Edible Ottawa

01/10/2026

Grant van Gameren isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before in Prince Edward County — or at least that’s what he likes to say about his new restaurant, Rosetta.

“There’s a lot of great restaurants out there,” van Gameren says. “I was looking for what we could do a bit differently and still be welcomed by the community and our peers — something casual, a little bit fancy, somewhere you could go to celebrate.”

After living in the County for six years and opening 10 restaurants in Toronto, van Gameren partnered with Jesse Fader, co-owner of Bloomfield’s Darlings, to open his first PEC sitdown spot in April this year. Fader and van Gameren will tell you — over and over again — that there’s nothing interesting about Rosetta. It’s just a restaurant.

“We’re not trying to introduce anything that nobody’s ever had before — just do a good job with it,” Fader says.

And yet, situated right on Picton’s main street, the restaurant is packed every weekend, even though there are many other great places to go. There must be something interesting about Rosetta, right?

The simple answer is that its Italian-inspired steakhouse fare is unique in the area, the specials menu is crammed with ingredients from van Gameren’s own farm and it’s run by three award-winning chefs.

Read "Secret Sauce" by Alexandra Whyte from our September issue: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/secret-sauce/

Photos by Ash Nayler Photography.
Visit The County

29/09/2026

Pink peppercorn shortcakes with peppered plums from our September issue:

1⅓ cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
½ cup milk or buttermilk
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, crushed
2 cups plums, cleaned and quartered
¼ cup black peppercorn syrup
1 cup whipping cream, whipped, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has a chunky crumb consistency (use a mixing bowl if you don’t have a food processor).

Pour this mixture into a mixing bowl and add the milk and peppercorns. Use a spatula to start bringing everything together. This dough can still be rough at this point as you don’t want to overwork it. Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently bring it together. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Take one of the short sides of the dough and fold it into its centre. Repeat with the other short side, laying it on top of the first fold. Roll out the dough again to a ¾-inch thickness, then give it a quarter turn and repeat the process, folding and rolling to a finished rectangle ¾-inch thick.

Sprinkle the dough with sugar, then cut into four to six pieces. Bake the shortcakes on a lined baking sheet for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Add the cleaned and quartered strawberries to a mixing bowl, then add the peppercorn syrup and stir well.

For each serving, cut the shortcake in half, add strawberries and whipped cream to the base and finish with the shortcake top.

Photo by Helena McMurdo Photography.

25/09/2026

It’s a classic Canadian story. Initially, when w**e was being made in Ontario, it was all about what grew here naturally and in abundance — Labrusca grapes. Then, seeking legitimacy, the Ontario W**e Appellation Authority (VQA) began regulating those grapes, and encouraged growers to focus on European grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. That led to a 71.5 per cent tax on Labruscas, a rate typically reserved for international products. The thinking was that Ontario grapes wouldn’t be successful on the world stage. In order for Canadian w**es to earn acclaim, win awards and be seen on the world stage as legitimate, the thinking was that we needed to do what we always did — focus on what was already successful abroad and ignore what was homegrown.

Earlier this year, the Ontario government dropped the tax to 6.1 per cent on Labruscas, after the VQA added the varieties to its list of approved w**e grapes. At the time, the regulatory group said it was due to the grapes’ resistance to extreme cold temperatures and lesser need for fertilizers and pesticides. Each grape added to the VQA’s list has to be Ontario-grown and meet specific quality checks as determined by an independent panel.

Once Labruscas got the VQA stamp of approval and the tax was dropped, they became a more viable option for the initial brave few to enter this space.

Trail Estate W**ery, Bon Sang W**es and Drinks Farm were looking for something new to stand out in the crowded Canadian w**e market while embracing a truly natural, more sustainable w**e. Each looked to what many have turned their noses up at for years — the Labrusca grape.

Read "Labrusca Lore" by Alexandra Whyte from our September issue: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/labrusca-lore/

Photo of Drinks Farm by Ash Nayler Photography.

23/09/2026

September belongs to apples — and across Ontario, orchards are filling bins, c***r makers are pressing fruit and a new vintage is taking shape.

This week, September 19 to 26, Ontario Craft C***r Week celebrates the growers, makers and places behind the province’s craft c***r.

From orchard visits and tastings to special releases and events, it’s an opportunity to discover how Ontario-grown apples make their way from tree to glass.

Explore the people and places behind Ontario c***r, from Farmgate C***r in Ottawa to Spirit Tree Estate C***ry in Caledon, and discover events happening across the province.

Because every glass starts with a crop, a grower and a place.

Read more about Ontario Craft C***r Week and how to : https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/local-guides/an-apple-a-day-celebrating-ontario-craft-c***r-week/

***r ***r

An Apple a Day: Celebrating Ontario Craft C***r Week

21/09/2026

What happens when a restaurant lets the seasons, the farmers and the community call the shots?

At Stella’s Eatery in Waupoos, Cristina Meillon and chef Leah Marshall Hannon let the seasons lead the way. Their farm-to-table restaurant is rooted in relationships with local farmers, fishers, foragers and producers — from the ingredients that arrive in family SUVs to the honey Meillon harvests from her own hives. Marshall Hannon builds her weekly menus around what’s growing and what local purveyors bring through the door, rather than starting with a fixed plan.

The result is food that feels familiar but often comes with an unexpected twist: French-trained sauces, thoughtful garnishes, seasonal vegetables, preserves and ferments, all designed for sharing. Sustainability is woven into the operation, too, from composting to supporting small organic farms and keeping ingredients as local as possible.

But Stella’s is about more than what’s on the plate. Kitchen takeovers, guest chefs, q***r literature events and a welcoming w**e list all reflect Meillon and Marshall Hannon’s larger vision of the restaurant as a community partner and gathering place. In a region known for its food culture, they’re helping create a restaurant scene that feels distinctly — and wonderfully — PEC.

Read "From Soil to Service" by Lauren Medeiros from our September issue: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/from-soil-to-service/

Photos courtesy Christine Reid Photography.

17/09/2026

Prince Edward County (Visit The County) has long been an easy answer to the question, “Where can we go for the weekend with-out it becoming an all-out vacation?” Close enough for a road trip from Ottawa and Toronto, but far enough to feel like a real getaway, the county has become one of Ontario’s most dependable mini-staycation destinations.

For many visitors, PEC often begins with w**e, and for good reason. Vineyards helped put the region on the map. But the county’s food and drink scene has grown beyond the standard tasting-room crawl. This is the county beyond the vines — a route built to experience all things brewed.

Read the full article "Beyond the Vines" by Molly Crane featuring Beacon Bike + Brew, Matron Fine B**r, Gillinghambrewing, Parsons Brewing Co, Lake on the Mountain Brewing Company & Slake Brewing: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/beyond-the-vines/

Photos by Ash Nayler Photography.

15/09/2026

With its simplicity, Theia, run by chef Myles Harrison, stands out from the ever-more-crowded Picton, restaurant scene. The menu usually only has about eight items; there’s only one cocktail on offer (a pre-batched negroni) and the restaurant seats just 20 people, with the patio expanding that number to 30.

The pared-back nature has earned it love from the summer weekend set and locals alike, drawing in farmers, w**e-makers, chefs and restaurant owners to sell their wares, eat and even work at Theia.

“I think food should really surprise you with how simple it is,” Harrison says. “The freshest way that we can present ingredients, the better.”

The ethos of the restaurant is to embrace what is seasonal and local, then showcase it simply with a few surprises along the way.

Read "The Glue of Picton" by Alexandra Whyte, from our July issue, featuring Vicki's Veggies Farm, Laundry Farm, Leavitt's Angus Beef, Stoss Lee W**es & Drinks Farm: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/the-glue-of-picton/

Photos by Ash Nayler Photography.

10/09/2026

September belongs to apples — and across Ontario, orchards are filling bins, c***r makers are pressing fruit and a new vintage is taking shape.

From September 19 to 26, Ontario Craft C***r Week celebrates the growers, makers and places behind the province’s craft c***r.

From orchard visits and tastings to special releases and events, it’s an opportunity to discover how Ontario-grown apples make their way from tree to glass.

Explore the people and places behind Ontario c***r, from Farmgate C***r in Ottawa to Spirit Tree Estate C***ry in Caledon, and discover events happening across the province.

Because every glass starts with a crop, a grower and a place.

Read more about Ontario Craft C***r Week and how to : https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/local-guides/an-apple-a-day-celebrating-ontario-craft-c***r-week/

***r ***r Drink on Apples

09/09/2026

September's Méli-Mélo column by Katie Shairo:

- Martin Brzozowski isn’t Italian, but a formative stint in an Italian restaurant kitchen shaped how he approaches his craft. “I don’t have an Italian nonna,” he jokes, “but I’ve surrounded myself with that kind of food.” Of course, pasta is a cornerstone of the menu at Onesta, accompanied by changing small plates featuring whatever the county’s farms and producers are harvesting that week.

- Leaving their hotel business in Montreal for farm life in Milford,neither Hans nor Judy Ning had much experience with farming. Initially driven by a desire to increase their personal food security and sovereignty, they held on to day jobs while they began farming; both now farm full-time. The name Paper Kite Farm is a nod to Hans’ Chinese heritage.

- Zoe Marshall Nares is busy with two fermentation projects at her farm in Bloomfield. There’s Stock+Row, co-owned with Justin Dalipi, under which she produces dry c***rs, and Stoss Lee, a w**e project she co-owns with her brother, Kyle Marshall Nares.

- “I didn’t even like tomatoes as a kid,” Vicki Emlaw admits. That changed when a friend introduced her to heirloom tomatoes.She grew eight different varieties and was stunned by their flavour and colour. “It was more like art than food. I just fell inlove with them,” she says. Vicki's Veggies Farm

- A free, specialty coffee festival is coming to the Parkdale Public Market on September 12. Coffee Right YOW is organized by Will Wells, owner and head roaster of The Artery Community Roasters, bringing together more than 20 roasters from Ottawa and across the country.

Read the full column on our website: https://edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/stories/meli-melo-september-26/

05/09/2026

We teamed up with edible Toronto for our September issue to bring you all things PEC.

No matter where you're coming from, it's a short drive to experience all that "the county" has to offer.

Here is what's in this issue:

- pasta at Onesta
- farming crops with cultural weight at Paper Kite Farm
- vineyard on the drumlin: Stoss Lee W**es & Stock+Row
- heirloom tomatoes from Vicki's Veggies Farm
- Coffee Right YOW is a free, specialty coffee festival is coming to the Parkdale Public Market on September 12. The Artery Community Roasters

- "The Glue of Picton": Picton’s Theia is where locals eat, work and sell their goods, embracing the true spirit of farm to table, even in a tough year for produce.

- "Beyond the Vines": discover all things brewed in Prince Edward County, from a local coffee shop to hilltop microbreweries. Beacon Bike + Brew, Matron Fine B**r, Gillinghambrewing, Parsons Brewing Co, Lake on the Mountain Brewing Company & Slake Brewing

- "Labrusca Lore": A few Ontario growers and w**eries are embracing Labrusca grapes. After the Ontario government dropped its 71.5 per cent tax, they’re hoping other w**emakers and vineyards ride the wave with them.

- "From Soil to Service": at Stella's Eatery, local sourcing and close relationships help sustain Prince Edward County’s food community — while bringing people together at the table.

- "Cracking the Peppercorn": from infused honey and barbecue sauce to beurre blanc and fruit-forward desserts, these recipes
prove that pepper is more than salt’s sidekick.

- "Secret Sauce": Grant van Gameren’s first restaurant in Prince Edward County is stocked by his own farm and brimming with
classic Italian steakhouse food and talent.

On the cover: Grant van Gameren harvests carrots on his farm near Waupoos, destined for his restaurant Rosetta in Picton. Photo by Ash Nayler