by Ken Bryson
Photo by Ken Bryson
In the hills of eastern Grey County, something authentic is growing. A new collection of culinary entrepreneurs has created a dining scene that celebrates the area’s agricultural heritage and its evolving identity as a destination for authentic food experiences.
This transformation is taking place in towns like Markdale, where newly established restaurants provide a local food experience with a strong sense of community. At Marilynne Restaurant, chef Brandon Bannon serves food from local farms when and how it’s available.
“We let the ingredients and the quality of the produce available speak for themselves,” says Bannon, “and we try not to hide behind any glitter or glamour and just let it be honest food.”
While offering a set menu, Marilynne is also known for their specials based on what local farmers bring through the door on a daily basis.
It’s that community connection that Grey County native Bannon hopes to cultivate: “I have always wanted to show off the ingredients where they came from and make sure everyone in the area knows the hard work that goes into producing such good quality ingredients in the area.”
Local connection with small scale farmers is also a key highlight at Down Home, just east of Markdale, where Hannah Harradine and her partner chef Joel Gray grow much of the food they serve in their fixed-menu farmhouse restaurant. What they don’t grow themselves, they source from other local farms and foragers to create a true farm to table experience.
The dining experience at Down Home is also a shared culinary exploration where all guests arrive at the same time and are treated to a full ten courses over the course of the evening.
Image courtesy of Down Home.
Explains Harradine, “We have an outside time where we do a tour of the garden and have some bites outside and a drink, and then the guests come into the house for the rest. For everyone, the plates go down at the same time and we’ll speak about what they’re having. And the evening goes on like that.”
Just down Highway 10 in Flesherton, Jennifer Belanger and chef Jonathan Gushue found a similar sense of community upon opening The Gate restaurant. After beginning their Grey County culinary experience with a delayed process converting the old mill in nearby Kimberley, Belanger and Gushue pivoted to opening The Gate, finding support from many locals already in the scene.
Says Belanger about what drew them to the area, “We love the sense of community. We felt a warm welcome and loved the bounty of the produce in the area. For us in hospitality, there was just such a sense of community, which was really refreshing — like people dropping gifts off when we open — that was a really lovely sense of welcoming.”
This community extends beyond just restaurants. Jordan DesRoches, who recently opened The Vault cocktail bar in Markdale, sees his establishment as complementary to existing businesses.
Says DesRoches: “With Marilynne offering a really great dining experience, we figured there’s been too many times where we went for dinner with another couple and dinner ended, and it would’ve been nice to go somewhere else to keep the evening going.”
The Vault, housed in an historic bank building from the 1800s, can be described as “cocktail forward” with a rotating cocktail list, shareable charcuterie, and plenty of fine wine housed in the original bank vault. The bar also completes the recent transformation of downtown Markdale from a once lonely strip to a thriving townscape.
Notes Robert Reid, owner of Grey Bruce Design on the Markdale main street:
“In late 2023, 75 percent of downtown Markdale was empty, but it’s now full. It offers a design showroom, art gallery, shopping options, a variety of cafes and restaurants, a specialty cocktail bar and has a microbrewery under construction. What was once deserted, is now a bustling hub of activity.”
What emerges from these conversations is a picture of Grey Highlands as an area finding a new voice through food. The area’s natural advantages — four-season recreation, beautiful landscapes, and dedicated farmers — have always existed. But the current moment represents something new; a convergence of ex-urbanites seeking a meaningful life, local small scale farmers reclaiming productive land, and a community ready to support innovative ventures.
“We feel a little bit ahead of the curve,” Belanger suggests, comparing the current moment to earlier transformations in Niagara and Prince Edward County. This region offers “that sense of elsewhere, that sense of romance in the classic sense of the word,” she explains, while maintaining the area has everything you need.
As Harradine puts it, “It takes a few strong voices” to catalyze this kind of transformation.
In Grey Highlands, those voices are speaking the language of seasonal menus, local partnerships, and community celebration; creating not just restaurants, but gathering places that honour both the land they inhabit and the people who call it home.
The result is a dining scene that feels both rooted in place and distinctly contemporary, offering visitors and locals alike a taste of what happens when culinary ambition meets rural authenticity.
