The Many Treasures Of Prince Edward Island

Jeff McCourt always loved to cook. When he was a boy he volunteered to make chowder for his family. But it was a pricey and risky undertaking for a kid, especially if the dish went south. “At first my mom didn’t necessarily trust me with $150 dollars worth of lobster, scallops and mussels,” he recalls. “But the chowder turned out awesome.”

His career as a chef was set in motion on his native Prince Edward Island. “It’s a place of great agricultural bounty,” he says. “Not only do we have an abundance of potatoes, mussels, and oysters, you can go twenty minutes down the road and see people picking oysters and shucking them right there. You don’t find that in a city, where you don’t know how long something has been on a truck or in a restaurant. Here you get the true taste of the place.” Chef Michael Smith, a Food Network star who owns The Inn At Bay Fortune concurs. “I think of Prince Edward Island as a giant green farm floating in the deep blue sea surrounded by sandy white beaches,” says Smith.

In addition to fish, McCourt always had a particular fondness for cheese. “I love the simplicity of cheese,” he shares. “There are very few things added. It’s art, craft, science, and magic, all wrapped up into one.”

A few years ago, after he he had a family and turned 40, McCourt was teaching at the Culinary School of Canada in Charlottetown. He had one of those what-am-I-going-to-do-next? moments. “Although I love teaching and the students, I knew I had something else in me,” explains McCourt.

In 2013, McCourt began an apprenticeship with cheesemaster Martina ter Beek who was the only artisanal cheese maker on Prince Edward Island. Her beloved twenty five-year-old gouda shop had loyal fans like McCourt. Once she retired, with her blessing, McCourt took over the business and created Glasgow Glen Farm, the island’s only artisanal cheese maker.

McCourt makes all kinds of gouda, including buttery sweet mild gouda, complex aged gouda and even applewood smoked gouda. “I love the diversity. When gouda is young, it’s mild, creamy and buttery and makes the best grilled cheese sandwich. It melts in your mouth, is perfect for a burger or on our pizzas,” says McCourt. “Once you age gouda for ten or eighteen months, it gets to be like parmesan cheese. In two or three years, it’s savory candy.”

McCourt has introduced several new cheeses including caraway, smoked peppercorn, pizza and bluda, which he describes as “gouda with a personality complex.” Bluda offers the sweet nuttiness of a traditional Gouda with a creamy, acidic finish of blue cheese. He even makes a variety of scrumptious pizzas in their wood fired oven. The pizzas range from beef, bacon and bluda and the “Hawaiian” with roasted pineapple, and black bacon. Also, his garlic fingers (garlic puree with plain, herb and garlic gouda) are an island staple.

When asked why he took on such a labor intensive undertaking, he doesn’t hesitate for even a moment. “I wanted to create something that reminds me of when I walked into my Grandmother’s house when I was a child,” says McCourt of Glasgow Glen Farm, where his children now work alongside him. “I remember my grandma making bread. We picked blueberries. We were sustenance farmers and lived off the land. It was simple.”

Contributing to the magic for McCourt is the locale where he makes his gouda. “It’s not like any cheese that you elsewhere any other place in the world. The milk is different, the cows are different, the air is different, the grass is different, the salt,” says McCourt, while pausing. “It’s all the things that make PEI special.”

Prince Edward Island has a plethora of restaurants, hotels and sites to visit that make the place a true standout. Plus, as part of the Canada 150 celebrations, Parks Canada is offering free admission to all of Canada’s national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas. Check out these PEI treasures.

The quaint, authentic and charming town of Victoria By The Sea is less than 30 minutes from downtown Charlottetown. Yet this fishing village which dates back to the 1860s feels a million miles from any city. With a year-round population of 200 there are no chain stores. But you will discover a theater (the Victoria Playhouse Festival in the historic community hall), a lighthouse museum, galleries, a bookstore and the scrumptious Island Chocolate shop that feels it belongs in another century.

While in Victoria, stay at the historic Orient Hotel Bed and Breakfast with a porch that beckons idling. Many of the light-filled suites have sitting rooms. Just down the street The Landmark Café has been a local favorite for more than a quarter century. Owned by talented chef Eugene Sauvé, the restaurant is a true labor of love and family affair as Sauvé’s son and daughter also work with him while he cooks up beloved dishes like meat pies, scallops or seafood chowder. Also, stop by the Lobster Barn Pub & Eatery right on the wharf and try their famous lobster roll.

Prince Edward Island is a cyclist and walkers’ nirvana with endless opportunities for adventures and strolls along diverse, lush and breathtaking terrain. Rent a bike in Morrell and ride along the shoreline to St. Peter's Bay. Cross the mouth of the Morell River and see stunning views of Greenwich National Park. Arrive at St. Peter's Landing hungry and head to Rick’s Fish ‘n’ Chips. Eat al fresco and order one of Rick’s mainstays like curried seafood chowder or his famous Cajun mussels.

Eighteen miles outside Charlottetown is fetching New Glasgow. One of Canada’s most famous preserves is made at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. Eat breakfast at their restaurant overlooking the River Clyde and explore their pretty Gardens of Hope. Nearby is Jeff McCourt’s Glasgow Glen Farm and his artisanal gouda mecca. Just be sure to leave room for one of the wood fired pizzas. On Saturday mornings the cinnamon rolls are a must.

A great treasure near New Glasgow is gorgeous North Rustico. Walk along the long beach or stroll the seaside pathway that meanders along rolling dunes. Continue the magic by water kayaking in Rustico Bay with Outside Expeditions. Kayak amid jagged red cliffs, oyster farms and the wonder of PEI National Park.

There are feasts and then there is The Feast at the Inn At Bay Fortune. Chef Michael Smith and his talented chefs craft a menu that stems from the inn’s 8-acre farm, greenhouses, and gardens. Imagine an all-you-can-slurp oyster hour followed by a family style pull-out-every-stop multi-course meal for the ages masterfully cooked from a 25 foot wood-burning, fire-breathing behemoth that incorporates every form of live-fire cooking.

“Pretty? Oh, pretty doesn’t seem the right word to use. Nor beautiful, either. They don’t go far enough... It’s the first thing I ever saw that couldn’t be improved upon by imagination,” said Anne Shirley of Prince Edward Island in Anne of Green Gables. Experience the ravishing pale golden sky and dark glens of spruce.” that inspired author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

See Green Gables Heritage Place which harkens to the time of Lucy Maud Montgomery and recreates elements of life back then. Visit the kind of house Montgomery described so vividly in her novel. An interesting video offers some context into her life. Stop by Avonlea Village in Cavendish. There are five different restaurants including Dave’s Lobster for top notch lobster rolls, MOO MOO Grilled Cheese made with the island’s famous Cow’s cheese and Red Island Baked Potato, the Island’s only gourmet baked potato shop.

Pure paradise is a jaunt along the Prince Edward Island National Park in Cavendish along the designed bike path that goes for miles. The seashore path, lies high atop the rugged cliffs with the orchestra of the sea crashing below. After dinner at the exquisitely delicious Pearl Eatery & Oyster Lounge, stay at Kindred Spirits Inn & Cottages. Fittingly titled, the staff is as lovely as the inn which is laid out on six acres and less than a mile from the sea.

Greenwich National Park is one of Canada’s most majestic natural treasures. Hike the Greenwich Dunes Trail and be awed by the floating boardwalk that extends to a beach that extends for miles.

Historic Charlottetown is the birthplace of Canada. In 1864, the Fathers of Confederation arrived there to attend the Charlottetown Conference and the meeting ultimately resulted in the creation of Canada. Aside from its historic significance, the city is bustling with a plethora a outdoor restaurant decks to watch the world go by, great theater, top notch restaurants and alluring hotels.

Learn firsthand what it’s really like to fish for lobster like a professional with Top Notch Charters and owner Captain Mark Jenkins on his 45-foot fishing boat Top Notch. A forth generation lobster fisherman Jenkins and his team will teach you to catch a buoy, and haul a trap. Breathe in the salty air and then savor a lobster feast!

The Holman Grand Hotel and the Hotel on Pownal are ideally located in the heart of downtown and within an easy walk to the water. Stroll along Great George Street and marvel at the many architectural styles including Neoclassical, Queen Anne Revival, and Gothic Revival. For outdoor music, local art and dinning the pedestrian street Victoria Row is a happening spot. See the ships at Peake’s Wharf. Stop by Anne of Green Gables Chocolate. Do like the locals and take a walk along the boardwalk by Victoria Park. The spot is particularly majestic at dusk, when the sun is setting. Plus it’s great fun to stop by the Kiwanis Dairy Bar right along the water.

When in PEI eat mussels and more mussels. The Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown is the ideal place to partake. Other scrumptious dishes are decadent Oysters Rockefeller, PEI Beef, pasta dishes and an extensive wine list.

No visit to PEI is complete without a taste of ice cream from Cows creamery, where the decadent dessert originated in Cavendish, The secret Cows recipe dates back to the time of Anne of Green Gables and contains many of same all-natural ingredients. The rich flavors are endlessly creative like Messie Bessie (chocolate ice cream, moo crunch, Oreo cookie, and English toffee), Moo York Cheesecake and Wowie Cowie (vanilla ice cream, English toffee marble, chocolate flakes, and moo Crunch).