A Landmark Destination

At The Waring House Restaurant and Inn, Chef David Correa delivers sustainable farm-to-table County cuisine.

It’s the first billboard visitors see driving from the west into Prince Edward County pointing them towards The Waring House. It’s a beacon that has been followed by many travellers over the decades. Just off Loyalist Parkway, there it is, the pristinely manicured driveway on Sandy Hook, leading to the lush, expansive property, one beautifully maintained building appearing after the last around this corner, behind that hedge, or down that gravel lane.

Owners Norah and Christopher Rogers moved from Kingston to the County in 1980 and purchased this historic landmark in 1995. It had been a restaurant since 1981, and when the Rogers took over, they added guestrooms – 49 of them now – and that expansion has continued over the years, with a cooking school, greenhouse, and other amenities.

The centerpieces of the property, the original fieldstone house with barn attached, and gorgeous thick-walled icehouse were all built between 1820 and 1860 by an Irish farming family – the Warings. The rustic Barley Room Pub and fine dining restaurant, Amelia’s Garden – named for Amelia Waring – are attached to the outside of the original house and barn, and on the walls hang pretty floral paintings from the 1930s by Norah’s mother, Ruth Connell. A gleaming black baby grand awaits Saturday night and the pianists who serenade diners.

The Rogers were here, welcoming guests before the County’s tourism industry took flight. “This was the first fine dining restaurant in the County,” says Norah. “At that time – in 1981 – there was only an inn in Bloomfield and a burger place.”

Since the Rogers took the helm, they have focused on local producers. “We’re so lucky,” says Norah Rogers. “We’re sitting right in the middle of everything: wineries, cideries, breweries, distilleries, farmers, cheesemakers!” The County bounty allows the team, led by Chef David Correa, to offer monthly wine pairing dinners and scotch tastings, pulling from their impressive list – curated by Christopher Rogers – of 75 scotches, whiskies and ryes from the UK, Canada, America, India and Japan.

Correa came to The Waring House in 2019 to run the cookery school, but in 2022, he took on the demanding role of Executive Chef, heading up all Feast On Certified dining, catering and banquet services, with sous chef Jessie Insley and pastry chefs Scott Jones and Laurie Foster at his side.

Correa immigrated to Canada as a toddler with his siblings a few years after his parents had arrived in Canada in 1964, bringing with them the culinary traditions of Goa, India.

“My mom packed her suitcases full of all the ingredients she was sure she wouldn’t be able to find here,” says Correa. “Dried mango, tamarind, spices. And I was fascinated by the food she would cook. I was always there in the kitchen with her and my grandmother, ready to help. And when I was 14, my grandmother taught me about leavening and the nature of yeast by making pizza dough. It was amazing to me, to see it rise.”

“But,” recalls Correa, “my dad was an accountant, and they both wanted me to get a ‘real job,’ to be a lawyer or something like that. It was hard to convince them that being a chef was a proper career.”

That soon changed. “When I started winning awards, cooking for important people in prestigious locations – I was sent to cook at the House of Commons in Ottawa – they came around and embraced my choices.”

Food has taken him around the world, cooking under some of the best chefs in a number of the top kitchens. He was a member of the opening team for Euro Disney, and he’s taught and cooked at exclusive resorts in the Caribbean and BC. “I love adventure and travelling,” says Correa. “I’ve bounced around the world, looking for great experiences. But I got tired of all the travelling, and my parents were aging; I wanted to spend more time with them.” So he regrouped in Toronto, and that’s when his late brother, music promoter, Keith Correa, paved the way for one of Correa’s most satisfying assignments: cooking for Sir Mick Jagger, his family and entourage.

Still, the job wasn’t handed to him – he had to audition. Sir Mick asked for a grilled cheese sandwich. “So, I made him the best grilled cheese sandwich I could. I used seven-year-old cheddar, and he liked it enough to offer me the gig.” In the summer of 2002, the Rolling Stones sequestered themselves in Toronto before embarking on a world tour. Jagger rented a 25,000 square foot mansion on The Bridle Path and installed Correa in the spectacularly large kitchen as his personal chef.

“Sir Mick was 57 at that time and followed a Mediterranean diet,” says Correa. “He wanted the freshest, highest-quality ingredients and great wines. He likes French food too, but to get into touring shape he didn’t want butter and cream. So it was garlic and herbs, veggies, olive oil and fish, and it was so much fun running all over town sourcing the very best for him: he had to have a 50-year-old balsamic. I spent a lot of time at Pusateri’s!” To know what to cook day in and day out, Correa handed Jagger a Mediterranean cookbook to go through, asking him to mark his favourite recipes with bits of paper – bits of paper Correa still keeps in that book to this day. Well, wouldn’t you?

While cooking for rock royalty meant only the very best would do and money was no object, at The Waring House, Correa needs to make the best food possible while respecting the bottom line and also doing his part for the environment. In 2022, Sandbanks Bees installed 15 beehives, providing honey for the kitchen, and in 2023, The Waring House signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge.

Spring Chicken with Cressy Mustard and Vader’s Maple Syrup and Grilled Campbell’s Apples

“I like to use local ingredients,” says Chef David Correa. “For this I go with Prinzen chicken, Cressy mustard, Vader’s maple syrup and what’s in season.” We’ve profiled three of his favourite producers, but he wanted to give a shout out to Laundry Farms and Van Grootheest Farm, too. When he made this dish for us, he used carrots, potatoes, asparagus and morels; but feel free to accompany the chicken with the seasonal veggies you like best.

There are a few steps here, so it’s advisable to read the recipe all the way through before starting.

Ingredients
For the marinade:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. finely chopped chives
1 tsp. finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 skin-on, boneless chicken breasts

For the glaze:
2 tbsp. grainy mustard
2 tbsp. maple syrup

For the vegetables:

1 firm apple, cored and sliced into 4 wedges
1 bunch asparagus
6 young spring carrots
6 baby potatoes
½ cup morels or another favourite mushroom, cleaned, sliced or left whole
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Directions

• In a small non-reactive bowl, make the marinade by combining the olive oil and fresh herbs. Add the chicken and toss to fully coat. Cover, transfer to the fridge and allow to rest for at least 2 hours.
• In a small bowl combine the mustard and maple; set aside.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350F.
• Preheat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and when hot, add marinated chicken; allow to brown on both sides; about 3 – 5 minutes each side.
• Brush the chicken with the maple-mustard glaze, add apple pieces and mushrooms to skillet and pop into the oven to roast for about 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165F. When done, brush again with the rest of the glaze, tent the skillet with foil, allow to rest, keeping warm.
• While the chicken cooks, trim the asparagus and blanch in boiling, well-salted water for about 1 minute; transfer to a bowl of ice water to shock. Add the potatoes and carrots to the water and cook for about 10 minutes or until fork tender; drain and set aside.
• Add oil and butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the prepared and blanched veggies, season with salt and pepper, and heat through.
• To serve, arrange the veggies, chicken, mushrooms and apple on two plates or on one serving platter. Garnish with a finishing drizzle of any pan juices and more fresh herbs if desired.

Serves 2

Murray and June Campbell,
Campbell’s Orchards

When Murray and June Campbell bought their Carrying Place farm in 1967, it was a retirement plan for Murray. It took them 10 years to revitalize the land, planting acres of berry bushes, grapes, veggies and over 25 varieties of apples. This landmark has grown from a roadside stand to a County destination with cidery, vineyard and sugarbush. Tragically, Murray died in a plane crash near Port Hope in 1979; June passed away in 2010.

The place has expanded but is still a family enterprise, guided by June and Murray’s passion for providing the community with the freshest local products. Son, Colin, and his wife, Dianne, took the lead at Campbell’s in 1980, and their kids, Amelia and John, now run the cidery – Apple Falls Cider – the sugarbush and the winery where John works with the uncommon Marquette grape. Campbell’s uses environmentally friendly practices while supporting local vendors and growers.

“Not only do we have access to the freshest local produce,” says Chef David Correa. “Their farm is a beautiful destination, and their team is knowledgeable and always friendly.”

Todd and Sue Vader,
Vader’s Maple Syrup

Since 1910, the Vader family has tapped upwards of 3,000 sugar maples each February, producing a wide variety of syrups – golden, amber, dark and very dark – and products: maple butter, maple jelly, maple sugar, maple candy and a very special dark syrup. This unique syrup starts with Vader’s dark, and then ages for six months in rye-whisky barrels sourced from The County Cooperage in Cherry Valley, giving it a subtle whisky taste.

Of Dutch ancestry, the Vaders arrived in Ontario in 1797, but for the last 114 years their PEC property and sap house – with its distinctive green roof – has graced the south shore of East Lake, where Todd Vader and wife Sue continue the family tradition, which includes a farm store, open all year ’round for visitors.

“Vader’s maple syrup is some of the best in the County!” says Chef David Correa. “We use it all year round in a variety of different recipes. The Vader family has been producing maple syrup for over 100 years and has mastered the art of Mother Nature’s sugar.”

Hagerman Family,
Hagerman Farms

It’s an iconic Ontario farm: A sprawl of well-maintained red barns adorned with quilt paintings, a white rail fence to keep in the animals, produce stands, bakery, café, shop and a parking lot hopping with customers and diners.

The family has farmed this land for five generations. Parents Heather and Peter Hagerman work side by side with kids Joseph, Jody and Jennifer – each with their own focus. Jennifer’s café and bakery, Farmhouse Eats, serves up baked goods, preserves and lunch, all made from scratch. Jody takes care of the cut flower fields and her chickens, while brother Joe tackles the firewood business. Together with hired help, they tend to the vegetables, as well as the acreage under soy, winter wheat and corn.

“At The Waring House,” says Chef David Correa. “We take pride in supporting local businesses, and they’re as local as it gets, located just across the street! They offer a range of seasonal produce and always have a friendly face to greet you. We use herbs, potatoes, carrots and more from their amazing selection on a daily basis.”