April 1, 2019
Owner Eric Wagner increasing production with bottled ales at the PEILCC coming this spring When Eric Wagner started making beer he was doing it to please himself and share some interesting ales with friends. He is still making beer with that in mind, it’s just become a little bigger. His brewery, Moth Lane Brewing, is undergoing some changes that will…
March 1, 2019
Stories from the worst kitchens in the world Weird complaints are just, well, weird. Sometimes they stem from ignorance or a misunderstanding of how food or restaurants work and sometimes from just plain madness. Burnt enough for ya? Years ago I worked at a large chain hotel’s restaurant. It was mostly good work but we would get some very particular…
February 1, 2019
Jeff Noye and Damien Enman want you to come to their kitchen and feel like you’re home Tyne Valley is the perfect place for an oyster business. “This is the centre of the oyster universe,” Jeff Noye, co-owner of Valley Pearl Oysters (and mayor of Tyne Valley) said. “Even the rink here sells fried oysters. It’s on the regular menu.”…
February 1, 2019
It’s funny that the sorts of foods rumoured to be aphrodisiacs are things you really don’t need an excuse to eat. Red wine? Drink away. Chocolate? Don’t need to ask me twice! Oysters? Bring them on. This is all just myth. No food is an aphrodisiac, but some foods can certainly set the mood for a romantic evening. And none…
February 1, 2019
Dining on the Marie Celeste The restaurant industry can be a precarious endeavour for all concerned. Restaurant owners, investors, employees, diners, and landlords can all feel the brunt of a business that can be fleeting and is often only slightly above “spas” (I mean the kind that are open all night and have neon signs in their darkened windows) when…
January 1, 2019
EGGS 101 There is nothing like the question, “How do I cook the perfect egg?”, that is more likely to devolve into a heated argument about one’s pedigree. A perfectly cooked egg is special. A little package of flavour, nutrients, and energy with one of the most pleasing shapes in nature and the cause of countless kitchen battles about the…
January 1, 2019
I first met John Bil when we worked together at the Stanley Bridge Country Resort in the early 90s. He was also working at Carr’s Lobster Pound, and at that point in his fish career I was already sure he was some kind of fish genius (jedi/guru/master). John is the reason I love oysters and quahogs today and I imagine…
January 1, 2019
New Year edition-rules for dining out It’s the New Year so let’s start off on the right foot shall we? We have one quick story this month, and then a couple of lists for diners and hospitality staff to keep in mind when it comes to dining out. But first the quick story: Alana When I was working in Jasper…
January 1, 2019
Brewery equipment supplier tanks, leaving some customers empty-handed and looking for alternatives The sudden collapse of DME has left a lot of brewers in limbo, but some are better off than others. On November 26 the Supreme Court of PEI appointed Alvarez and Marsal Canada Inc as receiver of DME and its various companies. The Royal Bank of Canada made…
December 1, 2018
Award-winning restaurant busy keeping their customers satisfied Summerside’s South Central Kitchen and Provisions won the CBDC Central New Business Award at last month’s 25th annual Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. South Central’s owners, Dan Kutcher, a former lawyer, and Ian Gass who is a Culinary Institute graduate, couldn’t be happier. They teamed up earlier this year to…