Chef Ben Leblanc-Beaudoin

07/11/2023

Keeping it together while the whole world is spinning!!!

04/14/2023

Mr Amish stopped by with more of great products. The butter you all love is now in 2lb rolls and new to the store gluten free pork schnitzel and it is so good. Also Chef Ben Leblanc-Beaudoin has his amazing breads, soups and hummus back today.

04/10/2023

Survived another epic Easter Weekend! What was your favourite food you ate over the holiday weekend? I had some 💣 🔥 cheesy hashbrowns! Never made them, and I’m ok with others making it for me!!!

12/28/2022

NOTHING brings people together like good food!!!

10/29/2022

Trick or treat yourself to these spooky but delicious mini pizzas! Topped up with Butterball’s extra lean turkey ham, this Halloween-themed dinner is so ghoul-d, the kids will be asking for more! 👻 Take a trip to the link below to find this product near you and have a haunted Halloween from your friends at Butterball 🦇 https://bit.ly/3U417hv

02/07/2022

I must apologize for not sharing more on here lately - as you can see, I’ve got my hands full and carrying a full load in the bags under my eyes.

Is it me - or does having your own business feel like being at war these days? This is what my last few weeks have felt like.

You’ve got battles, you expect those - those are the ones you decided to go to war for. The battles are what you wake up everyday to fight. You lace your boots, you dig your trench, and you attack when the time is right!

Once you prepare to advance, there are a number of landmines that you must dodge: Rising costs (of ingredients in my case), labour (finding the right people, keeping them happy and keeping them paid), equipment breaking down(or a burst pipe in my case), paying your bills

All of the sudden: Aerial attacks! Your supplier shorts you something you need. Your employees can’t make it in, due to a massive snow storm. Fire Marshall Inspection. Health Inspection. Your employees child is isolating from school. All survivable. Snow storm - Lots of snow. Heads up - pi**ed off customer with a bad review is going to throw your pie in the garbage! Careful: bad you need to tread likely around that. Matter of fact, you should probably worry about it, and lose sleep for a few nights.

Seems like you made it. Don’t forget, your battle rages on.

There is some hand to hand combat, something that requires your full attention, and no one else’s. Bookkeeping, scheduling, social media (aka marketing), troubleshooting (ie realizing a supply has run short and you haven’t ordered it).

So you’ve got your platoon, you’ve got allies - they have got your back. People who you can count on. But can you count on them 100%, or do you have an eye over your shoulder in case of friendly fire…

All of the sudden, just when you are taking a break - a gr***de gets thrown into your barracks. Oh yes - you’ve got a personal life that needs tending to as well.

This is how my mind works - I ask myself this everyday, what am I gonna do when my team or ingredients don’t show up?

My answer everyday: I’m going to kamikaze myself out out of this mess.

10/21/2021

Happy International Chefs Day.

It feels like everyday is a new day, and I don’t mean a new “international something something day”. I mean everyday is a day that brings its challenges, it’s battles, it’s successes, and maybe just maybe one moment of magic.

What does being a chef on international chefs day mean to me? Being a chef, sometimes feels as though cooking is the smallest portion of this job. Ordering supplies, Fixing things, fixing things you didn’t fix right the first time, calling professionals to fix things that you broke more while trying to fix twice, managing staff, managing bills, paying bills, managing customers, managing orders, finding substitutes for products that were short ordered…And on and on and on.

This is the year that everyone is leaving the profession. And… can you blame them? All of what I just mentioned? It sucks. There is nothing to be ashamed of. One thing is for sure, is that you hire a “former chef”, they will figure it out. Because that’s what chefs do. Here’s me figuring it out - 20 months into this madness. No matter how much stuff broke today, they mostly got fixed - and I finished the day with my chin up. Because that’s what chefs do.

07/03/2021

Thanks for the Foodie suggestion - I just ate at in Chatham! I’ve been here before - 3 times but I am glad someone suggested to me last week! Sooooo good! Had a Buffalo chicken Poutine - it’s great.

Where should I go next? What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this summer yet?

Comment below!?! Don’t give me something generic like: “they have good food”! Gimme the place and WHAT to get! Can even be a grocery store food- ANYTHING! INSPIRE ME!!!

06/29/2021

Looking for some FOODIE suggestions! I am home alone for 2 weeks and I’ve just spent my day off trying foods I had been wanting to try for the last little while…. My 2 suggestions to you - the Malwina strawberries from and all 3 Chorizo sausages from (all 3 are amazing).

Please tell me in the comments!!!!

06/25/2021

Looking forward to having you this weekend! We are OPEN 8-4 Saturday, and 8-2 Sunday, for contactless shopping(cash or etransfer) in our bread boutique, rain or shine!

On the menu this weekend (while supplies last):
- Sourdough Breads
- Croissants
- Vegetarian Empanadas
- Seafood Chowder
- Kale & Spinach Dip
- Scones: (carrot cake, vanilla, margarita/lime)

Thank you for sharing, without your support we wouldn’t be here!
•
•
•
•
•

05/10/2021

I haven’t posted in a while - truth is I’ve been focusing all of my energy into moving forward, being positive and focusing on the discipline that is required to navigate through being a business owner. Nothing to do with the lockdowns, the pandemic, the past or even the future. I plan one day at a time. I have no calendar, no appointments, no meetings, no schedule. I made a few decisions to lighten the societal load off of my shoulders, and removing Facebook from my phone was definitely the best of them.

Everyday is a challenge, everyday there is a curveball, a catastrophe, a lifesaving idea, a new item to create, a few unsatisfied customers, a lot of people that show up to buy bread because their friend told them about it (on days we are not open) and a few moments of magic sprinkle in there. I am fortunate I have the best support system possible - and a team that is ready for war everyday.

This past weekend was all our time busiest, and the weeks leading into it were quite stressful, required a lot of focus, and very very long hours - which meant time away from my family. But the support I have received over the past 14 months - has changed me as a person, a man I didn’t know existed - everyday I am trying to be a better me. I have even struggled with the fact that I have lost a good portion of my hair - but it’s not in my genes to have any, and I had the same cut in high school.

So here I am, embracing the positive, hairless, enjoying the amazing rush of the busiest Mother’s Day service of my professional career, and I abruptly decided to take a picture between two sentences with to capture and share a moment into my world. A few minutes later someone stops me to thank me for their brunch order - and that it was actually their family’s 5th brunch in a row made by us. It knocked the wind right out of me. That is the small moment of magic that I show up everyday for. Nothing else.

03/09/2021

Waited a long time to get here but wow was it amazing. Congrats brother and amazing business @ Mamajoun Armenian Pizzeria

03/02/2021

My grand-father was a unique person. He worked in a paper mill from the age of 14. He loved his work - and he loved the opportunities that it brought him. He took to his job as his passion but I spent a lot of time with him, and he never told me what he did at his job - but I know all about the people, and all about the place. The stories were endless. Although he didn’t go to school passed 13, he spent his entire life learning. He learned how to speak English, he learned to love all food, he learned to hunt and fish with his brothers, he learnt to travel the world, he took public speaking classes with Dale Carnegie, he learned to love some classics of his time like Nat King Cole & Fred Astaire, and he spent his lifetime enjoying physical activity and running. He was a blue collar, a plumber and never made excuses when someone needed his help. He would go help someone with toilet issues at 9pm and never took anyone’s money for it. In the late part of his life, he still wanted to learn - he took it upon himself to change his own views and opinions on homosexuality, despite what his generation was so stuck on.

He ate everything - mussels and oysters he loved(both canned and fresh) and I vividly remember him giving his dog a treat, and then putting one in his mouth. My best food memory is thanks to him. He fabricated a stainless steel pan, and would make us grilled cheese sandwiches with it. What was so special about it? He used an old electric iron (yes for clothes) to cook and press the top of it.

I see him in the way my mother loves life, the way my brothers love their family, the way my son stand sometimes, and in myself the way I love my work. I was talking to my friend this week, about « what it means to be happy at work », and the answer for me is constant learning and always being excited for coming back the next day. A “meaningful or purposeful” job isn’t that if the person doing it isn’t in love with all it entails. We spend so much time working, that if you don’t love what you do, then it is my opinion that you may as well not do it. Indirectly, my grand-father taught me it is more important to have a meaningful life! Today would have been his bday!

02/23/2021

Bringing back the best takeout advice(revised):

Are you a restauranteur? Chef? Are you offering takeout - and you simply feel it's not worth it/working out?

1) SCRAP your menu. People don't want your menu, and most of those things are not good reheated, or transported. Condense your menu, and don't offer 100 options. This would be a great time to realize that you have too many food items on your menu. For example: if you offer breakfast takeout - don't offer your menu. It is not worth it for you to operate to do 30 orders at your regular $8 menu.

2) Give your guest VALUE

Make sure that you offer something your clients will see as a value. Whether it is a lot of food, fun items, or something that they could not make at home. You need to communicate what that is clearly. Give your guests an even bigger deal if you set a cut off time for your orders (i.e. order 24 hours before and receive 10% off). 3) Be original

Everyone is doing takeout, find a reason why someone should get delivery from you, or drive to your place to pick it up. MOST importantly: do your own thing. Do not copy your neighbour.

4) Choose items that will work with "Takeout"

Offer nachos on your regular menu? Nope - not takeout worthy. Choose foods that are easily reheat-able, that don't need to be crisp (NO FRENCH FRIES), and make adjustments for items that would work out best with a little care by your client in order for them to enjoy their food at it's peak of quality. For example - pizza: undercook them and advise your guests to heat them to finish them in their own oven, burger: DO NOT ASSEMBLE THE BURGER, separate condiments, bread, and patty.

5) Set daily limits, and limit your days of operation

Would you rather make $1000 in one day, or $200 for 5 days? Scarcity sells my friends.

Most importantly:

6) Get rid of your stock. Would you rather have $100 in your cooler/freezer, or in your pocket? YOU NEED TO GET RID OF YOUR STOCK, and using your regular menu will not help you do this. Get creative - get inventive, step out of your comfort zone of your 100 item menu. BLOW OUT YOUR STOCK.

Please Share!

02/22/2021

Une conversation avec Radio-Canada!

Dans le petit village de Comber, dans le comté d'Essex, une auberge locale est en train de devenir un incontournable de la région. Avec la pandémie, le Iron Kettle Bed & Breakfast a, bien sûr, dû fermer les portes de son restaurant et cesser d'offrir des nuitées dans les 6 chambres de l'établ...

02/15/2021

1 year ago today, we catered our last wedding. It should have been the first of 30 for the year. There are a million things that have happened since then, around the world, and in our community. At that point, I wore many hats: I was a father, a husband, chef, entrepreneur.

Last night; was the first Valentine’s Day evening that I didn’t work in my professional career. The little things make the big issues seem small.

Fast forward to today with a few more battle scars (literal and figurative), I’ve come to appreciate the little things in life even more. I have surrounded myself with positive people, and I make decision daily to improve my life and those that surround me. My team is filled with high-energy and capable people, and every week no longer seems like a Hail Mary. Inspiration comes from all sorts of areas - but I find the clearest ideas come when I am in solitude, or focused on a single task that I’ve shut out the rest of the world (like shaping Focaccia at 3am). I get inspiration and try my best to copy the best in the world, but I’ll never copy my neighbour: you guys can have those hot chocolate balls. I often joke that whenever I make cookies, I always Google: best ___ cookie recipe in the world - I don’t look at what someone from the next town over is selling. Overtime, if that recipe is that good, I make it my own and add some twists and turns to it. Parents always say: you can be anything you want to be. I don’t think that’s true and my parents never promised me that. One thing they knocked into my head was that whatever you choose to be - be happy, and be the best at it. So I take that learning and apply it, and make sure that I try to be the best at what I do, and not what someone else does. Most of the time, I don’t even have any recipes - ever. I can tell you the measurements of all the breads we bake and ingredients without looking in our binder. For that reason, I now consider myself creative: if anything that this last year has given me is a new Hat: I am an artisan.

•
•
•
•
•

12/23/2020

De la dinde pour les fêtes!

Nous utilisons les témoins de navigation (cookies) afin de mesurer et d'améliorer l'efficacité de nos sites Web ou de rehausser l'expérience client. Vous pouvez revoir vos paramètres avant de poursuivre votre visite en consultant la section: Vos choix quant aux témoins En savoir plus

12/09/2020

Today, I drove for 3 hours by myself and my mind was bouncing all over.

It is often said that being a chef is a hard path. Why do we do it? Ask any chef - would they want their kids to follow in their steps? If they could speak to their 22 year old self in culinary school what would they say? I figure most would answer - no, don’t do it. Cooks have an extreme skill set, they can cook; work under pressure, work under terrible conditions, multi task, time management, etc.

So why do we do it? Why do I do it? There are 100’s of reasons, even with all of the odds stacked against me - I can not, not be a chef. But there is one answer - I am not normal. Ask anyone that has worked with me - whether good or bad comments but here is the truth: I am intense, I am a machine and I am committed.

I see things daily on social media that make me want to scream. Restaurants are closing left and right worldwide. Restaurants that have been open for x amount of years, run by pros - with predicted numbers of up to 90% of food based businesses to close due to the pandemic. Why do I want to scream? Because people who have had dreams of opening restaurants are currently doing so, and some who have them are opening up second locations! That’s insane! Why would anyone do that? The answer is simple, they are not normal.

The difference between one that will make it through and one that one - is also simple - what skill set do the people running the show bring to the table? If you have none - then don’t worry about opening. If you have a toolbox full - go for it.

If you are jumping on from Insta, this is where it continues....

Our industry is not supported by anything real. We rely on people to get us through, and die by their negative reviews. I lose sleep every time something negative happens. Moreover - Social media is inaccurate. It a not real life. It shows you what people want to show you and and may not describe what is happening. Often times - someone will say: OMG you are so busy! That’s all based on what people perceive from Social Media - which doesn’t relate to the hours I can give my employees, the purchases I make with local Farms, and last but not least, the money in my bank account. Our patrons, are here for us - but we miss opportunities. It is not enough! So how can we engage them! How can those people become a part or a movement, a community?

How can they choose you week after week, month after month? Good food is everywhere. Good food is easy. If you can’t make good food - you deserve to close. The question remains - WHY YOU?

Once again, there are a hundred answers, but only one that is simple.

People choose you - because of your story, which they can be a part of, daily. If you are unable to tell your story, and to include your clients in it, then you fail to give life to your food - especially in this pandemic climate. The experience we created at the b&b for the past 6 years, has always been about our story. And this covid thing is another part. When someone says - we are happy to support you, to support a local business, we are all in this together... the only thing that comes to my mind is - hell yes.

My profession is an expressive art form. some choose to be fine dining , and some choose to flip bacon and eggs - but either way - it’s an expressive medium. When something happens in a cooks life, you can taste it in their food. By creating a community, a movement; you take away the thin ice you skate in with every meal. I’ve been through it - no matter what, my community is with me.

My story isn’t better than anyone else’s. I choose to tell my story - and I make sure that it is authentic to my values, my business vision and who I am as person.

There are too many people in my culinary past that are better than me. Some of the best people I’ve met in my life are the ones that we dug deep together during hard times and cooked our hearts out - Jake; Sam & Tony; Robbie & Mike, Masters; every single one would tell you I am a crazy person- but I bet you all of them would choose to work with me again. The future looks grim: don’t open a restaurant - but when you do - make sure you that you tell your story, that you are committed, and that you surround yourself with people that share the same values and vision as you. If you consider yourself « normal », don’t even think about it.

Some of the best cooks I’ve ever worked with, some named above - no longer do so. You have to be insane to stick it out. There are too many people in this industry, and there are too many business in it. Most are good, some are great and some are awful. There is nothing that this business will not ruin for you: weekends, plans, family vacation, relationships, etc. Will it be rewarding in the end?

If that’s what you are doing this for, then you have no idea what you are missing out on. It’s not about how the story ends, it’s about the story.

12/01/2020

If you have been through Toronto as a cook; then you know about this place. Here’s a very well written piece about a pillar of the culinary community in Canada

http://oneofeverything.ca/blog/2020/11/24/tap-phong-part-1-the-collection-or-the-best-of-everything?fbclid=IwAR1IrT6-9TU_NMuEJjJhwzRg0wQDsrI2NDxlyLORgzp1kV8vKc6imrsoZEk

For over 30 years and across 3 generations, Tap Phong has remained an iconic institution in the food service industry, and a true pillar to their community. The Tran family’s journey is a shining example of the immigrant experience - one that is rooted in survival through grit, owing its humble ri...

11/30/2020

Proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish

11/22/2020

What a time to be alive. Can you believe it’s Nov 22? To me - it feels like it’s still April 1st, and the joke isn’t ending. Or call me Bill Murray and Groundhog Day has happened 252 times.

In the hospitality world, this is where we start ramping up for one of the busiest seasons of the year but also to maximize how much money is coming in. Thoughts of slow January & February are usually welcomed and filled with plans on getaways and vacations, but now just uncertainty end anxiety. I am glad to have switched my business offerings to be sustainable and “lockdown” proof, but it wasn’t an easy feat to get to where it is. Pictured here is the bread oven that was gifted to me, by one of the most interesting people I have ever met - and fascinate me with every bit of conversation I can steal from him. If our town had Elders, he would be there guiding us towards a better future. Thanks to the Ainslies, I went from producing 4 loaves of bread in 45 minutes, to 24 in 20 minutes. Before this oven, I once baked 190 loaves in my former set up. You can do the math and imagine how much sleep I got in those 48 hours.

My heart goes out to all the small businesses and retailers out there. We aren’t built to withstand the onslaught of ups and downs that we will live through in the next 3 months. Solution? There isn’t one. Support local, support small and don’t be a jerk. Buy a gift card.

11/17/2020

À court de temps⏲️? Prêt en seulement 20 minutes (oui, oui!), ce Chili au dindon apaisera votre stress et votre faim😉 https://bit.ly/2IHcs7Q

11/14/2020

Place your order on our website www.ironkettletakeout.com until 8pm Saturday to pick up « Bread & Things » for pick up Monday between 2-6pm.

We are making a Turkey Club Sandwich, Smoking some Pulled Pork and Montréal Style Bagels are available.

Please share!

P.S. When we make bagels, the batch always gives us 1 extra piece. Guess where it goes?

•
•
•
•
•

11/03/2020

Someone asked this week - what is the best business advice I’ve ever been given?

WELL, let me tell you. There is 2...

1) if you want to be a well rounded versatile Chef, someone who can go into any situation and cook your way through anything: you need to have been exposed to different settings. You need to have worked in a pub, a golf course, a hotel, an Italian restaurant, a greasy spoon diner, banquets, etc. If you stick to a type of cuisine or a Fine Dining setting, you’ll never know anything else. Thanks

2) Business plans are a waste of time. The only people who are interested in them, are people who do not run businesses. Having a vision, and being able to adapt your business model is more important than what you wrote on a PowerPoint document while doing market research as someone else was paying you in the last month before you quit your job to start your business. Do what works, and adapt if it doesn’t.

These two guiding pieces of advice, have been in my thoughts since day 1, but have certainly been the most important since March. Where I am standing right now, was the pride of our building, our breakfast room. Vacant from diners, it’s been converted into an extension of our kitchen, and where all of our bread production takes place.

What’s the best advice someone has given you to run your biz?

•
•
•
•
•

10/23/2020

Did you stash some leftovers in the freezer?

We’re all about good vibes and turkey pot pies 🥧 Ready in just an hour, this hearty recipe from is perfect for those frozen turkey leftovers 👌 https://bit.ly/3mk95lF

10/18/2020

The questions I get asked the most: how are you guys doing? Are you holding up?

I always answer with positive/encouraging words - but I always want to answer differently. To some, I give them the truth, to others, I just recite a few sentences that now come out automatically.

Those are the questions I have no time to answer. So perhaps I should just write about it, in between cutting potatoes and washing dishes this morning. In the last few weeks - a few things happened that almost put me over the edge - and on those 2 occasions, I can say that I was not ok. Holding up isn't as accurate as holding on, because this has been a wild ride. Let me give you a glimpse into my mind.

BASIC, and all that matters, in order of importance:
Are my family healthy and safe? Yes.
Have we been able to pay our bills? Yes.

The rest:
I am often given the advice to not work so much, and to think of my family - to spend time with them. I can't lie, I am a workaholic. During regular times - I am passionate about my work, my business and what it brings me. But this is a pandemic. There isn't an ounce of me that doesn't want to spend more time with my family - but do not misinterpret that as me not thinking about them. I wake up every day, and show up to work every day for my family - and nothing else. Spending time with them, is a luxury - and I have never and will never take it for granted.

I have the best partner anyone can ask for - my wife. Our understanding is simple: we both are doing everything we can to protect both of our homes and to make sure we make it out of this. My parents have been together 40+ years, and the most important lesson they have tried to instill in my brothers and I are to "compromise". Ginette compromises with me daily, almost hourly - to help support me with everything we need to do to make us stay afloat. She isn't working these days, and has not. She has temporarily closed her part of our business - which was so promising for the summer that just passed. The lesson that Ginette has taught me, is not to compromise - but to sacrifice. She takes herself and her needs out of the equation to care for Thomas, and does everything she can to assist me with our business needs.

I have no time for hobbies or things that interest me. I have no time to pat myself on the back. The thing I have the least amount of time for - is anything virtual (zoom meeting, virtual conference, teleconference, etc.). I have yet to see a survey that helps any hospitality business dig themselves out of the hole, or inform anyone on how to save their sinking ship. Although this has been an avenue that has helped people tremendously, and have helped businesses evolve - this is not for me. If you see me advertising "virtual cooking classes", you'll know we are in the last few stretches of my business's life.

I have surrounded myself with positive, hardworking people that want the same thing as me - contribute to the vision of our business - and these days pump out the best food we can. A chef I worked for would describe being a cook as being in the trenches. Battle is going great, you think you dodged a bomb and them BOOM. You just passed over a landmine and came out unscathed, but you lost your provisions. Everyday my team and I go to war, and everyday we come out of the battle victorious. Sometimes a little wounded, sometimes with our heads down. Surveys (you know I love them) and stats show that 50-60% of tourism-based businesses will close. Unfortunately, some already have and some are closing daily. I promise you - if there's anything I know is that my business and whatever it becomes as it evolves and dodges gr***des will not be closing. It will not be closing because I have an amazing group of people that have my back, that believe in showing up to the Iron Kettle everyday event if they stepped on a bomb the day prior.

I take risks every day, and I am admiring people taking risks - especially these days. Opening a restaurant is nuts and in a pandemic is just psycho. That being said, my risks define who I am - and they are small and constant, but I take them on one at a time, with the same approach. What I am afraid of, is what lights the fire in me and also excites me.

My people - the people who support me every day: our customers, our clients (call them whatever you want), have propelled the rollercoaster that I am on, and don't seem to want to get off. These people sometimes sit out for one round or 2, but they always resurface with their friends. We need them. We need you. I am eternally grateful for everyone keeping this ship afloat,

The answer to the questions, isn't as simple as: "yes, we are doing good", or "yes, things are ok". You can gather your own answer out of this text, if you can calculate the amount of terrible references that I have made to thrilling and scary activities. The fire that is in me, is not fueled by anything else than courage, passion and the sight of a 4 year old boy eating a baguette.

We are not ok but we are doing great. We are not holding up, we are holding on. Bring it.