Mallard Cottage is a landmark house in St. John’s, N.L., which once sheltered farmers and fishermen. Today, the late 18th-century cottage is the culinary home of renowned chef Todd Perrin, a St. John’s native who has been restoring the site to serve as his new restaurant. The pared down building’s rustic wooden floorboards and reconstructed central hearth will form the backdrop for the 43-year-old’s menu that will feature Newfoundland cuisine with a twist.
But, it’s been a long road to reach this culinary zenith. Perrin’s journey began at the Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College in Charlottetown, which led to the then-twentysomething’s first job at The Church Restaurant in Stratford, Ont. Eventually, under the guidance of one of his culinary instructors, the toque worked in Switzerland — at the Hotel Alexander Am See — for two years until an expired visa forced him home to Canada.
Throughout his career Perrin honed his craft at various restaurants in St. John’s, including NaGeira’s, Magnum & Steins and Two Chefs, a classic Mediterranean and French restaurant he co-owned in 2001 before closing it two years later. He explains: “Essentially our building fell down.” Desperately needing a new wall, but perturbed by the cost, Perrin closed the restaurant and re-strategized with his wife. “At that point we decided I would be a stay-at-home dad, and we did that for about three years, until my daughter went to school,” he recalls.
Then five years ago the entrepreneur opened The Chef’s Inn, a small bed and breakfast in St. John’s, where he hosted private dining events for local and visiting guests until he became a contestant on Top Chef Canada in 2011. The experience challenged him to re-think his offerings. “When I came back to Newfoundland [after filming], I started doing more ‘chefy’ things,” he says, adding the show put a fire in his belly. “My style in recent years has evolved into Newfoundland comfort food. I take traditional Newfoundland ingredients that we’ve been using here for many years and [prepare] them in different ways.” For example, one recipe involves giving salted cod an Icelandic twist, curing the fish for 12 hours in a mixture of salt, black pepper, star anise, lime juice and lime zest, then poaching and serving it with celery-root salad and mash-roasted Jerusalem artichokes. Dishes like this offer a taste of what Perrin will serve at Mallard Cottage, where his menu will be driven by local food and ingredients from his garden. Prices weren’t set at press time, but each dish is expected to cost $30 or less and the establishment is expected to seat approximately 50 diners.
Leaving his parents at the helm of Chef’s Inn, Perrin is looking forward to a fresh start when Mallard Cottage opens in late spring. “I’ve reached a point in my career where my restaurant is a bit of a selfish endeavor, and I’m going to cook what I feel like cooking…I [move] to the beat of my own drum, and it’s paid off,” he says.
image courtesy of Food Network Canada
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