Reminiscing The Great Canadian Cheese Festival Year One

The hardest part about planning a trip to Prince Edward County for a weekend is figuring out what to do. And not because choices are limited, but because there are too many. As the Great Canadian Cheese Festival approaches its second year, memories of our 2011 visit are stirring.

We chose to stay at the Hayes Inn, a short drive from Picton's downtown, in the hamlet of Waupoos. The idyllic country setting was a quiet getaway from the busy crowds of a very successful event. We enjoyed more than ample breakfasts and restful sleeps in a well appointed suite.





There were a number of festival events throughout the weekend, we participated in the cheese tour and the gala.

The Cheese Tour was held from 10 am to 4:00 pm on the Friday. The two well-known cheese dairies included on the tour were:

The Black River Cheese Company, who also celebrated their 110th anniversary that weekend.



Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. The LEED certified factory had just been open for a little more than 3 years at that time.



In fact, the two cheese companies shared a joint venture. Cheddar cheese made at Black River with goat cheese supplied from Fifth Town.



[Although Fifth Town has currently halted production and is undergoing financial restructuring, they will still remain on this year's tour as long as their retail store remains open.]

We enjoyed our mid-tour box lunch on the grounds at Vicki's Veggies. Vicki Emlaw is well known for her heirloom tomato seedlings and also her bountiful produce sold to local chefs and into the markets in Toronto. Our box lunch was provided by East and Main Bistro in Wellington. I did manage a sit-in visit at the bistro a few months later.



A cheese tour isn't complete without a look at where it all starts. Maypul Layn Farms, owned by Martin and Angela Miller, provides their milk to Black River Cheese Company from their 60+ milking cows. Imagine my delight to find out their hired hand is the son of a friend from my high school days!





Also on the tour was the County Cider Company. Besides sampling their award-winning products, their property affords you a breathtaking view of Lake Ontario from their hilltop setting.





The Saturday evening was the 'main event'. The Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala showcased the talents of 8 of the country's top chefs, well known in their regions. Each of the dishes featured a Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Winner. We were feeling the hometown pride when Chef Michael Blackie of Ottawa's National Art Centre took home the People's Choice Award. Read more about our wine-matched moveable feast.



Here is a peek at the chef line-up for this year's gala.

Despite the many food attractions at the festival itself, we still took in a few of the local eateries.

Blumen Garden Bistro on the edge of town, Picton.


Pulled braised rabbit over house-made gnocchi with leeks, mushrooms, lardons and Parmesan cheese

Angeline's in Bloomfield.




John's Rabbit with Roasted Loin and Rack, Sage Flower Spaetzle and Mustard Sauce

Buddha Dog in Picton.





We even found room for a lick of ice cream at Slickers in Bloomfield.



It is hard to visit the County without visiting a winery or two. We made our way to three but touring the wineries could easily be a whole separate trip.



Before we left town, we headed back to see Vicki Emlaw to pick up a few young tomato plants. Although her May long weekend seedling sale wiped out the best selection, I was still happy with my choices, as the summer's harvest revealed month's later. [I just want to give a shout out to Yellow Perfection.]





Are you contemplating the 2nd annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival? If the first annual is any indication, you are bound to have a fabulous time. It was extremely well organized and had a strong contingent of dedicated volunteers. A hat tip to Georgs Kolesnikovs and his team.

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is taking place June 1 - 3 at the Crystal Place in Picton, Ontario, Prince Edward County. Check out their website for program details and to purchase your tickets. In addition to the Cheese Tour and the Gala, they also have a Cooking Class, Tutored Tastings and an Artisan Cheese and Fine Food Fair. Some events are already sold out. As well, don't be shy to explore the County beyond Picton. Being a wee island, everything is within easy driving distance.

Gourmet Hotdogs at Buddha Dog - Picton, Ontario

We spent this past weekend in Picton and the surrounding area and after just a mere 72 hours they had us drinking the Kool-Aid. This quiet, powerful cult established here in the province of Ontario is simply being referred to as 'The County'.

Words associated with their rites and ceremonies include: terroir, rural renaissance, locavore, organic, slow food, viticulture, arts and culture, artisan cheese, platinum LEED, sophisticated, Loyalist, history, taste, festivals, farm fresh, 'rurban'.

Beyond the formal municipal government, there are many other structured groups working together to make life in The County a fulfilling dream. Such groups as Slow Food The County, Taste the County, PEC Winegrowers Association, Festival Players of PEC, just to name a few. They even have their own currency in the form of Vicki's Veggie-Bucks.

Once home, we actually started browsing through real estate listings! We contemplated small farming, homemade canning and preserves. We fell hard for this place.

No surprise I guess that when we made our last food stop late in the day Sunday, we were totally won over to pay $2.50 for a wee, slim 4" long hot dog wrapped in a delicate but full-textured bun, loaded with local flavours.

We had read good things about Buddha Dog before coming to Picton. As we walked the main street, the plump Buddha sandwich board lured us in.



The small haven to hot dogs was bright and airy with its Cloud White and Blackboard painted walls. Above the kitchen work station someone had meticulously laid out a non-bordered map of the area marked with the many must see locations from food stuffs to eateries to wineries to everything in between. It is clear that The County is loaded with experiences for visitors of any vacation stripe.





Eating a Buddha Dog is pretty straight forward. You add your seasonal sauces of ketchups, mustards, relishes, the daily mayo and the daily jelly. You then top it with your favourite cheese and voilà, the Buddha Dog.

To reasonably curb your hunger, it is common to get a flight of 3 dogs. They suggest one sweet, one savoury and one spicy.



I started with one just to see where this taste sensation would go. Smokey Ketchup. Chardonnay Wine Mustard. Caramelized Onion Relish. The Daily Mayo which was Wild Leek Aioli. The Daily Jelly which was Jalapeño Tequila Jelly. And then for the cheese finish - Fifth Town Plain Jane Chèvre. (The other cheese choices came from Black River Cheese Company.) They even tucked in fresh spinach from Vicki's Veggies.



The weiner is all-beef and supplied by Ted Aman of Aman's Abbatoir in nearby Wellington. Ted only processes local meat. For Buddha Dog he looks after the grinding, spicing, casing, and smoking of these pint-size weiners.

The wee 4" buns are made just across the road at Pastry House by Picton baker Peter Grendel.

The sauces are made by local chefs using local ingredients.

The two cheese companies are located just east of Picton. As is Vicki's Veggies.

It wasn't hard to consider going for a second Buddha Dog.



With the Great Canadian Cheese Festival in play this weekend at the Crystal Palace, visiting chef Craig Flinn from Chives Canadian Bistro in Halifax, Nova Scotia created the Dog of the Day. It featured his Dragon's Breath Mousse with Rhubarb Compote. These components were used in his dish the night before at the Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala. Dragon's Breath cheese comes from That Dutchman's Farm and is local to Chef Flinn's native Nova Scotia. Being one of my favourite taste experiences from the Gala, my second dog was Dog of the Day.



I am an easy convert to Buddha Dog. I lap up the whole locavore experience. I don't know if that is my farm upbringing, my foodie fetish, the loose 'vacation wallet' or just because it tasted good. I suppose some might quibble about the price being $7.50 for a lunching threesome but I personally am willing to pay a bit more knowing where my food comes from. Knowing that it was made with care.

Also worth mentioning - the service was great!




Buddha Dog
172 Main Street
Picton, Ontario
613.476.3814
website: www.buddhafoodha.com
Twitter: buddhadog

Open 7 days a week after May 27
Mon to Sat: 11 am – 5 pm
Sun: 11 am - 4 pm

Sunday Bagel Goodness

This morning's breakfast for the mister looked simple enough but when you get to know the ingredients, they are a few stories worthy of being told. I started with his most favourite bagel - sesame. This treat came from the Ottawa Bagelshop on Wellington Avenue, east of Island Park. I toasted it and then covered it with cheese from Serious Cheese on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South. On the left is Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.'s Petal Luna goat cheese and on the right is Beemster's Graskaas, a Dutch cheese with a gouda-like flavour. I topped the cheese with gourmet jams from a local food artisan, Michael Sunderland. The two jams I chose from michaelsdolce were: Blueberries and Lavender and then Strawberry and Balsamic. I also picked up the jams from Serious Cheese.

And now for a little background on the breakfast creation.

The Ottawa Bagelshop is well-known for their Montreal style bagels. They say their bagels are "rolled by hand, boiled in honey water, then baked in an old-fashioned, wood-burning oven. They have no preservatives, no dairy products or by-products, and no salt." Their varieties include the two classics, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. They also have such specialty bagels as cinnamon raisin, oatmeal raisin, whole wheat, lemon cranberry, seven grain, flax seed, and lastly spelt. The Ottawa Bagelshop has been serving Ottawa since 1984. In addition to their retail store front, they have a sit down area to enjoy their coffee and foods. They also do catering.

Serious Cheese is a new addition to Old Ottawa South. In addition to their many cheeses, they also sell breads from local bakeries True Loaf Bread Company and Art-Is-In Bakery, baked goods from their own in-house bakery, gourmet food products and kitchen wares. I have to do a shout out for their in-store baked ginger molasses cookie. It is the best I have ever tasted. And I make a pretty fantastic ginger cookie myself. And only 99 cents. If that kind of pricing is meant to lure me back, that technique will work!

Beemster Graskaas cheese is a true delicacy. It is a Dutch cheese made from the first milk of spring when the cows are released onto the fields following their winter in the barn. The cows graze on pesticide-free pastures, 20 feet below sea level in North Holland. These canal-lined pastures are the most famous Dutch ‘Polder’ and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. The milk from this early spring grazing is considered the creamiest milk of the year. They collect enough milk from this short grazing period to be able to make only 2,000 cheese wheels. The history of the production of Graskaas goes back to 1901. The cheese is aged for a month.

The Petal Luna hard goat cheese is from Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. in Prince Edward County. This cheese took gold at the Royal Winter Fair in 2008 in the Goat Hard category and it took bronze at the Royal Winter Fair in 2009 in the Surface Ripened category. The milk has been infused with locally grown calendula petals! Fifth Town suggests that it is a good match with medium bodied fruity wines such as Cabernet Franc, so I was fine touching up their cheese with these delicious jams.

Michael Sunderland is behind michaelsdolce gourmet jams, new to Ottawa this year. The 125 ml pots of pure goodness come in 11 varieties and are being sold throughout specialty stores, as well as being used at some restaurants. Michael Sunderland uses local fruit for his product when available. In addition to his talents in the kitchen, Michael also has a love for photography.

As for pricing, the bagels are typical ($6.95/doz), the jams are 'treats' ($4.25 for a 125 ml jar) and the cheese is in the 'super treat' range ($63.75/kg for Petal Luna and $49.99/kg for Graskaas).

The mister had only good things to say about his Sunday breakfast. I suppose partly because it was made for him and delivered. But more than that, he just loved the taste of his toasted sesame seed bagel and both of the delectable cheeses. He was particularly fond of the Strawberry and Balsamic jam. No funny names in any of the ingredient lists helps to keep the tastes real. "It was all good."

Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli, Inc.
1321 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
613.722.8753
www.bagelshop.ca

Mon to Thurs: 6:30 am - 7 pm
Fri: 6:30 am - 8 pm
Sat: 6:30 am - 7 pm
Sun: 6:30 am - 6 pm



Serious Cheese
1189 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario
613-422-6090
www.seriouscheese.com

Mon to Sat: 10 am - 6 pm
Sun: 11 am - 5



Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.
4309 County Road #8
Picton, Ontario
613.476.5755
www.fifthtown.ca

michaelsdolce
Ottawa, Ontario
www.michaelsdolce.com