Chef Michael Hoy
Prince Edward County
Michael Hoy is an award-winning chef, teacher and international culinary tour leader, and is the founder of Chef Michael Hoy Culinary, a hospitality company located in Prince Edward County. He has been awarded stars in “Where to Eat in Canada” for years of cooking at various restaurants throughout Ontario, notably at the Westover Inn in St. Mary’s and at the Claramount Inn and Spa in Picton. He has been chosen by the Government of Ontario to represent Savour Ontario, part of the province’s Pick Ontario Freshness Strategy, which encourages all to purchase locally grown and produced foods.
An energetic lover of great food and of everything that goes into the comfort of a meal, his dinners can be simple, quick or complex, and are always meticulous in preparation. The meal that dances from the earth to the kitchen to the smacking lips of the guest is really what drives this chef. He loves to cook and to please.Throughout the years he has worked in elegant dining rooms serving gourmet meals on bone china, to plaza restaurants filled with hungry and hurried diners, cooking schools, spas, country inns, wine and food shows and at home with his wife Susan. And yes, even over a campfire in Algonquin Park in sub-zero temperatures and in fish huts by the lake. The common theme is always to bring out the beauty, flavour, texture and the aroma of heaven from every dish.
The driving philosophy he knows very well was passed down from his parents David and Lynn. “Whatever you do in life, do it well and enjoy the experiences along the way!” His cooking philosophy always begins with the greatness and passion of farmers and this naturally leads to the use of their products. In his cozy kitchens he creates flavours that delight the taste buds of a room full of happy souls.
Now open (December 2010), Michael’s new project, Chef Michael Hoy Culinary Studio, located in the heart of Picton right next to the Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism and Commerce is the place where his cooking classes, boutique caterings, and regional and international culinary tours fuel the foodie passions and joie de vivre of the folks of taste-bud-busy Prince Edward County.