The Good Beer Folks Blog » beer & food

Are you a cheese fanatic? Then you need to check this out.

Marina — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:16:36 +0000

If you’re a cheese fanatic like us, you have probably heard of CHEESEWERKS™.

After all, it’s the first and only restaurant dedicated to making the cheese a centre of your meal.

They’ve got it all: mac + cheese, cheese fondue, artisan grilled cheese, fine cheese selections and charcuterie and other ooey gooey grub that can be enjoyed with wine or craft beer.

We have previously debunked the myth that wine goes better with cheese thanks to UCLA’s Dr. Hildegard Heymann who stated:

“Wine and cheese are incompatible since cheese dulls the taste of red wine making it difficult to discern different flavours…. after eating cheese, wine tasters could not tell the difference between expensive wine and cheap plonk.”

Why is beer better than wine in matching cheese exactly? It’s in the harmony:

“With wine, you are almost always working just with contrasts. That’s not as satisfying as combining beer and cheese where you are also working in some flavour harmonies.” (Janet Fletcher, San Francisco Chronicle)

We had the pleasure to meet the “Big Cheese” at Cheesewerks, Kevin Durkee, who started this local favourite.

1. What is your background?

I’m a natural born foodie. My mother ran a bakery, then a Tea Room in eastern Ontario from for over 25 years while I was growing up. I was her “sous chef” helping out everywhere could. It was my after school, summer and part-time job while I was at home.

Leaving for the big city, I entered into the marketing industry but quickly found myself marketing consumer packaged goods and lifestyle brands, many of them food brands. Over the last few years, the restaurant foodie bug was back and I began to build the CHEESEWERKS brand.

2. What is CHEESEWERKS exactly?

CHEESEWERKS is Canada’s first-and-only restaurant totally dedicated to placing artisan cheese at the centre of every plate. You’ve always been able to enjoy a great steakhouse or seafood house, now Toronto can enjoy a “cheese house”. We joke that we’re Lactose-Intolerant Intolerant.

Our menu is anchored by our “legend dairy” Grilled Cheese, but we offer Mac + Cheese, Cheese Fondue, Cheese selections, Charcuterie, and most importantly artisan beer and wine. Plus, look forward to CHEESEWERKS special events where items like Nachos and Racellete become the stars for the evening.

3. What is your philosophy when it comes to food?

Food is all about sharing. Getting someone to try something for the first time. Or reaching across the table to sneak something from a friends’ plate. Food is what fundamentally connects us all. The food at CHEESEWERKS is really about ‘comfort shared’. Easy to understand, easy to enjoy and incredibility satisfying.

4. What do you want people who dine at CHEESEWERKS to take away?

We’d like all of our guests to say, “That was amazing – why hasn’t there been a place like this before?”. We want them to indulge their passion for great artisan products, especially Cheese, Bread, Beer & Wine. But most of all, we want each guest have a better appreciation for the amazing products crafted in our ‘national backyard’.

5. What cheese would we find in your fridge?

Before I started this business, I just couldn’t enjoy a good Blue cheese. But, since tasting some of the best products in the Canada, I have a new appreciation for Canadian Blue. So, you’ll see some Bleu Bénédictin for sure. You’d also see some Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, that’s our daughters favourite.

6. What role will Canadian cheese play in your operation?

The biggest role. We support 100% Canadian cheese, using Canadian artisan products throughout our menu and retail offering. In fact, we are supported by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Canadian cheese is some of the best in the world, so why not celebrate it?

7. Who are CHEESEWERKS Board Members – and how can you become one?

Early on in the development of the restaurant, we were approached a lot by our Friends and Family on how they could help. We had one answer – “come, eat and bring your friends”. That idea grew into our Board Member Program, which allows Fans, Followers, Foodies and Friends to purchase a Membership which gives them “credit in the resturant” and perks throughout the year.

Anyone can become a member, and we have a lot of local businesses signing up as it’s a great tool for staff loyalty and rewards. All the Board Member info is on our website.

8. Favourite event hosted at CHEESEWERKS?

Hands down, the best events at CHEESEWERKS are our Meet the Makers Series. They are interactive foodie nights, where our guests meet, listen and learn from our favourite producers. Plus, guests are treated to a 4 or 5 course meal using the products from that producers. So whether you learn about Cheese in Southwestern Ontario from the Cheese Maker himself, or Wines from Prince Edward County. People want to get close to their food – and nothing is closer than meeting and dinning with the producers themselves.

9. Favourite part of being an entrepreneur?

The cliché answer is being my own boss – and while that is incredibly satisfying and liberating, the real answer is hearing directly from our guests. They opinions and feedback. Nothing makes me happier than introducing someone new to the shop and watching their eyes open and mouth start to water when hear what we have in store for them. Making people happy with food is the best reward.

Come visit our friends at CHEESEWERKS!

What’s a Church Key?

Marina — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:58:35 +0000

“The Church Key is your destination pub whether you’re looking for an impressive selection of craft beers or a pub meal with flair….”

It’s also a term for a bottle opener:

www.churchkey.ca

If you’re a fan of craft beer and quality pub food in London (Ontario), you most likely have visited the local favourite Church Key. Meet Vanessa, the owner of this London gem.

Vanessa chats what it takes to open up a restaurant and get started in the industry, favourite menu items, rewards of being a restaurant owner and what a Church Key really is:

What is your experience in the industry and how did you get started in the business?

My husband and I own and operate The Church Key together. We have both spent the better part of our lives working in the bar and restaurant industry. We both began like a lot of people do – working part time to earn money while in school and figuring out what we really wanted to do with our lives. My first job was as a server at a Golden Griddle in Oakville! Peter began at the infamous (and now gone) ‘Ox Box’ in London over 30 years ago. Luckily I think, we figured out pretty early on that we enjoyed the environment very much and chose to try to make a career in the industry. Peter has been a professional bartender at various establishments in London and I have also worked as a server and manager for almost 20 years.

How did The Church Key get started?

When my husband and I met 10 years ago, we began to develop a dream of starting our own restaurant one day. We hoped we could combine our experiences to create something that London would appreciate. In February of 2009, we had the good fortune of being able to occupy the space that now houses The Church Key.

Can you explain the concept behind the name?

A ‘Church Key’ is an old fashioned term for a bottle opener. In the days before twist off became the norm, you opened your beer bottle with a ‘church key’. We think they term comes from the fact that bottle openers kind of look like the non-business end of old iron antique keys. We even had one old timer in the bar once who told us that soldiers used to use found keys from blown out churches in the war to open all sorts of things. I’ve never bothered to verify this but it sounds cool.

The Church Key has a special place on the menu for local ingredients – where do they come from and why is this of importance?

I wouldn’t say that we focus exclusively on using local ingredients. I don’t want to mis-represent this out of respect to other restaurants that spend more energy and money on this than we do. That is not to say that we don’t source locally, we do – just again, not exclusively. We are committed to using local ingredients at every reasonable opportunity that presents itself. We visit farmers markets at least once a week and also have several local farms that deliver products to us fresh from the field/barn. Specifically whole lambs and pigs that we butcher ourselves, duck eggs, cheeses and seasonal organic vegetables. We do this for the freshness factor mostly, but also because it is important to support the local economy. I think that I would say we focus on providing very high quality comfort food and extreme value.

Smoked salmon wrapped scallops with rice wine syrup and togarashi aioli.

What is your favourite item on the menu?

I don’t know how it is for other restaurateurs but I am finding this question nearly impossible to answer! It’s like asking someone who their favourite child is. I know that sounds ridiculously corny but I’m not sure how to describe it. I guess if I had to pick one dish it would be The Ploughman’s Plate. It represents everything we are trying to be on a plate and is the one meal that I still eat at least once a week – I love it.

How would you describe Church Key to someone who has never been there?

A comfortable upscale pub that features traditional pub fare and comfort dishes that are prepared in a unique and highly professional manner. It is cozy, the food is tasty and inexpensive, and the service is friendly.

What is the most rewarding thing about running The Church Key?

There are so many things. We put everything that we have into our pub and the most rewarding thing is also the thing that surprised me the most – gratitude. I am overwhelmed on a daily basis by the immense feeling of gratitude that I feel for the support given by all people involved with The Church Key – staff, customers (especially the regulars), others in the restaurant community, suppliers, other local businesses, everyone. When people I don’t know choose to celebrate huge milestones in their life like an 80^th birthday or an engagement or a shower or retirement or graduation or whatever at our little pub, we are truly honored. I never expected that.

For more on Church Key, visit http://www.thechurchkey.ca/.

BBQ Tips for National BBQ Day

Marina — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:01:34 +0000

June 23rd marks Meal Exchange’s third annual National BBQ Day™, a nation-wide celebration of locally-sourced food.

Individuals, organizations and communities are encouraged to sign up, and host their own BBQs with as much locally raised and grown food as possible. Share your stories, recipes and photos on Twitter (#NationalBBQDay), Facebook and email Meal Exchange for a chance to WIN a Napoleon BBQ Grill.

In preparation, we thought we’d offer you some BBQ tips from the BBQ King himself – Steve Adams from Team Cedar Grilling.

For those who don’t know, Team Cedar Grilling is a competition barbecue team and are the current reigning Canadian Grand BBQ champions, earning the privilege to represent Canada at the Jack Daniels World invitational Barbecue championships in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

He also owns Jambo – the Ultimate BBQ Pit, with Steam Whistle draught tap built right in. Awesome.

BBQ Tips

Barbeque vs Grilling: Barbeque, Barbecue or BBQ is generally slow cooking over indirect heat at temperatures below 250 degrees for a long period of time. Grilling is generally cooking with the heat source directly under the food and a lot faster than the low and slow traditional style BBQ.

Direct Setup – Direct grilling is a barbeque technique in which the food is placed directly over the heat source.

Indirect Setup – Indirect grilling is a barbecue cooking technique in which the food is placed to the side of the heat source instead of directly over the flame with the barbecue lid closed

Chicken Tip: Cook your chicken over the direct setup until you have achieved the desired appearance.

Finish cooking with the indirect setup. Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Your chicken will be perfectly cooked at 190 degrees.

Apply your sauce in the last 10 minutes.

8 Minute Steak Tip: Take the steak out of the refrigerator 15 minutes prior to cooking to warm up.

Prepare for direct setup and crank your BBQ as hot as it will go.

Place the meat directly over the heat and grill for 2 minutes.

Flip the steak and cook for 2 more minutes.

Flip the steak again, changing the angle slightly to achieve nice grill marks for 2 more minutes.

Flip the last time for 2 minutes changing the angle.

Remove the perfect steak to a warm plate, cover with foil for a few minutes before serving.

Try adding a dollop of Boursin herb cream cheese to the top of each steak.

Homemade Hamburgers Tip: Try burying your favourite piece of cheese right in the centre of the hamburger patty, sealing it well around the edges so the cheese won’t leak out. Splash a little Steam Whistle on the burger as it is cooking for great flavour.

Smoking option: Soak your wood chips in Steam Whistle Pilsner, drain and wrap the wood chips in tinfoil; poke the foil pack several times with a fork. Add package to the direct heat side of the BBQ to create smoke.

Salt & Pepper: Try adding the salt and pepper after the food is cooked to give it that extra zip!

Presentation: When grilling over direct heat, remember to place the food on the grill presentation side down first to achieve the desirable grill marks. People eat with their eyes – make it look good!

BBQ Sauce Tip: In a heat proof pot, right on the grill, add your favourite BBQ sauce and a splash of Steam Whistle Pilsner. Use a silicone basting brush to apply your new sauce to the grilled food.

What is the Difference between Lump and Briquette charcoal? Lump charcoal is a natural charcoal that burns very hot, fast and clean. Lump is great for grilling. Briquette charcoal is charcoal dust that is compressed together with a cornstarch binder to hold its round shape. Briquettes are more suited for the low and slow indirect cooking method. Team Cedar Grilling uses Maple Leaf Lump Charcoal.

How to Open a Charcoal Bag: Are you frustrated with that knotted string that holds the top of your charcoal bag closed? How do I open the charcoal without ripping the bag?

There is a long knotted end and a shorter knotted end. Simply go to the short end of the string and undo one to two loops until you can see that it will be free if gently pulled. This tip also works on potato bags.

How to light Charcoal The Easy Way: Lay two sheets of paper towel flat and drizzle olive oil in an ‘S’ pattern over each square of paper towel. Lightly twist each piece, lay on the charcoal and light with a match.

Steam Clean Your Grill: When your grill is super hot, dip a clean BBQ brush in water or snow and scrub your grill to a clean finish.

40 to 140 Rule: The danger zone for food is between 40 and 140 degrees. If your food temperature is between 40 and 140 it can only be left out at room temperature for two hours before it has to be refrigerated.