Discovered - Ten Minutes To Paradise

Discovered

Image by PeI TourIsm

Ten Minutes To Paradise - Suburban living In Prince Edward Island

It took four years, one billion dollars, and a total of 5,000 people to construct the magnificent span of steel and concrete interlocking Prince Edward Island with the rest of Canada. My contribution to the project, known to the world as Confederation Bridge, takes a total of ten minutes one-way and costs $43. It seems a small pittance to travel this 12.9-kilometre engineering masterpiece.

Story and PhotograPhy | Jeff Voth

Befittng the profile of this most hospitable Province, no one is charged a fee until you decide to make your way off the island.

Why anyone would ever choose to leave is beyond me. There is no place on the planet quite as refreshing for the soul as Canada’s birthplace.

WestJet flight 3482 arrived in Halifax at 12:14 pm and we soon embarked on our East Coast escapade with suitcases, smartphones, and water bottles consuming every inch of the 2018 Chevrolet Suburban.

Resplendent in black, with only a hint of satin-chrome on the wheels contrasting the metallic noir colour scheme, we exited the airport on a four-hour drive to Charlottetown looking every bit as offcial as a United States Secret Service vehicle doing reconnaissance for an upcoming diplomatic visit.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport receded in the mirrors as we drove north along Hwy 102 towards Truro, Nova Scotia and our first stop at Catch Of The Bay fish market in Masstown.

Renowned for its fish and chips, we baked outside under a hot summer sun as our haddock deep fried inside covered in batter, waiting to be devoured. We were not alone.

Their reputation for fine food was on full display with families filling the umbrella-covered tables, holding puckshaped buzzers like anxious bingo players waiting for their numbers to be called. It was an eating adventure worth the investment.

“ There is no place on the planet quite as refreshing for the soul as Canada’s birthplace.”

Back on the road, we turned northwest on the Trans- Canada Highway, Hwy 104, passing through Thompson Station, Amherst, and Fort Lawrence before making a sharp right at Aulac on to Hwy 12 taking a direct line towards the coast.

A more scenic route from Halifax would have been to stay on Hwy 104 from Truro to New Glasgow, turn north on Hwy 106 then follow the coast on Hwy 6 with the Atlantic Ocean on your right. City names like Sea Foam, Tatamagouche, Pugwash, and Fox Harbour were hard to resist, but PEI was calling so that would have to wait for another day.

Thirty minutes outside of Aulac, Confederation Bridge started to take shape, ascending skyward across the Northumberland Strait. It is an interesting sight, not what you might expect at first glance. It bends, twists and rises upward at various points, looking almost chaotic in its design. But this is part of the overall experience, driving across holds unexpected views of the bridge and ocean with every passing kilometre.

Suddenly, island shores came into view as we dropped from the sky to sandy red beaches below. Charlottetown was still a forty-five-minute drive away, but we were not headed in that direction today. Instead, our stay would be in an oceanside cottage on the Malpeque coast, breathing in the crisp sea air and watching the boats head out each morning in search of fresh lobster.

Weather reports promised a sun-filled week and how could they be wrong, so my responsibilities would include driving to nearby Cabot Beach Provincial Park and settng up shop for the six of us as we basked in warm shallow waters and perfect sandy beaches.

We weren’t the only ones taking note of the beautiful weather, but there was plenty of room on the beach so it didn’t feel overcrowded. I did have to share space with a host of small crabs scurrying about as we played football in the water. Thankfully their claws were small, so no toes were lost in my epic attempts to catch and release the pigskin.

Image by PeI TourIsm

Renting a cottage on the coast affords the opportunity to prepare locally sourced food onsite and dine in. Or, as was our experience on one spectacular evening, enjoy the exceptional company of our neighbours for a feast of oysters, muscles, lobster, burgers, and so much more.

Eating is a religion here in P.E.I. and they have it down to a science. Whoever claimed science and religion are mutually exclusive has obviously never been to the east coast of Canada.

Exploring this Province is in many ways a right of passage for those of us who live in this country. Of course, everyone is welcome to visit, but there is something so uniquely Canadian about the small towns, beaches, and farmlands of P.E.I. that it just feels like home.

We experience this community spirit and a strong sense of family at the Fireworks Feast held each night at The Inn at Bay Fortune. Long wooden tables filled with laughter and excitement are just some of the signs this is not your average dining experience, but a feast for the senses.

Chef Michael Smith and his wife, the Inn’s Proprietor Chasity Smith, have crafted a maritime masterpiece centered on great food, sustainability and open flames on 46 lush acres. The settng overlooks Fortune River as it journeys east towards the Northumberland Strait and the Atlantic Ocean.

The evening starts with refreshments and food stations spread across the property. An introduction to farmfresh ingredients captivates guests on the front lawn.

This moves quickly to the back garden as our host for the evening passionately explains the benefits of organic farming. Farm to fork is not just a catchy slogan here at The Inn, it’s a way of life.

As the tour ends, an outside, open-flame sausage station with homemade chutney and an oyster bar inside are swarmed with famished guests ready to dive into the feast.

Soon we are seated on the covered porch, knife and fork in hand enjoying every course expertly prepared under the watchful eye of the Fire Brigade. The night ends with marshmallows roasted around a campfire, sticky fingers never tasted so good. A week of exploring Prince Edward Island is not enough time to fully appreciate this one-ofa-kind settng.

There are the traditional tourist stops that are a must see for all such as the Anne of Green Gables Museum, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace, Cow’s Ice Cream Parlour, the French River lookout, Charlottetown’s burgeoning restaurant and craft beer scene, Richard’s for lobster rolls and Cavendish to name a few.

But wherever you go on the island, the calming sense that you are home is never far away.

The ten minutes it takes to cross Confederation Bridge and arrive in paradise is an investment well worth the price of admission.

And they won’t even charge you until you leave! Now that’s island hospitality.

Images by alex bruce PhotograPhy

Chef Michael Smith

Food Network Host, NutritioNal activist, Food Media Producer, iNNkeePer

Chef Michael Smith, one of Canada’s best-known chefs, is a passionate advocate for simple, sustainable home cooking and an inspiration for families creating their own healthy food lifestyle.

He’s the host of Chef Michael’s Kitchen, Chef at Home and Chef Abroad seen on Food Network Canada and in more than 100 other countries.

He’s a judge on Chopped Canada and traveled the world for his innovative web series Lentil Hunter.

Chef Michael and his wife Chastity are the proprietors of The Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island.

They’ve relaunched the property where Michael gained international fame in the 1990s with a new spirit of fivestar hospitality and an innovative dining experience, the FireWorks.

Michael is Prince Edward Island’s food ambassador; Canada’s best selling cookbook author, an innkeeper, educator, professional chef and home cook. He led the team of Sodexo chefs that cooked for the world’s Olympians in the Whistler Athletes’ Village in 2010.

His tenth award-winning cookbook, Real Food, Real Good, launched in September 2016 and immediately landed on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list.

His food media production company and test kitchen, Culinart Limited, is breaking new ground and his social media platforms are Canada’s top choice for foodie fun.

While Michael is a true chef at large his favourite role is Dad, at home on Prince Edward Island with his wife Chastity and his children: Gabe, Ariella, and Camille! Michael is an avid map collector, long-time windsurfer and novice kite sailor.