WINDSOR, N.S. — A Toronto-based chef has traded in the big city lights for the quiet, small-town atmosphere of rural Nova Scotia and he couldn’t be happier.
With his partner by his side, Noah Bedard, the new kitchen manager at Schoolhouse Brewery in downtown Windsor, left the hustle and bustle of Canada’s largest city amidst the pandemic to start a new life here.
It was a bold move and one the couple doesn’t regret.
“I think me and my partner Thea just hit a point, especially during COVID, that we took a reassessment of our lives and just decided that we wanted to focus on what’s important to us,” said Bedard, before starting his regular shift at Schoolhouse Brewery.
“That meant leaving the hustle and bustle of the city, buying a house in a small town, getting jobs that we really enjoy going to work for, and being able to have enough space and time outside of work that we can kind of build the life that we’ve always wanted,” he continued.
“It just seemed kind of unattainable in Toronto.”
Bedard and Thea Greisman visited the province in June of 2020 as Greisman’s parents live in Sandy Cove, just outside of Digby. It was Bedard’s first time in Nova Scotia. After a mandatory two-week quarantine at a cottage, they spent the remaining two weeks touring the province, checking out potential places to live.
They were smitten.
“We just really loved the look of Windsor. It just felt like that quintessential small town, but it had a lot of amenities in it,” he said.
They returned to Ontario after the vacation determined to make the move.
Greisman landed a job at Momentum Wellness Centre on Water Street in Windsor. The couple purchased a home on Wiley Avenue, just a few streets away, in November, and moved in the first week of January.
Bedard didn’t have a job lined up, which he described as “pretty nerve-racking,” but he had been scoping out the local food industry and began corresponding with Schoolhouse Brewery via Instagram. That led to an interview once he finished quarantine, and ultimately a job.
Skilled in the kitchen
Bedard has come a long way since he first started in the industry.
He was 16 years old and working at a coffee shop when a regular customer offered him an apprenticeship if he’d quit his job and join him at work the next day.
“Which is kind of a crazy story, but at 16, that’s kind of the perfect age to do something like that,” said Bedard.
He served as an apprentice for a year, and then kept working within the restaurant industry, pulling long hours to gain as much knowledge as possible.
Bedard was highlighted at the 2017 Top 30 Under 30 awards via the Ontario Hostelry Institute for his culinary skills at The Drake Hotel, where he was the lead baker and charcutier.
Bedard, who learned his craft via hands-on experience versus attending culinary school, said being recognized for his skills and then being able to work in the industry he’s passionate about has been such a rewarding experience.
“It’s such a nice thing to be able to do: to create these things that people love eating.”
Bedard’s flair for cooking is already having an impact at Schoolhouse Brewery.
“So, our plan for this area of the business is to serve up good food that pairs very well with the great beer that we make,” said Bedard.
“We just want to have a snack focus — so small, shareable dishes that people can eat when they drink beer.”
And his menu, which is evolving as he gets acquainted with patron’s preferences, contains fish tacos, pulled pork sliders and “the big hit that nobody thought would be a hit… crispy Brussel sprouts.”
He said whenever possible he supports the buy local mantra. Currently, all of Schoolhouse Brewery’s bread products and vegetables are coming from the farm market in Falmouth.
“It’s important that we use as many local suppliers as possible,” said Bedard.
“It’s just really great to work with smaller companies who were also hit during the COVID times.”
Attacting people to Nova Scotia
It was about 21 years ago that Cameron Hartley, the owner of Schoolhouse Brewery, moved to Hants County. Like Bedard, he didn’t have any connection to the community; he just liked it.
“I’m always excited when we can attract young people into our rural Nova Scotia communities to build a home and a life here,” said Hartley of hiring Bedard.
Hartley said Bedard and Greisman have chosen to move to Windsor, work here and contribute to the community.
“These are people who aren’t ending up here by circumstance. They are here 100 per cent intentionally,” said Hartley.
“I think a lot of people already know how great this area is and what this area has to offer but we haven’t seen that kind of intentional in-migration to our town. I’m very proud of being a business (owner) who has been able to hire these people coming in,” Hartley said, noting his taproom manager also came from away.
According to Nova Scotia Immigration, the province has seen an influx of people arriving to take up residency here for the last number of years.
According to a press release, Nova Scotia’s population reached an all-time high of 979,351 people in July 2020.
It’s estimated that about two-thirds of Nova Scotia’s population is between the ages of 15 and 64.
A campaign aimed at encouraging fellow Canadians to move to Nova Scotia was launched on Dec. 14, 2020. The Tourism Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Business Inc. venture showcases the province’s beaches, outdoorsy activities and peaceful way of life. The website created for this campaign — https://workfromnovascotia.com — encourages people to consider relocating here and highlights the various amenities.
The website indicates the Canadian Real Estate Association lists the average price of a Nova Scotia home at about $304,590 compared to the national average of $607,250. Bedard said the attractive homes and prices were certainly a draw for them when they relocated to Windsor.
“We both don’t like the things that you get when you live in a city as opposed to a small town. We don’t go to nightclubs; we don’t do a lot of the things that you pay a premium to live in the city to do,” he said.
“We like spending time together. We want to work on a home together; start a family. It just seems way more doable here.”
Bedard said the couple often sit in their large older home and relish in the realization that they made the right choice.
“It didn’t feel like there were any sacrifices. We both enjoy Windsor more than Toronto. At least so far. We love the people. Everybody is so great and nice; it seems like a place full of happy people.”
