Wildwood Cafe customers enjoy the friendly ambience
When I returned this past March to Nova Scotia to visit my writer friend Nina Munteanu, I was beckoned by the call of the wild: the Wildwood Café, that is…
And getting there is half the fun. The Wildwood Café resides in a funky purple and yellow building on King Street in old downtown Bridgewater on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. It’s a pleasant scenic drive along the river from Lunenburg and just the right thing to build an appetite for excellence.
When you enter the café it’s like entering the good Doctor’s Tardis: it’s so much larger than it appears from the outside. This may be partly optical illusion, the pale airy colors, décor and interior design of the café or some link to another dimension that I must look into.
I already featured The Wildwood Café in my article on the ten best places to drink coffee in Nova Scotia’s South Shore. This place is worth a visit for the coffee alone. But, there’s so much more I want to share with you about this café that features Spanish-inspired cuisine, including paninis, quesadillas, burritos, soft tacos, daily made salsa and wonderful soups and desserts.
Mary and Toulouse discuss the finer points of Spanish cuisine
I thought the best way to share this with you was to corner Mary Gallardo—the effervescent owner, chef and visionary behind the Wildwood Café — and have her tell you herself. It took some doing; she is hard to catch. But I managed to get her attention by placing myself in her line of sight through the chef’s window. You see, thanks to a little bird (I have a special connection with most of the wildlife here) I knew her secret: a vivacious painting of an outdoor café by a Cuban artist hangs on a far wall (pictured above) and Mary likes to view it from time to time from her sanctuary. According to urban legend, Mary and husband Aaron Brown came up with the idea of the café during a trip to Cuba and the vivid painting, which they bought in a market in Havana, reminds them that their dream is very much alive and thriving. I simply placed my little self between her and the painting.
Once our gazes locked, she didn’t have a chance. I held her gaze with my large dewy eyes and charming smile. We winked at one another in tacit agreement of our assignation. Within moments, she slid into a chair across from me, ready to share more secrets.
I decided on the direct approach and boldly asked her for the recipe to her exquisite sour cream and quacamole. She leaned back in her chair like a cat, eyes twinkling, and I thought she wouldn’t tell me. Then I felt like I’d won a country as she gave me the details with a charming smile.
Toulouse savors Mary's signature soft tacos
“When you’re in touch with your passion, you are alive,” she shared with me and touched my paw with her hand.
Mexican accordion music tickled my heart and I glanced at the local art on the walls. Wildwood showcases a different local artist every month; except for the Cuban painting I mentioned.
Originally from Mexico, Mary’s been in Nova Scotia several years, creating what I call a full eating experience. “I love art, I love color and textures and I love to experiment,” she confided. Her eclectic Mexican quasi-maritime dishes are testimony to her passion for art and good food. Take her soft tacos, made by hand (something she learned from childhood) with exotic filling and sour cream (including elements of cayenne, vinegar and paprika) and guacamole (using smooth avocado with tomato and onion for texture).
Or how about her signature mushroom soup: an attractive creamy ambrosia with a mild heat. My little pink tongue enjoyed the zest of this “playful” happy soup with a clean mushroom flavor and abundant mushroom chunks. And then there is her double chocolate torte! OMG!
Toulouse finds Mary's signature mushroom soup divine
Wildwood's gluten-free chocolate torte
Wildwood’s dedication to good “simple food” can be summarized by their approach to making Panini sandwiches. While most places create the sandwich then put it on the grill to serve, Mary ensures that what’s hot stays hot and what’s cold stays cold. Although this involves one or two extra steps, they carry them out for the sake of the quality of the sandwich. “If you do it quick, just for the buck, don’t do it,” Mary shared a very Zen outlook on cuisine. “Life is all about steps. If you skip one you will have to do it all over again.” She added that they also use organic ingredients and local products where possible.
It’s no surprise that The Wildwood Café was recently voted the best place to lunch in Atlantic Canada by Progress Magazine’s annual reader’s poll. The café is also featured in this year’s “Where to Eat in Canada”. According to Stacey Colwell, of The Southshore Now, this “breakfast-and-lunch spot is quickly cultivating a loyal clientele eager for Gallardo’s wizardry with Mexican-infused dishes, Brown’s deft barista touch and the friendly, familial vibe of the place.”
Aaron and Mary cavorting with Toulouse
“Mary’s hallmark is clean flavors,” Aaron shared with me. She uses four to five spices tops, he added. Mary claims not to use any real recipes either. Everything is made to taste. “By the way,” he added with a sly grin, “if you ever ask her for a recipe, she always leaves out one [key] element.”
Mary and Aaron credit the success of their business in part to the family environment they’ve engendered; everyone shares and there is no division between front and back—that’s restaurant talk for between kitchen and where they serve the clientele. They have also very cleverly placed Aaron in the front, which was very smart considering that Mary is far happier creating the show from the back (she confesses that she gets discombobulated with menus and seating – she’s probably mildly dyslexic; most artistic geniuses are…meow); while Aaron is the ultimate host.
Aaron’s obsess—er—interest in cycling is evident in the stylized posters and artwork depicting racers on the walls of the café foyer. A reliable source tells me that Aaron wears a different pair of sneakers, all of them bright and colorful, every day of the week. Mary, not to be outdone, also has more than 40 pairs of shoes.
Aaron and Toulouse share some coffee therapy
The success of The Wildwood Café proves that vision and community beats out profiteering every time, which supports the revolutionary notion that art and altruism can win over simple profit and greed. Mary and Aaron are the Impressionists of the restaurant business. They are changing the world and how businesses do their business. Like Renoir, Degas and Monet, Mary and Aaron daily reveal the extra-ordinary in the ordinary world. Mary’s festive creations celebrate Nature’s beauty through a harmony of color, texture, aroma and even sound.
When you enter the Wildwood, you are Alice entering Wonderland. Come in, ride the wave, feast and go wild. The Wildwood is a sensual artistic experience; not just a place to eat, drink and be merry. Once you’ve come here, expect to come back and meet old friends.
You can follow the Wildwood on Facebook and find out what soup they are featuring… A very civilized way to eat and be merry… Or is it be merry and eat?… Ah, we’ll let Aaron answer that one… I’m Toulouse the COOL Travel Cat!… Meow!
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