People from Nova Scotia are renowned for their warmth and hospitality. But even without the faint trace of the east coast in his diction, one would quickly surmise where Kent Smith, proprietor and chef as Michael & Marion’s in Barrie, hails from. Whether he is greeting a farmer from the Barrie market who’s popped by to sell the rest of his wares or greeting a new customer on the phone (“it sounds like you need dinner”), the man exudes a calm geniality. He is also a man who knows his food. And although residents of Barrie and its environs have enjoyed his cuisine for nearly 20 years, we almost never got to taste his wares.
After finishing a culinary program at Ottawa’s Algonquin College, Smith landed in Barrie, choosing a hospitality program at Georgian College over Toronto’s George Brown. “ I never planned to stay,” he notes. “But now I think I’ll probably never leave.”
In 1990 the opportunity to buy Michael & Marion’s on Bayfield Street arose and Smith, then just 24, bought the restaurant with a partner. Although the partnership soon fizzled the restaurant did not, despite the challenges of the newly imposed GST and a major recession. “When I first got the restaurant I’m afraid it wasn’t about culinary vision. It was about survival. So I focused on the people who came through the door. I needed to make them feel comfortable and feel that they got excellent value for their dining dollar.” In 1994, Smith expanded and opened the Side Door café adjacent to the main dining room.
The emphasis he places on top-notch service has remained unchanged today, and the cuisine follows the same high standards. “I’ve never been into frou-frou because at the end of the day, people need to eat and they need to feel satisfied,” he notes. Simple presentations, inspired flavour combinations and above all impeccable freshness are the hallmarks of his menu that changes seasonally. P.E.I mussels get a simple anointment of white wine and basil pesto. His favourite hubbard squash fills agnolotti dressed in a pecan and apricot sauce. Miso glazes Atlantic salmon.
People these days are concerned about eating locally, but it’s something that Smith has done instinctively for years. “I love the Barrie farmer’s market,” he says. “And I feel really good about knowing that, for the most part, as much as I possibly can buy comes from the market.” Pausing to reveal the plunder from his latest foray to the market, still cool from the morning air, he exudes an almost reverent appreciation for simple pleasures of good food. “Some people are hell bent on trying to be different. I want people to feel satisfied. And I don’t want people to come back just when it’s their birthday. I want you to come back next time you’re hungry. I’m glad you’re here.”
GL: What’s your favourite ingredient?
KS: There is nothing better on a cold day than curry in anything as far as I’m concerned. I love a good lamb curry. I think I make the best.
I work hard a selling as much seafood as I can because I love it. I love fresh fish, fresh halibut. I remember once my dad, who’s a down home easterner, was here. I was making calamari and he said ‘What are you doing?’ I said “I’m making calamari.’ He said: “Calamari? That’s bait.” We’ve sold tons and tons of fried calamari.
GL: What’s your favourite tip for the home cook?
KS: Keep it simple. And use the Internet search engine to do some recipe research. People are limited by their ability to pair foods. I think that’s where a lot of people fall down. They don’t know that this will work with that. You have to experiment.
GL: What’s your favourite appliance?
KS:When my wife and I moved into our new house I bought myself the mother of all gas ranges. It’s a cast iron and stainless steel Viking four burner.
GL: What is your favourite culinary highlight of Simcoe County
KS: We like to go to the Mariposa Market in Orillia on a Sunday. The apple pie muffin is to die for. When it’s in season I love to get Julius lettuce from Eddie my favourite farmer at the Barrie market. It’s kind of like a cross between Bibb and Romaine.
GL: Do you have any favourite décor items?
KS: Last August we did a complete renovation of the restaurant. The new bar surface is a lovely Georgian Bay granite and the striations in it make it look like antique wood. It’s really beautiful.
A Fine Balance
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