Spirit Tree Estate Cidery featured in new Food Network Canada show

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

A Terra Cotta restaurant will be featured in a new show on the Food Network Canada.

John Catucci, the former host of You Gotta Eat Here brought his camera crew to Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. The establishment will be featured on Big Food Bucket List. 

“I have never been to a cidery before,” said Catucci. “We never shot at an apple orchard and to be able to go to someplace that makes their own cider from apples that they grow right in their orchard and to be to see all those different types of apples that they have, it was a beautiful place to shoot.”

Big Food Bucket List airs May 24 on the Food Network with an episode at 9 p.m., and another one at 9:30 p.m. There will be two back-to-back episodes each week.

“It's still me going around eating amazing food, going across North America, but I think this show really focuses on those dishes that you have to check off your bucket list,” said Catucci.

Spirit Tree uses apples in everything that they make. Catucci loved their attention to detail in all their dishes. 

“It's so different than anything we've done before or anything I've been involved in,” said Catucci. “It's definitely bucket list worthy.”

Spirit Tree is a cidery, bakery, kitchen and farm store. They offer local products and products for their cider, bread and pastries. 

The establishment received many awards including, Best Fun and Festive Visitor Experience for the Family Day Wassailing Festival by Headwaters Tourism Awards 2016 and Pumpkin Cider – People's Choice for Specialty Cider from the Ontario Cider Awards 2016, among many other designations.

“I don't really order ciders when I go to a bar,” said Catucci. “I find them a bit too sweet, but being at a place that is making all their own ciders and being able to taste the different ciders that they have there, and have them paired with the dishes that are there, that are paired with apples that they've grown in their own orchard, is magical.”

He was served cauliflower wings. He said they battered it, fried it and then added some extra dipping sauces on the side.

“When we were talking to people and they were talking about their favourite dishes, they were like ‘this is something we always have. We always have the cauliflower wings. When we sit down, it's always put in front of us as an appetizer. That's how everybody starts off their meals,” said Catucci.

The Cider house Bistro at Spirit Tree then served him a flank steak sandwich with julienne cut apples, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, roasted peppers, and horseradish aioli, on a toasted ciabatta bun made in house.

“They served an amazing steak sandwich, one of the best steak sandwiches I've ever had,” said Catucci. “Sometimes there's places that serve a steak sandwich and it's overdone or it's thin and it's leathery, but this one was cooked to perfection. Then they used apples on their sandwiches. You have this beautiful, sweet crunch tartness coming from the apples with this juicy steak. It was spectacular and one of the few dishes that I do not want to share with anybody. Usually I'll have a couple of bits then the crew will come in and have some bits as well, but I was like nope, this is mine.”

Catucci has been to a number of residents throughout the years with his shows trying so much food. Nonetheless, he was still really impressed by the steak sandwich at Spirit Tree. 

“Sometimes you'll go to a place for a steaks sandwich and it's an open-faced sandwich, and it comes to your table and you're like hold on, this is an open face, it's not a sandwich, you shouldn't lie to me, said Catucci, jokingly.

“But this one was great. It had a juicy steak, they toasted the buns so it's nice and crispy. I still get surprised and I love that I get surprised.”

While the meal should be taste well, an important aspect of the dish is how it makes you feel.

“Does it remind you of a dish you had when you we're a kid? Does it remind you of a sandwich your mom used to make? Did your dad take you to a restaurant that this burger reminds you of? I think it's all those emotions that happen in the split second when you have that one bite and I think that's the main thing.”

Spirit Tree's Ciderhouse Bistro is located at 1137 Boston Mills Rd. They are open Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information call 905-838-2530 or visit www.spirittreecider.com