Here’s wishing everyone a happy and safe weekend. Now that it’s summer, we love having our cottages full and lots of guests with whom to share the Wonderful World of Whiteway. And here’s a reminder that the Shag It Cafe will be open today, tomorrow and Sunday from 11-7pm. We have the lovely and increasingly popular Chef Cate Dorr on board – with reviews like she’s getting each weekend, it should be a fun and tasty weekend!
Soaking Up Local Culture
We had a great time in Bay Roberts this past weekend, celebrating Newfoundland food and culture and our connection to the sea, at the annual Songs, Stages and Seafood Festival. The food was amazing, and we’re not just biased because our executive chef at The Doctor’s House, Chris Chafe, did a fabulous job on his halibut on birch. The meal was especially good because of a new program that lets your track where your fish comes from. Go to www.thisfish.info and key in N625586 to find out where Chris’ fish was caught, who caught it and more. This new traceability program was created by the Fishery Union to help tourists become familiar with our culture and our people – very cool!
Thanks to the organizers of this great event, for promoting Newfoundland culture, and the Baccalieu Trail (our favourite!) in such a fun and novel way. 
Second Weekend at the Shag It
It’s hard to believe that summer is finally here – but here it is, and an open Shag It Cafe proves it. This is the second weekend that Cate Dore has run our beautiful cafe this year, serving guests – to great acclaim, we might add – from the beautiful new menu she’s created. The Berry and I will definitely be popping down for a bite – hopefully we’ll see you there!
Thanks to great guest and friend Arlene for the great shot of her Cod Father sandwich wrap, enjoyed last weekend. Stop by today or tomorrow from 11-7pm to try yours!
Great Opening
We had a great first weekend at the Shag It, officially kicking off our Summer 2014 season. The weather cooperated, and look at this view from our patio (!). Our new chef, Cate Dore, developed and presented a beautiful new menu that was a big hit. The Berry and I had some ourselves and were blown away. Thanks to Cate, and thanks to all the guests who came out and made our first weekend a success. 
The Shag It is open today for the the Victoria day holiday. Our regular hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-7pm. We hope to see you soon!
Come on Down
We’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, and not just because of the holiday. We’re really excited to be opening the Shag It Cafe this weekend! We’ve got a new menu and a new chef, the fabulous Cate Dorr. But still the same stunning view to enjoy from our wrap-around patio. We hope to see lots of new and familiar faces this Saturday and Sunday from 11-7. See you soon!
Mother’s Day Luncheon a Success
Thanks to all the lovely mothers and families who came to our Mother’s Day Luncheon and spent the afternoon with us. It was our new Executive Chef Chris Chafe’s first big function, and, judging by the reception, he pulled off his beautiful menu swimmingly!
We hosted our lunch at our Shag It Cafe, which will be opening for full traffic this weekend (!!!). Chris was helped by Chef Cate Dorr, who will actually be running the Shag It this summer, too – stay tuned, as we’ll be revealing her new menu soon. And our helpers Holly and Marina were great, too.
All in all, it was a great day, and we loved helping these families celebrate this special holiday. Above are a mother with her four daughters, who joined us from The Goulds, and below, four neighbours out to celebrate. It was our treat to serve them all!
Spring Menu Selections
It’s the weekend, and that means that Dining at The Doctor’s House is in full swing. Our new Executive Chef Chris Chafe is already making waves with his fantastic new Spring Menu, currently available Thursday through Sunday by reservation. Creatively prepared and elegantly presented, Chris’ dishes have already become huge hits in a short time. Above is his fabulous Roasted Beet Salad, featuring Inn-made ricotta, orange, pickled radish, candied pecans and arugula. Below, Pan Fried Local Cod, with parsnip puree and poached apple, and Herb and Dijon Crusted Spring Lambchops. All too good to pass up – so please call 709-582-2754 to make your reservation!
Still Space for Mother’s Day
Psssst … Just a helpful reminder that Mother’s Day is coming soon (this Sunday!), and our new Executive Chef Chris Chafe has an extraordinary luncheon planned to help you treat the important women in your life. Served at our Shag It Cafe (with a view that has to be seen to be believed), she’ll enjoy her choice of Slow Roasted Chicken Papardelle or Local Seafood Bouillabaisse, and S’mores Bread Pudding (oh my) or Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts with Carmelized Apples and Salted Caramel. See our complete menu, plus times and more details, here. And don’t forget, we’ve got lots of specials at Ocean Delight to add to the fun. Here’s to Mom (and You!)!
Welcome Chris Chafe!
We’re so excited to welcome and introduce our new Executive Chef, Chris Chafe. We first met Chris at the Eat the Hill culinary event in Clarenville this past winter, as we were delighted by his unique, delicious creations. We know that our guests will love his newly created Spring Menu, which we’ll be featuring every Thursday through Sunday throughout May.
Born and raised in St. John’s, NL, Chris Chafe earned the role of executive chef at age 22 as a result of hard work and passion. Chris began his culinary career working part-time as a dishwasher while attending university, and from there, he decided to pursue cooking full-time.
Completely self-taught, Chris honed his skills through apprentice work with experienced chefs. When he is not spending time with his wife and two-year-old son, Chris absorbs any information he can through television, recipe books, the Internet and other local chefs. Competitor on Food Networks show Top Chef Canada and winner of the silver medal at Gold Plates St. John’s 2011, Chris continues to challenge himself by participating in local charity and community events.
More Renos
We never would have guessed how much could go on ‘behind-the-scenes’ at a resort like The Doctor’s House until we were running one ourselves! We’ve already blogged about our renovations to the ‘Big Barn,’ building a fun and big new space for the upcoming wedding season. Less obviously, since we’re still managing to ‘wow’ with our hot breakfasts and gourmet weekend meals, we’ve also been re-doing our kitchen, too. The original was functional but not big enough, so a re-vamp was necessary, and our modifications are coming along nicely. We have some fun things planned for our restaurant this summer, so please stay tuned!