The Mill in New Glasgow chef-owner Emily Wells and I after a delicious lunch in P.E.I. Photo by Julia Simmons
By Galen Simmons
A true restaurant experience is so much more than the food on your plate; it’s the stories of the people who cook and serve that food and the surrounding communities and natural landscapes that provide the bounty of ingredients and instill the local culture that inspires the flavours you taste.
At The Mill in New Glasgow, chef-owner Emily Wells has brought all of those elements together in a historic building overlooking the picturesque River Clyde, creating a dining experience that celebrates both the culinary traditions of cultures around the world and the rich agricultural heritage of Prince Edward Island.
With more than 40 years of experience in the kitchen, including roughly a decade at The Dunes Studio Gallery and Cafe in Brackley Beach, Wells purchased the property in 2013, deciding at 50 the time was right to open a restaurant of her own. Since then, she’s developed a loyal following among locals and tourists alike, drawn to her internationally inspired cuisine and the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere.
For Wells, that international influence is something she’s been cultivating for decades, having begun her culinary career at a time when Canada’s restaurant scene was vastly different from what it is today. As immigration brought new cultures, ingredients and culinary traditions to communities across the country, Wells found herself increasingly interested in exploring the possibilities they presented.
“I’ve been doing sort of multi-ethnic food for 25, 30 years,” she said.
Many of the dishes on The Mill’s menu are variations of recipes she’s spent years developing, including a popular pad thai and her signature seafood chowder.
“The chowder is my variation and my mother’s variation of bouillabaisse,” Wells explained, referring to the traditional French seafood stew, which she has put her own Mediterranean spin on.
But the restaurant’s appeal extends well beyond its kitchen. Built in 1896, the building originally served as a community centre before becoming a working mill in the 1940s. Previous owners Harvey and Rosemary purchased the property around 1998, undertaking extensive renovations that helped preserve its character while transforming it into a restaurant.
Wells has continued that tradition of preserving local history, with photographs displayed throughout the building offering glimpses into its past, including an image of the upstairs dining room when it was still part of a working mill in the early 1970s. And while the building’s purpose has changed over the years, Wells likes to think it continues to serve as a gathering place for the community, hosting events connected to River Clyde Arts, a vibrant and active community arts organization in New Glasgow, and the annual River Clyde Pageant, the organization’s central summer event on the last weekend of July and first weekend of August featuring all manner of arts and outdoor performances. The Mill also hosts numerous fundraising dinners supporting farmers over the course of the year.
That connection to the community, its agricultural roots and its artistic spirit is clearly important to Wells, who operates The Mill seasonally from late June or early July through October, taking advantage of the abundance of fresh ingredients available on the island during those months.
“We’re blessed to live in a country where we have an abundance of food,” she said.
And while she is understandably proud of what she’s created at The Mill, Wells is equally enthusiastic about the broader culinary culture that has developed across P.E.I.
“There’s a lot happening here in food, a lot of heritage,” she said, adding she senses a great deal of passion among those involved in the industry.
It’s that combination of food, history, culture and community that makes The Mill such an interesting place to visit, even before the first dish arrives at the table.
And Wells’ food lives up to her passion.
Julia and I stopped in for lunch and ate in the restaurant’s rear dining room – a well-lit space that features a gorgeous view of the River Clyde through a bank of windows along the back wall. Just because of the name, I ordered a Shits and Giggles light lager from Moth Lane Brewing in Ellerslie, P.E.I., and Julia ordered a glass of pinot grigio.
For our main course, Julia had the aforementioned Mediterranean seafood chowder and I had the lobster-leek quiche and salad.
The chowder was excellent. Differing from the cream chowders we’ve had elsewhere, this one had a tomato broth bursting with seafood and Mediterranean flavours, as well as perfectly cooked fish, Newfoundland shrimp and P.E.I. mussels, all of which was topped with a flavourful roasted red paper garlic rouille.
The quiche and salad were also a perfect taste of local flavours. The quiche was well-packed with lobster chunks, the sweet flavour of which was underscored by the mild sweetness and onion flavour of the carmelized leeks. Add in the deep flavour of some aged cheddar and the perfect egg to crust ratio of the quiche as a whole, and you have something truly magical on your plate. The salad was a nice counterpoint to the rich flavours of the quiche, offering a fresh bite with these perfect golden-tomato wedges adding bursts of flavour alongside the crisp lettuce, cucumber and julienne carrots.
Based on what Wells told us, lunch at The Mill was just a small taste of the bright flavours and vibrant cultures that now inhabit the island. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be back, both for another meal at The Mill and to further experience and enjoy island cuisine.
Leave a Reply