One hot country - Shawn Loughlin editorial
Cue the clip of George W. Bush with the “Mission Accomplished” banner on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln from 2003, because we did it my fellow Canadians: we have a sauce in this season of Hot Ones.
Hot Ones, for those of you who don’t know, is a show on YouTube hosted by Sean Evans. He interviews very famous people - he’s had Oscar winners, Emmy winners, Grammy winners and championship-winning athletes - over the course of a meal of 10 chicken wings adorned with increasingly-hot sauces. The 10th and final sauce, always referred to as “The Last Dab” commonly exceeds two million Scoville units (your run-of-the-mill, bought-at-the-supermarket jalapeño clocks in at between 2,000 and 8,000 Scoville units).
And now, on the 21st season of the show, a hot sauce from Montreal is one of the 10. The sauce in question is from La Pimenterie and it’s the company’s “Curry Verde” sauce. And while it’s not one of the big boys near the end, it boasts a respectable 6,000 scoville units. (It’s the second of the 10 sauces.)
If only Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had waited a few weeks after announcing that Prince Charles 2.0 (the “K” word has no place in this column) would adorn our $20 bill, perhaps he might have considered La Pimenterie founder Julien Frechette for the honour. It would memorialize this great achievement for Canadian food and maybe even win some votes in ever-elusive Quebec.
So far Jason Sudeikis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (that’s right, Elaine herself) and Marques Brownlee Short have tasted Montreal’s finest, with more to come throughout the season.
Since becoming more interested in food, I’ve written about the passion that unites us all and I fear that it doesn’t always interest my dear readers. I remember making the case to the editorial board that the Michelin Guide coming to Canada was important. While the average Huron County resident may not be overly interested in eating at a Michelin Star restaurant, there are plenty in this area who should embrace something like this.
As one of the most agriculturally-productive regions in the province, our high-quality beef, pork and chicken could very easily end up on some of these menus, in addition to some of the more innovative vegetables and herbs being grown around here. Here’s an example:
For my birthday, two friends and I went to wine country to dine at Restaurant Pearl Morissette, just recently named the fifth-best restaurant in Canada. In researching it before we set out, I noticed a familiar name on the list of the restaurant’s producers: Linton. The fifth-best restaurant serves Linton Pasture Pork. That’s Jeff Linton of the Walton area.
Doing a little Instagram snooping, some of the best chefs in Canada, from Ontario to Montreal to Newfoundland, follow Linton to keep up with his farming and, it’s safe to assume, serve his food when they can - even the Big Dog, Matty Matheson himself, who is now the toast of Toronto with Prime Seafood Palace, the best new restaurant of the year.
Producers like Linton - and he’s just one example - show us what’s possible with the land and expertise we have in Huron County. For too long, Michelin Star dining (or just fancy, tasty plates in general) could easily feel like something only found in the exotic corners of France, Italy and Spain. But now, Canadians are embracing their food culture and the flavours of their region. And, we humble Huron County residents might just know someone who happens to be a major player in that revolution.