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BMW Selects Eigensinn Farm

BMW's worldwide promotional vehicle 'ultimateSix' selected Michael Stadtlander's 'Eigensinn Farm' as the number six entry in it's Restaurant category. Stating "... In 1993, superstar chef Michael Stadtlander dropped out of the Toronto rat race, bought 100 acres of Ontario wilderness, and opened one of the most unusual establishments in North America, if not the world. Eigensinn Farm serves eight diners a night, does not have a liquor licence (guests are encouraged to bring their own) and does no marketing. Guests get a nine-course meal devised by Stadtlander that day, made mostly with organic ingredients grown by the chef himself or sourced from neighbouring farms. Diners book months in advance and fly in from all over the world."

Michael Stadtlander: Eigensinn Farm Singhampton Ontario, Canada
Art Culinaire, Summer, 2002

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The resemblance of Michael and Nobuyo Stadtlander to John Lennon and Yoko Ono is uncanny. However, the ardent couple who own, operate, and cherish their retreat in the northern woods of Ontario offer not love-ins, but dine-ins. His lean, six-foot-six physique towers over her onyx mane, which flows along the better part of her petite, four-foot-eleven-inch frame. She hosts a warm smile for all occasions. On the farm, broadcast from a megaphone attached to the barn, jazz plays for the listening pleasure of the pigs, peacocks, chickens, freshwater trout, pheasants, and herb garden--all residents.

In the summer, guests armed with Riedel flutes full of bubbling champagne stroll through the forest. Crossing over a rolling brook, visitors enter a spectacular fairly-tale setting. Within this enchanted forest, they take their places at the tables encompassed by nature. Incredibly, in the middle of the forest, a portable kitchen is set up to execute a dinner in the spirit "Midsummer Night's Dream." In the winter, guests sit by the fireside in maple chairs hand-crafted by Stadtlander, himself. The walls are rustic; pieces of stone, sea shells, wine corks, and bottles are artistically encased in the exposed cement-soil mortar, also molded by Stadtlander.

An annual Bohemian-inspired pilgrimage in the "Liberator", the couple's red kitchen-bus, takes them to various locations across Canada. Filming for a Canadian food TV series, they prepare and serve dinner on the "magic" bus.

Born in northern Germany, Stadtlander always wanted to live in the countryside and moved to Canada thanks to its Nordic climate. During his tenure at the heart of Toronto's dining scene, he played mentor and motivator to many young chefs including Susur Lee. He was best known for his two restaurants, Stadtlander's and Nekah, where he created innovative Canadian cuisine.

The Eigensinn Farm allows Stadtlander to live and do exactly as he chooses. He does not hire employees, but takes on apprentices, simply because he can. They live, breathe, eat, sleep, and cook the farm. While tending to animals, assisting in garden, manning the smoke house, and grooming the grounds, apprentices become part of the Stadtlander family and gain a new respect for their craft, far beyond just learning to cook. There is no salary, just room and board, and the opportunity to learn any of the diverse skills, hobbies, and interests of their chef. "I'm not just into cooking," Stadtlander explains. "I would 'burn-out' if that's all I did." Other passions include furniture making, building, sculpting and of course, farming.

Named for a Hermann Hesse novel, Eigensinn is an expression of individuality and unity. Without a doubt, the property is simply a marvel, embodying its owner's mind, body, spirit, and best of all, culinary prowess. After eight years, with dinner service on Thursday to Sunday only, the restaurant still retains a legendary place in the heart of Canadians.

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