The Table Culinary Studio – where the land and sea collide in utter delight

The Table Culinary Studio is a stupendous experience that provides visitors an opportunity to learn where and how local foods are grown and harvested, while also discovering how to blend these locally sourced ingredients into a masterful meal. Essentially, The Table Culinary Studio showcases an experiential agritourism workshop that will delight the epicurean in all of us.

The Table Culinary Studio is located in New London, PEI (Prince Edward Island), a rural farmland area right in the middle of the province. The facility is situated within an old church and retains many of its architectural elements.

All of the food is sourced by purveyors located just a few miles from the facility. And, each class has a theme—mine happened to be honey—where each dish prepared used the sweet nectar as a key ingredient. I even had a chance to visit the bee keeper where the honey is supplied and learned a bit about the trade. I was slightly nervous donning a bee keeper suit, but the experience was quite fascinating and my nerves quickly dissipated as it was evident the bees were busy doing their business and only slightly irritated by our intrusion (watch the video below).

Here was my Table Culinary Studio experience:

After donning an apron, Chef Michael had me begin by making dessert…a light cake finished with a honey butter mixture.

Once the cakes came out of the oven I placed them in the window sill to cool, just like my grandmother used to do.

It was now on to the main entree, which consisted of locally raised chicken breasts. A honey mustard marinade was prepared and then the chicken was placed in a skillet to braise. Milk, cream and several herbs were added to finish cooking.

I then made a brittle of sorts which was used to garnish the dessert. Then I worked on one of the side dishes for the meal—multi-colored carrots sautéed in a honey butter reduction.

After getting some additional instruction from Chef Michael, I blended up the dressing for the salad, which, you guessed it, incorporated honey. With the chicken still simmering, I went to the garden to pick some fresh herbs to add into the skillet. I topped it off with some bacon bits and let it finish cooking.

While the chicken was finishing up, I went back to working on the dessert. I began by cutting the cakes in preparation for the honey butter sauce that would be added. With the meal nearly completed, I cut a loaf of artisan bread and began plating the meal.

Oh, did it turn out well!

PEI is a Canadian Province vast with rich and fertile farmlands harvesting an extraordinary amount of fresh food from both the land and the sea. PEI is where the land and sea collide at your table in culinary delight and there is no better place to experience this than at the Table Culinary Studio.

If you’ve ever been to the Table Culinary Studio in New London, PEI, please leave a comment below and share your experience. If you have any questions about this culinary adventure, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be sure to reply.