Professional chef Mike Treadwell is making his mark at The Root Restaurant in the Sault’s Root River Golf Course.
“My training is in French cooking so you see our menu gradually going more and more that way. It’s what I specialize in and I’m trying to make everything I do here into something you can’t get anywhere else in town,” Treadwell told SooToday.
The chef said he is deliberately not trying to compete with well-established Italian restaurants in town.
“It’s hard to talk people into driving past other Italian places on Great Northern Road to come here for our meatballs,” Treadwell said.
“What we do have for Italian food usually has a French, northern European twist on it. We’ve got a lot of things here that are still Italian at their root but I play with them. We have a red sauce, but our red sauce is in more of a French style. Our white sauce is a Béchamel, not an Alfredo.
“French cooking has really become our style.”
Among dishes popular with customers at The Root is Treadwell’s braised beef short rib.
Described as ‘the chef’s favourite’ and ‘a fall off the bone Angus beef short rib,’ the dish is braised for 24 hours in red wine and rich pan gravy.
Another favourite is The Root’s smoked duck carbonara.
It includes a smoked duck breast with mushrooms, green peas, garlic and red onions in an egg yolk and asiago sauce with fettuccine.
“Mike’s cooking has led me to try new things, like his seafood medley dish. Every time he makes me something I’m like ‘oh, I’ve never had this before,’ so it’s wonderful,” said Lisa Rossi, The Root’s manager.
The Root’s wine comes from Konzelmann Estate Winery in the Niagara Region.
“They have fantastic wines. We’ve gone exclusively with them. With all the tariffs, California wine got shut down. It was a good time to go exclusively with Konzelmann and they make a great product,” Treadwell said.
The year 2021 marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for the Sault’s Root River Golf Club.
After purchasing the golf course and its restaurant from the Barsanti family, Dustin and Cristina Grondin have kept busy running the course, renaming the former Barsanti’s Restaurant as The Root.
The Root remains open year round, even when golf season is over.
While the Grondins tend to the golf course, Dustin has seen The Root grow as a place where people come to dine.
“They’re not necessarily golfing and dining. There are people who are going out of their way just to come eat at The Root,” Dustin said.
“There are people that are changing their habits to come and eat Mike’s food and that’s a tremendous accomplishment for him. I think we’re making our way in a really tough restaurant market. Here in the Sault you can’t afford to serve a bad dish. People know their food well here.
“There are restaurants that are pillars of the culinary world here in the Sault that have stood the test of time. Just to be recognized among those people is an incredible feeling,” Dustin said.
Treadwell loves his profession, especially since being a chef gives him the opportunity to be artistic with food.
He also likes to see customers enjoying his food at special occasions held at The Root.
“People have special events like birthdays, anniversaries, and baby showers here and I find it humbling that they choose to come and join us.
“They spend their time and their money with us and that is hugely satisfying for me.”
Dining and Cooking