Tag: Newfoundland

Newfoundland’s Stylish New Food-Focused Retreat

6 January 2026

Opening this spring, The Cape Retreat will be shaped by food, seasonality, and shared meals.

On Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, The Cape Retreat is introducing a culinary retreat grounded in place rather than performance. Located in the small coastal community of Cape Broyle, the retreat brings together dining and accommodation in a way that feels immersive and intentional, but refreshingly unforced.

Culinary director Alex Blagdon brings experience from professional kitchens alongside hands-on work with farmers and producers. Her cooking reflects the realities of Newfoundland’s food landscape, where seasonality is not a trend but a reality. Menus will shift frequently, shaped by what can be sourced locally at any given moment.

Culinary Director Alex Blagdon
The Cape Retreat Newfoundland

The seven-course Land to Sea experience will draw from coastal waters, nearby forests, and small regional suppliers, with preservation techniques playing a visible role, particularly outside peak growing months. Courses will move between wild and cultivated ingredients, with pairings selected to support rather than dominate the food and sourced from producers whose practices align with the retreat’s philosophy. The dinner takes place at a long table at The Greene’s House, an onsite communal space designed for gathering. Service is intended to be informal and conversational, with guests seated close enough to the kitchen to follow what’s happening and engage as the evening unfolds, setting a tone that’s more casual than ceremonial.

Beyond dinner, The Cape will offer hands-on cookery classes focused on skills such as pasta- and pastry-making. These intimate sessions with Chef Alex will centre on technique, ingredients, and a deeper understanding of process.

Accommodations at The Cape Retreat are designed for a slower rhythm, with six cabins thoughtfully placed around the property. Visit The Cape’s website to sign up for the newsletter and stay informed about when bookings open.

St Pierre et Miquelon

A Little Slice of France Off the Coast of Newfoundland

25 November 2025

The culinary connections between Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Newfoundland and Labrador embody sustainability and locality at their finest.

By Sabrina Pirillo

Just 25 kilometres off the southern coast of Newfoundland sits the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a collectivity of France since 1985 and the last remaining vestige of New France. It’s a quintessential French experience without setting foot in mainland France—only a short flight or ferry ride from Fortune in Newfoundland and Labrador.

French Connections
The French are known for their mastery of bread, wine and cheese—and on Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon those traditions thrive, adapted to the islands’ windswept North Atlantic setting. Fishing was once the cornerstone of life here, and the remnants of that heritage can still be experienced on Île aux Marins, or Sailors Island, where weathered houses tell stories of a community tied to the sea.

Back in Saint-Pierre, with its brightly painted houses and European flair, restaurants celebrate this blend of old-world culture and island terroir. At café and boutique L’Essentiel, chef-owner Nathalie Goupilliere sources raw milk cheeses, charcuteries and wines from small producers and local businesses. Nearby, Ligne Verte, a hydroponic farm, produces vegetables and herbs year-round, supplying the region’s vendors and restaurants with a steady supply of fresh greens.

Miqu’Ale
Saveurs Fermiers goat farm
Saveurs Fermières

On neighbouring Miquelon, agriculture has flourished since the 19th century, with farming, livestock and coastal fishing shaping the island’s food identity. A gourmet tour might include a visit to Saveurs Fermières goat farm to sample artisanal cheese while learning about the surrounding landscape. It’s also where visitors can discover La Brasserie Artisanale de l’Anse, the archipelago’s only brewery. Founded by Laura and Gwenaël, the microbrewery produces Miqu’Ale, a beer brewed with local ingredients. Their collaborations extend across the water—like a partnership with Newfoundland’s Port Rexton Brewing Company—creating unique beers that bridge French and Canadian shores.

Canadian Roots
Across the water in Newfoundland and Labrador, chefs are similarly committed to land and sea, with a focus on foraging, preservation and zero waste. Here, culinary traditions are rooted in perseverance—making the most of what nature provides, often against the odds.

Less than an hour from St. John’s, in the coastal town of Cape Broyle, chef Alex Shaw leads immersive experiences that highlight this philosophy. As culinary director of the soon-to-open Cape Retreat Culinary Program and through her Alder Cottage Cookery School, Shaw brings guests on foraging walks, cooking classes and dining experiences that tell the story of Newfoundland’s resourceful foodways. The retreat itself will feature six sleek, modern cabins and a glass-fronted culinary hub, all designed to showcase sweeping views of the rugged coastline and North Atlantic.

The Cape Retreat
Chef Alex Shaw

She works like an artist whose palette is the forest and the shore, treating every ingredient with respect. Scraps become broth, stems transform into pickles, peels turn into powders. Where others see waste, she sees preservation—making sure each element is honoured to its fullest potential. Her approach reflects the province’s culinary culture: fresh, local and deeply tied to both resilience and creativity.

Together, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Newfoundland form a culinary dialogue across the North Atlantic—rooted in resilience, tradition and a shared respect for land and sea. For travellers, it’s a chance to taste two cultures at once, linked by history and sustained by place.