Eatdrink #82 March/April 2020
The LOCAL food & drink magazine serving London, Stratford & Southwest Ontario since 2007.
The LOCAL food & drink magazine serving London, Stratford & Southwest Ontario since 2007.
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Issue <strong>#82</strong> | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
The<br />
Women’s<br />
Issue<br />
<strong>2020</strong><br />
Head Chef Erin Circelli-Russell<br />
The Chef’s Table<br />
Fanshawe College<br />
Dedication • Perspiration • Motivation • Inspiration • Hospitality<br />
Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007<br />
eatdrink.ca
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eatdrink<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<br />
eatdrinkmagazine<br />
@eatdrinkmag<br />
eatdrinkmag eatdrink.ca<br />
Think Global. Read Local.<br />
Publisher<br />
Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca<br />
Managing Editor Cecilia Buy – cbuy@eatdrink.ca<br />
Food Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Copy Editor Kym Wolfe<br />
Social Media Editor Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Advertising Sales Chris McDonell – chris@eatdrink.ca<br />
Bryan Lavery – bryan@eatdrink.ca<br />
Stacey McDonald – stacey@eatdrink.ca<br />
Terry-Lynn “TL” Sim – TL@eatdrink.ca<br />
Finances<br />
Ann Cormier – finance@eatdrink.ca<br />
Graphics<br />
Chris McDonell, Cecilia Buy<br />
Writers<br />
Jane Antoniak, Darin Cook,<br />
Melissa Graham, Gary Killops,<br />
Bryan Lavery, George Macke,<br />
Nancy McSloy, Sue Sutherland Wood,<br />
Tracy Turlin, Kym Wolfe<br />
Photographers Steve Grimes, Nick Lavery<br />
Telephone & Fax 519-434-8349<br />
Mailing Address 525 Huron Street, London ON N5Y 4J6<br />
Website<br />
City Media, Cecilia Buy<br />
Social Media Mind Your Own Business<br />
Printing<br />
Sportswood Printing<br />
OUR COVER<br />
Erin Circelli-Russell —<br />
Head Chef & Instructor at<br />
The Chef’s Table, Fanshawe<br />
College’s teaching<br />
restaurant in Downtown<br />
London — is a stellar<br />
representative of the<br />
outstanding women in our<br />
culinary community that<br />
we celebrate this year. The<br />
tributes begin on page 10.<br />
© <strong>2020</strong> <strong>Eatdrink</strong> Inc. and the writers.<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Reproduction or duplication of any material published in <strong>Eatdrink</strong><br />
or on <strong>Eatdrink</strong>.ca or LocalFlavour.ca is strictly prohibited<br />
without the written permis sion of the Publisher. <strong>Eatdrink</strong> has a<br />
printed circulation of 20,000 issues published six times annually, for<br />
a total of 120,000 copies in print. The views or opinions expressed<br />
in the information, content and/or advertisements published in<br />
<strong>Eatdrink</strong> or online are solely those of the author(s) and do not<br />
necessarily represent those of the Publisher. The Publisher welcomes<br />
submissions but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material.<br />
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Contents<br />
Issue <strong>#82</strong> | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Our Third Annual Women’s Issue<br />
Publisher’s Notes<br />
Why a Women’s Issue?<br />
Our Third Annual Celebration<br />
By CHRIS McDONELL<br />
6<br />
Spotlight<br />
Women in Food — and Drink!<br />
(<strong>2020</strong>)<br />
Talented Women Making<br />
a Difference<br />
10<br />
Beer<br />
Ladies’ Entrance<br />
This Way to the Brewhouse<br />
By GEORGE MACKE<br />
34<br />
Wine<br />
A Winemaker with Strong Roots<br />
Tanya Mitchell of<br />
Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery<br />
By GARY KILLOPS<br />
38<br />
The BUZZ<br />
Culinary Community Notes<br />
New and Notable<br />
By THE EDITORS<br />
42<br />
34<br />
38<br />
57<br />
54<br />
58<br />
Theatre<br />
A Captain Hook for Our Time<br />
Laura Condlln at the Avon Theatre<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK<br />
54<br />
Books<br />
Be My Guest<br />
Reflections on Food, Community<br />
and the Meaning of Generosity<br />
By Priya Basil<br />
Review by DARIN COOK<br />
57<br />
Recipes<br />
Taste the Wild<br />
by Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup<br />
Review & Recipe Selections<br />
By TRACY TURLIN<br />
59<br />
The Lighter Side<br />
Stop the Press<br />
By SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD<br />
62<br />
62<br />
Your sustainable studio who cares<br />
hair • colour • barber • skin • spa • makeup • 4 everyone<br />
140 Ann Street, Suite 106, London<br />
519 709 4247<br />
www.studioHartistgroup.com<br />
@studioHartistgroup
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 5<br />
RESERVE NOW<br />
For Our Famous Gourmet<br />
MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH BUFFET<br />
Sunday, May 10, 11am — 2:30pm<br />
Call for reservations<br />
519-430-6414<br />
/Blakes2ndFloor<br />
¦
Issue #76 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> 2019<br />
Serving London, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario since 2007<br />
Eleanor Kane<br />
Co-founder,<br />
Stratford Chefs School<br />
6 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Publisher’s Notes<br />
Why a Women’s Issue?<br />
Our Third Annual Celebration<br />
By CHRIS McDONELL<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
This annual celebration of women<br />
has become a fixture on the <strong>Eatdrink</strong><br />
calendar. As I have<br />
noted before, there<br />
has not been a single issue of<br />
<strong>Eatdrink</strong> ever published that<br />
didn’t acknowledge important<br />
contributions from women.<br />
It just wouldn’t be possible<br />
to celebrate our local culinary<br />
culture without writing about<br />
women. So the question has <strong>Eatdrink</strong> #70, 2018<br />
been raised, “Do you really<br />
need to have a Women’s Issue?”<br />
The short answer to this question is a<br />
simple yes. For those who require a more<br />
detailed response, and I don’t want to be<br />
eatdrink<br />
The LOCAL Food & Drink Magazine<br />
The<br />
Women’s<br />
Issue<br />
Dedication<br />
Perspiration<br />
Motivation<br />
Inspiration<br />
Hospitality<br />
www.eatdrink.ca<br />
<strong>Eatdrink</strong> #76, 2019<br />
dismissive, I will add that<br />
despite significant progress,<br />
the culinary world remains<br />
an unequal playing (and<br />
paying) field, and we want<br />
to acknowledge that and<br />
support and celebrate the<br />
changes for women.<br />
This is the third time<br />
that we have published a<br />
Women’s Issue, and the<br />
calibre of candidates profiled here clearly<br />
demonstrates the challenge we have in<br />
WIN A LEXUS FOR A WEEKEND!<br />
Plus get your own car cleaned and detailed!<br />
eatdrink &<br />
Presented by<br />
Enter by going to eatdrink.ca/contests<br />
Contest ends <strong>April</strong> 24, <strong>2020</strong>. Complete details online.<br />
Congratulations Erin Helm,<br />
winner of our January/February Draw!
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
drawing up a short list every year. All of these<br />
women would have been a natural fit back<br />
in 2018 or 2019. I know I will say something<br />
similar next year. For those who will protest<br />
the omission of a certain woman here, I can<br />
only assure them that there is next year, and<br />
thank them for their advocacy on behalf of<br />
a strong woman. We do appreciate feedback,<br />
and we welcome suggestions. We’ll keep<br />
publishing this special annual compilation<br />
for the foreseeable future, and be mindful of<br />
celebrating women’s achievements in every<br />
issue of the magazine.<br />
Beyond our general roundup of distinguished<br />
women, we asked our regular contributors<br />
to turn their attention to this issue’s theme.<br />
I believe our readers will be pleased with the<br />
results. I especially like the conversation about<br />
women and beer in George Macke’s “Ladies’<br />
Entrance” column for its balance in looking<br />
back at where the culture has been versus<br />
where we are now. Sexism is sometimes a<br />
subtle force, but with beer it has been blatant.<br />
I’ve long been an admirer of Sue Sutherland<br />
Wood’s take on life, and she hits the mark<br />
2nd Annual Maple Syrup Festival<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 7, 9am – 1pm<br />
Enjoy maple syrup production artifacts, maple syrup<br />
flavoured products, Canadian crafts, and in-housemade<br />
pancakes by Katherine from Growing Chefs topped<br />
with locally produced maple syrup from our very own<br />
Lynch Maple Farms. We couldn’t be more excited!<br />
Free Kids Craft Program!<br />
Saturdays, 9:30 am – 11:30 am<br />
Run by Dotsy’s Entertainment Co., you’ll find the table<br />
upstairs on the Mezzanine in one of the market booths,<br />
surrounded by good food,<br />
live music and free cooking<br />
classes for adults.<br />
<strong>March</strong> 7:<br />
Canada Critter<br />
Clothespin Puppets;<br />
<strong>March</strong> 14: Leprechaun Door Wreath;<br />
<strong>March</strong> 21: Butterfly and Snails Spring Stamping;<br />
<strong>March</strong> 28: Slime!<br />
<strong>April</strong> 4: Paper Egg Easter Craft<br />
SATURDAYS IN MAY<br />
Join us for mammoth meals,<br />
deals and experiences along<br />
the Oxford County Cheese Trail.<br />
Outdoor Easter Farmers’ Market<br />
Saturday, <strong>April</strong> 11th, 8am – 1pm<br />
Enjoy an abundance of local favourites in our annual<br />
Easter celebration, outside on the Market Square.<br />
See our website or Facebook page for further details.<br />
OxfordCountyCheeseTrail.ca<br />
1-866-801-7368 x3355<br />
tourism@oxfordcounty.ca<br />
MARKET HOURS<br />
Mon–Fri 8am–7pm<br />
Saturday 8am–6pm<br />
Sunday 11am–4pm<br />
Mezzanine & Restaurant Hours Differ
Hope Made<br />
Delicious<br />
35<br />
YEARS<br />
APRIL 22<br />
25% of sales will be<br />
donated in support of<br />
Regional HIV/AIDS<br />
Connection<br />
www.aTasteForLife.org<br />
See the list of our incredible Taste restaurants!<br />
Reserve a table for a DELICIOUS night out.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
again for <strong>Eatdrink</strong> with her “Lighter Side”<br />
contribution to close this issue. She too takes<br />
a look back at where women have been in our<br />
culture, contrasted with where we are now,<br />
and leaves me with plenty of food for thought.<br />
Progress can be a double-edged sword, and<br />
I appreciate Sue’s attention to this with her<br />
gentle but deft touch.<br />
International Women’s Day, celebrated<br />
on <strong>March</strong> 8, is the ostensible reason for the<br />
timing of the <strong>Eatdrink</strong> Women’s Issue, and<br />
we’re proud to support that. The roots of<br />
the day are in protest movements, both for<br />
women’s suffrage a hundred years ago —<br />
voting rights — and working women’s rights.<br />
Today’s #metoo movement stands clearly in<br />
that tradition, and while the battle for the<br />
vote has largely been won, we all know that<br />
women’s work continues to be a virtual and<br />
literal battleground. As a wise woman once<br />
told me, it’s just as important to celebrate the<br />
positive as it is to protest the negative. I hope<br />
we are doing that with this issue of <strong>Eatdrink</strong>.<br />
Peace,<br />
LOVE,<br />
LOVE IT!<br />
SO MANY<br />
SHOPS.<br />
THEMARKETWFD.COM<br />
HALINA A.<br />
GOOGLE REVIEW
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
London Training Centre’s<br />
Culinary<br />
Pre-Apprenticeship<br />
Program<br />
Chef Instructors Steve James & Chandany Chen<br />
Are You an Aspiring Chef?<br />
Just starting out or currently working in the industry, this 6-month<br />
program is the place to gain new skills<br />
• No Cost to Students — Fully Funded by The<br />
Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development<br />
• Interactive & Unique Learning Opportunities<br />
• Includes an 8-Week Placement<br />
ondon<br />
ra n ng<br />
CENTRE<br />
www.londontraining.on.ca<br />
This Employment Ontario Program is<br />
Funded by the Government of Ontario<br />
Program Starts <strong>April</strong> 6, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Submit a letter of interest and resume to<br />
Steve James, Program Manager<br />
London Training Centre<br />
steve@londontraining.on.ca<br />
For more information visit:<br />
www.londontraining.on.ca
10 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Spotlight<br />
Women in Food — & Drink! (<strong>2020</strong>)<br />
Talented Women Making a Difference<br />
I<br />
t was once a truism that there is a<br />
woman standing behind every great man.<br />
That may still be the reality today but the<br />
women profiled in the following pages<br />
stand here on their own merits. In many cases<br />
there is a man standing proudly beside them,<br />
but their contributions are no secret.<br />
In compiling this list, the only rigid criteria<br />
is that a candidate has not been celebrated<br />
previously in this annual <strong>Eatdrink</strong> tradition.<br />
Our goal is to present a diversity of candidate,<br />
from veteran contributors to our region’s<br />
culinary life, to relative newcomers who<br />
are making a mark. Once again, the list of<br />
worthy candidates is far longer than the final<br />
honour roll, but we’ve resisted the tempation<br />
to shorten the length of the profiles to fit<br />
more women into the limited space we have<br />
available. We assigned a group of writers to<br />
the difficult job of keeping these summaries<br />
brief —an agonizing process — but their<br />
creative snapshots and different approaches<br />
to the job offer insightful introductions that<br />
we believe do justice to some of the most<br />
influential women in our region’s food and<br />
drink culture.<br />
An effort to divide this list according to<br />
roles — chefs, entrepreneurs, and such —<br />
proved futile, as so many of these women<br />
wear multiple hats. On any given day, one<br />
job might define their role, only to change<br />
moments later. These are creative women,<br />
and problem solvers, and that is the common<br />
ground that unites them. One list of names,<br />
and the arbitrary nature of alphabetical order,<br />
follows. Prepare to be impressed.<br />
Nicole Arroyas<br />
Chef/Owner of Petit Paris & The Coop<br />
Rotisserie, London<br />
petit-paris.ca / thecooprotisserie.ca<br />
By Sue Sutherland Wood<br />
Chef Nicole Arroyas always knew that her<br />
career would be centered around food. From<br />
her early years (she was working in the<br />
kitchen at her parent’s restaurant, Archie’s<br />
Fish and Chips, at age 13) to moving to France<br />
to attend the prestigious culinary school,<br />
Institut Paul Bocuse, to running the Auberge<br />
du Petit Prince restaurant for five years, she<br />
has already lived many lives. More recently,<br />
Nicole has been able to create a vehicle for<br />
her long-held love of all things pastry in the<br />
highly-regarded retail/supply patisserie Petit<br />
Paris, located in Covent Garden Market.<br />
“I take each day as it comes and am<br />
thankful for family and for being able to<br />
do what I love, working with an amazing<br />
passionate team every day,” Nicole shares. She<br />
adds that “as a woman, sometimes, you are<br />
not taken seriously and respected; however,<br />
this only drives my passion more and pushes<br />
me to be the best I can be. I am proud to be a<br />
woman raised in Canada where we have equal<br />
rights and opportunities.”
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Nicole’s newest venture, The Coop Rotisserie<br />
Express — online delivery from The Coop<br />
Rotisserie, another of Nicole’s success stories<br />
and also located within Covent Garden —<br />
provides convenient wholesome foods (including<br />
brined slow-roasted chicken), all made from<br />
scratch. A full catering menu has recently been<br />
added with delicious options for breakfast,<br />
lunch and dinner and (of course!) desserts.<br />
The Coop Express — at the Commissioners<br />
Road location — will also feature Archie’s<br />
Famous Fish and Chips. Good to know, The<br />
Coop boasts eco-friendly packaging.<br />
Jennifer Boyar<br />
Co-owner of sixthirtynine, Woodstock<br />
sixthirtynine.com<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
Celebrating 15 years as an independent,<br />
family-owned business, we are Oxford<br />
County’s only farm-to-table restaurant where<br />
menus are seasonal, based on local products<br />
with everything prepared in house.<br />
I am the co-owner with my husband and<br />
business partner, Chef Eric Boyar. We took<br />
over from Eric’s mother last year. Eric has<br />
always been chef and I have always been<br />
involved in some capacity. I manage the front<br />
house, which includes training, scheduling,<br />
serving and assisting our Wine Director to<br />
curate wine, beer and cocktail lists.<br />
As a Registered Nurse, I felt that caring for<br />
people was my true calling. I left nursing to<br />
stay home with my children but felt a void,<br />
wondering what my future would bring.
12 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Serving customers has been a wonderful<br />
way to communicate the care and attention I<br />
practiced as a nurse. Ensuring that customers<br />
have incredible, artisanal meals combined<br />
with the best in genuine, warm, attentive and<br />
professional service makes me happy.<br />
To be hands-on in your business while<br />
balancing home and family life takes effort<br />
and perseverance. This industry is not for the<br />
weak at heart. I love the challenge because<br />
of the feeling you get when you hear a buzz<br />
Natalie Chapman<br />
Manager, David’s Bistro, London<br />
www.davidsbistro.ca<br />
As told to Kym Wolfe<br />
I started working at the Bistro as a server<br />
in high school, almost 20 years ago. Once I<br />
started working busy weekends and getting<br />
to know the customers and found a wee bit of<br />
confidence I knew it would be for life!<br />
Erin Circelli-Russell<br />
Head Chef/Instructor at The Chef’s Table,<br />
Fanshawe College, London<br />
https://bit.ly/2wWMLuc<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
London native Chef Erin Circelli-Russell is one<br />
of the city’s most influential chefs and culinary<br />
educators, inspiring hundreds of young chefs.<br />
Chef’s deep appreciation for cuisine developed<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
in your dining room, see guests happy and<br />
relaxed, treating themselves to a nice meal.<br />
You feel a sense of purpose being fulfilled in<br />
front of your eyes.<br />
I love supporting women in our<br />
communities as I can identify with their<br />
struggles. I am a member of Oxford Women<br />
in Networking and sit as a chair on the<br />
International Women’s Day committee. I love<br />
connecting with other businesses to bring<br />
unique events to Oxford County.<br />
Growing up my Dad was not home too<br />
much — he worked six days week until at least<br />
midnight. Once I got to know the business<br />
and the customers, I understood why he put<br />
in that effort and time, and I wanted to do it<br />
with him. Now that I have my own children,<br />
I’m very lucky that Dad tries to help me find a<br />
better balance of work and family time.<br />
There have been challenges — like “the<br />
night from hell” as it is referred to, when the<br />
cash register died. Getting through those with<br />
a team of people all in it together is like no<br />
other satisfaction!<br />
On the flip side you have nights when<br />
things go perfectly with seating and orders,<br />
the kitchen is on fire — in a good way! — and<br />
customers tell you how much they enjoyed<br />
their evening. And then, when it’s all cleaned<br />
up, you get to sit down for dinner with your<br />
work family, which for me is extra special<br />
because that includes my Dad.<br />
What makes David’s Bistro special for me<br />
is our customers. We are serving some third<br />
generation! I work front of the house, and we<br />
try to have unique and interesting wines. To<br />
ensure I have the knowledge to recommend<br />
and pair wines, I have taken the first level<br />
sommelier course.<br />
Eventually I will take over the restaurant,<br />
but right now Dad is still “king of the castle.”<br />
Even when he retires it will always be David’s<br />
Bistro.<br />
when she was exposed to a variety of foods and<br />
traditions at an early age. This would fuel her<br />
lifelong passion for cooking. Working in a pasta<br />
and sandwich shop at the age of 15 was the<br />
beginning of her culinary career.<br />
Enrolling in the Culinary Management<br />
program at Fanshawe College, she became<br />
an award-winning graduate focusing on and<br />
excelling in culinary competitions. It was at this<br />
point that she embraced her career with passion.
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
She completed her culinary apprenticeship in<br />
Scotland and continued to travel the world,<br />
diving deep into local cultures and cuisines.<br />
Upon returning home in 2003, she secured<br />
a position at Fanshawe College as a Seal Chef.<br />
Currently Circelli-Russell is the head chef<br />
instructor guiding hospitality students at<br />
The Chef’s Table, the teaching restaurant at<br />
Fanshawe College. With a passion for food<br />
and education, she guides students towards<br />
gaining practical hands-on experience and an<br />
understanding of what it really means to work<br />
in and be committed to the hospitality industry.<br />
The Chef’s Table honours the procurement of<br />
local and sustainable foods and is focused on<br />
The heart of<br />
Downtown<br />
Strathroy<br />
Girls Getaway Weekend!<br />
2 Junior Suites each with queen beds<br />
and a $100 voucher for the Bistro.<br />
Erin Circelli-Russell<br />
serving quality and seasonal Ontario grown<br />
ingredients and Ocean Wise approved seafood.<br />
Circelli-Russell encourages the students<br />
to try new and exciting mashups with food<br />
and drink. In her eyes, everything can be<br />
paired with everything, and there are no<br />
rules about food and cooking. Outside the<br />
restaurant, you’ll find her baking up a storm<br />
and producing some fantastic cakes and<br />
sweet creations, as well as teaching her three<br />
children about the world of food and the local<br />
culinary community. “Start them young, and<br />
with any luck, they too will develop a lifelong<br />
love of the kitchen,” says Circelli-Russell.<br />
Subject to availability. Valued at $300.<br />
Historic Post Office & Customs Building<br />
71 Frank St, Strathroy • 519-205-1500<br />
www.clocktower-inn.com
14 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Ellie Rachel Cook<br />
Co-wner, The Root Cellar, LOLA Bees & On<br />
The Move Organics, London<br />
hrootcellarorganic.ca<br />
facebook.com/londonontariolearningapiary<br />
onthemoveorganics.ca<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
As a long-time sustainable food advocate, Ellie<br />
Cook is co-founder and co-owner of Old East<br />
Village’s farm-to-table organic restaurant The<br />
Root Cellar, and the natural urban beekeeping<br />
project LOLA Bees. She is also a co-owner of<br />
On The Move Organics.<br />
As an avid beginner beekeeper,<br />
unconventional special events coordinator,<br />
and environmentalist, Ellie strives to create<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
opportunities for people to engage with the<br />
local food system. The Root Cellar is the only<br />
genuinely farm-to-table restaurant in London.<br />
“Since we opened our doors in 2012, our<br />
ethos at The Root Cellar has been to support<br />
and grow our local, sustainable food system,<br />
says Cook. “My partners and I aren’t as<br />
much restaurateurs as environmentalists<br />
who approach our work through the lens of<br />
local food. Our menus are simple, familiar<br />
and seasonal, and we’re pretty fanatical<br />
about our sourcing practices. Because of the<br />
incredibly hard work of our sister company,<br />
On The Move Organics, we’re able to purchase<br />
directly from dozens of small organic farms<br />
surrounding London.”<br />
“As business owners, we’re also interested<br />
in how far we can push the envelope of<br />
sustainability. In 2019 we joined Green<br />
Economy London, and that’s been an<br />
invaluable resource for us. We’ve been avid<br />
composters since day one and go to great<br />
lengths to divert all our organic waste from<br />
the landfill. These days we’re increasingly<br />
interested in reducing food waste and<br />
packaging, tracking/reducing/offsetting our<br />
carbon emissions, and learning more about<br />
regenerative and urban agriculture and<br />
supporting pollinators.”<br />
“My food philosophy continues to evolve<br />
as I learn more about sustainable agriculture.<br />
These days I’m particularly interested in<br />
the intersections between food, place, and<br />
sustainability. Also relevant is whether my<br />
picky kids eat the food I prepare!”<br />
Roula Dereza<br />
Owner, Merla-Mae, London<br />
merlamae.com<br />
By Sue Sutherland Wood<br />
Roula Dereza, charming owner and businesswoman<br />
at Merla-Mae Ice Cream, has been<br />
making customers happy for many years<br />
with a simple yet effective set of values. “My<br />
parents were always entrepreneurs and taught<br />
me the value of hard work and dedication,”<br />
Roula shares. “Even now, my mother [Julie<br />
Stavrou], who is retired, still comes in on a<br />
daily basis to make sure everything is up to<br />
par. That alone makes me very passionate<br />
to strive to be successful, to continue my<br />
parents’ legacy.”<br />
Many of Merla-Mae’s faithful customers<br />
are now bringing their own children (or even<br />
Roula Dereza (left) & Julie Stavrou
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
grandchildren!) to taste their first “half and<br />
half” soft serve cone or place an order for one<br />
of the famous ice cream cakes for birthdays<br />
and special occasions. It seems fitting that<br />
such a family-fueled institution would create<br />
family traditions for others, and Roula says<br />
many customers report having Merla-Mae<br />
cakes every year since they were born. This<br />
old fashioned, vintage vibe is completely<br />
intentional and Roula notes that she takes<br />
pride in offering “fast friendly service” and<br />
this is reflected again in the Merla-Mae motto:<br />
Through these windows we serve the finest<br />
people in the world … our customers. That’s<br />
how we felt in 1957 and we STILL feel the<br />
same today!”<br />
Manuela Frongia<br />
Manager, Blackfriars Bistro & Catering<br />
and Lavery Culinary Group, London<br />
blackfriarsbistro.com<br />
laveryculinarygroup.ca<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Photo: Phong Tran<br />
Freshly home-made in the heart of the community<br />
The<br />
Village<br />
Teapot<br />
NOW OFFERING<br />
“Take Home<br />
Prepared Meals”<br />
Menus posted on<br />
FB every Monday<br />
Ask about Catering &<br />
Private Event Bookings<br />
Manuela Frongia was born in London,<br />
Ontario and moved back to her father’s<br />
hometown of San Mugheo in Sardinia when<br />
she was 10 years old. Returning to Canada<br />
in 1997, she worked with Bryan Lavery and<br />
Chef Barbara Toomer at the former Murano<br />
Restaurant. Frongia is a founding member of<br />
London’s former Slow Food Convivium and<br />
Breakfast<br />
Brunch<br />
Lunch<br />
Cream Teas<br />
Wed–Sun 10–2:30<br />
Closed Mon & Tues<br />
Gift Certificates<br />
Available<br />
13257 Ilderton Road, Ilderton ON<br />
thevillageteapot.ca<br />
519-298-TEAS (8327)
16 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
advocate of the Slow Food Movement. She has<br />
worked closely with Lavery producing events<br />
over the past 20 years. Frongia has been, and<br />
is still, instrumental in various fundraising<br />
and charitable initiatives.<br />
As catering manager at Blackfriars Bistro<br />
& Catering, Frongia works alongside culinary<br />
luminaries Betty Heydon and Chef Jacqueline<br />
Shantz. Her milieu and focus are in the dining<br />
room at Blackfriars Bistro, an environment<br />
where have women felt cared for and valued<br />
for 24 years.<br />
Frongia is also a long-time associate of the<br />
Lavery Culinary Group and helps manage<br />
and customize culinary experiences, special<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
events, pop-ups and cooking classes. This<br />
involves planning, coordinating, delivering<br />
and evaluating a variety of innovative<br />
fundraising, culinary and special events.<br />
Frongia has worked as a cooking instructor<br />
with an expertise in regional Italian cuisines,<br />
particularly Sardinian, and has a strong<br />
background in regional types of pasta making,<br />
taught to her by her Calabrian mother. More<br />
recently she has worked as a food stylist for<br />
Gotham Studio boutique photography and<br />
videography studio located in downtown<br />
London. Frongia has two daughters, Isabela<br />
and Sophia, and a spirited puppy named Luna.<br />
Nancy Hotson<br />
Owner, Buzz Stop, Stratford<br />
buzzstop.com<br />
By Melissa Graham<br />
You can tell the moment you walk in that<br />
Nancy Hotson’s Buzz Stop was the first<br />
gourmet coffee shop in Stratford. It smells<br />
fantastic. Nancy has been on York Street for<br />
30 years. She has fresh roasted coffee beans<br />
delivered weekly. Organic and fair trade,<br />
including Ethiopian, Viennese and Turkish.<br />
She sells a lot of beans. There is tea, too.<br />
Nancy says she feels “blessed to have such<br />
loyal customers from far and wide.” There are<br />
lots of locals and downtown business-people<br />
that come in for a cup to go, or a pound for<br />
home. In the summer there are regulars that<br />
come every year when they visit the Festival.<br />
Many have been coming since the coffee<br />
shop opened. And not just for the fabulous<br />
coffee. Nancy has a vast selection of wellstocked<br />
humidors holding some of the best<br />
cigars in the world. Cuban, of course, but also<br />
Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Honduran. She<br />
also has pipe tobacco and pipes.<br />
There are jams, marmalades (bought one!)<br />
and preserves from Scotland. And biscuits<br />
and crackers from Holland to serve with local<br />
Stonetown cheeses, and jars of preserved<br />
lemons and chestnuts.<br />
Nancy volunteers with Feline Friends, and<br />
all tips go to animal-related causes. There is a<br />
quaint courtyard patio in the shaded front of<br />
The Buzz Stop where you can relax and enjoy a<br />
river view with your coffee.<br />
Deborah Hunter<br />
Co-owner/Chef de Cuisine/CFO, The King<br />
Edward Restaurant & Pub, Ilderton<br />
thekingedward.com<br />
By Sue Sutherland Wood<br />
After well over a decade of success at The<br />
King Edward Restaurant & Pub in Ilderton,<br />
co-owner Deborah Hunter is still refreshingly<br />
upbeat about the many hats she wears in her<br />
busy life. “There is nothing more feminine
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Deborah Hunter<br />
than a strong woman who is confident in<br />
the role of Co-owner, Chef de Cuisine and<br />
CFO, while also being a mother, wife and<br />
grandmother,” Deborah says.<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 17<br />
The King Edward prides itself on<br />
authenticity as a pub (Deborah’s husband<br />
and co-owner, Rich Hunter, is a genuine<br />
Englishman himself) and as you might<br />
expect, there is a stellar selection of both<br />
locally crafted beers, British imports and<br />
cider. (The King Edward also boasts one of<br />
the few hand-pulled cask beer systems in<br />
Southwestern Ontario). The menu is also<br />
extensive (over 50 different kinds of chicken<br />
wings) but traditional pub-fare such as Steak<br />
and Murphy’s Pie and a selection of handmade<br />
burgers are also available, as well as<br />
Daily Specials and take-out options. (Deborah<br />
points out that everything is “scratch-made,<br />
utilizing local ingredients.”) Noteworthy is<br />
a particularly thoughtful Kids’ Menu, with<br />
realistic but wholesome, keeping-it-real<br />
choices such as buttered penne pasta with<br />
parmesan and a salad.<br />
Running a business while balancing<br />
family commitments is gritty, hard work but<br />
Deborah’s sincere passion and energy have<br />
helped make the King Edward a sought-after<br />
destination.
18 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Kimberly Hurley<br />
Co-owner, Keystone Alley, Braai House and<br />
The Little Green Grocery, Stratford<br />
keystonealley.com<br />
braaihouse.ca<br />
thelittlegreengrocery.com<br />
By Melissa Graham<br />
Kimberly Hurley is the co-owner of Keystone<br />
Alley, Braai House and The Little Green<br />
Grocery. Keystone Alley has been a part of<br />
Stratford’s casual fine dining scene for over<br />
three decades. Kimberly and her husband/<br />
business partner Anthony Jordaan have<br />
owned Keystone for four years and continue<br />
to offer the quality hospitality that people<br />
have come to expect.<br />
Braai House is a new adventure that<br />
began with great success last year. It focuses<br />
on South African open-fire cooking (Braai<br />
is Afrikaans and rhymes with dry) — fire<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
bringing together people, food and nature in a<br />
comfortable atmosphere.<br />
The Little Green Grocery offers local<br />
produce in low-waste and reusable containers.<br />
The store offers many new products with a<br />
seriously environmental attitude, taking little<br />
steps towards changing the way we shop. “No<br />
positive change comes with guilt,”<br />
Kimberly says.<br />
Kimberly is a Doctor of Audiology,<br />
a career she continues. She also<br />
does the marketing, front of house,<br />
customer relations, and inspired<br />
social media for all three businesses.<br />
Anthony is a chef who’s been in the<br />
industry for 20 years. They are equal<br />
partners in their adventures. And<br />
they have three young children.<br />
Kimberly and Anthony have a<br />
close relationship with their staff.<br />
Kimberly says, “We’ve created a<br />
family of people with the same<br />
common goal.” There is no “us<br />
or them,” she adds. Many staff<br />
are graduates from chef schools and share<br />
Kimberly and Anthony’s love of seeing people<br />
enjoy what they have created. Kimberly<br />
stresses love of food, health and wellness. The<br />
couple are also involved in volunteer work,<br />
including Soup’s On and Heartburn Day.<br />
Keystone and Braai House have two of<br />
the nicest patios in town where, thanks to<br />
fireplaces, fire table and torches, you can sit<br />
well into the fall. They also offer in-house craft<br />
beer brewed in the basement. You may find<br />
Kimberly on the patio enjoying a well deserved<br />
glass at the end of day — whenever that is!<br />
Katherine Jones<br />
Chef, Growing Chefs! Ontario, London<br />
growingchefsontario.ca<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Executive Chef Katherine Jones is a Stratford<br />
Chef School graduate and for eight years has<br />
been with Growing Chefs! Ontario, working<br />
to challenge the perceived limitations of<br />
children and youth in the kitchen. Her<br />
interest lies in using hyper-local ingredients<br />
and foraged finds. A day in the work-life of<br />
Jones can include anything from leading a<br />
family-activity cooking class for 150 people<br />
in a school, to helping the Beet lunch team<br />
produce up to 300 healthy lunches daily for<br />
their school and camp lunch program. It<br />
might also include harvesting vegetables in<br />
the learning garden or hosting a fundraising<br />
dinner for Growing Chefs! programming<br />
initiatives.<br />
Jones’ interest in foraging took root<br />
after her daughter was born. She stated,<br />
“We lived next to a beautiful green space<br />
and throughout the seasons we would take<br />
baskets to collect, taste, and learn together,<br />
as a family, about what was growing in our<br />
backyard.” As a chef, this opened her eyes<br />
to the bounty of ingredients available and
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Katherine Jones<br />
allowed her food to become more individual,<br />
idiosyncratic and exciting. What she did<br />
not anticipate was that, once she gained a<br />
firmer knowledge and understanding of the<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 19<br />
culinary and medicinal uses of plants, her<br />
perception of Canadian cuisine would change.<br />
“I am proud to be able to incorporate these<br />
truly Canadian ingredients into menus, and<br />
to share this knowledge about invasive plant<br />
species and native plants, as a way to get<br />
people excited about going outdoors and<br />
walking through the forests with their friends<br />
and families,” she says.<br />
Food education centres can teach children<br />
and families to develop healthy relationships<br />
with food. “Food literacy means building<br />
excitement around food, and a willingness to<br />
learn about what we eat. Reading recipes and<br />
cooking meals from scratch will significantly<br />
increase food literacy. If kids have a hand in<br />
what they are making, they are much more<br />
likely to try it,” says Jones. “What we try to<br />
do at Growing Chefs! is to let people have<br />
fun with food. It is not about your technical<br />
skillset, or the nutritional breakdown of<br />
recipes, just cooking with your children and<br />
playing in the kitchen will increase everyone’s<br />
food literacy.
20 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Dianne Krampien &<br />
Annette Gerber<br />
Distinctly Tea, Stratford<br />
distinctlyteastratford.ca<br />
By Melissa Graham<br />
Dianne Krampien has been selling tea<br />
on York Street for over a decade. She<br />
started as an employee and became<br />
the owner nine years ago. Her right<br />
hand is her daughter Annette Gerber.<br />
“We work well together,” says<br />
Dianne. “I love working with my<br />
mother,” Annette adds.<br />
Both Dianne and Annette studied<br />
at the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada<br />
and are certified tea sommeliers.<br />
Annette continues, “I love finding the right<br />
tea for the right person.”<br />
They enjoy loyal customers from near and<br />
far. More recently they have noticed a younger<br />
audience popping in for a cup.<br />
The tea selection is vast, lining the walls up to<br />
the ceiling. All kinds of tea: Earl Grey, Oolong,<br />
all the greens, fruit, and even chocolate teas. All<br />
naturally flavoured. The teas come in multiple<br />
sizes, from a 10-gram taster up to a kilogram.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Most of the tea is blended in Germany.<br />
A selection of beautiful Polish pottery and<br />
Japanese teapots, traditional and modern,<br />
decorate the store. Dianne and Annette host<br />
tea tastings in the winter, but in the summer<br />
they are too busy.<br />
Hot tea to go is available all year, and iced<br />
tea in the summer to enjoy while you walk<br />
along the river. “Tea is so good for your health.<br />
I have been known to be called a tea pusher!”<br />
Dianne tells me. And indeed — I did buy some<br />
excellent tea.<br />
Deb Kussmann<br />
Owner, Pepper Tree Spice Co., Port Stanley<br />
& Western Fair Market, London<br />
peppertreespice.com<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
Launched as Hyde Park Spice in 2010, the<br />
company was rebranded as Pepper Tree Spice<br />
in 2012. We are now Canada’s leading artisan<br />
spice crafter with over 300 organic and natural<br />
spices, best known for our 90-plus proprietary<br />
artisan hand-crafted blends made on-site in<br />
Port Stanley. Our blends are made with little<br />
to no salt, wheat, dairy or additives. We also<br />
carry gourmet foods, gluten-free and vegan<br />
options, local artisan cheese and bread, as well<br />
as quality kitchenware.<br />
We offer a fresh alternative to mainstream<br />
spice solutions as well as private blending<br />
services for clients nationwide. It is a spice<br />
wonderland! Our cooking classes and workshops<br />
are a great platform to learn about local and<br />
international cooking and more about spices.<br />
Our business is for everyone regardless of<br />
culinary experience. By offering the highest<br />
quality products available, exceptional<br />
customer service and a welcoming space our<br />
customers can be creative and inquisitive. For<br />
me the creativity is endless!<br />
This business has been a natural fusion of<br />
three significant influences in my life: a farm<br />
upbringing, an art degree and a 20-plus-year<br />
career in manufacturing management. At 30<br />
I returned to school and obtained a master’s<br />
degree in business. It is never too late to put<br />
yourself out there! I did at 45 and love it!
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
My advice to other women would be: don’t<br />
cut corners, do your research, find a niche and<br />
be prepared to work long hours. Surround your<br />
self with great, supporting people and go for it!<br />
Lori Lupton<br />
Sales Representative, Pelee Island Winery,<br />
Kingsville<br />
peleeisland.com<br />
As told to Kym Wolfe<br />
I started in this business 35 years ago in<br />
Stratford and learned from wine expert Bill<br />
Munnelly, the founder of Billy’s Best Bottles.<br />
He’s still my mentor. Bill brought wine culture<br />
to everyone from the novice wine drinker to<br />
the wine collector. I’ve adopted his philosophy<br />
— you can enjoy a good bottle of wine<br />
without having to spend a fortune.<br />
Trust...<br />
Taste...<br />
Quality...<br />
At Metzger’s,<br />
we follow Old World<br />
recipes to create healthy and<br />
wholesome foods. We hand select<br />
dry aged Ontario Prime and AAA<br />
Beef and offer superior local Pork,<br />
Poultry and Lamb. We are especially<br />
proud of our own handcrafted<br />
artisan-style meats and salamis. We<br />
are confident that you will taste the<br />
Metzger Meats difference.<br />
I’ve been with Pelee Island Winery for 20<br />
years. My job is all about creating relationships,<br />
and they’ve allowed me be as creative as possible<br />
with our clients. Many have been long term<br />
clients in the hospitality industry, who I work<br />
with to create wine lists. I have the pleasure<br />
of working with brides and grooms to help<br />
them choose wines for their special day, with<br />
the LCBO to promote our wines, and with the<br />
general public at trade shows.<br />
Pelee offers Southwestern hospitality at the<br />
winery in Kingsville and the pavilion on the<br />
island. I love bringing customers to both. As<br />
the southernmost inhabited point in Canada,<br />
Pelee Island is still a well-kept secret. There are<br />
always lots of laughs and a bit of education or<br />
Open six days a week.<br />
Hensall, Ontario<br />
Just off Hwy 4,<br />
45 minutes north of London.<br />
www.metzgermeats.com<br />
519-262-3130<br />
Available in London at<br />
The Village Meat Shop<br />
at Western Fair Farmers’ Market<br />
on Saturdays!<br />
Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry<br />
Specialty European Meat Products
22 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
the sharing of something new about our wines.<br />
One of my favourite memories goes back<br />
to when I was working with the LCBO. I was<br />
at Vinexpo in Bordeaux and the Canadian<br />
flag was raised after an Ontario winery was<br />
Meredith Maywood<br />
Product Development & Marketing Tourism<br />
Specialist, Tourism Oxford, Woodstock<br />
tourismoxford.ca<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
We support and work with over 300<br />
businesses and organizations in growing and<br />
celebrating tourism in Oxford County.<br />
Facilitating and celebrating the food and<br />
drink scene in Oxford County, we provide<br />
opportunities for businesses to meet and<br />
collaborate. A great example of this was the<br />
development of the Oxford County Cheese<br />
Trail and Oxford Fresh. The Cheese Trail is<br />
a self-guided culinary tour involving over<br />
25 food producers, restaurants, cultural<br />
attractions and accommodation providers.<br />
Oxford Fresh celebrates local food producers<br />
and restaurants that feature their ingredients.<br />
It has been an honour to work so closely<br />
with businesses as they craft new experiences<br />
for visitors, welcoming them and hearing<br />
stories of how Oxford inspires them. Visitors<br />
can now picnic in a blueberry patch, learn<br />
about aging cheese, make truffles or roast<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
awarded the top prize. I’m very proud of how<br />
Ontario has grown its world class wineries,<br />
and to have been a small part of that success<br />
by promoting not just Pelee Island but all<br />
Ontario wines.<br />
coffee. Seeing business people opening their<br />
doors and sharing their passions makes me<br />
proud of where I am.<br />
My advice to other women: get out and<br />
network and meet the people who inspire you.<br />
Work with new people in innovative ways and<br />
celebrate each others’ accomplishments.<br />
Growing up in rural PEI gave me a passion for<br />
local food, the environment and the art of story<br />
telling. Through my work I can do just that!<br />
Bhan Mudliar<br />
Chef/Owner, New Delhi Deli, Covent Garden<br />
Market, London<br />
https://bit.ly/3ceRozU<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Photo: Phong Tran<br />
Bhan Mudliar was born in Nadi, Fiji Islands,<br />
and later moved to Sigatoka, an urban<br />
centre on the island of Viti Levu. Mudliar<br />
developed a strong work ethic early, alongside<br />
her sugarcane farmer father. Sugar cane<br />
is indigenous to the islands of the South<br />
Pacific, and farming is a difficult way to make<br />
a living. She immigrated to Canada to assist<br />
her brother almost two decades ago. In return<br />
her brother put her through the Fanshawe<br />
Culinary Management program, where she<br />
completed five semesters.<br />
Mudliar worked at Fanshawe Pioneer Village<br />
for a few years, producing large quantities of<br />
“Canadian” food for large events. She worked
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
in the kitchen at Black Trumpet Restaurant for<br />
a year and with respected culinary instructor<br />
and educator, Maya (Clarke) Love, at Real<br />
Canadian Superstore. She also worked at the<br />
Covent Garden Market part-time, eventually<br />
purchasing the New Delhi Deli, becoming the<br />
fourth owner of the business.<br />
Mudliar works seven days a week, making<br />
everything from scratch, on-site. She started<br />
cooking with her mother at the age of four.<br />
Both parents cooked at home. Mudliar serves<br />
a distinct Indian-South Asian/Caribbean<br />
fusion cuisine. In many Fijians’ homes,<br />
cuisines from other cultures are prepared<br />
on a regular basis, such as Indian masalas<br />
(Mudliar roasts and grinds her own Indian<br />
and Caribbean spice blends) and specialties<br />
from South Asia and the West Indies. This<br />
cuisine is rooted in and reflects the diaspora<br />
of hundreds of thousands of indentured<br />
labourers taken to the sugar cane fields of<br />
the Fiji Islands, Caribbean, South Africa and<br />
Mauritius to replace freed African slaves.<br />
Mudliar’s repertoire includes items such as<br />
jerk chicken (it takes three months to ferment<br />
a batch of fiery scotch bonnet peppers to<br />
make her jerk seasoning), oxtail, curry goat,<br />
roti wraps, onion bhajias, samosas and<br />
seafood, curry chicken and Jamaican patties<br />
that only skill and expertise can produce<br />
properly. The New Delhi Deli offers a selection<br />
of gluten-free, plant-based and vegan options.<br />
Mudliar’s niece Seema Narayan recently<br />
arrived from Fiji via the United States to give<br />
her a helping hand at the Deli. Mudliar has<br />
enrolled her in the Fanshawe College Culinary<br />
program, to bring things full circle.<br />
Ann Neydon Wilson<br />
Owner, Oxley Estate Winery, Harrow<br />
oxleyestatewinery.com<br />
As told to Kym Wolfe<br />
My husband Murray Wilson and I both grew<br />
up on farms. When I retired from practicing<br />
law I was ready for another adventure; I think<br />
Murray just wanted to drive a tractor again!<br />
We started the winery in 2010 when we<br />
planted our first five acres of vines on a<br />
farm near our home. We named the winery<br />
after the historic hamlet of Oxley where it<br />
is located. We have a rich sandy soil that<br />
grapevines love, and in year two we had a<br />
hellishly hot summer — perfect conditions for<br />
growing grapes! We opened the winery and<br />
restaurant in a renovated 1920 barn, built the<br />
“a gastronomical landmark for over 24 years”<br />
Booking<br />
NOW for<br />
Mother’s Day!<br />
“Where ALL Mothers<br />
Are Queen!”<br />
May 10<br />
Bistro & Catering<br />
Chef-driven Farm-to-Table Cuisine<br />
Dietary Needs Accommodated<br />
Ample Free Lunch Parking Mon–Fri<br />
Available for Private Dinner Parties Mon–Sat<br />
Gift Certificates Available<br />
46 Blackfriars Street, London | 519-667-4930<br />
blackfriarsbistro.com<br />
LUNCH Wed to Fri 11:30–2:30<br />
DINNER from 5pm daily<br />
432 Richmond Street<br />
at Carling • London<br />
ALWAYS<br />
a 3-course prix fixe<br />
menu option<br />
www.davidsbistro.ca
24 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Ann Neydon Wilson<br />
big patio and outdoor fireplace, and planted<br />
the large gardens that grace our site. When we<br />
had the basics, we set out to hire a great staff<br />
and succeeded by hiring young people from<br />
our rural neighbourhood and small<br />
town. We now have two farms<br />
across the road from each other,<br />
20 acres of vines and a distinctive<br />
fruit-forward wine making style.<br />
We’ve been involved in the<br />
annual Explore the Shore weekend<br />
along our road since it started in<br />
2010. We have great neighbours,<br />
and the 22-kilometer stretch of<br />
road along Lake Erie is full of agribased<br />
entrepreneurs.<br />
My favourite part of each day<br />
is working with the young people<br />
we work with here — managers,<br />
tasting bar staff, chefs, servers, dishwashers,<br />
including our son and four grandsons. They<br />
are full of fun, smarts and fresh ideas, so<br />
every day is a good day at Oxley.<br />
.<br />
Kimberly Nunez<br />
Owner, Cream Beanery Cafe, London & Mt.<br />
Brydges<br />
facebook.com/creambeanerycafe/<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
We offer delicious food and beverages in a<br />
delightful atmosphere suitable for all. We<br />
are one of the few pour-over coffee bars in<br />
London. The coffee is ground fresh, we use<br />
filtered water and manually pour the coffee<br />
on the spot. Our fair-trade coffee beans are<br />
organically sourced from Columbia and other<br />
countries and roasted in Mt. Brydges. We also<br />
have over 30 varieties of organic loose-leaf tea.<br />
My role is quite simply everything! A typical<br />
day/week includes serving, cooking, baking,<br />
making gelato, staff scheduling, payroll,<br />
shopping and more. Owning your business,<br />
you do it all.<br />
Seeing our customers on a regular basis,<br />
conversing with them is so special. Having<br />
them understand and appreciate how hard we<br />
work (for them) is so rewarding. Seeing a child<br />
— or adult — excited about our ice cream<br />
flavours is fun!<br />
If you are looking for a rewarding career<br />
and enjoy food and drink, I would say, “go<br />
for it”. Understand that it is not always easy,<br />
requiring a huge commitment. The hours are<br />
long, and you will have struggles as you grow.<br />
I didn’t plan to be a café owner. I was an<br />
elementary school teacher for 14 years. When<br />
my husband was transferred to London, I<br />
didn’t go back to teaching. When an ice cream<br />
business came up for sale, we decided to<br />
leave our past and try something new. The<br />
business was seasonal, so in December 2017<br />
we expanded and opened the London location,<br />
and in 2019 we opened in Mt. Brydges with<br />
plans to further expand.
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 25<br />
at the London Hunt Club<br />
<strong>April</strong> 30 th<br />
5<br />
Different Chefs &<br />
Course Dinner<br />
ONE INCREDIBLE EVENING<br />
supporting BethanysCure<br />
Cocktail Hour 5:00PM<br />
5 different restaurants hosting tasting stations!<br />
Featured signature cocktails with<br />
an amazing Silent Auction.<br />
Dinner Program 6:30PM<br />
5 local Chefs will take you on a culinary<br />
journey throughout the evening. Live Auction<br />
hosted by the one and only The Auctionista!<br />
Musical Guest:<br />
Paul Zubot & The Hollywood Band<br />
Tickets $200.00 each<br />
call 519-858-HOPE or visit<br />
BethanysHope.org
26 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Liz Payne<br />
Owner, The Milky Whey Fine Cheese Shop,<br />
Stratford<br />
themilkywhey.ca<br />
By Melissa Graham<br />
The sign is from Monty Python’s cheese shop sketch.<br />
The first thing you notice when you walk into<br />
Liz Payne’s Milky Whey Fine Cheese Shop<br />
in Stratford is the quote on the back wall:<br />
‘Cheese — milk’s leap toward immortality.’<br />
(Clifton Fadiman.)<br />
“I had been thinking about a cheese shop<br />
for a long time. The opportunity presented<br />
itself and I made it happen,” says Liz.<br />
Liz has chosen local artisanal and small<br />
batch cheeses as well as a varied selection<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
of products from Quebec, the Maritimes,<br />
Manitoba and BC, and cheeses from around<br />
the world. Seasonally related blues, cheddars,<br />
and goat cheeses share the shelves.<br />
The Milky Whey offers not only a wellcurated<br />
cheese cooler but also many<br />
dry goods. Liz offers charcuterie, local<br />
honey and honeycomb. She has cheese<br />
boards, knives and fabulous olives, as<br />
well as olive oils from Spain, Provence<br />
and Greece. The dry goods started as<br />
an afterthought — she had to have<br />
crackers! — and now offers a variety<br />
of products you can’t get elsewhere in<br />
the city.<br />
Liz studied at the Cheese Education<br />
Guild with founder Kathy Guidi — a<br />
Canadian cheese industry leader. She<br />
chose Stratford to set up home after<br />
the company she was working for in<br />
marketing went bankrupt.<br />
Liz is involved in the Hunters<br />
Banquet, a fundraiser held every year<br />
by the Local Community Food Centre, where<br />
wild game and fish are donated, prepared,<br />
and served by a team of volunteers from the<br />
culinary community.<br />
The Milky Whey also has a warm and cozy<br />
back room where Liz offers private Saturday<br />
afternoon tastings and pairings with wines<br />
and local beers. Liz is a wonderful host for an<br />
afternoon nosh and conversation.<br />
Kate St. Laurent<br />
Baker/Owner, Bake Shop Studio, London<br />
bakeshopstudio.com<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Cake designer and baker Kate St. Laurent<br />
was born and raised in London, Ontario.<br />
Possessing an artistic nature, St. Laurent<br />
grew up playing piano, drawing, painting and<br />
singing in the choir throughout public and<br />
high school. St. Laurent began her career not<br />
in the pastry arts but Fine Arts, attending<br />
Fanshawe College and then completing her<br />
Bachelor of Fine Arts at NSCAD in Halifax.<br />
St. Laurent began the search for work in a<br />
creative field and landed in the up-and-coming<br />
world of custom cakes and sugar flowers,<br />
using her artistic skills in the medium of<br />
buttercream. She began working in bakeries<br />
back in her hometown, gaining a wealth of<br />
experience and knowledge before deciding to
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
open a shop in 2016.<br />
St. Laurent’s focus for Bake Shop Studio<br />
is to specialize in artistic cake designs while<br />
maintaining the integrity of traditional<br />
scratch baking methods. Her Fine Arts<br />
background provides inspiration, and she<br />
creates beautiful and delicious works of edible<br />
art. Everything is made in-house including<br />
French macarons, cupcakes, brownies, and<br />
cheesecake as well as a selection of gluten-free<br />
and vegan options.<br />
Bake Shop Studio found a perfect home<br />
in the heart of Wortley Village in November<br />
2018, upstairs above what has become the new<br />
Wolfe Pack Company Bar. Former co-worker<br />
Vanessa Fields joined St. Laurent and is now<br />
head baker. St. Laurent lives in London with<br />
her son Miles — who enjoys leftovers and is<br />
the official taste tester for Bake Shop Studio<br />
— and her partner, Tim.<br />
Suzy Schlotzhauer<br />
Pastry Chef/Owner, AO Pasta, Stratford<br />
aopasta.com<br />
By Melissa Graham<br />
Suzy Schlotzhauer is making a big move<br />
this year. She and her husband and business<br />
partner, Kris, and their new partner, Tom<br />
Van Oosterhout, are moving their successful<br />
restaurant AO Pasta to a great new location<br />
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28 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
in downtown Stratford. They have been in<br />
business since June 2018.<br />
AO Pasta, taken from the initials of<br />
the couple’s two children, has created a<br />
comfortable, informal dining experience that<br />
welcomes families, date nights and take out.<br />
They are filling a gap between fine dining and<br />
fast food.<br />
Suzy says they weren’t really thinking about<br />
moving but this great opportunity came up.<br />
Now they will be closer to the theatre and<br />
have more dining and kitchen space. Suzy is<br />
also looking forward to being more involved<br />
this year. “I am excited to get back in the<br />
kitchen after having kids,” she says.<br />
Suzy is originally from Calgary and<br />
trained as a pastry chef at the International<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Culinary Centre in New York City. She and<br />
Kris worked for many years at a variety of<br />
fine dining restaurants in Toronto before<br />
moving back to Kris’s hometown of Stratford<br />
to open their own place. Suzy says she will<br />
be “focusing on Italian desserts using fresh<br />
and simple ingredients.” She will be making<br />
the pasta every day to go with AO’s made to<br />
order sauces, as well as baking most of the<br />
bread in house.<br />
AO Pasta has been in Stratford for a short<br />
time, but is already a local favourite. For the<br />
last two years Suzy and Kris have participated<br />
in the fund raiser Empty Bowls for the House<br />
of Blessing. AO Pasta opens on Wellington<br />
Street this <strong>April</strong>.<br />
Jean Vedova<br />
Innkeeper/Owner, Kettle Creek Inn, Port<br />
Stanley<br />
kettlecreekinn.com<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
The original structure dates to 1849. After<br />
extensive renovations we opened the inn in<br />
1983 offering dining and accommodations. We<br />
renovated again in 1990. For over 35 years we<br />
have provided everything from fine dining to<br />
great pub fair. Our latest project has been the<br />
creation of a “people-watching patio” along<br />
the front sidewalk.<br />
The bottom line stops with me. I have done<br />
everything from waitressing to marketing<br />
to being the CFO. Just don’t put me in the<br />
kitchen. I am the planner and worry wart.<br />
It gives me incredible pleasure when guests<br />
tell me how much they enjoy our amazing<br />
cuisine and genuine hospitality, or when<br />
they say how much they enjoyed their luxury<br />
suite. I love it when newcomers are pleasantly<br />
surprised that we are much more than what<br />
is apparent from the street, and greeting<br />
repeat guests who are now bringing their<br />
grandchildren.<br />
The food/drink industry is becoming more<br />
complicated. It is difficult to get trained staff<br />
with the same passion as you. If you have a<br />
culinary talent you are in an ideal position.<br />
But you need to keep a sense of humour and<br />
love what you do!<br />
I left Cape Breton, headed to Alberta,<br />
ended up in Ontario, opening the inn. That<br />
started an incredible adventure in the tourism<br />
industry from local organizations in Elgin<br />
County to helping establish the Ontario Finest<br />
Inns organization. I have travelled the world<br />
by bike and kayak, but having the inn is what<br />
has given me that zest for life.
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Cindy Walker<br />
Chocolatier/Owner, Chocolatea, Ingersoll<br />
chocolatea.ca<br />
As told to Nancy McSloy<br />
Featuring<br />
Creative Menus<br />
from Chefs<br />
Erryn Shephard<br />
& Ben Sandwith<br />
Ladies<br />
Nights for<br />
Breast & Colon<br />
Cancer<br />
<strong>March</strong> 24, 25 & 26<br />
Always Available<br />
for Caterings!<br />
Chocolatea is a retail shop that sells ethicallytraded<br />
tea and makes in-house handcrafted<br />
chocolates. Our chocolates are made<br />
from scratch in small batches using fresh<br />
Seasonal Hours<br />
Always Closed Monday<br />
Reservations Recommended<br />
519.238.6224<br />
42 Ontario St. S., Grand Bend<br />
www.finearestaurant.com<br />
Benmiller Inn & Spa<br />
escape the ordinary<br />
55 Unique Guest Rooms<br />
Four Diamond Dining & Accommodation<br />
Indoor Heated Pool, Hot Tub & Sauna<br />
Getaways, Conferences & Weddings<br />
25 Acres of Scenic River & Countryside<br />
Renewing Petit Aveda Spa<br />
519.524.2191<br />
1.800.265.1711<br />
www.benmiller.ca<br />
81175 Benmiller Line<br />
Goderich ON N7A 3Y1
30 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
ingredients. The chocolate flavours change by<br />
season, or, just because!<br />
We educate people with their tea choices as<br />
all teas are not the same. We are passionate<br />
about the region and telling the local food<br />
story through our chocolates. Quality,<br />
freshness and authentic ingredients make<br />
our chocolates unique. This paired with<br />
sustainable, high quality Belgian chocolate<br />
allows us to offer a truly unique product.<br />
Customer satisfaction is key! We enjoy<br />
chatting with travellers and locals alike.<br />
Behind the scenes I love to experiment with<br />
new flavour combinations in the chocolate.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Sometimes people are skeptical until they<br />
try it! Lime and basil are a combination that<br />
puzzles many.<br />
Chocolatea just celebrated our 5th anniversary.<br />
I recently started Truffle Camp which has<br />
become a hit. We have been nominated and I<br />
am a finalist with Ontario’s Southwest for an<br />
Innovation Award. Without trying I have created<br />
a following that has people driving from<br />
other areas strictly for my chocolate.<br />
I would say, you love what you do and have<br />
a personal support system, take the leap of<br />
faith. Translate the love into your business<br />
and your customers will love it too.<br />
Maryam Yaro Wright<br />
Chef/Owner of YaYa’s Kitchen, London<br />
yayaskitchen.ca<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Photo: Phong Tran<br />
Co-founder and chef/owner Maryam Yaro<br />
Wright of YaYa’s Kitchen arrived in Canada<br />
in 2014. After three weeks in Toronto, she<br />
and her husband were off to Baker Lake in<br />
Nunavut for five years, where she worked as<br />
a Lands Administrator. It was a culture shock<br />
coming from Tula, Gombe State, Nigeria,<br />
where daytime temperatures can exceed<br />
45 °C degrees, to Nunavut, where winter<br />
temperatures can drop to -50° C.<br />
It was in Nunavut that Maryam learned how<br />
to fish. With her husband, she started hosting<br />
community-building dinners highlighting local<br />
fish and also game hunted by her husband,<br />
which she prepared with authentic Nigerian/<br />
Sahel spices for community dinners.<br />
After five years in Nunavut and with<br />
Maryam pregnant with her third child, the<br />
family relocated to London and purchased a<br />
house, sight unseen. They decided to continue<br />
hosting their traditional dinner and posted<br />
the event on Facebook. The response was<br />
surprisingly positive and 20 people attended<br />
their first dinner. This was the beginning of<br />
YaYa’s Kitchen, which has since evolved into<br />
a chef-driven, community-building pop-up<br />
featuring a multi-course meal for 40 people.<br />
The experience is unique because it features<br />
a family-style communal table and storytelling,<br />
with an elevated dining atmosphere where<br />
patrons dress semi-formally. The focus of the<br />
evening is on food and conviviality. You’ll be<br />
introduced to each course by the host of the<br />
pop-up. Maryam and a team of volunteers cook<br />
and serve the meal based on the authentic<br />
Black experience. The bi-monthly cultural<br />
experience takes place at the London Food<br />
Incubator in Old East Village.<br />
Wright is the eldest of four siblings and<br />
now has four children of her own. YaYa’s<br />
Kitchen means “older sister’s kitchen” in<br />
Hausa, one of over 300 Nigerian languages.<br />
Wright has been cooking since she was eight<br />
years old and grew up surrounded by the<br />
diverse flavours of Nigerian/Sahel cuisine.<br />
The dishes find inspiration in the diversity of<br />
cuisines and specialties from the hundreds of<br />
ethnic groups that comprise Nigeria. Maryam<br />
explains, “You can go from one village to<br />
another, or just down the road, and the food is<br />
entirely different.”
Simply the finest authentic Italian cuisine<br />
available in the region!<br />
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 31<br />
• Family-Owned & Operated<br />
• Beautiful patio on Thames River<br />
• Catering and 2 well-appointed<br />
Private Function Rooms available<br />
• Family-friendly<br />
(Kids Menu Available)<br />
From-scratch cooking with<br />
the best local ingrendients<br />
231 King Street West, Chatham<br />
519-360-1600<br />
Open for Dinner Daily / Lunch Monday-Saturday<br />
mammamariasristorante.ca
32 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Sylvia Zietek<br />
Owner, Pierogi Queen, London<br />
pierogiqueen.ca<br />
By Bryan Lavery<br />
Sylvia Zietek was born and raised in London,<br />
Ontario and went to Catholic Central High<br />
School before heading to Ottawa to study<br />
linguistics, which led her to explore her love of<br />
language and culture. She backpacked through<br />
Europe and Central and South America,<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
learning about different cultures and cooking.<br />
Zietek worked in various restaurants for a<br />
decade, mainly in London and Port Stanley.<br />
She worked in front-of- house and back-ofhouse<br />
positions as well as management for<br />
Casey’s, Kelseys, and GT’s On the Beach.<br />
Last year, equipped with a reliable business<br />
and marketing plan, Zietek launched Pierogi<br />
Queen, her chef-driven indie food truck,<br />
offering an innovative from-scratch local<br />
menu. Food trucks are incubators for culinary<br />
innovation and Zietek, a natural entrepreneur,<br />
completed a year-long certificate program<br />
for startups at Fanshawe College. Later she<br />
immersed herself in the College’s Leap IN<br />
Incubator, a nine-week summer program that<br />
focuses on mentorship and business growth<br />
and supports startups with seed funding and<br />
one-on-one in-depth business analysis.<br />
Pierogi Queen is part of the London<br />
Food Truck Association, a talented group<br />
of dedicated food truck owners who work<br />
together to support each other and grow the<br />
local food truck scene.<br />
Zietek was taught how to make pierogi from<br />
her Babcia (Grandma) at five years old and<br />
learned other traditional Polish dishes from<br />
her mother. Zietek offers an always-evolving<br />
menu with a selection of flavourful pierogis<br />
such as her grandmother’s classic potato and<br />
cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, buffalo chicken and<br />
apple pie. She has the flexibility of being able<br />
to create new flavours based on the seasonality<br />
and local ingredients. At Heeman’s Food Trucks<br />
on the Farm last September, Zietek also served<br />
schnitzel and cabbage rolls. Those will be<br />
regular menu items this year when she is back<br />
on the road in mid-<strong>April</strong>.<br />
Profile Contributors<br />
BRYAN LAVERY, <strong>Eatdrink</strong> Food Editor and Writer at<br />
Large, brings years of professional experience in the<br />
restaurant and hospitality business, as a chef, restaurant<br />
owner ,and partner in the culinary experience and<br />
consulting business, Lavery Culinary Group. Always on<br />
the lookout for stories <strong>Eatdrink</strong> should be telling, he helps<br />
shape the magazine under his byline and behind the scenes.<br />
NANCY LOUCKS-MCSLOY is a freelance writer who<br />
loves cooking and entertaining. Her work has appeared<br />
in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Fur-Bearing Trout and<br />
Other True Tales of Canadian Life, McLean’s, Vitality,<br />
<strong>Eatdrink</strong>, and many other publications.<br />
SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD is a freelance writer and<br />
regular contributor to <strong>Eatdrink</strong>. Read more of Sue’s work<br />
on her blog. www.speranzanow.com<br />
MELISSA GRAHAM has waitressed, bartended,<br />
managed, dishwashed, food prepped, and catered while<br />
also working as an actor. She taught ESL for many years,<br />
worked in new play development, and currently teaches<br />
Writing and Communications at Stratford Chefs School.<br />
KYM WOLFE is a freelance writer and speaker based in<br />
London. Whether people read her articles or books, attend<br />
a presentation or take a walking tour, she hopes that they<br />
will learn something interesting, entertaining or useful,<br />
and will consider it time well spent. www.kymwolfe.com
eatdrink: The Local Food<br />
WIN<br />
& Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 33<br />
A LOCAL FLAVOUR<br />
OVERNIGHT TRIP<br />
to<br />
CHATHAM-KENT<br />
A Luxurious Road Trip<br />
for Two!<br />
Use of a beautiful Lexus automobile<br />
Accommodations at the Retro Suites Hotel<br />
Wine Tasting at Early Acres Estate Winery<br />
• Dinner for two at Mamma Maria’s Ristorante<br />
Go to localflavour.ca/contests to enter and for complete details.<br />
Contest runs until September 1, <strong>2020</strong>. Dates are subject to availability. Prize has no cash value.
34 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Beer<br />
Ladies’ Entrance<br />
This Way to the Brewhouse<br />
By GEORGE MACKE<br />
That image of plaid-wearing<br />
30-something men with big, bushy<br />
beards selling<br />
you a bitter<br />
IPA? Forget about it.<br />
The craft beer<br />
industry is ready for a<br />
woman’s touch.<br />
“I think that women<br />
have more of an impact<br />
on the craft beer industry<br />
than ever before in the<br />
history of the beer,” said Erica Hughes, General<br />
Manager of Upper Thames Brewing and the<br />
Brickhouse Brewpub in Woodstock. “There is so<br />
much opportunity for different styles of beer,<br />
using local ingredients, supporting other small<br />
businesses, collaboration and networking —<br />
all of which I believe are attractive to women.<br />
There has been a shift!”<br />
Hughes was in the franchise restaurant and<br />
hospitality industry for 10 years before making<br />
the switch to what was then a new craft brewery.<br />
“I didn’t know much about the craft beer<br />
industry, but what my past franchised world<br />
taught me was valuable: managing people,<br />
marketing, and policies and procedures. The<br />
question was, could I have a passion for the<br />
craft beer industry?”<br />
“Quickly the stars<br />
aligned and I was shifting<br />
my career to be<br />
general manager of the<br />
fastest growing and<br />
most exciting local business<br />
in Oxford County.<br />
I was now part of this<br />
A vintage sign indicating the bar door that women could<br />
enter through — if they were accompanied by a man. growing business, in a<br />
predominantly malerun<br />
operation, that I didn’t know much about.”<br />
“Luckily, I had a team of owners/bosses<br />
that gave me full autonomy with my ideas,<br />
input, and suggestions for their business.<br />
I started doing what I knew best, asking<br />
questions and becoming immersed in what<br />
would turn out to be a dream job. I learned<br />
quickly that the craft beer industry was not<br />
so cutthroat, but more collaborative, helpful<br />
and open on best practices.”<br />
It was only 50 years ago that women going<br />
out for a drink had to enter hotels through a<br />
designated “ladies and escorts” door. [This had<br />
nothing to do with paid escorts. Women had<br />
to be accompanied .wby a male companion or<br />
were barred from entering.]<br />
It made news in Toronto<br />
in 1971 when a singles bar<br />
opened in Toronto and<br />
women could legally enter<br />
unescorted.<br />
For decades, big beer<br />
companies used bikini-clad<br />
women to sell their products<br />
to the target audience — men.<br />
General Manager Erica Hughes<br />
(left) and Taproom Supervisor<br />
Vanessa Taylor help run Upper<br />
Thames Brewing and the<br />
Brickhouse Brewpub in Woodstock
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
“Women can drink and enjoy beer, too,”<br />
Hughes said. “And that hasn’t been the<br />
belief historically. Instead, women have been<br />
used as marketing tools to attract men and<br />
increase sales, a trend that occurred with the<br />
big domestic brands. I think that it’s most<br />
absurd that the belief at one time was that<br />
beer wasn’t meant for women to drink and if<br />
they did, it wasn’t proper or acceptable, but it<br />
was perfectly acceptable to use their beauty to<br />
attract men to drink it.”<br />
Still, craft breweries throughout Canada and<br />
the United States have had their share of marketing<br />
missteps when trying to come up with<br />
edgy or punny beer names such as Big Tiddy<br />
Assassin, Wailing Wench, Chunky Gal Amber,<br />
Midnight Sun Panty Peeler, and Poly gammy<br />
Porter. Craft brewers today aim higher.<br />
“Beer labels and can designs lead to a big<br />
opportunity to be more creative than ever<br />
before,” Hughes said. “The flashiest, welldesigned,<br />
or most attractive label or logo on the<br />
shelf are what people are drawn to. These labels<br />
appeal to both genders and are a breakthrough<br />
in being inclusive of both sexes. Gone are the<br />
days of selling beer with sex appeal.”<br />
It’s not just in beer names and label design<br />
that women are placing craft beer on the high<br />
road. Brew development has become a key role.<br />
“There are beers being created every day<br />
that either have women in mind as the target<br />
or are being created by a woman based on her<br />
tastes or desires in a beer,” Hughes said. They<br />
range from low-alcohol fruity beers all the way<br />
up the scale to heavy porters and stouts.<br />
In terms of naming new beers in a way<br />
that’s catchy and fun for everyone, Hughes<br />
points to one she had a hand in, Take A Hike<br />
Dry-Hopped Pale Ale.<br />
“Take a Hike has gone on to be listed with<br />
the LCBO and sold all over Ontario,” she said.<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 35<br />
“It’s a close number two seller in our taproom<br />
and brewpub and is my favourite Upper<br />
Thames beer. I particularly like the sarcasm<br />
behind the name, but that it also stays true<br />
to our brand and our Canadian or outdoor<br />
theme. ‘Take a hike!’, ‘No! You take a hike!’ —<br />
I love laughing with people over the double<br />
meaning in the name.”<br />
There are brands to which many female<br />
patrons gravitate. “We have an amazing<br />
following from both genders at both locations,”<br />
Hughes said. “If I were to guess, women<br />
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36 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Katie Anderson-Gautreau is co-owner of Shakespeare<br />
Brewing Co., in the village of Shakespeare, near Stratford.<br />
make up approximately 30 to 40 per cent of<br />
our regular patrons. Craft beer has become a<br />
hobby. It’s an opportunity for women to be<br />
on the same playing field as men. We have an<br />
exclusive mug club — The Voyageur Society —<br />
with a membership that continuously grows to<br />
include more and more women.”<br />
At Shakespeare Brewing near Stratford,<br />
co-owner Katie Anderson-Gautreau’s interest<br />
in craft beer was sparked when she and<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
husband Ayden toured Europe.<br />
“[Being in the craft beer business] certainly<br />
wasn’t something I had thought I would be<br />
doing in the future, as I was going through<br />
university,” she said. “I liked beer back then<br />
but I wasn’t very adventurous. I really started<br />
to see craft beer as part of my life while Ayden<br />
and I were in Europe. When we were staying at<br />
a farm in England that had an on-site brewery<br />
and a pub over the hill, my appreciation of<br />
beer really began to grow.”<br />
“It became a hobby of ours to visit craft<br />
breweries and try different styles of craft beer.<br />
When Ayden began working at Bell City we<br />
knew we wanted to open our own brewery at<br />
some point, and it was just a matter of learning<br />
as much as we could until that could happen.”<br />
Anderson-Gautreau said women — or anyone<br />
new to craft beer — are initially surprised that<br />
there are so many different styles available.<br />
“I find my taste buds are constantly<br />
changing,” she said. “I go through phases<br />
where I love IPAs, then lagers, then sours.<br />
There really is something for every taste bud<br />
in the craft beer world. The best part about<br />
craft beer is that the people in the industry<br />
are passionate about it and are happy to share<br />
Get to The Farm, folks!<br />
— SOUTHERN ONTARIO BEER BOYS<br />
FAMILY-FRIENDLY, FULLY-ACCESSIBLE RESTAURANT<br />
and DESTINATION CRAFT BREWERY in BLYTH<br />
40035 BLYTH RD., BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0 1-844-523-4724 WWW.COWBELLBREWING.COM
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
Katie Anderson-Gautreau with her husband Ayden and<br />
their two children outside their brewery.<br />
their knowledge and what they create.”<br />
She’s noted little divide between the kinds<br />
of beers women order versus men.<br />
“For the most part both men and<br />
women like to try new flavours and styles<br />
to determine what they like,” Anderson-<br />
Gautreau said. “Many times those who are<br />
new to craft beer, men or women, tend to lean<br />
towards the lighter beers because that may be<br />
what they are used to. Once they try the beers<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 37<br />
they are surprised by how much they enjoy<br />
the more bitter beers or the flavours of a dark<br />
beer like our milk stout.”<br />
Craft brewery taprooms have nothing in<br />
common with the smoky hotel barrooms<br />
of the 1960s and are little like the musicthumping,<br />
meat market discos of the 1970s<br />
and 1980s. Many taprooms are set up like<br />
living rooms or have long, group tables meant<br />
to be shared with other patrons to encourage<br />
conversation with each other and the staff,<br />
including owners and brewmasters.<br />
“Women just want a place they feel welcome<br />
and can hang out with their friends, partners,<br />
or kids. I always feel so much better when<br />
I go to a brewery and feel like my kids are<br />
welcome too. It means I can spend my time<br />
enjoying and appreciating my beer rather than<br />
worrying about the kids.”<br />
“I think in general, everybody likes a<br />
judgment-free zone when they go to a craft<br />
brewery, whether they are new to craft beer or<br />
a craft beer enthusiast.”<br />
GEORGE MACKE is a Southwestern Ontario craft beer<br />
explorer who spends too much time at the LCBO and craft<br />
breweries.
38 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Wine<br />
A Winemaker with Strong Roots<br />
Tanya Mitchell of Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery<br />
By GARY KILLOPS<br />
It was about 12 years ago on my first<br />
visit to Sprucewood Shores Estate<br />
Winery that I met Tanya Mitchell, the<br />
winemaker at the family owned and<br />
operated winery located on the shores of<br />
Lake Erie just outside of Amherstburg. At<br />
that time, she was Ontario’s youngest female<br />
winemaker. The wines she was making then<br />
were very good. And they continue to get<br />
better every year.<br />
Tanya has grown up with the Ontario wine<br />
industry. She is now married with children<br />
and balances family with work and is a mentor<br />
to future female winemakers looking to follow<br />
her path.<br />
gk: How did you become the winemaker for<br />
Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery?<br />
tm: Our family was developing the concept<br />
for the winery during the last year of my<br />
Chemical Engineering degree. I took the<br />
opportunity to spend a harvest at Henry<br />
of Pelham since it was close to McMaster<br />
University. This taught me a lot about the lab<br />
analysis and gave me a glimpse into the cellar.<br />
Mostly, it developed a very strong interest in<br />
the winemaking side of the business for me.<br />
It was perfect timing for me to jump right<br />
in from the ground up in something I was<br />
passionately curious about. Turns out, it was<br />
the perfect career for me in so many ways.<br />
gk: Your family has always owned the winery.<br />
How did it all begin?<br />
tm: The vineyard land was purchased back<br />
in the 1970s by my parents Hannah and<br />
Gord Mitchell, and our first vineyard plot<br />
was planted by hand, by us and our closest<br />
relatives, in the late 1980s. I still remember<br />
that day so well, my first real glance at the<br />
hard work ahead of us. What I didn’t realize<br />
at the time, was how incredible a feat my
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
parents had already accomplished, and<br />
just how far these vines would take us. We<br />
planted strong roots for our family to grow<br />
a business and a reason to always keep us<br />
working together.<br />
gk: What interests you the most about wine?<br />
tm: It is a living thing, constantly changing,<br />
and surprising me. It always keeps me on<br />
my toes. Bonus, it tastes great and when<br />
someone loves my products, I glow in the<br />
praise. There is a lot of hard work that goes<br />
into every bottle, so it’s wonderful when it’s<br />
received well.<br />
gk: What are you trying to achieve with your<br />
wines?<br />
tm: I always aim to produce small batch<br />
wines that focus on showcasing the vibrant<br />
fruit and crisp flavours of Ontario wines.<br />
The wines I produce are approachable,<br />
quality and dependable products that are<br />
meant for everyone to enjoy. I produce<br />
a large range of styles and varietals, so<br />
any customer will find something they<br />
love when they visit, or pick up a bottle<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 39<br />
off the shelf. I enjoy playing around with<br />
different styles, and trying new ways of<br />
making wine, using new technologies, and<br />
incorporating old techniques together in<br />
the best way possible. Our newest venture<br />
with appassimento wines excites me and<br />
our customers are loving it!<br />
gk: What grape varietal do you find the most<br />
exciting and challenging, both for drinking<br />
and production?<br />
tm: Cabernet sauvignon. We can ripen these<br />
incredible grapes down our way in our warm<br />
and sunny long summers. I love the colour<br />
of the grapes and the hardy skins on them,<br />
they are a pleasure to ferment and make into<br />
wine. It’s often delicious on its own, but also<br />
a wonderful compliment to many wines in<br />
a blend, providing the backbone and tannic<br />
structure that so many other varieties lack.<br />
The challenge with this fruit is getting the<br />
plants through the cold winters.<br />
gk: What is your favourite part of the<br />
winemaking process?<br />
tm: Harvest! When the grapes arrive. The<br />
Our Wine, Your CREW<br />
The new CREW Winery & Gallery is officially open!<br />
The tasting bar is open year round, and a new galley<br />
lunch menu launches <strong>March</strong> 4. Taste local wines, see<br />
original art, and take in our vineyard views.<br />
Colchester Ridge Estate Winery<br />
108 Essex County Road 50, Harrow ON<br />
519-738-9800<br />
@crewinery
40 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
tm: Yes … run away and never<br />
return! Just kidding. Honestly,<br />
yes 15 years of advice would have<br />
been great. I’m still learning<br />
every day and I am 15 years into<br />
my practice. Thankfully I worked<br />
with many skilled winemakers<br />
in the early years to help develop<br />
my craft.<br />
smell of them pouring into the vats. The<br />
smell of a perfect white fermentation. The<br />
snap decisions required during such a chaotic<br />
time. Watching the incredible change a wine<br />
undergoes in only a few days and watching it<br />
develop slowly over years after that.<br />
gk: Is there any advice you wish you got<br />
before you started making wine?<br />
gk: Are there varietals that grow<br />
better in Lake Erie North Shore<br />
than other regions?<br />
tm: Cabernet sauvignon, cabernet<br />
franc and baco noir are incredible<br />
down here. We have the longest<br />
growing season and the highest<br />
heat units of anywhere in Ontario.<br />
gk: What advice do you have for a woman<br />
wanting to get involved in the wine<br />
business today?<br />
tm: If you want something, go for it. If you<br />
have a strong interest in science, math and<br />
most importantly a strong passion for wine<br />
— and you don’t mind physical work, some<br />
Visit Ontario’s Only Beachfront Winery!<br />
Open Daily<br />
Year Round<br />
11am-5pm<br />
www.sprucewoodshores.com<br />
519-738-9253<br />
Quality Craft Wines Available at the LCBO
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
long days and getting your hands (and feet!)<br />
wet — it’s the most rewarding career you<br />
could ever ask for.<br />
gk: Where are women going to be in this<br />
industry in the next 10 years?<br />
tm: Everywhere, like they already are, in<br />
every facet of the business.<br />
gk: Does being a woman have any bearing on<br />
winemaking?<br />
tm: Our senses can be different from men,<br />
which can reflect in the styles of wines<br />
we produce. Our physical strength and<br />
endurance play an important role in the<br />
production side.<br />
gk: How do you maintain a work/life/family<br />
balance?<br />
tm: The support of my family and staff have<br />
enabled me to continue to pursue this timeand<br />
mind-consuming career. It has been<br />
quite challenging at times, especially during<br />
harvest and bottling time. Challenging for<br />
both me and my husband, who I am very<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 41<br />
grateful to for all the extra work he puts<br />
into our family during my busy seasons.<br />
gk: Anything else you would like to add? Proud<br />
moments at the winery? Perhaps info on any<br />
upcoming projects that you can share?<br />
tm: I have been working on a project with<br />
my brother Steve for a few years now,<br />
getting into production of appassimento<br />
wines and it has been a very challenging,<br />
but extremely rewarding pursuit. We have<br />
a wine out right now that I am very proud<br />
of, and it is getting an incredible reception<br />
from our customers.<br />
Overall, I consider myself lucky to have<br />
been given the rewarding and challenging<br />
opportunity to run my own business with<br />
my family and I look forward to the many<br />
years ahead, especially when our young<br />
ones start to join in on the fun.<br />
GARY KILLOPS is a CAPS Certified Sommelier<br />
who loves to talk, taste, and write about wine. He<br />
shares his tasting notes on EssexWineReview.com<br />
Lifting Spirits and Sales<br />
VQA Wines, Craft Beer and Cider<br />
Import Wines not available in LCBO<br />
Contact me if you’re thirsty<br />
to learn about unique<br />
farm to glass experiences<br />
for your home, business<br />
or special occasion.<br />
inspiirit.ca<br />
Tina Roberts<br />
troberts@inspiirit.ca
42 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
The BUZZ<br />
Culinary Community Notes<br />
New and Notable<br />
London<br />
London Training Centre is providing the Culinary<br />
Pre-Apprenticeship program again this year<br />
starting <strong>April</strong> 6. This six-month, full-time program<br />
includes four months of instruction and two<br />
months of paid placement at area restaurants and<br />
food establishments. Fully funded by the Ontario<br />
Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development<br />
(no cost to students) it is an ideal opportunity<br />
for 12 students seeking to launch their culinary<br />
careers. There is a competitive application process.<br />
lonndontraining.on.ca<br />
Chef Dave Lamers of Abruzzi and Taverna 1331 won<br />
Food Day Canada gold again in 2019. He will be<br />
heading to NYC with the other winners to represent<br />
Canada at James Beard House in May.<br />
Chef Logan Withers, formerly of Abruzzi Ristorante,<br />
is leading the culinary team at Dave Lamers and<br />
Rob D’Amico’s new Taverna 1331, at 1331 Hyde Park<br />
Road, taverna1331.ca<br />
Now that Blackfriars Bridge has reopened,<br />
it’s a perfect time to return to Betty Heydon’s<br />
acclaimed Blackfriars Bistro. Heydon and her<br />
team recently celebrated a 24th anniversary. One<br />
of the city’s most respected caterers, the culinary<br />
team at Blackfriars prepares innovative, seasonal<br />
blackboard specials with cutting-edge menus that<br />
respect tradition. Be sure to try Betty’s signature<br />
savoury Stilton cheesecake with heritage greens<br />
— it’s a classic. 46 Blackfriars St., 519-667-4930,<br />
blackfriarsbistro.com<br />
Katana Kafé & Grill is switching things up again<br />
for the season, with new menus launching <strong>March</strong><br />
12. They are continuing the popular “Half-price<br />
Bottle of Wine Wednesdays” and $5 16 oz pints of<br />
beer on Thursdays. There have been many aesthetic<br />
changes at Katana over the past year or so, with<br />
more changes coming soon. katanakafe.ca<br />
Updates from Grace Restaurant: Bartender Myles<br />
Davis qualified for the finals in the “Made with<br />
Love” cocktail competition which will be held in<br />
Toronto in <strong>April</strong>. Grace will hold a monthly drag<br />
brunch starting in <strong>March</strong>. Sunday Dinners in <strong>March</strong><br />
will include Maple Sugar Shack on <strong>March</strong> 1 and a<br />
collaboration with Nuts for Cheese on <strong>March</strong> 15.<br />
215 Dundas Street, 226-667-4822, gracelondon.ca<br />
The landmark Budapest Restaurant has been<br />
operating since 1956 and will celebrate its 64th (!)<br />
birthday on <strong>March</strong> 17. 348 Dundas Street, 519-439-<br />
3431, budapestrestaurant.com<br />
Paradigm Spirits Co. is being created by passionate<br />
craft spirit entrepreneurs with a vision to build a<br />
distillery within the new 100 Kellogg Lane. (100<br />
Kellogg Lane is the ongoing transformation of the<br />
former Kellogg’s cereal plant into a million-squarefoot<br />
hub for tenants, workspaces, entertainment and<br />
attractions, such as Powerhouse Brewing Company.)<br />
Paradigm will produce quality spirits showcasing<br />
the bounties of our region and people, by blending<br />
age-old tradition with new flavours and methods.<br />
Spirits authorities from whisky ambassadors to
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
bourbon stewards, they bring years of experience<br />
and certifications to the table. Lively and interactive<br />
cocktail classes are designed to inform participants<br />
about the art of crafting cocktails, the use of bar<br />
tools, and classic ingredients like bitters and tonic.<br />
Paradigm is expected to open in late May <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
paradigmspirits.com<br />
Locomotive Espresso recently celebrated its 6th<br />
anniversary. Co-owner Jill Wright tells us, “The<br />
second location in the Old South neighbourhood,<br />
Locomotive Espresso South is coming along.<br />
Follow at Locomotiveespresso on Instagram for<br />
updates on a soft opening in late <strong>April</strong>.” 519-601-<br />
3896, locomotiveespresso.com<br />
Wolfe Pack Company Bar is located next door<br />
to the popular breakfast spot Little Bird. In<br />
the middle of Wortley Village it is accessible,<br />
welcoming and convivial with inspired cuisine<br />
such as house-made charcuterie and seasonal or<br />
artisanal items in limited quantities, in order to<br />
maintain a high level of quality. The resto seats<br />
about 60 customers, and will include two patios,<br />
one seating an additional 45 patrons, and another<br />
30 seats at the front of the restaurant. The menu<br />
is reminiscent of the best of the former Wolfe of<br />
Wortley, but scaled-down and more accessibly<br />
priced. 145 Wortley Road, 226-663-4567<br />
Above the new Wolfe Pack Company Bar in Wortley<br />
Village is the boutique Bake Shop Studio. You<br />
can visit during retail hours, and by appointment<br />
on Tuesdays. Everything is made in-house from<br />
scratch. If you can’t come during retail hours, or<br />
have trouble with the stairs, the gluten-free and<br />
vegan cupcakes are offered across the street at<br />
the new Wortley Café (formerly Fire Roasted.) 145<br />
Wortley Road (Upper) bakeshopstudio.com<br />
Building on the momentum around urban<br />
experiential tourism, Growing Chefs! Ontario<br />
is excited to invite you into the HQ where a<br />
spectacular culinary adventure has been created:<br />
Food, Fire, Feast! This experience is based on<br />
the highly successful children’s education<br />
programming, where participants explore how food<br />
systems work through the largest school-based<br />
food education project in Ontario. Through this<br />
tremendously unique experience you will cook<br />
your way through an extensive “tour” of London<br />
and Middlesex County. Led by the award-winning<br />
Growing Chefs! Ontario Chef Team, you will improve<br />
your culinary skills using seasonal ingredients,<br />
wildcrafted foods, invasive species and native<br />
Ontario plants and be introduced to feature<br />
products from unique local farms and producers.<br />
The experience promises to keep a strong focus on<br />
Come Experience Our World!<br />
Award Winning Artisan Cheese<br />
NOW OFFERING! Affinage 101<br />
A hands-on behind-the-scenes experience<br />
• Visit the aging room where cheese is cured<br />
• Taste the changes in flavour as the cheese cures<br />
• Discover steps to judge cheese quality and taste<br />
• Create a delicious Gunn’s Hill fondue from scratch<br />
• Find details and register on our website<br />
445172 Gunn's Hill Rd, Woodstock, ON<br />
519-424-4024<br />
www.gunnshillcheese.ca<br />
Boutique Bakery<br />
Buttercream Cakes,<br />
Cookies and<br />
French Macarons<br />
Open for Walk-in Purchases<br />
WED–FRI 11–6pm • SAT 10am–3pm<br />
closed sun/mon/tues<br />
145 Wortley Road, London<br />
Upstairs—above the new Wolfe Pack Company Bar<br />
bakeshopstudio.com
44 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
sustainable sourcing and zero-waste. It will launch<br />
in the spring of <strong>2020</strong>, growingchefsontario.ca<br />
Lavery Culinary Group’s Forest City Culinary<br />
Experiences’ team of culinary insiders brings<br />
together groups of visitors for intimate, immersive<br />
culinary and cultural experiences. Attend one of the<br />
culinary pop-ups, cooking classes, and dinners, or<br />
book an experience like the “Covent Garden Market<br />
Gastro Tour.” They also offer an interactive culinary<br />
and cultural tour centred on and around the Forks<br />
of the Thames with partners such as Museum<br />
100% Local — from Our Farmers to Your Table<br />
Hormone & Drug-Free<br />
Ontario Beef, Pork, Bison, Lamb & Chicken<br />
THE VILLAGE<br />
MEAT SHOP<br />
LOCAL - NATURAL - QUALITY<br />
WE ARE YOUR LONDON OUTLET FOR<br />
• Metzger Meat Products • Lena’s Lamb<br />
• Blanbrook Bison Farm • Little Sisters Chicken<br />
• Glengyle Farm Organics<br />
The Market at Western Fair District: SAT 8–3; SUN 10–2<br />
226-376-6328 • www.thevillagemeatshop.ca<br />
More than just a Coffee Shop!<br />
Over 200 Flavour Shot Flavours<br />
Loose Leaf Tea • Espresso • Lattes<br />
Cappuccino • Iced Coffee<br />
Baked Goods–even Keto sweets<br />
–and so much more!<br />
Ask<br />
about our<br />
Catering & Event<br />
Space!<br />
Homemade ice cream including dairy free, vegan and Keto!<br />
Dessert Waffles, Smoothies & other new items coming soon!<br />
Pour Over Coffee Bar Open 7 Days a Week<br />
creambeanerycafe.com<br />
London, Rhino Bakery & Lounge, and Eldon House.<br />
Or simply explore downtown London on one of two<br />
soon to be launched “Asian Culinary Experiences.”<br />
forestcityculinaryexperiences.ca<br />
Covent Garden Market, established in 1845, is<br />
the longest historical link to London’s culinary<br />
history. Several merchant families have served the<br />
market public for generations. Hasbeans follows<br />
a Smith family tradition that began in the 1880s.<br />
The coffee business is a hands-on enterprise with<br />
the hospitable Joel McMillian running the daily<br />
operations. Glenda and Danielle (Smith Cheese<br />
+ Glenda’s) offer over 250 varieties of cheese.<br />
Havaris Produce has been a market staple since<br />
1910. Covent Garden Market also houses take-away<br />
restos such as the New Delhi Deli, The Salad Bowl,<br />
Mercado Burrito and Thai Delight (the green,<br />
yellow and red curry combos are a market staple.)<br />
Mark Kitching’s Waldo’s On King is where you<br />
will find the best organic burger, sourced from the<br />
eponymous Mark’s Meats (his stand-alone shop<br />
in the Market that carries a wide range of certified<br />
organic and grass-fed meats, seafood and other<br />
items) and one of the very best Caesar salads in<br />
town. Chris Doris (Doris Produce) and restaurateur<br />
Greg Efstatheu operate Olive R Twists, and nestled<br />
into the Market Lane side of the building, Tanakaya<br />
Japanese Restaurant offers made-to-order sushi<br />
rolls, sashimi, teriyaki, tempura and bento boxes.<br />
The International Bakery, a prominent vendor for<br />
over 40 years, provides pastries, cakes, breads,<br />
and Italian-inspired staples. Petit Paris Crêperie<br />
& Pâtisserie is an excellent example of the French<br />
pastry tradition, and is located at the King Street<br />
entrance of the market. Petit Paris offers macarons,<br />
personalized cakes and pâtisseries, made from<br />
scratch and crafted with premium ingredients.<br />
Next door try the Coop Rotisserie for some of the<br />
best chicken in the city. We are also fans of Mona`s<br />
Shawarma & Grill and her Middle Eastern fare, and<br />
are especially partial to her falafels, shawarma<br />
New 2nd Location!<br />
22469 Adelaide Rd, Mt Brydges<br />
226-490-0301<br />
825 Southdale Rd W, London<br />
519-652-1607<br />
PATIO<br />
OPEN!
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
and varieties of hummus. Sample one of Zoran<br />
Sehovac’s hand-made Balkan-inspired savoury<br />
bureks from the Hot Oven. These classic spiralled,<br />
savoury spinach and cheese or meat-stuffed<br />
pastries attract a loyal following. 130 King Street,<br />
coventmarket.com<br />
Dining at T.G. Haile’s Addis Ababa Restaurant<br />
is characterized by the ritual of breaking injera<br />
(the traditional yeast-risen flatbread which is<br />
spongy in texture, crêpe-like in appearance and<br />
has sourdough tanginess) and sharing food from a<br />
communal platter, signifying the bonds of loyalty<br />
and friendship. For more than 15 years T.G.’s Addis<br />
Ababa has offered a tour de force from the Ethiopian<br />
culinary repertoire with classic East African dishes.<br />
465 Dundas Street (at Maitland), 519-433-4222,<br />
tgsaddisababarestaurant.com<br />
Mainsay Visouvath and Fouzan (Rafael) Beg’s<br />
Thaifoon Restaurant continues to distinguish<br />
itself as the premier Thai restaurant in town with<br />
authentic and exuberant flavours, craft cocktails,<br />
ambience and stellar service. The recently<br />
renovated restaurant is a multi-sensory experience<br />
with a modern and elevated take on Thai culture.<br />
The dining room is sleek, fresh and modern. Recent<br />
visits have exceeded all of our expectations.<br />
thaifoonrestaurant.com<br />
Anna and Stelios Papadopoulos arrived in<br />
Mississauga from Greece in 2012, with son Kosta<br />
and daughter Marina, and later relocated to<br />
London. Anna says, “Wortley Village feels like<br />
a true village,” not unlike their home in Greece,<br />
where coffeehouses, restaurants and roasters are<br />
prevalent. By roasters, Anna means roasters of<br />
fresh nuts. Unimpressed by the roasted bulk nuts<br />
they sampled in Canada, Stelios envisioned bringing<br />
a bit of Greece to Wortley Village. They imported<br />
a unique Greek-designed nut-roasting machine<br />
from Germany. On Canada Day 2016, Karpos<br />
Dry Fruits and Nuts was launched in Wortley<br />
Village. On offer are several Greek food specialties<br />
and premium olive oil in bulk. Customers are<br />
encouraged to bring containers for nuts, fruits<br />
and olive oil. Fresh baklava and spanakopita are<br />
available for purchase. Entrées such as stuffed<br />
roasted peppers, dolmathakia, meatballs, chicken<br />
with potatoes, and avgolemono soup are available<br />
for takeaway on Tuesdays and Fridays. With the<br />
unexpected passing of Stelios last year, Anna,<br />
Kosta, and Marina continue to offer high-quality<br />
dry fruits and nuts procured globally. They remain<br />
the only Mediterranean-style roasters for fresh<br />
nuts in London. 190 Wortley Road, 519-672-5200,<br />
karposnutsandfruits.weebly.com<br />
“Reasonably priced, fresh, well-executed<br />
Ethiopian cuisine ...” — Bryan Lavery, <strong>Eatdrink</strong><br />
Blair Blvd<br />
Gift<br />
Certificates<br />
Available<br />
London<br />
International<br />
Airport<br />
Oxford St<br />
• FAMILY FRIENDLY<br />
• Vegetarian &<br />
Vegan Options<br />
• Takeout<br />
• Catering<br />
ADDIS ABABA Restaurant<br />
Tuesday–Sunday 11am–10pm by reservation<br />
Closed Monday<br />
465 Dundas Street 519 433-4222<br />
www.tgsaddisababarestaurant.com<br />
Far Out ...<br />
but we like it that way!<br />
Blueberry Tea<br />
519-455-9005<br />
Crumlin Rd<br />
katanakafe.ca<br />
2530 Blair Blvd, London<br />
Diamond Flight Centre<br />
MON & TUES: Lunch 11–3<br />
WED, THURS & FRI: Lunch 11–5; Dinner 5–9<br />
Weekends: Breakfast 9–12, Lunch 12–3, Dinner 5–9
where art is<br />
Hey, Cupcake! a piece of cake<br />
The ORIGINAL<br />
LONDON CAKERY &<br />
GOURMET CUPCAKE<br />
BAKERY<br />
ASK US Custom Bakery • Walk-In Orders Available<br />
ABOUT OUR<br />
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www.heycupcake.ca<br />
1305 Riverbend Road, Suite 110<br />
519-433-CAKE (2253)<br />
STORE HOURS: Mon–Fri 11–7<br />
Saturday 10–5 • Sunday 11–4<br />
Traditional, Real Food.<br />
Real Good!<br />
Try our world famous Goulash Soup, Cabbage Rolls,<br />
Schnitzel, Chicken Paprikash, a Combination Platter, or<br />
many other mouthwatering Hungarian dishes.<br />
Gift<br />
Certificates<br />
Available<br />
519-652-9696<br />
aranka.ca<br />
aranka.csarda arankacsarda<br />
7447 Longwoods Road, London<br />
Our beautiful country setting is on Longwoods, the continuation of<br />
Wharncliffe Road, just outside Lambeth<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Pepe’s Filipino Restaurant, named after the<br />
owner’s father, is located in the premises formerly<br />
occupied by the Chinese BBQ Restaurant. Dishes<br />
range from lumpia (fried spring rolls with pork,<br />
shrimp and vegetables) to arrozcaldo, (a hearty<br />
Filipino congee made with chicken and rice,<br />
seasoned with onion, and garlic and served with a<br />
boiled egg) to the more complex dinuguan (pork<br />
blood stew with liver pork meat and intestine). We<br />
enjoyed the Filipino-style pork bbq served with rice<br />
or sweet potato fries and the Filipino-style chop<br />
suey with vegetables sautéed in garlic oyster sauce<br />
with miniscule shrimp and quail eggs. The calamari<br />
is lightly breaded and fried and served with<br />
sriracha aioli. 994 Huron Street, 519-601-0375<br />
Congee Chan offers a large menu of Cantonese<br />
specialties prepared with fresh high-quality<br />
ingredients. A favourite is preserved egg congee with<br />
minced duck. This is traditional Chinese cooking<br />
combined with Canadian-Chinese versions of modern<br />
Asian specialties like crispy-sweet and piquant<br />
General Tao chicken. Congee Chan offers more than<br />
just congee and noodles. Order the lobster with<br />
ginger and green onion chow mein, and the clams or<br />
beef with black bean sauce. 735 Wonderland Road<br />
North (in the plaza across from Angelo’s), 519-641-<br />
5686, congeechanrestaurant.com<br />
Five Fortune Culture House is known for its<br />
Yunnan-style home cooking with Sichuan and<br />
Guizhou influences — not a formulaic Chinese<br />
restaurant serving Anglo-genres conceived by oldstyle<br />
Taishanese and rural Cantonese immigrants<br />
who adapted traditional Chinese recipes to<br />
suit local tastes and available ingredients. 368<br />
Richmond Street, 226-667-9873<br />
The Market at Western Fair District is a vibrant hub<br />
in Old East Village bringing together community,<br />
food artisans and startups. Two floors and over 100<br />
vendors make up The Market which operates on<br />
Saturday and Sundays and features fine retailers<br />
such as The Village Meat Shoppe, Loco Fields,<br />
Common Ground, Evi’s Deli, The Butcher’s Wife, On<br />
the Move Organics, Monforte Cheese, Petojo Food &<br />
Catering (Indonesian cuisine), Yam Gurung’s Momos<br />
at the Market (featuring Nepalese Cuisine), Harvest<br />
Pantry (ferments, preserves, salts and culinary<br />
tools), Artisan Bakery, Lebanese Bakery and Downie<br />
Street Bakehouse. Food truck operators Bifana Boys<br />
and Goodah Gastrotruck have popular booths at The<br />
Market and recently opened Out of the Deep Seafood<br />
Co., featuring ethically-sourced and sustainable<br />
offerings. themarketwfd.com<br />
Willie’s Café continues to grow and thrive in the<br />
London Food Incubator. Ian Kennard has expanded
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
the seating with more tables, comfy chairs and<br />
a new cozy dining area. There is inexpensive<br />
municipal parking off of Queens Ave. and customers<br />
are welcome to use the entrance accessible from the<br />
parking lot. Willie’s continues to provide catering<br />
services with a focus on office/corporate lunches.<br />
630 Dundas Street East, williescafeandcatering.com<br />
Tina Roberts of Inspiirit is excited about her<br />
partnership with The Wine Agents, importers of<br />
great wines you won’t find at the LCBO, to help<br />
restaurants drive growth by having exclusive VQA<br />
and imported offerings positions. “Pinot Grigio is<br />
not a commonly grown wine in the Niagara Region,<br />
so having a couple in my portfolio is a real coup,”<br />
says Tina. “It’s such a popular wine and one that<br />
customers always ask for. My favourite so far is<br />
from Cantine Monfort in Trentino Italy, and it’s<br />
their Terre Del Fohn Pinot Grigio. This a very easy<br />
drinking wine. Almost too easy!” Inspiirit’s products<br />
are available to licensee, wedding and event venues<br />
and direct to consumers. Check out their Wine Club<br />
to. Contact Tina at troberts@inspiirit.ca.<br />
The goal of the Culinary Federation of Chefs &<br />
Cooks is to unite chefs and cooks across Canada in<br />
a shared dedication to professional excellence. The<br />
Federation was founded in 1963 and incorporated<br />
in Ottawa as a non-profit association in 1972. It has<br />
1,200 members nationally. Throughout its history<br />
as Canada’s most significant federally chartered<br />
professional chefs’ organization, the name of<br />
the Federation has undergone several changes<br />
to recognize the chef’s continually changing<br />
role in the kitchen and education. Membership<br />
in the Culinary Federation is available to all<br />
persons with career paths as a Cook Apprentice,<br />
Journeyman Cook, Professional Chef/Cook or<br />
Culinary Professional. Join colleagues from<br />
London and the surrounding area for the relaunch<br />
of the London branch of the Culinary Federation.<br />
This isn’t the same organization that you may<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 47<br />
remember or perhaps have been involved with<br />
in the past. Contact Chef David Franklin, VP of<br />
Central Region, for more information about CF<br />
London. chefdavidfranklin@gmail.com, 226-7065,<br />
culinaryfederation.ca<br />
Stratford<br />
Chef Kris Schlotzhauer and Pastry Chef Suzy<br />
Schlotzhauer’s restaurant AO Pasta is relocating to a<br />
bigger and better space this spring (formerly Renee’s<br />
Bistro) and they are excited about this next chapter.<br />
With the move, they will be welcoming Tom Van<br />
Van Simpson - Scotia Wealth Management presents<br />
<strong>April</strong> 25, <strong>2020</strong><br />
at Museum London<br />
$55 advance / $65 at the door<br />
UPwithART.ca<br />
Grand Bend’s Annual Art, Culinary & Music Tour<br />
MAY 1,2 & 3<br />
OVER<br />
24<br />
LOCATIONS<br />
GRANDBENDSTUDIOTOUR.COM
48 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Oosterhout as a partner. AO Pasta will remain closed<br />
until the projected early <strong>April</strong> reopening. aopasta.com<br />
Sobrii 0-Gin is new to Stratford and is Canada’s<br />
first non-alcoholic gin. Sobrii is distilled in<br />
Stratford in small batches at Junction 56<br />
Distillery with zero sugar, zero calories and no<br />
artificial flavours or sweeteners. Sobrii can simply<br />
be substituted for gin in most cocktail recipes or<br />
can be used to create a custom drink. Purchase<br />
at Bradshaws & Kitchen Detail or Junction 56. 45<br />
Cambria Street, Stratford. sobrii.ca<br />
See Facebook for Weekly Specials!<br />
Lunch Hours Available for Private Events<br />
Locally Sourced Ingredients<br />
Authentic Italian Cuisine<br />
Local Craft Beers<br />
Regional & Organic Wines from Italy<br />
Take Out & Gift Certificates Available<br />
Tuesday–Thursday 4pm–8pm<br />
Friday & Saturday 11:30am–10pm<br />
Sunday Brunch 11am–2pm, Dinner 3pm–7pm<br />
Reservations Recommended<br />
2135 Dorchester Road, Dorchester<br />
519-268-0001<br />
fatolive.ca<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Jobsite Brewing Co. began with a conversation<br />
between Dave Oldenburger and Phil Buhler during<br />
a break at a construction site. Their passion for<br />
construction has turned into a new love for making<br />
in-house local brews. Stop by for a visit and enjoy<br />
a pint, flight or a made-to-order wood-fired<br />
pizza. 45 Cambria Street, Stratford, 519-305-3335.<br />
jobsitebrewing.ca<br />
Braai House menus offer a South African-inspired<br />
cuisine, focusing on open-fire cooking. The menu<br />
is created by Executive Chef/co-owner, Anthony<br />
Jordaan, who has been able to highlight some of the<br />
fantastic flavours that come off of a South-African<br />
braai, more commonly known as a wood-fired BBQ/<br />
grill. Did we mention that they also microbrew their<br />
own beer onsite? 34 Brunswick Street, Stratford,<br />
519-271-5647. braaihouse.ca<br />
Red Lion Room is a cozy, hip lounge in downtown<br />
Stratford. It offers an extensive menu by Head<br />
Chef Blake Anderson that includes snacks, shared<br />
plates, pasta and grilled meats. All kinds of pasta,<br />
sauces and breads are made in-house. Local<br />
beers are featured on tap along with hand-crafted<br />
cocktails. Enjoy live music with your dinner,<br />
ranging from jazz to classic rock. 23 Albert Street,<br />
Stratford, 519-272-1776. redlionroom.ca<br />
Stratford Farmers Market, hosted by The Stratford<br />
& District Agricultural Society, is one of the oldest<br />
markets in Ontario. Vendors bring the finest cuts<br />
of meat, vegetables, fruits, baked goods, coffee,<br />
craft items and much more. Don’t worry about<br />
having breakfast before you arrive, and the<br />
made-to-order BBQ has you covered for lunch with<br />
sausage or back bacon on a bun. The Market will be<br />
running until December 19, from 7:00 am – 12:00<br />
pm. 375 McCarthy Road, Stratford, 519-271-5130.<br />
stratfordagriculturalsociety.com<br />
Stratford Chefs School Open Kitchen features<br />
Cooking with Cannabis! With Canada’s legalization<br />
Picture Yourself:<br />
• Relaxing on our patio ...<br />
• Enjoying lunch, dinner or a snack ...<br />
• Staying the evening in a room or suite!<br />
Main Street, Port Stanley<br />
(519) 782-3388<br />
www.kettlecreekinn.com<br />
information@kettlecreekinn.com
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
of cannabis, more and more people are interested<br />
in safely exploring its medicinal properties and<br />
recreational uses. At the SCS Open Kitchen class,<br />
you will learn how to include the correct cannabis<br />
oil breakdown, decarboxylation, the benefits of<br />
infused butter versus oil, purification techniques,<br />
how to store your infusion, and how to make<br />
cannabis calculations when cooking. Perfect for<br />
anyone curious about cooking with cannabis at<br />
home. 136 Ontario Street, Stratford, 519-271-1414.<br />
stratfordchef.com/open-kitchen<br />
A recent expansion has added 20,000 sq ft of<br />
greenhouses, giving organic grower Loco Fields a<br />
total of 60,000 sq ft now, just outside Stratford. As a<br />
supplier to many of the best local restaurants, they<br />
grow a variety of mixed vegetables, specializing<br />
in leafy greens, salad mixes, ginger, turmeric,<br />
over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers,<br />
specialty potatoes and other roots. Catch them<br />
at the Market at Western Fair and Stratford’s<br />
summer Slow Food Market on Sunday, at specialty<br />
food shops, and online. Cut micros and cut greens<br />
are now available and sunchokes will be coming<br />
out of the ground in <strong>April</strong>. Late summer, a major<br />
expansion into local ginger and turmeric will be<br />
harvested. info@locofields.com<br />
Around the Region<br />
We lost a dedicated farm-to-table advocate and<br />
mentor when celebrated chef Michael Potters<br />
passed away suddenly. A former Londoner, Potters<br />
was a graduate of Sir Wilfred Laurier University<br />
and studied Culinary Arts at George Brown<br />
College. Leading the charge for positive change in<br />
the restaurant industry, Potters was well-known<br />
in Ontario’s culinary circles for his decadeslong<br />
career and influence as a chef, hospitality<br />
consultant, educator and mentor. Potters’ career<br />
spanned The Little Inn in Bayfield, co-owner of<br />
Harvest in Picton, Accolade at Toronto’s Crown<br />
Plaza, Spoke Club, Hockley Valley Resort,<br />
Angeline’s Inn in Prince Edward County and Milford<br />
Bistro. Most recently he was the Executive Director<br />
of CAPE Private Events in Picton.<br />
Cowbell Brewing Co. is rolling into spring with<br />
several exciting new beer releases. Back by<br />
popular demand is Cowbell Brewing’s Renegade<br />
Series. Five new, limited-edition, small-batch<br />
Renegades, featuring bold and exciting flavours,<br />
will be available on draught and in 473mL cans.<br />
The first Renegade Series beer will be launching<br />
exclusively at the Cowbell Farm and online in <strong>April</strong>.<br />
For Cowbell fans who cannot wait until <strong>April</strong> to<br />
try new brews, Hazy Days, a Hazy Juicy IPA will be<br />
Bring back “homemade”<br />
again with Marshall’s Pasta!<br />
Reunions<br />
Anniversary<br />
Parties<br />
Quality<br />
Convenient<br />
Meals<br />
Healthy Food the Whole<br />
Family Will Love!<br />
We Cater!<br />
Family<br />
Functions<br />
& More!<br />
Birthday<br />
Parties<br />
Graduations<br />
Baptisms<br />
580 Adelaide St N, London 519-672-7827<br />
MON–FRI 9:30am–7pm • SAT 9:30am–5pm • SUN 11am–5pm<br />
Full menu available at marshallspastacatering.ca
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223 Colborne St., Port Stanley ON<br />
519.782.7800<br />
Sat & Sun. 900 King St., London<br />
www.peppertreespice.com<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
hitting LCBO and grocery shelves in <strong>March</strong>. Keep<br />
an eye on Cowbell’s social channels for updates<br />
on all upcoming beer releases. 40035 Blyth Road,<br />
cowbellbrewing.com<br />
The Village Teapot in Ilderton is owned and<br />
run by Gaynor Deeks and Jana Yassine. Gaynor<br />
is originally from the UK, Jana from Chatham,<br />
Ontario. They are tea drinkers, soup and sandwich<br />
makers, and know a good scone when they see one.<br />
Located in one of the oldest properties in the town,<br />
believed to be at least 145 years old, in premises<br />
that retain many period features. Reservations are<br />
appreciated. thevillageteapot.ca<br />
Elio and Kate Caporicci’s Early Bird Coffee is a<br />
small-batch, wholesale coffee roaster and café<br />
situated close to where the 401 and 403 meet in<br />
Woodstock. Their mission is simple, “To provide<br />
Oxford County with a world-class coffee experience<br />
by delivering the freshest, best tasting, small-batch<br />
coffee in the region.” They achieve this by using<br />
only expertly-roasted, ethically-sourced, premium<br />
beans. Since its inception, Early Bird Coffee has<br />
found its way into the homes of many area families,<br />
as well as onto the shelves of local businesses, such<br />
as Habitual Chocolate and Beantown Coffee Co.<br />
815 Juliana Drive, Woodstock, 519-532-3127<br />
Chef Eric Boyar’s sixthirtynine in Woodstock<br />
delivers a homegrown Oxford County “from<br />
scratch” farm-to-table Feast On certified<br />
experience. An elegant and contemporary dining<br />
room of 30 seats welcomes guests to a tasteful<br />
and comfortable atmosphere. Front house service<br />
is headed by Eric’s wife, Jennifer Boyar, where<br />
the emphasis is on unpretentious yet attentive<br />
and professional service. Zach Lebert directs<br />
the restaurant wine program, which features<br />
both high quality regional VQA wines and unique<br />
international wines. Wine selections change<br />
regularly to suit the current menu. Additional<br />
seating is available for up to four guests at the<br />
Chef’s Table, which provides guests an up-close<br />
look at the talented kitchen crew in action. Service<br />
is often headed by Sous Chef Sam Vandenberg, who<br />
ensures guests at the Chef’s Table have an engaging<br />
and memorable experience. Tasting menus with<br />
optional wine pairings are available upon request.<br />
639 Peel Street, Woodstock, 519-536-9602,<br />
sixthirtynine.com<br />
Chocolatier and owner of Seed Confections,<br />
Genevieve Scarfone’s love of all things pastry<br />
began in her teens. She enrolled in the Culinary<br />
Management program at Niagara College. Later<br />
Scarfone worked three summers at a luxury<br />
golf course resort in Muskoka and spent winter
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
seasons in Banff as a baker. In 2009 she moved<br />
to Vancouver, where she began her career as a<br />
chocolatier learning the nuances of chocolate<br />
production. While she was working as a sous chef<br />
at Beta5 Chocolates in Vancouver, the team won<br />
multiple Canadian and International Chocolate<br />
Awards. In 2015, she moved home to St. Thomas.<br />
Before starting Seed Confections she spent months<br />
travelling the world solo, visiting Indonesia,<br />
Australia, and New Zealand. It was on this trip she<br />
created the concept of Seed Confections, which is<br />
known for its signature macarons. All the desserts<br />
are fresh, local and delectable. Scarfone has won<br />
both silver and bronze awards in the Canadian<br />
portion of the International Chocolate Awards. In<br />
2018 she won a bronze medal at the International<br />
Chocolate Awards in Italy for her Cranberry Sage<br />
bonbons.159 Ross Street, St. Thomas, Ontario, 519-<br />
207-4060, seedconfections.com<br />
Steelhead Food Co. offers fresh locally processed<br />
fish that are cleaned and cut at the Fish and Seafood<br />
Market. Based in St. Thomas, Steelhead offers a<br />
selection of premium quality fish, fresh oysters and<br />
seafood — fresh, frozen, and smoked. 5 Barrie Blvd,<br />
St. Thomas, 226-237-3474, steelheadfoodco.ca<br />
The Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation<br />
(SWOTC) recently announced the finalists for the<br />
2019 Innovation Awards. Innovator of the Year<br />
finalists includes the Lavery Culinary Group’s<br />
Forest City Culinary Experiences, Lambton<br />
Heritage Museum, and Texas Long Horn Ranch.<br />
Innovator of the Year award recognizes businesses,<br />
organizations and leaders that are building the<br />
tourism industry within Ontario’s Southwest with<br />
purpose and passion. Innovative Experience of the<br />
Year finalists includes Culture City X, hosted by<br />
London Arts Council, Sweetest Smell on Earth –<br />
Maple Dining Experience, hosted by Richardson’s<br />
Farm, and Truffle Camp, hosted by Cindy Walker’s<br />
Chocolatea. The Innovative Experience of the Year<br />
award recognizes meaningful experiences, events,<br />
and programming offered to travellers, that tell the<br />
stories of Ontario’s Southwest.<br />
The former schoolhouse which houses The 1909<br />
Culinary Academy was built in that year. Located<br />
just west of Ayr, the building has been converted<br />
into a chef-owned private culinary institute with a<br />
restaurant-style kitchen. Executive Chef Murray<br />
Zehr offers a lesson in community heritage<br />
stewardship. Original details include slanted<br />
blackboards, decorative tin ceiling, lighting<br />
fixtures, trim, doors, wainscoting, hardwood floors,<br />
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chef training facility with a focus on agriculture<br />
and hands-on techniques for food cultivation. The<br />
dinner plate is ever changing. An invitation has<br />
been extended by the 1909 Culinary Academy for<br />
a complimentary 3-hour session with Chef Murray<br />
Zehr, designed specifically for chefs, cooks and<br />
restaurant managers. Tourism Oxford and SWOTC<br />
are excited to partner with the Academy to offer<br />
this free workshop for restaurants on Monday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 9, 1–4 pm. 5183 Trussler Road, Ayr, Ontario,<br />
the1909culinaryacademy.ca<br />
Chatham-Kent Tourism, in partnership with<br />
Grey County Tourism, is hosting the third annual<br />
Rural Tourism Symposium. This one-day event is<br />
designed to raise the profile of rural tourism as an<br />
integral part of the provincial and national visitor<br />
experience. It targets those in the rural tourism<br />
industry, and seeks to inspire tourism industry<br />
professionals to redefine success by leveraging<br />
up, capitalizing on opportunities and partnering<br />
for success. Join Chatham-Kent Tourism as they<br />
host rural tourism stakeholders, destination<br />
marketing organizations and tourism businesses in<br />
partnership with Grey County Tourism. Celes Davar<br />
of Earth Rythms is the keynote speaker. Thursday,<br />
<strong>April</strong> 23, 8:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m., Ridgetown College,<br />
120 Main St E, Ridgetown, chatham-kent.ca/<br />
Tourism/rural-tourism-symposium<br />
The new Huron Waves Music Festival will formally<br />
announce its inaugural Spring lineup at The White<br />
Squirrel Golf Club and Restaurant (a Festival<br />
sponsor) at 5pm on Tuesday, <strong>March</strong> 10. Artistic<br />
Director is John Miller, who founded and ran for<br />
18 years the renowned Stratford Summer Music<br />
Festival, will bring programming that includes<br />
four incredible women, each with a unique musical<br />
perspective. Karen Gibson, founder of Britain’s<br />
Kingdom Choir that’s famous for her “Stand By<br />
Me” rendition at the royal wedding of Meagan<br />
Markle and Prince Harry, brings her Choir for<br />
performances in Goderich and Exeter and leads an<br />
open, choral workshop for regional singers and<br />
conductors. Barbara Croall, an Odawa First Nations<br />
composer and educator rooted in Anishinaabeg<br />
traditions, will be Huron Waves’ artist-in-residence<br />
with aboriginal youth at the Kettle and Stony Point<br />
Hillside School. Anne Bourne, an Ontario specialist<br />
in blending Nature’s vibrations with the sounds of<br />
human voices and musical instruments, will lead<br />
Deep Listening experiences with walkers along the<br />
shores of Lake Huron. And Leigh Ann Ryan, a St.<br />
John’s educator and signing specialist, will bring<br />
the Newfoundland Deaf Choir to the music festival<br />
to inspire audible-capable audiences with how the<br />
partially and totally deaf create their music with
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
American Sign Language. Huron Waves Music<br />
Festival will present concerts in Bayfield, Blyth,<br />
Exeter, Goderich, Grand Bend, Hensall, Zurich and<br />
points in between, May 7 to 17. Information and<br />
tickets: huronwavesmusicfestival.ca<br />
With an eclectic ambience and a contemporary<br />
take on classic culinary favourites combined<br />
with unparalleled service, the Chilled Cork offers<br />
a culinary experience that inspires locals and<br />
travellers alike. The restaurant is nestled within the<br />
Retro Suites Hotel’s century-old building located<br />
on Chatham’s “retro block.” Guests are captivated<br />
by the welcoming atmosphere and the exposed<br />
brick walls, iconic pop-culture pieces, original<br />
modern art and stunning neon. 22 William Street<br />
South, 519-354-7818, chilledcork.ca<br />
St. Marys Farmers’ Market is running a pilot for an<br />
indoor St. Marys Winter Farmers’ Market this year,<br />
funded by the Libro Prosperity Fund. The winter<br />
market is open the first Saturday of the month<br />
from 8 until noon at the St. Marys Legion. Vendors<br />
include Edible Acres, Sheldon Berries, Forest Hill<br />
Orchards, Ann Slater, Bradley’s Lamb, Taylor<br />
Heritage Hogs, Slater’s Organic Meats, FAM Hot<br />
Sauces, Black Sombrero, Syrian Bakers, Bespoke<br />
Confections, Martha and Rachel, Breadtopia,<br />
Pillitteri Estates Winery and Busy Momma.<br />
stmarysfarmersmarket.ca/winter-market<br />
Stonetown Artisan Cheese is a purveyor of Swiss<br />
mountain-style cheeses, hand-crafted by master<br />
cheesemaker Ramon Eberle. Using unpasteurized<br />
milk from farmers Hans and Jolanda Weber’s herd<br />
of Holsteins, Eberle uses raw milk so that the cheese<br />
ripens as naturally as possible while the flavours<br />
improve with maturation. Cheeses and other local<br />
products are available to buy on-site at the farm<br />
store. 5021 Perth County Line 8 (Kirkton Road), St.<br />
Marys, 519-229-6856, stonetowncheese.com<br />
We want your BUZZ!<br />
Do you have culinary news or upcoming events<br />
that you’d like us to share?<br />
Every issue, <strong>Eatdrink</strong> reaches more than<br />
50,000 readers across Southwestern Ontario<br />
in print, and thousands more online.<br />
Get in touch with us at editor@eatdrink.ca<br />
Submission deadline for the next issue:<strong>April</strong> 5<br />
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54 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
Theatre<br />
A Captain Hook for Our Time<br />
Laura Condlln in Wendy & Peter Pan at the Avon Theatre<br />
By JANE ANTONIAK<br />
Batten down the hatches theatregoers;<br />
it is time for a gender switch<br />
in a classic tale. Meet the <strong>2020</strong><br />
version of Captain Hook: Laura<br />
Condlln. She’s ready to rock the boat with a<br />
female swagger at the Stratford Festival this<br />
season. “The world needs more female pirate<br />
stories,” says Condlln. “It’s important to have<br />
this complex, powerful man portrayed as a<br />
woman by a woman,” she adds.<br />
Wendy & Peter Pan is a new adaptation, by<br />
Ella Hickson, of the J.M. Barrie book, Peter<br />
Pan. It opens on May 27 at the Avon Theatre<br />
with previews beginning on <strong>April</strong> 24.<br />
In this adaptation Hickson puts an<br />
emphasis on the women in Peter Pan:<br />
Wendy, Tink and Tiger Lily. “It’s a female<br />
kaleidoscope,” says Condlln. She will play<br />
the Captain as a woman, with the pronouns<br />
changed and any references to Hook as a<br />
male removed. “The essence of the Captain<br />
is female,” says Condlln. “However I am not<br />
called she or her. I am only called Captain.”<br />
Her costume includes “killer boots” with heels,<br />
and she wears pants. “It is sexy, masculine and<br />
Laura Condlln. Creative direction by Punch & Judy Inc.<br />
Photography by David Cooper..<br />
feminine at the same time. I am not saying I<br />
am androgynous, but it is interesting. We are<br />
not in gender fluidity but there is a strong<br />
person there that is being played as a woman.”<br />
Directed by Keira Loughran, the story has<br />
other female plot lines such as Wendy and<br />
Mrs. Darling fighting for women’s rights, and<br />
the Lost Boys looking for a mother, whom<br />
they find in Wendy. “Playwright Ella Hickson<br />
adapted Barrie’s story with a subversive<br />
spirit; she believed Neverland belonged to<br />
Wendy as much as it did to Peter, and she<br />
actively cracked stereotypes that have been<br />
propagated through previous adaptations in<br />
ways that were both hilarious and surprisingly<br />
moving. I wanted to maintain that spirit<br />
in our production and Laura embodied it<br />
perfectly in her Hook. It won her the role; the<br />
trio of Laura as Hook, Cynthia Jimenez Hicks<br />
as Wendy, and Jake Runeckles as Peter, really<br />
anchor the <strong>2020</strong> Canadian première of this<br />
classic story,” says Loughran.<br />
Condlln lives full-time in Stratford and she<br />
tapped a fellow Stratford actor, Jan Alexandra<br />
Smith (who portrayed Scrooge as a woman<br />
at the Grand Theatre,<br />
London in 2018) for some<br />
gender-switching advice.<br />
“I saw Jan as Scrooge and<br />
I have thought about that<br />
role a lot. Scrooge was a<br />
woman but she was very<br />
masculine. This challenge<br />
is totally thrilling and<br />
terrifying in equal measure<br />
for me,” says Condlln.<br />
Her Captain Hook will<br />
“push me way outside<br />
of my comfort zone,”<br />
says Condlln. “What<br />
are we as artists if we<br />
are not treading into<br />
the unknown? And I<br />
am so grateful for the
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
opportunity to do that,” she adds.<br />
At Stratford, Hook will be hungry for<br />
possession of power. She will also be obsessed<br />
with Peter Pan — his youthfulness and<br />
energy. And she will be melancholy about her<br />
own aging. Condlln says she will draw on her<br />
own emotions and parallels about being a<br />
middle-aged woman in this reflective role.<br />
“When we hit middle age we are in our<br />
prime, for sure. Should we be so lucky and<br />
there is time left, we start looking behind<br />
us too. There is a beautiful section in this<br />
adaptation where Hook reveals a deep yearning<br />
for more time. I’m interested in discovering<br />
what that means particularly for a woman.”<br />
Watch for Condlln’s interplay with the<br />
ticking crocodile, and her regard for Wendy’s<br />
ambition, and dependence on Tink and Tiger<br />
Lily. This will be a not-to-miss female pirate<br />
story in a very special Neverland, reminding<br />
the audience that the complex desire for<br />
power is not tied to gender.<br />
JANE ANTONIAK is a regular contributor to <strong>Eatdrink</strong>.<br />
She is also Manager, Communications & Media Relations,<br />
at King’s University College in London.<br />
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eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 57<br />
Books<br />
Be My Guest<br />
Reflections on Food, Community and the Meaning of Generosity<br />
By Priya Basil<br />
Review by DARIN COOK<br />
Be my Guest: Reflections on Food,<br />
Community and the Meaning of<br />
Generosity (Canongate Books,<br />
2019) by Priya Basil is an eloquent<br />
book crafted with the same precision as the<br />
eye-catching porcelain plate on the front<br />
cover — gold and cobalt hues on a platter are<br />
fashioned into garlic, wooden spoons, foliage,<br />
forks, beans, serving pots, pasta bowls, and<br />
human hands. The swirling design mesmerizes<br />
and draws you into the book, where the<br />
captivation with the visual is replaced by<br />
an enthralling cascade of words about food,<br />
religion, culture, love, politics, family, and<br />
cooking — all set at a global dinner table that<br />
is clearly Basil’s comfortable place to bring<br />
thought-provoking ideas.<br />
Basil is a true global citizen with a melange<br />
of cultures influencing her tastes as a food<br />
lover, author, and activist. She was born in<br />
England to Indian parents who moved to<br />
Kenya to raise her. Living in Berlin as an adult<br />
after marrying a German, she now dabbles in<br />
the Sikhism of her ancestors as it relates to<br />
treating all humans equally and altruistically<br />
serving the community. But<br />
her deepest cravings always<br />
come back to her mother’s<br />
cooking, her most favourite<br />
dish in the world, the essence<br />
of her mother, the taste of her<br />
home: the creamy curry dish,<br />
kadhi. She writes, “Each bite<br />
holds the flavour of the past<br />
and the present, a lifetime<br />
of my mother’s love, her<br />
unstinting hospitality.”<br />
Kadhi and many other<br />
traditional Indian dishes are the<br />
taste of home for Basil, which<br />
has unfolded from her maternal<br />
grandmother’s kitchen. Her<br />
Author Priya Basil<br />
grandmother’s<br />
unconditional<br />
desire to cook<br />
for others is<br />
legendary in<br />
the family.<br />
“She wields<br />
ingredients<br />
like weapons<br />
and has<br />
made food<br />
the front line in a<br />
fight for first place in the affections of<br />
family.” This often meant not letting others<br />
in on the secrets of her recipes. Even though<br />
being asked for a personal recipe is the ultimate<br />
compliment, her grandmother hoarded them<br />
in her brain and Basil tells us “if she was ever<br />
cornered into explaining how to make a dish,<br />
she deliberately left out key ingredients or<br />
crucial steps.” She never owned a cookbook and<br />
never wrote down any of her recipes.<br />
Whether or not a recipe comes from family<br />
secrets or a cookbook, Basil writes, “The food<br />
that is cooked for you is imbued with an<br />
ingredient no recipe can list,<br />
no culinary sleight of hand<br />
can substitute: hospitality.”<br />
In her book, she delves<br />
deeper into how hospitality<br />
has many dimensions and is<br />
not just about inviting guests<br />
for dinner — although it<br />
is that in spades for Basil,<br />
who would undoubtedly<br />
be an outstanding hostess.<br />
Hospitality is also about<br />
accepting refugees fleeing<br />
from war-ravaged countries<br />
by giving food, shelter, and<br />
safety in the welcoming<br />
arms of another culture or
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Featuring specialty foods,<br />
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religion. Being a guest in the world means<br />
having to be a continual host, to address<br />
the needs of other humans by donating to<br />
religious charities, volunteering time for<br />
humanitarian services, feeding the hungry,<br />
and eliminating as much food waste as we can.<br />
We are all guests and hosts at differing<br />
times in our lives. We all must be participants<br />
in the give and take of life in varying<br />
circumstances. Basil writes, “The way we<br />
cook for and eat with others is one of the<br />
more tangible, quotidian ways of measuring<br />
generosity.” Food gives us the chance to fall<br />
into the social arrangements of inviting guests<br />
to our homes for dinners that represent our<br />
familial or cultural heritage, or the more<br />
public display of fighting over a bill at the end<br />
of a restaurant meal, but all we’re really trying<br />
to do is make ourselves feel at home wherever<br />
we have settled.<br />
115 King St., London Ontario<br />
jillstable.ca 519-645-1335<br />
DARIN COOK is a freelance writer based in Chatham<br />
who keeps himself well-read and well-fed by visiting the<br />
bookstores and restaurants in London.<br />
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eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 59<br />
Recipes<br />
Taste the Wild<br />
Recipes and Stories from Canada<br />
By Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup<br />
Review and Recipe Selections by TRACY TURLIN<br />
Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup are<br />
the co-owners of a multi-awardwinning<br />
communication and design<br />
agency in Münster, Germany. He also<br />
illustrates, designs and paints very cool retro<br />
travel posters. She writes cookbooks, blogs<br />
about food, and creates beautiful culinary<br />
photography.<br />
Sascha is a personal trainer based in<br />
Münster. He also happens to be an avid<br />
photographer who posts much of his art on<br />
Instagram. He and his wife Ninja traveled<br />
to Canada, documenting the natural beauty<br />
along the way. The photos and stories they collected<br />
were the inspiration for Taste the Wild:<br />
Recipes and Stories from Canada (Lisa Nieschlag<br />
and Lars Wentrup; Murdoch Books; 2019).<br />
I enjoy reading cookbooks about Canada,<br />
especially when they try to expand the<br />
perception of Canadian food. I’ve been known<br />
to complain about books that make it look as<br />
if we spend our days eating blueberries and<br />
salmon drenched in maple syrup, as if these<br />
were the only foods our country has to offer.<br />
My first instinct upon picking up Taste the<br />
Wild was to dismiss it as one of these.<br />
Actually, my first thought was that the<br />
Lisa Nieschlag<br />
Lars Wentrup<br />
pictures were<br />
gorgeous and<br />
that the photographer<br />
is a genius.<br />
Upon<br />
further<br />
reading, I<br />
found that<br />
the food<br />
shots<br />
and the<br />
ambiance<br />
photos<br />
were done by different<br />
people. Okay, two geniuses. Still, the overdose<br />
of maple leaves. And a Caesar with tomato<br />
juice instead of Clamato? Isn’t there a law<br />
against that?<br />
When I stopped being huffy long enough<br />
to go back to Taste the Wild, it was these<br />
imperfections that allowed me to see the<br />
book in a different light. Maybe it’s good to<br />
see ourselves through a stranger’s eyes once<br />
in a while. The authors weren’t treating our<br />
food and customs as quaint habits of “the<br />
Canucks,” I was. They were embracing them,<br />
reveling in the simplicity of a few<br />
ingredients, blended well, in a relaxed<br />
and casual way to make great tasting<br />
food. That could only be more Canadian<br />
if the food apologized for something.<br />
I can argue against stereotypes all I<br />
like but we really do have great salmon<br />
here. And it does taste fantastic when<br />
grilled on a cedar plank. And this<br />
picture of it is stunning and makes me<br />
wish it was summer, and I was sitting<br />
at a campfire by a Canadian river eating<br />
this dish with some potato salad and a<br />
piece of fresh, crusty bread. And, yes,
60 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
there are recipes for both of those too.<br />
At a count of 50 recipes, Taste the Wild is<br />
a light cookbook. It feels more like the most<br />
beautiful travel scrapbook I’ve ever seen.<br />
Inspirational quotes and descriptions of<br />
Canadian adventures that read like a brochure<br />
for a camping resort. Many of the recipes<br />
are what you’d expect to find. Hearty, rustic<br />
fare, comfort food to eat while curled up by a<br />
fire. That said, I found a recipe for Wild Rice<br />
Frittata with Mushrooms and Bacon that<br />
looks light and delicate yet is filling enough<br />
for a mid-day meal. Prepare the wild rice<br />
ahead of time and this could easily become a<br />
Sunday brunch staple.<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
If you prefer something sweeter with<br />
brunch, try the Waffles with Salted Butterscotch<br />
Sauce. Whisking and adding the egg<br />
whites separately makes these ridiculously<br />
fluffy on the inside. The sauce is gorgeous<br />
enough to convert a die-hard maple syrup fan.<br />
I haven’t found anything it doesn’t taste great<br />
on, and I’ve poured butterscotch sauce on half<br />
the food in my fridge. You know, for science.<br />
Taste the Wild offers a fantasy about<br />
running away to summer in the backwoods<br />
of Canada. It may not be the most accurate<br />
portrayal of our country, but it is a lot of fun.<br />
Seriously, though, someone should tell them<br />
about the Clamato juice.<br />
Waffles with Salted Butterscotch Sauce<br />
Serves 4<br />
Whether with afternoon tea or as an indulgently<br />
sweet breakfast, waffles make a delightful<br />
treat at any time of the day. This recipe makes<br />
particularly fluffy waffles, which are served<br />
drizzled with a home-made butterscotch sauce.<br />
Canadians love their butterscotch as much as<br />
Australians love their mango.<br />
1 vanilla bean<br />
450 ml (16 fl oz) milk<br />
1 tbsp sugar<br />
200 g (7 oz) butter, melted, plus extra<br />
for greasing<br />
8 eggs, separated<br />
1⅔ cups (250 g) plain flour<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE<br />
400 g (14 oz) brown sugar<br />
1.2 litres (42 fl oz) single (pure) cream<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
Also: Raspberries, for serving<br />
1 For the butterscotch sauce, caramelise the<br />
brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium<br />
heat, without stirring. Deglaze with the cream<br />
(be careful, the caramel will be very hot!) and<br />
simmer for about 5 minutes until you have a<br />
creamy caramel sauce (it will thicken further as<br />
it cools). Stir in the salt.<br />
2 Preheat the waffle iron for the waffles. Split<br />
the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the<br />
seeds. Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla seeds<br />
and melted butter. Whisk in the egg yolks. Sift<br />
the flour over the mixture and whisk until all<br />
lumps have dissolved. Beat the egg whites and<br />
salt in a large bowl until stiff. Gently fold into<br />
the batter.<br />
3 Grease the waffle iron. Add one ladleful<br />
of batter at a time and cook the waffles until<br />
golden brown. Serve the waffles with the warm<br />
butterscotch sauce and fresh raspberries.
eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine<br />
<strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | 61<br />
Wild Rice Frittata with Mushrooms and Bacon<br />
Serves 4<br />
With its delicate long grains and a nutty taste,<br />
wild rice is very different from plain rice in both<br />
appearance and taste. This shouldn’t come as a<br />
surprise, as wild rice is actually the seeds of a<br />
wild reed grass that is not related to rice at all.<br />
It imparts a wonderful flavour to this frittata<br />
and makes it a satisfying meal.<br />
⅔ cup (125 g) wild rice<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
5 eggs<br />
2 egg whites<br />
3 sprigs parsley<br />
½ tsp salt<br />
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper<br />
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1 red onion<br />
2 tsp olive oil<br />
1 sprig rosemary<br />
200 g (7 oz) mixed mushrooms<br />
(chanterelles, button mushrooms)<br />
3 small slices bacon<br />
½ cup (45 g) grated parmesan<br />
1 Place the wild rice in a sieve and rinse<br />
thoroughly in cold water. Transfer the<br />
rice and salt to a saucepan together with<br />
230 ml (7.34 fl oz) water. Bring to the boil.<br />
Cover with a lid and simmer the rice over<br />
low heat for 40–50 minutes. Drain and set<br />
aside.<br />
2 Whisk the eggs and egg whites in a bowl.<br />
Rinse the parsley and shake off excess<br />
water. Pick off the leaves and chop<br />
finely. Stir the parsley, salt, pepper and<br />
nutmeg into the egg mixture. Peel and<br />
finely dice the onion. Heat the olive oil in<br />
an ovenproof frying pan. Add the onion<br />
and sweat until translucent. Rinse the<br />
rosemary and shake off excess water. Pick<br />
off the leaves and add to the onion. Wipe<br />
the mushrooms with a clean tea towel and<br />
halve. Transfer to the pan, increase the heat to high<br />
and sear. Reduce the heat and add the wild rice.<br />
3 Preheat the oven using the grill function. Pour the<br />
egg mixture into the pan and allow to set over low<br />
heat. Top with the bacon and parmesan. Transfer the<br />
pan to the oven and bake the frittata under the grill<br />
for about 5 minutes.<br />
TRACY TURLIN is a freelance writer and dog groomer<br />
in London. Reach her at tracyturlin@gmail.com<br />
Images and text from Taste the Wild by Lisa Neischlag and<br />
Lars Wentrup. Murdoch Books RRP $37.99
62 | <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
The Lighter Side<br />
Stop the Press<br />
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag<br />
By SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD<br />
Afriend from a large family was recently<br />
reflecting wistfully on the light and<br />
sumptuous pancakes that his mother<br />
— who worked full-time — would<br />
often prepare for the family on Sundays.<br />
“It’s funny though,” he said, scratching his<br />
chin thoughtfully. “I never saw her eat one<br />
herself.”<br />
My own suspicion is that she ate the first<br />
abstract, malformed efforts right out of the<br />
pan and counted that as her own breakfast,<br />
since making pancakes for a<br />
crowd is something that should<br />
be over as soon as possible. Still,<br />
life as a woman is chock-full of<br />
doing things for others that we<br />
do not always find enjoyable but<br />
do anyway. Automatically.<br />
I think we can all agree that<br />
no one wants to return to<br />
the old Mad Men days when women were<br />
unapologetically kept down and could not<br />
rely on equality in or outside of the home.<br />
But it seems important to note that during<br />
those so-called simpler times, the many<br />
activities today that we consider de rigueur<br />
— gym memberships, children’s competitive<br />
sports/dance lessons, committee/coaching<br />
commitments — did not exist, at least to<br />
the same degree as today. Similarly, the way<br />
people ate dinner only a few decades ago was<br />
extremely predictable and, therefore, less<br />
complicated. Sunday was a roasted something,<br />
then leftovers, maybe a midweek chop or two<br />
and then the whole cycle was repeated. Again,<br />
not only did other options not occur (there<br />
were no “Memories of Szechwan”) but without<br />
FoodTV, recipe blogs and Instagram, the only<br />
celebrity chef was “Boyardee.”<br />
My own mother, a person of some<br />
resilience, once presented “Turkey Tetrazzini”<br />
— leftovers transformed by a curious powder,<br />
flecked with green — and was rewarded with<br />
familial outrage. The “strangeness” of it all was<br />
too much for my father, who was rattled by<br />
suddenly not having the same-dinner-every-<br />
Wednesday of his life. As a child, I found it<br />
exotic and happily lapped up every one of<br />
those (way) beyond al dente noodles.<br />
The point is, that even though women<br />
today have a much better chance of “having it<br />
all,” none of the traditional expectations have<br />
actually been dropped. In fact, many more<br />
have been surreptitiously grafted on. Meal<br />
planning is now a daunting task since dinners<br />
must not only be healthy, frugal, locallysourced<br />
and fast, but everyone must enjoy it.<br />
This, I think is especially unique to our times.<br />
Back in the day, enjoying<br />
dinner was a nice bonus,<br />
but certainly not a primary<br />
concern. Providing a decent<br />
meal (no one worried about<br />
processed foods!) was enough.<br />
Lack of time and guiltfueled<br />
exhaustion have now<br />
created an industry that will<br />
not only deliver meals but also cater to dietary<br />
preferences. Millennials especially are hugely<br />
comfortable with this concept and definitely<br />
don’t expect to eat the same thing every day.<br />
The dietary bar is set high. Instagram proves<br />
that “regular cooks” are making expensive<br />
enamelware, sous-vide machines, and a<br />
working knowledge of Kombucha positively<br />
mainstream.<br />
For women running their own businesses<br />
and single mothers particularly, exhaustion<br />
and self-sacrifice are an accepted part of life as<br />
they try to do everything, and do it well. But<br />
it’s time to be kinder to ourselves. An hour on<br />
Sunday to read, or a quiet glass of wine as the<br />
pasta water boils is not too much to ask. Make<br />
sure it happens. Regularly.<br />
I recently read an article in which a woman<br />
likened her chaotic life to being slowly<br />
squeezed in a panini press. The fact that she<br />
made this analogy, and that we all understand,<br />
says it all.<br />
SUE SUTHERLAND WOOD is a freelance writer and<br />
regular contributor to <strong>Eatdrink</strong>. Read more of Sue’s work<br />
on her blog www.speranzanow.com .
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