Creating New Foodways

Fogo Islanders have been growing their own food long before sustainable sourcing and regenerative farming were adopted by forward-thinking restaurants and chefs. There is a surprising abundance of ingredients that grow between rocky coast, bogs, and barrens.

Our culinary exploration begins in the gardens and fields of the growers we partner with, here and across Newfoundland. Before roots take hold, we’re implementing growing techniques and habits that can deepen the nourishing complexities and flavours of our produce. By cultivating curiosity amid growers, new ingredients have been introduced that were never planted before. We’re always planning for the next harvest and what it could bring to the dishes served at the Inn.

Our sustainable sourcing practices limit the kitchen’s larder, but innovative cooking techniques broaden the borders of that framework. This includes using time as an ingredient. Traditional methods like preservation and fermentation allow the culinary team to harvest ingredients at the peak of their season and capture their flavour year-round through pickles, vinegars, and jams.

We blend this approach with more experimental, modern techniques, like a dark slow caramelization process. This process involves cooking food at a low temperature in a blackening chamber where it slowly transforms through a Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction in food that changes its colour and deepens its flavour. Executive Chef Tim Charles tested the method with many ingredients. “You’re getting this really deep flavour, while maintaining some of the most delicate nature of the product,” he says.

In addition to this, Chef Tim and his team experiment with sous vide caramelization of the juices from an ingredient, which amplifies its flavour. These caramelized juices are then used to enrich broths, lacquers, and reductions. Through these methods, we are reinterpreting traditional tastes and defying expectations by showcasing the diversity of our ingredients. These methods also encourage no-waste cooking, since every part of a vegetable can be pressed, juiced, and caramelized.

While our dishes change with the seasons, a few recent examples celebrate the techniques refined in our kitchen.

Cabbage and Caviar reimagines this reliable and resilient vegetable. The cabbage is steamed, grilled, and glazed with a cabbage ferment and caramelized cabbage reduction. The dish is finished with roasted cabbage oil, a cream infused with a Prince Edward Island cheddar, horseradish, and a generous dollop of caviar.

A Carrot Soup features caramelized carrot juice, adjusted with fermented and fresh carrot juices, as well as vermouth fortified with carrot tops. The soup is garnished with small Northern shrimp from Fogo Island Fish and finished with chamomile-scented duck fat.

Beets with Cheese highlights the versatility of the root vegetable. Beets are juiced, then caramelized sous vide for around three days. This caramelized beet juice is then adjusted with fermented beet and fresh beet juice. The combined liquid is used to glaze beets that are salt-baked, grilled, served with a spruce-ringed cheese, and garnished with shisho. Shisho is an herb grown in Chef Tim’s garden that adds a flavour of cinnamon and clove – both spices that aren’t natural in our cooking, but can be introduced through alternatives that grow on island.

While these dishes aren’t permanent fixtures on our ever-shifting menus, they exemplify our culinary team’s attention to detail, creativity, and innovative culinary approach. Grown on Fogo Island and nearby regions, ingredients that are staples of traditional cooking acquire new life at Fogo Island Inn, where dishes delight, surprise, and nourish.