Brocante and Bruschetta
Elizabeth and Atelier 522
In my past life I had the pleasure of working with Elizabeth during our days in Toronto’s fashion industry. Now, over 15 years later, we had the chance to meet up and catch up. We talked business; what inspires us, our new career direction and of course food. Elizabeth opens her doors and her heart, and shares one of her go-to comfort foods.
Her Story
After living in Toronto for 30 years, my family and I chose to move out of the city and relocate to Neustadt, Ontario. At the time, I was looking for an art studio. I needed something close enough that I could get there easily, so I drove around the area and started the search.
Instead of renting a space as I intended, I took a leap of faith and bought a building on the main street! (In hindsight, if I had understood the amount of work I was setting myself up for, I might have reconsidered). The building was divided into three apartment units. I decided I would take the ground floor for myself and convert it into an art studio. After ripping and tearing the space apart (digging for some original elements of the old building), I chose to convert the street frontage back into its original purpose as a commercial space, and create a gift store to “pay the rent” for my studio which would be in the back room.
Atelier 522 was born as an afterthought and it began as a “pop-up”, literally in mid construction! I stapled sheets of kraft paper onto the walls to hide the lath and plaster and swept up the debris. Then I reached out to local artisans to see if I could help sell their products, and opened the doors.
It was an instant success. At the time, there were no other gift shops locally and the stream of tourists that passed through the village to get to their cottages were plentiful. They were hungry for something unique.
This gave me the courage to push forward. It was a lot of work, but with the help of contractors, family and friends, a beautiful space was born.
“Atelier 522 was born as an afterthought”
People travel from Toronto, London, Kitchener and Collingwood just to see my little storefront. I feel incredibly fortunate. Now Neustadt boasts three other gift shops.
Atelier 522 is a constant source of creative energy for me. Having the back studio space open to the storefront allows my clientele to peek in to see my art and explore a functioning art studio. It has been very rewarding.
Honestly, I have to say that the people I have met, strangers and repeat customers alike, have been my true reward.
I can’t begin to tell you how many laughs, hugs and even tears I’ve shared with people over the last four years.
Now more than ever, people crave connection. Connection to others, connection to the past, connection to themselves. I think the style of Atelier 522 helps people do that.
“Atelier 522 is a constant source of creative energy for me”
A connection to the past. A connection to themselves.
I love mixing the past with the present. A mix of vintage and contemporary. I am attracted to modern, sculptural items, but I need the weight of history to ground the space. Think modern console table topped with a vintage jug. Or, a state of the art kitchen with the warmth of a vintage rug and an antique crock. It’s all about balance.
My mother had an infallible eye when it came to décor. She could enter any space and transform it. Her ability to stage vignettes was something of legend in our family! She was an artist and as such, had an innate sense of design. Her knowledge of grouping, height, and balance was instinctual. I suppose after living with this my entire childhood, I picked up a few things!
I remember my mother rolling out her egg noodles (flour, eggs, salt) and she’d always let me cut them (with a bread knife) into long strips, preparing them for the soup pot. It was very satisfying! I haven’t thought about that in a very long time.
What a great memory of my mother. She was instilling in me the love of preparing homemade food; something that mattered so much to her. In my family, as in many others I’m sure, everything seemed to revolve around food. Beautifully prepared dishes, tables set, pies baked…and family gathering.
The Bruschetta
“Once you taste bruschetta made this way, you won’t go back”
When I asked Elizabeth to share one of her go too recipes with me, she chose this version of Bruschetta.
“I have always been a fan of bruschetta but was a bit surprised to realize that I have actually become a bruschetta snob after eating my fair share of shockingly bad examples of it over the years. This recipe I am sharing with you came to me a while back when I was searching for something fairly quick and easy to prepare one evening, Trust me when I say that once you taste bruschetta made this way, you won’t go back! Pair it with a bottle of your favourite red (and your favourite person to share it with), and this is almost heaven.”
Now keep in mind, Elizabeth and I were at her atelier and never actually MADE this recipe.
We talked about it and salivated over it, but time and location didn’t permit us to indulge in the actual feast.
Of course when I got back home to New-Brunswick, I tried my best to recreate it from the memory of our conversation. And a few text messages with Elizabeth!
The first thing you want to do is gather the ingredients. The fresher the better.
A lot of these you can grown in your own garden if you have a green thumb. Or you can always visit to your local farmers market. That’s what I did.
Here is what you will need:
1/3 cup fresh shredded basil (save some fuller leaves for garnish)
2 cups of cherry tomatoes (I like them on the vine, gives a better visual)
4 whole cloves of garlic
3-4 tbs olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup goat cheese
1 Baguette.
A bottle of your favourite wine and your favourite human.
Fresh Ingredients Always Taste Better
You want to add the olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper all in a cast iron pan.
Put in the oven at 375 until the tomatoes swell and the skin starts to crack (maybe 15 -20 minutes…keep an eye on them).
They should look like this:
While the tomatoes are doing their thing, cut the baguette in half lengthwise. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt before grilling . Cut into individual servings and set aside. I toasted mine on the BBQ to get those sexy grill lines.
I forgot to photograph it. DOH…sorry 'bout that! Trust me, it was a thing of beauty!
Next, take out your favourite serving dish and spread the goat cheese in the centre.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the hot tomato mixture directly on to the cheese.
Garnish with fresh basil for that retinal response. And Voila!
Serve with a side of the toasted baguette with your favourite human and a bottle of red wine.
Enjoy…Cheers!
