At Fogo Island Inn, Chef Timothy Charles Stays Local to Chart His Course

A rocky, little island off a remote island in the North Atlantic is not where you might expect to find one of the world’s most revered luxury hotels. And prior to 2013, you would have been right. But then, Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist Zita Cobb returned from a successful Silicon Valley career to the community where she grew up to establish the Shorefast initiative and create Fogo Island Inn. 

Today, the inn is recognized worldwide for offering a high-end experience like none other. For starters, the building is an architectural marvel with jaw-dropping ocean views that feature passing icebergs and breaching whales. Set amidst rugged, natural landscape, the boutique property radiates an inordinate sense of serenity. Its close ties with island residents and their businesses is driven by the company’s community-focused mission and its not-for-profit status.

And then there is the dining. How, you might wonder, do the chef and his culinary team provide gourmet meals to discerning guests on a rock in the North Atlantic? Particularly when seasonal and local are an essential part of the package? Menus change seasonally — not four times a year, but on the inn’s seven season descriptors: Winter, Pack Ice, Spring, Trap Berth, Summer, Berry, and Late Fall.

To learn more about the challenges and opportunities, Vacay.ca sat down to chat with executive chef Timothy Charles.

Vacay.ca: Let’s start at Prospect, Nova Scotia, where you grew up and how life there influenced your journey.

Timothy Charles: Prospect was a small fishing village on the coast between Hallifax and Lunenberg. It was a pretty interesting life. I spent a lot of time at the seashore, climbing over the rocks and learning about different plants and sailing. In high school I became involved with Nova Scotia Sea School and their youth to learn about traditional wooden boats and sailing. Summers, we would sail along the coast for weeks at a time. In my late teens that program led to tall ships and sailing on a larger scale. I worked in the ships’ galleys and the people I was working with pointed out that I had  cooking ability.

Vacay.ca: Did you have any interest in becoming a cook?

TC: None at all. I had all sorts of aspirations, but cooking wasn’t one of them.

Vacay.ca: Then what?

TC: I decided if I wanted to get into university, but I needed to raise my academic credentials. I decided to go to culinary school, which would give me a trade that would let me work my way through university. In my early 20s, I packed my bag and headed to Charlottetown and the Culinary Institute of Canada. It was an interesting program where they were doing pretty good things. From here, I went to work with Peter Wallace who was the chef/owner of the famous Owan Mor restaurant in Nantucket, Massachusetts. 

Vacay.ca: What was your biggest learning experience there?

TC: It was a fine dining, friendly neighbourhood restaurant. Peter was the first person I met who was thoroughly engaged in hospitality. He thought a lot about the mechanics of the operation — the way guests were welcomed and seated at their tables and the considered way he spoke to them as well as the staff. The food was good and everyone worked very hard. It was here I decided I wanted to stay in fine dining.

Vacay.ca: What was your next step?

TC: After working at other restaurants, I received a call from a fellow I had worked with as a teenager in the sailing world. He offered me a job cooking on a sail training vessel. It felt good to get out on the water again. The different learning experience involved access to out-of-the-way places, in the south Pacific, all the way from Easter Island to Vancouver Island, for example. Then in the summer of 2008, I went to a little fine dining restaurant in Corner Brook.

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Vacay.ca: You were hired as sous chef at Fogo Island Inn in October 2012 when the inn was still under construction. When it opened in May 2013, did you have any idea that it would so quickly be rated as one of the best hotels in the world?

TC: No. When you are on the inside looking out, it’s hard to have that perspective. But looking around at what was happening, how people were talking and thinking it was obviously different from anything I had experienced.   

Vacay.ca: How was it different?

TC: We are a for-profit business, directly tied to a charity. The revenues that the team are expected to return go into Fogo Island communities rather than an ownership group or a hedge fund. We think of Zita Cobb, not as the owner, but as the leader. This model is now being explored by other organizations. It’s lovely to think that a little rock island off an island in the North Atlantic is being such a leader in this business model.

Vacay.ca: You are cooking world-renowned, gourmet meals on a rocky outcrop of the Atlantic Ocean, a place considered one of the four corners of the flat earth. What are the challenges this location imposes on you as executive chef and your team?

TC: I could describe it as much like the winds and the weather here that shape our lives and the way we operate. Purchasing is directed as close to home as possible, whenever possible. Then, as necessary, we radiate through the province, then the Maritimes. Quebec is our furthest reach in purchasing. We spend well over 80% of our dollars within Newfoundland.

Instead of flying in Hokkaido scallops from Japan or beautiful little jam pineapples, for example, we work with local fishermen and with  berry pickers on the island. Last year, we purchased and preserved a ton of local berries.

Vacay.ca: How important is preservation to your food supply?

TC: A lot of products are only available in short windows. From the time we opened we’ve been evolving our preservation program. In our larder this year, we probably have over 300 different wonderful preserves with lots of fermentations and blackened products. We’ve been experimenting for a long time.

Vacay.ca: What’s the magic of Fogo Island for you?

TC: I think that while driving or hiking around the island, seeing something you haven’t noticed before and how beautiful or interesting or strange it is. It’s like having a long-term relationship with someone and one day discovering something new. And you’re like, wow! Fogo is about half the size of the island of Montreal with a population of  2,000. You go to the grocery store and you know all the people at the checkout and their kids. Most people don’t lock their doors and leave their keys in the car. The natural openness and welcoming is lovely.

Vacay.ca: Are first-time visitors surprised when they arrive?

TC: People who have seen only the picture of the inn are surprised at how many other things there are to see and learn and enjoy on the island. And how warm and friendly the people are.

Vacay.ca: Guests stay at the inn for a minimum of three days. How does that impact the menus you plan?

TC: The meals change every day. And with every season. Unlike most other places, we have the opportunity to connect guests with the handful of small restaurants on the island whom we like to support. There is no charge for their meal and their bill is sent to the inn for payment. It’s our way of encouraging guests to get out and explore the island.

Vacay.ca: What could a guest arriving in August expect to have for dinner?

TC: First there is fresh, homemade bread and a couple of small bites — typically a seafood and more vegetable- or fruit-forward choice. Everyone receives the same appetizer such as scallops, caviar, marigold and super crunchy potato crisps we make from the newest tiny potatoes. There would be a choice of three different mains  — a vegetarian option, a smoked grilled chicken with oregano and kelp and the standby we have been doing variations of since we opened — cod with yellow pea, carrot, turnip, potato, and cabbage. And because it’s berry season, a special raspberry dessert, followed by little sweets such as fermented honey truffles.

Vacay.ca: You and your wife have three young daughters. Is the island a good place to bring up a family?

TC: Yes. It’s a great community that exists beautifully for children. They can move about easily and safely. The school has  just one class for each grade to grade 12, so lifelong friendships are formed early.

Vacay.ca: Are you are here for the long run?

TC: Yes. My wife is from Newfoundland.  She came to Fogo while doing research for her master’s degree, then returned to continue to do more research. We now have 35 acres of land and are developing an organic farm.

Vacay.ca: If it was time for a break, where would you travel to?

TC: For a winter break, to Ireland. There is a beautiful project about to open there — OMOS restaurant and guest house. They are renovating an incredible building. It’s a super inspiring project. I’d like to go to San Sebastian, one of the world’s culinary holy lands and anywhere in the Basque country. And Japan, where there is years of learning.

Vacay.ca: If you were planning a family holiday? 

TC: The whole family would go to Japan.