Sumac + Salt - A Farm, Forest to Table Culinary Experience
WORDS: Stef Richardson | PHOTOS: Alyssa Fleming
Passionate, kind, curious and oh-so-talented are a few words to describe my friends Hannah Harradine + Joel Gray, Owners of Sumac + Salt. For those of you that don’t know, Sumac and Salt is a farm, forest to table culinary experience that showcases all things delicious + local in the Grey Bruce Simcoe area.
The pair hosts intentionally curated dinners that give guests an opportunity to taste wild + local ingredients made in a thoughtful way. On top of giving you an unforgettable evening, it’s worth knowing that Sumac and Salt source their ingredients as close to home as possible and prioritize meaningful connections with the farmers and producers who they directly work with. When they can’t find what they’re looking for, you can find H+J foraging for new inspiration and tasty eats. This usually transpires into new and exciting recipes that hit fork and knife at one of their dinners. They embody so much love for people + earth and it really shows in their dishes. Trust me.
HANNAH + JOEL // co-owners of Sumac and Salt.
Guys, Hannah and Joel are the definition of a dynamic duo, bringing a range of skills, palettes and passion to the table – literally. Behind the perfectly cooked pork belly and 70’s inspired table spread, are two absolutely wonderful humans. This business venture wouldn’t be the same if these two didn’t have each other – they are a team. While Hannah manages the social media, décor, table curation and recipe development, Joel is simultaneously sourcing out ingredients, connecting with farmers and coming up with unique dishes in the kitchen. They are unstoppable.
On more than one occasion, Alyssa and I have had the absolute pleasure of dining with Sumac + Salt. Of course, we couldn’t go without doing what we do – snapping photos, drooling and diggin’ in to the delicious food and reminding each other why we love this place. It’s always an emotional time that’s for sure. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…good food brings people together. And when you’re hanging at a beautifully decorated table in cozy space, eating a wonderful meal, meeting new friends + neighbors of the area while hearing the who, what, where when and why that went into the evening – that’s magic right out of the hat. Sumac + Salt is serving up much more than good food – they are connecting us all and that’s what makes this dining experience so darn special.
PICKLED DAYLILY BUDS
Most of the images you’ll see in this feature are from our recent dining experience at Sideroad Farm - an organic farm in Walter’s Falls that is simply wonderful. Amy and Pat are warriors and deserve many high five’s for creating this sustainable, healthy, stunning and bountiful operation.
SIDEROAD FARM // the most beautiful floral arrangement by Amy of Sideroad + Ashley Elaine Florals
Sumac + Salt also deserves mad props for being a FeastON member (read on in q+a) while using 98% locally foraged, grown and sourced ingredients in everything they create. Wrapping your head around that is a doozy. How local can ya go, can you bring it down slow!? You’ll taste everything from pickled daylily buds, charred onion puree, foraged fiddleheads, homemade ricotta, ramp dust to a vanilla bourbon semifreddo. And you know what? All of the above are handmade by these two wicked people and made using items found mere kilometers from where you and I call home. It tastes a wee bit better knowing all the small details that went into your bite and that Hannah and Joel probably picked most of your salad. Okay, maybe not totally but they are forage experts.
All produce/veggies are from Sideroad Farm - Carrot Top Pesto, Whipped Goat Cheese, Radish, Charred Turnip, Yes Crickets, Donald’s Honey Bee Pollen, Spicy Mix, Soft Greens, Pickled Milk Weed Pods, Edible Flowers, Local Honey, Pristine Gourmet Canola Oil, + Pickled Carrots.
For now, Sumac + Salt have been running a pop-up dinner series at Good Family Farms this summer with a one-time debut at Sideroad Farms and their private bookings on the side (That’s right! They come to you.) With visions of owning their own space someday (see q+a below), they are lucky to have the opportunity to pop-up shop wherever they need in the meantime to whip up unforgettable meals and provide an intimate, farm to table experience that feeds the soul in all of us.
PSA: This is JUST THE BEGINNING for Sumac + Salt. Give them a follow on Facebook and Instagram so you’re in the know of upcoming events + suppers. Book yourself a dinner, go meet them for yourself and enjoy all that is local. And if you’re interested in hosting an intimate S+S dinner at your place, get in touch. I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.
Keep making the magic guys! You rock.
SIDEROAD FARM // LIT UP FARM STORE
Q+A w/ Sumac + Salt
1. What do you envision the future of Sumac + Salt looks like? We envision creating our own space. We will curate everything for a total representation of who we are from space to plate. Growing our garden with all of the specific edibles, herbs and veggies to allow us to harvest the specific sizes, ripeness etc. We are not sure what the future has in store but we have big visions for what it could be.
2. Supporting local is a big part, if not THE PART of your business that makes you so special. Do you have a criteria for products you source out or farmers that you work with? For the most part, the people we chose to work with are the ones willing to have the conversations about the ingredients we are seeking out. We have a certain idea or vision in mind about a dish and usually request some pretty specific and special ingredients. If they are able to supply it or have us walk through and harvest what we are looking for, it’s a huge advantage of working closely with our suppliers. Most of our suppliers are all working towards building the economy and availability of unique and great quality products within Grey/Bruce/Simcoe and that’s huge for us.
3. You have a night off, what is your go-to meal that you're whipping up at home? Doing up a big cheese and charcuterie is probably what we enjoy the most. Firstly, it really involves no cooking but also gives us a chance to explore new cheese/meat/wine and have a chance to unwind.
4. Any go-to playlists or music genres that get you feeling inspired? Soul music hands down! New soul (Leon bridges, Charles Bradley) or the old classics always inspiring with a great beat - usually our choice to play during dinner as well.
5. What's the coolest thing you've pickled so far this season? Honestly, we pickle everything haha. It was hard to come to an agreement but as Joel said “he likes everything pickled”. Hannah’s for this season would be daylily buds as they look amazing in the jar and hold up super well. They are also delicious, sweet and floral!
6. You've been certified as a FeastON participant. What does this mean to those who aren't aware? FeastON is a certification program designed to recognize businesses that support Ontario grown food and drink. It’s important to us to not only use as local as we can but also to be apart of generating our local economy through purchasing ingredients grown here. We are able to talk about every producer we use in depth during our dinners and that’s an aspect that is very important to us in order to help grow our community. We use about 98% local and Ontario products, pepper and lemons are the exception.
All photos taken by the lovely Alyssa Fleming. Check out more of her work here.