As most people know I have retired my chef’s coat and now I wear many hats, I guess that’s what comes with owning your own business. Some days I truly miss my time in the kitchen. The “good old days” high intensity, fast paced, warm days and late nights. Other days I am more than happy to be “retired”. On
One of my personal favorite events at the Canadian Culinary Championships is the mystery wine pairing. The premise is simple; the organizers choose a Canadian wine, remove the label and any other identifying marks and give it along with $500 cash to the competing culinary teams. Each team is then required to take the $500 and pair a dish with
This past Saturday we were joined by our fellow chefs in the Garden at the Sheraton Newfoundland for our second fundraiser in support of our culinary team’s trip to Kelowna BC, for the Canadian Culinary Championships. The Pop-Up deli was organized by Chef Roary MacPherson of the Sheraton Newfoundland, with the support of the Restaurant Association and participation from Bacalao, Todd
Just as Christmas got under way in 2012 we did some renovations in our Bar. Most notably we changed our old bar top for a much more modern (and less precarious) bar top. Around the same time we decided to spice up some of the artwork we were displaying. We were introduced to Photographer Sasha Okshevsky during the 2012 Gold Metal
It’s been a pretty busy start to 2013 here at Chinched Bistro. With our new winter menu rolling out this week and the fundraisers we’ve been involved with it seems like there’s always something exiting happening at Chinched Bistro! On Thursday evening of last week Chinched Bistro along with a lot of help from our friends hosted the Gold Medal Plates
Six months ago, Chinched Bistro took on our second culinary intern in as many years. The first, Elizabeth Lee interned with us as part of her program with the Culinary Institute of Canada in PEI. Our most recent intern Emily Hancock comes to us from the culinary program with the Collage of the North Atlantic.
On November 8th Chef Hussey of Chinched Bistro took home the Gold at the St. John’s Gold Medal Plates competition. Now Chef Hussey and the Chinched team are preparing for the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna BC on February 8th and 9th. In order to get the whole team across the island Chinched is teaming up with the Quidi Vidi Brewery
This past week has been something special at Chinched Bistro, and before I get into it I’d like to thank everyone for their kind words and support. Both leading up to, during and after the Gold Medal Plates competition our friends, family and staff stepped up, and when this team comes together amazing things happen.
Tuesday night marked the 2nd annual From this Rock dinner of local fair presented by the Restaurant Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. Chef Hussey from Chinched teamed up with 7 other top local chefs for an 8 course meal made from 100% local fare. The evening was hosted by the always entertaining Shaun Majumder and the whole event went off without
The 4th Annual Gold Medal Plates competition will be taking place in St. John’s on Thursday November 8th. The event takes place 10 different cities nationwide pitting the top Chefs in each region against each other in a culinary standoff. The object is to serve a dish paired with a Canadian wine to 400 guests, each dish and pairing is
Fall Update
Fall is here and so is a new menu at Chinched Bistro! Over the last few weeks we have slowly phased out each of the items from our Summer menu and implemented our Fall selection. These items will run from now until the Christmas season.
As I sit here on the Air Canada flight 113 on my way to embark on a new adventure and job endeavour in Calgary, I can’t help but to think about what I'm leaving behind. A lifetime full of friendship and laughter, days full of imagination and hard work and the only life I have known for the past two years. I have become
Chinched offered a whole new style and world of cooking and cuisine. Based on her previous work experience Jenn felt like she had mastered the skills required of her in the kitchen, it took being exposed to her new responsibilities and a new style of food to understand what truly
Things have come a long way in the two years since Chinched first opened its doors on August 27th 2010. One of the most important people who has helped Chinched get to where it is today is our Sous Chef Jenn May. Without her creativity, attention to detail and perhaps most importantly her positive energy Chinched would be a very
For those of you who follow our blogs faithfully you may have noticed we have been doing a much better job of blogging weekly. You may also have noticed most of the blogs are written by Tim Corbett, not by Michelle LeBlanc. That is because Tim has recently been given the title and duties of Manager at Chinched
Almost 2 years ago, on August 27th 2010 Chinched Bistro opened its doors for the first time. Since then we have been on the most incredible journey, 2 years is a long time but we wouldn’t trade the fun and experiences we’ve had over
The Restaurant Association of Newfoundland has teamed up with Parks Canada to offer another unique experience at one of Newfoundland’s most famous historical sites; A Regimental Rum Tasting on Signal Hill. The event is being hosted by Bacalao Cuisine and features Newfoundland Rums by Rock Spirits as well as Collingwood Wines and Spirits. The local spirits are paired with local cuisine
Food day Canada is a national celebration of Canadian cuisine, local farmers and ingredients, and our local chefs and cooks. On Saturday August 4th people from across the nation will gather to celebrate their food and their culinary experiences. Organizer Anita Stewart has been spearheading this project since 1983, and with great success. Each year chefs from across the country gather
Over the next week at Chinched we’ll be making some changes to our wine list. We’re adjusting the pricing, adding some new favorites and we’ve even got a half bottle and cellared selection in the works. One of the new additions to our list is a unique white from Germany, the Weingut Tesch Deep Blue Blanc de Noirs Pinot Noir. German wine
Cape Spear is celebrating it’s 50th year as a Canadian National Historic site. To celebrate, Chinched Bistro and Bacalao have teamed up for, “Lunch at the Lighthouse.” In order to celebrate this historical importance of Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America, Chinched and Bacalao will be serving
The Outfitters is a small locally owned company that has been specializing in outdoor adventures for the past 14 years. They lead the local industry in supplying specialty clothing and equipment for all self-propelled outdoor adventures. On top of their recently renovated storefront on 220 Water Street, they also
Chef and owner Michelle LeBlanc has finally scooped up a restaurant style ice cream machine and house made ice cream is hitting the menu at Chinched! Chef LeBlanc previously opened and ran growlers Ice Cream Shop on Fogo Island in 2010. There she took advantage of her culinary background and created unique and local flavors, along with the classic favorites. Flavors
It's been almost a month since I joined a team of very talented Newfoundland female chefs in New York City to take on the James Beard House and showcase Newfoundland cuisine. I've been dying to blog about it, and that moment has finally arrived. Our first afternoon in New York
Chinched Bistro has launched an in house promotion our “Wine & Swine” tapas club. If you enjoy a few tapas for dinner in our dining bar, the deal just got sweeter. Now when you join us for tapas, once you have purchased 12 tapas you will
May has arrived, and with it the fog & cold? One thing you have to love about Newfoundland is our weather. Another is our food! Some may think that the availability of product in St. John’s Newfoundland is limited, and at times this is true. However with spring upon us, and hopefully summer on its
St. John's lit lovers, rejoice! Local author Trudy J. Morgan-Cole (who just won an IPPY Award!) is up for the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association Best Atlantic-Published Book Award for her novel, That Forgetful Shore, published by Breakwater Books. This is a seriously competitive award that spans all 4 Atlantic Provinces and all genres of book. Trudy's novel is up against 2
The St. John’s Ice Caps are well underway with their 2nd playoff series for the Calder Cup and of course Chinched Bistro is continuing its support for the Home Team by opening our dining bar early on home game nights. Our bar opens at 5:30pm each home game and we are offering 4 tapas and a
Last week was a very busy week for us at Chinched, “Hot Soup, Cool Jazz” was last Tuesday evening, where we were honoured to win the “Chefs Choice Award” for our Roasted Beet Bisque. And we followed that event up with the Savour Food & Wine Show on Thursday evening, which as always was a great evening. Savour Food &
Chinched Bistro and the Newfoundland Chocolate Company will partner again this year to host the 2nd Annual “Evening of Chocolate” at Chinched Bistro on May 24th. Chinched Bistro’s culinary team will work with owner and Chief Chocolate Officer Brent Smith to develop a
A few months back I was approached by Chef Roary Macpherson of the Sheraton to join the 2012 James Beard Team, which I might add is an all-female team. Of course I was honoured to be asked to join the team, and am beginning to get very excited about the dinner. The James Beard Foundation is a national
It’s “Spring Cleaning” time at Chinched! In order to serve you better Chinched Bistro will be closing up shop for a short while for some minor renovations, a refresh of the building, research wines, work on menu development, and if we’re lucky, get a few moments to recharge before heading into the summer season. Chinched will be closed from
On March 1st Team Canada will be taking on Team France in a side-by-side wine pairing. We have partnered with Greg Winter of Dialog Wines to host a very unique five course Wine
Happy New Year! It is certainly hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and 2012 is already well underway. We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal guests, for your support in 2011. In the New Year we will be continuing to have our Pre-Game Specials for
Well there's finally some decent hockey in St. John's again. The Ice Caps have put us back on the AHL map and Newfoundlanders couldn't be happier. The team has played in front of a sold out crowd in each of its first three home
The beginning of summer this year was an interesting time at Chinched Bistro. Not only did it mark the beginning of the first summer ever for Chinched, it also marked adoption of Elizabeth Lee into the Chinched Family. Fresh from the Culinary
For the last 10 years Shaun and I have moved up and down the eastern seaboard island hopping, if you will. Having been in St. John’s almost a year now, we are settling in and feeling very much at home. Being part of the small business community allows us the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and to be part of
The unofficial start of summer! With May 24th weekend almost over I can’t help but feel like summer is finally in our reach which is such a refreshing feeling. So far the spring has been quite beautiful, it is so wonderful
There are many things in life that bring people together, some for better reasons than others. It always seems like family reunions happen based around weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and unfortunately more sombre events dealing with death and sickness. The act of coming together to celebrate in times of happiness or to support each other in times of grief is
Staff Pic I am very happy to start this entry by announcing our six “month-iversary” this week! It’s hard to believe we have been open for six months already. But as they say, “time flies when you’re having fun”. And
As the thought of a cold long winter begins to set in we’ve been trying to think of ways to keep things fun and interesting for ourselves, our staff and our guests. The Quidi Vidi Beer Dinner was a HUGE success, which we were very thrilled
Only a week and a half until the beer dinner and seats are filling up… We are really excited about working with Quidi Vidi on this event, and certainly hope to make it a yearly one. David Rees, owner of Quidi Vidi Brewery along with Einar Holtet, Brew Master will be in attendance and will give guests a brief explanation of
For the first storm of 2011 we thought we would celebrate in style… Chinched Bistro was host to Sharon Snow and crew for the filming of “Places to go with Sharon Snow”. Despite the weather that day and my obvious on film blunders (which have been edited out)
Users on TripAdvisor.com have some good advice on where to eat in St. John's. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g154964-d1929144-Reviews-Chinched_Bistro-St_John_s_Newfoundland_and_Labrador.html
Only a week and a half until the beer dinner and seats are filling up… We are really excited about working with Quidi Vidi on this event, and certainly hope to make it a yearly one. David Rees, owner of Quidi Vidi Brewery along with Einar Holtet, Brew Master will be in attendance and will give guests a brief explanation of
I have finally managed to get the dining room decorated, tree and all! It only took a week and a half… Now that that’s taken care of and it’s feeling festive in the dining room, I’m sure I’ll be getting into the festive spirit in no time.
I think I am losing track of time... and feeling like I’m the only person who isn’t quite ready for the holiday season? So I’m working on catching up to the rest of the world and have made a check list. First things first... advertising for Christmas Parties and planning New
2nd Annual World Food Day Movie & Meal: The Food Security Network (FSN) NL, in partnership with OXFAM Canada and FEASt (Food Education Action St. John’s), hosted its annual "World Food Day Movie & a Meal" fundraiser in support of Hurricane Igor response this year. Guests enjoyed a locally-sourced meal
Restaurant News: A new restaurant owned by couple Shaun Hussey and Michelle LeBlanc, has a name that is quintessentially Newfoundland. Chinched Bistro means ‘to stow, stuff or pack tightly; to be full,’ according to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English. The 43-seat bistro opened in late August, with Hussey in the kitchen as chef and LeBlanc making the pastries in a casual,
From the UrbanSpoon website: "Urbanspoon is the world's leading provider of time-critical dining data, a major division of a very important multi-national corporation, and an all-around BIG PLAYER in the multi-billion dollar restaurant information industry." Check out some reviews from the Urban Spoon website: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/235/1547382/restaurant/Nova-Scotia/Newfoundland/Chinched-St-Johns
The Scope is St. John’s arts & entertainment magazine. That has been informing the St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Torbay and CBS area since 2006. On their website they have a great way to find new restaurants in town and read reviews from real people. If you're curious about what people
Thanksgiving weekend has now come and gone, however we are not forgetting all of the things we are thankful for... the list is endless really! We took yesterday off and went to Shaun’s parent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, which was delicious, as always! And we spent the rest of the day
I’m sure at some point I will be on some sort of a schedule with my blogging, but for now, I’m not... To be honest, I’m not that great at keeping a schedule at all, generally I’m late for mostly everything... but since I’m the boss, I can
So I guess our blog is where we talk about ourselves... tell you about us... and about Chinched Bistro... been a bit slow getting the blog started, but this is my attempt at staying on top of it... For now I think it’s best to give everyone a chance to
Labour Day weekend is upon us, why not come for a drink at the bar and celebrate! Not to mention Earl isn't going to blow the house down, but one of Heather's dirty martini's may....
My dad is the best! So greatful that he came to St. John's for the week to help Shaun and family with our renovations! Stay tuned, we plan to open in a few weeks.... send your resume to chinchedbistro@bellaliant.com
Twitter just got 'Chinched!' http://twitter.com/@ChinchedBistro Follow us!
Chinched Bistro is currently looking for motivated people to fill the following positions: Wait staff Bartender Cook Dishwasher Experience is an asset but not mandatory. Interested parties please send your resume to culinaryqueen6@hotmail.com
