Marconi is a name that is synonymous with hospitality in Sault Ste. Marie. The Marconi Cultural Event Centre has been in existence for over 100 years. It was originally created to help foster Italian culture in the community. Today, the centre welcomes all cultures and nationalities to its event and restaurant facilities on Albert Street West.
The centre has a new offering—a chic new restaurant offering innovative Mediterranean cuisine. At the helm are two experienced Canadian chefs who were born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie.
"We decided to incorporate a new dining experience called Tempo Mediterranean Restaurant within the centre," says the General Manager of the Marconi Cultural Event Centre. "It respects the old traditions but with a modern twist, offering Mediterranean-style cuisine.”
Tempo replaces the previous buffet setup. The dine-in restaurant seats 60 and features an open kitchen that enables patrons to watch the chefs while they work. “The restaurant opened in August 2020 and so far, the reception from everyone has been fantastic."
Mediterranean-inspired cuisine provides opportunities for a large mix of authentic tastes, aromas, and seasonings. All regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea provide inspiration for the innovative menu—Italy is one of those countries, but there are so many more including, France, Turkey, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Algeria, and Libya. For the Tempo chefs, the vast Mediterranean region gives them the freedom to create cuisine their diners love.
local chefs at the helm
Dan Gauthier is the co-head chef along with Brennan Cumming. Both men grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and attended chef training at Sault College. Dan received his Red Seal and worked in Quebec for several years as a sous chef at different restaurants, learning his craft. Brennan worked in restaurants in Ottawa, Calgary, Alberta, and Squamish B.C. Both also worked in the restaurant scene in the Sault. I asked what brought them back to the Sault. They both agreed: there’s no place like home.
"The Sault has so many diverse cultures and we love to see the changing demographics and trends," says Adam. "There’s so much potential here and we are interested in seeing the changes over the long term. We decided to hire co-head chefs because of the extra work it takes to create an ever-changing menu. We change our menu with the seasons because we want to source as much as we can locally and support our community."
A locally sourced MENU
Tempo Restaurant has a pre-fixe menu, with unique dishes that are created nightly by the chefs, and includes shareables like Roasted Rapini with Parmesan, Lemon & Chili Oil, or House-Made Falafel with Fennel Salad and Shaved Asiago. In addition, there are main dishes like Moroccan Bavette with Baba Ghanoush & Crispy Onions as well as delicious seasonal soups and desserts like Warm Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Curd & Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet. Since the menu changes regularly, patrons can go online and discover what's on offer at any time. Check out a sample menu here. Reservations are available online as well.
“Because we change our menu seasonally, we can look to see what is available and ready during the season locally, and build our menu around that,” says Chef Dan. Chef Brennan adds, “We are very interested in working with other chefs in the area to present theme nights with different cuisines.”
A highlight of local Algoma producers and businesses Tempo sources from include:
Algoma Produce Auction, Findlay’s Fungus, Penokean Hills Farms, Marshall Farms, and Valleyfield Farm. If they can’t find what they’re looking for from area producers they will go to local family-run retailers like Bruni’s Fine Foods. Thomson Farms Cider and Winer wine is on the menu while their jams are available for sale at the takeout counter. OutSpoken Brewing and Northern Superior Brewing Co. are two local craft breweries also represented on the beverage menu.
safe dining protocols are in place at tempo
(Photo Credit: Sandra Trainor)
The staff's enthusiasm and passion for this new venture in Sault Ste. Marie was demonstrated throughout my interview with them. They’re excited to bring a new dining experience to Sault Ste. Marie and showcase what our local terroir has to offer. Tempo means “time” in Italian and it’s fantastic to see this historic Sault cultural hub embrace these modern updates while respecting time-honoured traditions.
Tempo Modern Mediterranean Restaurant
450 Albert Street West, Sault Ste. Marie
PH: (705) 942-5557
Web: www.themarconi.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tempossm
