“Do you want a rooster?” This was the opening line from the patron to the waitress on a Saturday night at Marley’s Café in Wakefield. It was not meant to be rude or cheeky or funny. It was just an honest and practical, if somewhat unusual question. And the young server took it in stride, in fact she answered honestly and practically that she and her family had enough in the way of roosters and they did not need another, but thanks for asking.
One could witness such an exchange like a slack-jawed tourist and take the time to be perplexed, or one could smile and simply accept that while no farm animals would be changing hands that night, the Wakefield restaurant scene is a true supportive and closely knit community, committed to local produce and collective success.
 Marley’s Café is a family-run restaurant attached to the Black Sheep Inn (a.k.a Le Mouton Noir) that opened in February 2008. The view of the river and hills through the large picture windows is spectacular and the food is simple, fresh and inexpensive with a balance of healthy and greasy choices.
Kaffé 1870 down the road was described alternately as “the bar on the corner” by way of directions, and also affectionately as “the village’s living room”. And indeed it is cozy, unpretentious and welcoming. The new owners, Leigh Irvine, Mark Michaud and Jeff Hardill, have put fair effort into ensuring the food they serve is consistent and homey. The menu changes throughout the year, moving from comfort food in the winter to fresher samplings as produce becomes available once the local gardens get their green back.
Every Thursday evening for the rest of summer, Chef Miguel (Michael Shannon) who owns Boutique Burro Borracho next door will be wheeling over one of his Big Green Eggs and cooking dinner for Kaffé patrons. His store offers mostly leisure lifestyle clothing and luxury footwear, but it now also trades in green ceramic machines powered by lump charcoal that can bake, grill and smoke everything from appetizers to dessert. His menus will evolve and include a variety of meats, vegetables, fish, pizzas, appetizers and desserts.
Although the food of Wakefield was described by one store owner as including everything but fast food, there are a few places in town to get good food to go. Two bakeries –– Pipolinka and the Wakefield Bakery –– sell a selection of sweet and savoury items, and panini sandwiches are available at Café Molo. Luigi Neliambro who owns Cheezy Luigis Pizza makes it easy and offers delivery, which is a bit of a rarity in the country. Perhaps also rare for a pizza joint, is the commitment to homemade, fresh, and local ingredients. The dough for his designer pizzas is made fresh daily. He tries to either prepare the toppings himself, such as the pesto, marinated chicken and roasted peppers, or buys what he can locally. The jerk sauce is from the Soupcon kitchen, the mango chutney is from La Confiserie Wakefield and mushrooms and honey are from local farmers.
The town also has its fair share of fine dining. Che Chartrand bought Chez Eric last August, and kept both the name itself and the goldfish that it honours. The restaurant offers al fresco dining in the summer on the back patio with a view of the garden and the stream. Having put time in at both Beckta in Ottawa and Par-fyum in Hull, Che’s menu leans toward French cuisine and is stocked with as much local produce as possible. Unlike his predecessor he also includes more carnivorous choices including gourmet burgers, wild game, and duck breast that is cured and smoked on site.
Tanya Skeates, owner of Soupcon, landed in Wakefield three years ago after having spent years in kitchens abroad and in several prestigious Ottawa eateries. Her restaurant is small and intimate with an open kitchen that allows the clientele to observe the preparation of what she describes as meals with an Asian twist. Tanya is committed to sourcing locally, which extends from her ingredients to the paper her menu is printed on. She is also steadfast in her approach to the environment, tacking on a $1 “green fee” per person to go towards the added costs associated with supporting local farms and environmentally-friendly products. Soupcon also offers cooking classes and catering services. Tanya partners with pastry chef, Declan Thomas, to help out on the sweet side of her expanding catering business. Declan also owns Le Moo ice cream store in town and Ruby Cocoa, which offers a small line of simple and pure chocolates that can be purchased in various locations including Chez Eric.
If there is not enough time to stop in at one of the local eateries, La Confiserie Wakefield has many treats that can be brought home. Over 50 products are made by the team of Marc Fournier and Sylvie Richard, including jams, chutneys, relishes, chocolates, candy brittles, and fudge. Many of the recipes for the jams and chutneys were passed on from the original owners representing a 25-year Wakefield tradition. Rounding out their selection are local products including maple syrup, cranberries, honey, wild boar sausages from Jean-Luc L’Écuyer, and Bean Fair coffee, which is fairly traded and roasted and packaged in town.
Wakefield Hot Spots
Café Molo, 745 chemin Riverside
Café Pot au Feu, 749 chemin Riverside
Luigis Pizza, 12A chemin Valley
Chez Eric, 119 chemin Valley
Kaffé 1870, 715 chemin Riverside
La Confiserie Wakefield, 817 chemin Riverside
Le Moo, 761 chemin Riverside
Marley’s Café, 420 chemin Riverside
Pipolinka Boulangerie, 8 chemin Valley
Soupcon, 759 chemin Riverside
Wakefield Boulangerie, 813 chemin Riverside
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