Eatdrink Waterloo & Wellington #1 June/July 2018

Issue #W1 | June/July 2018 

FREE 

eatdrink 

The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine 

Our 

Premiere 

Issue 

for Kitchener, 

Waterloo, Cambridge, 

Guelph & Area 

The Lancaster 

Smokehouse 

Barbecue & Blues 

FOOD DAY CANADA 

A Conversation with 

Anita Stewart 

& Chefs Jason Bangerter, 

Arron Carley, Benjamin Lillico, 

Brian McCourt & Eric Neaves 

FEATURING 

Little Louie’s Burger Joint 

& Soupery 

Retro, Refreshed, in Cambridge 

Rosé-Coloured Glasses 

The Trending Wine for Summer 

Let’s Get Grilling 

Recipes from The Cooking Ladies 

Serving Waterloo Region & Wellington County 

www.eatdrink.ca

2 | June/July 2018 — Premiere Issue 

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Our town sounds as 

beautiful as it looks 

Discover Stratford’s Summer Music 

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The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine 

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@eatdrinkmag 

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Think Global. Read Local. 

Publisher 

Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca 

Managing Editor Cecilia Buy – cbuy@eatdrink.ca 

Food Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca 

Editorial Consultant Andrew Coppolino 

Copy Editor Kym Wolfe 

Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca 

Advertising Sales Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca 

Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca 

Stacey McDonald – stacey@eatdrink.ca 

Terry Lynn “TL” Sim – TL@eatdrink.ca 

Finances 

Ann Cormier – finance@eatdrink.ca 

Graphics 

Chris McDonell, Cecilia Buy 

Writers 

Jane Antoniak, Darin Cook, Andrew 

Coppolino, Mark Kearney, Gary 

Killops, Bryan Lavery, George Macke, 

Chris McDonell, Tracy Turlin 

Photographers Steve Grimes, Nick Lavery 

Telephone & Fax 519-434-8349 

Mailing Address 525 Huron Street, London ON N5Y 4J6 

Website 

City Media 

Printing 

Sportswood Printing 

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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 printed circulation of 20,000 

issues published six times annually. The views or opinions expressed 

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Eatdrink or online are solely those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily represent those of the Publisher. The Publisher welcomes 

submissions but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material. 

OUR COVER 

eatdrink.ca 

A generous 

barbecue meat 

platter from 

The Lancaster 

Smokehouse 

includes ribs, 

beef brisket, 

chicken wings 

and sides of grits, beans and cornbread. 

Photo courtesy The Lancaster Smokehouse 

The Ultimate Family Fun Weekend 

Ontario Garlic & Artisan Market 

featuring over 60 vendors 

• Exclusive Tastings pairing artisanal 

cheeses with wines, beers and spirits 

• Cooking Demonstrations 

• Educational Forums 

• Live Entertainment 

September 8th & 9th 

Stratford Rotary Complex, 353 McCarthy Road 

Admission $10/day or $15 for 2-day pass 

Children 12 & under free 

Free parking and bike valet service 

SOILED REPUTATION 

TEMPTATIONS FROM THE GARDEN 

Growing the highest quality 

certified organic vegetables 

for restaurants and homes 

for over 25 years 

519-393-6497 

www.soiledreputation.com 

RR#1 Sebringville ON

Contents 

Premiere Issue | #W1 | June/July 2018 

Publisher’s Notes 

Beer 

Local Commitments 

Welcome to Eatdrink! 

By CHRIS McDONELL 

6 

33 

A Toast to Spring 

A Shoulder Season Six-Pack 

By GEORGE MACKE 

33 

Food Writer at Large 

Food Day Canada 2018 

A Conversation with Anita Stewart 

By BRYAN LAVERY 

8 

8 

Wine 



By GARY KILLOPS 

36 

Restaurants 

Barbecue and Blues 

The Lancaster Smokehouse 

By ANDREW COPPOLINO 

14 

Retro, Refreshed 

Little Louie’s Burger Joint & Soupery 


18 

Culinary Retail 

Dealing With Dragons 

truLOCAL Focuses on the 

Meat of the Matter 


22 

The BUZZ 

14 

18 

40 

22 

Books 

Foodie Fiction: Beach Reads 

Novels about Food, Kitchens, 

Chefs & Restaurants 

Reviews by DARIN COOK 

40 

Recipes 

Let's Get Grilling 

by Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay 

Review & Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN 

42 

The Lighter Side 

Food for Comfort 

By MARK KEARNEY 

46 

Culinary Community Notes 

26 

36 

42

Eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine 

Looking to renovate, rejuvenate or restore? Let us reveal the 

creative process and introduce inspired ideas to help… 

Give your dreams a place to live. 

25 Manitou Dr #2G, Kitchener 

519-893-4050 

www.briconcontracting.com 

info@briconcontracting.com 

149 Manitou Dr, Kitchener 

519-894-1991 

www.kwcountertop.com 

info@kwcountertop.com 

44 Otonabee Dr, Kitchener 

519-741-1500 

www.blackstonecabinetry.ca 

blackstonecabinetry@gmail.com



Publisher’s Notes 

Local Commitments 

Welcome to Eatdrink 


This issue of Eatdrink has been 

percolating for a number of years. It 

is truly exciting to see our Waterloo 

Region & Wellington County edition 

finally come to fruition. We will be publishing 

a new issue every other month, distributed 

in print throughout this region and available 

everywhere online. For those of you who are 

getting your first glimpse of our magazine, 

we have been publishing in London, Stratford 

and a large swath of Southwestern Ontario 

— between Goderich on Lake Huron and 

Port Stanley on Lake Erie — for more than a 

decade. In that time, we have celebrated a rich 

treasure trove of local chefs and restaurants, 

farmers and artisans of every stripe, wineries, 

breweries, distilleries and so many facets of 

food and drink. Our goal, with the help of 

local friends and experts, is to do the same 

here. It is crystal clear that 

there is no shortage of good 

stories to tell, and I believe 

we're well on our way with this issue. 

Andrew Coppolino has crossed paths with 

members of our Eatdrink team over the years, 

and made strong and positive impressions. His 

ongoing work publishing WaterlooRegionEats. 

com stands out, and we are looking for exactly 

that kind of inquisitive and entertaining 

writing that promotes local food culture. I was 

thrilled that Andrew was open to working with 

us, and you'll see his first contributions in two 

restaurant profiles in this issue. Perhaps less 

obvious is his work with our Buzz column, 

which serves as our clearinghouse for all sorts 

of culinary news and tidbits. This compilation 

is actually a group effort, but we wouldn't take 

this task on without local people on the ground 

on behalf of this magazine. 

I will be clear that we have an agenda. We 

promote restaurants and encourage dining 

out. We like businesses that support local 

suppliers. We advocate buying quality food 

and beverages for home consumption. We 

believe that a strong, local and sustainable 

eatdrink.ca 

food system is integral to our physical health 

and our economic well-being. Knowing where 

our food comes from makes sense, on local 

and global levels and encourages responsible 

stewardship of our land and resources. 

Getting to the farm gate and buying directly 

isn't feasible for everyone, sellers or buyers. 

Farmers' markets are wonderful, and there are 

many other purveyors that connect us with 

farmers, fishers, coffee growers and the like in 

positive ways. We are glad to support them. 

I should add that local and ethically-sourced 

food usually tastes better! The thought that 

goes into the process also tends to encourage 

creativity, and innovators excite us too. But 

sometimes simplicity and traditional methods 

are just perfect. We celebrate all of that. 

Eatdrink does not publish reviews. We write 

about businesses we like and ignore the rest. 

That said, our resources are 

finite and we can only fit so 

many stories into an issue. If 

you are doing good things, you are on our list 

of potential stories for future issues. We look 

forward to a longstanding relationship with 

our readers, and our advertisers. We do NOT 

sell our stories. If we lose the trust of our 

readers, they are gone, and in a short time, we 

will be gone too. We look forward to creating 

thousands of new fans, and being here for a 

long time. And we are so pleased to get started! 

We also are far more than the magazine 

that you are holding in your hand. If you are 

reading this online, you know that already. 

Our website includes everything we print, 

and more. Stories are easy to share, and we 

keep an extensive inventory of back issues 

available, in full. We are also very active on 

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please join 

us there. We look forward to you being part of 

the Eatdrink conversation. 

CHRIS McDONELL founded Eatdrink in 2007.


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Food Writer at Large 

Food Day Canada 2018 


By BRYAN LAVERY 

Anita Stewart is the University 

of Guelph’s first food laureate, 

president of Food Day Canada, a 

cookbook author, and a culinary 

activist. She has been highlighting the 

diversity of Canadian terroir with Food 

Day Canada, an annual celebration of our 

homegrown cuisine. The first event was held 

on August 2nd, 2003, when Stewart 

launched The World’s Longest 

Barbecue to support the cattle 

and beef industry, which had 

been affected by cross border 

sanctions due specifically to the 

BSE crisis (mad cow disease). 

The event was larger and more 

widespread than anyone could have 

imagined, with participants from across 

Canada, as well as Canadians living abroad. 

Since then Food Day Canada has evolved into 

an annual mid-summer celebration held on 

the Saturday of the August long weekend. 

Some of my favourite restaurants participate, 

like The Rich Uncle Tavern, Fork and Cork, 

Bauer Kitchen and Borealis Grille & Bar 

in Kitchener, Langdon Hall in Cambridge, 

Miijidaa, Borealis Grille & Bar and The Wooly 

(Woolwich Arrow Pub) in Guelph, Buca, 

Boralia and Edulis in Toronto, and The Red 

Rabbit, The Bruce and Mercer Kitchen in 

Stratford, and Abruzzi in London. Here is 

a brief look at a few participating Food Day 

Canada chefs. 

Three years ago chef Eric Neaves, a graduate 

of Stratford Chefs School, met Robert and 

Dorota Zablocki, who convinced him and his 

wife to quit their jobs in London and head 

for K-W to open what would become the 

farm-to-table inspired, 200-seat 

Fork and Cork. Neaves’ annual 

Taste the Season 4-course tasting 

menu is terroir-driven and runs 

for the three weeks leading up to 

Food Day Canada. After meeting 

Anita Stewart in Stratford Neaves 

became an advocate for Food Day, 

and this will be his fourth Food Day 

Canada menu, an accomplishment of which he 

is proud. Chef has been focusing on shifting 

the concept of what a ‘proper plate’ should look 

like. He has been bringing more vegetables to 

the forefront on his menus since his daughter 

was born. Last year he planted 15 kinds of 

vegetables (including six tomato varietals), 

four kinds of berries, and about 20 different 

herbs. Digging in his backyard garden is part of 

his love of everything food and has deepened 

his understanding of what a healthy ecosystem 

looks like. Neaves tells me the concept of a 

Canadian restaurant is something we are all 

continuing to define and evolve. 

Chef Benjamin Lillico of The Rich Uncle 

Tavern and Chef Brian McCourt, Culinary 

Director of The Rich Uncle Tavern and of 

Graffiti Market in Kitchener, share an ethical 

and sustainable culinary philosophy, caring 

about the provenance of food and the way it 

is grown or raised. Lillico was named to the 

Ontario Hostelry Institute’s Top 30 Under 30 

in 2015 and captained Junior Culinary Team 

Canada at the 2016 Culinary Olympics in 

Chef Eric Neaves of Fork and Cork

Chef Benjamin Lillico of The Rich Uncle Tavern 

Photo: Revel Photography 

Erfurt, Germany. He joined The Berlin (now 

The Rich Uncle Tavern) from Langdon Hall. The 

new iteration pays homage to the brasseries 

and taverns of yesteryear with menus 

focused on live-fire fare and shareable snacks. 

Lillico’s menus are based on the availability 

of the best fresh and local ingredients from 

small, innovative farms and top-quality food 

producers. Chef McCourt has been involved 

in Food Day Canada for the past three years; 

while up at Oviinbyrd in Muskoka they ran a 

five-course tasting menu that was all sourced 

locally. Last year at Bauer Kitchen they featured 

a menu that was based around farmers and 

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Chef Brian McCourt of The Rich Uncle Tavern 

Photo: Revel Photography 

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farmers’ markets in the area. This year The Rich 

Uncle Tavern will be doing something similar, 

but elevated, running a week-long menu with 

the option to have a five-course tasting menu. 

The chefs are excited to dig into Food Day 

Canada and create something meaningful for 

the K-W area this year. 

Jason Bangerter, Executive Chef at 

Langdon Hall, is an influential culinary 

maverick on the national cooking stage, with 

international credentials, and is a dedicated 

advocate for sustainability and seafood 

conservation. Bangerter cemented his 

reputation at the Auberge du Pommier in midtown 

Toronto, and later at the O&B Canteen 

and LUMA at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. In 2015 

Bangerter was awarded the International 

Rising Chef Award from the illustrious Relais 

& Châteaux. Named Best Farm to Table Chef 

2017 by Canada’s 100 Best, Bangerter is wellknown 

for his terroir-driven Ontario cuisine, 

using the estate’s acreage as inspiration for 

the seasonal menus. Langdon Hall is Feast 

ON certified and 80% of its products come 

from Ontario. This is complemented by an 

extensive wine cellar. Wine is a large part of 

the restaurant’s credo and prestige, with over 

1,000 VQA and globally-sourced bottles on 


What does being the first-ever food laureate at 

the University of Guelph mean to you, and what 

responsibility do you feel that it entails? 

Anita Stewart (AS): Firstly, it’s an honour 

to hold the title. The responsibility to tell the 

University’s story in the larger Canadian context 

is very real. No matter where a person eats, 

there’s a U of G food story nearby, whether it’s 

that honey you like on your buttered toast, or 

the ketchup on your grilled sausage. 

Can you tell us about the Culinary Archives at 

Guelph University and how the McLaughlin Library 

Canadian Culinary Arts Collection came to be? 

AS: The Culinary Archives really began with 

an enormous donation of cookbooks from the 

late Una Abrahamson who was once a food 

editor. She was a serious collector and some 

of her books are irreplaceable. That was the 

foundation, but since then other food writers/ 

scholars have donated their archives, letters 

and cookbooks... hundreds of them. They are 

an incredible resource for anyone studying 

food/agriculture/cultural history. 

What role did you play as culinary advisor to the 

Governor General? 

AS: We developed The Nation’s Table Awards 

a few years ago when Michaëlle Jean and 

Jean-Daniel Lafond were at Rideau Hall. Only 

one set of awards was presented before Their 

Excellencies returned to private life and since 

then no one has picked up the challenge. Pity! 

Despite your many contributions to the Canadian 

culinary culture and narrative, were you surprised 

to be named to the Order of Canada in 2012? 

AS: Absolutely! I felt like I needed to pinch 

myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It was 

amazing, and to be in the company of some 

of the others, who I admire so much, like Paul 

Martin and Scotty Bowman and Eric Peterson, 

was absolutely incredible. 

How would you like to see Food Day Canada 

evolve in the future? 

AS: I’d like it to be more inclusive. Our chefs are 

brand advocates for local ingredients and I know 

that Canada is already celebrating them on that 

weekend since the harvest is in everywhere. 

What do you think is the best way for people 

to understand and articulate the concept of a 

Canadian cuisine? 

AS: It begins in the farms, forests and oceans 

and ends on our tables when we use these 

ingredients in our own special fashion ... be 

it an Italian pasta or Indian dhal or good oldfashioned 

British roast beef. 

After authoring numerous cookbooks, do you have 

something new on the horizon? 

AS: On May 16 we are heading to the 

Beard House to cook in 

Manhattan. That’s taking 

up a lot of my energy. 

Mind you, I’m always 

dreaming. 

This is Food Day’s 

15th anniversary ... 

you’ll remember 

it began in 

2003 with the 

World’s Longest 

Barbecue. So 

this year it’ll 

be a reunion 

of sorts and an 

anniversary party.

Eatdrink: Executive Chef The Jason Local Bangerter Food & Drink of Langdon Magazine Hall 

its extensive list. Langdon Hall was recently 

named No. 5 in the 2018 list of Canada’s 100 

Best Restaurants. 

On his involvement with Food Day Canada 

and its evolution over the last few years 

Bangerter says, “I have always had a soft spot 

for Anita Stewart. She is a true pilgrim of 

Canadian food and food history. I was 

one of the first chefs to participate and 

proud to do so. I have been fortunate 

to receive a gold award each year for 

my menu. More chefs have come 

to participate over the years and I 

believe the country as a whole has 

really embraced the event and what 

it stands for. The last few years I have 

been invited with the other gold award 

winners to cook at the James Beard 

House in NYC, showcasing a menu 

featuring a taste from each winning 

chef. It is a wonderful collaboration 

of Canadian talent boasting beautiful 

ingredients, spirits, wines and beer from 

our nation. In 2016, three Canadian Relais 

& Chateaux property chefs were gold award 

recipients. In 2017 we collaborated on a 

combined menu for Food Day Canada, each 

of us serving the same menu featuring each 

other’s dishes: In British Columbia at the 

Wickininnish Inn, in Quebec at Manoir Hovey, 

and in Ontario at Langdon Hall. Food Day 

Canada not only encourages Canadians to 

source and cook Canadian ingredients, but it 

encourages Canadians to look at new Canadian 

foods and to learn and cook together. It is an 

inspiring, powerful movement”. 

Premiere Issue — June/July 2018 | 11 

Chef Arron Carley of The Bruce Hotel 

in Stratford is another proponent of Food 

Day Canada. He originally heard about the 

movement through a friend. Carley has been 

on mission to imbue and personalize the 

Canadian culinary landscape with his own 

style and a narrative receptive to the local 

terroir and seasons. About his and chef Gilead 

Rosenberg’s mission to reimagine Canadian 

cuisine by redefining and reinterpreting 

“Canadiana” on their own terms, Carley says 

that he believes every day is Food Day at The 

Bruce. “I know that it sounds corny, but it’s 

true. Every day we celebrate the landscape 

of this beautiful nation and strive to use 

and showcase more organic and local foods. 

It’s our ethos to try to only use Canadian 

ingredients, and we have stayed that course 

for almost three years. We still have so 

much undiscovered territory and endless 

opportunity in Canada.” 

Food Day Canada will be held this year 

on Saturday, August 3. It is an opportunity 

for Canadians from coast to coast to coast 

to come together in a national collective 

celebration to showcase our time-honoured 

culinary traditions and the rich culinary 

Executive Chef Arron Carley of The Bruce Hotel in Stratford 

Photo Nick Lavery 

heritage. The goal as stated by Food Day 

Canada “is primarily for celebrating, 

appreciating, and supporting local farmers, 

fishers, food producers, chefs and researchers 

and, above all, our home cook.” 

Eatdrink Food Editor and Writer at Large BRYAN 

LAVERY brings years of experience in the restaurant 

and hospitality industry, as a chef, restaurant owner and 

consultant. Always on the lookout for the stories that 

Eatdrink should be telling, he helps shape the magazine 

both under his byline and behind the scenes.

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Restaurants 

Barbecue and Blues 

The Lancaster Smokehouse in Kitchener 



A 

12-seat restaurant in an 

unassuming strip plaza in 

north Waterloo, started in 

2009 led to the development 

of one of Southwestern Ontario’s 

premier barbecue and blues venues. The 

Lancaster Smokehouse in Kitchener’s 

Bridgeport neighbourhood was the 

brainchild of barbecue aficionado Chris 

Corrigan, founder and CEO of The 

Lancaster Co. Group of Companies. 

Corrigan left the world of office 

equipment behind him to test his mettle 

in the smoky, carbonized pit-master 

realm of competition barbecue in the 

2000s. It turned out he was pretty darn 

good and won some gold. That success 

inspired Corrigan and his wife Cathy 

to put their hearts and souls — and 

smokers — into a bricks-and-mortar 

business, and Waterloo’s Hog Tails Bar-B-Que 

was born. They sold Hog Tails in 2015 (it has 

since closed), but only after having expanded 

operations and taken over The Lancaster Public 

House, a dog-eared Kitchener tavern that 

was once an 1840s railroad hotel. Before the 

Smokehouse opened in the fall of 2011, they 

knew the new venture needed a lot of work. 

“It was a huge challenge. We knew that 

Putting a local spin on traditional southern cooking techniques 

and using quality ingredients from nearby farms has propelled The 

Lancaster Smokehouse into the culinary stratosphere. 

The Lanc was an iconic landmark as one of 

the oldest, if not the oldest, continuously 

operating taverns in Waterloo Region, but the 

building was very tired. We knew there were 

going to be a lot of infrastructure challenges 

and when we needed to do one aspect of 

reconstruction, something else had to be done 

first,” Chris Corrigan says. 

The investments of time and money, and 

the perseverance, paid off. Eight years later The 

Lancaster Smokehouse, “The Lanc” in homage to 

its public-house history, is going strong, and has 

maintained much of the original infrastructure 

it had 100 years ago. With the creaky wooden 

floor and the pervasive and appetite-arousing 

smoky aromas, Corrigan says the busy 

restaurant is virtually always at capacity. 

He acknowledges that the business came 

on board at the very peak of the southern 

The Lancaster Smokehouse delivers! Their fullyequipped 

food truck can be booked for catering 

backyard parties or corporate events.


barbecue trend, but it has been the solid 

management with his daughter and 

co-owner Caitie Agostinho, and corporate 

chef and co-owner Tim Borys, along with 

consistently good food that has allowed 

them to grow and prosper. “We caught 

the wave, there’s no doubt,” he says of 

barbecue’s popularity. “It has subsided 

somewhat though it is still a very popular 

style of cuisine. I’m also glad to say that 

we were able to take the ingredients and 

traditions of Waterloo County fare and 

draw on them in ways that complement 

the southern barbecue scene.” 

Despite the market having shifted 

toward other styles of food and dining, 

The Lancaster Smokehouse keeps 

southern barbecue in high demand 

by keeping things simple, honest and 

plentiful, Corrigan says. It’s a full-service 

casual restaurant featuring southern 

barbecue dishes that are made from 

scratch in-house, with the best local 

ingredients they can get their hands on, 

and using traditional southern methods. 

And Corrigan knows from the U.S. 

south and low country: he travels there 

regularly searching for inspiration and 

new ideas and flavours, as well as hitting 

every nook-and-cranny of a venue that is 

cranking out the blues. 

“We continue to explore new foodways 

through our travel and research in the 

southern U.S. but at the same time, my 

heritage keeps our so-called Waterloo 

County roots close to how we want to 

develop our cooking style,” he says. That 

means the injection of an occasional 

Mennonite country cooking approach to 

the Smokehouse menu. “We are known in 

the community for barbecue, but there is 

a tremendous commonality between the 

two styles of food. I believe that people are 

trending away from fine dining but do not 

want the processed food available in either 

fast food or fast casual. We can fill that 

void and want to continue to educate our 

customers about our goals.” He’s cautious, 

though, and ensures that the menu 

doesn’t veer too far from the southern 

sweet spot of pulled pork, chicken, ribs, 

brisket and jambalaya. “If we diverged, 

we’d see some customer push-back.” 

The menu is classic southern U.S. fare, 

from pork rinds, fried green tomatoes, 

and gumbo to an intensely hot Nashville- 


The Lanc's reputation was built on authentic southern barbecue 

with sides like cheesey grits and cornbread but the large menu 

also includes entrées such as fried chicken and jambalaya.


Owners Cathy and Chris Corrigan, above, lead an 

exceptional team. From top right, their daughter Caitie 

Agostinho is a co-owner and HR Manager; Tim Borys 

is co-owner and Corporate Chef; Neil Nunnamaker is 

Manager of Catering & Events; and Martha Borys is 

Master Baker for Crumb Bakehouse, Lancaster Co.'s 

in-house bakery and retail outlet. 

style “chikan shak” chicken sandwich and 

fried shrimp po’ boy. Pulled pork rules, as 

does the brisket, and (in limited availability) 

Flintstone-esque Texas short ribs, along with 

sides such as jalapeno hush puppies, cheesy 

grits and braised collards. The smokers run 

virtually all night and, according to Corrigan’s 

estimates, in the course of a week the kitchen 

prepares about 100 pork shoulders and 

another 100 briskets. They will go through 

approximately 25,000 racks of ribs in a year. 

The bar features only Ontario craft beers 

and wines and has a southern-inspired 

cocktail list. The sense of local pervades 

the outfit’s philosophy. “We believe that 

small business is the foundation of the local 

economy, and family-owned and operated 

small business is the cornerstone. That’s what 

we are. We employ about 60 full- and parttime 

staff. Hard working family members, as 

we like to call them. We own the real estate 

and made a commitment to the community 

and the city by reviving and growing a thriving 

business in a tough industry. Our taxes, wages 

and spending stay in the community. That, I 

believe, speaks to the importance of local jobs 


and the economy,” 

says Corrigan. 

Live music is a 

barbecue foundation 

at the Lanc too, and 

it’s an important 

component of the 

business model. 

It takes place on 

Wednesday and Friday 

nights. Corrigan 

himself plays a mean 

blues guitar and says, 

“We want to provide 

local musicians 

with a venue for 

performances rooted 

in the genre.” There’s 

a Smokehouse 

food truck and the 

restaurant’s catering 

operation is wideranging 

and busy. 

Inside The Lanc the 

new Crumb Bakehouse 

is overseen by baker 

Martha Borys. It 

serves the restaurant’s internal needs and has 

a growing retail presence too. The Langdon 

Hall alumna makes a variety of pies, cakes, 

cookies, bars, milk buns, baguettes, beignets, 

cornbread, pastries, and breads of all sorts. 

The casual ambiance is enhanced by live music twice a 

week. An upstairs room is available for private parties.


Sip. Savour. Stroll. 

Soak up the sun and 

experience the warm lake 

breeze on one of Elgin’s 

many outdoor patios. 

Recreate the delicious taste of Lancaster Smokehouse 

at home with authentic BBQ sauces and rubs. 

Whether it is office equipment or barbecue, 

Corrigan has always been keen to ensure 

customers have a great experience. “We’re 

committed to quality local ingredients 

from great suppliers, inspired menu 

items, authentic southern and Waterloo 

County cooking, as well as well-trained and 

knowledgeable staff able to demonstrate 

southern hospitality.” The Lanc, he adds, 

continues to work with local food producers 

and to promote what he calls “our fantastic 

and independent grassroots food movement.” 

The business has carved a niche in the 

Waterloo Region culinary space — one that he 

says stills surprises him after a decade, given 

the wide range of food and restaurant choices 

available to customers. 

“I never thought it would be this big,” 

Corrigan says with a hint of incredulity. 

“I’m proud and delighted that we feed and 

entertain a lot of people every day.” 

The Lancaster Smokehouse 

574 Lancaster Street West, Kitchener 

519-743-4331 

lancsmokehouse.com 

monday-saturday from 11:30 a.m. 

SoLo on Main 

Windjammer Inn 

Kettle Creek Inn 

ANDREW COPPOLINO is a Kitchener-based writer 

and broadcaster. He holds a Master’s degree in English 

literature from the University of Waterloo and has taught 

at UW, the universities of Guelph, Toronto and Toledo, 

Conestoga College, and at the Stratford Chefs School. 

Andrew has written about food for a large number of 

magazines, is co-author of Cooking with Shakespeare 

(Greenwood Press) and is food columnist with the Kitchener 

Post and CBC Radio Kitchener-Waterloo 89.1 FM. He is 

publisher of Waterloo Region Eats (waterlooregioneats. 

com) a longstanding online resource dedicated to food, 

dining, restaurants, chefs, sustainability and agriculture. In 

addition to writing for this magazine, Andrew also serves as 

a regional Eatdrink Editorial Consultant. 

Visit savourelgin.ca 

to plan your next 

culinary adventure in 

Elgin County!



Restaurants 

Retro, Refreshed 

Little Louie’s Burger Joint & Soupery in Cambridge 


Having operated Lily Ruth’s 

bistro in downtown Galt 

for many years, Steven 

Allen and his wife and 

business partner Rachelle Matlow 

decided to close up shop and focus on 

their catering contracts, as a way to 

reduce the 100-hour weeks that can 

characterize the restaurant industry. 

But they never expected what happened 

soon after they opened Little Louie’s 

Burger Joint & Soupery. 

“We thought that opening a catering 

company full-time would free us up 

most of the week for our daughter. 

Since the building we bought was a 

former burger joint, we thought we’d 

stay true to the history and would have 

been happy selling 20 or so burgers each 

lunch. Today, for instance, we sold 300. We 

never imagined that evolution. It’s crazy,” 

Allen says. 

Granted, achieving this kind of numbers 

in a venue that seats about 30 inside, with 

a few picnic tables outside, took a couple of 

years. But it still surprised them, and it’s 

why the Cambridge-based chef and culinary 

entrepreneur regularly uses the restaurant 

Little Louie's offers a vintage vibe with fresh made-to-order menu 

items including the popular "Build Your Own Burger" option 

vernacular “getting slammed” to describe his 

daily schedule from time to time. What with 

overseeing Little Louie’s and the catering 

enterprises, Allen and Matlow do get pretty 

busy. 

Open since 2010 the small burger joint 

— and joint is the right word — is curiously 

tucked in amid residences on Clyde Road 

between Franklin Boulevard and Elgin Street 

North in Cambridge. It’s a wonderfully quirky 

decades-old 

building, if not 

simply a slap-dash 

The wonderfully 

quirky decades-old 

building, tucked into a 

residential Cambridge 

neighbourhood, is the 

result of bolting two old 

Dairy Queen buildings 

together to create a 

popular hotspot for 

burgers and shakes 

back in the 1970s.



Some specials appear once and are never repeated, while 

others develop a cult following and inspire repeat visits 

through notices posted on Facebook. At the left is the 

Corny Corn Dog Burger, a beef patty topped with corn and 

corned beef hash with mayo on an egg bun, garnished 

with an all-beef corn dog, served with grilled Gilespie's 

construction, apparently with sections of two 

old Dairy Queen buildings lined up and bolted 

together. That fits precisely and exactly with 

the character you’d want in a joint that carries 

such an improbable name — and which makes 

a mean hamburger, some mighty fine fries, 

and malted milkshakes among other dishes. 

The building, nestled amidst some scruffy 

trees and sitting adjacent to a gravel parking 

lot, is reminiscent of the old-school roadside 

burger joints that used to open each spring on 

the highways and byways heading north into 

Ontario cottage country, where the cicadas 

drone, the soil gets rocky and the forest 

starts to become boreal. It’s an image that 

Allen appreciates as he details the heritage 

of the wooden cottage-like structure. “This 

used to be the place to go back in the 1970s 

for burgers and shakes. It was 

called Henning’s, and has been 

a plethora of places since,” 

he says. “As for the name, my 

father was Big Louie, and I 

was always called Little Louie 

growing up.” 

Any re-run of the episode 

of Food Network’s You Gotta 

Eat Here!, which featured 

Little Louie’s a few years 

ago, results in an influx of 

Garden corn on the cob with housemade herb butter. 

Middle photo shows the Louisiana Chicken and Sausage 

Soup with cornmeal dumplings. To the right is a dessert 

special: dulce de leche-coated pink lady apples covered 

in dark and white chocolate with peanut brittle and white 

chocolate pretzels. 

new customers. That ups the culinary ante: 

cooking up a thousand top-quality burgers 

weekly is no little feat. It means putting in 

some time to achieve the standard expected 

by his customers. So the key to success, Allen 

intimates, is being there pretty much day to 

day. “We’re there to manage the business,” he 

says. Allen has a world of experience, from 

cooking in Europe to current duties teaching 

in the culinary program at Conestoga College. 

He has also operated kitchens in vessels 

sailing high into Canada’s north, and all of 

that experience has been narrowed down now 

to checking local farm stores and farm-gate 

sales to determine how the menu will look. 

As well, Allen is an expert forager, and those 

wild discoveries of ramps and fiddleheads 

— perhaps pheasant’s back mushroom too — 

Little Louie's Owner/Chef Steve Allen 

with John Catucci from The Food 

Network's You Gotta Eat Here! show.


The blackboard menu 

always features special 

creations. A recurrent 

favourite is the "Cape 

Breton Surf-n-Turf Burger" 

(right) featuring a beerbattered 

lobster tail on a 

beef patty with coleslaw and tartar sauce, on an egg bun, 

garnished with a beer-battered lobster claw fritter. 

The Jerk Burger features a banana 

pancake and a beef patty topped with 

jerk chicken, pineapple salsa and 

mayo on an egg bun. 

The Montreal Smoked Meat Burger 

features a matzo ball and Montreal 

smoked meat on a beef patty topped 

with onions on an egg bun, garnished 

with a battered deepfried pickle. 

will quite often find their way onto the menu. “There are a lot 

of ways we do local,” he says. 

As for Little Louie’s menu, it appears on chalkboards and 

changes regularly. The ordering process is Build Your Own 

Burger: you go to the counter, take a little clipboard, pencil 

in the several steps, and add your name. Your choices are 

dine-in or take-out, followed by the burger size you want, or 

a double-beef slider selection. (DiPietro’s, a local butcher just 

around the corner, grinds the meat daily.) 

From the changing burger menu, you choose from 20 or 

so condiments, cheeses, and sauces, including fried egg, 

olives, sprouts, basil pesto, mesquite and mango. Sautéed 

mushrooms will add earthy flavour and release their own 

heady juices. Gouda cheese provides a smoky note and the 

humble tomato slice offers a slight acidity to enliven the 

mixture, along with a few pickled banana peppers. The bread 

to hold it all together is a soft, fresh challah-like egg bun 

with a hint of sweetness, and enough body in its crumb 

to corral everything. There are chicken breast, turkey, and 

veggie burger choices, as well as a couple of sandwiches 

and five or six homemade soups. “We’ve done hundreds 

of soups,” Allen says. He’s from Cape Breton, so he knows 

how to put together a chowder, chunked up properly with 

seafood. Some eastern European in his lineage also gives him 

a particular acuity with things like borscht. 

Homemade pastries like tarts, bars, and squares come 

from the kitchen as well, and are popular with the regulars. 

The old-fashioned malted milkshakes derive from malt 

that is used to make a simple syrup with vanilla. It’s taken 

some experimentation to get the balance right, but it forms 

the base for the vanilla, strawberry and chocolate shakes. 

“Then there are the crazy ones,” Allen says. “If I happen to 

see Frosted Flakes on sale, I will buy four boxes and make a


Frosted Flake Shake. The most popular shake 

is the End of the Bar Shake, using pieces of 

the dessert bars we bake. For instance, we 

might do our version of the Oh Henry! Shake 

with the bar trimmings. We’ll sell 20 of them 

in a day.” 

While it all makes for a very busy kitchen, 

not to mention the catering jobs that 

they cover, Allen says he strives to source 

ingredients from around him. “The local 

aspect of food here is phenomenal. As our 

restaurants grow in Cambridge and Waterloo 

Region, our access to nearby farmers and such 

a range of products is fantastic. I use Oakridge 

Acres for many ingredients. The Gerbers are 

great, and it saves me from having to go to 

10 different farms.” It can also mean some 

unusual and even exotic local protein: on a 

recent menu was emu soup. “I had some emu 

in from a local emu farm and made burgers. 

With the leftover meat, I made some sausage 

and put it in a soup. Surprisingly, it sold like 

crazy,” he adds. 

The quirkiness of the Little Louie’s building 

and its setting, the retro and nostalgic pylon 

sign, and that gravel parking lot all harken 

back to burger joints of the past. But the 

drive to Cambridge for burgers, fries and 

shakes is a lot shorter than to Muskoka, and 

the flavour is a vacation in itself. He says his 

regular customers know the lay of the land 

at Little Louie’s, citing a group who make the 

trip every Monday. “They want to be among 

the first to test out the burger of the week. 

I could put anything on a burger — grilled 

octopus and corn chutney — and they would 

eat it.” 

Little Louie’s Burger Joint & Soupery 

234 Clyde Road, Cambridge 

519-623-8500 

facebook.com/louiesburger 

monday–friday 11 am – 8 pm 

Sample delicious local eats, 

meet inspiring producers and 

marvel at the tempting array 

of fresh and artisanal edibles. 

From farm to table, pork to pies 

to pints, discover more 

in Perth County! 

restaurants 

farm gates 

ANDREW COPPOLINO is a Kitchener-based writer 

and broadcaster. In addition to an extensive background 

as a teacher, published author and writer for a variety of 

magazines, he is food columnist with the Kitchener Post 

and CBC Radio Kitchener-Waterloo 89.1 FM. Andrew is also 

the publisher of Waterloo Region Eats (waterlooregioneats. 

com) a longstanding online resource dedicated to food, 

dining, restaurants, chefs, sustainability and agriculture. 

In addition to writing for this magazine, Andrew serves as a 

regional Eatdrink Editorial Consultant. 

food shops 

Find us, follow us! 

#DiscoverMore #PerthCounty 

@PerthCoTourism 

perthcountytourism.ca



Culinary Retail 

Dealing With Dragons 

truLOCAL Focuses on the Meat of the Matter 


Marc Lafleur describes his 

company in a succinct and highly 

energetic fashion. His clarity 

and confidence come across as 

a sincere belief in the value of his company, 

but he's also had his presentation fire-tested 

in a dramatic forum. Lafleur and his business 

partner Greg Quail pitched a $100,000 

investment in truLocal, their online local 

meat-selling business, on CBC Television's 

Dragon's Den show last year (although the 

episode aired in January 2018). And things 

couldn't have gone much better. 

sources fish from a Marine Stewardship Council 

(MSC) certified fishery. All products have no 

added hormones and are antibiotic-free. Each 

shipment is packed in dry ice, so even if a 

customer is away at time of delivery, they will 

still find everything frozen when they get home. 

All boxes include free shipping. The concept 

is not overly complicated, and truLOCAL had 

already built an encouraging customer base 

before the Dragon's Den appearance. 

What makes good television doesn't always 

make for good business. Although the current 

panel of "dragons" are not generally as meanspirited 

as in some earlier years, part of the 

entertainment value of Dragon's Den seems to 

depend upon a few presenters wilting under 

pressure or having their proposals shot down 

as untenable or even foolish. Even when 

deals are agreed upon on air, they frequently 

fall apart before formal arrangements are 

made. In the case of truLOCAL, however, 

the onscreen chemistry led to a successful 

partnership. Which is why a link to that 

episode is prominently featured on the slick, 

user-friendly truLOCAL website. 

Spoiler Alert: Lafleur and Quail asked for 

TruLOCAL partners Marc Lafleur and Greg Quail went to 

CBC Television's Dragon's Den show to seek investment in 

their company. The episode aired in January 2018. 

TruLOCAL offers a monthly subscription 

service to deliver local meat (and meat-related 

products such as seafood) right to the customer's 

home. Customers "build a box" online, choosing 

products from identified local Ontario farms, 

such as Top Sirloin Steaks from West Grey 

Premium Beef (located just north of Kitchener), 

Cheese & Leek Chicken Sausage from Hidden 

Root Farm (in Harley ON), or Pork Back Ribs 

from Townsend Butchers, which is supplied by 

Miller Land and Livestock of Jarvis ON. Seafood 

such as wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon is 

supplied by Kitchener's Caudle's Catch, which 

Michelle Romanow (left), a tech entrepreneur and one 

of the "dragons" on Dragon's Den, purchased 10% of 

truLOCAL and remains an active investor and consultant.



Welcome to a carefully designed collision 

of historic character and contemporary style. 

Tucked beneath our iconic hotel, 

TWH Social is Kitchener's 

destination for great food, 

community and conversation. 

20 Queen Street South, Kitchener 

519 745 4321 

Toll Free 1 800 265 8749 

walper.com


$100K for 7% of their business, and got a 

flurry of offers. They parlayed that interest 

into selling a 10% stake for their ask, split 

between Joe Mimran (Joe Fresh founder) 

and Michele Romanow, a tech entrepreneur 

and venture capitalist with strong success 

in online retailing. Later, Mimran dropped 

out of the deal, but Romanow took the 10% 

investment herself. "We wanted Michelle’s 

experience in the digital marketplace," says 

Lafleur, noting that the partnership has 

brought significant dividends. With the influx 

of cash, TruLOCAL was able to double staff 

from four to eight people, and is now up to 

ten. A move from Milton to a bigger facility 

in Cambridge also came this year. Ongoing 

consultation is leading to further plans for 

expansion. The key component to the success 

of truLOCAL, however, remains quality 

products and a convenient delivery system. 

"Times are changing," says Romanow. 

"People want to feel more connected to the food 

they're buying. The guys at truLOCAL have 

done an awesome job connecting consumers to 

amazing local farms and suppliers." 

Lafleur is enthused about the products they 

sell, but sees the challenges clearly. "All butcher 

shops do what we do," he says. "The food system 

is broken, though, and most people are buying 

A recent truLOCAL informal team get-together 

their meat at a grocery store. The butcher shop's 

customers understand the difference in quality 

meat, but many consumers have never tasted it. 

Those are the people we need to reach." 

"Local farms have difficulty getting their 

products to customers," adds Lafleur. "That's 

where we step in. We find the supplier, we vet 

them for quality, and then we allow them to 

reach the entire province." 

TruLOCAL offers a few organic products, 

but that is not the focus. Lafleur states that 

their goal is to be rated Number One for quality 

and availability. Grocery store bargain hunters 

will find prices high, but those accustomed to 

paying for quality will find prices fair. Certainly 

the convenience is worth something too, 

and all orders ship free. Customers can skip 

a month when they want without penalty, or 

increase their order when they want. 

Customers asked for a sugar-free, nitratefree 

bacon, and truLOCAL found a producer 

to create that for them. You won't find that 

bacon anywhere else, but it's not for everyone, 

if you love the traditional taste of bacon. The 

100% grass-fed beef bone broth they offer, 

however, has been immensely popular. There's 

also great demand for more seafood, including 

wild -caught yellow lake perch and pickerel 

from the Great Lakes. And at this time of year 

especially, truLOCAL sees large demand for 

their suggested "BBQ Boxes," with one curated 

for seafood, another for steak lovers, and a 

variety pack. As always though, customers can 

customize their purchase as they choose. 

TruLOCAL 

226-929-1280 

www.trulocal.ca 

TruLOCAL products are individually vacuum-sealed 

(above) for convenience, then packed in dry ice (below) 

for home delivery, so they stay frozen even all day. 

CHRIS McDONELL has worn a number of hats over 

three decades in the publishing industry, including graphic 

artist, writer, editor, sales rep and delivery person. As 

Publisher/Owner of Eatdrink, which he founded in 2007, he 

utilizes all of those skills.



Sandwich Brewing Co. | Windsor 

History pours out of this place, 

on the Barrels Bottles & Brews Trail. 

Uncover behind-the-scenes development and production 

of dozens of area distilleries and breweries. Tap rooms and 

tasting lounges welcome you with open bottles. 

Get your BBB Passport and info at: barrelsbottlesbrews.ca 

#BARRELTRAIL | #BREWERYQG | visitwindsoressex.com



The BUZZ 

Culinary Community Notes 

Compiled by ANDREW COPPOLINO, BRYAN LAVERY and THE EDITORS 

This column consists of regional culinary 

information, including a large scoop of 

local news and inside information. There 

is no charge to be included here, and we 

encourage chefs, restaurateurs, brewers, fundraisers, 

culinary artisans, farmers — and everyone else with 

information to share — to send us details. Short and 

sweet! We want to include as many items as possible. 

See the end of this column for contact details. 

Kitchener 

The Berlin, the much-heralded restaurant in 

downtown Kitchener, has closed. It will re-open as 

The Rich Uncle Tavern, offering gastropub fare, 

according to owners The Ignite Restaurant Group. 

Executive chef Ben Lillico came on board after The 

Berlin was opened by chef Jonathan Gushue (who 

recently left for Fogo Island, Newfoundland). He 

says the menu will focus on shareables and small 

plates. The plan is to have the new concept open 

and serving by June. www.richuncletavern.ca 

A few blocks west of The Uncle on King Street, San 

Francisco sandwiches has closed. The window is 

emblazoned with “La Cucina” — but it has nothing 

to do with the new pizza and pasta place with the 

red awning in the west end called La Cucina, a sister 

restaurant to the Guelph Italian upscale casual 

restaurant. Kitchener’s version has wood-fired 

pizza, house-made pastas and other simple Italian 

fare. lacucinakitchener.com 

The Ignite Restaurant Group is also in the process 

of construction on Red Circle Brewing Co., Graffiti 

Market and Red Circle Coffee Co. at Catalyst137 

in Kitchener. Co-owner Neil Huber tells us that 

they have other projects that they’re looking to 

announce in the near future. 

Belmont Village, nestled between downtown 

Kitchener and uptown Waterloo, continues to grow 

as a self-sustaining food destination — and that 

quality is only amplified with Arabella Park Beer 

Bar clocking in at No. 46 among the top 50 bars in 

Canada, according to canadas100best.com. Chef 

Byron Hallett combines innovation with classic 

and modern ideas to create playful and shareable 

cuisine that pairs well with beer. The cocktail that 

you should try there is a pint of Cascade Brewery 

barrel-aged triple ale with marionberry and Meyer 

lemon. arabellaparkbar.com 

Other notables in Belmont Village are restaurant 

landmarks like Café Rugantino and Janet Lynn’s 

Bistro. Check out The Culinary Studio for cooking 

classes, Rawlicious for plant-based and gluten-free 

cuisine. The smartly appointed Wilhelm’s Café + 

Bar (the name draws inspiration from a mysterious 

lost bust of Kaiser Wilhelm 1 ) is a stellar spot for a 

meal and drinks. The Belmont Bistro, located next 

door to gourmet coffeehouse Berlin Bicycle Café, is 

where Chef Brandon Gries, a Stratford Chef School 

alumnus, creates dishes from scratch, taking no 

shortcuts and changing the menu seasonally. 

Restaurateur Zafar Quazi was born in Bangladesh, 

studied civil engineering in Ukraine, and worked 

six years running restaurants in Great Britain 

before coming to Canada. In Scotland, he met his 

Ukrainian wife Olena, and their first Canadian 

endeavour was in Brantford, followed by the 

Tandoori Grill in Fergus. Great success came with 

his celebrated Raja Fine Indian Cuisine in Stratford. 

Three years ago, Quazi set his sights on Belmont 

Village. The Raja serves upscale Indian cuisine 

in sophisticated and elegant surroundings by a 

knowledgeable, well-trained staff. The service is 

white linen, deferential and friendly. After being 

seated, diners are offered crisp, crunchy poppadum 

served alongside a dazzling selection of vibrantly 

coloured condiments, ranging from sweet to sour to 

spicy, to get the taste buds tingling. rajakitchener.ca 

Mark June 25 on your calendar for a mid-day tasting 

menu event. It’s the inaugural Signatures: A Taste of 

Waterloo Region’s Best. The lunchtime taste testing 

and fundraiser for Parkinson Society Southwestern 

Ontario takes place at Catalyst137 on Glasgow 

Street, Kitchener, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

Waterloo Region restaurants and catering companies 

share their signature dishes, and participants 

include B Elegant Catering & Event Planning, Big 

Jerk, Bobby O’Brien’s Irish Pub, Chef D, Gusto & 

Beckford Catering, Liaison College of Culinary 

Arts, Mamma D’s Delicious Eats, McCabe’s Irish 

Pub, Meals without Madness, Reid’s Chocolates,


Shawerma Plus, Taste of Seoul, The Park Hill, The 

White Rabbit, Watchtower Restaurant, Wooden 

Boat Food Company and ZOUP. Tickets are only $20 

and include food and entry into multiple draws and 

giveaways. parkinsonsociety.ca/event/signaturestaste-test-waterloo-regions-best 

From restaurateur Darryl Haus and Grand Trunk 

Saloon, look for The Grand Surf Lounge to open on 

Ontario Street near Charles. Haus calls it a bar and 

lounge “with a focus on rum, big fruit-based drinks 

and escapism.” While he can’t quite describe the menu 

yet, he says it’s inspired by Polynesian pop culture. As 

for the entire concept, he says, “It looks pretty cool. I’m 

really digging it.” grandsurflounge.com 

Shinla Korean at King and Scott in downtown has 

closed. That leaves a dearth of Korean in downtown 

Kitchener. In the west end, four restaurants on 

the south side of King Street have closed (due to 

land appropriation for a major new residential 

development between Francis and Water streets). 

However, Rana Taste of Turkish (ranaturkish.com) 

still has its University Avenue location at Regina Street 

in Waterloo. Unity Baking (www.unitybaking.com) 

has moved to 1 Water Street North in Galt, Cambridge, 

and is scheduled to open again soon. Latina America 

Grocery and Eatery is now at 1120 Victoria Street 

North, Kitchener. Check it out for pupusas, tamales, 

churros and more. americalatinavariety.ca 

Having built a considerable reputation, the very busy 

Crazy Canuck (across the street from St. Jacobs 

Market) has added a new location in downtown 

Kitchener at 30 Duke Street West (the RBC tower). It 

often pairs up with its Apollo Cinema neighbour for 

movie and snack events. thecrazycanuck.ca 

Look for The Falls Road Pub (thefallsroadpub.ca) to 

open this May on Victoria Street at Lancaster. A small 

food and beverage hub is growing in the area. Nearby 

are the new Public Kitchen and Bar, Jimmy’s Lunch, 

Sam’s Kitchen, and Descendants Beer and Beverage 

Co. The cheekily named wine and charcuterie venue 

Swine and Vine (swineandvine.ca) has taken over the 

former Public space on Lancaster. 

The Culinary Studio’s new food venture is now open 

on the second floor of the Communitech building: 

The Well Food Co. has taken over kitchen space 

left behind when Google moved to its magnificent 

campus across the street. While not open to the 

public, The Well Food Co. will happily provide its 

catering services to the community. thewellfoodco.ca 

Charcoal Group offers unique dining packages. 

Book a chauffeured luxury stretch limousine for 

eight people and ride in style to a “progressive 

dinner” to up to five different Charcoal Group 

Farm to table award winning 

hand crafted alpine style cheese 

Tuesday to Friday 9am–5pm 

Saturday 9am–4pm 

Stonetown Artisan Cheese 

5021 Perth Line 8 

St. Marys ON 

Gift Baskets & 

Gift Boxes 

Cheese Trays 

Fondue & Raclette 

519-229-6856 

info@stonetowncheese.com 

www.stonetowncheese.com 

growers & creators of fine lavender products 

DISCOVER 

Steed & Company Lavender, part of a 

45-acre horse farm just outside of Sparta 

INDULGE 

in our unique handcrafted lavender products 

ESCAPE 

in the wonderful scent and 

calming powers of lavender 

519-494-5525 

47589 Sparta Line, Sparta 

buds@steedandcompany.com 

Open Wed–Sat 10-5; Sun 12–4 

Mother’s Day to Dec. 19 

PLUS June–Labour Day: Tues 10-5 

www.steedandcompany.com 

Annual 

BLOOM 

CELEBRATION 

June 16 to 

July 15


locations. Enjoy a different course and beverage at 

each stop. Suggested destinations include: Charcoal 

Steakhouse, dels Enoteca Pizzeria and Martini’s 

in Kitchener; The Bauer Kitchen, Wildcraft Grill 

+ Bar in Waterloo; and Beertown Public House in 

Waterloo, Cambridge and London, and the familyfriendly 

Moose Winooski’s in Kitchener is also in 

the Charcoal Group fold. Great for company parties, 

celebrations or just a luxurious night out, other 

custom options are available. Call 519-894-0110 or 

go to charcoalgroup.ca/events. 

Foodtruckers at Breakfast Blues and Barbecues are 

building a bricks-and-mortar version of barbecue at 

the former Sing Lee Chinese Restaurant at 105 Victoria 

Street South, between Oak and Michael. The word is 

that they will be open by June. breakfastblues-bbqs.ca 

Meticulously designed, The Walper Hotel provides 

a unique, modern boutique experience. Built in 

1893, architects combined contemporary building 

technology with the best of the hotel’s heritage 

features during the hotel’s most recent refurbishment. 

The Lokal is the striking piano bar and lounge on 

the second floor. We enjoyed craft cocktails and 

conversing with friendly upbeat staff in TWH Social, 

the subterranean bar/bistro. Chef Jeff Ward — his 

business card identifies him as Chief Cook and Bottle 

Washer— has a culinary pedigree that includes 

Stratford Chefs School, Langdon Hall, Toronto’s Canoe 

and Auberge du Pommier, and Kitchener’s former 

Marisol. The menu is touted as “local ingredients 

done well, with a thoughtfully sourced menu focused 

on sustainability and diversity.” Breakfast at the 

Barristers Lounge is a treat. walper.com 

New to Waterloo Region, and about to open, is The 

Wooden Boat Food Company. The brainchild of 

Chef Thompson Tran, Wooden Boat has floated in 

from south Vancouver and now resides on Hurst 

Street alongside a couple of other food and beverage 

businesses, creating a small food hub. The company 

is a food store for authentic Vietnamese sauces and 

a take-away shop for banh mi, Vietnamese fried 

chicken, shredded rice paper salad, sticky rice and 

more. Says Tran, “We’re using local, sustainable highquality 

ingredients to make authentic Vietnamese 

dishes. There’s a motif from the mid-1970s, the 

time of the Vietnamese boat people, with black and 

white pictures, some memorabilia from the era, 

and a television playing old MuchMusic videos.” 

woodenboatfoodcompany.com 

LOT42 is a 17-acre “global flex campus” providing 

a unique collection of flexible spaces for use in the 

arts, technology, manufacturing, athletics, and 

community events, at 41 Ardelt Place. Expect to see 

more concerts and public events here, in addition to 


private and corporate gatherings. Amongst Lot42’s 

partners are B•Hospitality, the owners of the 

Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre, B•Elegant 

Catering, The Bruce Craft House restaurant and 

The Bruce Caboose food truck. Promising event 

services with “a commitment to crafting incredible 

guest experiences that leave a lasting impression,” 

here’s a great resource for your wedding, special 

event or festival. lot42.ca and bhospitality.ca 

Gilt is an open, airy and sophisticated resto 

with a millennial vibe in the heart of Kitchener’s 

Innovation District that recently celebrated the 

fourth anniversary. Owned by Trella White and Chef 

Stephanie Randall, the bar, lounge and 65-seat 

restaurant on the ground floor of the office tower at 

305 King Street West is their second venture; they 

also operate Cork Restaurant in Elora. Chef de cuisine 

Alex Janke has been at Gilt since the beginning, and 

incorporates his favourite Thai and Mexican flavour 

profiles while using local ingredients, but expect 

pleasant surprises. Korean Fried Chicken with honey 

bourbon and hoisin has a super crunchy kick. Janke 

serves an excellent steak tartare. Try the Curried 

Oxtail Gnocchi with dukkha sweet potato gnocchi, 

candied ginger cream, parsnip chips and curried 

tomato butter. giltrestaurant.ca 

Relish Cooking Studio has moved to its new home 

in downtown Kitchener at 70 Victoria Street North. 

relishcookingstudio.com 

Abe Erb Brewing Co.’s brewhouse, in the Tannery 

building near the corner of King and Victoria, boasts 

a full production facility on site, including a canning 

line. Part of the appeal of Abe Erb is pairing both 

brewing and restaurant experiences. The tongue-incheek 

mission statement reads “Our trifecta is the 

combination of beer, food and live entertainment. 

We take your patronage as seriously as we take our 

beards and moustaches.” abeerb.com 

Public Bar and Kitchen is a small, indie restaurant 

on Lancaster Street, in one of Kitchener’s oldest 

neighbourhoods. Chef/co-owner Ryan Murphy and 

partner Carly Blasutti take pride in making small, 

shareable plates and well-crafted cocktails. The 

Spanish-themed chalkboard menu changes on 

an almost daily basis. Think, potted foie gras and 

chicken liver pate with house-cured pickles and 

sherry gastrique or crostini of salt cod brandade with 

shaved Manchego and pickled shrimp banderilla. 

The wine list features new and old world wines and 

there is an all-Ontario craft beer list. kwpublic.com 

For more than 140 years, the Kitchener Farmers’ 

Market has offered meat, produce, dairy products 

and more. Saturdays 7 am–2 pm year-round.



Upstairs, check out the International Cuisine 

Vendors, Tuesday–Friday 8am–3pm and Saturdays 

7am–2pm. 300 King Street East, with parking lot 

entrance on Cedar St. kitchenermarket.ca 

Waterloo 

Waterloo native and “Chopped Canada” champion 

Chef Trevor Ritchie is headed to Le Bocuse d’Or in 

Lyon, France, in January 2019. The George Brown 

culinary instructor, formerly of Benjamin’s in St. 

Jacobs and Langdon Hall in Cambridge, won silver 

in a qualifying competition in Mexico. Assisting 

Ritchie will be commis Jenna Reich and coach 

James Olberg, a Kitchener native. 

It took Paul Boehmer 25 years to open a second 

restaurant in Waterloo. The Region’s long-standing 

anchor of south-east Asian food, Bhima’s Warung, 

now has a long-awaited sister, Loloan Lobby Bar. 

Specializing in cocktails as well as items such as a 

lobster bisque Escoffier in the style of the Connaught 

Hotel (Mayfair, UK, not Hamilton), Loloan is located 

on Princess St. a block or so north of King at Dorset. 

“It will invoke memories, transporting guests to a 

place and a time of class and craft, a culmination 

of travels, studies, work, friendship, life and love,” 

Boehmer says. loloanlobbybar.com 

Formerly at 105 King Street North in Waterloo, and 

having looked a little dog-eared, Empress of India 

is relocating a few blocks to 34 King St. S, Waterloo. 

Grin and Grind Holdings, the team that developed Abe 

Erb, has created Settlement Co. in uptown Waterloo. 

The urban café blends old-world, traditional craft with 

modern Scandinavian elements. It is part café, coffee 

roaster, social hub and cocktail lounge, featuring 

contemporary café cuisine and offering a toast and 

waffle bar. settlementco.ca 

Baker Sasa Duricin has opened Legacy Bakery, 

specializing in eastern European pastries and breads, 

on Weber Street East at Montgomery. Favourites are 

the burek and the classic Russian Hat, a layered cake 

and cream pastry with coconut. legacybakery.ca 

Located in the busy food and beverage area near 

Wilfrid Laurier University, Lana’s Lounge opened 

in April with the goal of being a local-music based 

lounge and a full-service restaurant geared to 

people who want a quiet venue to enjoy food and 

drink. lanaslounge.ca 

Check out the 88-year-old Harmony Lunch in 

uptown Waterloo replete with its silver-circle 

swivel chairs and a menu of home-style classics 

that include a Fried Chicken Sammy, The Pig Mac, 

Award Winning 

Artisan Cheese 

Come Experience Our World! 

Visit our cheese shop and sample our 

unique handmade cheeses. 

See and learn about how cheese is made. 

Enjoy the scenery on our 3-generation family farm. 

Group tours are available by reservation. 

MON-SAT 9-5 

445172 Gunn's Hill Rd, Woodstock, ON 

519-424-4024 

www.gunnshillcheese.ca 

Introducing Simple Monthly Meat Delivery. 

ORDER 

ONLINE 

Monthly Meat & Seafood Delivery 

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Vegetarian Bun-pology and Grilled Cheese on white 

bread with processed cheese. The landmark has 

been revitalized by The Fat Sparrow Group which 

also operates the ever-popular Taco Farm that 

supports local farms and farmers. Be sure to try the 

crispy fired cod with cabbage crudito, farm sauce, 

cilantro and Jake’s garlic chilli sauce. Also worth 

a visit is the 1870s-livery-stable-turned-casualfine-dining-restaurant 

Marbles, and ten-year-old 

Nick & Nat’s Uptown 21, now an event venue, offers 

lunch service from 11:30-3, Tuesday-Friday. 

Ethel’s Lounge is the go-to-place for jazz and 

blues and al fresco drinking and dining. Highly 

recommended by are the nightly specials, 

standouts being Ethel’s burgers and signature 

meatloaf served with beef- mushroom gravy and 

scalloped potatoes. ethelslounge.com 

Cambridge 

Undoubtedly a gem in the crown of Waterloo Region 

dining, Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa 

has staked its claim among the best in Canada. It 

was recently selected as the No. 5 Best Restaurant by 

Canada’s 100 Best. Executive chef Jason Bangerter 

credits the entire Langdon staff. “What a wonderful 

achievement to have the passion and hard work of the 

entire team recognized for this distinction. We are all 

thrilled at this, and I personally am honoured to work 

with such talented individuals.” langdonhall.ca 

Cambridge Farmers’ Market, started around 1830, 

is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in Canada. The 

40 Dickson Street location includes a one-storey 

structure built in 1887 and a two-storey structure 

built in 1896. Learn what’s in season and experience 

everything the market has to offer through an 

interactive market map and comprehensive vendor 

directory, and stay up-to-date on the latest market 

events and programs at cambridgefarmersmarket.ca. 

Open Saturdays from 7am to 1pm year-round, and now 

open Wednesdays from 8am to 1pm until October 3. 

The downtown Hespeler Stables Farm to Fork 

Bistro, a breakfast and lunch venue, has closed 

after only a few months, as has The Loose Grape on 

the main drag in Preston. 

After eight years operating Napa Grill & Wine Den at 

the corner of Park Hill & George St., Sandra and Dirk 

Boer have rebranded the restaurant as The Parkhill. 

Notable changes include the addition of Head Chef 

Denis Hernandez and Sous Chef Graham Barr and 

a new menu. Classic food with a modern twist is the 

theme, with local fresh ingredients and everything 

made in house, including the butter. New website 

and Facebook page coming but for now go to fb.com/ 

Napa-Grille-and-Wine-Den-139328466114875 


Guelph & Wellington County 

Long before it was a full-fledged movement, 

restaurateur Bob Desautels began procuring 

local ingredients for his restaurants. His culinary 

ensemble, The Neighbourhood Group, has supported 

local farmers and fishers, brewers and winemakers 

for many years. Desautels and his son Court 

Desautels are proponents of Feast ON, a criteriabased 

certification program run by Ontario Culinary 

Tourism Association that recognizes businesses 

committed to sourcing Ontario grown and made 

food and drink. The program helps diners identify 

and experience restaurants (ontarioculinary.com/ 

restaurants) that champion our Ontario food system, 

using both verification and enforcement mechanisms 

to maintain its integrity. Among the Neighbourhood 

Group’s Feast ON-certified restaurants are The 

Woolwich Arms & Arrow, better known as The 

Wooly, a pub/restaurant located in a 115-year-old, 

beautifully restored Victorian home; Miijidaa Cafe 

& Bistro (from the Ojibway language meaning “let’s 

eat”) and The Borealis Grille & Bar in Kitchener and 

in Guelph. neighbourhoodgroup.com/restaurants 

Supporters of local food and drink should also 

check out Transparent Kitchen, a platform that 

connects diners to restaurants, their suppliers 

and their local food and sustainability initiatives. 

Customers can visit restaurant websites and see 

photos of beautifully prepared dishes, then click 

for more information about the menu, the farms 

and producers where the ingredients come from, 

and the restaurants’ and chefs’ philosophy. Local 

participants now making their kitchens “transparent” 

include Guelph’s Atmosphere Cafe + etc at 24 Carden 

Street, The Neighbourhood Group’s Miijidaa Cafe & 

Bistro (with Chef Shea Robinson) and Borealis Grille 

in both Kitchener and Guelph. transparentkitchen.ca 

Chocolats Favoris, a Canadian artisanal chocolate 

shop and creamery, opened a location at Clair 

Marketplace, 20 Clair Rd. W., in April. An in-store 

station is dedicated to dipping soft-serve ice cream 

in 12 exclusive chocolate flavours, and take-home 

offerings include canned chocolate fondue and fine, 

handcrafted chocolates. chocolatsfavoris.com/en 

A craft beer-inspired five-course dinner with 

beverage pairings will launch EatStreet: A Brewers’ 

Feast at Old Quebec Street, June 16, from 7:00pm– 

midnight. Featuring the talented chefs of Bin23, 

Delhi Street Bistro, Elizabeth Street Eatery, KB 

Sweets & Royal Electric, and with Taste of Craft 

cheese pairings, local foods will be featured, paired 

with a cider or craft beer from Heartwood Cidery, 

Wellington Brewery, Royal City Brewing Company, 

Sleeman and Brothers Brewing Company. This


sit down harvest table dinner for 100 will include 

animated discussions about the food and the chefs. 

Following the dinner, the venue will open for a postdinner 

street party with Ecelctic Vinyl Orchestra 

(EVO), beer garden style with all Guelph breweries 

present, with more drinks, even more food and a 

whole lot of dance. Get tickets at eventbrite.ca/e/ 

eatstreet-a-brewers-feast-tickets-46010979077 

The 13th annual Taste Real Guelph Wellington Local 

Food Fest will be held June 24, 11am–4pm. Watch food 

skills demos and pick up fresh, delicious and real local 

food. Learn about mushroom growing and foraging, 

sausage making, fermenting and composting, backyard 

chickens, cider making and fish butchery through 

free workshops offered throughout the day. This was 

the winner of Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance’s 2015 

“Event of the Year.” Ignatius Jesuit Centre, 5420 Hwy 

6 North, Guelph/Eramosa. Admission is a minimum 

donation of $5 per person, $10 per family. wellington. 

ca/en/business/tr-localfoodfest.aspx 

Lighthouse Lemonade is “Summer in a Bottle” ... all 

year round! This all-natural heritage cordial has deep 

Maritime roots with the recipe dating back to before 

Confederation (1867). It has only six ingredients and is 

crafted in small batches in a solar-powered facility in 

something 

for 

EVERYONE 

Cambridge Farmers’ 

Market 

Saturday Year Round 

7:00am - 1:00pm 

Wednesday Seasonal Market 

8:00am - 1:00pm 

June 6 - October 3 

www.cambridgefarmersmarket.ca 

WHERE TASTE REIGNS SUPREME 

FINE INDIAN CUISINE 

Stratford 

10 George St. W. 

519-271-3271 

Kitchener 

725 Belmont Ave. W. 

519-208-2811 

rajaindiancuisine.ca

Discover Heather's 

Incomparable Journeys 

The Slow Roads of Ireland 

Sept 5–24, 2018. Maximum 18 travellers. 

Call for info and to reserve your spot! 

Heather’s Journeys are small groups handcrafted 

to enjoy culture, history, architecture, scenery and 

unique experiences. We travel the slow roads to 

charming tidy towns, music-filled pubs, ancient 

tombs and castles. We take time to enjoy leisurely 

walks, gourmet food and welcoming country 

hotels. You won’t find another itinerary like it. 

www.heathersincomparablejourneys.ca 

For any and all of your travel needs 

519-473-8591 

Heather Wilkinson 

31 Nottinghill Gate, Suite 203, 

Oakville ON TICO#50013851 

Travel 

Industry Council of Ontario 

Fergus. Drink, bake, cook — the options are limitless 

for lemonade. lhlemonade.com 

The Townships & Beyond 

The 1870s Baden Hotel, also known as EJ’s 

Restaurant and Tavern, has closed and is re-opening 

as The Baden Brewery and Restaurant. Waterloo 

resident Abhay Patel says that a brewpub will be 

built on-site and will eventually include a retail store 

for merchandise and suds. thebadenbrewery.com 

Farm tours are available at Stonetown Cheese, 

an on-farm cheese plant and purveyor of Swiss 

mountain-style cheeses. Hand-crafted by master 

cheesemaker Ramon Eberle using unpasteurized 

milk from farmers Hans and Jolanda Weber’s herd 

of Holsteins, Eberle creates nearly a dozen types of 

Alpine-inspired cheese. 5021 Perth County Line 8, 

St. Marys, stonetowncheese.com 

A highlight of the Oxford County Cheese Trail — an 

enjoyable culinary experience exploring every facet 

of cheese — is a visit to Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese 

outside Woodstock. Sample a large outstanding 

variety of handcrafted cheeses or book a tour. 

gunnshillcheese.ca and tourismoxford.ca 

The Open Kitchen program is a direct result of building 

the Stratford Chefs School kitchens at 136 Ontario 

Street. The school now welcomes the public, not just 


as dinner patrons, but also as active learners. Public 

cooking classes has, in return, opened the door for new 

community partnerships. Bradshaws & Kitchen Detail 

is the 2018 Open Kitchen Season Partner, providing 

students with the knives, wine glasses, and kitchen 

tools used during the classes, as well as take-home 

gifts offered with select classes. The annual Stratford 

Chefs School’s Long Table Dinner, affectionately 

called the friend-raising event, takes place Sunday, 

September 9. stratfordchef.com 

Perth County Slow Food Market goes outdoors 

starting Sunday, May 6. Enjoy Perth County’s local 

produce, meats, breads, cheese, coffee, pastries, 

preserves, prepared foods, handmade artisanal 

products, and gluten-free and vegan options in 

Stratford’s Market Square from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

on Sundays until Thanksgiving. Parking is free on 

Sunday in downtown Stratford. 

Smoke afficianados are invited to Cigar Night 

in Stratford for a celebratory roast beef dinner 

(with three cigars included) on Thursday, June 

21. Sponsored by Stratford’s The Buzz Stop and 

importer Kretek, the event will take place at the 

Army Navy Air Force club, 151 Lorne Ave. E, in 

Stratford. Tickets are $40; call 519-273-6768. 

Celebrate pork in Stratford, in June. Take the 

Stratford Bacon & Ale Trail, a self-guided tasting 

tour of delicious pork and beer-inspired treats 

at selected restaurants and pubs. Stratford also 

welcomes the Ontario Pork Congress (June 20-21), 

Canada’s largest pig trade show, which brings 

together all segments of the pork industry to 

showcase new technologies, get educated about the 

latest issues and celebrate a healthy, vibrant sector. 

visitstratford.ca/culinary-adventures#trails 

Summer season at Stratford’s The Red Rabbit means 

the return of the pre-theatre menu (fixed price) and 

to being open 7 days a week. Their sister location, 

Okazu 85 Downie, is Stratford’s hot spot for delicious 

chef-inspired cuisine and the perfect late-night stop 

for grown-ups. Join them for dinner to taste global 

fusion prepared with local inspiration or stop by for 

innovative, fresh cocktails shaken or stirred by the 

fabulous staff until the wee hours. redrabbitresto. 

com and OkazuSnackBar.com 

We want your BUZZ! 

Get in touch with us at editor@eatdrink.ca and/or 

connect directly with our Social Media Editor Bryan 

Lavery at bryan@eatdrink.ca 

Submission deadline for the next issue is July 5.



Beer 

A Toast to Spring 

A Shoulder Season Six-Pack 

by GEORGE MACKE 

With the weather finally becoming 

spring-like, it’s time to bask in 

some free vitamin D, and some 

tasty vitamin B from the talented 

craft brewmasters of Southwestern Ontario. 

It’s too early for sessionable lawnmower 

beers and we are very keen to move on from 

post-snow shovelling stouts; we find ourselves 

in a beer shoulder season. What to do and how 

to please your friends? May I suggest a six-pack 

blend of memories and summer optimism? 

A caveat: Even on the deck, friends don’t let 

friends drink premium craft beer from a can 

or bottle. A big part of the flavour experience 

comes from the nose and allows appreciation 

of colour when held up against the shining 

sun. Nonic pints or shaker glasses are great 

all-round glasses for most beer styles. 

Walkerville Road Block 

Doppelbock — Sure, it’s been 

on the shelves since February 

and LCBO stores are down to 

the last few cans. But this big, 

strong, German-influenced doppelbock 

makes a fitting farewell 

to a winter that lasted too long. 

The beer was previously 

marketed 

as Dark 

Winter Lager, but 

how boring is 

that? Walkerville’s 

marketing 

minds 

rebooted it 

as Road 

Block, 

in honour of the famous six-cylinder, bigwheeled, 

big-bodied Studebakers that were 

once built in Windsor and were popularly used 

by Prohibition-busters. Despite its bock nature 

and what for many will be a one-and-done 7.5 

per cent alcohol content, Road Block is a surprisingly 

smooth and fast ride past the palate. 

At 35 IBU, it’s not for hop-heads, meaning it’s 

a great introductory beer for those mistakenly 

stuck in the notion that fine craft beer equals 

bitter IPAs. $3.15 in 473 mL cans at the LCBO. 

Sons of Kent 8 Track XPA — Vinyl albums 

have come back, ditto cassette tapes. But the 

clunky, unloved 8-track, best remembered 

for playing in a non-stop loop 

in circa 1970s cars and seemedlike-a-good-idea-at-the-time 

quadraphonic home stereos, 

lie forgotten in junk drawers or 

crushed in landfills. Its memory is 

rekindled with this delicious Sons 

of Kent conversation-starter, 

brewed in an American pale ale 

style and, as the brewery itself 

brags, it features taste that hits 

you from multiple angles. In 8 

Track XPA the “x” is for “extra” 

5.7 per cent alcohol and 57 

IBU, and it should have 

broad appeal among 

all beer-drinking 

guests. $3.25 for a 

473 mL can at the 

LCBO. 

Continued ...


Look for 

us in the 

LCBO! 

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED • PROUDLY BREWED IN LONDON 

1030 ELIAS STREET, LONDON • 548-888-ALES 

Forked River Capital Blonde — London’s 

five-year-old Forked River nailed it early 

with this beautifully versatile blonde ale. 

A Canadian Brewing Award winner in its 

style class a year after Forked River 

started brewing it, Capital Blonde is a 

light 4.7 per cent alcohol so it can be 

consumed in multiples. As a brand, 

it benefited greatly last year from 

a reboot that introduced fans to 

a blonde-bearded hipster on the 

label, providing the cool vibe it 

deserves. Capital Blonde’s strength 

is not as a sessionable beer but as 

a food partner, paired with dishes 

ranging from standard barbecued 

hamburgers to tomato-based Italian 

food and spicy Mexican. This is a 

craft beer to have in the fridge at all 

times, May through September. $2.95 for a 473 

mL can at the LCBO, the brewery’s online store, Beer Store 

and select grocery stores. 

Grand River Brewing Tailgate Lager — 

Nothing says Waterloo Region like its most 

famous watercourse, the Grand River, and 

by extension, Grand River Brewing. The 

Cambridge craft brewer has this 

lager in significant distribution 

and, since every springtime deck 

gathering needs a lager within 

reach, why not choose this one? 

Tailgate Lager — it’s at the Beer 

Store in Waterloo Region and 

Guelph and LCBO — is 4.5 per cent 

alcohol and a not-bitter 15 IBU. Its 

tagline is the “beer less travelled.” 

Think of it as the lager equivalent 

of buying bread from a bakery instead of the 

supermarket. As with blondes, lagers like this 

are crowd-pleasing, and kings of the burgerpairing 

domain. $3.10 for a 473 mL can. 

Elora Wandering Monk Belgian 

IPA — A gold medal winner at the 

2017 Canadian Brewing Awards, the 

Elora brewer channelled his or her 

inner bitter monk to give us a beer 

to ponder and discuss. Careful 

sipping should reveal flavours of 

white grapes, blueberries, and 

tropical fruit. It’s a seasonal, in 

shareable 500 mL bottles, and at 

the tail end of its availability, so 

grab it when you see it. Wandering 

Monk is 8 per cent alcohol and 

balanced. Its IBU is unavailable.


It goes without saying this beer is best enjoyed 

in scenic Elora, but your deck is a fine second 

choice. $6 for a 500 mL bottle at the LCBO. 

Innocente Fling Golden Ale — This ale 

from Waterloo’s gem of a craft brewer, 

Innocente Brewing Co., is an easy-drinking 

craft beer featuring notes of orange sorbet 

on the nose. Do not allow your 

friends to draw a line between 

this and the Molson Golden 

they might’ve thought was hip 

when you all were in college. As a 

golden, Fling is an alternative to 

lagers, but delivers more interest 

than those straightforward thirst 

quenchers and holds potential 

as a conversion beer, handy for 

bringing your macro-beer friends 

who disdain the bitterness of hops into the 

world of craft beer enjoyment. $3.10 for a 473 mL 

can at the LCBO. 

Road Trip! 

Come to the Cowbell Farm in Blyth, Ontario 

“THE NO.1 CRAFT BREWERY IN CANADA TO VISIT.” 

—WAYNE NEWTON, FOOD & DRINK JOURNALIST 

GEORGE MACKE is a Southwestern Ontario craft beer 

explorer who spends too much time at the LCBO. 

40035 BLYTH ROAD, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0 

1-844-523-4724 WWW.COWBELLBREWING.COM 

BLACK SWAN 

BREWING COMPANY 

STRATFORD • ONTARIO 

It's what we drink. 

144 DOWNIE ST, STRATFORD 

BLACKSWANBREWING.CA 519 • 814 • 7926 @BLACKSWANBREWINGCO


Wine 




by GARY KILLOPS 

Over the last few summers rosé wines 

have been gaining interest from 

savvy wine drinkers. The LCBO 

reports that rosé wine sales have 

jumped 17 per cent to $46 million in the last 

two years. And most of this is not the massproduced 

sweet white zinfandel that gave rosé 

a bad reputation. 

Many of these rosés are dry. They 

are excellent summertime sippers 

and perfect for many summer food 

pairings, such as salads, light pastas, 

spiced curries and rice dishes, 

shellfish, grilled fish, fried perch, 

feta, and fresh goat cheeses. Rosé 

will often work well when a 

red or white wine might 

be too big for the dish. 

Dry rather than 

sweet is the difference 

in these 

rosés, and with elevated acidity that supports 

the clean, crisp and refreshing finish. This is 

summertime in a glass. 

Here are a half dozen (five Ontario rosés 

and one from France) that I recommend you 

try this summer. All are under $20 and are 

available at many LCBO Vintages locations. 

Gérard Bertrand 2017 Côte des 

Roses Rosé (VINTAGES #373985, 

$18.95) — Made in France’s 

Languedoc region from grenache, 

syrah and cinsault grapes. 

Light salmon colour. Strawberry, 

red cherry and red currant fruit 

aromas. Rose petal floral notes. 

The red fruit follows through on 

the palate with added grapefruit 

and lemon notes. Dry, crisp with 

a lingering finish. Take note of 

the interesting rose-moulded 

bottom of the bottle. 

Malivoire 2016 Ladybug 

Rosé (VINTAGES #559088, 

$16.95) — The leader of the 

pack, this is Ontario’s 

most popular and 

best-selling rosé. 

Malivoire has 

been producing 

Ladybug rosé 

for almost 20 

years now. 

Made from 

60% cabernet 

franc, 20% 

pinot noir 

and 20% 

gamay grapes 

grown in 

the Niagara 

Peninsula. 

Red cherry, strawberry, 

raspberry and green apple.


Premiere Issue — June/July 2018 | 37


A dry wine but with a hint of sweetness 

on the fruity finish. Lively, refreshing 

acidity. An excellent value. 

Megalomaniac Pink Slip Rosé 2016 

(VINTAGES#: 85126, $19.95) — Made 

from Ontario pinot noir, chardonnay 

musqué, riesling, merlot and 

gamay grapes grown in the Niagara 

Peninsula. 

The most interesting and complex 

rosé of the bunch. All the red fruits 

Small Lot Award Winning Wines 

We invite you to visit Oxley and taste our 

classics (Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir 

& Riesling) and our unique varietals: 

Regent, Wowza & Ripper Red. 

Open daily from 11am–6pm 

www.oxleyestatewinery.com (519) 738-3264 

533 County Rd. 50 E. Harrow, ON 

Share Our Passion 


one might expect in a rosé with an additional 

mineral undertone, perhaps as a result of 

the riesling blended into the cuvée It’s an 

excellent sipper but this rosé has the power 

and finesse to pair well with summer 

grilled BBQ entrées like pork and chicken. 

Tawse 2016 Sketches of Niagara 

Rosé (VINTAGES#: 172643, $17.35) — An 

assemblage of Niagara Peninsula pinot 

noir, cabernet franc and gamay grapes. 

While it lacks much of the fruit 

complexity of some of the other 

rosés it is still nice for summertime 

imbibing. The crisp, energizing acidity 

is all that is needed for a refreshing 

mid-afternoon tipple or to be served 

as an aperitif. 

For food pairing, I suggest Tawse’s 

“Grower’s Blend Rosé”, currently 

only available directly from the 

winery in Niagara. 

Tawse Winery has been named 

Canadian Winery of the Year by 

WineAlign National Wine Awards of 

Canada four times in recent years: 

in 2016 and in three consecutive 

years — 2010, 2011 and 2012. 

Featherstone 2016 Rosé 

(VINTAGES #117861, $15.95) — Made 

from 50% gamay, 40% cabernet 

sauvignon, and 10% pinot noir 

from the Niagara Peninsula. 

Available at many LCBO 

Vintages locations for a limited 

time (until August 18th, 2018 or 

while supplies last). 

While this is a dry wine, it 

offers fruit notes that are candied 

and provide a sense of sweetness. 

Sour cherry and watermelon Jolly 

Available 

at 

at the 

Fine LCBO Restaurants 

& The Winery 

Colchester Ridge Estate Winery 

A Family-Run Craft Winery 

Award-Winning VQA Wines 

Friendly Tasting Boutique 

Picnic Tables 

Artisanal Ontario Cheeses 

Special Events 

@crewinery • 108 Essex County Road 50 • Harrow ON • 519-738-9800


Ranchers and red licorice. The fruit sweetness 

is well adjusted by the wine’s lively acidity, 

resulting in a nicely balanced rosé. 

This is a crowd-pleasing wine. 

Château des Charmes 2016 Cuvée 

d’Andrée Rosé (VINTAGES 333260, 

$15.95) — Made from 100% estate 

grown Niagara-on-the-Lake old 

vines pinot noir grapes. This is 

a dry, crisp, elegant rosé. Pure, 

fresh, ripe red fruits leading to a 

long savoury finish. The best value 

of the bunch here. 

The wine is dedicated to 

Madame Andrée Bosc — wife, 

mother and winery matriarch. The 

Bosc family has a deep history of 

grape growing and winemaking 

in the Alsace region of France. In 

1978 Paul Bosc Sr. and his wife Andrée 

founded Château des Charmes in Niagaraon-the-Lake. 

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tasting notes on EssexWineReview.com 

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Books 

Foodie Fiction: Beach Reads 

Novels about Food, Kitchens, Chefs, and Restaurants 

Reviews by DARIN COOK 

For those with a sweet tooth for both 

confectionary and storytelling, Chocolat 

by Joanne Harris (1999) does 

not disappoint. Vianne and 

Anouk, a transient mother-daughter 

pair, breeze into a French village 

at the beginning of Easter season. 

Living a gypsy lifestyle inspired by 

her own mother, settling down is 

not in Vianne’s blood, but she yearns 

to cling to a location long enough to 

give Anouk some permanent roots. 

By opening a chocolate shop to serve 

the village, she hopes to be accepted, 

but the locals are surprised by the 

magic she is capable of inspiring in 

their tired town. Chocolate-making involves 

plenty of alchemy that fits with Vianne’s 

“Food has a power … And though it can’t save 

me, it might help me, in some way.” These are 

the words of Ginny Selvaggio, the 

main character from Jael McHenry’s 

The Kitchen Daughter (2011), who 

compulsively turns to cooking to 

calm herself when thoughts about 

the recent death of her parents 

become overwhelming. The story 

takes on supernatural overtones 

when Ginny’s cooking of certain 

recipes conjures deceased ancestors 

back to her kitchen. How does it happen 

and what does it all mean? She 

continues cooking, to unravel the 

mystery, eventually realizing that recipes left in 

a deceased person’s handwriting, coupled with 

the aroma of the cooking, have magical powers 

Two high school friends, Yummy and Cass, 

are reunited on a family potato farm in Idaho 

in All Over Creation (2003) by Ruth Ozeki. 

Yummy ran away twenty-five years ago and 

returns to reconnect with her estranged friend 

and confront the deteriorating health of her 

magical sense of developing relationships with 

the townsfolk, not only through her chocolate, 

but her radical ideas and sense of 

freedom. 

Some chapters are told through 

the voice of the village priest 

who is deeply troubled by his 

parish’s weakness during Lent in 

the shadow of Vianne’s chocolate 

shop. But not everyone in town 

shares the priest’s views and the 

luxury of self-indulgence may 

be just what the quaint village 

needs to release it from past sins. 

The war between Church and 

Chocolate becomes more palpable, 

dangerous, and delicious as the story unfolds 

over the days leading up to Easter Sunday. 

to bring back the dead. The next question is to 

what extent should this power be used to pursue 

family secrets that have surfaced 

since the death of her parents and 

confront her meddling sister? 

Ginny learns that not only does 

she deal with grief by summoning 

the flavours of her favourite 

foods, but it has been a coping 

method for her undiagnosed 

autism for years. She confronts 

the quirks of her autism to help 

develop a sense of self. Immersing 

herself in food and digging 

through memories from her 

childhood, she continues to search for what 

normal means and ultimately decides that it 

may not matter. 

parents, Lloyd and Momoko. At the same time, 

a wandering band of anti-GMO activists arrive 

at the farm in their Winnebago, wanting to learn 

from Lloyd who has played a pivotal role in the 

fight between natural seeds and engineered 

seeds in potato farming.


Seeds are the heart of the story. 

Lloyd’s farm and Momoko’s garden 

have thousands of rare seeds, 

some of them the last specimens 

of their kind on Earth. They have 

been quietly nurturing, preserving, 

and distributing these natural 

treasures that might have gone 

extinct if not for their efforts. 

GMO plants can take over natural 

varieties, causing them to die out, 

but the activists and farmers come 

In Ruth Reichl’s book, Delicious! (2014), Billie 

Breslin finds herself in the midst of the New 

York food scene, learning everything she can 

from the cheese makers, butchers, chocolatiers, 

and food magazine editors she finds 

herself mingling with in her new 

job. Billie was a culinary prodigy 

who started a cake business with 

her sister at a young age, and seems 

to have quite a tongue for flavour. 

The story is infused with flavours 

and aromas that only a true 

gourmand and long-time restaurant 

critic, like Reichl, can relay. Billie 

fits right into the foodie lifestyle 

by visiting local farms, hunting 

for her own mushrooms, serving 

real Italian cheeses at a deli, all the 

while chiselling out a career as a food writer at 

an upscale food magazine called Delicious! 

The food items paired together in Bread 

and Butter (2014) by Michelle Wildgen refer 

to the living that three brothers 

make in the restaurant business 

in their Pennsylvania hometown. 

The older two, Leo and Britt, are 

veterans in the industry with their 

joint restaurant, Winesap; they 

are supportive, but skeptical, of 

younger Harry opening up Stray 

in their small town. Working in 

tandem, the older brothers have 

their respective duties: Britt 

learns the dining preferences and 

aversions of regular customers at 

the front of house; Leo manages 

the kitchen crew. They’ve been in business 

long enough to know the rhythm of the 

kitchen and the flow of service which Wildgen 

describes in entertaining detail. 

Compared to his brothers, who opened 

their restaurant after years of hard work, 


together to propel their anticorporate 

sentiments throughout 

the farming community. Ozeki’s 

compelling story is equally about 

political and agribusiness issues, 

and personal relationships and 

the dramas that they spawn. An 

apocalyptic, yet touching, climax 

pays tribute to the importance of 

humans standing up for nature. 

In the magazine’s office, Billie unearths a 

secret stash of mysterious correspondence 

originally written to James Beard. The letters 

were written during World War II, by a young 

girl who is very mature and astute 

in her societal observations; her 

writing about wartime food conditions 

and rationing juxtaposes 

the gourmet world of Delicious! 

The letters give a taste of what 

wartime cooking was like, conveying 

that even though U.S. citizens 

needed to sacrifice certain food 

choices, it did not stop them from 

being creative in the kitchen. Billie 

becomes engrossed in reading 

and cataloguing the letters and her 

new pro ject shrouds other problems 

in her family life. 

Harry is an adventurous experimenter 

in the kitchen who sets out to bring new 

perspectives of artisanal food 

creations to the sheltered 

scene of their hometown. Britt 

is jealous of Harry’s ease and 

randomness at moving into the 

business, but the three brothers 

share a love of the food industry. 

Wildgen writes with an eye for 

flavours that her readers can 

savour through words, and she 

expertly portrays the competitive 

and frantic lives of restaurateurs 

and chefs, coupled with a dash 

of sibling rivalry and off-duty 

romance outside the kitchen. 

DARIN COOK is a freelance writer who lives and works 

in Chatham-Kent, but keeps himself well-read and wellfed 

by visiting bookstores and restaurants.



Recipes 

Let's Get Grilling 

On the Road with The Cooking Ladies 

By Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay 

Review and Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN 

I 

don’t want to jinx anything but it just might 

be (finally!) time to uncover the barbecue and 

pull out the lawn chairs. Our notoriously short 

Canadian summer is fast approaching and I’ve 

found just the right people to help us make the most 

of it. 

Stratford-born Phyllis Hinz and Vancouver native 

Lamont Mackay, known professionally as The Cooking 

Ladies, have made their careers out of travelling 

and eating. After 20 years in the restaurant business 

in Southwestern Ontario, they sold almost everything 

and spent nine years in an RV exploring food 

culture wherever they found it. They’ve since been 

to every province and territory in Canada, with the 

exception of Nunavut. 

On the Road With The Cooking Ladies; Let’s Get 

Grilling (Whitecap Books; 2017) is a collection of their 

best grilling and smoking recipes, inspired by over 

100 stops across North America. 

It’s as much a travelogue as a cookbook. The 

authors share photos and stories of the characters, 

the landscapes and the food cultures of the areas they 

love visiting. 

On the Road has grilling advice and food safety 

tips, and the writers explain how to get the most 

out of your barbecue, including how to turn a grill 

into a temporary smoker. (It’s a great way to enjoy 

the benefits of smoking your own food without the 

commitment of a dedicated appliance.) 

For an impressive 

side dish at your first 

family cookout this year, 

try Maple Bacon Onion 

Rings. Large rings of 

white onion wrapped in 

bacon and basted with 

maple syrup and Dijon 

mustard, grilled until 

crisp outside and tender 

inside. These will impress 

any crowd. 

A grill is a versatile cooking tool 

that can be used to make everything 

from salad to dessert but, for me, the 

first barbecue of the year is always a 

carnivore’s feast. Marinated Sirloin 

Steak fits the bill perfectly. Left to 

bathe overnight in the classic flavours 

of garlic, Worcestershire sauce and olive 

oil, then cooked quickly over a hot grill, 

it’s the taste of summer. 

You won’t find many fussy recipes 

here, just delicious, 

simple food that you’d 

be proud to bring to 

any summer gathering. 

On the Road With the 

Cooking Ladies is a great 

resource if you are 

looking to expand your 

Phyllis Hinz and Lamont 

Mackay, The Cooking Ladies


barbecue menu with 

some good, solid recipes and 

get the most out of your grill. It’s also a great 

inspiration if you are planning your own road 

trip this summer. And if you’re looking for 

both, it’s the perfect choice. 

TRACY TURLIN is a freelance writer and dog groomer 

in London. Reach her at tracyturlin@gmail.com 

Recipes excerpted from On the Road With The Cooking 

Ladies; Let’s Get Grilling . Published by Whitecap Books. 

Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights 

reserved. 

MONDAY JUNE 25, 

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137 GLASGOW ST., KITCHENER 

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Tickets only $20 

available at www.parkinsonsociety.ca or call (519) 652-9437 

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Maple Bacon Onion Rings 

Makes 4–6 servings 

2–3 medium-sized mild onions 

6 thinly sliced bacon strips 

2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup 

1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice 

1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 

Peel and slice the onions into thick (½ inch/1 cm) slices 

widthwise. 

Push out the center 2–3 rings of each onion slice. Keep the 

remaining outer rings together. Set the inner rings aside 

for another recipe. 

Wind and stretch a bacon strip around each set of outer 

onion rings, covering the surface of the onion with the 

bacon. Secure the bacon ends with a toothpick. 


Place the bacon-wrapped onion rings side by side in a flat 

baking dish. 

In a bowl, combine the maple syrup, lemon juice, and 

mustard. 

Brush the maple syrup mixture over the bacon onion 

rings. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Preheat the grill on medium-high (450–550°F/230–290°C) 

for 10 minutes with the lid closed. Using a pair of longhandled 

tongs, oil the grate by wiping it with a piece of 

folded paper towel dipped lightly in canola oil. 

Place the bacon onion rings on the grate. Cook over 

medium-high heat with the lid closed, turning every 

3–4 minutes until the bacon is cooked and the onion is 

tender-crisp. 

Remove the toothpicks before serving.


Marinated Sirloin Steak 

Makes 4 servings 

Two 1-lb (450 g) top sirloin steaks 

½ cup (125 mL) peeled and chopped onion 

3 garlic cloves, chopped 

½ cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 

¼ cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce 

1 Tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 

½ tsp (2 mL) hot sauce 

¼ tsp (1 mL) sea salt 

¼ tsp (1 mL) coarsely ground pepper 

Place the steaks flat in a shallow, glass dish. 

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well. 


Pour the mixture over the steak. Turn the meat to coat 

both sides. Cover and refrigerate 12–24 hours. Turn the 

steaks once or twice while marinating. 

Preheat the grill on high (550–600°F/290–315°C) for 10 

minutes with the lid closed. Using a pair of long-handled 

tongs, oil the grate by wiping it with a piece of folded 

paper towel dipped lightly in canola oil. 

Remove steaks from the marinade. Discard marinade. 

With the lid closed, grill the steaks for about 5 minutes on 

each side or until the internal temperature registers 135°F 

(57°C) for medium-rare on an instantread thermometer. 

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board. Let rest for 10 

minutes before serving.



The Lighter Side 

Food for Comfort 

By MARK KEARNEY 

There’s an entry from the travel 

journal I kept during my backpacking 

days across Europe in late 1981. 

I’d been hitchhiking in Ireland 

and Scotland for several rainy weeks. Now I 

was in York, England that autumn and wrote, 

“I should express my gratitude to the 

humble grilled cheese sandwich. 

It has kept me going many a 

time in the past including 

tonight’s dinner.” 

Dining on the youth 

hostel circuit was far 

from haute cuisine. In 

those days, having access 

to a fridge and a stove in 

a hostel was sometimes a 

bloody luxury, so you can 

well imagine why I might take 

a moment to extol the wonders of 

slabs of cheese between two pieces of bread, 

buttered and, let’s face it, usually fried in a 

pan rather than actually grilled. 

The journal entry goes on for a few more 

sentences, noting how cheap they were to 

make and how I had practically lived on them 

for the first few weeks, when I was starting 

out as a reporter at the London Free Press. 

I had just finished my BA at Western, I had 

little money (but no student loan to pay off!), 

and my first journalism paycheque wasn’t due 

to arrive for another three weeks. 

Meanwhile back in York, it was the same 

story. According to my journal, I was down to 

my last pound and a half — that’s currency, 

not weight — and couldn’t get to the bank 

in time to cash some travellers’ cheques. 

Remember those relics of the past? 

As for the grilled cheese, “for the number of 

times I’ve eaten them I still find them tasty,” 

I wrote in the journal. “It also helps to try 

different kinds of cheeses.” 

Well, didn’t I have brilliant culinary insight 

back in the day? But my point here is that we 

all have our go-to comfort foods, and to this 

day I still default to a grilled cheese sandwich 

for lunch when nothing else presents itself. 

Granted, the selection of cheeses is sharper, 

the bread tastier, Dijon mustard is now 

a must, and sliced tomatoes are often an 

accompanying filling. I may not have matured 

much since those backpacking days, but my 

taste buds have. 

I suspect our comfort foods often 

spin out from childhood. I had 

my share of grilled cheese as a 

kid, when anything gooey like 

that was bound to be a hit. 

Hearty soups are also a good 

choice. Why, it’s practically a 

meal in bowl, some broth buff 

is bound to say. 

It certainly was that for 

my father. Anytime we were 

in restaurants he would ask the 

server what the soup of the day was. 

The answer didn’t matter; he’d always order 

it. I wondered why he didn’t just roll the 

dice and buy it without asking. Cream of 

chicken, chicken noodle, chowder (Boston or 

Manhattan), French onion, tomato bisque, 

cock-a-leekie, mushroom, etc. — he’d get it 

regardless. If it was soup of the day it must 

be good, he thought. If someone had said, 

“Today, sir, our special is cream of rust” my 

dad would have probably replied, “Great. I’ll 

have that and bring some crackers.” 

As for the humble grilled cheese of my 

youth, it has now evolved into gourmet fare. 

Check out any grilled cheese website and 

you’ll find balsamic blueberry grilled cheese, 

smashed avocado and roasted tomato, garlic 

confit and arugula — you get the picture. 

Heck, if I’d known about those variations in 

my travelling days I might never have left the 

hostel. 

MARK KEARNEY has been a journalist for more than 

35 years and has been published in nearly 80 publications 

in North America. He teaches writing and journalism at 

Western University.



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Eatdrink Waterloo & Wellington #1 June/July 2018

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