Barrel Heart Brewing’s recipe for a Michelin Bib Gourmand
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Is the “recipe” for winning a dining award a secret? Best guess is that it includes consideration of people, ingredients, presentation, creativity, innovation and dining pleasure — and one more thing. Michelin defines its “Bib Gourmand” restaurant accolade as the “value-for-money” award. What diner doesn’t want that? Point your car towards Dundas and visit Barrel Heart Brewing, which received this honour — the first brewery in Canada to do so — in the 2025 Michelin Guide for Toronto and surrounding areas.
In Michelin’s words, “a chef and a brewmaster join forces to create the perfect pairings … Indeed, this team is full of ideas — and has the skills to pull them off.” The chef is Mitchell Gatschuff, the brewer is Mark Horsley and Barrel Heart Brewing (BHB) is the hospitality gem created by Horsley and his wife Elaine Mitropoulos. Launched in 2020, and after a brief run in Ancaster, BHB moved to the charming old Dundas Post Office (104 King St. W. Unit 1) in early 2024. The story of their beers is engrossing, but a restaurant's drinks menu is not directly included in the criteria for Michelin awards, so the “first course” here will be the chef and food.
Gatschuff began his kitchen journey in Port Dover at the tender age of 7 or 8, accompanying his brother when he went to his restaurant job. Gatschuff’s very first job, at 13, was working at Port Dover’s iconic Arbor, steaming buns for the foot-long hot dogs and cooking French fries.
Since then, his journey has taken him through several kitchens, cooking, at first, from a mainly French, Mediterranean and Italian repertoire. He added a new chapter, embracing Chinese and Asian cuisines while working with the celebrated David Schwartz and Braden Chong at MIMI’s and Sunny’s in Toronto. Gatschuff says he loved this rich experience, but the commute was tough and he returned to Hamilton, taking his place among an industry group that offers mutual support and sometimes ends long workdays with a “chef camp” featuring food and camaraderie. You may have encountered Gatschuff at hot spot eateries such as Barton Salumeria or Bon Temps. He met Horsley when he was co-chef at Berkeley North — which was awarded a Bib in 2024, but not this year.
Gatschuff welcomed the return to Hamilton, looking forward, he said, to having an outlet to play around with newly acquired flavours, ingredients and techniques. The offer to join BHB gave him that outlet in spades. Prior to joining that team, BHB was offering only snacks to accompany their beers. New menu brainstorming boiled down to one guiding principle: the food had to go well with Horsley’s beer. Joining BHB in late 2024, Gatschuff’s first step was to design a new kitchen in a space that offered little other than an exhaust hood. The first menu was launched at the end of January.
Gatschuff’s creativity is largely a distillation of his kitchen experiences and mentorship from skilled chefs. His family background has not had a significant influence, though his first BHB menu was influenced by a dish his nana always made for him. Her rouladen inspired a braised beef cheek dish, influenced by a Jiggs dinner (sometimes called a “boiled” or “Sunday” dinner, it’s a traditional meal in Newfoundland and other Atlantic provinces) and some beef bourguignon techniques.
And that’s how the magic happens.
Always inspired by Asian cuisines, Gatschuff’s craft was enhanced by his stint in Toronto, working in the MIMI kitchen, which he says had the most diverse group of people. It’s easy to see signs of this influence. His menus have entries with zesty, piquant components, including harissa, gochujang, and fermented chili, balanced with options such as fettuccine and pork chops. Every dish seems to have a story. On the latest menu, the dish he is most excited about was inspired by a colleague at MIMI’s who served a classic Filipino dish at the daily staff meal. Adding his own twists, the resulting Gatschuff creation is Bicol Express Brussels: perfectly seared Brussels sprouts, shrimp paste, coconut, lime leaf, and bonito. (Bicol Express? It’s the train that runs from Bicol to Manila, often serving this dish to passengers.)
Asian dishes have often been BHB’s best sellers.
Desserts are not in his wheelhouse, but the banana pudding (dulce de leche, dehydrated banana, lemongrass salt) has a story. It was inspired by Horsley’s love of the (always and forever) banana pudding at Shorty’s Pizza.
Asked about a signature dish, Gatschuff, without hesitation, said it was the first he conceptualized, and it’s still on the menu. Grilled baby gem salad features green goddess dressing, green chives and cured egg yolk.
Cooking at home is, he says, simpler: oven-roasted spatchcock chicken, BBQ sauce, baked potatoes and a salad.
An innovative and creative menu is maximized when using top-quality ingredients. Gatschuff has high praise for BHB suppliers. For example, he raves about the J. Waldron Butchers pork chop, which is dry-aged for 14 days and garnished with apples and beets. He is not feigning humility when he credits Jamie Waldron. “It’s all Jamie. I put what I think are nice things on top, but the quality of that pork … and everything about it is just unbelievable.” All proteins come from J. Waldron and seafood is from Pinbones in Dundas.
Produce comes from Fresh Start and Fiddes Wholesale Produce Co. and from Miles McVey of Grown by Scout, who supplies several local award-winning restaurants and is receiving high praise this year, especially for his tomatoes, considered by Gatschuff to be incredibly delicious.
The enjoyment of unique, creative foods becomes an elevated experience when paired with BHB’s beers. That process rests with Horsley (who Gatschuff says has an unbelievable palette) who tastes a new dish and identifies the best beers to pair. Barrel Heart beers are brewed using the old-world “saison” style whereby the beers are “aged in oak barrels that once held wine and refermented on locally grown whole fruit.” The brilliance and success of this impressive “alchemy” deserve their own story and is another reason to visit BHB. Gatschuff relates tales of friends who aren’t beer drinkers, but have embraced Horsley’s fruited beers. The drinks menu includes wines and non-alcoholic cocktails based on locally produced mixers from Casa Piñata. (Hibiscus is delicious!)
The “recipe” for winning an award also includes people and Gatschuff is keen on singing the praises of the BHB team, especially those in the kitchen. (In alpha order) they are: Tobias Fernandez-Garcia, Noora Masyk and Miki Traczyk. It’s a small team – at times with only two of them in the kitchen – but it’s a dynamic, dedicated powerhouse.
It’s more than worth noting that Barrel Heart is one of two local restaurants recognized with a Bib Gourmand this year and there is a strong connection between them. Mitropoulos's sister Georgina Mitropoulos is the chef/owner at the celebrated Quatrefoil in Dundas, along with her husband Fraser Macfarlane.
No one in the Barrel Heart Brewery restaurant family will soon forget “award day” on Sept. 18.
So what now? Top priority is coping with the (welcome) tidal wave of visitors and media that have turned out, which has been far greater than what they could have imagined.
What’s next? To stick with the food metaphor – digestion. The BHB team will likely need time to think deeper and beyond the increased business now and in the foreseeable future. Gatschuff says he did not aspire to a Michelin award, especially given the newness of the eatery. He feels that “stars are great, but it’s just not really us” and remains content with their brand of “high quality meets approachable.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if new chefs look to Gatschuff for inspiration, though he says he is most interested in supporting and mentoring the group they have on deck. Will the Bib Gourmand result in more pressure or more freedom?
“I want to take all the things I’ve learned over all the years I’ve worked at different fine and casual dining and apply that in a way that people can come in and have a pint and have a snack and have a good time.”
Visitors may be content with enjoying a beer with a snack such as carrot dip and Ritz crackers, or combining several dishes, or with the Friday night prix fixe, a three-course tasting menu for two guests for $85.
Gatschuff concludes our chat with a “shout out to the Barrel Heart team and Elaine and Mark for giving me this opportunity.” Talented brewmaster Horsley has taught part time in Niagara College’s brewmaster program, and is a skilled photographer and Gatschuff points out that he is also responsible for the poetic musings attached to each beer. Sensing that Mitropoulos has a lot on her plate, I asked if she had a job title other than co-founder. With characteristic humour, she replied “Elaine of all trades.” This is not to suggest that “master of none” applies. Her work as a communications professional, reporter and food writer (who has authored several articles in this publication) is proof of her talents.
It seems that Barrel Heart Brewery has nailed the “award recipe.” If they hadn’t received an award, they’d deserve one. For over a century, Michelin has been publishing dining and travel guides. It’s worth noting, the company also makes tires and wants us to drive.
Gatschuff has met Hamiltonians who lament that Dundas is so far away. Michelin doesn’t seem to think so, and believes it’s worth the drive!
