NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE'It's famous for wine but Niagara-on-the-Lake, and hamlets nearby, also have a slew of places noted for incredible edibles, some hidden away but definitely worth a visit.

SAY CHEESE

A Niagara culinary secret is Upper Canada Cheese Company. To get there, take the Jordan exit off the QEW, just before St. Catharines, head toward the town of Jordan and look for a simple building between the farms and vineyards.

"We make three kinds of cheese," says Paulina Zimakas, one of the owners, "but we usually only have two for sale. Our ricotta is made from the whey produced when the other two are created, but it's so popular with the local restaurants that they buy it as quickly as it's made."

If that elusive ricotta is half as good as the other two, it's easy to see why.

Niagara Gold is a warm yellow cheese, with a slightly chewy rind resulting from a six-month brine-soaking and aging process, while Niagara Comfort is a triple-cream, camembert-style sensation. While you nibble, you can watch as the cheesemakers scoop curd into forms.

"People have no idea how cheese is made," says Zimakas, another supporter of Niagara agriculture, who uses only Guernsey milk produced by the Comfort Farm herd, eight kilometres away. "It's important to us that our cheese be truly Niagaran."

The shelves of the cheese shop feature products made by neighbours and range from Iced Peach, Sour Cherry and BlackBerry Baco Noir preserves to handmade trays, fashioned from the ribs and lids of recycled wine barrels.

Locally sourced bakery

"We're little but we're passionate about Niagara food," says Ruth Anne Schriefer, owner of the Pie Plate Bakery & Cafe in Virgil, just down the road from Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Her hand-painted sign on the front lawn does point customers to the tiny cafe, but if you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd drive right past it.

"Local people know," says Schriefer, who, with the help of husband Kirk, serves up soups, breads, cookies, squares, pies and just about every other homemade treat you can imagine. Nearly all the ingredients, with the exception of certain baking basics and out-of-season greens, are from Niagara.

Schriefer's been a driving force behind the creation of a farmer's market in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The market, open Wednesdays and Saturdays, spring to fall, sells only local foods.

This year, local chefs will give free seminars on cooking seasonal produce.

Nut nursery

The farmer's market is a great educational tool, as is another hidden culinary treasure: the Grimo Nut Nursery on Lakeshore Rd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

At first, you may wonder where the shop is, but then you'll see the sign: "Honk please."

That's how Linda Grimo and her father Ernie work, selling both trees and nuts from their garages at their home to honking customers. Although they offer everything from Persian walnuts to hickory nuts, their biggest seller is the heartnut.

Linda Grimo says the curvaceous little nut (shaped like a heart) "is low in cholesterol, high in protein and filled with antioxidants."

And she urges customers to plant nut trees in their yards. "If there were a catastrophe, at least you'd have protein."

toothsome treasures

A hidden foodie treasure is at the corner of Mary St. and Hwy. 55 at the entrance to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Inside the unremarkable strip mall, you'll find Willow Cakes and Pastries. Turn right at Mary St. and then quickly right again. You have to use the back door to get to this hidden treasure.

"They're just desserts and treats people wouldn't have at home," says Catherine O'Donnell, owner and pastry chef, of the to-die-for Lindt chocolate cheesecakes, white chocolate raspberry cakes and all-butter croissants that keep her tiny establishment filled with customers.

`Rest' and eat

Next door to the Willow, the Old Stone Grille offers home-baked breads, fresh local produce and artisanal cheeses. You'll love it, but don't look for that name on the sign. The best-hidden of Niagara's culinary treasures, it's marked by a neon sign reading only "Rest."

As the story goes, when the Grille first opened in 2003, its owners had neither time nor money to get a proper sign.

An employee was asked to remove most of the one left by the previous owner, leaving just the word "Restaurant." The overeager scraper was down to "Rest" before realizing he'd overdone it.

Owners Heidi and Perry Johnson laughed and left it.

Today, a snazzier version of "Rest" is all that marks their popular establishment but for those in the know, that's all that's needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Iconocast is about learning and teaching without borders; we offer eMarketing, Internet Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Online Branding, and eMarketing News Services.

Iconocast Home Page

Contact Iconocast

Iconocast Health Articles

© 2003-07. ICONOCAST is a trademark of iconocast.com.