ATOTK A Taste of the Kawarthas Spring 2022

Chefs of the Kawarthas

Chef Jeff Curtis

I met up with Jeff at Elmhirst’s Resort. We had an interesting conversation and I learned a lot about what makes him tick. Chef Jeff is a Red Seal Chef who started working in the industry at a very young age. His mom got him a job at the restaurant she worked at. He has been a chef for 8 years, and has been Head Chef at Elmhirst’s Resort for the past two years overseeing 12 kitchen staff.

Jeff’s formal education is in Ancient History and Classical Literature. He laughs, “It’s easy to joke about, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t helped. Having formal education and being able to write well and express myself well has really helped me function in a leadership capacity.”

His favourite genre to cook is Barbeque. He says, “I Adore BBQ. We have a lovely hardwood BBQ program. We Smoke our own beef, duck, turkey and even tofu. It’s pretty spectacular. Also, charcoal is always a delight.”

There’s not much that Jeff doesn’t have a hand in, although he has specialists, such as a pastry Chef.

Guest satisfaction is his highest priority. He says, “It’s wonderful to hear from guests. You want to make sure everything is perfect. It’s connecting with people. We are on a beautiful lake and have a very specific identity, being a family business that has been here for generations. And we have food that’s grown right on the property. We have a sizable vegetable garden and a farm. What I care about is putting our best food forward.”

Elmhirst's is a Feast On Certified property, which means we are part of the Canada Culinary Tourism Alliance. Elmhirst dedicate themselves to representing Ontario. 49% of the food served is grown in Ontario, 25% is grown on their property and 95% of all alcohol is from Ontario. Having the farm makes it a truly organic experience. “We are very passionate

about Feast On certification. We raise our own beef, duck and turkey on the farm. It is an integral part of what happens at the resort. In the near future, the culinary team will be more involved in that, and will be involved in the cattle round up. The cattle are Angus and are very well loved and taken care of. They are finished sustainably in a local operation who have an ethanol plant and they use the spent cooked corn used to make ethanol at the cattle finishing plant. The beef is AAA and has very nice marbling. It is dry aged for three weeks, then wet aged for three weeks.

Chef Jeff is very enthusiastic about his work and says this is his dream job. He says, “Please come visit and enjoy some farm-raised beef, duck and turkey.”

It’s the perfect year to visit and use your Staycation Tax Credit that the Ontario Government is offering!