The Sommo line-up assembled by the folks at Whitecap Entertainment was loaded with well-known acts from Canada and abroad, including a pair of massive headliners in Noah Kahan and Greta Van Fleet. Still, it was over at the culinary stage where I got to see one of the festival’s biggest stars. My love of watching chefs on TV was ingrained long before Food Network came into existence, thanks in part to Wok With Yan. In my post-university years (in the early 00’s), I discovered Chef at Home and a welcoming personality in Chef Michael Smith, and that early introduction started a long-running fandom.
Needless to say, it was an absolute treat to see him in person. He is as charming and engaging as one would hope, and it doesn’t hurt that he is a local favourite due to The Inn at Bay Fortune, which he and his spouse have run since 2017. While a lot of the other chefs on the bill ran food demonstrations, not many conducted a full-on food competition, but then again Chef Michael Smith isn’t like most other chefs. His time at the culinary stage was a definite high-point of my Sommo Experience.
