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MAR 01 13 – 10:35 AM — This just in: Chef Michael Hay, 28, is leaving Back Lane Café to open a 45-50 seat restaurant celebrating ingredients from Prince Edward County. His last day at Back Lane is March 13.
A strong advocate of sustainable seafood and local produce, Hay joined Back Lane, a 50-seat restaurant in Hintonburg that opened in August 2011, last July after serving as executive chef at Courtyard Restaurant in the ByWard Market. At the Courtyard, he enjoyed critical acclaim for out-of-the-box presentations, at times using elements of molecular gastronomy including dehydrators, powerful gels and liquid nitrogen — techniques he reined in while at the café.
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His move to Prince Edward County heralds a return to local ingredients, with very few exceptions, using less exotic culinary techniques.
“I’m going to be characteristically vague, I’m afraid,” says Hay, who starts organizing the new kitchen as soon as he leaves Back Lane.
“There’s going to be a lot of heritage culinary techniques. We’re going to have an in-house charcuterie platter, for example.”
Hay is working with Healdspond 1830, a 2,500-acre farm brand based in Picton, Ont.
“I was basically approached with the opportunity and it was too good to pass up. It’s an exciting prospect to open something from scratch,” Hay says.
“The aim is that every major ingredient will come from the farm or surrounding area. So it will be establishing a sense of place, supporting Prince Edward County cuisine.”
Back Lane owner George Monsour says he has no immediate plans to replace Hay as executive chef; rather, he will step in to assume some responsibilities, while other cooking staff will fill some voids for the time being. “That’s the brilliance of this industry,” Monsour says, “to spawn beautiful talent, and hopefully we’ve helped in his trajectory.
“We wish him really well, we’re just thrilled for him,” Monsour says.
Hay says he enjoyed his brief stay at Back Lane.
“It’s been great cooking for the neighbourhood and I’ll miss the restaurant and the loyal customers — specifically, the regular customer who always sat at Table 42,” says Hay, being characteristically cryptic.
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Chef Michael Hay is leaving Hintonburg’s Back Lane Café to open a restaurant on a vineyard property in Prince Edward County.
The restaurant, slated to open May 18, will feature a cuisine of place celebrating the rural history and terroir of Prince Edward County.
“I would call it ‘County Cuisine,’” says Hay, whose official title will be executive chef.
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Clik here to view.Hay is working with Healdspond 1830, a new farm brand based in Picton, Ont.
Healdspond 1830 focuses on sustainably-raised, grass-fed meats and seasonal produce. It has large flocks of sheep, herds of Angus and Wagyu cattle, bison and heritage breed pigs.
The restaurant will source all of its ingredients from Healdspond 1830’s large acreage of crops, pastures, vegetable gardens and orchards. Local, seasonal items will take pride of place.
This means some common items will not be found on Hay’s menus. For instance, there will be no seafood or citrus fruits.
The dried red berries of sumac bushes, common in Ontario, make a nice replacement for citrus, adds Hay.
Hay says he is looking forward to connecting with farmers and animals.
“Lots of people are thinking this way but I guess I’m just going to be totally immersed in agriculture – farms down the road and being able to meet the animals I’m cooking,” he says.
Hay will have some control over Healdspond 1830 animal rearing as it pertains to the taste of the final product served in the restaurant. For instance, he can choose to have pigs finished on acorns or underbrush. Acorns give fresh and preserved pork a nutty flavour.
The exact location of the restaurant is to remain a secret, for now.
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