Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience plates

Hearth to Table: Dinner in 1648

A taste of history

New! Savour 17th-century inspired gourmet dishes by candlelight right on the grounds of historic Sainte-Marie. Hearth to Table invites guests to gather around a harvest table inside the chapel of the reconstructed Jesuit mission and enjoy a delicious, multi-course meal featuring historic seasonal ingredients.

Start each course with an introduction from a costumed interpreter specializing in 17th-century cooking. Learn to appreciate the many challenges and intricacies – from basic technology to limited vegetable options – of preparing an epicurean French-style meal in this era. Then enjoy your taste of history!

Hearth to Table Dinner Menus – 2026

Peasant Homestead
A warm, rustic dining experience inspired by old-world farmhouse cooking

Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience set up with meals

Hearthside Fiddlehead Pottage:
A velvety spring soup of hand-foraged fiddleheads blended with butter, aromatics, fresh herbs, cream, and a hint of lemon. Served with artisanal French bread.

Garden Harvest Grand Sallet:
Watercress & root garden salad, peppery watercress with jewel-toned root vegetables and sautéed fiddleheads, finished with a bright honey-lemon vinaigrette

Rustic Farmstead Main:
Cabbage and sausage gratin, layers of spring cabbage, savoury sausage, buttered crumbs, and silky cabbage purée baked in rich bouillon until golden and bubbling.

Country Sweet Treat:
Hearth baked spiced whole apples filled with brown sugar, honey, warm spices, and raisins, slowly baked in cider until tender and caramelized.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Indigenous June Dinner
A thoughtful culinary experience honoring Indigenous food traditions, storytelling and seasonality

Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience set up with meals

Three Sisters Pottage
A comforting pottage celebrating the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash, slow‑simmered into a nourishing stew. Served alongside freshly made fry bread

Roasted Squash & Sunflower Seeds:
Sweet roasted squash paired with toasted sunflower seeds, highlighting ingredients central to Haudenosaunee agricultural tradition.

Maple-Brined Venison:
Tender venison infused with a delicate maple brine, then roasted to bring out deep woodland flavours.

Haudenosaunee-Inspired Strawberry Bread:
A lightly sweet bread made with fresh strawberries and baked in a simple, traditional style.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Tavern Fare
A tavern-style menu inspired by early colonial cooking and dishes served in roadside inns

Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience set up with meals. two glasses of wine

Vegetable Pottage with Crusty Bread:
A warm vegetable pottage prepared with seasonal ingredients, served with fresh crusty bread.

Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms:
Roasted mushrooms filled with a well‑seasoned vegetable mixture, offering balanced flavour and a satisfying texture.

Traditional 17th-century Québec Tourtière:
A classic Québec meat pie made with seasoned ground meat and baked in a flaky pastry, reflecting early French‑Canadian culinary tradition.

Teurgoule with calvados:
A slow‑baked rice pudding infused with milk, sugar, and a hint of Calvados.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Royal Court
A menu inspired by historical royal kitchens, highlighting refined dishes once served to nobility

Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience set up with meals

Queen’s Pottage:
A smooth, seasoned pottage prepared in a style associated with early royal households.

Salmagundi:
A 17th‑century composed dish featuring an arranged platter of meats, eggs, vegetables, nuts, and pickled elements. A presentation reflecting the elaborate service of royal dining tables.

Red Wine and Lager-Braised Beef Ribs:
Beef ribs braised slowly in red wine and Longhouse lager, producing tender meat with a rich, well‑developed sauce.

Crème Brûlée:
A classic custard dessert finished with a caramelized sugar crust.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Hunting & Foraging
A menu shaped by early autumn harvests and traditional hunting dishes, reflecting the flavours of the changing season.

Water poured into a glass on a set table

Onion Pottage:
A gently simmered onion pottage prepared with slow‑cooked aromatics

Tourte de l’Herbe:
A rustic herb‑based pie featuring tender greens and fresh herbs baked in a delicate pastry, inspired by historic countryside preparations.

Rabbit in Wine:
Rabbit braised in wine with aromatics until tender, offering a rich and deeply flavoured course rooted in traditional hunting cuisine

Pears in Wine:
Pears poached in wine until soft and lightly spiced, served with their reduced cooking syrup for a smooth, understated finish.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Thanksgiving
Celebrate the harvest in Historic Style

Join us for an indulgent celebration of the harvest season! Guests will be treated to a beautifully plated, five-course, 17th-century feast —featuring sumptuous renditions of turkey with stuffing and cranberry chutney, warm mushroom pottage, and custard pumpkin pots.

The chapel will be transformed with heirloom gourds and lush seasonal foliage, creating a warm, immersive setting that evokes the spirit of a historic harvest celebration. As a special keepsake, each guest will receive a beautifully crafted recipe booklet, allowing them to recreate these timeless dishes at home.

Hearth to Table: Historic Dining Experience set up with meals


Pottage: A warm mushroom pottage prepared with a blend of autumn mushrooms and aromatics, offering a rich and comforting start to the meal.
Buttered Carrots with Herbs: Tender carrots finished with butter and a selection of fresh herbs, highlighting seasonal produce with refined presentation.
Three Sisters Squash Fritters: Crisp squash fritters inspired by the Three Sisters tradition, made with squash, corn, and beans to showcase their complementary flavours.
Turkey with Stuffing and Cranberry Chutney: Roasted turkey served with classic stuffing and a tangy cranberry chutney,
Pumpkin Pots: Individual pumpkin custards baked until smooth and lightly spiced, offering a warm and seasonal finish to the meal.

Wine and beer pairings available at an additional cost via EventBrite.

Note that Sainte-Marie cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and requests for this specialized, historical menu.

Dates and times:

  • Saturdays May 30, June 27, July 25, August 22, September 19 and October 10
  • Guests are asked to arrive at 6 p.m. with the meal starting at 6:30 p.m.
  • This historic dining experience is approximately 2 hours from start to finish

With just six dates and a maximum capacity of 50 people, we recommend you book early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets:

  • All sales are final
  • Cost for the summer dining experience is $95.40 per person plus taxes and EventBrite fees – no tips
  • Reservations required through EventBrite and must be made at least 24hrs before each dinner.
  • This experience is for people ages 13 +
  • Sainte-Marie’s free admission programs (for Indigenous Peoples, Military staff and Ontario teachers) do not apply to this specialized experience
  • Season passes are not eligible for this small-group event

Experience overview:

  • Check-in at the Sainte-Marie’s visitor centre where you’ll be greeted by a costumed historical interpreter and then escorted to North Court on the grounds of Sainte-Marie.
  • Spend a few minutes learning about buildings that would have been instrumental in preparing meals here in the 1600s: the cookhouse, stables, gardens, and chicken coop.
  • Walk into the picturesque chapel and sit down at a carefully set harvest table bathed in candlelight, just as French Jesuits of the 17th century might have done after a long day’s labour.
  • Pick from an assortment of beverages and get to know your fellow guests. Wine and beer pairings will be available at an added cost.
  • Enjoy an introduction on each course from a knowledgeable historian specializing in 17th-century cooking. Learn about historic ingredients and culinary techniques for each dish and ask questions.
  • Our friendly serving team will bring you each course over an interval of two hours, offering you plenty of opportunity to savour the meal, the atmosphere, and the experience.
  • After the last plate has been removed, your historical interpreter will walk you back to the visitors centre to say goodbye.

Image gallery:

Please click each image below to see a larger version.

PETS

Only SERVICE ANIMALS specifically trained to aid a person with a disability are permitted during Hearth to Table. Animals must be readily identified (vest or harness worn by the animal, or note from a regulated health professional). Please leave your family pets at home during this special event. Thank you for your understanding.

Make it a getaway

Book one of Sainte-Marie’s new four-season waterfront cabins! With cozy fireplaces, bunk beds for four, and views of the Wye River, this glamping experience is a great addition to your trip to the 17th century.

Please be advised that with the exception of service animals, pets are not allowed on the historic site for this event.

  • The historic chapel at Sainte-Marie is not heated, nor is it air conditioned. We recommend you dress accordingly.
  • Please note that guests will have to make their way to the historic chapel through paths that may be muddy. We recommend appropriate footwear.
  • Sainte-Marie among the Hurons is a mask-friendly environment. Read our COVID-19 policy.
  • Smoking or vaping (including marijuana) is not permitted on the property.
  • This experience is for people ages 13 and up and is not recommended for children.

16164 Highway 12 East, Midland, ON, L4R 4K8

Parking Info

There is ample parking for visitors including those with RVs and buses. Please park in the parking lot provided and make your way to the admissions entrance. We also have bike racks available for cyclists coming from the Tay Trail.

Need more info?

Please contact us at hhp@ontario.ca or (705) 526-7838 if you have any questions.

Ontario’s first European community, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was the headquarters for the French Jesuit Mission to the Huron-Wendat people. In 1639, the Jesuits, along with French lay workers, began construction of a fenced community that included barracks, a church, workshops, residences, and a sheltered area for Indigenous visitors. This community was abandoned and burned down in 1649.

After extensive archaeological and historical research, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons is now recreated on its original site, where the mission’s compelling story is brought to life with costumed historical interpreters, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Located near Midland, on the Wye River, this world-renowned reconstruction offers visitors a unique opportunity to see the earliest Canadian pioneer life through self-guided visits, group tours, interactive education programs, and special events. Complete your experience by exploring our interpretive museum and themed gift shop.

Need more info?

Please contact us if you have any questions: