Southbrook Winery

A few days ago I had the pleasure of going down to Southbrook winery where our class got the full tour, including the farm.  We got to meet Niagara food specialist Mario Pingue and the owner of Niagara Try Dry.

Southbrook is the first biodynamic winery, they produce most Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux blend and Chardonnays.  I found it very interesting how they grow their grapes. To start, they have their farm and on the farm they have sheep and pigs.   They use the sheep and pigs to keep the vineyard fields clean and for adding nutrience back into the soil. Over the years it has not been easy for them to grow grapes.   They stay true to their word about being biodynamic and organic, they have lost many vines because of different bugs and illnesses to the plants but they have managed to overcome everything by continuing with their methods.  As a result, their plants are growing stronger and stronger every year and they are getting better yields out of the plants as time goes on.

I got to try their wine and had a wonderful meal that was prepared by their chef.   It was a nice, rich and hardy stew, very seasonal for this time of year. They also sell the lamb and the pork to the public and to the local restaurants in the area.

Niagara Try Dry caught my attention right away as he started to speak to us, they farm and crop 26 different products from apples, plums, cherry’s, pears and much, much more. No added sugar and oils, they have 4 industrial dehydrators that are running constantly to keep up with how much they have to dehydrate. Around this time a year they will start to run out of products because they follow the seasons for fruit. Their farm is in Beamsville, ON where they have their orchards and most of their fruits. It was interesting that they dehydrate tomatoes and that the best tomatoe to dehydrate comes from Canadian Tire, they found this out after losing a crop and having to improvise (funny how you can stumble upon things).

Meeting Mario Pingue from Niagara Food Specialties was cool, he did a bunch of homework before coming to talk to us about his product and why it is cheaper in the long run to buy his product vs packaged products from the store. He referenced a pack of hotdogs from Walmart and explained how you’re really paying more for the hotdogs than you would for his meat. The concept behind him is all about how the pigs are raised.   He believes that the pigs should live a happy life, right from what they eat to all the way to the abattoir. They have worked very hard to source out what is best for their product.  The pigs that are going to the abattoir will be loaded up and shipped which means the pigs are going to be stressed once they reach the abattoir.  Once at their destination, the pigs are feed with food, given water and put into a stall with sand, where they can relax and destress from their long journey, they will be comfortable and happy. When it comes time to make their charcuterie, they import natural salt from Sicily, the same salt we used at Anitca Corta Pallavichina.

Over all my experience at Southbrook was a great one.   We got to try some amazing wine, eat some amazing food and meet some great suppliers out of Niagara who work extremely hard to keep with being Good, Clean and Fair and I will support what they’re doing 100%. As a growing cook, I can’t wait to start using these products in my future. 

Slow food

Hello, my name is Matthew Metcalfe and I’m a Cook in Toronto. I am currently enrolled in the Italian Program at George Brown College and work part-time at Richmond Station in Toronto. I’m 23 years old and my passion is food.

I grew up in a small town outside of Toronto, ON called Grand Valley. I have one sister who is 3 years older than me.  Growing up in a small town was interesting.  We did not have very many restaurants to go out and eat at, so good home cooked food was always a thing for my family. I think that much of my cooking influences came from watching my mom and dad cook when I was younger. We had a very busy childhood.  Both my sister and I played a lot of hockey when we were younger pulling my mom and dad all over the place.  One night here,  another night there, so having a family dinner was hard, but still for the most part, every night there was a meal on the table before our games or practices. My mom and dad would plan nights in advance for dinner.  They planned meals that were quick, simple and healthy because we were always on the go. I think that is enough about me, let’s get into the good stuff.

Like I mentioned before, I’m currently enrolled in the Italian Program at George Brown College, I recently just finished a 14-week internship at Antica Corta Pallavicina in Polesine under Chef Massimo Spigaroli.

Antica Corta Pallavicina was not just a restaurant.  I like to think that it was an empire. In total there were 3 restaurants: Labirinto, Osteria and the Michelin Star restaurant.   In addition to the restaurants, there was a butcher shop, a hotel and the farm. Only being there for 14 weeks I decided to take advantage of everything I possibly could.  My first day at Corta was one that I will never forget. I remember stepping into the kitchen thinking, “Oh what did I just get myself into?”  I introduced myself and asked what I can help with.  I did a few odd prep jobs then worked my first service (of many, many more) at Corta.  After lunch service, one of the boys mentioned to me that I will be going to Labirinto.   Not having any idea what was going on at this point, I was thrown into a car and we were off! Shortly after arriving at the Labirinto and meeting the staff, I quickly figured out that this was an event for 500 people!

Antica Corta Pallavicina strived on the idea, “Good, Clean, Fair”.  Corta worked very hard on moving with the Slow Food Movement in Italy. The menus for all the restaurants wold follow the season of the vegetables, and we would only use the product grown/produced from the farm. The farm was a massive operation, everything was grown organically and nothing was wasted in the restaurant.  All of our scraps (organics) would go to the pigs on the farm. Corta would do as much as they could for themselves, anything we can grow we would, from produce, flour, cattle and oils.  It was incredible to see all of this in working order.  This is not something that you can just start up, they have been working on being fully self-sustainable for about 10 years now. One of their biggest products made by Corta was their cured meats Cuatello and salami, made with no nitrates or preservatives.  The meat is sustainable pork and locally sourced product from the town.

To work at this amazing place was incredible!  Getting to work so closely with the product and getting to see how much work goes into running this place was life changing. My stage had its ups and had it downs, but all-in-all I learned so much about myself and have a better idea of where I want to take my future in this path that I have chosen. My understanding of “good, clean and fair” is much clearer now. As a growing Cook, I’m looking forward to taking what I have learned in Italy and bringing it into my everyday life.