Chow - Ottawa food a hungry capital

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Don Chow and Jennifer Lim

All rights reserved

All images courtesy of the authors unless otherwise noted.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62584.991.5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chow, Don, author.

Ottawa food : a hungry capital / Don Chow and Jennifer Lim.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-458-8

1. Local foods--Ontario--Ottawa. 2. Cooking--Ontario--Ottawa. 3. Ottawa (Ont.)--History. I. Lim, Jennifer. II. Title.

TX360.C32O53 2014

641.5971384--dc23

2014033890

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To our parents, who instilled in us a love for food, gardening, cooking and the importance of sitting down for a family meal each day.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book could not have been possible without the help and encouragement of so many people. First and foremost, we are grateful to Katie Orlando, our commissioning editor at The History Press, who took a chance on two unsuspecting kids who just happen to write about food in their spare time. All she knew of us when she offered us a book contract was what she saw on our blog, foodiePrints, and perhaps on social media. With every deadline we missed, her e-mails gave us the confidence that we could do it. We are humbled and still in shock that Katie approached us. Without her, this book wouldnt have happened. We are forever indebted to her.

Sincere thanks also go out to the many people who helped us along the way with our research, sharing their memories and time with us: Eugene Haslam, Pat Nicastro and Rocco Nicastro Jr., Kyrn Stein, Marysol Foucault, Dave Loan, Kyle Mortimer-Proulx, Danny Mongeon, Charles Beauregard, Tara Simpson, Linda Cook, Ian Reed, Giuliano Boselli, Craig Buckley, Paul Couvrette, Jantine Van Kregten, Andy Terauds, Jose Bento, Madan Sharma, George Monsour, Donna Bush, Patrick Garland, Paul Meek, Tracey Black, Stephen Beckta, Randy Fitzpatrick, Michael Blackie, Philip Powell, Jen Wall and Steve Wall, Kym Ng, Heather Hossie, Jason Duffy, Steph Legari, John Leung, Shane Clark, Rob McIssac, Richard Nigro, Patti Murphy, Sarah Burns and Phillippe Dupuy.

Restaurant critic Anne DesBrisay is someone we have looked up to over the years. Thank you for your encouragement and for lending us books and materials to help us with our research. You have been our inspiration for foodiePrints.

A big thank-you also goes to Jasmine for driving around town and picking up groceries as we buried ourselves in our writing. Jazzy, without you, we would have starved!

To our family and friends, having you cheer for us as we embarked on this adventure has been heartwarming. We love you dearly and are thankful to have you in our lives.

We would also like to give a special thank-you to librarian Brian Silcoff of the Ottawa Room at the Ottawa Public Library. You helped us smile when we were discouraged and frustrated with writers block.

We are honoured to have been given this opportunity to write about our hometown. We hope that we have created something special. In the end, we offer this work to the efforts of those striving to make Ottawa into an extraordinary culinary destination.

INTRODUCTION

Over the years, Ottawa has gained a reputation as a mundane city due to its political nature. It did not help the citys image when a self-appointed committee of experts in Toronto for the Boring Awards named Ottawa the Most Boring City in Canada in 2013. Dull and forgettable, ours is a tedious existence, labouring in old office buildings filled with dusty cubicles and computer screens.

And food wise? With the city generally regarded as a culinary wasteland, people often joked that one had to leave town in order to get a decent meal. But those involved in the food and restaurant industry have worked hard over the years to shake off this unfortunate notoriety. They are working to develop Ottawas culinary identity.

This book explores the local food scene from the 1980s until the present day. Once largely a landscape of pub grub, it slowly changed as Ottawans began dining out at classical French restaurants. Ethnic cuisine later emerged as immigration changed the face of Ottawa. We reacquainted ourselves with farming and eating and buying locally. Current food trends have forced us to rediscover our history of craft beer and explore street food with trucks and carts.

For far too long, Ottawa has been living under the shadows of Toronto and Montreal. It is time to celebrate and to take pride in our food. We are a city of farmers, artisan producers, chefs, microbrewers, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs. Determination and hard work are steadily turning Ottawa into something specialperhaps even a culinary destination.

This account strictly focuses on Ottawa, with some mentions of nearby Gatineau, Quebec and occasionally towns in the Ottawa Valley. Hull refers to present-day downtown Gatineau. Previously a city of its own standing, Hull merged with Gatineau to form the new city of Gatineau in 2002. Hull-Gatineau is generally considered a part of the National Capital Region. Many of the eateries and breweries featured still exist, although a number of businesses have closed or been replaced as the city transformed itself. While grocery stores, food businesses, farmers, breweries and restaurants are mentioned, there was simply not enough space to include them all.

Ottawa may not be a very old city, but it has such a rich history. It is our hope that the stories weve put together inspire you to try a new restaurant or cuisine, purchase more local foods, take a tour of a brewery, shop at a farmers market or be more involved with your community.

Having lived in Ottawa all our lives, we were excited to get a chance to research and write about the past three decades. As we are scarcely older than the period in question, it has been fascinating learning how much Canadas capital has changed regarding food. Old memories surfaced, and aspects we took for grantedlike dining in a completely smoke-free environmentwere once contentious issues as city council strived to create a healthier city.

We are not professional writers, and we have never worked in the food or restaurant industries. But we are passionate about food and cooking. We read, breathe, dream and chat about food. We started off as food bloggers, writing about our cooking adventures and mishaps in the kitchen and sharing recipes with friends. From there, we began dining out and learned that Ottawa prepares and serves great food. We started meeting restaurateurs, chefs, cooks, servers, farmers and other local producersall good people who work hard every day to create positive food experiences and lasting memories.

Regardless of where your interest lies, we hope that you find something tasty on every page.

Chapter 1

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Going back nearly forty years, Ottawa was a gastronomic wasteland. Suffering through dining out in Canadas capital during the decade leading to the 1980s arguably cemented Ottawas reputation for being a food backwater. Recommending where to eat would involve urging people to cross the river into Hull. Better yet, keep driving until you arrive in Montreal.