Thank you for the constructive criticism in the “Dally in the Valley” article in the Ottawa Citizen, dated Sunday October 19, 2008.  We have received positive feedback regarding it.

You asked in your article “So just who was this guy and what was this restaurant?” Well, I would like to tell you a little about myself and about Ballygiblins.

I began my cooking career at George Brown College in Toronto in 1983. To earn my tuition I got lucky and worked at Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. On my return to the Ottawa area I apprenticed at The Cottage Restaurant in Stittsville where the specialty was French cuisine. The cordon bleu chef heading up the kitchen, Trevor Adams, was my mentor for 3 years. After Trevor left the country I moved on, gaining experience in many areas of the industry including Head Chef at S.I.R. Corp, line cooking at various hotels in Ottawa and experience working in a couple of swanky Big Rideau resorts.

Two years ago my brother-in-law, Derek Levesque, an accomplished, popular server with many years experience, and I opened a community minded restaurant “Ballygiblins Restaurant and Pub.” Ballygiblins is well-known in the area for participating in, and contributing to, some very worthwhile local causes. For example, we threw a Mardi Gras party benefiting our local hospital; we organized a wild berry picking event with a lesson in jam-making included. Over 200 jars of delicious homemade jams were produced at our local curling club’s kitchen.

I was also determined to take advantage of our local farmers market which was very under-appreciated. Our farmers in this area generally grow cash crops with not a lot of straight to the table foodstuffs. However, there was still a lot of product that Ballygiblins could use and I have a vested interest for both my business and my family – we live here — in strengthening the local economy. I started buying almost anything and everything the farmers market produced. Every Saturday morning this past summer I’d put on my whites, grab my baby boy and six year old girl, head to the market and clear out their inventories. One farmer states outright that our patronage has enabled him to take his first ever winter vacation!

Ballygiblins buys bread from the local baker, lamb, beef, pork & veggies from local farmers and seafood from the monger at Steve’s Independent Grocer’s. Other local purchases include maple syrup from Fortune farms, beer from the Heritage Brewery (we are the only restaurant in town serving it), and honey from a beekeeper’s shop situated on Sarah Street here in town.

This type of community support by Ballygiblins attracted the attention of the Slow Food Movement, of whom I had no knowledge. After being approached, I joined the Movement and was ultimately selected to go to Terre Madre in Italy to represent our area. It has taken several weeks to digest my experiences in Italy (pun intended) and to translate these into tangible changes at Ballygiblins. And these changes are being made with the enthusiasm of the re-inspired and re-energized.

I spoke to many chefs in Italy who have faced the challenge of adapting their menu to the use of regional foodstuffs wherever possible. Their advice and counsel was extremely valuable and inspiring. I am confident that Ballygiblins has the confidence of its customers and they will receive our changes with enthusiasm and goodwill.

I thank you for the “push”. I hope you will come back and try our organic burgers with homemade ketchup, maple mustard and sweet relish on our locally baked bread. Or one of our all natural sausages, ground by me in our kitchen. Rustic, honest food for honest people.

I can assure you, you will look in vain for Peruvian asparagus on our new menu.

All best,
Anne

Sorry to butt in on this, but I just wanted to mention that there are a couple more chefs participating in Terra Madre this year. The two I know of are: Gaëtan Tessier from Chocomotive (also teaches at Relais de La Lièvre in Buckingham) and Georges Laurier from the Café du Musée. I also had forwarded application info to Che Chartrand at Chez Éric but I don’t think he took up the offer. I was working for Slow Food in 2006 at the last Terra Madre and met Gaëtan Tessier at that time. I was to go back again, but work and other commitments got in the way, unfortunately! I am pleased to hear about this chef and his commitment to the Slow Food philosophy!