Post - Lokal Digs

WORDS: Stef Richardson | PHOTOS: Alyssa Fleming

Where to even begin with this exceptional evening. Let me give you a little back story on how I first met Jeremy + Cass, two brilliant humans who have brought the Pine Dinner Series to Grey County. The two ran house at Sisi, a small restaurant in Thornbury a few years back where I had the absolute pleasure of dining on multiple occasions. Jeremy was the genius in the kitchen and Cass led the front-of-house. The menu bursted with interesting Italian-Asian fused dishes that were created to share with the table. The cozy patio vibe, happy employees and unique menu offerings were enough to keep me coming back. When I learned that J+C were moving on to bigger and newer projects in China, I was sad. Flash forward to 2019, I was still thinking about one day being able to taste Jeremy’s food once again…until I heard that he and Cass were coming home THIS SUMMER to host a dinner series. I COULD NOT WAIT.

The Pine Dinner series aims to use locally sourced ingredients while telling a story of worldly culture. After spending the last few years in China and travelling through all parts of Asia, the pair wanted to bring their stories, encounters and experiences back to Canadian soil and share their findings in an intimate + immersive setting. All dishes are made with love and come equipped with some type of anecdote, importance, or piece of comfort. It’s an extremely personal experience and one that’ll stay with you forever.

Friday July 19, 2019 // THE FIRST DINNER

All dolled up in our nicest attire with wine, camera + appetite packed and ready to go, we began our scenic tour out to Grey Highlands. As we rolled up to the dinner hosted at Roy’l Acres Farm, we were greeted by Roy and Ginny who reside on the property and who also are mom + step-pop to Cass. Stepping into the backyard and seeing where we would soon be dining, our mouths dropped and our hearts became full. We are a sucker for good aesthetics and Cass truly knocked it out of the park. Before we took our seat, Roy gave us a quick tour of the property and showed us the abundance of veggies and edible flowers that make up the farm; some of which included calendula, sweet peas, asparagus, tomatoes, micro-greens, zucchini, and carrots. The peas were amazing (I taste tested) and Roy sure is a passionate man. Ginny deserves a mad shout out too for her amazing edible flowers – such a beautiful addition to any dish. The property itself is a countryside oasis and these two have done an impeccable job at making you feel out of county.

Right here, this very moment in the night we were surprised with a few bouts of rain minutes before dinner. You could then find me dabbing my glossy wet face with a paper towel lookin’ like I just rolled out of the desert. Not my greatest look, but thankfully we were all in the same boat. The sun was shining, the rain had stopped and I had so much gratitude to be there and a part of this magic.

Alongside 6 other guests, Alyssa and I sat comfy at their harvest table as we awaited the first course. Placed at each seat were the most thoughtful details. Pine, stones, foraged flowers, and an overview of the menu made up the table to really encompass the theme of the evening. We chatted, we sipped and we raved about every single dish that hit the table in front of us. I can hardly even say the names of the dishes we tried, let alone spell them out but they were exploratory, intriguing, delicate, and nothing like I’ve ever tasted before which is the best part of it all. Simple ingredients prepared in a truly beautiful way.

Prior to digging in, Chef Jeremy made sure to explain the dish, what ingredients we were about to taste and elaborated on the tie it had to his past travels, culinary experience or foreign exposure. The beauty of it all? Everything was grown + sourced locally but prepared in a way that is unfamiliar to us. A collaboration of cultures if you will. A highlight dish for me was called “buckwheat bánh xèo”, a traditional Vietnamese crepe/pancake which had Canadian freshwater shrimp + fresh herbs baked into it. As I was about to grab my fork and knife, Jeremy let us know that the vase that held a small little treat prior to this dish had a sauce in the bottom that we were to pour under the pancake for dipping. And the lettuce that lay on top? Well that was there to help you eat the rolled delicacy like a taco (K, WHAT!?)

Between that, the Hong Kong french toast, the crispy frog or the whey brined red braised pork w/ black garlic, walnut + potato butter…I just can’t even decide my favourite. Jeremy, you are good my friend.

It was simply amazing.

Honest truth. I had a few tears roll down my face over the course of the evening. I didn’t make a spectacle but Alyssa knew, she always knows. The kind of night where you share stories with new + interesting people and come together over a delicious meal – are the kind of nights that make a memory. Geez Louise, I’m tearing up just thinking about it. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you Jeremy, Cass, Roy + Ginny for allowing me to come join you. I thank you for opening my eyes just a little more to what’s out there for me to explore through physical, through spiritual and through my tastebuds.
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