Latest news with #EricRobertson
Hamilton Spectator
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list for 2025 is here. Here's who took the top spot — and which Toronto restaurants made the cut
Get in the car — the best restaurant in Canada is an hour and a half drive from Toronto. Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station has taken the No. 1 spot on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list, released Monday evening. The annual ranking of the country's best fine-dining restaurants comes at a time when Canadians are looking to support local businesses in lieu of vacationing in the U.S. this summer. Located at the Pearl Morissette winery on Jordan Road, the restaurant sits about 15 minutes west of downtown St. Catharines. 'We'd be lying if we said it wasn't a goal with the restaurant from the first day,' says Eric Robertson, who runs Restaurant Pearl Morissette with co-owner and fellow chef Daniel Hadida. 'We've been near the top (of the list) for a few years and it motivates us to refine our offering with the guest experience.' The restaurant opened in 2017 with the goal of highlighting Canadian-grown ingredients and their growers. While the locavore movement was already in full swing by then, the restaurant opted to open closer to the farmers (the property also has its own farm and orchard). 'We're in the Niagara region but at the time, we're looking out on the road and seeing how peaceful it was on a Friday night at 7:30,' recalls Hadida. 'And then we realized there's not a single car driving by and we had an empty dining room for the first year.' Restaurant Pearl Morissette executive chefs Daniel Hadida, left, and Eric Robertson. But word spread quickly among foodies, turning the spot into a destination dining experience where the seasonality of ingredients determined what was on the menu each week. The restaurant serves about 55 guests each night (the tasting menu is $205 per person), and there's a $265 per person chefs' table option — a curated experience featuring ingredients that didn't make it onto the regular menu. 'I'm very pleased to have such a Canadian experience at the top of the list in a year when we're all looking more inwards and looking for reasons to travel within the country,' says Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief of Canada's 100 Best, noting that Pearl Morissette has consistently hovered near the top in previous years. 'Pearl Morissette does an amazing job of putting a region on a plate, the travel is worth it.' A dish from Restaurant Pearl Morissette. For those unable to splurge on the $200 price tag, the restaurant opened RPM Bakehouse in 2022, a breakfast and lunch spot serving espresso-based drinks, breakfast sandwiches, viennoiserie, cakes, salads and tarts. The bakery also sourdough loaves as well as jams and spices sourced from the farm. 'Spring lamb is coming in, so parts of it will be used at the restaurant while the shoulder is being braised and used in a sandwich at the bakery,' said Robertson. 'We're using whole animals in the bakery, so instead of having a butcher shop, we're working directly with farmers.' Of the 100 restaurants in the list, 29 are located in Toronto and include other fine-dining favourites that have also appeared in the Michelin guide such as Alo (3rd), Edulis (4th), Restaurant 20 Victoria (5th), Quetzel (8th), Sushi Masaki Saito (16th) and Aburi Hana (29th). Montreal came in second with 24 entries, Vancouver has 14 restaurants, Calgary has five restaurants and Ottawa has four. The full list is on the Canada's 100 Best site . Restaurant Pearl Morissette , first place, 3953 Jordan Rd. (Jordan Station) Alo , third place, 163 Spadina Ave. Edulis , fourth place, 169 Niagara St. Restaurant 20 Victoria , fifth place, 20 Victoria St. Quetzal , eighth place, 419 College St. Hexagon , 14th place, 210 Lakeshore Blvd. E. (Oakville) Langdon Hall , 15th place, 1 Langdon Hall Dr. (Cambridge) Sushi Masaki Saito , 16th place, 88 Avenue Rd. Aburi Hana , 29th place, 102 Yorkville Ave. Dreyfus , 42nd place, 96 Harbord St. Sushi Yugen , 43rd place, 150 York St. Taverne Bernhardts , 45th place, 202 Dovercourt Rd. Canoe , 50th place, 66 Wellington St. W., 54th floor LSL , 51st place, 2066 Avenue Rd. Linny's , 52nd place, 176 Ossington Ave. Actinolite , 53rd place, 971 Ossington Ave. Bar Isabel , 54th place, 979 College St. Bar Prima , 57th place, 1136 Queen St. W. Casa Paco , 58th place, 50C Clinton St. DaNico , 59th place, 440 College St. Shoushin , 62nd place, 3328 Yonge St. DaiLo , 63rd place, 503 College St. Takja BBQ , 68th place, 962 College St. Lake Inez , 69th place, 1471 Gerrard St. E. Don Alfonso , 70th place, 1 Harbour Square, 38th floor Osteria Giulia , 72nd place, 134 Avenue Rd. Famiglia Baldassarre , 73rd place, 122 Geary Ave. Alma , 75th place, 1194 Bloor St. W. Prime Seafood Palace , 80th place, 944 Queen St. W. Mhel , 81st place, 276 Havelock St. Barberian's Steak House , 93rd place, 7 Elm St. Giulietta , 96th place, 972 College St.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
This rural restaurant in Niagara, Ont., tops list of best 100 places to eat in Canada
Social Sharing A "little, tiny corner" of the Niagara region is now home to the best restaurant in Canada. Restaurant Pearl Morissette in the Lincoln, Ont., neighbourhood of Jordan Station has won the top spot on Canada's Best 100 Restaurants List for 2025. It's the first time a rural fine-dining establishment has made it to the top of the annual ranking, said Eric Robertson, 39, who opened the restaurant with fellow chef Daniel Hadida, 37, in 2017 out of the winery with the same name. "We are so very excited and happy we're able to showcase the little tiny corner of Niagara," Robertson said. The ranking is decided by 160 judges from across the country, according to the organization. Pearl Morissette's French-inspired menu features local ingredients that change with the seasons. It was already a sought-after spot with its 40 seats reserved months in advance. Then last fall it was awarded a prestigious Michelin star and now is at the top of the coveted rankings, indicating busy and exciting months ahead, said Robertson. "It comes with the responsibility of showcasing incredible Canadian ingredients, the farmers that we have around this area and the quality of staff we have in Canada," he said. "This is a country that can be taken seriously on the international stage for cooking and restaurants and hospitality." European dining in Canada Before Pearl Morissette, Robertson and Hadida both left Canada to get experience working in Michelin-star winning restaurants in Europe, as many young cooks do, Robertson said. The first Michelin stars weren't awarded to any Canadian restaurants until years later in 2022. Robertson, originally from Brantford, Ont., lived in Belgium, Sweden and France before moving to the Niagara region. He soon realized the European idea of "destination dining," surrounded by farmland, was possible in Canada, too. "We have those great ingredients here, too," Robertson said. "Niagara is one of the warmest parts of Canada. We are able to get figs and persimmons and beautiful lake fish and wild ingredients like mushrooms, which are going to be coming up after today with the sun out." The 2025 list was revealed Monday night. "We believe the 2025 list is an accurate measure of which restaurants excelled in 2024, which makes them our dining choices for today," Canada's Best 100 says on its website. The other restaurants on the list are in the major cities of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. Canada's Best also ranks new restaurants and the top 50 bars. The top 10 restaurants in 2025 are: Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Jordan Station Mon Lapin, Montreal Alo, Toronto Edulis, Toronto 20 Victoria, Toronto Eight, Calgary Beba, Montreal Quetzal, Toronto Published on Main, Vancouver AnnaLena, Vancouver Pearl Morissette posted on Instragram after its win was announced. "This project has always been about community, about building relationships with small artisans, millers, farmers and fisherfolk sharing the same philosophy as we do - uplifting Canadian produce with minimal intervention, showcasing it in a fine dining version, to make our guests appreciate what our fields, forests, lakes, rivers and seas have to offer," the restaurant said.
Toronto Star
06-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list for 2025 is here. Here's who took the top spot — and which Toronto restaurants made the cut
Get in the car — the best restaurant in Canada is an hour and a half drive from Toronto. Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station has taken the No. 1 spot on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list, released Monday evening. The annual ranking of the country's best fine-dining restaurants comes at a time when Canadians are looking to support local businesses in lieu of vacationing in the U.S. this summer. Located at the Pearl Morissette winery on Jordan Road, the restaurant sits about 15 minutes west of downtown St. Catharines. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We'd be lying if we said it wasn't a goal with the restaurant from the first day,' says Eric Robertson, who runs Restaurant Pearl Morissette with co-owner and fellow chef Daniel Hadida. 'We've been near the top (of the list) for a few years and it motivates us to refine our offering with the guest experience.' The restaurant opened in 2017 with the goal of highlighting Canadian-grown ingredients and their growers. While the locavore movement was already in full swing by then, the restaurant opted to open closer to the farmers (the property also has its own farm and orchard). 'We're in the Niagara region but at the time, we're looking out on the road and seeing how peaceful it was on a Friday night at 7:30,' recalls Hadida. 'And then we realized there's not a single car driving by and we had an empty dining room for the first year.' Restaurant Pearl Morissette executive chefs Daniel Hadida, left, and Eric Robertson. SUECH AND BECK Seuch and Beck But word spread quickly among foodies, turning the spot into a destination dining experience where the seasonality of ingredients determined what was on the menu each week. The restaurant serves about 55 guests each night (the tasting menu is $205 per person), and there's a $265 per person chefs' table option — a curated experience featuring ingredients that didn't make it onto the regular menu. 'I'm very pleased to have such a Canadian experience at the top of the list in a year when we're all looking more inwards and looking for reasons to travel within the country,' says Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief of Canada's 100 Best, noting that Pearl Morissette has consistently hovered near the top in previous years. 'Pearl Morissette does an amazing job of putting a region on a plate, the travel is worth it.' A dish from Restaurant Pearl Morissette. SUECH AND BECK Seuch and Beck For those unable to splurge on the $200 price tag, the restaurant opened RPM Bakehouse in 2022, a breakfast and lunch spot serving espresso-based drinks, breakfast sandwiches, viennoiserie, cakes, salads and tarts. The bakery also sourdough loaves as well as jams and spices sourced from the farm. 'Spring lamb is coming in, so parts of it will be used at the restaurant while the shoulder is being braised and used in a sandwich at the bakery,' said Robertson. 'We're using whole animals in the bakery, so instead of having a butcher shop, we're working directly with farmers.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Of the 100 restaurants in the list, 29 are located in Toronto and include other fine-dining favourites that have also appeared in the Michelin guide such as Alo (3rd), Edulis (4th), Restaurant 20 Victoria (5th), Quetzel (8th), Sushi Masaki Saito (16th) and Aburi Hana (29th). Montreal came in second with 24 entries, Vancouver has 14 restaurants, Calgary has five restaurants and Ottawa has four. The full list is on the Canada's 100 Best site. Toronto-area restaurants that have made this year's Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list: Restaurant Pearl Morissette, first place, 3953 Jordan Rd. (Jordan Station) Alo, third place, 163 Spadina Ave. Edulis, fourth place, 169 Niagara St. Restaurant 20 Victoria, fifth place, 20 Victoria St. Quetzal, eighth place, 419 College St. Hexagon, 14th place, 210 Lakeshore Blvd. E. (Oakville) Langdon Hall, 15th place, 1 Langdon Hall Dr. (Cambridge) Sushi Masaki Saito, 16th place, 88 Avenue Rd. Aburi Hana, 29th place, 102 Yorkville Ave. Dreyfus, 42nd place, 96 Harbord St. Sushi Yugen, 43rd place, 150 York St. Taverne Bernhardts, 45th place, 202 Dovercourt Rd. Canoe, 50th place, 66 Wellington St. W., 54th floor LSL, 51st place, 2066 Avenue Rd. Linny's, 52nd place, 176 Ossington Ave. Actinolite, 53rd place, 971 Ossington Ave. Bar Isabel, 54th place, 979 College St. Bar Prima, 57th place, 1136 Queen St. W. Casa Paco, 58th place, 50C Clinton St. DaNico, 59th place, 440 College St. Shoushin, 62nd place, 3328 Yonge St. DaiLo, 63rd place, 503 College St. Takja BBQ, 68th place, 962 College St. Lake Inez, 69th place, 1471 Gerrard St. E. Don Alfonso, 70th place, 1 Harbour Square, 38th floor Osteria Giulia, 72nd place, 134 Avenue Rd. Famiglia Baldassarre, 73rd place, 122 Geary Ave. Alma, 75th place, 1194 Bloor St. W. Prime Seafood Palace, 80th place, 944 Queen St. W. Mhel, 81st place, 276 Havelock St. Barberian's Steak House, 93rd place, 7 Elm St. Giulietta, 96th place, 972 College St.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's dismantling of AmeriCorps puts Wisconsin environmental service program at risk
A service program that sends young people across Wisconsin to maintain trails, control invasive species and teach about the outdoors is in jeopardy after the federal government slashed funding for AmeriCorps. Central Conservation, a nonprofit conservation agency, hosts around 90 AmeriCorps members each year to staff the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, better known as WisCorps, and The Nature Place, a nature-focused community center in La Crosse. Its full-time employees were directed late in the night April 27 to stop all work that involved using a grant they received from AmeriCorps. That funding was for between $1.4 and $1.5 million. The reasoning was the same given to scores of federally funded programs canceled in recent weeks: It "no longer effectuates agency priorities." Seventeen AmeriCorps members were already serving with WisCorps and The Nature Place in Dane County, Wisconsin Dells, La Crosse and elsewhere. Forty-three more were preparing to be on their way to Wisconsin for summer work. Central Conservation is scrambling to figure out if it can hold onto those currently serving and those who were expecting to have summer employment. But even if the organization can manage to blunt the impacts, said WisCorps director Eric Robertson, people will feel the loss. "It's taking the fuel out of the plane as it's flying," Robertson said. "It's a middle finger to these people who invested their time to really make a modest living allowance, really just to be kicked to the curb." More: Latest DOGE cuts to AmeriCorps gut Wisconsin programs, end work for 430 people More: Wisconsin sues over cuts to the service and volunteer agency AmeriCorps WisCorps launched 16 years ago but partnered with AmeriCorps beginning in 2018 to dramatically expand its footprint. Today it sends members out in teams or individually to work on the Ice Age Trail, the shoreline of Lake Superior, state and national parks and other public lands, where they tackle community needs but also receive hands-on training that could shape future careers in conservation. AmeriCorps was created more than three decades ago by former President Bill Clinton. In addition to serving communities through conservation, disaster response, health care and other areas, AmeriCorps members get professional development and funds to pay for further schooling or pay off student loans. It has recently become a target of the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, aimed at drastically shrinking the size and scope of the federal government. In mid-April, AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps members were discharged. In the most recent cuts, DOGE ordered the service program to terminate nearly $400 million in grants — one of which was for Central Conservation. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly has pointed the Journal Sentinel to recent audits of the AmeriCorps program and concerns about waste, fraud and abuse in response to questions about the cuts. 'Over $100 million in taxpayer funds remain unaccounted for at AmeriCorps, which has failed eight consecutive audits," Kelly said in an email. The program's inspector general said last November that it has been unable to produce auditable financial statements for the last eight years and suggested improvements for financial management. Wisconsin is among 24 states suing over the cuts, which Attorney General Josh Kaul called "part of a pattern from the Trump administration of disrespect toward those who serve others." In the meantime, there will be tough decisions. Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center, a 320-acre mostly forested property along the Wisconsin River near Wisconsin Dells, is gearing up for spring and fall school field trips, as well as about 30 summer camp groups. The staff was counting on two WisCorps members, who'd been with the center since last September, to help run the show. More: Federal plan to make Milwaukee homes safer, more efficient dies because of DEI connection Now, center staff must decide quickly whether they have the financial means to keep their WisCorps members on through the end of their term in August. And the WisCorps members themselves — one of whom moved to the Dells from Ohio — have to decide whether they want to stay, knowing that they may not receive the money for their service meant for student loans and other college payments. Upham Woods has hosted multiple groups of WisCorps members, said center director Amy Workman, doing everything from rebuilding boardwalks to constructing safer trails to running an early childhood nature camp. The center was readying for the possibility of not getting another round of WisCorps members in the fall, but to have it happen so suddenly put everyone in a difficult position, she said. At Kickapoo Valley Forest School, a public charter school in western Wisconsin's Vernon County focused on environmental education for young children, two WisCorps members serve as classroom assistants. It's a crucial role, said Jonel Kiesau, the school's leadership and planning coordinator, because the children spend several hours per day outside and need additional supervision during those activities. WisCorps has been an affordable way to accomplish that, she said. More: What to know about the Milwaukee church tree-planting project halted by Trump administration Kiesau has asked her school board to find a way to keep the current WisCorps members on through the end of the school year. "We really weren't prepared," Kiesau said. "Nobody thought this would affect our programs so quickly and immediately. It's really hard to pivot." Central Conservation is urgently seeking outside funds to keep current AmeriCorps members around, Robertson said. He anticipated six would need to be suspended at the end of the week without a clear available funding source. He called the impending start of roughly 35 summer projects across the state that would have been staffed by AmeriCorps members "an uncontained wildfire on the horizon." Those projects include planting tree seedlings near Lake Superior, improving mountain bike trails in the North Woods, conducting youth programs in Door County, installing a safe boardwalk at a nature preserve in Two Rivers and working on park restoration with at-risk youth in Kenosha County. Robertson said he's hopeful the communities where these projects were to occur might be able to offer support to still get them accomplished. "We want to see these projects happen," he said. "If we lose that, we lose ourselves ... who are we? And will we continue?" Madeline Heim is a Report for America corps reporter who writes about environmental issues in the Mississippi River watershed and across Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WisCorps conservation program in jeopardy as Trump slashes AmeriCorps
