1 Station Rd., Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ont.
Asking Price: $1,875,000
Taxes: N/A
Lot Size: 2 acres
Agents: Laurie Gruer, Monica Klingenberg, Alysa Hawkins, Chestnut Park Real Estate
The backstory
During the early 2000s, chef Jamie Kennedy’s zeal for the local food movement grew with each sojourn he made from Toronto to the rolling farmland and vineyards of Prince Edward County.
The peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario had long attracted visitors to its natural dunes and historic villages, but the marquee chef at J.K. ROM in the Royal Ontario Museum was more interested in the area’s farming and viticulture.
In 2001, Mr. Kennedy purchased a 115-acre farm.
The parcel in the small community of Hillier included a circa-1865 farmhouse, a 1910 cottage, the relic of a blacksmith shop and a tumbledown mill.
“This property was the heart of the village,” he says of the settlement created by United Empire Loyalists in the 18th century.
The water flowing through a creek on the land powered the mill wheel used at various times to grind grain, crush apples and card raw wool, he explains.
The cottage was named the Creek House because of its position next to the water flowing through the property.Daniel Vaughan
Long before that, local records show, Iroquoian peoples established a village on the banks of the stream and farmed the land with crops of corn, beans and squash.
Mr. Kennedy began his stewardship by sowing the seeds to produce vegetables for his restaurants and catering business in the city. In 2002, he planted vines and learned the intricacies of tending pinot noir grapes.
“My interest was to see what it was like to get involved in the supply side of things,” he says, adding that he wanted the cooks and staff in his kitchens to learn respect for the enormous effort involved in growing food.
As work continued on the property, he opened Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar in Toronto in 2003. The chef’s signature French fries were crafted from Yukon golds harvested on the farm.
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The house today
In 2015, Mr. Kennedy left the Toronto restaurant scene to live in the County full-time and tackle the transformation of the rundown cottage. Built in the early 1900s for a younger generation of the farming family, the structure had no indoor plumbing or central heating.
His partner, Victoria Taylor, a landscape architect and principal at VTLA Studio in Toronto, turned to her connections in the design industry.
The couple brought in Vanessa Fong, principal architect at Toronto-based VFA, to design a new residence, drawing, where they could, on materials and artisans from the surrounding area. In keeping with their locavore values, Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Taylor also wanted the building to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.
Ms. Fong restored the tiny cottage and integrated the structure into a new addition that adopts the vernacular of a barn with weathered siding and a red metal roof. A glass link articulates the merging of old and new, she explains in her description of the project.
Local cherry wood was used to build cabinets, open shelves and a large island in the kitchen.Daniel Vaughan
Creek House – named for its position next to the water flowing through the property – has 2,100 square feet of living space with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and new spaces for living and entertaining.
In the great room, guests and residents gather to dine and lounge under a dramatic vaulted ceiling. At one end of the room stands a Rumford fireplace with a chimney made of charcoal-coloured concrete blocks.
The kitchen stands at the opposite end, with dining in between.
A row of windows positioned close to ceiling height brings light to the interior, while additional windows provide views of the naturalized landscape. Doors slide open to a terrace.
“You feel that you’re sort of away from it all,” Mr. Kennedy says of the verdant setting.
Throughout the interior, reclaimed wood from a barn down the road was used for the ceiling beams and rustic treads of a staircase to the upper level.
To blend modern elements with traditional building techniques, Ms. Fong used steel posts to support the beams. Each metal joint was individually crafted in the County.
The great room features a Rumford fireplace with a chimney made of charcoal-coloured concrete blocks.Daniel Vaughan
“They all had to be custom-fabricated to fit the beams,” Mr. Kennedy explains.
Ms. Taylor brought her design sense to the interior, he adds. Walls are clad in white pine, the sinks and counters are fashioned from poured concrete and there’s a deep stand-alone tub in the bathroom.
The property’s original farmhouse, renovated in 2005, works well as a guest cottage or a rental home, he adds.
Early on, Mr. Kennedy envisioned converting the former blacksmith shop into a tavern, and the mill into a restaurant, but his dining empire in the city grew shaky after the 2008 financial crisis and he shelved those plans.
“It was kind of unfortunate, but that’s the arc of an entrepreneur,” he says, adding that a new owner might choose to revive the project.
The portion for sale today includes the house, historic buildings and a garage on a lot of approximately two acres severed from the larger farm.
Reclaimed wood from a barn down the road was used for the rustic treads of a staircase to the upper level.Daniel Vaughan
Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Taylor plan to stay in the area, and Mr. Kennedy will continue growing vegetables on the farm and running his business from the commercial kitchen in the restored barn. He also executes fundraising dinners for local causes and has no plans to shutter his J.K. Fries stand at the nearby Wellington Community Market.
“That’s something I do more as social engagement,” he says. “I have a great group of people I hang out with at the market.”
During his time in PEC, Mr. Kennedy has been awarded a Governor General’s Award and investiture in the Order of Canada for his contributions to elevating Canadian cuisine and advancing farm-to-table practices.
“For me, obviously, the kitchen was the focus,” Mr. Kennedy says of designing a space suitable for a professional chef.
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Local cherry wood was used to build cabinets, open shelves and a large island.
The poured concrete surfaces are coved so they are easy to keep clean, and the space is designed for peak efficiency. When the chef visits some home kitchens, he’s scrambling for a place to set down cooling racks, for example.
“Where do I put this searing hot tray full of scones?”
In his own home, Mr. Kennedy can slide the trays straight into custom-built slots above the oven.
While most rooms in the addition have concrete floors, the kitchen floor is made of practical hardwood.
The sinks and counters in the bathroom are made from poured concrete and there’s also a deep, stand-alone tub.Daniel Vaughan
“We landed on that after my original art experiment for the kitchen floor ended,” he says of his inventive arrangement of corks from wine bottles.
“It was a bit unconventional and difficult to clean,” he says with a chuckle, “but it was a lovely, springy surface to be walking on.”
The open plan of the kitchen is in keeping with his philosophy of cooking as entertainment and performance.
“We’ve got nothing to hide,” he says, adding that the transparency enhances the experience for guests.
“When you prepare a meal, you’re not going through any doors – you’re putting it directly on the table,” he says. “It’s natural for people to stand around and watch and maybe get involved – and boom – you’re right there.”