Food Country
Food Country is a weekly web series featuring Chef Michael Smith and the flavours, people and stories of Prince Edward Island.
One week Food Country follows Michael as he explores the island, searching for fresh ingredients. The next week Food Country visits Michael’s home kitchen as he cooks and creates simple healthy food.
New episodes every Tuesday.
Episode 21 > Riverview Country Market
Eat local, know where your food comes from. This is not always easy to do, or is it? Riverview Country Market is a good example of a market where you can just do that. Here you will find food that is in season and bought from local farm families.
Riverview Country Market began in July 2008 when three local meat farm families and a vegetable farmer wanted to sell their products in a venue where the local community would have the opportunity to buy high quality food.
What will you find at Riverview Market? 
You will find fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, PEI cheeses and dairy products, spices, and a wide variety of organic and gluten-free products. You can also get a meal to go from their wide selection of sandwiches, smoothies and juices.
One of the reasons that I like shopping there is the high quality of meat. You will find a great selection of Island beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and one of my favorites – smoked bacon and ham. 
Kenny and Ann Mutch of Earnscliffe, PEI own and operate Top Line Swine, Inc and they are dedicated to providing top quality products to the market. You will find that the meat sold at the country market is grown with no antibiotics, no growth hormones and no animal bi-products and with a butcher on site, you can get your meat cut to order!
If there is a product that you would like to purchase but you do not see it on the shelf, just ask. When I talked with Rose Viaene, a third generation farmer who sells all their vegetables at the market she told me that when they hear that a product has been asked for three times they will try to get it in.
Local food is not a fad, and not a trend – it’s the new norm. By supporting local farming communities and for farm communities to grow, Riverview Country Market and similar markets needs everyone’s support. I find that food tastes best when you can look the producer in the eye.
Riverview Country Market is open seven days a week and is located at 21 Riverside Drive in Charlottetown, PEI. For more information, info@riverviewcountrymarket.com
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Hi, I sure love all the recipes and your style of cooking . I also have all kinds of spices like you have in Mason Jars. Thankyou for all the recipes
Michael,
it was great finding out about your existence! This happened about 3 weeks ago when I was flipping through channels one day and found “Chef Abroad” and “Chef at Home”. It is interesting how you just cook without any real or definate recipes. You make me think about just combining flavours together that I never would have thought of otherwise. Another thing is, I actually like and look forward to trying to make some of your ‘suggestions’.
The Ginger-Ale you made on one of your Thai shows seems to be a big blast around here. The bottled kind will never be bought by me again. Thank you for showing me this.
A question for you? Since there is so much gluten sensitivity issues around, could you do a few shows / recipes on something we can eat too?
I understand you will be at the CNE in Toronto this Sunday. I hope it goes well. Congratulations on your success and keep up the good work.
Fresh Air Always,
Petra
Hello Chef Michael Smith, I love your website! I also have watched all of your shows and can’t get enough!
My husband and I cook together and marvel how every one of your recipes are “keepers”! I hope you have a great time at the upcoming International Food Festival in September on PEI.
Thanks for all you do!
J
Hi Michael, While we were in Vancouver volunteering for 2010 your show was my #1 pick. Being raised on a dairy farm certainly brought many memory and thoughts. Now I am in West Virginia, my home for 31 years and we are in a triple digit heat wave with severe storms. I thought abought my childhood and what you do for community so out comes the frozen items and sharing.
Congrats on your newest addition to your family and your new book is excellent. As a retired firefighter I am we are checking up on people now and I do not hesitate to relay your sense of sharing and community. My Mother told me always “this to shall pass”. Have a wonderful Canada Day.
When will a new series start on the Food Network? We look forward to these on our big TV ~! Love your stuff ~! Lorraine and George in Kelowna
Hello Chef Michael Smith. My husband and I enjoy your tv shows and we share one of your cook books. In fact, this very weekend my husband baked two country style loaves of bread for our Canada Day Dinner which we will be sharing with my sister, her husband, and my brother..Keep those great recipes coming!
Well you haven’t only sold local farmers produce and products but you have also sold the island of PEI. :) Maybe, it is time to bring the kids over to experience the Atlantic flavours of Canada.
I buy my meat at this Market and love thier pickled ham hocks and liver along with hamburger and happy eggs.I can’t wait until the new honey espic. buckwheat comes in. GREAT PLACE , RUSSELL
can’t wait to get home
oh you are making me so homesick!!!
I bought your cook book yesterday for my daughter Joni-Lee and enjoy watching and learning from your website; I also try to buy all my meat products from Riverview Market and they have the best pickled ham hocks that you can buy along with many other Island produce and I hope everyone reading this will try thier produce.
This is such a great web site, (lovely design, since I’m a graphic artist)… I just found it today and know I’m going to enjoy visiting it often. I watch Michael’s tv show whenever I have the chance, and I’m looking forward to trying out some of the recipes I’ll find here… and I love that it’s all Canadian… Thanks, Chef Michael Smith.
Hi there, I’m an artist from Montreal, lucky enough to be spending my summers in P.E.I, and I think I’ve explored about half the dirt roads on the island, photographing the incredible countryside for my paintings, and trying to find local farmers selling their produce. I was driving around Charlottetown one day and found Riverview Market, and it’s become a weekly destination for the fresh produce and the amazing meat selection. I try to eat local here in Montreal, and I’m glad I found a place that lets me do the same on P.E.I.
Looking forward to my first visit of the season there next month!