My husband and I opened Luke’s! in 1993 when our son, Luke, was 18 months old. From the beginning we believed in making everything from scratch, and supporting local purveyors for everything else.

In 2000, we purchased 17 acres of waterfront property in Waupoos, located in Prince Edward County, and planted vineyards and gardens. The gardens were soon supplying Luke’s! with most of it’s produce.

Luke grew up in this environment, first learning front of house; describing foods and techniques to customers, taking orders, answering the phone, etc…,all the while becoming more intrigued by the food coming out of the kitchen. When he was 11 years old, Luke entered the kitchen and announced his desire to become a Chef. We took this announcement seriously and proceeded to teach him everything we knew. We supported him as he then embarked on a culinary self-taught journey. We were overwhelmed with pride and amazement when he became engrossed with charcuterie, the centuries-old art of preserving foods through brining, smoking, salting, and curing.

When he was 15 years old, he decided that he was ready, and we agreed. He was given carte blanche, developed his own menus, and the kitchen became his.

Luke is considered a master charcutier; using local pasteured animals, he does all his own butchery. He changes the menu 6 times a year to reflect our philosophy of eating as Mother nature intended–locally and seasonally.

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT, THANKS TO CHEF LUKE, HIS PERSEVERANCE AND PASSION, 95% OF ALL INGREDIENTS USED IN HIS KITCHEN ARE PROCURED LOCALLY!

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People are coming initially because of Luke’s story and because he is now only 18 years old; they are returning and spreading the word because his food is, in their words, the best they have ever experienced.

And Luke? He is happiest when in his kitchen, experimenting and creating,or when poring through his collection of more 450 cookbooks and food history books. He is happiest when talking about food, his passion barely contained, his modesty apparent. His goals, when asked, are inspiring; to become one of the finest Chefs in the world, to set up a foundation to help children experience real food on a daily basis, to write books, to change the way people look at food, one plate at a time.

Carrie Hayes and Rob Alexander

Luke With Pumpkins