue no. 20 

Winter Recipe 

A Stratford Chefs School Favourite 

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010 issue no. 20 www.eatdrink.ca WEB3 

ONLINE BONUS 



Corn Fritters 

with Tomato Relish 

Serves 6-8 

CORN FRITTERS 

3 ears of corn, shucked 

1 egg 

½ cup milk 

1⁄3 cup stone ground grits 

2 tablespoons baking powder 

2-3 tablespoons �our 

2-3 green onions, sliced 

2-3 dashes hot sauce 

Canola oil 

1 Cut corn kernels o� the cob, and scrape the cob 

to extract the corn milk. 

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and 

milk until combined. 

3 Add the grits, baking powder and �our. 

4 Add the corn, corn milk, green onions, and a few 

dashes of Tabasco. 

5 Pour canola oil into a nonstick skillet just to 

cover bottom of pan, and heat over medium 

heat until hot. Drop batter into hot skillet by 

the tablespoon. Fry on both sides until golden 

brown. Remove from pan, and pat o� excess oil 

on paper towels. Lightly sprinkle salt over fritters, 

and serve with tomato relish. 

TOMATO RELISH 

½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered 

1 onion, diced 

1 clove garlic, grated 

½ cup sugar 

½ cup cider vinegar 

1 Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Cook 

over low heat until reduced and syrupy. Season 

with salt and pepper. Let cool. 

Tips: 

The batter will be thin and runny at �rst, but will 

�rm up as soon as you drop it into the hot skillet. 


Danielle Wecksler, Charleston Cooks! General 

Manager/Culinary Director 

Maverick Southern Kitchens 

(843) 722-1212 

www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com

WEB4 www.eatdrink.ca 

ONLINE BONUS 

7-8 slices bacon 

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin, silver skin removed 

Stone Ground Mustard, about 1 cup 

Olive oil 

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2 Place the bacon in a cold sauté pan and cook on 

medium heat until the bottom is dark brown. 

Remove from the pan. 

3 Rub the pork tenderloin with enough mustard 

to lightly coat the entire tenderloin. Sprinkle 

with salt and pepper to taste. Note: Be more 

generous with the pepper than salt. The bacon 

contains the majority of the salt needed to season 

the pork. 

4 Lay the bacon slices on a cutting board cooked 

side up. Place the pork tenderloin at the end of 

the slices perpendicularly to the way the strips 

are laying. 

5 Roll the tenderloin in the bacon strips. 

6 Lay the wrapped tenderloin on a baking sheet 

bacon ends down. 

7 Roast until desired internal temperature is 

reached. 

8 Remove from oven and allow the meat to rest 

5-7 minutes before slicing. 

TIPS 

Pork: Medium Rare: 145-150°F 

Medium: 150-155°F 

Medium Well: 160- 165°F 

Well Done: 170°F and above 

issue no. 20 



Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin 

with Bourbon Sauce 


BOURBON SAUCE 

Olive oil, about 1/8 cup 

1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced 

1 small apple, such as granny smith, peeled, 

cored, and julienned 

1 cup bourbon 

1 cup strong beef or chicken stock 

2 teaspoons honey 

1 Heat a pan over medium heat. When the pan is 

hot, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the 

pan. When the oil is hot, add the onion to the 

pan and cook onion until it is translucent. 

2 Remove the pan from the heat; add the apples 

and the bourbon. Scrape up any brown bits 

from the bottom of the pan, and return the pan 

to the heat. Cook sauce until it is thickened and 

syrupy. 

3 Stir in the brown stock and honey. Season to 

taste with salt and pepper. 


Danielle Wecksler, Charleston Cooks! General 

Manager/Culinary Director 

Maverick Southern Kitchens 

(843) 722-1212 

www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com

Charleston Cooks! - eatdrink Magazine

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