“I’ve never made a pineapple pie before,” squeals Chef Dana Ewart excitedly, holding out the still-warm pastry topped with perfectly ripe, golden-yellow fruit. She sets it down on the table and slices through the flaky, buttery layers. “There’s a caramelised edge where the juice has run under the pie,” she says, taking an appreciative bite. “Mmm... roasted pineapple. It so unctuous.”
In Chennai for a couple of months to work with Pumpkin Tales, Ewart has dived into everyday city life with her trademark enthusiasm, whether she’s milking cows in Mamallapuram, wrestling crabs at Kasimedu fish market or learning about local greens at Koyambedu. And that’s just in her spare time.
For the rest of the day, she’s been studying sourdough, trying to crack a recipe for the bread that works in Chennai’s humidity. And baking pies. Lots and lots of pies.
“It’s what my husband (Chef Cameron Smith) and I started with when we first moved to Okanagan (in the Canadian province of British Columbia). We had $2,000 dollars and a station wagon to our name then,” she says, adding, “We would use ovens in our restaurateur friends’ kitchens at 4 am, then take the freshly baked pie pastry and balance it on a board in the car. One of us would then sleep under the board, while the other drove to market.”
What began as a little counter in the farmer’s market has now grown into the well-respected and trend-setting JoyRoad Catering. Run by Ewart and Smith, the company does everything from gourmet alfresco vineyard dinners to chic Okanagan weddings, all using only fresh, locally-produced seasonal ingredients.
“We call these open-faced fruit pies galettes, and the filling changes depending on the season,” she says, adding that they are still a big hit at the farmer’s market. “Starting spring, we have strawberries and rhubarb. Then apricots and cherries in June. Peaches and nectarines in July and August. September and August bring grapes, plums, apples and pears. It’s a great way to showcase the seasons and also educate people about seasonality,” she says.
About 12 years ago, realising that a mortgage was cheaper than rent, Ewart and her husband bought a house on 10 acres to live in and work from. “It was on a road called Joy Road,” she giggles, “So cheesy, right? But clients love starting married life with a caterer called JoyRoad.” She adds, “For two years we slept in sleeping bags on the floor — we had no money for furniture. The first piece we bought was an oven. Then a fridge. Before a couch, table or chair.” She rolls her eyes, “There was no sitting for the first four years.”
However, business grew exponentially every year. “Okanagan is a Mecca for organic farming. And it has a tonne of vineyards.... We were at the right place at the right time.” Today, they feed about 12,000 people a week. And they also welcome people to their farm, where they raise chickens, rabbits and pigs (named Pjork, Porcia, Pigasus.)
“We wanted an on-farm restaurant, so people could see where their food came from. Food is best at its source. If you show people how beautiful it is, it will bring joy to their life. Taste to their life. Increase social responsibility... sorry that sounds snotty and elitist,” says Ewart, pausing, then adding carefully, “I mean encourage food that is good, clean and fair.”
She takes this philosophy to Pumpkin Tales, where she has been collaborating with Chef Chindi Varadarajulu. “They have this amazing flour from Rajasthan: I opened the container and it was so rich and malty I decided I must do something with it... I decided on sourdough since it reflects terroir. Like yoghurt, or dosa batter. It is the same: a natural fermentation that reflects the space and time it was created in.”
(Pumpkin Tales is at 37/20, Bheemanna Garden Street, Alwarpet, Chennai. Call 30853765 for details.)
