I like to try things that are fun, interesting, tasty and sweet.
Stratford has lots of that! Right now, many places are showing us their new Fall flavours.
As the weather gets colder, I have my go-to spots for hot chocolate. The Livery Yard has to be one of the best. I sat down with the manager, Liesa Hartman, and asked her how she comes up with these incredibly creative drinks on her Bonus Menu.
“I have a sweet tooth,” she tells me. “And I also have kids at home who come up with interesting ideas as well.”
Liesa experiments a lot and always has something fun up her sleeve. Today, she’s making me a hot chocolate and a seasonal drink for my daddy, that she calls 'Smashing Pumpkin'.
“How is it?, dad asks. I push my empty cup towards him and say, “Does this answer your question?”
I literally just inhaled it, in, like, ten seconds. At first, it was nice and foamy. It had thick whipped cream, and crunchy rainbow sprinkles. Then the temperature of it slowly went from cool to warm as it blended into the hot chocolate. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold, and it had a flavour that I’ve never tasted before. There were sweet notes, salty notes, and a tiny bit of bitterness, all mixed together.
It had the texture of a beautiful melted marshmallow. It was just really yummy, so good, and I loved it.
Did you know The Livery Yard used to be a stable for horses? Now they have live music, too. I feel uplifted being here, and the drinks are super dreamy. Liesa is always changing her Bonus Menu, and right now it’s all about the fall, so she also makes a ginger bread syrup, and puts that in a smooth Ginger Spice drink with cookie butter, whipped cream and crushed ginger cookies on top.
That sounds super good! My Dad’s Smashing Pumpkin is an espresso, blended with a pumpkin-coconut butter, seasonal spices, and a torched in-house made marshmallow wedge! This was the greatest marshmallow I've ever had in my life. They make delicious drinks here.
We all know Rheo Thompson Candies for its dreamy mint smoothies, but it also has a lot of seasonal candy, too. For the Fall, they have some really interesting stuff going on.
Do you ever wonder what goes on in the back? I imagine that there are Umpa Lumpas hard at work. Well, when I arrived, apparently, the chief chocolatier was “elbows deep in caramel”. But, the owner, Kristene Steed, gave me a tour. She took me to the cold room to see all the cool Fall packaging designs.
We walked around, and it was so nice. Everything smelled so good. I felt like I was inside a mint smoothie! They make 152 different types of candies here, and Kristene tells me they’ve been doing this for 54 years. That’s even older than my Dad.
The Fall collection includes coloured mints in fall colours that are wafer thin, like leaves. And Cinnamon Green Apple Ganaches that are so sweet and tart, with apples and cinnamon inside little chocolate cups with crunchy pecans on top. These are awesome! I need more.
“It’s not just about the flavours,” Kristene tells me. “It’s also about how it feels in your mouth when you’re eating it.”
I would love to be one of their taste testers. And now that I think about it, I might actually grow up to be a taste tester for Rheo Thompson.
The main reason I’m here, though, is for the new Pumpkin Fudge. I’ve heard people talk about this. It’s made with pumpkin puree and real spices, like all the ingredients you’d find in a pumpkin pie, but without the shell. When I cut a piece, I can feel how fresh and smooth it is, and each bite has a beautiful fudgy texture. It’s sweet, but not sugary, and it does feel as good as it tastes. This really is a taste of the Fall. They also have a tonne of the best Halloween chocolates and candies here, too.
As iconic as the mint smoothie is to Stratford, Ken’s French Fries are a huge part of the Stratford food scene. Right now, it’s their 70th anniversary! I wonder how many fries that is altogether. You can’t come to Stratford without having these delicious fries. Why? First of all, they only use Ontario russet potatoes and quality sea salt. That’s it. They leave the potato skin on, because that’s where all the flavour and nutrition is. So, eating these fries is good for you! They’re also cut really thick, so there is more fluffiness. Each batch of fries is cooked two times for a crisp outside that seals-in the fluffy interior.
But enough talk, let’s eat this.
I’m sitting in the parking lot of Canadian Tire with Chef Arron Carley across from his big, shiny, black and gold Ken’s Truck Wagon. This is one of the original locations, and the truck still uses some of the original fryers from the 1970s. In my right hand, I’m holding a large cup of these golden fries, and in my left, a warm box of poutine with St. Albert Quebec cheese curds.
The fries aren’t oily or greasy, they’re perfectly crunchy, and they really do taste like fresh potatoes picked right from the field. The cheese is thick and stretchy and gooey, and the fries are so good with the gravy, too! The Stratford way is to use vinegar as a dip - not ketchup - that’s very important, and not white vinegar, but malt vinegar. I never tried that before, and I loved it! It was kind of salty and kind of sweet. These fries are the perfect comfort food for cold weather.
As I devour the best poutine ever, Chef Carley tells me, “Food touches your soul, and the perfect French Fry is just as important as the fanciest plate of food.”
He also tells me that when he’s cooking, he’s in his “flow state,” and that he loves cooking. I love eating. That’s when I’m in my flow state. We’re going to get along really well.
