Chinched Restaurant & Deli, St. John’s, Newfoundland

“To chinch: to caulk or fill the seams in a boat; to stow stuff or pack tightly. ”  Dictionary of Newfoundland English, University of Toronto Press, 1982.

Chinched Bistro is real jewel of a place with some cocktails that even urban Vancouver restaurants would envy. The tag line is that it “specializes in contemporary Newfoundland bistro cuisine.” But it’s more than that.

The food at Chinched is proudly made from scratch by two very talented, dedicated Newfoundlanders, Chef/Owner Shaun Hussey and Pastry Chef/Owner Michelle LeBlanc.

They met at the Culinary Institute of Canada on Prince Edward Island and have worked in upscale restaurants as well as on rural ‘n rustic Fogo Island where Michele helped the Shorefast Foundation open Growler’s Ice Cream and Nicole’s Restaurant that’s recently been named Scoff.  Shorefast went on to build the renowned Fogo Island Inn.  

No matter where these two are, their goal is to place Newfoundland Cuisine on the world map.  And in their lively restaurant in downtown St. John’s, they’re doing it. They use the ingredients, cultivated and foraged, of the Avalon Peninsula.  Moving from their original, pretty-tiny restaurant has been an amazing move for them. Shaun’s talent for charcuterie is now being fully showcased but it also allows even more hungry eaters to cross the threshold.

Meanwhile they also show off some of the other talented producers they are so proud to work with; Five Brothers Cheese, Newfoundland Sea Salt, Wild Mother Provisions, Jewish Deli, Third Place Cocktail Company, Acadian Sturgeon Caviar, Newfoundland Seasonings and East Coast Glow.