‘It’s unusual that the Michelin Guide leaves the borders of Toronto,’ says LORE chef and co-owner Jeremy Austin
LORE Restaurant at 100 Pine St. in Collingwood only opened in May, but it’s already making waves on the international stage.
On Sept. 22, the selection for the Michelin Guide Toronto and Region was revealed, with LORE being one of a few restaurants outside of the Toronto area that has been added to the Michelin Recommended list. The restaurant also received a nod for their general manager Eric Roell, who received a service award.
“It’s very surreal. We never thought LORE would even be considered. It’s unusual that the Michelin Guide leaves the borders of Toronto,” said chef and co-owner Jeremy Austin in an interview.
Co-owners Austin and his wife Cassie opened The Pine in August 2020 on Hurontario Street in Collingwood. In 2024, Austin said they moved the restaurant to Creemore due to needing a larger space. The Pine has had one Michelin star for the past three years, alongside a list of other major accomplishments.
Austin is originally from Thornbury. He worked as a chef in Italy, France and Shanghai, China over the years, but always had a thought in the back of his mind that he’d like to return to South Georgian Bay one day to open a restaurant and make fusion food based on his learnings.
The couple opened LORE as their second restaurant in May.
“We opened as an a-la-carte restaurant with a small tasting menu, but like 65 per cent of the guests wanted the tasting menu, so we changed to a tasting menu only,” said Austin.
While The Pine focuses on Asian-inspired cuisine, Austin says LORE focuses on contemporary Canadian food. The restaurant offers two multi-course menus, called Provenance and Abundance.
“We take well-known dishes and re-interpret them. I wanted to explore what contemporary Canadian meant,” he said.
He lists dishes such as LORE Poutine, which includes potato dumplings, braised short ribs, cheddar fondue and cheddar curds. His Walter’s Albacore is inspired by The Caesar, which is a tomato broth with Albacore tuna tartare, pickled surf clams and borage leaf. The dish is named after Walter Chell, a bartender and creator of The Caesar.
There are five Michelin levels: Bib Gourmand, Michelin Selected/Recommended, one, two and three stars. The rating system is based on a variety of factors including quality of the ingredients, mastery of flavour/cooking techniques, personality of the chef expressed through the cuisine, harmony of flavours and consistency across the entire menu and between visits.
Austin said with his two restaurants receiving Michelin accolades, alongside Down Home in Markdale also being Michelin Recommended, South Georgian Bay is becoming more of a foodie destination.
“In this area surrounding Georgian Bay, there’s more and more popping up, which is really phenomenal,” he said.
LORE is located at 100 Pine St. in Collingwood.