BY DIANE GILHULA
A new eatery promising to be part restaurant and part theatre has just opened at Market Square in downtown Sudbury.
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The Nickel Chef Café will feature gourmet food made from fresh products available at the market, says owner/chef Tom Reid.
He says his intention is to Â?cook the marketÂ? with lunches prepared with the meats, fish, vegetables, fruit and other produce from local suppliers.
Â?The menu will be a showcase for the entrepreneurs at the market,Â? says Reid.
The �nickel� in Nickel Chef Café refers to Reid�s intention that the food selections be reasonably priced in addition to being simple and delicious.
�The café will feature gourmet, prepared meals for people on the go, and promises to be a departure from standard fast food,� says Reid.
Reid is inviting everyone to drop by Â?to have something cool for lunch and shop for dinner at the market.Â?
Much of the food will made on-site, with soups, curries fresh pastas and salads being just a few of the menu items planned.
The new café will have a large dash of cooking school, added into the mix. Gourmet lunches will be cooked in front of customers. Reid hopes this concept will be entertaining and informative.
The food selections will feature wild game such as elk and bison, and organic food items depending on their availability at the market.
The menu now is featuring autumn soups made with sweet potatoes and squash. Other recent menu selections include soup au pistou, Thai meat ball soup, pasta with pesto cognac sauce and Italian sausage, pasta with Pompeii sauce, and Thai green curry chicken.
Reid says pairing fresh ingredients with many of his own Vinegar-On-The-Rocks products is a natural fit. The specialty vinegars, salad dressings, pestos and pastes will not only be used to make the lunch items but are available for people to buy.
There is is a tasting area for the Vinegar-On-The- Rocks merchandise.
Reid will be doing demonstrations on cooking Northern Foods for the next two weeks at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
(Quick) Soup au Pistou
The Nickel Chef Café
Ingredients:
2 litres chicken stock
1 carrot, micro-diced
1 onion, micro-diced
1 rib celery, micro-diced
butter to saute the above
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 tablespoons Pesto Pistou
Big splash of Sherry (1-2 ozÂ?optional)
Preparation:
Add butter to heated soup pot
Saute vegetables until softened, but not browned
Stir in Pesto, cook and stir one minute
Deglaze pot with a splash of Sherry
Add stock
Add frozen vegetables
Bring to a boil for ten minutes, then reduce to simmer for fifteen Â? twenty minutes
Adjust seasoningsÂ?salt and pepper
Ladle into bowls and serve with lots of
crusty bread
