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Food & Drink

Here’s what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy’s Prince Edward County farm

By Suresh Doss| Photography by Suresh Doss
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Chef Jamie Kennedy has launched a summer-long dinner series at his personal Prince Edward County farm. “The event is designed to transport people away, and to showcase the beauty and bounty of Prince Edward County,” Kennedy says. When guests arrive, they get to wander the picturesque property’s organic gardens and pinot noir vineyard (with canapés and wine, of course) before having dinner in a 100-year-old barn and post-prandial drinks around a bonfire. Kennedy is working with Ontario farms and wineries for the weekly changing menus—which cost $225 per person and run from 5 to 9 p.m.—and he’s calling on his peers for help every now and then (Joshna Maharaj and Le Sélect’s Albert Ponzo are lending a hand on July 23). The series runs every weekend until October 8, when it will end with a Thanksgiving-themed celebration. Here’s a look at last Saturday’s dinner.

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Kennedy’s farm is in Hillier, Prince Edward County.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Here are the vineyards.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Here’s Kennedy (left) with Charles Baker of Stratus Vineyards (who used to work for Kennedy as a server at The Palmerston).

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
The first wine of the evening was a rosé from Stratus Vineyards.

 

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Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
And you can’t have wine without canapés, right? These teeny toasts are topped with smoked lake trout, radish and onion.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
And sweet-pea arancini.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Also: puffed pastry stuffed with mushrooms.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
A few pre-dinner fries (especially Kennedy’s signature frites) don’t hurt either. Photo by Suresh Doss

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Next stop: dinner.

 

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Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Everyone sits at communal tables in Kennedy’s 100-year-old barn.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
This barn’s fancier than most kitchens. Kennedy’s been working on it for seven years.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Kennedy introduces each course. (Only a chef could get away with drinking wine and brandishing a knife at the same time without looking menacing.)

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Bread was supplied by local bakery Humble Bread.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
A bit of Charles Baker riesling accompanied the first course.

 

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Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Here’s a closer look at the bottle.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
First course: tempura-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and peas, served with organic vegetables on beet jelly.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Second course: Quebec foie gras with cider poached apples and black currant purée.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
The barn is equipped with a full kitchen, too. Here’s Kennedy preparing the third course.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
And here he is presenting the third course (with a much smaller knife this time).

 

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Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Third course: duck confit leg and roasted breast on sour cherry compote with duck fat–roasted potatoes and leeks.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Make way for the after-dinner cheese.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
The board featured cheese from all over Ontario, and various accompaniments.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
This guy’s got the right idea.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Wine + cheese + bonfire + countryside = Instagram explosion.

 

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Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
Meanwhile, Kennedy and his crew were hard at work preparing the dessert: chocolate sable cookie sandwiches with vanilla and raspberry mousse, served with reduced raspberry juice and chocolate sauce.

 

Here's what dinner looks like at chef Jamie Kennedy's Prince Edward County farm
The place is a damn postcard.

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