I'm Miranda Keyes,
a food stylist and foodie.
And I'm on a dream assignment
for Food & Drink magazine.
Ready for our road trip today?
Justine: Sure am.
I'm so excited we're doing this today.
It's going to be such a fun day.
I'm with award-winning baker, Justine Martin.
And we're going from Sudbury to Manitoulin Island,
exploring the culinary scene
and all the tastes the area has to offer.
Yeah, we're stopping at five places, right?
Yeah. And along the way we'll collect a bunch of ingredients.
Some drinks,
some local fruit, veg,
and then we'll make a delicious dinner at the end of the day.
I'm getting really hungry already.
(Music)
We start our culinary journey in Sudbury,
the largest city in Northern Ontario.
It used to be a big mining town,
but today it's got a diverse economy
that includes a full-blown food scene.
You're from Sudbury originally?
Yeah, I'm born and raised in Sudbury.
Miranda: And now you're running your own bakery.
Justine: Yeah, I started out of my house,
just doing stuff for friends and family.
And within about a year and a half,
I had to move to a bigger space.
Miranda: That's so cool.
Our first stop, we're going to go to Crosscut Distillery.
Their flagship gin is really fantastic.
(Music)
(Laughter)
Okay, so this is our still room.
This is where all the product is made.
So we're a grain to glass facility,
which is actually more unusual than you would think.
We're running four stills here.
Miranda: The fermentation of grains
to create alcoholic beverages
is part science and part palate.
And each stage of the distillation process
produces something different.
This is what they call the heads,
and this is what will come off the still first.
So this is the heads.
It's... it's not consumable. - (Laughter)
Then we have the hearts,
which will be the tank we want to keep.
- Oh, that's nice. So... it'll be very clean.
Yeah.
That's still 95%, so I wouldn't encourage...
Okay, yeah.
And then at the end you get the last tank,
and we'll collect what we call the tails.
So, a lot of wet dog, wet cardboard type flavours.
Sounds great!
Miranda: How the end product tastes
depends on the expert nose of the master distiller.
Shane: Okay well, would you like to do some samples?
Justine: Of course! Awesome.
You're going to do some tasting.
And I'll taste some later when I'm not driving the car.
Sounds good. So the vodka's a triple grain vodka.
We use wheat for the creaminess,
oats for a certain honey sweetness
and rye for the citrus and pepper notes
you'll get on the tail end of it.
Ooh. But it's super smooth.
Shane: The Local Harvest gin.
Oh, that's really nice.
- You can smell the anise. - Totally.
Shane: Petal Heads,
for those who drink vodka soda who want some flavour.
Miranda: The colour is so vibrant!
- It is. - What does that come from?
The rosehip gives a bit of it, but hibiscus is the key one.
- It is so floral-y. - How unusual.
- It's really nice. I can't wait to taste it later.
(Laughter)
- Hey. - Next stop.
From Sudbury, Justine and I will hit the Trans-Canada
and wind our way to Manitoulin,
the largest freshwater island in the world.
I mean, even just the drive right now is so beautiful.
I can't believe that Manitoulin
is going to be even more beautiful than this.
Oh, yeah. This is nothing.
Once we get on the island, it's really stunning.
Miranda: Over 70% of Manitoulin
is covered with soil thinner than a foot above bedrock,
or with no soil at all.
Turns out that's all you need for dairy farming.
Local hay and grass feed island cows all year round.
So it makes perfect sense for our next stop
to be 3 Cows and a Cone,
an iconic roadside snack bar
selling Farquhar Dairy's famous ice cream.
( ♪♪ )
Farquhar's has perfected the flavours
of a Canadian childhood.
Butterscotch, maple walnut, chocolate and vanilla,
which we'll serve with dessert at our dinner later.
Time for snacks.
(Laughter)
When you're on an island,
it's not always easy to find a grocery store
that carries healthy, sustainable food.
We're here.
Our next stop, The Island Jar,
is a store that will leave a good taste in your mouth.
Not just because their food is delish,
but because it respects the planet.
I heard that this is the place to come
if you're looking for anything local.
Yeah, that's what we try and be,
is kind of a promoter of all the local food on Manitoulin
and the surrounding area.
Do you have any products that... people come just for that?
The Heartwood mushrooms, hawberry jelly.
It's kind of what we're known for on Manitoulin.
People who are born here are called haweaters.
And then another one is the chaga mushrooms.
So they only grow in Northern Ontario.
It's a fungus that grows on birch trees.
Miranda: The Island Jar
often works directly with local producers
and we are lucky enough to meet the team
behind Heartwood Mushrooms.
These are the most beautiful mushrooms
I've seen in a really long time. What kind are they?
Um, so we have the white oyster mushrooms,
and then we have our phoenix on the side here,
which, like, we just harvested these
not even an hour ago. - Oh, wow.
We're just bringing them in right now.
Miranda: That's incredible.
We definitely want to pick up a bunch of these beauties
for our dinner later.
And grab a few other ingredients from the Jar while we're at it.
(Music)
So our next stop is Manitoulin Brewery.
So you're obviously a popular place...
people just coming in and out of here constantly.
Nishin: Yeah.
Miranda: You're totally inspired by the community.
Definitely, I mean, you know, beer is what we do.
But we wanted to be able to profile different landmarks
around Manitoulin Island.
So really kind of encourage and share...
these brands are real places, right?
These are things that can help draw folks in
to come and experience what Manitoulin has to offer.
Miranda: Local ingredients are key
at Manitoulin Brewing Company.
Strawberries from Pike Lake farm
and chocolate from Manitoulin Chocolate Works
are used in seasonal brews.
And local honey is used in Killarney cream ale.
You know, we're happy to be another business here
offering craft beer for Manitoulin Island
and for the rest of Ontario.
Miranda: Bread is the last ingredient
on our list for dinner.
And for our last stop, we're going to a place
to learn how to make it ourselves.
Bannock and Berries is an experience served up
at the Great Spirit Circle Trail,
a gathering place offering cultural tourism
from an aboriginal perspective.
Various: Hi. Hey. Hello.
Miranda: Tyrone is going to show us
how bannock is made and how it's best served.
Oh, they call me the bannock sensei.
- Ohh! - (Laughter)
Okay, amazing.
So what we're going to start off with
is we're going to start off with our bowl.
- About one cup of flour... - You're the baker.
(Laughter)
Justine: Okay. Tyrone: Make a crater.
- Keep going? - Should be good right there.
- Good? Okay. - Yep.
You really did add the perfect amount of water.
You knew exactly how much. - (Laughter)
Justine: Sensei. Miranda: Yeah.
Miranda: So now we wait for the magic to happen.
Tyrone: Yep. Okay. This tea is a blend
of cedar, sumac and apple,
along with some energy boosting herbs.
Sounds amazing. That's a beautiful colour.
Miranda: It's gorgeous.
Tyrone: Together.
Miranda: Nice.
- Want to check it out... - Ooh!
Tyrone: It's nice and golden.
That's perfect... flip this onto there.
Miranda: Ooh!
Miranda & Justine: Ooh!
Justine: Oh, that smells amazing.
- Help yourselves. - Thank you so much, Tyrone.
- You're welcome. - That's amazing.
It really does pair perfectly with that jam.
Delicious.
Do you think we could take another one with us
for our dinner today? - Oh, yeah. Please do.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Miranda: That's awesome. He was so nice.
Yeah. Bannock sensei.
Miranda: Five stops down,
and it's time to cook an amazing meal
to cap off a great day.
Yeah, I feel like we have so many great ingredients
that we collected along the way today
to make a really delicious dinner.
Justine: You're going to turn left
in one and a half kilometres.
It alerted me that there are unpaved roads on this route.
Miranda: Oh, (Beep) we're going off-road?
- Apparently. - All right.
Miranda: We're heading to a cottage
owned by some of Justine's good friends.
(Rumbling) - Oh.
Justine: It's going to be super fun.
We're cooking over the open flame,
and so you're getting the true Northern Ontario
camp experience.
(Music)
Miranda: Joining us to help prepare our meal
is Justine's boyfriend, chef Rob Burlington.
...Rob you're hustling over here.
(Laughter)
(Sizzling)
Miranda: That butter smells ridonculous, Rob.
Butter...
Rob: That's, like, my favourite thing.
I'm making sour cream berries
with toasted bannock and smoked fish.
Justine: That looks so nice.
Miranda: And then I'm just going to simply cook the mushrooms
in butter and salt. That's all they need.
Justine: Tonight I'm going to be making
a really beautiful rustic pie
with some fresh Northern Ontario blueberries
and a lavender syrup.
And then we've got sprigs of thyme
rolled right into the pie crust.
Miranda: Oh, wow!
Justine: It's almost done. - Another day at the office.
Rob: Uh, tonight for dinner,
we're making a braised venison with charred tomatoes,
carrots and Manitoulin beer.
(Laughter)
Miranda: Thanks.
So good.
Everybody, come on, it's time.
Man: Are we lining up?
Miranda: Yeah. Camp style. Get in there.
Being able to explore Manitoulin Island
and see the terrain change, amazing lakes,
you're just waiting for a moose to crash your path.
And then you have all these amazing people
who are such a tight-knit community.
Producers who are growing amazing things,
producing amazing beverages,
cooking amazing food,
and they all collaborate with one another
and support one another.
This is... peak Manitoulin Island.
I'm Devan Rajkumar. Next week on "5 Stops",
join food writer Suresh Doss and I
as we start in Creemore, end up in Caledon
and seek out everything delicious in between.