Eco Hotel Has Organic Restaurant in Nova Scotia

The Organic Food Restaurant at Chanterelle Inn in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (Canada).

Call it the Slow Food Movement, an Organic Food Restaurant, Eco Hotel or just plan good food, but the Chanterelle Inn in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (Canada) is doing it all. Quietly, passionately and with Cape Breton hospitality.

Organic Food Restaurant
This country accommodation was recommended to me, but I didn’t have any other info about them. So I made the long drive (although the address says Baddeck, it’s about 17 kms off of the Trans Canada Highway 105, on the Cabot Trail, but if you know that, it’s not far at all) along the windy road. Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages looks down on you as you drive up, marked with only one sign on your right (coming from Baddeck).

I was shown into the outdoor dining area, a netted-in patio (success against the mosquitoes!) and the first thing I noticed on the menu was the local suppliers, all listed at the bottom corresponding to the ingredients they provide (and how many miles away they’re located).

My Salmon, Fruit and Veggie Dinner at Chanterelle Inn in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (Canada).

Organic Restaurant Business Plan
The proprietor and Chef, Earlene Busch, refreshes the menu depending on what is in season and what is available locally. Mountain Meadow Farms, two miles away, provides the produce, which started a great conversation with a small group of Europeans I was dining beside. They loved the concept.

It’s not really a big deal here, though. As much as Earlene is putting in a lot of effort to be one of the leading “Eco Hotels” in Cape Breton, it’s also second nature. The country accommodation is open from May to the end of October, when ingredients are growing almost at her doorstep. Why not use them and support her fellow Nova Scotians?

Trust me: I tested out the menu and it was utterly delicious. A salmon dinner complete with fresh fruit, lightly cooked veggies and noodles was a complete meal, topped off, of course, with local wine from Nova Scotia’s Jost.

Eco Hotels
Now, being one of the leading eco hotels in Nova Scotia, Chanterelle Inn has to put in a bit more effort to the building itself. It was built to replicate the traditional Cape Breton barn that came before it, from 1912. Using weathered hemlock from the original building, as well as recycled materials from Ingonish used to build the cottages, the final look just beckons you to come in.

Outdoor Patio, with Mosquito Nets, at the Chanterelle Inn in Cape Breton, NS (Canada).

Earlene uses solar space and a water heating system, and gets the inn’s water from a deep well “fed by a natural spring.” As well, she uses natural and fragrance-free cleaning supplies, soap is made by a local soapmaker with natural ingredients, recycling is encouraged from guests and no pesticides or herbicides are used.

Even National Geographic Traveler magazine, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment and many other institutions have awarded the Chanterelle Inn with accolades and awards that’ll make your head spin.

What I Liked:

• There’s not much not to like about this place. It’s rural location makes it secluded, fresh and typically Cape Breton.
• The owner and staff are wonderful hosts and made you feel like you’ve stepped into their home.
• The food, the food. How fresh, light and flavourful it was…
• My only gripe is that I didn’t get to stay overnight here. Next time

Tags: Baddeck, Cabot Trail, canada, Cape Breton, Chanterelle Inn, country accommodation, Earlene Busch, Eco, Eco Hotels, Jost winery, Mountain Meadow Farms, Nova Scotia, Organic Food Restaurant, Organic Restaurant, Organic Restaurant Business Plan, Slow Food Movement, Trans Canada Highway