With just 145,000 residents, Prince Edward Island (PEI) is Canada’s smallest province. Locals ask each other “Who’s
your father?” to figure out whether their families have crossed paths before — which they probably have. But while this
East Coast island is drenched in rural charm, there’s much more to it than that. For one thing, until recently, it had one of
Canada’s highest immigration rates, and those newcomers have added fresh flavors to an already vibrant culinary scene.
Prince Edward Island
Written by Laura Byrne Paquet
Lobsters, oysters, potatoes and apples
don’t come much fresher than on PEI.
Driving quiet country roads fringed by tiny
harbors and farmers’ fields, it’s only a
matter of time before you find yourself
behind a pickup stacked with crates of
seafood or a tractor trailing clots of the
province’s famous red soil. Fortunately,
it’s easy to taste the island’s riches. In
the province’s capital, Charlottetown,
start your day with a huge plate of eggs
benedict or French toast at
Red Water
Rustic Grille,
in the Holman Grand Hotel.
To fuel up after a busy morning of
exploring the city, you can’t beat
Pendergast
Bakery,
housed in the Youngfolk & The
Kettle Black café. Chef Robert Pendergast’s
tasty dishes include meat pies and
sandwiches made with organic breads and
vegan specialties. Don’t miss the red bean
and lentil soup if it’s on that day’s menu.
Catching a play or concert at the
Confederation Centre of the Arts? Leave
time for a pre-show dinner at
Mavor’s.
The arts center’s popular restaurant —
which you don’t need a theatre ticket to
visit — caters to diners of all tastes and
budgets. Splurge on a three-course table
d’hôte with an accompanying flight of wines,
or opt for simpler fare like fish and chips.
Beyond Charlottetown, other great
meals await. For a sensational bowl of
clam-studded seafood chowder, drop
into the unprepossessing
Sheltered
Harbour Café
on the eastern side of
the island. You can also get home-style
dishes like liver and onions, as well as
lighter fare like a cranberry, orange and
almond salad.
For an iconic island experience,
follow your nose, roadside signs or an
islander’s recommendation to one of the
countless
lobster suppers
that cater
to visitors and tourists throughout the
island all summer. Along with whole
lobsters boiled in salt water and served
with butter, the menu will likely include
non-lobster entrees as well as a groaning
table of breads, salads and desserts.
If all of this bounty has you itching
to mess around in a kitchen, sign up for
a workshop at
Annie’s Table Culinary
Studio
.
Housed in a former church, this
friendly school offers classes in everything
from gluten-free cooking to Thai cuisine,
held from late spring through early fall.
Nicaraguan-born chef Norman Zeledon’s
enthusiasm for local ingredients — like
potatoes raised by a Filipino-Canadian
farmer in the fields next door — can’t
help but rub off on you. And the recipes
you bring home will be a little taste of the
island you can savor long after you leave.
Photo: Tourism Prince Edward Island
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Great Eats
