A summer feast of fun & flavours with Andy Hay!
By Lorie Steiner
When it comes to great food and good times, Canada’s East Coast is THE prime destination for your summer getaway. Guaranteed to satisfy even the pickiest appetite, eateries in the Atlantic Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador) delight in serving up the tastiest, freshest dishes – in some of the most unique locations in the world!
Who better to be your food travel guide than Nova Scotia’s own celebrated home cook, Andy Hay, exploring East Coast fun and flavours with the very people who make it such a special place. If you haven’t seen his new hit series Andy’s East Coast Kitchen Crawl yet, tune in to the Food Network and get ready for a treat! When we chose Andy for the cover of our Summer HORIZON, I had the pleasure of chatting with him virtually and, I can tell you, the big smile is genuine and so is the love he shares for this amazing slice of Canada that he calls home.
H: When people hear East Coast Kitchen Crawl, they instantly think seafood and road trips – what inspired you to start the series?
Andy: I entered the food world about nine years ago through MasterChef Canada, and ever since that first foray my dream has been to have a food travel show. To be a poor man’s Anthony Bourdain. So, when I was asked by the producer of MasterChef Canada if I wanted to do a TV show, I said, “Yes!” I love shows that explore culture and travel and food. It’s my comfort TV.
The food travel show idea was pitched by the production company, Proper Television, to Food Network. One of the Food Network execs was from Prince Edward Island and thought it was intriguing, at first thinking it would be more of an adventure show but then… maybe it’s a food show and maybe this is the guy. It all happened really quickly.
Once we realized that the first season was going to be focused on the East Coast, telling my story became a key part of it. What foods do I like? What does East Coast cuisine mean to me? Where would I want to go? What’s my bucket list? Using that theme of Andy searching for and understanding the inspiration that lives right in his own backyard. I think Canadians now, more than ever, are wanting to explore their own country and the East Coast is a great starting point.
H: You covered a lot of ground filming this series. Which stop surprised you the most?
Andy: Everything was really different but I was taken aback by western Newfoundland. My mom’s from central Newfoundland and I’ve been to St. John’s. When people think about Newfoundland they picture the little fishing shacks along the ocean. The big granite rocks and the waves and that Irish sort of influence. But the west coast is so incredibly raw. The massive cliffs have a sheer drop directly into the ocean. It really surprised me just how staggeringly beautiful western Newfoundland is. The sunsets, and the food and how friendly everyone was. When I get asked about my favourite episode, that one keeps coming back in my mind as a really cool adventure.
H: Was there a local character you’re still thinking about long after the cameras stopped rolling?
Andy: Ha, ha, lots of them. I get such a kick out of East Coasters. You’re up in Newfoundland and Cape Breton, and the language, the way they use words is brilliant and hilarious and it’s just such fun to be there. In Prince Edward Island, James Power, general manager of Raspberry Point Oysters, was amazing. He started his career as a food scientist working in labs, and he’s a fountain of information. Not just about the cultivation of oysters, but the business of oysters. It’s his passion and he’s so funny. He’s a great champion of Prince Edward Island and a cool guy that I really enjoyed spending time with.
H: How does diversity come into play in East Coast food culture?
Andy: When we were planning the show, a lot of the production team was based in Toronto. We wanted to showcase diversity, and I think a big question mark was: Is there diversity in the food out there, in the people?
Regionally, the Acadian culture and Celtic culture is incredible, a lot of seafood, obviously. We sat down in Newfoundland with two guys who are Chinese Newfoundlanders. Because this episode was filmed in St. John’s, we dove deep into Newfoundland Chinese food and how it was all built out of necessity. These people had moved from mainland China to Newfoundland in the 1950s and opened up restaurants. They’re not getting the same ingredients they had in China, but they wanted to make it so the locals would eat it. Those conversations were super fascinating.
In Halifax, I had a wonderful time at Mary’s African Kitchen, and in western Newfoundland, I cooked with a first-generation woman from Vietnam – one of the first people to bring Vietnamese cuisine to Newfoundland. There was a lot more cultural diversity than even I expected. The face of Atlantic Canada is changing fast. People are coming out here and making the food scene more diverse and richer in culture.
H: So, there’s a lot of adaptation using local ingredients?
Andy: Absolutely. The food stories that win out here are about the people who celebrate ingredients. A very interesting thing happened when we were in PEI in the summertime that was different than any other place in Atlantic Canada. The people have a ‘swagger’ to them – in the most amazing way. They’ll tell you, “It’s awesome here. We have absolutely incredible ingredients, some of the best farmland in the entire country, some of the best seafood available; oysters, mussels, lobster. Amazing chefs.” There was this real swagger about how good they have it and how high quality their ingredients are. A lot of the other provinces are starting to realize that as well – that they, too, have high quality ingredients, and the best seafood on the entire planet is right here in our water.
This is a concept I learned in PEI. In wine, it’s called terroir (taste of the land) but on the coast, it’s called merroir (taste of the sea). If you go to different inlets and bays, the oysters will taste different. In the Souris episode, we discover that oysters from the eastern part of the island taste completely different than those from the north part of the island. It’s fascinating to see how the merroir changes.
H: What was a typical filming day like?
Andy: It’s not for the faint of heart. There were definitely fun moments but it’s hard work. Most days you’d be out the door by 7 am and off to the first location. You didn’t want to have a bad day because wherever you’re going, it’s a big deal for those people. They’re going to be on Food Network. It’s exciting, they’re telling their friends and I wanted to make sure I was always bringing positive energy. That was a hard part – energy management throughout the day.
From the first time you meet people until you actually film the scene could be 2 ½ to 3 hours. We usually do one, sometimes two scenes a day. A lot of it would be done before lunchtime, and then we’d get some B Roll, maybe a smaller shoot that we call a ‘quick hit’, then there’s packing up and going to a hotel. We were on a true road trip, moving from place to place. It was grueling but also incredibly creatively satisfying.
My director and I are East Coast people and we wanted to showcase what the East Coast is and do it in the best way. So, we were constantly pushing to get the perfect shot, get the sunset, get the drone shots we wanted to tell that story. I feel really fortunate to have a very good team.
The thing I’m really proud of is the more I watch the show, the more I like it. It’s always hard to watch and not critique yourself but I find I’m relaxed when I’m watching it. In a world where so much food content is competition based, and I came through that world on MasterChef Canada, it’s nice to have a smooth cadence, an easy-going pace and no stress.
H: We’re all excited for a Season 2 of Andy’s East Coast Kitchen Crawl. Looking ahead, what are your goals?
Andy: I feel very lucky to be in the lane that I’ve gotten into with food. Last year, I shot my first cookbook (presale starts in the fall!) and then filmed East Coast Kitchen Crawl back-to-back. It was a four-month period where I did both. I felt like I had worked eight years to get to that point and I realized I want to keep doing this.
One thing I want to push further into is cultural storytelling through food. I’m drawn to journalists like Stanley Tucci, Anthony Bourdain, George Stroumboulopoulos. I love being Canadian and telling Canadian stories – exploring the intersection points between food, culture and travel through media. Whether for YouTube, Instagram or long-format media (TV).
If (when) Season 2 happens, we’re hoping to do Andy’s West Coast Kitchen Crawl in Western Canada communities. I’m a food nerd so the idea of being able to go and learn more about different cultures and do cooking – this has been the dream and I can’t believe I get to do it. I’m really hopeful that I get the chance to do more.
*Looking to create some of that East Coast flavour at home? You’ll find a fabulous collection of tasty recipes at theeastcoastkitchen.com and in the Sip & Savour section of the HORIZON July 2026 issue. Thanks, Andy!
Andy’s East Coast Kitchen Crawl *Season 1 airs on Food Network and is available to stream on Citytv+.
Episodes Season 1
1. South Shore. Andy returns to Nova Scotia’s South Shore for lobster fishing and Acadian comfort food.
2. Northeastern PEI. Andy explores PEI’s Northeast Shore with mussels, seafood and Bay Fortune cuisine.
3. Dartmouth. Andy tours Dartmouth for local sushi, legendary chowder and hard cider stops.
4. St. John’s. Andy eats like a Newfoundlander with moose, cod, scrunchions and toutons.
5. Central PEI. Andy wades into PEI aquaculture, hauls halibut and tastes savoury potato pies.
6. Cape Breton Island. Andy explores Cape Breton’s west side with fresh curd, top chowder and a crab boil.
7. New Brunswick. Andy visits New Brunswick for Fredericton fare, ocean floor dining and sturgeon caviar.
8. West Newfoundland. Andy heads west in Newfoundland for cod jigging, Viet eats and world class honey.
