Hi and a happy Autumn to everyone! Out here in the County the show of the Fall colours is in full display and we’ve just made it through another Pumpkinfest. I moved to Wellington a year ago and quickly became immersed in in this wonderful little Drake outpost. The community and the Devonshire crew have been amazing in making me and my family feel welcome and allowing us to become part of all that is the Drake in Prince Edward County; the design, the art, the music, the food, the farms, the whimsy, the wine, and the commitment to giving the very best hospitality experience possible to our curious culture seeking guests. We’ve had some great successes with the opening of the Drake Motor Inn (the New York Times called it “flawlessly executed”) and with the Devonshire being named the best hotel in Canada by Fodor’s. Every team member here contributed and every team member deserves giant kudos for jobs well done!

I’ve just started the next chapter of my Drake experience and have been given the opportunity to lead the teams at The Drake Hotel. Thanks to everyone who’s allowed me to tag along and help orient me to the workings of the “mothership” the past couple weeks. Again, the friendliness and hospitality has been incredible. I appreciate the warm welcome that I’ve received and am excited to work alongside such a smart, dedicated and professional group. We’ve got a lot to get ready for with one of the Drake’s biggest moves ever coming next year; the expansion of The Drake Hotel from 19 to 51 rooms! The design of this new building is sure to (again) bring the international spotlight onto us. I’m confident from seeing the team that we have in place, that the food, the drinks, and the rooms programs will all shine, and we will offer the very best hospitality experience available in the city!

I’m proud to be part of these two strong teams and happy to have the chance to work more closely with the Commissary, One Fifty and Mini Bar. We are as a whole one of the strongest small hospitality companies in the country and I cannot think of one more poised for growth and continued success than the Drake. Enjoy the Fall colours and hang on for wonderful things to come!

We asked Commissary Baker Roma Sanderson what goes into the making of everyone's favourite ooey, gooey, cinnamon pastry, The Morning Bun:

The sugar mixture, spiked with fresh orange zest and cinnamon, caramelizes to perfection at the centre of the bun while the enriched laminated dough becomes crunchy on the outside and tender as a pillow on the inside. Every bite makes your taste buds crave more. 

Every croissant/morning bun is made by hand with natural ingredients fresh everyday. In order to do this our mornings here at the Commissary start long before the sun comes up. 

Mixing the dough is an important part of the process. The temperature of the ingredients being added to the mixture is crucial in making the perfect croissant. 

Each dough goes through a cold proof process of 24 hours. The process is crucial for flavour development. After the dough has fermented for 24 hours, it is then taken through the laminating process. This is the tricky part of the whole operation. 

The final step is cutting and shaping, which is where our expert bakers get to shine. 

After the proof and spray with a delicate egg wash it is now ready to be baked and enjoyed by our guests. 

We are pumped to say that over 80% of you participated in this year’s Drake Employee Survey. This feedback is super important to helping us understand what we can do to make The Drake an even better place to work.

WHATS NEXT?

It’s now time to take action! We want to work with you to develop programs and solutions that address some of the key findings.

The results have helped us identify our key strengths and weaknesses but they can’t tell us what is really driving these sentiments. We don’t want to make any assumptions or misconceptions so it’s important that we hear directly from you! Join us at one of our focus group sessions to tell us what you REALLY think. These sessions are a no judgement zone, open space, and completely confidential. SPILL THE TEA – please! HR will be Sweden and there only to support the discussion. We want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly – seriously! This is all about working together to ensure we create solutions that fit YOUR needs.

If you are interested in participating, please reach out to madeleine@thedrake.ca. Your participation is entirely voluntary and for those able to participate, you will be compensated for your time with standard training rate of $14.00/hour.

It’s that time of year again - onesies are back at Drake General Store for the holiday season. They're way more fun to put on than sweats and cozier than regular pajamas - our waffle-knit onesies are a playful piece for keeping warm this winter. Whether you're lounging around the house, cottaging with friends, or bundling up for bed, the onesie will keep you toasty all season long. Also available in kids and baby sizes, as well as two prints for your pup, so you can coordinate with the whole family!

Speaking about upcoming the holiday season, we are NOW HIRING for all DGS seasonal roles - Key Holders, Sales Associates + Warehouse Support! If you or any of your friends are looking for a fun seasonal job, apply today at https://www.thedrake.ca/jobs/dgs/. * Complete the employee Referral Form here: https://thedrakehotel.wufoo.com/forms/employee-referral-form/

Three cheers for our amazing design team, Kathy Grant and Amy Savidge, who this month were recognized with an Award of Excellence at the RGD In-House Design Awards for their incredible work on the visual identity for Drake Motor Inn! This is a very special award, as their work was chosen as a Judge’s Pick, making it one of the best of the best.

Go Kathy and Amy!

Created by Jeremy Cheng , Bar Supervisor at Drake One Fifty.

The perfect slow sipper for cold fall/winter nights. Spicy Canadian rye, smooth apple brandy and Italian amaros rounded out with sweet maple and bitter black walnut. This cocktail should make you feel like you just put on your favorite sweater.

Ingredients:
0.75 oz Calvados
0.75 oz Lot 40
0.5 oz Averna
0.5 oz Amaro Montenegro
Bar Spoon Maple
2 Dashes of Kinsip Black Walnut Bitters
STIR/ROCKS GL/2”CUBE/D-HY APPLE

Calvados- an apple brandy from Normandy in France
Lot 40 Canadian Whisky - 100 % rye whisky distilled in Windsor, Ontario. One of the fastest growing brands in the world.
Averna- Averna is the authentic Sicilian bitter, with a recipe that is unchanged since 1868. Deep brown in colour, with complex aromas of herbs, dried fruit, spices.
Amaro Montenegro- a traditional amaro distilled in Bologna, Italy. It is made from a secret blend of 40 botanicals, including vanilla, orange peels and eucalyptus.
Maple- Maple Syrup - a classic Canadian sweetener
Kinsip Black Walnut Bitters- This delicate, complex and rich bitters will amp up all your fall and winter sippers. Hand crafted in Prince Edward County, each batch of Kinsip Bitters is made with all-natural ingredients, and lightly sweetened with local honey

Great news for all yoga + meditation fanatics! Good Space Yoga, located at 360 Dufferin Street just a few minutes from The Drake Hotel, is now offering Drake Employees 15% off each month of their Light + Unlimited membership packages. Woop!

Please note that memberships are all subscription-based models that take automatic monthly payments to uphold. They have a 6-month minimum commitment with a $50 early-termination fee if you would like to cancel before 6 months. If you travel for work, you can put your membership on hold for 2-4 weeks up to 2 times in a 12-month period. All of the membership information can be found on the Good Space Yoga Studio Policies page.

To take advantage of the perk, use the PROMO CODE: DRAKEinSPACE. If you have any questions about this new perk, feel free to reach out to madeleine@thedrake.

Do you have some thoughts on how to make a more eco-friendly Drake? If so, please join The Drake’s Green Team! We will meet once every 8 weeks to discuss areas of improvement and possible green solutions. Big or small, from the kitchen to the boardroom, all ideas are welcome.

First meeting:

Wed Nov 6
5 - 6 PM
Drake Hotel NOLO

If you can’t make the meeting but still have ideas to share, please email kathy@thedrake.ca . Amid our global climate crisis, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But if we band together, we can make a difference if we all band together.

1 year

Cameron Cherry
Candice Labreche
Chris Wilson
Courtney Genereaux
Daniel Reardon
Henry Stine
Jonathan Broderick
Jonathan Do Nascimento
Jordan Fairman
Kevin Egharevba
Lloyd Bedeau
Lucas Mullins
Madeleine Wolfe
Maghnus Sullivan-Lorez
Mary Georgiou
Naomi Hiller
Natalie Howard
Paige Preston
Rebecca Ohayon
Robert Herr
Anais Chin-Bergeron
Scott Hart
Sehijpal Kang
Sonja Korhonen
Sophie Winsor-Munger
Trevor Mcneil
Tristram Pinney
Vik Deonanan

3 years

Adrienne Rupcic
Austin Beaver
Caroline Rolf
Chenee Faye Villacorta
Jessica Johnston
Justin Miller
Justin Otto
Kathy Grant
Keagan Gallinger
Lauren Davis
Liqing Hu
Natalee Speers
Nilou Ghaemi
Rodrick Reese
Thomas Hinchliffe
Tye Gibb

 5 years

Bryan Liboiron
Cheynelle Fraser
David Davis
Don Heathcote
James Rogers
Kerry Bruce
Matthew Edward
Patricia Ryan
Peter Scott
Sherrie Anderson

10 years

Jon Humphrey
Vin Khamphilavong

15 years

Gord Hannah