Farm to table, earth to table, garden to table, farm to fork – it’s a movement that is rapidly becoming mainstream in the food world. As Fraser Macfarlane, a locavore himself, from Quatrefoil Restaurant in Dundas says: “most high-quality chefs are moving towards using local farmers exclusively where possible.”  At the RBG (Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington) the chefs have been striving towards a farm to table philosophy for more than 5 years.

There are many reasons for the movement taking off.  Quality is naturally the driver.  “When we first opened, there was a knock on the door and a local farmer showed up with fresh strawberries that had just been picked that day – they had never even been refrigerated,” says Fraser.  Quality is so much higher but so is freshness.  Shelf life is also longer and then there is the provenance of knowing exactly where your produce is from and the integrity that brings.  You actually know the farmer that grew your goods.

Chef Peter Mancini from RBG includes the environment, nutrition, and flavour as the main reasons. “The shorter the distance the product travels, the lower the impact it has on the environment.  Serving local products means that the food is at the peak of freshness, nutritional value, and flavour when it arrives in front of our guests.”

Environmentally, the huge upside is also that the produce arrives without any packaging.  It is delivered in large stackable plastic crates which are returned to the farmer for reuse once empty.  No cardboard.  No disposable plastic.

At Cucci in Oakville, ingredients are selected from local farmers and blended with fresh Italian sensibilities to create modern Italian cuisine. While, low-ley farm to table restaurant Wundeba in Burlington prepares scrumptious dishes with all organic and/or local ingredients. For these restaurants, price is not really a driver as the products are marginally more expensive than using a produce company, but there is great pleasure in knowing the product is locally and sustainably sourced and everything is done by the farmers themselves.

When evaluating farms as potential suppliers, restaurateurs visit farms and look at things like organization and cleanliness, as well as continuity of supply.  You can’t put something on your menu for the season if the farmer cannot guarantee supply.

When dealing with small farmers, the possibility of exotic products opens up.  Fraser is very impressed with the quality of game birds that he can get from Carol Precious of Chassagne Farm.  Her squab is outstanding, not to mention the quail, pheasant and Cornish hen.  The eggs are free-run and super fresh and even the honey (often with the natural comb) is wild and unpasteurized.

Some restaurants have enough demand that they have farmers grow exclusively for them, some even have their own kitchen gardens like the Veggie Village at the RBG.  Another offshoot of the farm-to-table movement is people who forage the land.  Pat Coswick from Babalink Farm off Highway 5 forages what grows on her farm and supplies it to restaurants.  She manages to find interesting mushrooms like chicken legs and lobster mushrooms, and even wild greens like wood sorrel.

It’s a style of eating that is growing in momentum. Always be sure to ask where the products are sourced from to join the revolution. 

Here are some other farm to table restaurants in the area worth a taste:

Earth to Table Bread Bar in Hamilton and Guelph (they also have a cookbook: Earth to Table Every Day by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann).

Community Restaurant on Kerr Street in Oakville serves plant-based dishes and  is currently sourcing products as locally as possible.

Spencer’s at the Waterfront in Burlington. Whether it’s mouth-watering steak from their butcher, sustainably sourced seafood or freshly harvested produce from their farm, each ingredient is transformed into something delightfully delicious. 

Kamoosh Bistro in Waterdown sources meat from local butchers and fresh produce from Ontario farms. 

by Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright

Local Links

Quatrefoil Restaurant, Dundas
Quatrefoilrestaurant.com

Greenhouse Café, Burlington
RBG.ca/dine

Chassagne Farm, Puslinch
Chassagne.ca

Babalink Farm, Flamborough
Babalinkfarm.ca

Earth to Table Bread Bar, Hamilton
Breadbar.ca

Kamoosh Bistro, Waterdown
Kamooshbistro.com

Community Restaurant, Oakville
Communityresto.com

Spencer’s at the Waterfront, Burlington
Spencers.ca

Piazza Bistro, Oakville
Piazzabistro.ca

Cucci, Oakville
Cucci.ca

Wundeba, Burlington
Wundeba.ca

You probably don’t think twice when asked, “Would you like a side of fries with that?” But it’s time to give this popular accompaniment the attention it deserves. Despite their seeming simplicity, it’s shockingly easy to get fries horribly wrong. Often, they’re greasy, pale, and as alluring as the cardboard box housing your morning cereal. Yet, served hot, golden, and just kissed with salt, properly-made French fries are one of life’s grandest pleasures. Here’s our guide to help you find some of the best fries being dished out in Oakville and Burlington.

Oakville

Chippy’s Fresh Cut Fries

Chippysfcf.ca

Get back to basics at one of Oakville’s premier chip wagons. Once you spot the bright yellow exterior, prepare to pull over for made-to-order, hand-cut fries topped simply with salt, Chippy’s seasoning
or gravy.

Gingerman Social Eatery

Gingermansocialeatery.ca

Knowing that nothing goes with a great burger like equally delicious fries, the team here works with Yukon Gold potatoes, cutting them thin, frying them to order and serving them as-is or as poutine, smothered in peppercorn beef gravy. An assortment of sauces, from chipotle mayo to garlic aioli, make great alternatives to Heinz.

Just Braise Sandwiches

Justbraise.ca

Killer gourmet sandwiches draw crowds but Just Braise’s fries are the sleeper hit at this Fortino’s plaza denizen. Russet potatoes are hand-washed and cut, the skin left on for added texture. Then, they’re double-fried to a deep golden brown. Made to order, these beauties are always fresh and give Just Braise’s unique, gourmet sandwiches some serious competition.

Sammy’s Famous Chip Wagon

Oakvillesbest.com

Bronte landmark, Sammy’s Famous Old Fashion Chip Wagon is a family favourite. With potatoes cut into fries in-front of mouth watering guests – it doesn’t get fresher than this.  Crisp and crunchy, they make a perfect evening snack or casual lunchtime treat.

Bru Restaurant

brurestaurant.ca

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. What more do you want when it comes to the perfect fry? Always freshly cut and browned with the skin left on, these french fries, served in a heap, have the perfect balance of smoothness and crunch. Severed with a with a side of roasted garlic aioli, they may be just too good to share..

Burlington

Spencer’s at the Waterfront

Spencers.ca

Featuring farm-to-table cuisine, Spencer’s is known for local plates and tranquil lakeside views. Choosing between mains can be tricky but a side of fries is a must. Cut from fresh Yukon Gold potatoes, Spencer’s fries are first blanched, then finished in hot oil until deeply bronzed. Finished with pine salt and presented with house mayo, they’re a perfect match to whichever main you choose.

Charcoal Pit

Burlingtoncharcoalpit.com

A local landmark, “The Big Pit” has been dishing out robust, Greek-Canadian diner classics since 1969. Hand-cut, and twice fried, potatoes arrive superlatively crisp and lustrous. Served simply salted or Greek-style, with feta, oregano, and lemon juice, they’re habit-forming,
french fry nirvana. 

Easterbrooks Hot Dog Stand

A retro diner, tailor-made for Instagram pics, Canada’s “2nd Oldest Hot Dog Stand” serves more than two dozen varieties of foot-long hot dogs and fast-food style French fries. Crisp and thin, these are the fries you want close by when cravings hit.

The French Fry Guy

It’s lucky this nondescript food truck is somewhat off the beaten path or there’d be line-ups down the street. Here, PEI’s finest russet potatoes are sliced down to steak-cut size, then double-fried. Golden and delicately crisp yet perfectly tender at their core, they’re what every potato aspires to be.

Rust Bistrobar

Rustbistrobar.ca

A menu infused with international flavours keeps locals returning to this popular spot. Here, the kitchen gives russet potatoes the frite treatment — cutting them thin, then frying them twice to maximize crunch. Tossed in truffle oil and herbs, then finished with salt, pepper, and parmesan they’re a gourmet choice well worth the calorie splurge. 

by Christine Peddie

There’s this girl I know. She has strawberry blonde hair that flows down her back and sandy coloured freckles on a peachy complexion. She is beautiful and she reminds me of a beautiful strawberry. Her name is Anna and she is the daughter of Niagara’s largest strawberry farmer, Tigchelaar’s Berry Farm.

Tigchelaar’s supplies Ontario’s wholesale market with ever-bearing strawberries throughout the spring and summer. Chances are if you see local strawberries in your grocery store, they’re Tigchelaar’s. In the spring, they also run one of the few remaining pick-your-own strawberry operations on Jordan Road, right next to their farm market appropriately called, The Red Barn Farm Market.

You can recognize a strawberry field by the lush, green, corduroy rows dotted with little, glistening spots of ruby red. For those who appreciate the seduction of the first sweet bite of the season, it signifies not just the return of our beloved strawberries, but the start of a 6-month long bounty of local food that begins right here among the straw-covered
berry patch.

Tigchelaar’s pick-your-own season is much shorter than their summer-long wholesale business. They select the most delicious, choicest of strawberry varieties (which are also the most perishable and not easily transported to stores) to plant for their pick-your-own field and the season lasts approximately six weeks.

Strawberry picking is definitely a long-standing tradition, explains Fran Tigchelaar. “The best part of strawberry season for me is to see my regular customers again. We’re like a seasonal community, they come back year after year and they pick tons of strawberries in minutes flat for themselves, their friends and family and I love them all.” Traditional strawberry pickers are largely from an aging demographic. And with the changing demographics, comes change for Ontario farmers and their operations.

Springridge Farm in Milton is Ontario’s iconic pick-your-own strawberry operation, or at least they were until a few years ago. “We went from 90% pick-your-own and 10% value added activity to 10% pick-your-own and 90% value added,” explains Jessie Lauzon, Director of Food for Springridge Farm in Milton. “The market was sending us a message. We still get to be strawberry farmers and now we can value add to our crop – we’re loving the evolution!”

In Springridge’s giant farm market, you’ll find fresh strawberries picked that day as well as cooked into pies and tarts, grilled into brie cheese sandwiches and simmered into some of their award-winning jams and sauces. Like Springridge, Tigchelaar’s also value adds with their crop. In the Red Barn Farm Market, you’ll find fresh strawberries baked into pies and tarts, delicious jams and you won’t want to miss their famous strawberry scones.

The little, ruby red berries with more than enough juice to stain your fingers are dependent on sun, warm days and rich soil. We should see berry harvests begin in early June. However, the season varies depending not just on the weather, but also on location. For instance, strawberry fields in Niagara and Simcoe traditionally harvest first, around the end of May or the first part of June, while the fields in the Milton and Burlington area will harvest about mid-June. This is because the weather is warmer along the lake, coaxing them to ripen earlier.

Strawberries are one of life’s little luxuries and to get the most from them you need to find your own farmer who can supply you with strawberries so sweet they make you swoon. Ontario berries are more than just strawberries; they’ve become symbolic of local food – food that is more than what it appears.

Always pick up local Ontario strawberries in the produce section  of your grocery store, but if you can, plan on a full  strawberry experience at any of the following farms:

Andrews Scenic Acres

9365 10 Side Rd, Milton
Opens April 19, 7 days a week.
andrewsscenicacres.com

Downey’s Farm Market

13682 Heart Lake Rd., Caledon,
Open April 13,
7 days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
Pick-your-own: 7:30 am – 2 pm, weekends until 3:30 pm
905-838-2990
downeysfarm.com

Springridge Farm

7256 Bell School Line, Milton,
Opens April 12, 6 days a week
in season, 9 am – 5 pm
springridgefarm.com

Tigchelaar Berry Farm
and Red Barn Farm Market

4157 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station
Open soon,  6 days a week during the season. Closed Sundays
Call 905-658-2265 for daily strawberry picking updates
tigchelaarberries.com

by Lynn Ogryzlo

Lynn Ogryzlo is a food writer, culinary nutritionist and founder of FOOD 101, offering food education classes in Niagara and Toronto. (www.FOOD101.ca)