Jeremy Charles, St. John’s, N.L.
For Jeremy Charles, chef at Raymond’s in St. John’s, N.L., the joy of working on the Rock is sourcing his ingredients locally. “We’re in a unique position in that we can get so much of what we serve right here,” he says.
Wild game — moose, Arctic hare, partridge — comes from registered hunters, lamb from a farm an hour away. He even has local foragers who supply mushrooms such as boletus and chanterelles. “Sometimes I like to forage in the early morning,” he adds. “When mushrooms are that fresh, they taste wonderful.” One of his favourite ingredients is parsnips. “They come from Lester’s farm, 10 minutes away,” he says. “I love root vegetables, but parsnips have such a beautiful flavour and they’re versatile.” He might do parsnip chips or purée them with a hint of honey and butter. “They pair well with so many different proteins” he says.
Scott Vivian, Toronto
For Scott Vivian, chef and owner of Beast in Toronto, the biggest challenge is the time and commitment required to establish relationships with his suppliers. Some are easy, others require “a lot of patience.” From the outset, he supported 100km Foods Inc., which distributes local, sustainable, harvested-to-order fruits and vegetables in season, as well as dairy, free-run eggs, artisanally milled grains and flours and more. There were hiccups. “I had to understand what they were going through to get the produce from local farmers,” says Vivian. “And, I had to tell them I was unhappy as well as when I was happy, so they could monitor the products.” At the start, it was difficult getting people to accept local foods, which often cost more. “So, it was essential that it be as good, or better than imports. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose,” he says. “I love shopping at local farmers’ markets, because nothing tastes better.” Every supplier is on Beast’s website. “I used to list them on the menu, but it started to read like an ad. Now, if someone likes something, I direct them to the website where there are links to the producers’ sites.”
The New Normal
Scott Bagshaw understands the new dining scene. The chef and owner of Deseo Bistro in Winnipeg was a vegetarian himself for four years, “partly because of cost and partly because it was the moral high ground,” he acknowledges. “Then I tasted steak one day; it was an epiphany.” He joined the burgeoning flexitarian camp.
At Deseo, both vegetarian and meat dishes grace the menu, but his early concern for sustainability has meant that Bagshaw takes a nose-to-tail approach, wasting no part of the animal.
A self-trained chef, he has nonetheless learned from some of the best at restaurants in New York, Australia and Winnipeg, always adding new culinary styles to his repertoire. But it was a stage with Susur Lee and Jason Carter that took him to the next level. “They were incredible,” he enthuses. “I learned more in a month than I did in any other job.”
At Deseo, Bagshaw designs a menu quarterly. When creating, he likes to play with flavours and textures. A favourite recent addition is a tapas dish of black truffle and ricotta gnocchi with shavings of truffle, his own boar bacon, fermented black garlic and a garnish of crispy black quinoa ($16). “The caramelized bacon, creamy ricotta and tangy garlic contrast beautifully,” he says, adding proudly, “It’s one of those moments when you know you’ve made one of your best dishes.”
In true flexitarian fashion, vegetarians can order this dish without the bacon. Indeed, that’s the point. Because everything is made from scratch, nearly all his dishes can be rejigged for special concerns — gluten or nut allergies, vegetarians, anything is possible.
Deseo has garnered accolades from local restaurant critics such as Marion Warhaft of the Winnipeg Free Press and organizations such as Vacay’s Top 50 Restaurants in Canada (the only Manitoba restaurant on the list).
Bagshaw loves what he does and it shows. He’s even tattooed ‘Chef For Life’ on his forearm.
