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Lobster Suppers – A Time-honoured PEI Tradition July 15, 2019
People visit Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, for all kinds of reasons but many will tell you it's for the beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, fine golf courses, and fabulous food – ahhhhh, yes, the food and, more specifically, the seafood. Most people, when PEI is mentioned, will immediately say that we are known for our high-quality seafood, including mussels, oysters, and lobster.
For many years, the Island has been known for its "lobster suppers". That is to say, they are restaurant venues that specialize in serving meals where lobster tends to be the star. As anyone who has eaten at a traditional PEI lobster supper will attest, they are the full meal deal. For the most part, these lobster suppers are traditionally served in big community halls or large restaurant facilities. Over the years, there have been several lobster supper enterprises come and go but, at the time of writing, two have endured for decades and they are really only about a 10-15 minute drive from each other. With such a rich long history, I recently sat down with the general managers from both the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers and the Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers to find out how these suppers started and why they have enjoyed such enduring popularity.
New Glasgow Lobster Suppers – New Glasgow, PEI
New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, New Glasgow, PEI, Canada
Nestled in the heart of the rolling hills of rural New Glasgow along the scenic River Clyde and not far from North Rustico and Cavendish, the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers (NGLS) have been operating since 1958. This makes them the longest running lobster suppers on the Island. When I asked general manager, Carl Nicholson, to explain their long success, he said it's due to their freshness of product (lobsters are cooked daily) with all rolls, pies, and salads made daily on the premises. He also said that, since the suppers began, they have only had two managers, including himself, so there is an element of consistency in operation. With decades of experience behind them, they've clearly found the secret to staying in business.
How New Glasgow Lobster Suppers happened to start is, itself, an interesting story. A group of young farmers in the area, known as the Junior Farmers Group, decided they wanted some kind of community centre. The group of young farmers in their twenties and thirties came together and bought a small canteen from the Covehead Racetrack for $210 and moved it to New Glasgow. In June, 1958, to pay for this building, they held a fundraising event that happened to have lobster for supper and a dance afterward. The princely sum of $1.50 got you supper and the dance. The building, small and primitive by any standards, had no kitchen facilities and only had make-shift tables made from saw horses with old doors on top and there were no chairs, just benches.
A kitchen and washrooms were added in 1962 and the group continued to serve one lobster supper per year until 1964 when they started serving the suppers once a week during July and August. They gradually increased service to two days a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. By 1967, lobster suppers were served five days per week and a cook was hired. As business grew, they expanded the kitchen and hired their first manager in 1969. As their current manager, Carl, says, "it is a true testament to sustainability [of the lobster suppers], only growing and expanding as demand grew and they were able to pay for each expansion".
By 1972, six local couples bought out the shares of the other Junior Farmers who had been part of the initial enterprise and, in 1973, they added on a big extension to the building to accommodate the growing lobster supper demand. The original building is still within the walls of the current structure. A grand opening was held in 1974 when then-PEI Premier Alex Campbell brought along Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau who happened to be on the Island at the time. Mrs. Trudeau cut the ribbon to officially open the newly-expanded New Glasgow Lobster Suppers.
Over the years, various changes have occurred and, since 1980, two of the original six families – the MacRaes and Nicholsons – have run the suppers, now making it a third generation run family business.
One thing that has not changed at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers is their deeply-rooted connection to the local community and their family-oriented work environment. The operation now sees members from the third generation of families working in the restaurant. Grandchildren are now working where their grandparents got their start in the working world. A seasonal employer of over 100 people, New Glasgow has provided summer employment for many local people over its long history with many funding their education through working summers at the lobster suppers. It is not uncommon to hear of judges, lawyers, and other professionals having had their first job washing dishes or waiting on tables at the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers.
Dinners are served in a large banquet style hall that has a seating capacity of 500.
Interior of New Glasgow Lobster Suppers in New Glasgow, PEI, Canada
Patrons order their entrée and pay for their dinners upon arrival and then are escorted to a table by a hostess. Lobster dinners are priced based on the size of the lobster (1 lb – 4 lb lobsters are available). Tables for different sized groups are available, starting with tables for two. Don't expect a quiet, intimate romantic dining experience as these suppers are casual and are modeled after a church or community hall supper.
Lobster in the shell at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, PEI
Primarily, the number one entrée will be lobster served in the shell, hot or cold, with lots of melted butter for dipping that succulent lobster.
Dipping lobster claw in melted butter at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, PEI
However, if lobster is not your thing, a number of alternative entrée options, including chicken, steak, pasta, haddock, scallops, ham, and salmon, are available.
Seafood Chowder from the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers in New Glasgow, PEI
All meals include appetizers of chowder or soup, steamed PEI mussels, and large puffy homemade rolls and sliced bread; salad plate (coleslaw, potato salad, and green garden salad); desserts consisting mainly of homemade pies; and non-alcoholic beverages. The facility is licenced and there are additional charges for alcoholic beverages.
Homemade rolls and bread at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, PEI
Dinner is a plated meal brought to the table by your server and the servers are very obliging to photograph you dressed in your plastic bib and all ready to tuck into an amazing meal. Gratuity is extra and at the patron's discretion.
Plates of lobster and salads at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers in New Glasgow, PEI
Several of the restaurant's staff have worked with the organization for years, returning year after year, a testament to how grounded New Glasgow Lobster Suppers and their staff are in the local community. At time of writing, the same baker has been making all the pies onsite at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers since 1976, often arriving at 5am. Pastry is homemade onsite and the Suppers are well-known for their lemon pie with the mile-high meringue. It's not uncommon for the baker to turn out 60 lemon pies on any given day….and that's just one kind of pie available! They make a mighty fine coconut cream pie, too.
Coconut Cream Pie at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers
The restaurant accommodates special dietary restrictions such as gluten-free and vegan diets; however, it is always advisable to call ahead of your visit to discuss your particular dietary needs. A children's menu is available making New Glasgow Lobster Suppers a family-friendly dining experience.
PEI has two lobster seasons with a break in between. The first season runs from May – June and the second from August – October. To ensure a continuous supply of fresh lobster, New Glasgow Lobster Suppers has a salt-water holding tank with capacity to hold 20,000 lbs of lobster onsite at a time and is replenished throughout the season. New Glasgow Lobster Suppers buys thousands of pounds of lobster when the spring lobster season opens. While different sizes of lobster are available, their most popular is the 1 lb lobster dinner. On average, they'll crack open around 50,000 lbs of lobster a season. And, of course, there are the world-famous PEI mussels that are served as an appetizer and the suppers will go through about 70,000 pounds of those in a season!
Lobster, rolls, and salad plate at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers
When asked what, in his opinion, sets New Glasgow Lobster Suppers apart from other similar suppers, Carl says it's a combination of their focus on quality and freshness of food, consistency of product, and the local, friendly wait staff and table service they provide. And, he says, at the heart of it, it's about two of the original six families working in business alongside their employees and everybody working together. Everyone, regardless of their employment status, pitches in with the work that makes New Glasgow Lobster Suppers the experience it is to their patrons.
Salad Plate at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers
A visit to New Glasgow Lobster Suppers is a time-honored tradition for many Islanders and tourists alike. Carl tells me a man was recently paying for his meal and he informed Carl that this year's annual visit was his 40th meal at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers. Operating seasonally from mid-May until early October, the restaurant is open seven days a week from 4pm until 8pm (8:30pm in July and August). When you go, keep an eye out for spotting celebrities. Prime ministers, famous hockey players, and movie filmmakers, actors, and directors are known to have dined at the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers.
New Glasgow Lobster Suppers is located at 605 Route 258, in New Glasgow, PEI. For more information, visit their website
Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers – North Rustico, PEI
Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI
There is something quaint and charming about a small rural PEI town that has a working fishing harbour. North Rustico, which also has a fine beach, has long been a treasured location for tourists, artists, and Islanders. In close proximity to the resort municipality of Cavendish, North Rustico swells in size with visitors in the summer. In the heart of the town is a large restaurant establishment known as "Fisherman's Wharf" that sits just on the edge of the harbour. That's where my stop today has found me chatting with general manager, Troy Howatt, and current owner, Amy MacPherson, who along with her husband, Forbes, now owns and operates the Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers.
Eve of Setting Day in the Fishing Village of North Rustico, PEI, Canada
These lobster suppers began operating in 1980 when the original owner, Albert Dow, purchased a small existing restaurant on the same location as Fisherman's Wharf sits today. So the story goes, Mr. Dow would see the sightseeing buses from Charlottetown pass by and wondered where they were heading and, more to the point, where they would be dining on their excursion. It wasn't long until those big red double-decker buses were stopping at Dow's restaurant that began serving cafeteria-style lunches for the bus tour industry. Back in the early 1980s, the buffet lunch, including lobster, cost only $9.99.
Apart from the increase in price for the dinners, other changes have occurred at Fisherman's Wharf over the years including an expansion of facilities to increase serving capacity. This, of course, requires a large staff which now numbers over 100 seasonal employees. The restaurant enjoys great staff loyalty as several staff members have worked at Fisherman's Wharf for many years, including one server who has been with the restaurant since it began in 1980. Troy, himself, has worked at Fisherman's Wharf since 1986, working his way up to become the general manager.
Dinners are served in a restaurant setting that has a seating capacity of 500 (two dining rooms). As with New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, patrons order and pay for their meal before eating and are then seated by a host(ess). The ambiance has a distinctive rustic, nautical theme in keeping with its close proximity to the harbour. Individuals are seated at wooden tables that seat four or six.
Dining table at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI
The suppers have maintained their self-serve buffet style that was in operation when the suppers first began serving the motor coach market which is still a major part of their clientele. It is not uncommon, as was the case during my visit, to see a large motor coach pull up to the door and unload a large group of tourists for a traditional Fisherman's Wharf lobster supper. When you see a block of tables with bibs on the chair backs, it's a sign that a bus tour is imminently expected.
Lobster Bibs Awaiting Diners at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI
Obviously, lobster is the most popular entrée.
Lobster in the shell served with melted butter at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI, Canada
It's the customer's choice to have the lobster served, in the shell, hot or cold, and, yes, there will be lots of melted butter for dipping the juicy, plump chunks of lobster.
Dipping Lobster Claw in Melted Butter at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI
There are plenty of alternative meal options available for those who are not lobster fans. Steak, scallops, breaded shrimp, snow crab, haddock, and rotisserie chicken are entrée options.
Small Segment of the 60-foot long Salad Bar at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico, PEI
All meals include access to the 60-foot salad bar that, in addition to being comprised of some 30 salads, also includes seafood chowder, and mussels.
Bowl of Seafood Chowder at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, North Rustico, PEI
Yes, those tasty PEI steamed mussels are included, too!
Steamed PEI mussels dipped in melted butter at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers
Warm homemade rolls are delivered to your table by your server who will also serve the lobster or other entrée of choice.
Basket of warm homemade rolls at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers
Other than that, the meal is basically self-serve at your leisure.
Plate of different salads at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers
A wide variety of homemade desserts is also available and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the meal price. The facility is licenced and there are additional charges for alcoholic beverages. Gratuity is not automatically included with the meal price and is at the patron's discretion.
Strawberry Shortcake at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico, PEI
Fisherman's Wharf accommodates special dietary restrictions such as gluten-free and vegan diets. To discuss specific dietary needs, it is always a good idea to call ahead of your visit. A children's menu is available so the whole family can enjoy a meal together.
Lobsters are purchased through Island seafood wholesalers and are held until needed in the onsite lobster holding facility that is filled with sea water piped from the harbour. This allows the lobsters to maintain their fresh sea quality and taste. Various sizes of lobster are available and the most popular size is the 1½ pound lobster though they do get requests for lobsters as large as 3-4 pounds. On average, 650-750 lobsters will be cracked a day in peak tourism season and one guy cracks open every one of them, single-handedly. I have seen him at work and those hands just fly to make short of the work!
Troy says, in his opinion, what sets Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers apart from others is their state-of-the-art kitchen and their 60-foot long salad bar which has such a huge variety, there is something for everyone.
Segment of 60-foot long salad bar at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers
A visit to North Rustico would not be complete without a stop for a meal at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers. Open daily from mid-May until early October, the restaurant serves meals from 12 noon until 8:30pm (note that hours may be reduced in the shoulder seasons). You never know who you will see at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers. Several celebrities including those from the film industry, the hockey fame world, and politicians have been spotted dining at the restaurant.
Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers is located at 7230 Rustico Road in North Rustico, PEI. Visit their website for more information.
Tips for Dining at a PEI Lobster Supper
Dining at one of the Island's Lobster Suppers is a unique experience. Here are my tips for making the most of it:
There is no need to dress up. These are casual dining venues. Plastic lobster bibs are available and are recommended as, even though the lobsters have been cracked open by the kitchen staff, the meat can be a bit juicy to pull out the of the shell….then there is that lovely dripping melted butter….enough said!
Expect casual surroundings. You won't be seated at tables with people you do not know but neither is it a quiet, intimate dining experience.
Pace yourself and don't over-indulge in food! This is the biggest tip of all. There is A LOT of food coming your way at an Island lobster supper. It's easy to get carried away with the unlimited mussels, fresh rolls, and seafood chowder that start out the meal and to fill up on those. Save room for the lobster (or alternative entrée) and the desserts. You'll want to sample everything.
Plan to spend time at the supper and enjoy the experience. These are not fast food outlets and the meals comprise a lot of food and courses.
In peak season (July and August), there may be some line-ups (especially over the 5pm – 7pm timeframe) so be patient. It gives time to work up a needed appetite for what awaits you.
Don't expect à la carte menus to be available. The meals are set menu so there is no ordering of special or particular side dishes or customizing a meal.
If you have never been to a PEI lobster supper, it can be daunting when you arrive at the check-in desk and need to make a snap decision on what entrée to order or whether you want your lobster hot or cold and so forth. It's a good idea to check out the lobster supper's website before arrival so you have an idea of what you plan to order.
While both New Glasgow Lobster Suppers and Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers can accommodate dietary restrictions, it's always advisable to call them ahead of your visit to discuss specific dietary concerns and needs. This will help ensure a pleasant dining experience for everyone in the party.
Food at an Island lobster supper is plain, downhome hearty fare that is simply prepared. The lobster is served straight from the shell with no additions or sauces added to it. This allows the pure authentic taste of the lobster to be enjoyed. The potato salads will be homemade and be just like most Islanders know potato salad to be and that they, themselves, make at home.
I always recommend visitors to PEI experience an authentic and traditional lobster supper during their visit – in fact, I suggest they visit both New Glasgow Lobster Suppers and Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers. While there are certainly similarities between them, there are some differences. The most notable is that New Glasgow Lobster Suppers offers a completely plated meal brought to your table and served to you by your server while Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers offers a 60-foot long salad-plus bar and patrons largely serve themselves with the exception of the main entrée itself. Fisherman's Wharf serves their lobster suppers all day starting at 12 noon while New Glasgow starts their dinner service at 4:00pm.
No matter whether you choose one or both lobster suppers, one thing is for sure, you won't leave hungry. Just make sure you arrive with a hearty appetite and elasticized waistbands are recommended! Then, don the plastic bib and tuck into a hearty and tasty authentic PEI lobster supper. It's sure to be an unforgetable meal and a great memory of a PEI visit. Once you've had a meal at one of our Island lobster suppers, I think it will be quite apparent why they've stood the test of time and have been in business for decades.
Breakfast Picnic on the Beach September 10, 2018
Breakfast on the Beach
When we think of picnics, we most often think of lunch time or dinner events. Rarely, do we think of a breakfast picnic and yet it's probably one of the easiest picnic meals to pack!
Breakfast Picnic on the Beach
Recently, I suggested we pack up a continental breakfast and head to the beach for a morning picnic. We had just been to a nearby blueberry U-pick so, naturally, blueberries were included in the picnic.
High Bush Blueberries
The menu was simple. Orange juice, Greek yogurt topped with homemade granola and fresh blueberries, homemade muffins, peaches, and coffee.
Breakfast Picnic Fare
I love these little multi-purpose jelly jars. They are perfect for yogurt parfaits!
Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
A breadboard makes an easily transportable platform upon which to set the food. I find, with beach picnics and an uneven sand base, it can be a bit of a challenge to keep the food from tipping over and spilling. However, the breadboard provides a stable, level surface eliminating the problem.
Continental Breakfast at the Beach
All that needs to be added is the quintessential coffee! I have a small thermos/coffee butler that holds exactly two cups of coffee and is great for these types of events.
Breakfast Picnic at the Beach
I love my wicker picnic baskets and this one came equipped with the plates, mugs, and cutlery.
Wicker Picnic Basket
Let's take a peek inside the picnic basket!
Breakfast in a Basket
A good book for one and the morning newspaper for the other found their way to the picnic, too! No need to take along lawn chairs – an old blanket and a couple of comfy pillows will suffice.
Breakfast is Read!
Our summers are short here in Prince Edward Island so we make the most of the lovely fine days and our close proximity to the beach. What better way to savour the last days of summer than to pack a breakfast picnic and head to the beach to enjoy breakfast with a view like this! Self-imposed time-outs can be a good thing!
Chill Out with Great Ice Cream in PEI September 8, 2018
It's hard to think of summer without thinking of ice cream. Those hot, sultry summer days just seem to beg for an ice cream fix.
Here, on PEI, we have no shortage of ice cream venues to choose from. Whether you are a soft-serve ice cream fan or a hard ice cream aficionado, you'll find lots to choose from. After a summer of research (full disclosure – the waistline may have been harmed by this initiative!), here's the scoop on my favorite places on the Island for hard ice cream and for soft-serve ice cream. Readers will note that opinions expressed are my own based on personal experience at all venues mentioned below. None of the establishments knew I was sampling their products for this review. This is not a sponsored post and I received no compensation in any form for my reviews.
My review is broken down into two parts – hard ice cream and soft-serve ice cream. Readers will note that I was not reviewing every product sold by dairy bars and ice cream parlours. Rather I was reviewing two very specific products – hard ice cream and soft-serve ice cream. This to say that, for example, a dairy bar that specializes in, or is most known for, its soft-serve ice cream, may also serve other frozen products such as hard ice cream, too. In that example, if I was reviewing their soft-serve product, that's all I was reviewing from that particular dairy bar. Likewise, if a business is known primarily for its hard ice cream but also sells, for example, frozen yogurt or sherbet, I only reviewed their hard ice cream product(s). Of those I sampled in 2018, what follows were my top favorites.
For Best Hard Ice Cream
Two locations that specialize in the production of the traditional hard ice cream stood out for me:
COWS Inc.
Creamery Location: 12 Milky Way (397 Capital Drive), Charlottetown, PEI
(11 Canadian locations + 1 in Beijing, China)
COWS Creamery, PEI
Churning out delectable flavours since 1983, the flagship creamery is located on the aptly-named "Milky Way" just off of one of the famous roundabouts outside Charlottetown. This venue is open year-round so locals do not have to go through withdrawal due to seasonal closures (phew!). Other COWS locations, however, may be seasonal.
The Truck That Says It All!
Apart from the high-quality ice cream (yup, 16% butter fat), COWS is legendary for its creative and unique ice cream flavour names often involving a play on words related to anything "cow" – like Cownadian Maple, Fluff 'n Udder, Messie Bessie, and Moo Crunch, for example.
COWS Ice Cream Flavours
When I visit a COWS location, I go in with the best intentions to try a new flavour but, once I'm standing in front of the display case, I inevitably choose "Wowie Cowie", a delectable concoction of vanilla ice cream, English toffee marble, chocolate flakes, and Moo Crunch. Ice cream is available in dishes or cones but their handmade waffle cones are hard to pass up! In my view, the cones are part of the "udderly" wonderful COWS ice cream experience!
COWS' Wowie Cowie Ice Cream
There is no indoor seating at this COWS location though there are some nearby picnic tables outside. Some COWS locations may have indoor seating available. Tours of the creamery at this location are also available.
Scooping COWS Ice Cream
One of the things that makes COWS ice cream extra special is that it is available exclusively at COWS stores so heading to a COWS outlet just makes the experience that much extra special because you know you can't buy it at the local supermarket. You can check out the story I earlier wrote on COWS here.
Holman's Ice Cream Parlour
286 Fitzroy Street, Summerside, PEI
Holman's Ice Cream Parlour, Summerside, PEI
The newbies on the Island ice cream scene, this family-owned and operated ice cream parlour opened its doors in 2016 and is quickly earning a reputation for high quality homemade ice cream.
Located in a heritage home, known as the Holman Homestead, in Summerside, this ice cream parlour has fast become a favorite stop for ice cream aficionados. Much of the charm of the historical property has been maintained and gives an air of stepping back in time to a vintage ice cream parlour.
The premium homemade hard ice cream, manufactured on the premises, is made with all-natural ingredients. Several flavours of ice cream are available – my favorite is the Salted Caramel though I have heard rave reviews of their Cookies and Cream variety.
"Salted Caramel" Ice Cream – Holman's Ice Cream Parlour, Summerside, PEI
Ice cream is available in cones or dishes but, as you walk up the sidewalk toward the house, you can catch the tantalizing waft of the waffle cones being made – it's hard not have one of those cones and they don't disappoint!
At Holman's Ice Cream Parlour, Summerside, PEI
The parlour also offers sundaes, banana splits, and soda fountain floats made with their homemade ice cream.
Ice Cream Sundae at Holman's Ice Cream Parlour, Summerside, PEI
They also make sherbets and have at least one variety of ice cream made with sheep's milk. Service is provided by friendly staff. Eat inside or, on lovely weather days, enjoy the ice cream in the garden. The ice cream from Holman's is made all the more special because it is only available at their Ice Cream Parlour and you won't find it in the frozen dairy section of any supermarket. Open seasonally. (Hint – In my view, it's worth the drive to Summerside just to have an ice cream at Holman's! Just sayin', this might have happened on more than one occasion….for research purposes, of course, you know….just sayin'…..)
For Best Soft-Serve Ice Cream
Two locations that are known primarily for their soft-serve ice cream particularly caught my attention.
Sunny's Dairy Bar – New Discovery 2018
559 Water Street, Summerside, PEI
Sunny's Dairy Bar, Summerside, PEI
This dairy bar came recommended to me by a couple of folks who thought I should check it out. Can soft-serve ice cream really be all that different from one place to another? Yes, it can and Sunny's proves it!
Opened in 2011, in the west end of Summerside, this is a traditional style dairy bar in that you place your order at the window and take your ice cream back to your vehicle or to the Green Shore Park across the street. There is no indoor seating.
This dairy bar was a new discovery for me this year and I will be back! I opted for a Hot Fudge Sundae, my all-time favorite. The ice cream was the creamiest and richest I have ever had and the hot fudge topping was, well …. sublime!
Hot Fudge Sundae at Sunny's Dairy Bar, Summerside, PEI
Sunny's has a long list of ice cream treats on its menu, too numerous to mention here. Portion sizes are very generous. I ordered a small sundae and, as can be seen in the photo, it is a very generous helping! Open seasonally, this is definitely a place to check out for ice cream in Summerside!
Frosty Treat Dairy Bar
Two (2) locations – Original at 109 Victoria Street West and new one in 2018 at 25010 Veteran's Memorial Highway, both in Kensington, PEI
Frosty Treat Dairy Bar #1 in Kensington, PEI
A long-time favorite with Islanders, this traditional-style dairy bar is well known for its catchy TV ads "Don't Drive By! Drive In!" For many Islanders, it will come as no surprise as to why Frosty Treat made my list of "go-to" places for yummy ice cream in PEI. Frosty Treat has been synonymous with great soft-serve ice cream for many years and the frequent line-ups at the dairy bar window on hot summer days and evenings attest to this.
This popular ice cream bar serves up creamy soft-serve ice cream that will satisfy any craving for soft swirly ice cream. Other ice cream treats are also available on Frosty's menu.
Frosty Treat has been a summer tradition for us for many years. Their Hot Fudge Sundae, in particular, is a perennial favorite. Open seasonally.
Hot Fudge Sundae from Frosty Treat Dairy Bar, Kensington, PEI
If you are in the Kensington area, "don't drive by, drive in" to one of the Frosty Treat locations for a cool ice cream treat.
Frosty Treat #2 Location in Kensington, PEI
Somerset Ice Cream Bar – New Discovery 2018
2 Somerset Street, Kinkora, PEI
Somerset Dairy Bar, Kinkora, PEI
Located in the small rural village of Kinkora, midway between Charlottetown and Summerside, the Somerset Ice Cream Bar opened for business in summer 2018. What makes this ice cream bar unique, and what earned it a special mention in this article, is that its owner and operator is a young entrepreneur, still in high school (yes, you read that right)!
Ice Cream from Somerset Dairy Bar, Kinkora, PEI
Many cones of generous-sized portions of creamy swirled soft-serve ice cream were served out of this new dairy bar this past summer. In traditional dairy bar style, orders are placed at the window. There is no indoor seating but there are benches on the deck around the dairy bar and limited picnic table seating. Open seasonally.
If you are traveling Rte 225 between Summerside and Charlottetown, make it a plan to stop for a tasty treat at this ice cream bar.
So, this is what the waistline could handle this summer! Again readers will note that some of these establishments also serve other types of ice cream and ice cream related treats. However, the purpose of my exercise this summer was to simply find great establishments that specialized in, or were best known for, either hard ice cream or soft-serve ice cream. Others may have differing opinions on my choices but, based on my personal experience on the days I visited the venues, I had great ice cream and service at each of these five (5) venues this year. In my view, you can't go wrong with an ice cream treat from any of these five (5) venues. All establishments have active social media accounts (and some have websites) that you can check out for more information and hours and season of operation.
Picnic Lunch in the Gazebo in St. Peter's Bay, PEI August 29, 2018
Picnic in the Gazebo at St. Peter's Bay, PEI
We thoroughly enjoy our home province of Prince Edward Island! Our special Island is small enough that we can get to know all parts of it quite well. In summer, especially, we do a lot of day trips all around the Island. Most times, for our day excursions, I pack a picnic lunch and we head off for the day. Sometimes, I have a particular picnic destination in mind and have a good idea if there will be a park nearby that would be suitable for a picnic and, other times, it's totally by chance where we land at picnic time. Apart from the opportunity to dine outdoors in our all-too-short summer season here on Canada's Atlantic Coast, transporting our own meal means we can eat wherever we are whenever we are hungry without having to try and be at a certain location where there is a restaurant which may, or may not, be able to accommodate dietary needs.
Our recent day trip took us to the north shore area of the eastern part of the Island. I love PEI lighthouses – the iconic red and white structures are dotted here and there all around the coast of the Island. I had been searching to find the St. Peter's Bay Lighthouse for some time and was determined to find it this year. So, this was our primary destination on this particular day trip.
St. Peter's Harbour Lighthouse, PEI
It wasn't particularly easy to find this elusive lighthouse but, with assistance of an acquaintance who provided directions, I was able to locate it. Access is via a single lane red clay road with a canopy of trees. The adventure was indeed worth it!
After we enjoyed the vista surrounding the lighthouse, not to mention the beautiful beach, we decided it was time to find a place to set out our picnic.
Beach by St. Peter's Bay Lighthouse, Morell, PEI
I knew of the small park by the water in nearby St. Peter's Bay where I had had a picnic before (click here to view those photos). What I didn't recall was the lovely gazebo at this site. This find was a blessing since the temperature had soared to 28C by this time and it was way too hot to eat out in the open with no shelter!
When we arrived, we found the large gazebo unoccupied so immediately went about setting out our picnic lunch. Someone had planted beautiful flowers in boxes around the gazebo and that formed a ready backdrop that I could not have planned or hoped for. Bonus! See how gorgeous the flowers look in the photo below and how they fortuitously match my color scheme and complement the color of the lemonade!
Picnic in a Gazebo
The color theme of my picnic was turquoise, always a summery color. The burst of hot pink in the drink certainly adds a punch of color!
Picnic Salad Bowls
I found the bowls, matching small salad dressing containers, and rectangular dishes at Walmart. Not only are they all color-coordinated in turquoise blue but the dishes come with the needed cutlery built in, a real bonus because there is no need to remember to bring cutlery separately.
Turquoise-themed Picnic
The bowls match my insulated picnic basket. A blue-checked tablecloth and checkered napkins, already part of my picnic arsenal, were found to match as well.
Turquoise and Blueberry Blue Details
A small model sailboat in matching colors and a collection of shells formed the centerpiece for my tablescape. I figure if I am going to dine outside, I might as well go all the way and set the table attractively! It makes for a more fun and memorable picnic.
Sailboat and Shells Tablescape
For lunch, I prepared my version of a picnic buddha bowl, ensuring it contained contents that would travel. There is no one right way to make a buddha bowl but, typically, they contain some kind of grain (preferably high fibre), veggies and fruit, a protein source, and greens. I began by layering the bowl with lettuce from our garden. Our garden has been a good producer this year so the cherry tomatoes, celery (it's there but it's hiding in the photo), and carrots are garden-fresh. The grain I chose to use was a tri-colored quinoa. To make the meal more substantial and to add some protein, I included a half hard boiled egg in each bowl. The addition of the red onion gives a flavor and color boost. I love how colorful and healthy this salad is!
Main Meal Picnic Salad
I often brine and roast boneless skinless chicken breasts for various uses and they are perfect sliced for a main meal salad or as added protein in a buddah bowl.
Picnic Salad
Some freshly picked blueberries from the Tryon Blueberries U-pick added a bit of color, texture, and sweetness to the salad. A simple balsamic dressing was all that was needed to finish the salad. This type of meal is great for a picnic. The meal is completely prepped at home and contained in a bowl with the dressing added at the time of serving. The meal travels well – I use several ice packs in my insulated picnic basket to keep the food good and cold. At meal time, it is simply a matter of removing the cover from each diner's bowl and the meal is ready to go. Clean-up is super easy because the covers pop back on to the bowls and the utensils fit inside the bowls so there are no messy plates and utensils.
These high bush blueberries are great snacking berries and I often pack them in my picnic basket when the berries are in season. Today, their blue color matches my color scheme, too!
Peanut butter cookies are always a great stand-by picnic treat. They are easy to make, easy to transport, and satisfy the sweet tooth. For my recipe, click here.
Peaches are also a great fruit to take along on picnics. I love to incorporate the flavors of summer into my picnic menus.
Peaches and Cookies
I love the little bottles in the photo below. When I made the rhubarb lemonade earlier in the summer, I froze some in these bottles to have it ready for picnics. The bottles help to keep the food cool as we travel and they quickly finish thawing completely when removed from the cooler as the picnic is being laid out. This is a super tasty (and colorful) summer drink – you can access my recipe by clicking here.
Picnic in St. Peter's Bay, PEI
I hope you have enjoyed a peek into my picnic in the gazebo in St. Peter's Bay, PEI! The Island has many picturesque places suitable for picnics and each comes with its own unique view.
Picnic in St. Peter's Bay
For other picnic inspiration from My Island Bistro Kitchen, check out these:
Picnic by the Confederation Bridge in PEI
Sliders and Salad Sunday Picnic
A PEI Picnic in the Park
Casual Summer Picnic
A Canada Day Picnic in St. Peter's Bay, PEI
A Casual Summer Afternoon Picnic
A Beach-Themed Picnic
A Pretty Pink Picnic
Canada Day Picnic
Oh Canada! A Picnic to Celebrate Canada Day
Labour Day Picnic by the PEI Seaside with Lobster Croissants on the Menu
A Plaid Picnic on the Verandah
Locovore's Picnic – Food Day Canada 2016
Late Summer Charcuterie Picnic
Sunday Afternoon Wine and Cheese Picnic
Old Country Rose Afternoon Tea Picnic
Cooking Classes at The Table Culinary Studio in PEI August 26, 2018
"Bounty of the Sea" Cooking Class at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Tucked away on the Graham's Road (Route 8), in the picturesque rural community of New London, Prince Edward Island, you will find The Table Culinary Studio that offers short (between 3.5 and 4.5 hours) cooking classes that focus primarily on cooking with fresh, local Island foods. This experience is a great way to learn about the Island food culture.
The Gently Rolling Hills of New London, PEI
The rural setting is quintessential PEI. Fields in shades of green contrasted with the Island's iconic red soil take visitors to the heart of some of the Island's most fertile farm land.
Field of Potatoes in PEI's Red Soil
Just down the road is New London Harbour, home to a small lobster fishing fleet and the grounds for other seafood like oysters, quahogs, and mussels. Not far away, quality food can be sourced from dairy and beef farms, organic farmers, beekeepers, cheesemakers, and garlic growers. Could there be a more authentic location for a PEI culinary studio!
Lobster Boats at New London Harbour, PEI, Canada
While it is no secret that PEI has lovely scenery to enjoy, spectacular beaches and golf courses, and many attractions to keep visitors busy exploring our Island, many come to the Island knowing that PEI offers great food from the land and sea.
Cavendish Beach, PEI
Our potatoes, oysters, mussels, and lobster, in particular, are shipped all over the world and these Island products are well known, respected, and sought after for their high quality.
PEI Potatoes
So, what better way to experience the Island foods first hand than to take a short cooking class to learn more about them and how they can be prepared.
The Table Culinary Studio (formerly Annie's Table) has been in operation since 2012, offering an array of short cooking classes on a myriad of topics. Under new ownership in 2016, The Table, with owner/chef Derrick Hoare at the helm, continues with the tradition of engaging culinary aficionados in ways to prepare local Island foods such as lobster, oysters, mussels, scallops, beef, cheese, and so forth. The focus is very much on using fresh local ingredients that are in season and, by extension, acquainting participants with the rich Island food culture.
The Table offers a number of hands-on cooking classes that include (at the time of writing) Bounty of the Sea, Black Gold (cured garlic), Farm to Table, Marilla's Table, Hive to Table, Let Them Eat Beef, Oyster Obsession, Say Cheese, Vivacious Vegan, Applelicious, Artisan Bread, Gluten Free Gourmet, and Helping Hands. The Table operates seasonally from May to October to coincide with the Island's tourism season. Several of the cooking classes involve field trips to farms and other local food producers to see, first-hand, how food is grown or produced and to pick up some local ingredients to bring back to The Table to be used in the class that follows. This form of experiential tourism provides the opportunity for the learners to create wonderful memories of their vacation time in PEI, connect directly with PEI food producers, and to learn more about the Island's food culture and the role that farming, fishing, and other food production play in the Island's economy and way of life.
I recently participated in the "Bounty of the Sea" cooking class at The Table which is located within walking distance to the house in which famed Island authoress Lucy Maud Montgomery was born and not far by vehicle to the resort municipality of Cavendish.
Birthplace of authoress Lucy Maud Montgomery, New London, PEI
But, before I take you on the adventure with me, here is a brief description of the venue and what a cooking class is like at The Table.
The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
What makes this culinary studio unique is its venue. It is located in a small white repurposed country church, very typical of so many seen in several Island communities. Inside the church, the pews have been removed and, in their place, is a large harvest table where, in a few hours time, class participants will gather to enjoy the lavish spread of the morning's cooking. The church's altar has been elevated to a loft setting and the building is tastefully furnished.
Students Gather at the Harvest Table Following a Cooking Class at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The original altar and choir loft locations have been transformed into an open teaching kitchen.
The Kitchen at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Class size is small and intimate – only a maximum of 10 participants per cooking class. This ensures that each person has a front row view as the culinary team teaches the cooking or baking techniques in the open-style kitchen. It also allows for participants to be actively engaged and participating in the cooking or baking activities.
The culinary team consists of owner/chef Derrick Hoare, Executive Chef Michael Bradley, and Events Coordinator Christine Morgan. The atmosphere is unhurried and very sociable. Strangers become friends over the commonality of food. With a growing hunger for knowledge about where one's food comes from and how it is grown, produced, or harvested, cooking classes appeal to most age demographics and skill levels. No need to worry if you are not an experienced or accomplished cook – the classes offer something for everyone, including a scrumptious meal after the class in the beautifully appointed old country church.
So, now on to my adventure as a participant in The Table's "Bounty of the Sea" cooking class. After morning coffee upon arrival, everyone got suited up with their aprons and side towels.
At The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The class began with Chef Derrick giving a brief talk on lobster fishing on PEI, recounting his own experiences going out on a fishing boat to learn, first-hand, about lobster fishing on the Island. Chef Michael then gave a short biology lesson on how to identify the gender of a lobster.
Executive Chef Michael Bradley at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
It's a good thing those lobsters were banded because, if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a finger caught in the claws of one, you are likely to end up with a broken finger – they're strong!
Fiesty Lobsters
Everyone was given a lobster and instructed on how to carefully de-band them before placing them in hot water to be cooked.
Chef Derrick kept a watchful eye on the lobsters so they were removed from the pot at just the right time.
Derrick Hoare, Owner/Chef at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Next came the lesson on how to crack open a lobster.
Cooked Lobster
Chef Michael capably gave instructions as each student cracked open a lobster to reveal the succulent meat inside.
Meat from the Lobster
Yes, a basic table knife will do the trick!
Cracking Open Lobsters
Having never made homemade pasta before, I was particularly interested in the procedure.
Making Homemade Pasta at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The Table is very accommodating to class participants who have dietary restrictions. On this day, there were two participants who were gluten-intolerant so a separate station on an adjacent workspace was set up for them to make the gluten-free pasta and Chef Michael alternated between the two groups giving information and instruction on pasta making.
Making Gluten-Free Pasta at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Black garlic from nearby Eureka Garlic, not far from Kensington, was used in the pasta to give a unique flavour. If you have never tasted black garlic, it's not nearly as garlicky as you might think – I personally think it tastes like a cross between a fig and a prune. You can check out my story here on Eureka Garlic. The chopped black garlic was kneaded into the pasta dough.
Black Garlic from Eureka Garlic near Kensington, PEI
The pasta dough was cut and gathered into circles ready to be dropped into the cooking pot.
Cutting the Pasta Dough
Homemade Pasta Ready for Cooking
With the pasta made, we took a brief break from the food prep to listen to Christine explain how mussels are grown and harvested on PEI.
Christine Morgan Explains How PEI Mussels are Grown and Harvested
PEI mussels are world famous and they are shipped all over the world. Mussels are a common food to serve at many events, year-round, on PEI. They are easy to prepare and ever-so-tasty dipped in melted butter!
Christine Morgan Serves Up Steamed PEI Mussels at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Chef Michael then guided the group in making Lobster Bisque. Once the Mirepoix started cooking, you can only imagine how tantalizing the scent was as it wafted through the old church building.
Stirring the Mirepoix for the Lobster Bisque at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Ohhhh, that lobster is going to make a dandy lunch – can't you just taste it!
Lobster Bisque in the Making at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
The third seafood that we learned to cook was scallops, those tasty little morsels!
Cooking Scallops at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The morning went super fast and, before we knew it, it was time for lunch to be served by the culinary team.
Chef Michael Bradley of The Table Culinary Studio Preparing the Bowls of Lobster Bisque for Serving
The table was beautifully set (those of you who follow my food blog regularly know how I love well-set tables). The napkin at each place setting had either a small lobster trap or lobster napkin ring.
Place Setting at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
These napkin rings tied in well with the theme of the morning's class – "Bounty of the Sea".
How inviting does this look! Wouldn't you love to sit in at this table!
Fresh homemade sourdough bread was on the table.
Homemade Sourdough Bread
The landing at the top of the spiral staircase in the church provided a great vantage point for photography.
Spiral Staircase at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
The group assembled at the big harvest table which is the focal point in the middle of the studio. This 12' table was hand-crafted from old attic boards extracted from the house which The Table's former owner restored just up the road at New London corner.
Class Lunch at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
How great does this lobster bisque look with that succulent lobster claw! It tasted even better!
We were very anxious to taste the homemade pasta and it did not disappoint! The pasta in the photo below is gluten-free.
Homemade Pasta Topped with Lobster and Scallops at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
This was accompanied by big bowls of PEI mussels with squeaky cheese topping melting down through the mussels. If you are a mussel lover, these are hard to resist!
PEI Mussels with Butter at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
And as if we weren't stuffed enough, out came dessert. The dessert in the photo below is a chocolate beet cake.
Chocolate Beet Cake at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
And, for the gluten-free dessert, it was a deconstructed blueberry pie which I can attest was simply yummy!
Gluten-free Deconstructed Blueberry Pie – The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
The Table is set with the right ingredients – small class size, fresh local Island foods, quality instruction, hands-on cooking, a shared meal, and a charming venue with a history of its own. If you are looking for an authentic and affordable cooking experience to allow you to more deeply engage with the local food scene and pick up some cooking tips and skills, check out course offerings at The Table. With the short half-day classes, visitors can have the best of both worlds – a cooking experience to learn more about local PEI foods in the morning followed by a delicious lunch and then the rest of the day free to explore other Island adventures and sights. For more information on cooking classes and prices, visit The Table Culinary Studio website at: http://www.thetablepei.ca/classes
The Table also offers fine dining in the evening (reservations required). Click here to read my recent story on The Table's North Shore Surf and Turf Dinner.
Cooking Classes at The Table Culinary Studio in PEI
Cooking Classes at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Cooking Class at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
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My thanks to The Table Culinary Studio for the opportunity to experience their "Bounty of the Sea" cooking class and for the fine hospitality. My participation in the class was complimentary for the purpose of conducting a review of the "Bounty of the Sea" cooking class. However, this in no way influenced my opinions of the class experience. All opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
Feasting at The Table in New London, PEI August 4, 2018
One of the things most of us enjoy about travel is the opportunity to sample foods local to a region. It's part of the charm of a place and makes for great vacation memories. At one time, vacationers went to a destination, did some sightseeing, took in some typical tourist attractions (amusement parks, museums, beaches, etc.), and ate at whatever restaurant they happened upon at meal time. Today's travelers, generally speaking, are more interested in diversified travel experiences than they are simply going to a place so they can check it off their bucket list of places they have been. Many seek out adventures that allow them to participate in activities, experience the uniqueness and authenticity of a place, mingle with the locals, and learn more about local foods and ways to prepare them.
Grilled PEI Oysters Topped With A Black Garlic Cream Sauce and Bacon Jam (at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI)
One of the best ways to learn about a place and its culture is through its local food. In fact, many travelers choose destinations based on the local food scene, food festivals and events, unique dining experiences, and opportunities to participate in culinary classes. Many, therefore, seek out experiences that allow them to connect more fully with a region and what better way to do that than through food, especially if it is experiential cuisine where you learn something about the foods you are eating.
I was recently a guest at the North Shore Surf and Turf Dinner at The Table Culinary Studio which hosts themed communal-style dinners featuring Prince Edward Island foods throughout the summer months. Today, I am going to share my dining experience at The Table with you.
The Table Culinary Studio is the successor of Annie's Table Culinary Studio which was started by Annie Leroux in 2012. You can click here for my story on Annie's Table Culinary Studio. Current owner, Derrick Hoare (himself a trained chef), had been a long-time summer resident on PEI for many years, was retiring from his career in the health care profession, and was looking for his next adventure. He contemplated buying a traditional restaurant in PEI but decided that was not his style. When Annie's Table became available for sale, Derrick liked the concept Annie had begun so he bought the business which he began operating in 2016. In addition to keeping the tradition of offering short culinary courses, he added themed evening dining to the menu and renamed the business to The Table Culinary Studio.
Derrick Hoare, Owner/Chef at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Set in the small rural community of New London, not far from the resort municipality of Cavendish (the hometown of the fictional Anne of Green Gables – you may have heard of her!), you will find The Table on Route 8 or, as the locals would simply say, the Grahams Road.
With a backdrop of green fertile rolling countryside, The Table is located in a repurposed former United Church that is tastefully furnished with quality antiques. Several of the elements of the decommissioned church have been incorporated into the décor, including the pulpit that now occupies a prominent position overlooking the dining hall.
Interior of the Re-purposed Country Church that is now The Table Culinary Studio
The entire venue is open concept so diners can watch the culinary team prepare the meal. This unique dining experience will make you feel like you are more at an intimate dinner party with a private chef catering than at a restaurant.
At The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Open seasonally, seven nights a week, for themed dinners that feature local Island foods that come from the land and the sea, The Table can accommodate up to 18 guests an evening, one seating only. Tickets for the dinner must be reserved in advance (by phone or email) and the menu for each evening is a set menu – you eat whatever is being prepared that night which takes the pressure off of studying a menu and trying to decide what to have. Drinks are at extra cost and are payable at the end of the evening along with the dinner.
The themed dinners range from the Traditional Island Feast to the Island Dinner Party to Isle and Fire to the North Shore Surf and Turf and all focus on fresh local foods harvested or fished nearby. Seating is at one long harvest table in the middle of the old church and food is served family style which is to say that the main meal, on large platters, arrives at the table and guests pass the platters around, serving themselves. There are no individual tables.
At the Surf and Turf Dinner at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
It seems only fitting that communal dining would be the style of dining at The Table given that it is in a decommissioned church. Communal dining dates back to biblical times – you know, the breaking of bread together. The concept of individual tables for dining did not start until a long time after these origins. Some may find it requires some stepping out of the comfort zone to attend a dinner with strangers all seated at the same table but, when you think about it, church and community potluck dinners have been around for ages and they are traditionally served at long communal tables where you don't necessarily know the people seated around you. We do a lot of cruising and have never requested a table for two in the ship's dining room simply because we like to meet new people and inject some new conversation into meal times when traveling. So, sitting down to a meal alongside people I have not met before is quite comfortable and familiar for me. After all, the chances are that they are all food enthusiasts, too!
One of the lovely parts of this type of experiential dining is that you get to interact with those preparing the meal. In contrast, if you go into a traditional style restaurant, you are seated, have limited contact with the wait staff, and most likely never see the chefs let alone have any direct contact with them. At The Table, there are lots of opportunities to communicate directly with the owner/chef Derrick, executive chef Michael Bradley, oyster shucker George Dowdle, and The Table's event planner, Christine Morgan. Together, this is the culinary team at The Table.
The Table benefits from having a talented and enthusiastic young chef. With over ten years of experience in professional kitchens, Chef Michael Bradley is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown. Chef Michael has been at The Table from the beginning, starting as an intern and working his way up to become the executive chef.
Outdoor Reception at the Surf and Turf Dinner at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
I truly felt like I was at someone's private dinner party. It was a perfect sunny summer evening as guests arrived for the event which started on the side lawn of the church. When I arrived, local aquaculturalist, George Dowdle, was busy shucking oysters that he had fished from the nearby Southwest River only hours before the dinner.
Guests soon became preoccupied with consuming the fresh raw oysters which were served with a choice of three sauces: Asian Thai, Lemon Herb, and Pomegranate Herb. It wasn't long before everyone felt comfortable and at home with each other as the conversations quickly turned to discussions about the food.
Freshly Shucked Oysters at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
PEI Oysters on the Grill at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Not quite into slurping raw oysters? Chef Michael also has a unique way of serving grilled oysters. He first puts the oysters on the open fire grill to warm them up, then shucks them and tops them with a black garlic cream sauce and bacon jam, then puts them back on the grill to re-heat them. Simply sublime!
PEI Oysters Hot off the Grill and Served with Black Garlic Cream Sauce and Bacon Jam
While clams sometimes take a back seat in popularity to mussels and oysters, The Table includes them as part of the meal.
PEI Clams (at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI)
When we had our fill of oysters, out came the cheese and charcuterie trays.
Cheese Tray at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
On this evening, The Table served their own homemade black garlic crackers alongside an assortment of cheeses from Ferme Isle St Jean in Rustico and Glasgow Glen Farm in New Glasgow. This was rounded out by pickled beets, pickled carrots, pickled spruce tips, and rhubarb chutney (all made in-house at The Table).
Condiments on the Charcuterie Tray at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
While guests were busy noshing on the appetizers, Chef Michael was preparing the sirloin tip roast with a black garlic espresso rub. Cooked over an open fire, you can only imagine how tantalizing the scent was!
Grilling the Sirloin Tip Beef Over an Open Fire at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Then, Chef Michael demonstrated how they cook the mussels in a fire pit with seaweed and smoke. The mussels are placed in wet pillowcases which give the moisture the mussels need to open.
Placing Bags of Mussels in the Fire Pit at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Covering Bags of PEI Mussels with Seaweed for Cooking in the Fire Pit at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Fire Pit for Cooking Mussels at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Guests leisurely made their way inside the church where the meal was served. The big 12-foot long handmade harvest table occupies much of the space that once would have been filled with church pews.
By this time, guests were very comfortable in the company of each other and, since there were three Islanders present, the conversation soon turned to various aspects of how local foods are produced and farming and fishing, in general. Food is such a commonality and ice breaker!
Dining at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The meal began with a plated salad highlighted by the skirt steak from Atlantic Beef Products in Albany. The steak had been marinated in an onion garlic marinade.
Salad with Skirt Steak at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The boards of housemade sourdough bread were served with a black garlic spread as well as honey butter.
Bread Board at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Before each course was presented, Chef Michael came tableside to explain what the course consisted of and how it was prepared.
Executive Chef, Michael Bradley, at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
Next came huge platters of bountiful mixed seasonal vegetables with the fire-grilled sirloin tip roast.
Platters of Vegetables and Sirloin Tip Roast at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
The veggies (along with the salad greens) came from nearby Alexander Fresh Vegetables in Hope River. These were very attractively presented platters.
Platter of Vegetables and Sirloin Tip Roast at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
Then, the seafood platters arrived. All those mussels that had been cooking in the fire pit emerged from the pillowcases and formed the base for lobster claws and tails.
Lobsters and Mussels at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
The lobster, fished from boats out of nearby French River Harbour, had been par-cooked with a garlic butter and then was finished on the grill outside.
The green sauce accompanying the mussels was a garden pesto cream sauce.
Lobster and Mussels at The Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI
By this time, I was stuffed and thought I would just roll home but, wait, dessert was to come! Dessert was a blood orange infused carrot cake with orange cream cheese icing. I didn't get a photo of it because I was too busy enjoying the gluten-free option that was a deconstructed strawberry pie made with a strawberry balsamic reduction and gluten-free pastry lattice, all topped with lactose-free ice cream.
Gluten-Free Dessert at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI.
The Table prides itself on using the best of what is fresh and local. Most foods for their themed dinners come from under 10 km away and are farmed and fished by friends and neighbours. So, you know that when you dine at The Table, food will not have traveled thousands of miles before it has reached your plate. In fact, you can seek out the same food suppliers to purchase high quality local PEI products.
I asked Christine if they ever get families for their dinners. She tells me, although 90% of their clientele are adults, parents are welcome to bring their children and they do often have families in attendance. Patrons should note, however, that there is no children's menu offered so the wee folk eat the same food as the adults.
What I have described above is the meal for the Surf and Turf dinner. I inquired if the meal ingredients are identical for this particular dinner every night. Christine informs me that the appetizers, vegetables, and dessert do vary by what is seasonally available. So, if you are having the Surf and Turf dinner at The Table after having read this post, you'll be aware that the meal ingredients may not be 100% identical to what I enjoyed in early July.
So, if you want to really immerse yourself in local PEI foods and have a totally relaxing evening in the beautiful countryside of Prince Edward Island while feasting on carefully prepared dishes in a unique setting, you should check out The Table Culinary Studio. If you have dietary restrictions, be sure to advise of that when making your reservation and, to the extent possible, the culinary team at The Table will do all they can to accommodate special dietary needs.
For more information on dining options at The Table, and to make reservations, check out their website at http://www.thetablepei.ca/dining .
Dinner at The Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI
My thanks to The Table Culinary Studio for the opportunity to experience their North Shore Surf and Turf Dinner and for the fine hospitality. My dinner at the The Table Culinary Studio was complimentary for the purpose of conducting a review of the North Shore Surf and Turf dinner. However, this in no way influenced my opinions of the dinner experience. All opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
Aw, Shucks! The Merroir of PEI Malpeque Oysters March 19, 2018
PEI Malpeque Oysters
Prince Edward Island is well-known for its variety of high quality shellfish – think lobster, mussels, and oysters, in particular. Today, however, my blog posting is all about the world-famous PEI Malpeque oysters. According to the PEI Government website (https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/agriculture-and-fisheries/oysters ), the Island is Canada's second largest oyster producing province and is the largest oyster producing province in the Atlantic region. It's not uncommon in my travels to find PEI Malpeque Oysters on a restaurant menu. No matter the variety or brand of oysters from PEI, or what part of the Island they are fished or farmed, they are generally all referred to as "Malpeques". How that came to be is, itself, an interesting story.
PEI oysters have a long history with the government issuing leases for oyster fishing back as far as the mid-1800s to those wishing to fish oysters from the ocean seabed. The oysters were made famous at the 1900 Paris World Fair where, in an oyster-tasting contest, they were crowned the world's best oysters. The oysters were simply named for Malpeque Bay on the Island's north shore from where the winning oysters were fished.
However, the oyster industry on PEI was stricken in 1915 when disease wiped out about 90% of the Island's oyster population. Miraculously, however, the oysters in Malpeque Bay survived. Seed (which is basically a tiny version of an adult oyster) from these oysters was gathered and spread throughout other bodies of water around the Island and the oyster industry rebounded. To this day, over 100 years later, all oysters produced on PEI are considered to be direct descendants of oysters from Malpeque Bay. So, that's why all PEI oysters, regardless from what part of the Island they come, or what variety or brand they are, are called "Malpeques". Who knew PEI oysters had lineage and a family tree! So, while there is one species – the Malpeques – there can be any number of varieties and brands. A little more about the varieties of "Malpeques" a bit later.
To find out more about the oyster industry on PEI, I paid a visit to the Raspberry Point Oyster Co., one of the Island's largest oyster growing operators, processors, and exporters. At the company's hub operations center in Bayview near Cavendish on PEI's north shore, I caught up with James Power, oyster connoisseur and manager of the Raspberry Point Oyster Co.
James Power, Manager, Raspberry Point Oyster Co., PEI
James lives and breathes oysters and you would be hard pressed to find anyone any more passionate about the oyster industry than James. And, with good reason. Oyster sales are brisk for the Raspberry Point Oyster Co., growing year over year. James tells me that more than 10M oysters are cultured annually from the company's farming operations in New London Bay, Rustico, and Oyster Bed Bridge/Rustico Bay. While the majority (about 90%) of their sales are in North America (with Montreal, Toronto, and Boston accounting for about 75% of sales), they regularly ship internationally all over the world that includes weekly shipments to the Netherlands as well as regular shipments to places like Belgium, France, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore. Small wonder, then, why it's generally not too surprising to find PEI oysters on restaurant menus in all corners of the world!
Both oyster fishing and oyster farming exist on PEI. The traditional method of oyster fishing is done through the use of manually-operated large wooden tongs.
Oyster Fishing on PEI
If you travel around the shores, bays, rivers, and estuaries of PEI, a common sight from spring to fall will be dozens of little dories each manned by a lone fisher using long wooden tongs with rakes at the ends to scoop up the oysters. These are independent local oyster fishers who buy licenses from the federal government allowing them to fish wild oysters on any public fishing grounds.
Oyster Fishing
These oysters are known as bottom culture oysters that are slow to mature taking, on average, 5-7 years to grow to the desired market size of 3" – 3½". Bottom culture oysters grow slowly because there is less natural food available to them. Oysters harvested by these small independent fishers are sold to oyster processing plants.
Oyster Fishing in Summerside, PEI
The other method of producing oysters is to raise, culture, or grow the oysters, a practice commonly known as "oyster farming" and that's the method used by large commercial growers for mass production needed to meet demands from around the world. Growers lease ground, that is not public fishing ground, in which to grow their oysters.
There are two methods of oyster aquaculture – bottom culture and off-bottom (sometimes known as top, floating, or surface culture) and Raspberry Point Oyster Co. uses both methods. With bottom culture oysters, grown in water depth between 3' and 8', the grower spreads the oyster seed on the seabed. James says their top culture oysters are grown in water that is between 8' and 15' deep. The oyster seed is purchased from hatcheries and from oyster farmers who catch wild spat, or larvae in collectors like the ones in the photo below. Once the oysters are big enough, they will be transferred to netted bags to grow, safe from predators like starfish and crabs.
Oyster Spat Collectors
All oysters at Raspberry Point Oyster Co. are started as top culture in floating mesh bags and then some are moved to bottom culture areas. The type of culture (bottom or top) used is often chosen on the basis of local growing conditions. Some parts of leased areas are too shallow for top culture and others might have too soft a seabed for bottom culture oysters. Using the two methods of farming, therefore, allows the Raspberry Point Oyster Co. to maximize the growing areas in their leases and also allows oysters to develop with different flavours, colors (they range from brown/white, gray to green), and appearance. Generally, the larger oyster seed is spread on the seabed because the oysters' advanced size makes it more difficult for crabs and starfish to get at them.
Colors, Shapes, and Textures of PEI Oysters
When the bottom culture oysters have grown to market size, specialized oyster harvesters that use water pressure, scoop up the oysters. The oysters come up from the seabed on to an escalator and those that are of the desired size are harvested while ones not quite of sufficient size are returned to the seabed bottom to allow them to continue to grow. Bottom culture oysters usually take 5-7 years to grow to market size and this is because there is usually less water flow and food on the sea bed than is available for surface culture oysters. Oyster farmers do not need to provide special food for their oysters as the bivalves draw all the necessary nutrients from their seawater habitat along with naturally occurring plankton and plant life. So long as the mollusks have clean water and care is taken to limit their predators access, oysters will grow naturally on their own.
The other method of growing oysters is top culture, often referred to as surface or floating culture. With advances in oyster growing technology and methods, today's floating aquaculture speeds up the rate of maturation allowing for top culture oysters to be grown in about 3-5 years. There is usually more constant water flow as the result of wave action during tidal changes and more natural food supplies nearer the water's surface so oysters grown as top culture in floating bags just at or under the water surface are able to grow to market size sooner. Top culture oyster farming involves growing the oysters in mesh bags that float in basket-like cages around the water surface level.
Floating Cage for Top Culture Oysters
The baskets are constructed so that the water is able to flush through, bringing food to the mollusks and keeping them cleaner than those grown in the mud on the seabed bottom. The baskets are regularly flipped and the water flow and waves rock the baskets and chip away, or manicure, the rough edges of the oysters, giving them a more desirable looking shell. This also allows for seaweed, barnacles, and other organisms that find their way into the baskets to be exposed to sunlight and dry out and not become an infestation to the growing oysters. The bags inside the floating baskets also help to protect the oysters against predators. So, if you see rows of these floating cages in a body of water around the Island, you'll know they're filled with growing oysters.
Floating Cages of Oysters in New London Bay, PEI
Once oysters, either bottom or top cultures, have reached their market size, they are brought into the processing plant where they are culled, graded for size and shape, washed, counted, boxed, and are shipped to customers around the world.
Oysters Arriving at the Processing Plant
Grading and Sorting Oysters
Washing the Oysters
Quality Controlling the Oysters Just Before They Are Boxed for Shipping
A Box of "Lucky Limes" Oysters from Raspberry Point Oyster Co. in PEI
Inside the Processing Plant at Raspberry Point Oyster Company, Bayview, PEI
Bags of Oysters at the Raspberry Point Oyster Co.
Inside the Cold Storage Room at Raspberry Point Oyster Co. in Bayview, PEI
Because this industry is now year-round, oysters not needed for immediate shipment are put into trays like the ones shown to the left in the photo below and placed back out into shallow water until needed.
Oyster Trays
Since they are already graded, counted, and sorted by variety, they can quickly be retrieved and shipped when orders come in year-round.
The barge in the photo below is returning to shore with a load of trays filled with graded and sorted oysters which will soon be on their way somewhere in the world to fill orders!
Barge Returning to Shore with a Load of Oysters Ready for Market
Offloading Oysters Ready for Market
Oysters like cold water but, in PEI's cold winters, they can't stay up near the water's surface where they would freeze. So, for top culture/surface grown oysters, the Raspberry Point Oyster Co. sinks aluminum cages filled with oysters into 15' – 20' of water each winter. At the time of writing, the company prepared upwards of 1000 aluminum cages that they filled and sunk with 7000 graded and sorted oysters per cage at the end of November. Locations of cages are marked by a metal pole and the oyster harvesters head out over the ice to retrieve the oysters to fill winter shipments, making the Island's oyster farming a year-round industry.
Preparing to Saw Through Ice to Retrieve Oyster Cages (Photo submitted by James Power, Raspberry Point Oyster Co.)
Sometimes, the ice is so thick that workers have to use a high-powered saw (shown in photo above) to cut through the thick ice so that tethered divers can dive in and locate the cages and hook them up to a hydraulic lift that will pull them out of the water.
Diving Under the Ice to Retrieve Oyster Cages Sunk for the Winter (Photo Submitted by James Power, Raspberry Point Oyster Co.)
Retrieved Oyster Cage Filled with Oysters Ready for Market (Photo Submitted by James Power, Raspberry Point Oyster Co.)
The oysters are then hauled on a sled towed behind a four-wheeler or, if the ice is sufficiently thick, by a truck, back to the processing and shipping plant.
The varieties of oysters on PEI are often (though not always) named for the body of water in which they are grown. The Raspberry Point Oyster Co. draws its name from a little point of land on the Homestead Trail in nearby Cavendish. Readers from outside PEI will likely associate the Cavendish name as the setting for famed authoress Lucy Maud Montgomery's famous Anne of Green Gables series of books. A number of years ago, Scott and Charles Linkletter, the owners of Raspberry Point's forerunner company, The PEI Oyster Company, had a lease to fish oysters in this area so they renamed the company to the Raspberry Point Oyster Co. Today, still owned and operated by the Linkletter family, Raspberry Point Oyster Co. has six varieties of Malpeque oysters on the market:
Raspberry Point – Bearing the company name, this variety of 3" oysters is grown as bottom culture in leases in New London Bay. The Raspberry Point variety is the company's most popular oyster.
Lucky Limes – These are 3" oysters, also bottom grown in a lease along the Homestead Trail in New London Bay. The water in this area is filled with algae and that's what turns the oyster shells green, thus the "lime" in the name.
Box of Lucky Lime Variety of Oysters from Raspberry Point Oyster Co.
Shiny Sea – At 2½" in size, these are considered to be the "baby brother" of the larger 3" Raspberry Point variety. These bottom cultures are also grown in New London Bay.
Pickle Point – These are top-culture oysters as they are grown nearer the water's surface in floating bags in New London Bay.
Daisy Bay – These 3" oysters are top-culture, or surface culture, grown in North Rustico.
Irish Point – Considered to be cocktail size oysters, these 2½" oysters are also surface cultures and are grown in North Rustico.
Controls are in place to ensure sustainability of the Island's oyster industry. Only so many leases are granted by the government to avoid overfishing. The mollusks, themselves, help to ensure their species continue to survive as they act as great filters to clean the water of toxins by filtering algae and phytoplankton from the water.
According to James, the nature of the water flow and the shape of the seed oyster will basically determine the final shape of the oyster. While James will say that the perfect oyster is very much an individual's own taste, he says the perfect shaped oyster, in his opinion, is a rounded tear-drop shape that is 3" long by 2" wide. The perfect flavour should consist of a clean, salty taste and a sweet finish. The meat should be a little bit, but not too, fatty because nothing should interfere with the natural salty taste.
Power says oysters are like terroir is to wine – the flavour of each variety is built on the content of the bay or stream in which the oysters are grown and each oyster will look and taste a little different from the next one. Since the oysters are coming from the sea and the French word for sea is "mer", perhaps the term "merroir", as some have coined it, might be the best description! Power says true oyster connoisseurs can identify the different flavour profiles in raw oysters. Oysters grown in waters that have more of a rock base may have a mineral-rich flavour (though none of Raspberry Point oysters have this terroir/merroir) while others grown elsewhere may have a slight vegetable taste picked up from whatever vegetation or algae may be in their water habitat.
Power also says the oyster meat and flavour change with the seasons. In summer, the oysters are thin and salty – the bivalves are more interested in reproduction than getting fat so keeping their svelte figure is obviously their concern! In the fall (September – October), the waters are getting colder and the oysters will start building up fat for the cold winter months. When the water temperature gets down to 5°C, the oysters shut down and hibernate inside their hard shells, living off the fat they built up in the fall. So, if you are eating oysters that come from icy waters, they're likely to be quite plump and perhaps just a little sweeter. In the spring, the oysters still stay fat but, as the snow melts, it dilutes the natural salt in the water so the oysters will taste less salty.
Oysters are low in fat, high in protein, and are a good source of iron and zinc. They are also a source of, amongst others, Vitamins B12 and C along with Thiamin, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.
PEI Oysters
Oysters are most often served raw on the half shell on a bed of ice with freshly squeezed lemon or, sometimes, with a peppery shallot mignonette. Chef Michael Smith often serves oysters with a Bloody Mary Ice seen in the photo below.
Shucked PEI Oysters Served with Bloody Mary Ice
Oysters are shucked using a special short, blunt knife made for this purpose. Power says he believes oysters are popular, especially eaten raw, because they are an all-natural food, not processed or transformed. Oyster bars are very popular and an emerging trend is to pair oysters with wines, beers, and whiskey. Fresh oysters are available at most fish markets on PEI as well as the larger supermarkets. On PEI, many restaurants serve raw oysters and, at many Fall Flavours Festival events each September, oysters are a staple, like they were at the 2017 "A Taste of Rustico" event where Chef Michael Smith (in photo below) was busy shucking Raspberry Point oysters.
Chef Michael Smith Shucking Raspberry Point Oysters at "Taste of Rustico" Fall Flavours event 2017
Raspberry Point Oysters at Taste of Rustico Event 2017
So, the next time you are slurping back one of the plump briny Prince Edward Island oysters, you'll now know a little bit more about how the Island oysters are produced, the flavour profile of an Island oyster, and you'll be enjoying a unique terroir (or perhaps it's "merroir") taste from waters in and around Prince Edward Island on Canada's East Coast.
Plump PEI Oysters
Oyster Farming
Five PEI Foodies Talk About Their Christmas Food Traditions December 10, 2017
Herb-Basted Roast Turkey
Food plays a vital role in Christmas celebrations here in Prince Edward Island. I recently chatted with five Islanders who, in one way or another, have strong food connections. Read on to find out what foods these foodies most associate with Christmas and what foods, if they didn't have them, it just would not be Christmas for them.
(With the exception of Premier Wade MacLauchlan's Seafood Pie, all photos in this posting are from the food blogger's own stock collection and are not of contributors' specific recipes mentioned in this article.)
Wade MacLauchlan, Premier of Prince Edward Island
Food factors heavily into Premier Wade MacLauchlan's Christmas festivities. The premier, a great cook himself, launches into seafood pie production in mid-December. He produces some 20 seafood pies filled with mussels, lobster, bar clams, scallops, and some fin fish like salmon, trout, or haddock.
Premier Wade MacLauchlan's Seafood Pie
Premier MacLauchlan uses grated potatoes that have been cooked in seafood stock to make a heavy starchy paste which eliminates the need for flour as a thickener for the pie filling. The ingredients are combined and placed inside a double-crusted pastry and baked.
When asked what he does with all the pies, he tells me he gives them away as gifts. And, for those who aren't seafood lovers, he makes tourtière and says he usually makes between 6 and 10 of those each December.
Food also plays a part in a Solstice Sunrise Party that the premier has been hosting at his home for almost two decades. Held annually on the day of the winter solstice, the premier says he simply couldn't stop it now even if he wanted to because the regulars would just show up anyway! Rising early to make 3-4 dozen muffins and to brew a couple of urns of coffee, the premier opens his doors at 7:30am and people start arriving to watch the sunrise together around 8:00am. It's not uncommon for 75-80 people to attend. With a commanding view to the east and to the south out over Stanhope Bay, it's a time for family, friends, and neighbours to visit and re-connect. Everyone brings food to contribute to the potluck event which is set up buffet style.
Christmas Day is spent with immediate family and, on Boxing Day, the larger extended MacLauchlan family gather at the premier's home for a potluck brunch.
The premier has kindly shared his recipe for his Seafood Pie which is printed here with Wade MacLauchlan's permission. The premier says, although the recipe yield is for 20 pies, the recipe is easily scalable.
Premier Wade MacLaughlan's Seafood Pie Recipe
Peter Bevan-Baker, Leader of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island
Communal family cooking has always played a significant part in Peter Bevan-Baker's life starting when he was a lad growing up in Fortrose, just north of Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland. The family would all prepare the Christmas dinner together, chopping vegetables and singing Christmas carols.
Member of the Legislature and Leader of the Green Party of PEI, Peter's first and foremost memory of a food enjoyed at Christmas time is his late father's vol-au-vent made with leftover turkey from Christmas dinner and served with Sauce Robert, a brown mustard sauce. Sometimes, the vol-au-vents would be served as nibbles but other times as the main for a meal when they would be served with "tatties and neeps", the Scottish names for potatoes and turnips, respectively.
Plum Pudding
When asked what Christmas dinner dessert consisted of, Peter says it was always Christmas Pudding which he did not like at all! However, he says the arrival of the pudding at the dinner table was quite an elaborate ceremony. Everyone stood up and literally lifted the table off the floor to meet the pudding – it was a true salute to the Christmas pudding! Of course, some alcohol would be heated, poured over the pudding, and the pudding set aflame. Peter claims watching the pudding burn was the best part since he had no liking for the pudding! His father made a brandy butter to serve with the pudding. Peter says another great memory he has of Christmas as a young boy in the Scottish Highlands was visiting a rich family who lived in the area and who served Coca Cola at Christmas which was very special since it was not something he had at home.
Peter's father was a great cook and modeled to his children that it was okay for men to be in the kitchen cooking. Today, Peter and his wife have four adult children (two of whom are chefs) and cooking remains very much a family event. Vol-au-vents will make an appearance over the holidays in keeping with his long-standing family tradition. While the family usually has a turkey dinner for Christmas, Peter says it will usually be with a contemporary twist of some sort that may include some dishes from other cultures.
Bill Martin, Mayor of Summerside and Owner of the Water Street Bakery
Mayor of the City of Summerside, Bill Martin has very fond memories of waking up on Christmas morning to the scent of meat pies baking. His mother, a Scottish war bride, had an absolute Christmas morning tradition and that involved homemade meat pies. The family enjoyed the meat pies, complete with homemade mustard pickles, after opening presents on Christmas morning. Mayor Martin continues that tradition today. He and his family enjoy Christmas breakfast of bacon, eggs, homefries, and toast along with the meat pie and mustard pickles. To this tradition, they have also added the Acadian dish, Rapure, a grated potato casserole.
Acadian Rapure
Mayor Martin and his wife have run the Water Street Bakery for the past 29 years. They make meat pies year-round now and, in December alone, they will make more than 2000 meat pies which are made with pork, chicken, turkey, potato, onion, and spices, all covered in a biscuit dough crust. These pies are in such demand during the Christmas period that the bakery has rented additional freezer space. In fact, on the first Saturday in December, they made 200 meat pies and sold 100 of them the same day. As a bakery owner, the other two most popular items that Martin says never go out of style are the chocolate-covered peanut butter balls and the cherry balls, both of which are available at the bakery only at Christmas which makes them more special treats.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Irwin MacKinnon, Executive Chef, Papa Joe's Restaurant and PEI Chef of the Year 2017
Long-time executive chef at Charlottetown's Papa Joe's Restaurant and recently-named PEI Chef of the Year 2017, Chef Irwin MacKinnon says it would not be Christmas in his household without the "Jimmy Jams". These delightful cookies have been made by ancestors on his mother's side for years. Today, his mom is the principle baker of these Christmas treats that his children look forward to each Christmas. As MacKinnon describes them, Jimmy-Jams are two round shortbread cookies, about 1½" – 2" in diameter, sandwiched together with plain white icing. Each sandwiched cookie is iced again on top and then decorated with rainbow-colored sprinkles.
Everyone has his or her own version of the stuffing for the turkey and Chef MacKinnon discovered how important that tradition is when he and his wife married 25 years ago. On his side of the family, they make what he calls "Grammie's Stuffing" which is bread-based and the ingredients are bound together by mashed potato and lots of butter and seasoned with onion, summer savory, and salt and pepper. A bit of brown sugar is added just to give a sweet tone. On his wife's side of the family, they make the stuffing (dressing) completely opposite and Chef Irwin classes it as a potato stuffing made with mashed potatoes, onion cooked in butter, and seasoned with summer savory. This is baked in the oven and there is no bread in this version. If you are an Islander, you'll get and appreciate the significance of family recipes for the turkey stuffing/dressing!
So, whose stuffing recipe will be on the Christmas table in the MacKinnon household this year? You guessed it – Irwin will be making his grammie's stuffing recipe to go along with the fresh turkey from Larkin Brothers in New Glasgow. To this, he'll include a wide variety of veggies that include potatoes, turnip, carrots, squash, and brussel sprouts.
For dessert, Chef Irwin's mother-in-law's plum pudding will grace the table complemented by Irwin's rich brown sugar sauce made from a rue of butter and flour with caramelized brown sugar added. Chef Irwin says a slice of pudding topped with ice cream and a good drizzle of a glossy brown sugar sauce is the ultimate Christmas dinner dessert.
Since he cooks everyday for a living, I asked Chef Irwin if he lets someone else cook the Christmas dinner but he says it's him that spearheads the dinner at home and one of his greatest joys is to cook for his own family. Other members of the family pitch in and bring contributions to the dinner as the family melds their different traditions from their blended families.
Glenda Burt, Chef, and former owner of The Home Place Restaurant in Kensington, PEI
For Chef Glenda Burt, the highlight of the Christmas dinner is the plum pudding and warm sauce. She says that, even though you might be "stuffed to the gills" from the main meal, there is always room for plum pudding! Glenda makes a rich toffee sauce to serve with her plum pudding, a sauce made with brown sugar, whipping cream, butter, and vanilla.
Glenda grew up in the family that originally owned Mary's Bakery in Kensington so baking and candy making are certainly second nature to her. She has very fond memories of the chocolate, brown sugar, and divinity fudges that her mother made at Christmas and how they would appear in a plastic Christmas motif tri-sectioned dish on Christmas Eve. Homemade raisin bread toasted on Christmas morning is an annual tradition in the Burt household. Glenda doesn't prepare a big Christmas Day breakfast because she says the whole day is spent eating; however, the raisin bread must be present to start the day off.
Other foods that will make their appearance over the holidays will be gingersnaps, dark fruitcake, meat pies (that Glenda says are pure comfort food) and, in deference to our Maritime culture, some kind of seafood which could be lobster in the shell or seafood chowder.
Chef Glenda is hosting her family Christmas on Boxing Day this year and she will be doing the cooking of the traditional Christmas dinner that will include roast turkey, stuffing, and veggies. Glenda will be serving her famous turnip casserole as well. This yummy dish is made with mashed turnip, a white sauce with Parmesan cheese, and topped with buttered bread crumbs. Of course, all the traditional fixins' like homemade rolls, pickles, and beets will be on the table to complement the turkey dinner.
My thanks to Premier Wade MacLauchlan, Leader of the PEI Green Party Peter Bevan-Baker, Mayor Bill Martin, Chef Irwin MacKinnon, and Chef Glenda Burt for sharing their Christmas food traditions with me.
Rustico Sheep Farm Produces Cheese and Yogurt November 12, 2017
On PEI, there are a number of small-scale farmers who are producing artisan-quality food products. Produced on small-scale, it allows the producer to focus on quality and on producing products, or varieties of products, that larger-scale producers might not. I recently paid a visit to the Ferme Isle Saint-Jean in Rustico PEI.
Snack Time at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI
Owned and operated by Deirdre and Gabriel Mercier, the new farmers bravely forged ahead in 2015 with dreams of becoming cheesemakers using sheep's milk. When Deirdre's family home and small hobby farm became available for sale, the couple decided the time was right to pursue their entrepreneurship dreams in Deirdre's home community of Rustico. Gabriel attends to the day-to-day farm operations and the yogurt and cheese making while Deirdre looks after the farm's bookkeeping.
Ferme Isle Saint-Jean in Rustico, PEI
Currently, the Merciers are milking 104 sheep that produce, on average, between 1 – 1½ litres of milk each a day. They have two breeds of sheep. The first, East Friesian dairy sheep, originate in northern Germany and are, according to Gabriel, the highest milk-producing sheep. The second breed, the Lacaune, are a dairying sheep breed originating in southern France. The Lacaunes produce less milk than the East Friesians but their milk has a higher fat and protein content.
Sheep at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean in Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy of Isle Saint-Jean Farm)
The farm's new milking parlour allows for 24 sheep to be milked at once.
Milking the Sheep at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean Sheep in Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy Ferm Isle Saint-Jean)
Gabriel is new to a career in farming having spent nearly 10 years in military service. He spent time on a work term on a farm in Quebec followed by a month working in a cheese plant – Nouvelle France Fromagerie – and has taken a course in cheesemaking in Quebec.
Currently, the farm is producing yogurt and cheese by transporting the milk to a cheese factory in Mont Carmel, PEI, where Gabriel goes to make the products. Some cheese is made in a facility in New Brunswick that has an aging room for the cheese, some of which takes time to ripen. In addition, the farm also has lamb sausages available which are made for them by Island Taylored Meats.
Cheese and Yogurt Produced by Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy of Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
When asked what the biggest challenges are to sheep farming in PEI, Gabriel says operating costs, labour involved, and the long days and 24/7 commitment as the sheep are milked twice a day during lactation for the first 90 days after giving birth then once a day afterwards.
Baby Lambs at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
Particularly during lambing seasons, the days can be very long as the lambs start arriving in February when it is cold on PEI and so attention is required to ensure they quickly get their first drink and are kept warm.
Young Lambs at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
I love the sentiment captured in the photo below of a mama with her baby lamb!
Mama Poses with her Baby Lamb at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean in Rustico, PEI (Photo courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
Despite the work and commitment, the Merciers find great satisfaction in sheep farming. Gabriel says he has a passion for cheesemaking and enjoys taking a raw product and converting it into something else like yogurt and cheese. The other bonus is he gets to see more of his young family than he would if he worked off the farm.
The three cheeses presently made from the farm's sheep milk are Alexis Doiron, Blue d'acadie, and Patrick Mercier. The Alexis Doiron, a firm cheese that is not ripened or aged, is made by Gabriel at the plant in Mont Carmel. Gabriel classes this as a table cheese that he particularly likes grated on eggs. He says this cheese is grillable and is very good barbequed because it doesn't actually melt. He also suggests it can be grated on pizza as well.
Grillable Alexis Doiron Cheese from Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI (Photo Courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
The Blue d'acadie is made in a federally-inspected plant with an aging room in New Brunswick. It is a semi-firm ripened blue cheese that is suberb on burgers or steak, used in a sauce, or as an addition to a cheese tray.
The newest cheese, Patrick Mercier, is made with unpasteurized sheep's milk and aged at least four months at the same plant in New Brunswick where the Blue d'acadie is made.
Gabriel produces 200 – 500ml jars of yogurt each week. This yogurt is 100% sheep's milk plus culture and is available unflavored. Add some pure maple syrup and toss some granola on top for a special treat or top it on your favorite cereal along with some fresh fruit.
Sheep Yogurt with Blueberries on top of Cereal (Photo courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
What about all the wool on those sheep? The sheep are sheered once a year, in November, which allows them to grow back a wool coat before the really cold weather strikes PEI. The wool is transported to MacAusland's Woolen Mills in Bloomfield, PEI, where it is turned into yarn and woven into blankets.
Sheep Shearing at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean in Rustico, PEI (Photo Courtesy Ferme Isle Saint-Jean)
This past summer, the Merciers opened a retail shop on the farm where the cheeses, yogurt, and lamb sausages can be purchased at source and where customers can enjoy some samples of the yogurt and cheeses. During the winter months, the shop is open by appointment only.
Gabriel Mercier in his Retail Shop at Ferme Isle Saint-Jean, Rustico, PEI
The farm's products are currently available in several locations including Riverview Country Market, Kent Street Market, Brighton Clover Farm (all in Charlottetown), as well as at the Charlottetown Farmers Market , the Farmed Market and Craft Butchery and the Summerside Farmers Market, both in Summerside, and Gallant's Country Market in Rustico. Several Island restaurants, including those in the Rustico area, are serving yogurt and cheeses from the farm as part of their menus.
An Acadian Lobster Feast October 12, 2017
At the PEI Fall Flavours 2017 event, "Le Festin acadien avec homard"
If there is one consolation to summer's end on PEI, it's the anticipation that September brings the annual PEI Fall Flavours Festival. The Island's emerging culinary scene with all its fine foods is showcased each September in an array of culinary events that comprise the festival. What started out in 2008 as a small 10-day festival consisting of a few culinary events aiming to extend the Island's short tourism season into September, the festival has grown into a full month-long feast extravaganza.
Potato Harvesting in PEI
September is the perfect month for a PEI food festival as the produce is at its prime, potato harvesting is getting underway, and the fall lobster season is open in certain zones around the Island. We are lucky here in PEI – we have a wonderful array of fresh local foods from the land and sea and the festival is a great celebration of our love of local foods. Culinary events are spread out in communities across the Island and each tends to highlight foods that come from a particular area and/or that are associated with a certain region's culture.
The "Festin acadien avec homard" (or lobster feast) at Abram-Village, west of Summerside, is always the first PEI Fall Flavours Festival culinary event of the season and it signals a tasty month ahead. Tickets for this event sell out weeks in advance and it is one Fall Flavours event that is certain to draw a lot of Islanders to the Evangeline area. In some respects, it's almost like a homecoming weekend as family members travel home to the Island's Evangeline region for the annual Evangeline Agricultural Exhibition & Acadian Festival. There is no better way to learn, first hand, about the culture of a region than to partake of the regional foods and entertainment. "Le Festin acadien avec homard scores high points on both counts.
This year marked the second year that I attended this event – that's testament to how much I enjoyed it the first time! While the menu remained almost identical to the previous year, what changed was the entertainment and the headline celebrity chef who, in 2017, was Chef Danny Smiles, Chef de cuisine at Restaurant Le Bremner in Old Montreal. This was Chef Smiles' debut at the PEI Fall Flavours Festival.
Chef Danny Smiles at the PEI Fall Flavours "Le Festin acadien avec homard" event 2017
The lively musical entertainment was provided by Vishten, a trio of talented musicians (two from PEI and one from the Magdalen Islands). Rooted in traditional music from the two east coast islands, their indie-folk style fuses Acadian and Celtic genres and motivates foot stomping and hand clapping. The performers are multi instrumentalists and they easily transition between various musical instruments that include violin, guitar, accordian, and keyboard. The trio tours and performs internationally and has five albums and more than 1000 performances to their credit.
Vishten entertaining at the PEI Fall Flavours "Le Festin acadien avec homard" event 2017
The "Festin acadien avec homard" event has been running for several years and organizers have it well organized and they are very efficient in carrying it out. MC Georges Arsenault is a very capable and effective Master of Ceremonies.
Georges Arsenault, Master of Ceremonies at the PEI Fall Flavours "Le Festin acadien avec homard" event 2017
Georges had lots of fun in store for the evening that included a demonstration of different ways that lobster can be cracked and eaten.
Chef Danny Smiles Demonstrates How He Opens A Lobster
Georges selected a young person from the audience who had never cracked open a lobster before, celebrity chef Danny Smiles, and Odette Gallant from the Evangeline area who has been cracking open lobster with her teeth all of her life – yes, her teeth! I wondered how many sets of teeth she might have gone through because those lobster shells are hard!
Using Teeth to Crack Open a Lobster
Young Man Gets Some Professional Instruction from Chef Danny Smiles on How to Crack Open A Lobster
Georges also had audience participation on stage as a member of Vishten taught Chef Danny and others how to step dance.
Stepdancing Lessons at Le Festin acadien avec homard (PEI Fall Flavours Event 2017)
All of this entertainment took place in between courses of the meal. Oh yes, the menu……
As this event took place in the region of the province that has a high concentration of the Island's Acadian population, it is obvious that the evening's menu would focus on Acadian fare along with lobster and potato salad since the region is known for its farming and fishing industries.
Serving up Steamed PEI Mussels at Le Festin acadien avec homard (PEI Fall Flavours Event 2017)
Like many PEI gatherings, the evening started off with steamed PEI mussels. Patrons were then invited to sample three new soda flavors produced by Upstreet Craft Brewing in Charlottetown.
Sampling New Line of Sodas from Upstreet Craft Brewing of Charlottetown, PEI at Le Festin acadien avec homard (PEI Fall Flavours Event 2017)
Known for their craft beer, making soda is a new venture for Upstreet. The event proved to be a great opportunity for the brewery to showcase their new products – Strawberry Rhubarb Basil, Apple Ginger Elderflower, and Malt Spice Cola.
New Line of Sodas from Upstreet Craft Brewing of Charlottetown, PEI at Le Festin acadien avec homard (PEI Fall Flavours Event 2017)
Dinner was served, family style, at long communal tables. Servers, garbed in traditional Acadian dress, brought bowls or platters of food to both ends of the table and the food was then passed from one diner to the next with each person serving him or herself.
Serving Chicken Fricot at Le Festin acadien avec homard (PEI Fall Flavours Event 2017)
The first course was Chicken Fricot, a traditional Acadian broth stew made primarily of chicken, onion, and potato and seasoned with summer savory.
Chicken Fricot
Every time I have a bowl of this stew, I'm always amazed at how tasty it is given that so few ingredients are in it. I maintain it's the summer savory herb that makes this dish. Summer savory is used a lot on PEI and most Island cooks add it to their poultry dressing/stuffing.
This was followed by the second course comprised of Râpure and Acadian Meat Pie.
Acadian Meat Pie (left) and Rapure (right)
Some may know the grated potato dish, râpure as "rappie pie", a name that stems from the French verb "râper" which means "to grate". The grated potatoes are squeezed through cheesecloth to remove the liquid which is then replaced by adding broth (usually chicken) and baking it, casserole style, with onion, and cooked meat such as chicken or pork. The end result is a hearty and tasty dish.
The second course also included Acadian meat pie or, pâté, as it is sometimes called.
Acadian Meat Pie
This is a very common dish in Acadian communities and is an integral part of Christmas Eve celebrations in many Acadian homes on PEI, though it is now commonly served at other times of the year as well. Molasses is often drizzled on top of the meat pie to add a touch of sweetness to this savory dish.
Acadian Meat Pie with Molasses
Our server, Velma Durant, was very pleasant and most accommodating to me with my camera clicking away throughout the evening!
Server Arrives at Table with Platter of PEI Lobster (at the Le Festin acadien avec homard event, PEI Fall Flavours Festival 2017)
Then, of course, it was time for the pièce d'résistance – PEI lobster in the shell served with true, authentic homemade PEI potato salad – these folks know how to make a perfect potato salad!
PEI Lobster served with homemade Potato Salad (at the Le Festin acadien avec homard event, PEI Fall Flavours Festival 2017)
It just would not be a PEI lobster feed without the potato salad!
PEI Potato Salad
French biscuits were on the table, too, with that good ADL butter!
French Biscuits
And, for those who still had room, homemade apple pie polished off the evening's menu.
One thing is for sure, no one would have gone away hungry after this mammoth meal!
For stories on other PEI Fall Flavours culinary events I've attended, click on the links below:
PEI Shellfish Festival (2012)
Farm Day in the City (2012)
Savour Victoria (2012)
Toes, Taps, and Taters (2013)
Lobster Party on the Beach (2013)
Applelicious (2013)
The Great Island Grilled Cheese Challenge (2013)
Feast of the Fathers (2014)
Lamb Luau at Crowbush Cove (2014)
Feast and Frolic Dinner (PEI International Shellfish Festival) (2014)
Beef and Blues (2014)
A Taste of New Glasgow (2015)
Beef 'n Blues (2015)
Chef on Board (2015)
Cooking with Chefs Anna & Michael Olson in Brudenell, PEI (2015)
Le Festin acadien avec homard/Acadian Feast with Lobster (2016)
The Great Big Barbeque (2016)
Mussels on the Hill (2016)
Toes, Taps, & Taters (2017)
Taste of Georgetown (2017)
Taste of North Rustico – A Rustico Kitchen Party (2017)
Taste of Tyne Valley (2017)
A Taste of Tyne Valley, PEI October 5, 2017
The month-long PEI Fall Flavours Festival, held annually each September, offers visitors the opportunity to delve into local culture in a unique and tasty way through attending culinary events at various locales across the Island. Originally started as a 10-day festival that could extend PEI's short tourism season into September, the Festival has grown into a full month of a wide variety of culinary events for every taste. A popular Festival with foodies, visitors travel great distances and several return each year especially for the Festival. Now in its 10th year, the Festival puts local food at the forefront of the visitor experience and, in so doing, also builds and strengthens collaboration between food producers, chefs, restauranteurs, local communities and, more broadly, the Island tourism industry.
The PEI Fall Flavours introduced three new culinary events in 2017 – Taste of Georgetown, Taste of North Rustico, and Taste of Tyne Valley. With a view to getting visitors out in to the more rural areas of the province closer to the local food sources, visitors were drawn to experience the different regions of PEI and they also had the chance to connect more directly with food producers and local chefs.
Jeff Noye, Valley Pearl Oysters, Tyne Valley, PEI
A growing trend amongst the foodie tourist population is the interest in incorporating good local cuisine and culinary experiences into their travel adventures. The evolution of food and drink festivals are a driving influence in the culinary tourism aspect of vacation travel. While products like PEI oysters, for example, are shipped all over the world where anyone can have access to them, those consumers will not have the full cultural experience that they can get from eating oysters at a PEI Fall Flavours event. Such events allow consumers to interact directly with the oyster grower who farms the product just up the road and who is the one actually shucking and presenting the oysters right before event attendees. And, of course, it goes without saying that the closer you taste the food to its origins, the fresher and better its taste and the more personal connection you have with the food.
For those who want to experience authentic local culture, there is no better way than to attend a culinary festival, like the PEI Fall Flavours Festival, where regional fare can be sampled and local hospitality and music enjoyed. These three components are the essential ingredients of a true local food and culture experience of a place.
Island Blue Mussels at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
This was none more evident than with the recent "Taste of Tyne Valley" culinary event. This event was also a community-building activity for the Tyne Valley community, located about 20 minutes west of the City of Summerside. Local food producers and the three restaurants in the heart of Tyne Valley worked collaboratively to provide event goers with an authentic food experience complemented by West Prince hospitality. When we speak of authenticity in terms of food, we are talking about a food trend that involves local fresh food that is simple, natural, and has roots and history in an area. So, when we think of the Tyne Valley and surrounding environs, in particular, we think of local foods with a long history in the area – foods such as oysters, mussels, beef, potatoes, and wild blueberries, all of which were included on the event's menu.
Tyne Valley, PEI
Organizers report that 110 people attended the Tyne Valley event and, for the first time that I've attended a Fall Flavours event, I think the locals may have outnumbered the tourists! When a tablemate, a resident of Tyne Valley, was asked what the population was, she looked around then, with a smile, jokingly said "they're all here tonight…, well, at least 80% of them"! There were certainly some off-Island visitors at the event, too, and they got to mix and mingle with the locals while enjoying some fine Island foods.
Site of "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
The evening began with a gathering hour in a large tent where Valley Pearl Oysters served up steamed mussels and raw oysters.
Shucking Oysters at "Taste of Tyne Valley" Event 2017
The mussels were steamed just outside the tent and the oysters were shucked by the oyster growers as people passed through the line. The food just doesn't get any fresher than that!
Damien Enman Prepares to Steam PEI Blue Mussels at "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Mussels and oysters are popular PEI foods so there was always a steady line-up for them.
Serving up Island Blue Mussels at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Because food and music are a common combo at PEI gatherings, local music also plays a part in virtually every Fall Flavours Festival event. During the gathering hour in Tyne Valley, visitors were treated to music provided by local area musicians, Spencer Phillips and Ellen MacQuillan.
PEI Musicians, Spencer Phillips and Ellen MacQuillan, Entertain at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
The format of this event was part roving feast and part sit-down table service meal. The center of Tyne Valley has three restaurants, all located in close proximity to each other. After enjoying the mussels and oysters, patrons took their appetizer "passports" and began the short stroll to the three participating restaurants – Backwoods Burger, Dillon's, and Tyne Valley Tea and Company.
"Passport" to Appetizers at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
The benefit of involving three local restaurants and having event attendees visit each one to sample an appetizer is that it exposed the restaurants to visitors who, if visiting the area, might otherwise have chosen only one restaurant at which to dine. Diners could choose the order in which they visited the restaurants.
Backwoods Burger Restaurant, Tyne Valley, PEI
Backwoods Burger, Tyne Valley, PEI
Backwoods Burger (which always reminds me of an English pub), pictured above, served a slice of their delectable potato and bacon pie which was beautifully presented.
Potato and Bacon Pie from Backwoods Burger, Tyne Valley, PEI
Layers of PEI potatoes are the main ingredient in this delectable pie.
Dillon's Convenience Store and Pizzaria, Tyne Valley, PEI
Dillon's (seen in photo above), a local pizzeria, served the perennial favorite appetizer of bacon wrapped scallops which they served on a bed of greens.
Bacon-wrapped Scallops from Dillion's Pizzaria, Tyne Valley, PEI
Dillon's also served a choice of wine or punch with their appetizer.
Dillon's Pizzaria, Tyne Valley, PEI
The Tyne Valley Tea and Company, a small tea room that opened in 2016, served an Asian-inspired appetizer nestled in a Wonton dish.
Tyne Valley Tea and Company, Tyne Valley, PEI
This colorful appetizer featured carrots, garlic, and green onions with a cucumber sweet chili sauce, with many of the ingredients sourced locally from the gardens of the nearby Doctor's Inn.
Aisan-inspired Appetizer from the Tyne Valley Tea and Company ("Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event)
Once everyone had made their way back to the tent, dinner service began, family style, at the long communal tables.
At the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Party Favour – Silicon Tea Strainer (At the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event)
The main meal was prepared by guest Chef Jesse Vergen who is chef/co-owner of Saint John Alehouse and owner of Smoking Pig BBQ, both in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Event MC Jeff Noye (left) introduces Guest Chef, Jesse Verden,(right) at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
A Top Chef Canada All Star, Chef Jesse is no stranger to culinary challenges and, as he puts it, curve ball competitions; in fact, he'll tell you he thrives on them. With no existing or mobile kitchen onsite from which to serve 110 meals, Chef Jesse, in his words, was "rocking it out" from the back door of the little pizzeria and convenience store next to the event location! This is where I caught up with him putting the final touches on the main meal.
Chef Jesse Vergen at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Chef Jesse Verden Prepares the Main Meal at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Bowls of PEI rustic potato salad and heirloom tomato salad arrived at the table.
Potato Salad at "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Heirloom Tomato Salad at "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
This was followed by large trays bearing the sliced brisket in the center surrounded by large clam shells filled with mushroom purée, butter-poached bar clams, and stout mayonnaise. These were broiled in the local pizzeria's pizza oven and were, as Chef Jesse says, "a take on a classic Coquilles Saint Jacques but with a Tyne Valley twist".
Beef Brisket
The brisket had been smoked slowly for 14 hours in a traditional barbeque pit with applewood and Chef Jesse says this long slow cooking process turned the meat into a melt-in-your mouth-like-butter texture.
Trays of Beef Brisket
Many hands make light work! Great motion and energy in the photo below!
Guest Chef, Jesse Verden, and Local Volunteers Prepare the Main Meal at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
As dessert was arriving, the energetic Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys band took to the stage providing lively toe-tapping music.
Island Fiddler, Gordie MacKeeman Performing at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
This award-winning band has toured extensively, nationally and internationally. Members of the band are Gordie MacKeeman, Peter Cann, Thomas Webb, and Jason Burbine.
Island Musicians Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys Band Performing at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
Dessert was prepared in the small kitchen of the Tyne Valley Tea and Company just across the road from the event location. Served in the trendy mason jars, this tasty creation was a take on the traditional English Eton Mess dessert.
Blueberry Dessert at the "Taste of Tyne Valley" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
The layered dessert featured Lennox Island blueberries, along with crumbled meringues and scones, all topped with Earl Grey-infused whipped cream. A small ginger cookie, shaped like a teapot, garnished the dessert.
There is no doubt this was a community-building event for the Tyne Valley area and the passion of the local people, restaurant owners, and others who participated, was evident. Carol Rybinski, owner of the Tyne Valley Tea and Company says the PEI Fall Flavours concept was "right up our alley – locally-sourced dishes and a shared community experience".
…the PEI Fall Flavours concept was "right up our alley – locally-sourced dishes and a shared community experience" -Carol Rybinski
Chef Jesse concurs, saying he was impressed with the event and community collaboration to pull it off. He says he considers it an honour to have been asked to participate in the Tyne Valley event. One thing is certain – there was lots of fun and laughter to go along with all that fresh local food!
For the entire month of September, visitors to the PEI Fall Flavours Festival can take advantage of all that this amazing small Island on Canada's east coast has to offer – sample locally-sourced fresh food prepared by talented chefs, listen to lively local music, mix and mingle with the locals, and discover beautiful vistas from one end of PEI to the other. If you're a true foodie, there is no better time to visit PEI than in the month of September which is filled with dozens of different culinary events offering something for every taste. PEI has earned a reputation for excellence in food production and is now seen as an authentic food destination. There is a reason why PEI is known as Canada's Food Island and events like "Taste of Georgetown", "Taste of North Rustico", and "Taste of Tyne Valley" prove it.
To read stories about other PEI Fall Flavours events I have attended, click on the links below:
Taste of Tyne Valley
Taste of North Rustico, PEI – A Rustico Kitchen Party October 2, 2017
North Rustico Harbour, PEI
Culinary tourism is a steadily growing part of the whole worldwide tourism industry. This has evolved because today's foodie tourists want to learn more about their chosen vacation destination through experiencing the local food, drink, and culture. Culinary Festivals are quite common in many regions around the world and are a great way for tourists to experience the local cuisine that reflects the authenticity of a destination. Tourists who seek culinary experiences and adventures are typically looking for food that is simple and rooted with a history in the local area as opposed to gourmet fare that may, or may not, reflect a particular geographic area.
Each year, in September, PEI celebrates its authentic local foods by hosting the PEI Fall Flavours Festival. In 2017, the Festival celebrated 10 years of great gastronomic events. What started as a short 10-day festival to extend the Island tourism shoulder season has now morphed into a full month of culinary events, big and small, that feature PEI's finest foods….and we certainly are privileged to enjoy an abundance of them. The Festival lures some of Canada's best chefs and local culinary stars and these, along with the great PEI food, music, and hospitality, draw thousands of visitors to the Island each September. Many take in three or four of the Fall Flavours culinary events and several return year after year, specifically planning their vacations around the Festival.
In 2017, the Festival introduced three new events – Taste of Georgetown, Taste of Tyne Valley, and Taste of North Rustico. The idea behind these events is to get visitors out in to some of the smaller Island communities, closer to where our foods are grown, raised, fished, or produced so they can explore that region's culture, cuisine, and heritage. It's also a way to engage local chefs, restaurateurs, and food producers by giving them the opportunity to showcase their products to foodies who are passionate about food and who are interested in learning more about direct food sources and methods of preparation and serving. Many of today's foodies are looking for an experience to go along with the food. Each of these three new events provided that experience that combined a glimpse into our local food and music cultural scene. These are the kinds of events that make for great travel memories. Are you ready to have a "Taste of North Rustico" and attend a Rustico Kitchen Party?
North Rustico, PEI
North Rustico, a fishing town on PEI's north shore, is a well-known tourist destination during the summer months when the population swells.
North Rustico Beach, PEI
With its beautiful sandy beach, it has long been a mecca for sunbathers as well as for artists and photographers.
Lighthouse at North Rustico, PEI
An abundance of picture-perfect scenes abound everywhere in and around the town and it's always fascinating to watch the fishers heading out to sea and returning with the day's catch.
And, after that perfect day of enjoying the sea, sand, and many fine attractions in the area, no doubt appetite is calling. There are a number of seasonal restaurants that operate in North Rustico and which have earned the town a deserved reputation for fine local authentic food, some of which would have been fished earlier in the day and brought to shore by one of the many local fishing boats. North Rustico has long been known, both by Islanders and tourists alike, as a good place to get a great meal. Therefore, it was a very fitting location to host a PEI Fall Flavours culinary event.
With the scenic backdrop of the fishing boats in North Rustico Harbour, the "Taste of North Rustico" event offered tastings from several local restaurants and nearby local food producers and it served up a real old-fashioned kitchen style party complete with local music. A "Taste of North Rustico" proved to be a celebration of the rich culture, authentic food, and heritage of the scenic and bountiful north shore of PEI.
Site of "Taste of North Rustico" PEI Fall Flavours Event
A large tent was erected in a parking lot just beside the harbour and as folks made their way to the tent, their appetites were tantalized by the scent of Island beef and pork sausages cooking over an open fire.
Grilling over a Wood Fire – "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Inside the tent, a stage was set up surrounded by numerous round tables.
Tables at Taste of North Rustico Event 2017
At each place setting, a set of wooden spoons was included as a take-home memento of the evening. These were also put to good use later in the evening to keep time to the lively music.
Taste of North Rustico 2017
Designed as a "roving feast", local chefs, restaurateurs, and food producers had their "grazing" stations set up around the perimeter of the tent where they were serving up delectable food tastings. The 125 patrons who attended were free to choose the order in which they wished to visit the various stations to sample the food options.
Mayor of North Rustico, PEI – Anne Kirk
There was certainly passion and pride in place displayed by the town of North Rustico as their mayor, Anne Kirk, greeted patrons at the entrance to the tent. She, herself, is quite entertaining and she had a lot of fun on stage with Chef Michael Smith, presenting him with bottles of her homemade pickles and beets and coaxing him to sample them to see if they'd be safe to serve to her family and friends! I later caught her capably playing the wooden spoons to the rhythm of the music.
Chef Michael Smith with the Mayor of North Rustico, PEI – Anne Kirk ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
This event was very well organized and I did not experience any long line-up at any of the grazing stations.
Raspberry Point Oysters ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
My first stop was at the Raspberry Point Oyster station where Chef Michael Smith was busy shucking oysters.
Chef Michael Smith shucking Raspberry Point Oysters ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
No matter how hard he coaxed (he tried at the Taste of Georgetown event, too), I just could not slurp a raw oyster! For this, he denounced me for not being a "good Island girl" and, of course, I unwittingly made things worse by asking the unthinkable…"do you ever cook the oysters?" Let's just say we need to be thankful Chef Michael didn't have a coronary on the spot! I got the evil eye look and was quickly informed that one only cooks inferior quality oysters, never PEI oysters!
But, on the upside, I gave him a good grade on his oyster shucking skills! He claims he's shucked a few……a few thousand oysters that is!
I then made my way over to the station of PEI Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant where they were serving up bowls of piping hot seafood chowder made with scallops, haddock, shrimp, and lobster in a traditional rue base.
Serving up Seafood Chowder from Fisherman's Wharf ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
Perhaps you have heard of Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant – they are famous for their traditional PEI lobster supper that also boasts a 60' long salad bar. This is a very popular destination for many visitors to our Island.
Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant, North Rustico, PEI
I also had to try one of the yummy fish tacos from their Pier 15 restaurant. Made with crispy haddock bits wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with pico de gallo, jalapeno lime slaw, and cilantro sour cream, these were a hot ticket item!
Putting the finishing touches on the Fish Taco from Pier 15 at Fisherman's Wharf ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
Fish Taco from Pier 15 at Fisherman's Wharf ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
My next stop was at the Blue Mussel Café's station where they were plating up their house-made charcuterie plates.
Preparing the Charcuterie Plates from Blue Mussel Café ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
House Made Charcuterie Plates from Blue Mussel Café ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
This was a very bountiful plate featuring roasted beet salmon gravlax, house smoked mackerel, local cheeses, apple blueberry chutney, pickled harvest vegetables, and a micro green salad.
The Blue Mussel Café is a busy and popular seasonal restaurant located near the North Rustico lighthouse and close to the Rustico beach.
Blue Mussel Café, North Rustico, PEI
From there, I made my way to the Yellow House's station. The Yellow House is a new restaurant in North Rustico, located right by the harbour. This restaurant has drawn great reviews.
The Yellow House Restaurant, North Rustico, PEI
You can see why it has quickly become a popular eating spot when you check out their mussel rolls – yes, those are tasty little PEI blue mussels with fennel, orange zest, and dill in a creamy sauce on one of the Yellow House's signature house rolls.
Mussel Rolls from the Yellow House Restaurant in North Rustico, PEI ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
They also served mini Acadian meat pies and smoked salmon bubble and squeak with PEI quail eggs but I wasn't quick enough to get photos!
Jordan Liantzakis from PEI Charcuterie Prepares Trays at "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Coming from a little distance away in Westmoreland, near Crapaud, the PEI Charcuterie station was offering all kinds of their house-made charcuterie.
Tray of locally-made Charcuterie from PEI Charcuterie ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
The folks from Glasgow Glen Farm, home of fine Island-made Gouda cheese, served up a tasty potato corn soup in small mason jars accompanied by buttermilk biscuits.
Homemade Potato and Corn Soup from Glasgow Glen Farm ("Taste of North Rustico" 2017)
While folks were enjoying the roving feast of appetizers, North Rustico's own Olivia Blacquiere provided musical entertainment.
Olivia Blacquiere Performing at "Taste of North Rustico" PEI Fall Flavours 2017 Event
The main meats consisted of a wood-fired mixed grill featuring PEI beef and Heritage Breed Berkshire pork sausage served with potato bannock.
Grilling over a Wood Fire at "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
This was overseen by the event's guest chefs Connie DeSousa (a Top Chef Canada finalist) and John Jackson, co-owners of the Charcut Roast House in Calgary, Alberta.
Guest Chefs Connie DeSousa and John Jacson, Co-owners of Charcut Roast House in Calgary, AB ("Taste of North Rustico" PEI 2017)
It took a good trailer of wood to get the grillin' done!
Firing up the Grill at the ""Taste of North Rustico" Event
Sample of Grilled Beef and Pork at "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Upstreet Craft Brewing representatives were on hand serving up some of their famous microbrewed beer as well as their brand new line of soda pop introduced in 2017 – they currently have three flavours available – Strawberry Rhubarb Basil, Apple Ginger Elderflower, and Malt Spice Cola.
Pouring a sample of Upstreet Brewing Company's new soda – "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
And, for anyone with room left for dessert, the Blue Mussel Café delighted palates with chocolate bourbon mascarpone tartlets while the Yellow House served mini sugar pies.
Chocolate Bourbon Mascarpone Tartlets from the Blue Mussel Café – "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Tarte au Sucre (Sugar Pie) from The Yellow House – "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Chef interaction is a big part of these types of culinary events. Unlike going to a typical restaurant where patrons would rarely, if ever, see the chef who prepared their meal, these culinary events are built around connection and direct communication with the chefs. Not only could patrons chat with the chefs at the various grazing stations but, during the evening, Chef Michael Smith hosted an engaging question and answer period with guest chefs Connie DeSouza and John Jackson.
Chef John Jackson (left), Chef Connie DeSousa (center), and Chef MIchael Smith (right) at "Taste of North Rustico" 2017
Folks were invited to ask them questions and some fun was had when they were asked to tell what their most embarrassing moments were as chefs and which beef they thought was best – PEI's or Alberta's. For the record, they capably and diplomatically handled that question very well!
Guest Chefs John Jackson and Connie DeSousa from Charcut Roast House in Calgary, AB, at "Taste of North Rustico" PEI 2017
A true North Rustico Kitchen Party would not be complete without some great local music. Brendon Peters and friends provided lively tunes mixed in with some north shore humour. Toes were tapping, hands were clapping, and those wooden spoons were put to good use.
Brendon Peters and Friends Performing at the Taste of North Rustico Kitchen Party (PEI Fall Flavours Festival 2017)
The carefully designed and executed menu for this event reflected authentic foods local to the North Rustico and surrounding areas and it capably achieved what it intended – it gave visitors a "Taste of North Rustico" foods, culture, and heritage.
The PEI Fall Flavours Festival has grown to be one of PEI's most anticipated events that offer visitors the opportunity to discover and experience the vast spectrum of food produced on PEI as the culinary events take them right in to the heart of food source locales, like North Rustico.
As I mentioned earlier, some visitors return each year especially to attend several PEI Fall Flavours events. In fact, four of my tablemates at this event came from Regina, SK, and two of them have come to PEI for the past 10 years that Fall Flavours has existed. Something I have observed this year from attending several Fall Flavours events and talking with visitors is the far distance that people travel specifically for this Festival and how many of the events they attend, and how long they vacation on the Island as a result of the Festival. PEI has now earned its reputation as a fine authentic food destination that offers world class culinary experiences and events.
So, if you're looking for taste bud tempting travel that will allow you to experience wonderful regional food specialities, musical culture, and a chance to explore our special little corner of the world, September is a great time to visit PEI. You'll find endless opportunities to experience authentic local culture by indulging in our many fine foods and drinks, seeing spectacular scenery, meeting friendly and hospitable Islanders, and discovering talented local musicians.
To read stories I have written about other PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival events, follow these links:
A Taste of Georgetown, PEI September 20, 2017
Each year, in September, Prince Edward Island celebrates its many fine local foods through a month-long culinary festival known as the PEI Fall Flavours Festival. The festival brings the hottest names in Canadian gastronomy to be guest hosts at various gourmand events held in iconic Island locations.
The celebrity chefs participate in the menu design and meal preparation that feature several of PEI's local foods that come from the Island's red fertile soil and rich marine waters that continue to make PEI a world-renowned food destination. Each September, more and more foodie tourists make PEI their vacation destination so they can explore and enjoy our food culture and see for themselves where our food comes from by visiting farming communities and fishing villages across our picturesque Island.
Chefs Michael Smith (l) and Paul Rogalski (r) Shuck Oysters at "Taste of Georgetown" Event
In early September 2017, Chefs Michael Smith (of Fireworks Restaurant in PEI) and Paul Rogalski (of Calgary's Rouge Restaurant) teamed up to celebrate the authentic food culture and heritage of Georgetown, PEI, a small, rural town in the eastern part of the Island, about 40 minutes from the capital city of Charlottetown. In what I'd class as an intimate evening of dining in the town's theatre, the King's Playhouse, the culinary duo carefully planned a five-course dinner that showcased local chefs and restaurateurs and, of course, fine meat, seafood, and produce, local to the area. This was "A Taste of Georgetown".
King's Playhouse, Georgetown, PEI
Upon arrival at the King's Playhouse, patrons were offered a complimentary glass of Rossignol wine. Rossignol Winery is PEI's oldest winery and is located in Little Sands, near Murray River.
Serving Rossignol Wine
The option also existed to sample locally-brewed seasonal blueberry ale from Upstreet Craft Brewing in Charlottetown.
Sampling Blueberry Ale from Upstreet Brewing Company
And then…..the eating commenced with several appetizer stations both inside the theatre and in a tent adjacent to the Playhouse.
Chef, Amil Zavo, serving up Snow Crab Roulade
The Kings Playhouse Chef, Amil Zavo, served up Snow Crab Roulade stuffed with smoked mussels, roasted apples and cranberries, and garnished with cured herring roe, all served on a fennel crostini.
Snow Crab Roulade
As patrons sipped on their beverage of choice and sampled the Snow Crab Roulade, they stopped to watch local artist, Margaret Wailes, create a painting of a local rural scene. One lucky patron was the winner of the painting and went home with a lovely momento of the evening.
Artist, Margaret Wailes, create a painting of a local rural scene at "Taste of Georgetown" Event
To the music of local musician, Taylor Johnson, folks made their way to the tent in the AA MacDonald Memorial Gardens just outside the King's Playhouse.
PEI Musician, Taylor Johnson, Entertains Patrons at "Taste of Georgetown" Event
AA MacDonald Memorial Gardens, Georgetown, PEI
Tent at Kings Playhouse for "A Taste of Georgetown" Culinary Event
Here, there were several activities underway that included demonstrations of lobster trap rigging and eel pot mending. It was also fun to pick out a starfish collection to take home from Tranquility Cove Adventures.
PEI guitarist and singer, Barry O'Brien, performs at "Taste of Georgetown" Event
Local guitarist and singer, Barry O'Brien, provided musical accompaniment while patrons checked out the shucking skills of Chef Michael Smith and Chef Paul Rogalski who were busy shucking "Brudenell Bully" oysters harvested from the waters in the Georgetown area.
Chefs Michael Smith and Paul Rogalski Shucking Oysters at "Taste of Georgetown" Event, PEI
Brudenell Bully Oysters from Georgetown, PEI
Chef Paul Rogalski shucks Brudenell Bully Oysters at Taste of Georgetown Event
Brudenell Bully Oysters Served with Frozen Bloody Mary
The chefs kept their assistants on the hop making the tacos over an open fire and stuffing the mini tacos with the eel filling.
Eel Tacos
Making Tacos at "Taste of Georgetown" event
Making Eel Tacos at "Taste of Georgetown" event
Tranquility Cove Adventures served fresh shucked bar clam hinges.
Clam Hinges
Those are some mighty big clams!
The MC for the dinner was Haley Zavo, Executive Director of the King's Playhouse.
Taste of Georgetown 2017 Menu
The five-course dinner was a plated meal served at attractively set tables.
Taste of Georgetown Event 2017
To stimulate the appetite, Eden's Gate Restaurant prepared the amuse-bouche of a seared scallop with lime aioli on micro greens.
Amuse-bouche: Seared scallop with lime aioli
This was followed by two starters, the first being a chunky home-made seafood chowder and biscuit from the Georgetown Historic Inn, just a stone's throw from the Kings Playhouse.
Seafood Chowder
The second starter was a salad with greens, smoked Island trout, diced oranges, almonds, pickled red capers, and goat cheese with a citrus poppy seed dressing, prepared by Eden's Gate Restaurant.
Salad with Smoked Island Trout
The main course, inspired and prepared by guest chef, Paul Rogalski, was chargrilled beef petite filet served with baby PEI potatoes and cauliflower sauce.
Chargrilled beef petite filet served with baby PEI potatoes and cauliflower sauce
The Georgetown Historic Inn and Eden's Gate Restaurant teamed up to prepare the evening's dessert finale – PEI blueberry cobbler served with vanilla ice cream and an apple rosette in a puff pastry drizzled with PEI Strait Rum and butter sauce.
Because this was a small dinner for about 80, it offered more direct interaction between patrons and both the celebrity chefs and local chefs who were involved with the meal preparation. Each of the participating chefs/restaurateurs was invited to explain the dish he or she was preparing and from where the ingredients were locally sourced.
Chef from Eden's Gate explains ingredients in salad
There were lots of opportunities to pose questions of the guest chefs, both of whom were very obliging in their responses. There was certainly no problem to see how passionate Chef Michael and Chef Paul are about their chosen vocation and of how important it is for them to source fresh, quality ingredients from local food producers, fishers, and farmers.
"Treble with Girls" quartet entertaining at "Taste of Georgetown" Event 2017
"Treble with Girls", a quartet of local talented musicians (left to right: Jolee Patkai, Maxine MacLennan, Sheila MacKenzie, and Norman Stewart) provided lively toe-tapping music throughout the evening, alternating with the accomplished pianist, Max Keenlyside, on piano.
Pianist Max Keenlyside entertains at "Taste of Georgetown" event 2017
"Taste of Georgetown" was one of three new Fall Flavours Festival culinary events introduced in 2017 (the other two are Taste of Tyne Valley and Taste of North Rustico – Rustico Kitchen Party). The intent is that the events draw people to smaller local communities across the Island where they can discover all that makes PEI unique – the food, producers, landscapes, and the local people, particularly those involved in the food and music scene.
Because these culinary events tend to draw people who are already passionate about food, the PEI Fall Flavours Festival events are prime opportunities for the many local food and beverage producers and chefs to showcase their products, culinary skills, talents, and passion for authentic regional food to foodies. Of course, it's also a great way to introduce visitors to PEI to the vast spectrum of food and beverages available on the Island.
Mead in Wheatley River, PEI – The Island's New Honey Wine Meadery September 17, 2017
Island Honey Wine Company's Wildflower Honey Mead
In the small rural community of Wheatley River, not far from Hunter River in central PEI, the Island Honey Wine Company meadery produces unique wines made with fermented honey, otherwise known as "mead".
Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
Charles and Laura Lipnicki opened the doors to their meadery on July 7, 2017. The couple had vacationed on the Island a few years earlier, fell in love with it and its people, and decided they wanted to become Islanders too, so five years ago, they moved to PEI, first to North Rustico then later settling on to the farm in Wheatley River.
Charles and Laura Lipnicki, Owners of Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
Charles had been making wine as a hobby for 25 years and always had a fascination with yeast. Laura has a love of lavender and, having seen fields of lavender in Provence, wanted to have her own lavender field. Opportunity presented itself for location amidst the gentle rolling hills in Wheatley River and Laura now has that beautiful field of 1500 lavender plants and Charles has a new career in winemaking which, interestingly enough, merges with the lavender from the couple's field, wildflowers, and fruits grown on the farm.
Section of the Lavender Field in Bloom at Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI (Photo Submitted by Island Honey Wine Company)
In addition to the meadery itself, the couple operates a small certified organic farm called "La Serena" where they have six acres of fruit production that include hascaps, elderberries, and apples and they also raise some sheep, hens, and ducks.
The "grasscutting crew" at La Serena farm, home of the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI
Charles says he started the meadery because he likes making "a value-added product that originates with products produced on the farm, products like honey, lavender, and fruits such as haskaps".
Fermentation Tank at Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI
Now, I have to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of flavor of mead. I say this because, several years ago, I was served a glass of mead in a castle in Ireland and, well, the drink was not to my liking. However, I went on my visit to Island Honey Wine meadery with an open mind and I was more than pleasantly surprised. The honey wine from the Island meadery is quite lovely.
The Island Honey Wine Company is currently producing four different kinds of meads for sale – lavender, wildflower, haskap, and nectar sweet dessert wine. The products are presently sold only onsite at the meadery but Charles says they will soon be carried by the PEI Liquor Commission in their retail outlets.
Of the four meads, I asked Charles which is the most popular. He says the Wildflower mead is most popular and he believes this is because a glass of this mead takes one on a journey as flavor notes can be found in each taste based on the many different wildflowers the honeybees have visited which transfers into the flavor of the honey they produce. The wildflower wine is the most food-friendly and versatile of the three meads and I'll talk a bit more about what that means later.
The quality of the mead produced at the Island Honey Wine Company has recently been validated through the winning of medals at an International Wine competition in Virginia especially for non-grape wines. The Nectar Sweet wine, with its sweet and lingering taste, secured a silver medal both the Wildflower and Haskap wines attained bronze medals. I think, once you sample their honey-based wines, you'll understand why the wines have garnered these awards.
Honey, a fermentable sugar, is the base for all the meads and only raw honey is used. While the meadery has some beehives on the farm, they don't have enough for adequate supply for the mead making. Therefore, they source honey from other local producers. Most of the honey wine is produced in the winter months. According to Charles, the process for making honey-based mead is not a lot different from making traditional grape-based wines and the honey mead will take about 2½ – 3 months fermentation.
Stainless Steel Fermentation Tanks
Charles says one of his greatest satisfactions of making mead is seeing how people enjoy something that started just as an idea and that turned into a liquid to be enjoyed. Each of the honey wines has its own benefits and uses for certain times and, as Charles says, "each one is a snapshot in time and place with regards to honey because of the different flowers the bees visit".
"each one is a snapshot in time and place with regards to honey because of the different flowers the bees visit"
I asked Charles to tell me how he would suggest pairing the three meads with foods. Here are his recommendations:
Wildflower – With the broadest notes, this is the most food-friendly of the three meads. Pair this honey wine with poultry dishes, cheese, with desserts such as apple pie, or enjoy as a sipping wine after a day at the beach.
Wildflower Honey Mead from the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
Lavender – This one-of-a-kind mead lends itself to saltier foods. This honey wine is a lovely accompaniment to PEI lobster, brook trout, sharp cheeses, and desserts like walnut baklava. It also pairs particularly well with charcuterie trays. Charles says this is a unique and intimate wine reminiscent of the intimate relationship the bees share with the lavender flowers. This is a versatile wine to be shared with good company or simply enjoyed solo with a good book.
Lavender Honey Mead from the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
Lavender Honey Mead (Photo Submitted by Island Honey Wine Company)
Nectar Sweet – Classed as a dessert wine, Nectar Sweet pairs well with Brie cheese, dairy desserts like cheesecakes, crème brulée, and German chocolate cakes and caramel desserts.
Nectar Sweet Honey Mead from the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
You will also find some local artwork in the meadery's tasting room along with several lavender products including locally-made lavender shortbread, soap, and similar items.
Inside the Tasting Room and Retail Shop at the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI
Lavender Shortbread
Homemade Soaps from the Island Honey Wine Company, Wheatley River, PEI, Canada
Product tasting is available onsite in the newly-constructed meadery. The wooden tasting bar is made from repurposed wood that came from one of the large old elm trees that had to be removed from the city of Charlottetown.
Charles Lipnicki pours a sample of one of his honey meads made at Island Honey Wine Company in Wheatley River, PEI
The Island Honey Wine Company's meadery is located at 820 Millboro Road in Wheatley River, in central PEI. For hours of operation and more information, visit their website at https://www.islandhoneywine.ca/
Tap the Toes and Taste the Taters! September 13, 2017
PEI is Canada's Food Island
Well, what's a potato farmer on Canada's Food Island to do if he has a big warehouse empty and waiting for this fall's crop to be dug from the rich red soil of Prince Edward Island? Might as well have a party in that warehouse and may as well include a couple of hundred people and a celebrity chef too!
That's exactly what potato producer, Alex Docherty of Sherwood Produce Inc., did on September 8, 2017, when he provided the host location for a big potato-themed kitchen-style party. For anyone who wanted to hobnob with a culinary celebrity, chow down on some good PEI food, and enjoy some fine traditional PEI music, this event offered the perfect way to indulge all three.
Dinner in the Warehouse
Toes, Taps, and Taters is an annual event that is part of the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival. I had attended this event in 2013 when it was held in the Potato Museum in O'Leary and it was a rollicking good time (click here for the link to that story). This year, the location changed to a potato warehouse in Canoe Cove on the Island's South Shore, about a 20-25 minute drive from Charlottetown and organizers pulled out all the stops! Toes, Taps, and Taters is a signature event of the Festival which means that a celebrity chef is in the house as guest host; this year, that was Chef Chuck Hughes who is quite the character! There is never a dull moment when Chef Chuck is at a culinary event!
Chef Chuck Hughes
I arrived at the location around 5:15pm on a beautiful, sunny September evening, one of those late summer days that is just made for a fun party with outside activities. As folks arrived, they were greeted with the evocative skirl of bagpipes from a lone piper just up the hill from the warehouse.
Piper at Toes, Taps, and Taters – PEI Fall Flavours 2017
Of course, Tate, the PEI potato mascot, was on hand and loved to have his photo taken.
Tate – The mascot for the PEI Potato Industry
Anyone wishing to go and experience digging his or her own potatoes was welcome to board the haywagon and go for a hayride to the potato field.
Off to the Field to Dig Potatoes!
Take a gander at the size of that little tractor!
Hayride to the Potato Field
Just at the entrance to the warehouse, well-known local chef and cheesemaker, Jeff McCourt from Glasgow Glen Farm, was cooking up a storm and the scent of food cooking over an open fire was an automatic draw to see what he was up to. He brought along some of the Gouda cheese he makes and tantalized taste buds with his Island-style Raclette.
Island-style Raclette
Raclette, of Swiss-German origins, involves heating cheese over an open fire then scraping it with a knife over cooked (usually boiled) potatoes. Well, you had me at melted gouda! And, those sweet little multi-colored PEI baby potatoes!
PEI Baby Potatoes
That's a gooda Gouda!
Raclette in the making
The potatoes were cooked in cast iron pots over free-standing burning logs and the cheese was carefully melted over similar log fires under the watchful eye of Chef Jeff.
Cooking Potatoes Over an Log Fire
Part of the experience of attending culinary events is to see and learn different ways of cooking and experience traditional foods like potato and cheese turned into a different form.
Chef Jeff McCourt melts Gouda cheese over open fire for Raclette
Why does food cooked outdoors always seem to smell and taste sooooo good?
Oyster Bay Bubbly
Upon entering the warehouse, diners were greeted with a glass of Oyster Bay bubbly. They also had the opportunity to sample blueberry ale brewed by Upstreet Craft Brewing of Charlottetown.
Upstreet Craft Brewing's Blueberry Ale
Several stations with hors d'oeuvres were set up and folks moved around the stations at their leisure.
Toes, Taps, and Taters Reception (2017)
Potatoes, of course, featured prominently in most of the hors d'oeuvres starting with Russet Potato Risotto Style.
Russet Potato Risotto with Aged Island Gouda and Pickled Red Onion
These two guys were kept busy preparing the tasty Risotta!
Making Russet Potato Risotto
With hand pies being a trendy item, the Bacon-Leek Potato Hand Pies served with sour cream and chives proved to be a popular stop on the hors d'oeuvres circuit.
Bacon-Leek Potato Hand Pies served with sour cream and chives
There were, of course, lots of options to try from the PEI charcuterie table.
PEI Charcuterie Table
Zillions of fries are made each year from PEI potatoes so, naturally, French Fries would have to factor in somewhere during the event. Islanders love their mussels and their fries so Chef Irwin MacKinnon (pictured below) combined the two and served the mussels with roasted garlic aioli. At this point, little did I know that this guy was also in charge of catering the main meal, too!
Chef Irwin MacKinnon serves up Mussels and Fries with Roasted Garlic Aioli
Yes, these Moules Frites were "right some good"!
Moules Frites (Mussels with Fries)
There can't be a good party on PEI without great music and Sheila MacKenzie on fiddle and Norman Stewart on guitar provided lively toe-tapping music throughout the reception preceding the dinner. It was traditional PEI ceilidh style music.
Entertainers Sheila MacKenzie (fiddle) and Norman Stewart (guitar)
They were also joined by two very talented and energetic step dancers, Alanna and Shelby Dalziel.
Entertainers Sheila MacKenzie (fiddle) and Norman Stewart (guitar) with step dancers Alanna and Shelby Dalziel
Rob Barry proved to be an entertaining MC and he and Chef Chuck Hughes kept the evening lively with lots of banter and audience engagement.
Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes (left) and MC Rob Barry (right) at Toes, Taps & Taters PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival Event (2017)
Part of the evening included the swearing in of everyone in attendance as honorary Islanders for the evening which involved the citing of the Potato Oath and, of course, a little swig of, umm, perhaps potato vodka, to make it official. This was followed by a rousing chorus of Stompin' Tom's "Bud the Spud".
Potato Oath
Part of the warehouse was transformed into a large country dining room with tables attractively set with red and white checkered tablecloths.
Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner – PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival 2017, Canoe Cove
Creative centerpieces were mason jars filled with multi-colored baby PEI potatoes and mini lights.
PEI Baby Potatoes Light up the Tables
Here's a closer look at one of the tables.
Close-up of one of the tables at Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner, Canoe Cove, PEI (2017)
Can you imagine that this was all taking place in a huge potato warehouse in which, up to three weeks previous, had tons of potatoes in it? It's true.
Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017
Placesetting at Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017
And, here was the menu:
Menu for 2017 Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner
As you might guess, the dinner was a potato feast and potato was featured in each of the courses starting with the appetizer which was a delectable salmon-haddock potato fish cake that was served with marinated Island Blue Mussel salad and lemon caper dill. This was plated very attractively. (Apologies for the quality of these photos as they don't do the meal justice but this was all taking place inside a huge cavernous warehouse that was eating up the light so studio quality photography wasn't an option. Hopefully, though, the photos will give readers a 'flavour' for the menu items.)
Appetizer – Salmon Haddock Potato Fish Cake, Marinated Island Blue Mussel Salad, Lemon Caper Dill (Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017)
The main course consisted of slow-roasted certified Island beef prime rib cooked to perfection and served with red wine Rosemary jus, beef drippings Yorkshire pudding, roasted garlic-horseradish whipped PEI potatoes, sweet pea purée, roasted squash stuffed with seasonal vegetables. This was a potato and beef lover's dream meal!
PEI Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, Whipped PEI Potatoes, Sweet Pea Purée, and Seasonal Vegetables Stuffed in Roasted Squash (Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017)
And, for dessert, a delectable wild blueberry cobbler was served in a mason jar and garnished with a chocolate-dipped potato chip and whipped cream. Yes, even the dessert had potato in it!
Blueberry Cobbler with Chocolate Dipped Potato Chip and Whipped Cream (Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017)
Now, you might wonder how such an elaborate meal could be served in a potato warehouse for some 200 people. Well, Chef Irwin MacKinnon from Papa Joe's Restaurant in Charlottetown was in charge of the meal preparation and the mobile kitchen in the photo below is the one he brought into the warehouse to use for the meal preparation.
PEI Chef, Irwin MacKinnon, Caterer to the 2017 Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner in Canoe Cove, PEI
Can you imagine the amount of organization and coordination that would have been involved to prepare and serve this meal and it was all done in a trailer/mobile kitchen inside a potato warehouse!
Behind the Scenes at Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner 2017
The evening ended with a performance by Trinity Bradshaw, an up and coming country music artist from Summerside, PEI.
Islander and Upcoming Country Music Artist, Trinity Bradshaw, Performs at the 2017 Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner in Canoe Cove, PEI
This event was the full-meal deal – great food and entertainment. It was very well coordinated and the attention to detail by organizers and chefs ensured this was a first-rate event. The passion and pride of the PEI potato farming community was displayed at every turn.
Toes, Taps, and Taters Dinner in Canoe Cove, PEI (2017)
I have always said two of the best ways to experience the culture of a place are to check out the local food and regional music. Visitors can learn a lot about a place through the food a place produces and the genres that form the local music scene. There were a large number of visitors from off-Island who sought out this event with the farthest coming from Belgium. Some attendees schedule their entire vacations around the festival and return year after year. In fact, at my table, there were new visitors from Ontario and repeat visitors from Western Canada and this was their fourth year coming for the Fall Flavours Festival. This year they attended three culinary events, including the popular Lobster on the Beach event for their third time. A testament to the calibre of the PEI Fall Flavours events that showcase the wonderful food of this very special food island on Canada's east coast.
Four Great Places for Breakfast on Prince Edward Island July 30, 2017
Given a choice of which meal of the day to eat out, hands down, I'll choose breakfast every time! I love eating breakfast out and sipping on that first cup of coffee as the tantalizing scents of breakfast preparation waft through the air in the dining room.
French-Press Coffee
When I choose a restaurant for breakfast, I'm not looking for greasy diner fare. I'm looking for places that:
have a selection of breakfast menu items that extend beyond the standard/usual run-of-the-mill bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast (although, admittedly, that's sometimes exactly what I crave!);
cater to a gluten-free diet since one in our party follows this diet;
offer a dining experience which is to say the restaurant has some kind of ambiance – that could be energy and vibrancy, scenery, décor, etc;
support local food producers and use fresh, locally-produced ingredients;
provide consistency which is to say their food and service are consistently good over several visits; and
put some effort into food presentation.
Right out of the gate, I'll tell you this is not a sponsored post and I wasn't paid to do it. In fact, the restaurants I'm about to tell you about have no idea I was checking out their restaurants and writing about them on my food blog. So, what follows are my own personal impressions of four (4) great places on PEI that I choose for breakfast and we travel from Summerside to Murray Harbour to find them.
Barbara's Choices:
Samuels Coffee House, Summerside
#5 Café, Murray Harbour
PEI Preserve Company, New Glasgow
Kettle Black, Charlottetown
Samuel's Coffee House, 4 Queen Street, Summerside
Price Range: $2 – $10 (at time of writing)
I seriously love this place that opened in 2011 and I personally think they have the best coffee on the Island! Their coffee house is small and quaint (yes, you can even eat in the little vault!) but they pack big flavor in their light fare menu items and desserts.
Samuel's Coffee House, Summerside, PEI
Housed in the former, and now refurbished, Journal-Pioneer building, the large windows allow lots of natural light to permeate the dining area. This is casual style dining. You place your order at the counter, receive a table number and, when the food is ready, a server delivers it to your table. Complimentary Wifi is available.
A good selection of coffee types are available that include espresso, café mocha, café latte, espresso macchiato, cappuccino, and americano. They also, in my view, make the best paninis on the Island using local ingredients. These are perfect for brunch or a light lunch. If you check out their menu board, they'll often list the food producer's name by the ingredients they use so you know you are getting good, fresh, local fare.
Breakfast Sam at Samuel's Coffee House, Summerside, PEI
Their "Breakfast Sam" is a great breakfast or brunch choice and it is available in a gluten-free version as well (shown in the photo above). With eggs, cheddar, ham, tomato, and spinach on a cheese bun (gluten version only with this particular bun; gluten-free is on toasted bread), this is simply a lovely way to start the day. Other breakfast items include their own house-made granola, homemade bread for toast, muffins and cinnamon rolls, and oatmeal.
In the summer months, Samuel's also operates a coffee house at Avonlea Village in the resort municipality of Cavendish.
Samuel's Coffee House Cavendish Location at Avonlea Village
#5 Café, 5 Church Street, Murray Harbour
Price Point: $9 – $11.50 (at time of writing)
Oh, this is a real little gem in the picturesque fishing village of Murray Harbour and absolutely worth the drive to eastern PEI.
#5 Cafe, Murray Harbour, PEI
Located in a decommissioned and repurposed church, the owner has kept much of the ambiance of the former church including the matched board walls and ceiling. The small open- concept kitchen (seen in the photo below) now takes up the former altar and choir loft.
Open-concept Kitchen at #5 Cafe, Murray Harbour, PEI
The focus of food preparation at #5 Café is very much on the concept of clean food that is not full of additives and preservatives and that is made from scratch in their own kitchen.
#5 Café offers a wide variety of casual fare items on their menu but, bar none, their omelette is the best I've ever had! Toast is made with their own homemade bread and you'll often find locals dropping in to buy some of the bread to take home. Gluten-free bread, though not made in-house, is also available with breakfast items.
Omelette at #5 Cafe, Murray Harbour, PEI
Regardless the time of day, I'll bet you can't leave without checking out their dessert case and large glass jars filled with delectable cookies and other sweets! You just might find some homemade fudge in that dessert case as a sweet ending to breakfast or brunch!
#5 Café, Murray Harbour, PEI
Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, 2841 New Glasgow Road, New Glasgow
Price Point: $6 – $11 (at time of writing)
In operation since 1985, this restaurant is the "go-to" place for many Islanders (including me) for breakie on weekend mornings. You know the old saying "Go where the locals go and you'll find good food". Breakfast is served daily until 11:00am.
Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, New Glasgow, PEI
Open seasonally from the end of May to early October, be sure to look through the windows to the right as you enter the front doors. Here, most days, you can see the preserve-making process in action. This company is well-known for its production of preserves and spreads and many breakfast menu items are served with their own house-made preserves.
Breakfast Frittata, Prince Edward Island Preserve Company
The bright open-concept dining room is surrounded by windows. Boasting a phenomenal view of the River Clyde, try to snag a table by the window so you can watch the many different birds at the feeders and fluttering amongst the beautiful flowers of the nearby Gardens of Hope. Complimentary Wifi is available in the dining room.
It's Breakfast Time for Everybody at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, New Glasgow, PEI
View from the window of the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company Restaurant alongside the River Clyde
Traditional Country Breakfast at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, New Glasgow, PEI
This full-service restaurant has a great menu selection for breakfast and I've sampled most of them!
French Toast, Prince Edward Island Preserve Company
Many items can be prepared gluten-free or vegetarian. Items range from granola to the standard country breakfast to French toast, pancakes, Belgian waffles, egg croissant to the breakfast frittata which is seriously the best I've ever had. Served in an au gratin dish, it's filled with peppers, green onions, mushrooms, and three cheeses. Served with sautéed potatoes and toast, this is the full meal deal and you won't need to eat for the rest of the day!
Breakfast Frittata at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, PEI
Kettle Black, 45 Queen Street, Charlottetown
Price Point: $3.50 – $12 (at time of writing)
Located not far from the Charlottetown waterfront, this independently-owned coffee shop is housed in a refurbished historic building. Look for the bright sunflower yellow store front.
Inside, the exposed brick walls and high ceilings lend a European look and feel. A variety of seating options is available – tables, padded benches, bar stool and counter, and easy chairs. This is casual dining where you place your order at the register, pick up your beverage, find a table, and a server will then deliver your order to your table. Complimentary Wifi is available.
Breakfast is served all day! Breakfast items range from bagels, Belgian-style waffle, homemade granola and yogurt, and frittata. Known especially for their types of coffees, they roast organic coffee beans in-house and you can get your lattés, cappuccinos and mochaccinos as well as standard americano coffees here.
My choice at Kettle Black is the frittata that is served with a tasty side salad and toast (gluten-free bread is available).
Breakfast Frittata at Kettle Black, Charlottetown, PEI
Together, these four establishments offer a wide variety of tasty breakfast fare.
PEI Foods Featured in President's Choice "#EatTogether" Campaign for Canada 150 May 7, 2017
There are basically two common, non-controversial, safe topics that can form the basis of a conversation start with just about anyone – the weather and food! And, food is the one that will bring people together!
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, the Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, PEI, was the venue for a luncheon where 32 people sat down to lunch together. Most did not know each other and had not met before Saturday. They happened to show up at the supermarket on a Saturday morning and found themselves invited to dine at a pop-up luncheon in the midst of the produce section.
"Eat Together" Event at Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, PEI
You see, Loblaws has this cool Canada 150 project underway to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. Six of their supermarkets across Canada have been selected to host one of these special events that features the local foods of the region in which the event is held. The locations for the cross-country tour celebrating Canada's regional cuisines are Ottawa, Calgary, Richmond, Summerside, Wolfville, and Montreal. Summerside was the fourth stop on the tour. Known as the #EatTogether campaign, the overarching theme is to get Canadians to come together, sit down over a meal, engage in conversation, and share stories about their favorite dishes and local cuisine. Talking about PEI foods is never a problem for Islanders because we love our foods and love to talk about them! Fishing and agriculture are two of our primary industries on the Island and both generate drool-worthy foods!
Cityline Show Host Tracy Moore and PC Executive Chef Tom Filippou at "Eat Together" Event at Atlantic Superstore, Summerside, PEI
President's Choice (PC) Executive Chef, Tom Filippou, and Cityline show host, Tracy Moore, presented a PEI-themed meal. For readers who are Islanders and those who have visited PEI, you'll know that PEI food culture revolves around the land and sea. The Island is known for great food – think potatoes, mussels, and lobsters. I asked Chef Filippou what inspired the dishes they chose to feature for the PEI-themed meal. He said that President's Choice surveyed Canadians about what foods resonated with them and, when it came to PEI, our potatoes, lobsters, and mussels topped the list. He says those foods are amazing as they are but he put his own stamp on them by, for example, using lobster in a traditional Mac 'n Cheese dish and cooking the pasta for it in the stock in which the lobster was steamed, thus deepening the lobster flavor in the dish. He says Summerside was a good choice as one of the six venues because the Island has such a rich history of seafood and agriculture and has so much to offer (for a menu that is regionally inspired).
Lobster Mac 'n Cheese, "Eat Together" Event at Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, PEI
The meal started with big bowls of mussels steamed in local PEI beer, followed by breaded chicken cutlets, potato salad, garlic bread, and the lobster Mac 'n Cheese.
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
This rustic potato salad made with mini potatoes was amazing!
For dessert, diners enjoyed yummy sticky date pudding with toffee sauce along with butter tarts.
Sticky Date Pudding
PC Executive Chef Tom Filippou at Eat Together Event at Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, PEI
Asked what inspired the idea for the #EatTogether campaign, Chef Filippou says that food brings people together so the idea of a pop-up dinner party in the middle of a supermarket seemed like a great idea. People lead busy lives and many seem to spend a lot of time on their electronic devices and less time connecting with, and getting to know, each other so the aim is to get people to slow down a bit, take a deep breath, sit down at a table together, and enjoy good food and each other's company. What better way to set the example than on a busy Saturday morning with shoppers hurrying about to pick up groceries. Imagine whirling in with a grocery cart and the first thing you come across is a beautifully set long table alongside the produce section! I have to say it was a very impressive sight, especially from the vantage point of the store's upper level.
Atlantic Superstore, Summerside, PEI
The photo below shows the area of the store where the celebrity meet and greet was held. Have to love that backdrop of bags of PEI potatoes!
People live busy fast-paced lives with family members hurrying off to activities in different directions and many live and breathe being connected to their phones and computers/electronic devices. It seems, in many homes, the routine of regular family meal times where family members all sit down together over a prepared meal, decompress, and discuss the happenings of their day and, well, just get to know one another, may be going by the wayside. President's Choice did some research on this topic and learned that only 38% of Canadians eat dinner together 4-6 times a week. 45% watch TV while eating, 15% listen to the radio, and 14% are on the Internet.
So, for the 32 people who dined at the communal table in the produce section of the Summerside Atlantic Superstore on a Saturday morning, it didn't take long for them to connect with their fellow diners and for the storytelling to begin. Food arrived on the table and conversations soon turned to food-related subjects and stories about the foods in their kitchens and what food means to special events like birthdays and holidays throughout the year.
Cityline Host Tracy Moore (right) shares a laugh with a diner at the Eat Together Event at the Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, PEI
Once the initial photos of the two celebrity hosts were taken, the electronic devices actually disappeared and, dare I say it – wait for it….. were actually forgotten about and strangers simply talked with each other over a tasty meal. Tracy Moore and Chef Tom Filippou proved to be entertaining and engaging hosts and people easily opened up to them talking about their own culinary influences.
PC Executive Chef Tom Filippou and Cityline Show Host, Tracy Moore
This was a well executed event and a tip of the hat is due to the PC culinary team that pulled this event together to showcase PEI foods. Well done! To check out the PC #EatTogether video, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuA9OPyp6I
Disclosure: I was invited to attend this event so that I could share my experience with my blog readers. My opinions and impressions of it are my own.
Setting Day on Prince Edward Island Can Only Mean One Thing May 1, 2017
Setting Day, French River, PEI
Setting Day on Prince Edward Island can only mean one thing…..it heralds the opening of the spring lobster fishery and a fresh feed of PEI lobster from the cold Atlantic waters will follow soon after!
Lobster in the Shell
Lobster Traps at French River, South Landing Wharf, PEI, Canada
Lobster fishers spend many weeks in advance of Setting Day preparing their lobster traps and fishing boats for the upcoming season.
Lobster Boats at Malpeque Harbour, PEI, Canada
As the time grows closer to Setting Day, visits to Island wharves are an interesting activity. Boats, looking all spiffy, are in the water, and wharves are stacked high with traps just waiting to become the deep sea inns for lobster. This year, I visited six Island wharves in the two days leading up to Setting Day.
Lobster Fishing Boats at Malpeque Harbour, PEI, Canada
I like to visit wharves the eve of Setting Day. The boats are heavy laden with traps, fishers are checking and double-checking their gear, and the conversations are animated with excitement and anticipation of the upcoming lobster season. There will be claims as to who owns the fastest boat, who will sail out first, and so on. The mood is jovial and a lot of good-natured banter can be heard.
Lobster Boats Loaded with Traps for Setting Day, North Rustico, PEI, Canada
Fishermen at Malpeque Harbour Check Their Lobster Traps in Preparation for Setting Day
Double-checking the Lobster Traps, Malpeque Harbour, PEI
I'm not sure I could figure out the ropes of this business but they sure are colorful!
Colorful Ropes
So, too, are the many different colors of buoys.
Colorful Buoys
Traditional Lobster Traps
PEI has two lobster seasons. The first runs from May until the end of June and the second from August until October. Some claim (and I agree) that the lobster that is caught in the early season is the most tasty and tender as it comes from the colder waters.
Lobster Boats, New London Harbour, PEI, Canada
On PEI, the spring fishery tends to get the most attention because these are the boats that are first out of the gate to open the fishery season. There is a lot of hype associated with Setting Day.
Boats Loaded with Lobster Traps for Setting Day, North Rustico, PEI, Canada
North Rustico is one of the more colorful fishing ports and draws a lot of summer tourists who enjoy watching the activity of the fishing boats.
Regardless whether one is directly involved in the fishery or not, Setting Day is a big deal for many Islanders. This is the day that fishers head out with their boats for the first time in the season to lay the traps to catch the lobsters.
Trap Setting Day
There are many wharves around the Island and the same common scene plays out – friends, neighbours, and family members get up long before daybreak and head to nearby wharves or beaches to watch the parade of boats as they head out with their loads of traps. It's a sign of support to the fishers for the work they do.
Waiting for the Parade of Lobster Boats on Setting Day in French River, PEI, Canada
The last couple of years, I have headed to French River which is about 45 minutes from Charlottetown. Boats are not permitted to leave the harbour until 6:00am but spectators need to be in place by about 5:40am as boats pull away from the wharves and get in to position for take-off and they lose no time when the clock strikes 6:00am. As one fisherman told me, come 6:00am, it's "game on" and it's very competitive as the boats charge out to sea to the cheers and delight of the bystanders! If you have never stood on a beach on PEI at sunrise and watched dozens of lobster boats heading out to work, you have missed a magical and moving experience.
Early Morning Gathering in French River, PEI, to Watch Parade of Lobster Boats on Setting Day
In 2017, when this article is being written, Setting Day was on Saturday, April 29th. Island lobster fishers don't fish on Sundays so the first haul from the traps will be on Monday. With the exception of Sundays, fishers check their traps daily during lobster season. Close to 1000 boats were expected to leave the wharves on Setting Day this year.
Heading out to Drop off the Lobster Traps on Setting Day
Heading Out With a Load of Lobster Traps, French River, PEI
A few years ago, I happened to be in North Lake, in the Island's eastern part of the province, mid-morning, as the lobster boats were coming back in with their daily catch. It's a beehive of activity when they all arrive back in port with crates full of lobster!
Lobster Boat Loaded with the Day's Catch, North Lake, PEI, Canada
North Lake is a large harbour and it's really cool to watch the boats enter the port through this narrow entrance. Sometimes, it's almost a traffic jam on the "North Lake Freeway" as the boats converge to come into the wharf with their catch.
Lobster Boat Arriving Back in Port with the Day's Catch, North Lake, PEI, Canada
Heading for a "parking spot" to unload the catch.
North Lake Harbour, PEI, Canada
Unloading the day's catch.
Unloading the Day's Catch, North Lake, PEI, Canada
Here's a look at what's in those crates!
Fresh Catch of the Day – PEI Lobsters
While there are many recipes that call for lobster as an ingredient, Islanders typically eat the steamed lobster straight from the shell for their first feed of the season.
Steamed Lobster in the Shell
Cracking Open the Lobster
Served hot or cold, according to one's preference, lobster is a divine treat when dipped in melted butter. On PEI, lobster is most commonly served with potato salad, coleslaw, sometimes other kinds of salads and, of course, homemade rolls.
My Island Bistro Kitchen's PEI Potato Salad
You can find my recipe for potato salad here , for my pan rolls here, and for puffy dinner rolls here.
Traditional PEI Lobster Dinner
Once I have had that first feed of lobster, I am ready to use it as an ingredient in other dishes.
PEI Lobster Chowder
I have several published recipes using lobster as the main ingredient, including the following:
Lobster Chowder
Lobster Cakes
Lobster Rolls
Lobster Frittata
Lobster Club Sandwich
Lobster and Asparagus Crepes
Lobster Eggs Benedict
PEI Lobster Cakes
Lobster is so popular in PEI that there are dining venues dedicated to offering Lobster Suppers during the summer season. Click here to read my story on Lobster Suppers – A Time Honored PEI Tradition.
And, of course, there is always the perennial favorite – Lobster Rolls! A couple of great places to get lobster rolls on PEI are Richard's Seafood Eatery on the wharf in Covehead and at Dave's Lobster in Charlottetown.
And the great lobster that we enjoy comes thanks to the fishers who head out, sometimes in rolling seas, to fish the lobster.
Lobster Fishing in all weather on PEI
And, other times, the fishers get to see the most amazing sunrises!
Heading Out With a Load of Lobster Traps
Lobster fishing is a big part of the Island culture and way of life. The seafood sector is one of PEI's main industries.
As I finish this posting, the first catches of the season are in…..now, where is that lobster bib…….
A PEI Lobster Feed
Lobster Trap Setting Day on Prince Edward Island
Famous Island Shellfish Featured at PEI Mussels on the Hill Event October 30, 2016
On a lovely Sunday afternoon on a hill in beautiful Clinton, PEI, the 2016 PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival came to a conclusion with a finale event featuring one of PEI's finest shellfish – mussels.
The photo below shows an example of the mussel sock in which mussels grow.
Mussels in the Sock in Which They are Grown
According to the PEI Mussel Industry Council of PEI, the Island produces about 45 million pounds of mussels each year. This translates into approximately 80% of the entire mussel production in Canada. So, it is only fitting that an Island culinary festival would dedicate an entire event to featuring mussels.
Clinton Hills, PEI
The Clinton Hills venue, frequently used for wedding receptions, proved to be a great location for this function which was hosted by guest celebrity chefs Anna and Michael Olson who are no strangers to the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival. Anna and Michael have been a part of the Festival for many years and often host two to three signature events at the Festival each year.
Chefs Anna and Michael Olson
The event began with a large campfire upon which the mussels were steamed.
Steaming Mussels on an Open Fire
Yes, those tightly wrapped tinfoil packets contain mussels.
Tending the Fire
Everything always tastes better cooked over an open fire! Opening up the tinfoil packets revealed these tasty treats. Three options were available: Mussels steamed in white wine, orange juice, or a Caesar mix, all with aromatics added.
Steamed PEI Mussels
Mussels and corn on the cob are a great combo!
Mussels and Corn on the Cob
Chef Anna is checking out the yummy mussels.
Chef Anna Olson
Serving up the Steamed Mussels and Corn on the Cob
Even chefs, like the rest of us foodies, just have to photograph their food before consuming it!
Chef Anna and Chef Michael Olson
Around the campfire….
Any good party on PEI will have lively music. The strolling musicians were Mark Haines (fiddle) and Brad Fremlin (accordian).
Island Musicians Mark Haines (left) and Brad Fremlin (right)
Island Musician, Mark Haines
After enjoying the mussels and corn by the campfire, folks moved over to the large tent just outside the event barn.
Mussels on the Hill Event at Clinton Hills, PEI (2016)
The PEI Brewing Company was serving some of their award winning beer.
PEI Brewing Company Beer
Nova Scotia's Benjamin Bridge Winery was the 2016 wine sponsor for the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival. They were pouring their famous Nova 7 wine. One of the great things about culinary festivals is the opportunity to discover new products. I discovered the Nova 7 wine at the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival events in 2015 when Benjamin Bridge was also the wine sponsor. This wine is an aromatic light-bodied effervescent wine with a beautiful salmon or light coral color. Look for appealing aromatics with lovely floral and fruit notes in this wine. The Nova 7 is a very versatile wine, perfect for sipping or for pairing with a variety of foods, including seafood which made it a suitable accompaniment to the mussel dishes served at this event.
Benjamin Bridge's Nova 7 Wine
Making my rounds inside the tent, I started with a bowl of delectable homemade mussel chowder.
Mussel Chowder
This was followed by yummy mussel fritters served in slider rolls.
Serving Mussel Fritters
I had not had mussel fritters before and these were super tasty!
Mussel Fritters
Mussel Fritters in Slider Rolls
Upstairs in the main event barn, lobster poutine was being served. This was one event where you wanted to make sure you left the diet at home!
Mussel Poutine
Anna and Michael did a demo of their favorite ways to steam mussels and adding aromatics to enhance the flavor of these tasty morsels. I like when the event also has a learning component to it.
Chefs Anna and Michael Olson at Clinton Hills, PEI (2016)
Wagon rides around the farm were available throughout the afternoon. This was a rather stylish wagon ride with its benches!
Hayride at Clinton Hills
If you are a foodie, then I recommend a trip to PEI in September when the whole month is dedicated to culinary events featuring one or more of the Island's fine foods. It's a great way to learn about the foods of PEI, try some new foods or new and different ways to serve them, and hear some great local musicians.
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Chefs Anna and Michael Olson at PEI's Mussels on the Hill Culinary Event
PEI's Great Big Barbeque October 25, 2016
One of the 2016 signature events for the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival was the Great Big Barbeque. Hosted by celebrity chef, Mark McEwan, this event was held at the PEI Brewing Company in Charlottetown.
Chef Mark McEwan
The Great Big Barbeque was a roving feast with food stations set up around the perimeter of the brewery as well as on the second level.
Roving Among the Food Stations at PEI's Great Big Barbeque
In total, there were nine different food stations each featuring a local Island Chef with a signature dish.
Benjamin Bridge Winery, the 2016 Festival wine sponsor, greeted each patron with a glass of their Nova 7 wine.
Benjamin Bridge Wine
The PEI Brewing Company was kept busy serving small mugs of their handcrafted Gahan Ale straight from the tank. You can read the story I previously wrote about this brewery by clicking here.
Gahan Ale fresh from the tank at the PEI Brewing Company
Locally brewed beer from the PEI Brewing Company
The main event hall was set up with picnic tables. From here, patrons circulated around the food stations in the order of their choosing.
The Great Big Barbeque at the PEI Brewing Company, Charlottetown, PEI
The Adam MacGregor Band provided lively entertainment for the evening.
Adam MacGregor Band Performing at PEI's Great Big Barbeque
Station #1 – PEI Seafood Chowder
Chef Kyle Panton (Simms Corner Steakhouse and Oyster Bar) was kept busy dishing out his award-winning seafood chowder which he served in small glass jars.
Chef Kyle Panton
The chowder was accompanied by homemade biscuits, always a winning combo.
Station #2 – Lobster Poutine
Chef Brad MacDonald (The Brickhouse Kitchen and Bar) served up a dish featuring Island lobster and potatoes in the form of lobster poutine – hand-cut fries with a lobster veloute and melted cheese curds.
Serving up Lobster Poutine
Lobster Poutine
Station #3 – Glasgow Glen Farm's Grilled Cheese
Jeff McCourt, chef and cheesemaker, from Glasgow Glen Farm in New Glasgow served an open-faced grilled Gouda cheese sandwich with smoked salmon and apple slaw on baguette slices.
Glasglow Glen Farm's Open-faced Grilled Gouda Cheese Sandwich
Adding the Apple Slaw
Open-faced Grilled Gouda Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Salmon and Apple Slaw on Baguette Slices
Station #4 – PEI Brewing Company Wood Fire Pizza
The brewery has a wood fire brick oven which was kept hopping with fresh made-to-order pizzas.
Wood-fired Pizza
Station #5 – Island Striploin with Lobster Béarnaise
Chefs Cody Wallace (Fishbones Oyster Bar and Seafood Grill) and Jordan Dennis (Sobeys West Royalty) teamed up to present grilled PEI beef striploin with lobster béarnaise.
PEI Beef Striploin with Lobster Béarnaise
Station #6 – Island Beef Burger
The barbeques were kept busy grilling the slider beef burgers which Chef Brock MacDonald (The Gahan House) presented on cornbread brioche with avocado mayo, pickled red onions, and peppercorn blue cheese.
Station #7 – Marinated BBQ Kabobs
A huge barbeque at the brewery's side door was filled with veggie kabobs consisting of zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes grilled in a smoky Gahan Iron Bridge Brown Ale BBQ sauce. These were the creation of Chef Andrew Cotton (Merchantman Fresh Seafood and Oyster Bar).
Veggie Kabobs
Veggie Kabobs in a Smoky Gahan Iron Bridge Brown Ale BBQ Sauce
Station #8 – Freshly Shucked PEI Oysters
Sous Chef Alexandre Jolin (The Barrington Steakhouse and Oyster Bar) ensured lots of PEI oysters were shucked and ready for patrons.
Shucking the PEI Oysters
Raw PEI Oysters Ready for Slurping!
Station # 9 – S'Mores Dessert Bar
This bar was set up so patrons could toast their own marshmallows to make S'Mores.
S'Mores Dessert Bar
This was a lively and interactive event and the brewery was an ideal location for this casual barbeque. It was great to see so many local Island chefs featured. We have a lot of great things happening on the food scene on PEI and the barbeque offered the opportunity to sample many of them.
Follow these links for stories I have written on other PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Events:
Feast and Frolic Dinner (PEI Int'l Shellfish Festival) (2014)
PEI's Great Big Barbeque
PEI Fall Flavors Event: Le Festin acadien avec homard October 9, 2016
September heralds the beginning of the annual PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival and what better way to start it off than with a feast featuring lobster and Acadian fare! Le Festin acadien avec homard event was held on September 2, 2016, in conjunction with the annual Evangeline Area Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival in Abram-Village in the western part of Prince Edward Island.
The PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival features signature events hosted by celebrity chefs and the main events feature one or more of the Island's locally-produced foods. If you follow the links at the bottom of this posting, you will find stories and photos from past events that featured Island beef, lamb, lobster, potatoes, etc. I especially like the events that feature both regional fare and entertainment and "Le Festin acadien avec homard" scored high on both counts. For visitors to PEI (and many do come in September especially for the Fall Flavours Culinary Festival), it's an opportunity to learn about local culture and sample locally-produced foods.
PEI's Acadian population in Abram-Village sure knows how to throw a good party with great food and lively entertainment. A quartet of talented local musicians comprised of Louise Arsenault (fiddle), Hélène Bergeron (keyboard/guitar/stepdancer), Caroline Bernard (singer/keyboard/guitar), and Rémi Arsenault (bass) provided toe-tapping Acadian music throughout the evening.
Musicians Performing at "Le Festin acadien avec homard" Fall Flavours event, Abram-Village, PEI, 2016
The event was hosted by celebrity chef, Anna Olson, who is no stranger to the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival as she and her husband, Michael, return to the Island annually to participate in the culinary events.
Chef Anna Olson at "Le Festin acadien avec homard" Fall Flavours Event, Abram-Village, PEI, 2016
Anna hosts three cooking programs on Food Network Canada: "Bake with Anna Olson", "Fresh with Anna Olson", and "Sugar". Ever the good sport, Anna was put through her paces before MC Georges Arsenault declared she had passed the test to be made an honorary Acadian. She learned some French and she was taught some stepdancing moves!
Here was the menu for the dinner:
Menu for 2016 Le Festin acadien avec homard
Upon arrival in the dining hall, guests were greeted with a complimentary glass of Benjamin Bridge's Nova 7 wine.
Benjamin Bridge Winery from Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia, was this year's Festival Wine Sponsor as it was in 2015 when I discovered their delightful Nova 7 wine. The Nova 7 is a beautiful light-bodied effervescent wine with a gorgeous pinkish color, and appealing aromatics with lovely floral and fruit notes. It's a great wine for sipping or for pairing with a wide range of foods from seafood to spicy foods to desserts. It made a fine accompaniment to the foods served at this dinner.
Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 Wine
Fresh steamed mussels were served as hors d'oeuvres. According to the Mussel Industry Council of PEI, the Island produces about 45 million pounds of mussels each year. This translates into approximately 80% of the entire mussel production in Canada. In fact, fresh PEI mussels are shipped to the USA and as far away as Hong Kong, Japan, and Kuwait. It's very common at PEI gatherings to serve steamed mussels.
The dinner was held in a large community hall and served, family style, at long tables.
"Le Festin acadien avec homard" PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival event 2016 in Abram-Vilage, PEI
Servers, in traditional Acadian attire, brought the prepared dishes to each table.
"Le Festin acadien avec homard" PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival Event, Abram-Village, PEI, 2016
Guests then passed the dishes, from one to another, around the table, serving themselves.
Serving lobster at "Le Festin acadien avec homard" in Abram-Village, PEI
The four-course dinner began with a bowl of Chicken Fricot, also known as chicken soup. This is a very popular Acadian dish.
Chicken Fricot, a popular Acadian soup
The Fricot contains very few ingredients and I believe it is the summer savory that gives this brothy soup its wonderful tasty flavor. Made only with chicken, onion, potatoes, water, summer savory, salt, and pepper, it's hard to believe just how tasty this soup really is! It was especially good with the French biscuits that were in baskets on the tables! French biscuits (Galettes blanches) are a cross between a yeast roll and a traditional tea biscuit.
The second course consisted of two long-time Acadian favorites: Râpure and Acadian Meat Pie.
Acadian Meat Pie (left) and Râpure (right)
Both are made with simple easy-to-come-by ingredients. The Râpure is made with pork and/or chicken, onions, potatoes (both mashed and raw grated), eggs, summer savory, coriander, salt and pepper. The ingredients are mixed together, placed in a greased baking dish and baked in the oven.
Traditionally, Acadian meat pie was made with pork. Today, however, it is common to have a mixture of meats in the pie – pork, beef, chicken, and/or hare, for example. Again, the ingredients for the pie filling are very basic – the meat, onion, summer savory, cloves, salt and pepper, and some flour for thickening. The filling is encased in pie pastry and baked in the oven. Molasses is often served with the meat pie. Meat pies are common fare for Acadians on Christmas Eve although, on PEI, the pies are commonly now eaten throughout the year as well.
The third course was Island lobster in the shell served with homemade potato salad.
PEI Lobster
It's very traditional on PEI to serve potato salad with lobster and this salad was a true old-fashioned homemade PEI potato salad full of flavor.
And, for dessert, fresh blueberry pie made with in-season local berries.
This was a fantastic evening of fabulous food and lively music. I thoroughly enjoyed this event and it was an opportunity for me to try some Acadian foods I had not had before.
Follow these links for other stories I have written on previous Fall Flavours Culinary Festival events:
PEI Lobster served at "Le Festin acadien avec homard" PEI Fall Flavors Culinary Festival
Picnic by the Confederation Bridge in PEI August 24, 2016
Picnic by the Confederation Bridge
Picnics are a favorite summertime activity for us. We like to do a lot of daytripping around our province discovering and revisiting all that our wonderful Island has to offer. Prince Edward Island has many great locations that are suitable for picnics. Our picnic last weekend took us to a scenic location near the Confederation Bridge in Borden-Carleton.
Confederation Bridge
This bridge transcends the Northumberland Strait linking PEI with New Brunswick. At 12.9km (8 miles) in length, the bridge is the longest bridge in the world that crosses ice-covered water. Our Island winters can be quite harsh and the Strait is covered in thick ice for several months of the year. Building a bridge to withstand these conditions was no easy feat.
Before the bridge opened to traffic on May 31, 1997, the only ways on and off PEI were by ferry or air. Ferry service does still operate seasonally in the Eastern part of the Province at Wood Islands where ferries transport vehicular traffic between PEI and Nova Scotia.
The Confederation Bridge curves partway across the Strait and has a high navigational span that allows large ships to pass under the bridge. It's pretty cool to see the large cruise ships going under the bridge!
Because the Confederation Bridge is an iconic element of PEI, it makes a fitting backdrop for a summertime Island picnic.
So, now that the stage has been set for the location, back to the picnic……I have chosen to go with a black and white theme and I'm a big fan of checkered fabric – checks just seem to speak of picnics. I have chosen to use my plain black dinner napkins and have wrapped the cutlery inside the napkins. This is easy to do before leaving home and it keeps the items together. To give the classy black napkins a more casual look for a picnic, I have tied each napkin with narrow twine.