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 upcoming cookbook.

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.

Isa DiIorio (Mottiar) – Food Alchemist (on Stork Leave)

A native of Niagara, some of Isa’s earliest memories are from the farm where The Good Earth is still located. As a child she would sometimes accompany her mother to work on the farm, and as a teenager she worked at the farm market, preparing fruit pies for sale at the market. Seems she was on to something there.

Isa’s talent, work ethic, eccentricity, and sense of outrageous fun have won her the hearts and respect of her fellow chefs. She worked at Vineland Estates Winery Restaurant and Inn on the Twenty, as well as Hillebrand Estates Winery where she was ultimately Sous Chef to Executive Chefs Tony de Luca and Frank Dodd.

During a sabbatical from the kitchen, Isa immersed herself into the world of wine. As retail manager of Flat Rock Cellars, Isa experienced all aspects of wine production, from vineyard to glass. This experience and her phenomenal olfactory senses come in pretty handy with our new winery.

Isa has boundless enthusiasm for the kitchen. Her strong commitment to local and seasonal menu creation, sense of humour and talent make Isa a treasure!

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!

Lisa Haddow – General Manager

Lisa is Nicolette’s right hand, freeing up some of Nicolette’s time to think of new and exciting ways to facilitate fun. Also known as the Ringmaster, Lisa brings her calm demeanour and attention to detail to The Good Earth’s creative chaos.

Lisa oversees marketing, media relations, event management, administration and overall operations management. Formerly General Manager of the Twenty Valley Tourism Association, Lisa has extensive knowledge of the region and brings with her boundless enthusiasm for and appreciation of the good life in Niagara.

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 very proud of being a Certified Pastry Chef.

She honed her retail chops at Old Port Candy and Sweets, a delightful candy store in Port Dalhousie (owned by her husband Dylan) that features nostalgic candy as well as the latest and greatest in the candy world. You may have spotted her toodling about town in her yellow ‘candy car ’.

Nicolette encouraged Amanda to return to the fold as ‘Retail Therapist’ at the new winery – providing Amanda the opportunity to ditch the whites, don the bling she loves so well, and share her love of food, wine and the sweet life.

Krista Levasseur – Flight Attendant

Krista is another of our beloved local girls. Most things that Krista learned in life, she says she learned from her grandparents, and given that she can cook, clean, garden, pack worms, change your oil and tires, and mother her own wee one – all with a dazzling smile, we–d say she had amazing role models!

She’s our resident animal “whisperer” … with 2 donkeys, 8 cats, 3 birds, and a dear old dog, what else could you call her? Krista will line up our canine visitors with a cool drink of water and a place to perch while their people enjoy a flight of wine or lunch on the patio. If you’re ever wondering who tends our potager garden, that would be our very own Mother Earth, Krista. A fixture at The Good Earth for more than a decade now, she will brighten your day with her warmth and humour – not to mention that sunny smile of hers.

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.