Nicolette Novak – Your Hostess

Nicolette goes out of her way to make certain that your visit to The Good Earth is truly exceptional. No detail is too small nor request too outrageous to be given due consideration.

A lifelong native of Niagara, Ontario, Nicolette is one of the area’s best resources. She always has one ear to the grapevine to uncover what's new and exciting in the community. Her enthusiasm and passion for what she does has earned her many well deserved accolades as well as many fans among her vast clientele. Time spent with Nicolette is time well spent.

As many people over the years have observed, Nicolette is The Good Earth! Her wit, sense of fun and genuine caring are just some of the ingredients that have made The Good Earth such a success.

Patrick Engel – Food Alchemist

A Hamilton native, Patrick started his cooking career in Niagara at On the Twenty Restaurant under the direction of Michael Olson. Hugely inspired by his time with Michael, Patrick trundled off to Toronto to cook as Executive Chef at seafood mecca, Rodney’s Oyster House, and a brief stint at the much acclaimed Bymark Restaurant. His experience at Whitehouse Meats (St. Lawrence Market) means we all bow to his butchering expertise.

Eventually the lure of true farm-to-table brought Patrick back to Niagara, where he rejoined the Inn on the Twenty Restaurant as Sous Chef. He went on to assume the position of Executive Chef at Twelve Waterfront Grill in Port Dalhousie, where his creative range was given greater freedom than ever before – bonus for us!

Patrick brings a significant amount of food and wine knowledge to our team. His gregarious nature and inventive food curiosity ensure that menus are fresh, interesting and unique. He’s also shown himself to have quite a knack for blogging. What does it all mean for you? Count on plenty of laughter, great stories and pure, unadulterated fun when Patrick is around!

Michael Pasto – Food Alchemist

Michael is our resident food gypsy. His professional career has included stops in Toronto, Hong Kong, India, Rome and New York.

Always in to food, his first experience preparing food was in the province of Campobasso in Italy. After his nonna “took care” of the chickens, 9-year-old Michael was put to work plucking and together they created his first real farm-to-table experience.

In 1989, Michael started up a successful catering business in the Niagara Region. But by 1995, his focus had shifted to fine dining. He trotted off (in really nice shoes we suspect) to Toronto where he worked at two of Toronto’s top restaurants, Centro and Accolade. Four years later, he and his wife set off on a spectacular “working” round-the-world journey that included stints at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong and the Michelin Star rated La Terrazza at the Hotel Meridien in Rome.

Upon his return to Canada, Michael opened Zest in Fonthill. Zest built a reputation for culinary excellence and rapidly became a destination restaurant in the Niagara region. Parting amicably for new adventures, Michael spent a year traveling with Robert Rainford of TV’s License to Grill before Nicolette had the brainstorm to reconnect and see what he was up to! He leapt at the chance (again, nice shoes we noticed) and in true Italian form, since joining our Food Alchemy team he has tackled and mastered the wood burning pizza oven.

Michael’s self-proclaimed fetish for fine footwear –' “you never gain weight on your feet” – great smile, cheeky-monkey chuckle, and his claim that he is the only “normal” person at the Good Earth make him infinitely qualified to join our “asylum”.

Mike McColl – Pit Boss

Where there is smoke, there’s fire and you can count on it being tended by our own Pit Boss, Mike, stoking the coals! If you can light a fire in, on it or under it, Mike will find a way to churn out deliciously simple dishes from it.

On the road to his passion for fire, Mike cooked his way through Germany and Spain working with Michelin Star Chefs and soaking in all the uncomplicated, yet fine, local cuisines. He worked with Michael Olson at Inn On the Twenty and spent 2 years slinging lobsters, crabs and deep sea creatures, at Toronto’s Rodney’s Oyster House. Then comes the smoke, the fire and the flare. 6 years of experience with Celebrity Chef and Cookbook author Chef Ted Reader had Mike cooking and eating his way around North America from rib joint to burger shack, in search of the perfect spice rub, the perfect smoke ring or the wackiest side dish.

When Mike is not sending smoke signals from the Good Earth kitchens and gardens, you will find him either at his own food company “General Chefery” or behind the camera capturing his kitchen colleagues in action. To date, Mike has shot 6 cookbooks, including The Good Earth’s own fabulous cookbook "The Good Book".

Mike brings his fearless food fanaticism to The Good Earth Team and we look forward to another year of incendiary culinary chaos with our Pit Boss.

Andréa (Dr. Dre) Glass – Winemaker

Dre is the newest addition to The Good Earth. In keeping with a thread you might have noticed in our peeps, she is a native Niagaran and the 5th generation on her father’s farm! Dre also has the distinction of being the only one of us that has travelled to 6 continents – we figure when they start growing wine in Antarctica that she’ll cross that off her list too.

She brings a long trail of wine related experience to The Good Earth, including her time as assistant winemaker at Bodega Familia Mayol in Argentina and plenty of cellar hand experience at Vinify Cellars and Merry Edwards in California, as well as at Flat Rock, Niagara College, Southbrook, Ravine and Reif, here in Niagara. She’s a graduate of the Niagara College Winery and Viticulture Technology program and is stealthily working towards her Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers certification.

We love Dre’s bohemian flare, and shocking ability to pass over any dessert for a loaf of bread (we won’t talk about the Leaf’s obsession). Ultimately she is eminently qualified to be part of this kooky crew. Our wine wench will hang out mostly in the cellar nurturing our next vintage along, but she’ll also be present in the retail shop to gab with you about wine in general and give you the 411 on ours. So come by and say hello, because the Doctor is in…

Ross Wise – Consulting Winemaker and All Around Grape Guy

Born and raised in the south of New Zealand, Ross is a perfect fit for The Good Earth. Our Kiwi is not only highly skilled in the art and science of viticulture, he's also professionally trained behind the stove, and while studying oenology, managed to eke a living out of working at one of New Zealand's top breweries. Talk about well rounded!

After graduating from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Advanced Diploma in Oenology (top of class don't ya know) in Hawkes Bay, Ross worked at Felton Road Winery (world famous producer of Pinot Noir) and then trekked off to Marlborough to work at famous Sauvignon Blanc producer Grove Mill.

Ross ventured back to Grove Mill as assistant winemaker, but the lure of Canada (and a certain sparkly blonde) couldn’t be ignored. Ross is the official winemaker of Flat Rock Cellars, but consults at The Good Earth where he shares his passion for good food, good wine and good fun!

Amanda McSpadden – Retail Therapist

Our Amanda is a real “sweetie pie ”. She graduated from the Niagara College Culinary Management Program and set her sights on a Bakers Apprenticeship. She worked at multiple properties in Niagara-on-the-Lake prior to joining The Good Earth as a Resident Chef and before she knew it, two years had passed. The unfinished Apprenticeship began to nag at her, so she stepped away from The Good Earth for a year and a half to complete her Apprenticeship under the watchful eye of celebrity chefs Michael and Anna Olson. Amanda is an outstanding, fully certified Pastry Chef.

She honed her retail chops at Old Port Candy and Sweets, a delightfully quirky candy store in Port Dalhousie that was owned by her husband Dylan. Since her return to The Good Earth Amanda has the distinction of being named to the Ontario Hostelry Institute's 2011 Top 30 under 30. This is a high profile recognition program that celebrates future generations of hospitality leaders who are and will make a difference in Ontario! Well deserved recognition!

Chris Andrewes – The Grape Crusader

Out in the vineyard is where you’ll find vineyard manager Chris Andrewes. A born and bred Niagara guy, he and Nicolette grew up together in Beamsville, and now they, in conjunction with Ross, are collaborating on nurturing The Good Earth vineyards. The orchards that create such vast beauty at The Good Earth are the result of the Andrewes family’s hard work for many years. Now, as the next generation in a family of soft fruit farmers, Chris has brought his love for growing top notch produce to grape growing. Chris is a “quality over quantity” vineyard manager and a committed supporter of Niagara’s agricultural success.