WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO – Shep Ysselstein makes some of Canada’s best cheese at Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese. They get their milk from handsome, contented cows that dot the rolling hills around the cheese shop and factory, just south of Woodstock. But if anything were to go wrong, Ysselstein says he knows who to blame. “My Dad,” he says with a laugh. “My parents own the dairy farm and provide our milk, so I don’t have to go very far if there’s an issue.” Gunn’s Hill is on a dirt road about five minutes south of Woodstock. But it’s only a short Read more
Canada
Three very different settings. Three great places to enjoy the bounty of Southwest Ontario. I recently spent a day in the London-St. Thomas area, checking out two fabulous craft brewing spots and a quiet, lovely winery I hadn’t heard about before. Ontario has fully embraced the craft beer scene, and Southwest Ontario has some of the best in the province. One of the newest ewest guy on the block is a sleek, attractive and already wildly popular spot on Richmond St. in London called Toboggan Brewing Co. Locals Ricky Doyle, who owns a wine agency, and Mike Smith, who owns Read more
GRAND BEND, ONTARIO – I’ve spent many a day kicking down the streets of Lahaina on Maui. I’ve paraded down Duval Street in Key West and strolled the piers of California from San Diego to Santa Cruz. I’ve been lucky enough to hit the beaches of Thailand and Sardinia, of St. Lucia and Senegal. Yet somehow, despite some three decades living in Toronto, I’d missed spending any time in Grand Bend. It won’t happen again. Because there are few things I love more than a good beach town. And because Grand Bend might be the best beach town in Canada. Read more
SARNIA, ONTARIO – A sleek new craft brewery. A stunningly designed art gallery with some of Canada’s top works of art. Inventive restaurants run by outrageously entertaining foodies. This is a city that has come a long way in a short time, with a vibrant and growing downtown that seems to be torqueing up the cool factor on an almost daily basis. Almost everywhere I went during a two-day visit in June I ran into someone with a story about something new in town. At Refined Fool, a wonderful craft brewery, they had just put the finishing touches on a Read more
GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO – In one corner is a mock-up of the glorious Segwun steamship, symbol of Muskoka. In the other corner is a fabulous re-creation of an old-time Muskoka resort, complete with a front porch. In the middle are wonderful old-style postcards and a gleaming wooden boat from the days when craftsmanship was more than a marketing buzzword. Mary Patterson, a delightful historian, is giving me a tour of the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre on the Gravenhurst waterfront. It’s a fun spot with interactive displays that not only show wonderful wares but tells great stories of both society’s elite Read more
