The historic Sherwood Inn is a gracious and elegant resort set among tall pines on the shores of Lake Joseph, just outside the village of Port Carling. Sherwood welcomes visitors to enjoy a fine dining experience in its cozy lounge or in the ‘Vintages’ dining room, with high white wainscoting and crisp linens that create a charming ambience. Al fresco dining is offered on the patios and lawns that overlook the lake.
Everett Bell is the young and innovative Executive Chef who presides over the culinary delights offered at Sherwood. We had the chance to sit down with him and quiz him about his experience and perceptions on the world of cuisine.
A. When I was 15, I worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant and my boss, Robin Pradhan, encouraged me to explore the possibility of learning how to cook. It’s funny how things sometimes turn out: Robin is now my sous-chef at Sherwood.
A. I took the Culinary Management program at Canadore College, and apprenticed under Ken Schulz, who is now the Executive Chef at Rocky Crest Resort. After I got my Red Seal certification, I did a couple of stints at the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis in Alberta.
A. I love the area, and I like the opportunity to have free rein over the menu. This is my fourth season with Sherwood, and I enjoy the creative challenge. We grow our own herbs and vegetables, and I use local ingredients wherever possible, including Georgian Bay fish, Johnston’s cranberries, and Ontario lamb.
A. I review it each year, especially with consideration to seasonal ingredients … and we tweak it as we go along, adding special dishes. We always have two fresh fish options, and a variety of meat selections. Our on-site smokehouse infuses the flavours of bacon, salmon and some of the veggies. We also have a dedicated vegetarian menu and can accommodate any dietary preferences.
A. I think it’s the opportunity for me to be imaginative by exploring different ways to put ingredients together and make it taste fabulous. And fine food should appeal to more than just the palate. Flavour is the main thing, of course, but its visual appeal and the sense of smell all go together to make it a great experience. We like to dress up the plate with some ground pepper or fresh herbs to add the scents that really perk up the taste buds.
A. That one is easy — anything that my mother cooks! She’s a really good cook, and it’s nice to eat something that I didn’t have to prepare myself.
Everett’s appreciation for creativity is obvious in the menus at Sherwood. Among other items, lunch in the lounge can include a Muskoka cream ale-cheddar rarebit, a scotch egg wrapped in spiced Italian sausage with leeks from the garden, or a charcuterie platter for two (venison and bison, rabbit-pork blueberry maple pate, merlot and blue cheese, house-made pickles and black currant gastrique, fresh grapes and grilled flatbread).
He enjoys ethnic explorations, with Indian butter chicken served with Johnston’s cranberry basmati rice and roasted cashews, or wasabi turkey meatballs with orange-ginger drizzle. Dinner may start with a fresh melon gazpacho, his ‘reverse’ Caesar lettuce spears with a soft poached egg and fried capers, a seafood risotto, and fish and meat choices enhanced with interesting flavour accents. All followed by a wonderful selection of classic French desserts, made from scratch in the Sherwood kitchen.
Reservations are recommended, and the menus can be viewed online. The cuisine is complemented by a wine cellar that contains more than 200 labels, earning the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for seven consecutive years.
“My original plan was to go into architecture,” Everett tells us. “But it seems that my dishwashing job took me in a new direction.” We think that he has found his niche. CCH
