Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Honest Foods Inc: enhancing Hamilton’s culinary scene street by street by street

Honest Foods Inc: enhancing Hamilton’s culinary scene street by street by street

As I wrote at the end of last year one of Waterloo’s leading culinary talents was headed to a gig in Hamilton. There were rumours about what Chef Mark Andrew Brown was going to be doing, including that it was a dream gig. Speculation ranged from his opening a new restaurant, to leading the culinary program for a new restaurant group. It turns out all of those things were true and more, much more as he revealed in a recent interview.

Brown proved difficult to track down, but finally in February, a source enigmatically breathed the word “Beverly” to me. With the assistance of fellow blogger Sid Friedman we were able to establish
there was a new restaurant by that name set to open on Locke Street, and Brown (see cover photo) was indeed involved.

I visited barely two weeks after they opened, nodding hello to Brown who was perched at a window counter with someone, clearly in a business meeting. At first impression The Beverly on Locke is a gorgeously-designed space, all brick walls and angled mirrors with an orange bike hanging on the wall. Beverly clearly has a offbeat personality of her own. After an enjoyable, innovative and attractively-plated meal, Brown stopped by to chat. I asked how things were going.

He explained he has taken on the role of Culinary Director for the, as yet relatively unknown, Honest Foods Inc. By all accounts they are a busy, expanding enterprise indeed. He originally joined them to open a new restaurant, Eatwell on John Street, but the opening of that project was delayed till the end of May, so he jumped in to see through the opening of the Beverly. There he faced some serious early challenges, which led to mixed early reviews on social media (see for example I’m Mad Hungry’s report).

I learned the opening chef had bailed right before the launch, resulting in a lot of last minute scrambling. As the understated Brown put it, “There were some early bumps,” adding that things were settling down, and they were now getting a great response from customers. That’s good news for the owner of Honest Foods, Joe Accardi, a local developer who Brown says has “a huge passion for food.”

Accardi wanted to offer an alternative to the big chains, and what he saw as the limited options for places to take clients for what is the most important meal of the day, breakfast! Hence the all day brunch and breakfast at the Beverly. Brown noted the protein portions have been scaled down somewhat to help showcase the vegetables too.

In an interview, Accardi told me he is proud to put his name to the Green Smoothie Bar on James Street North as one of his first ventures in developing restaurants. Several years on, he and Brown are set to disrupt the food scene in Hamilton in a big way. Accardi noted they “want to be chef-focussed with every recipe having a purpose,” adding “developing great talent and transforming chefs into superstars is at the heart of what Marc brings to Honest Foods.”

Beyond Eatwell and the Beverly, in the “coming soon” category, there is an ice cream parlour opening in June on James, and a great-sounding Butcher on Ottawa Street, with the emphasis on using the whole animal, knowing exactly which farmer each came from, and attractively showcasing products to the best effect.

And they are not stopping there by any means. The group is collaborating on a vegan grocery store downtown, a bakery modelled on San Francisco’s Tartine, and a vegetable butcher too on King Street, opposite the Connaught. Yes, you read that right, a vegetable butcher. Ever-thoughtful, Brown explained the idea has its origins on a page from the French Laundry Cookbook. (Page 202 to be precise, one dedicated to vegetable cuts).

Customers will be able to have their veggie selection turned, minced, diced, brunoised and julienned, or transformed into oblique cuts, batons, fluted ovals, and mirepoix, ready for the pot. And why not? After all there are many who’d love to sub-contract the chopping of all those onions to somebody else. (Incidentally, the idea has also been adopted by high end Toronto grocer, Pusateri’s, at its new food hall locations.)

Accardi also has an interest in Harpers Garden Centre in Ancaster. The ultimate game plan is to interlink all these enterprises: Brown muses on the possibilities of growing mushrooms and/or edible flowers there for use in the restaurants, perhaps on a roof top community garden. When I mention it to Accardi, he’s not yet fully aware of that element of the evolving and ambitious vision, saying “I’ll have to talk to Marc about that!”

Finally, back to the Beverly: Accardi says it was their “great design company”, the Laundry Design Works, who came up with the enigmatic name. The early bumps have clearly been flattened, and positive reports now abound. So, I’ve got no reservations about Beverly. Good thing too as she doesn’t take them. Turn up, eat, and enjoy that most important meal. And reflect on the transformative culinary joys yet to come, courtesy of a pair of very fertile minds.

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Alex (Alex can be reached on twitter @AlexBielak)