This 2025 ‘Vine Award’ winning destination embodies rustic charm, local flavour, and a seamless sense of place
It makes sense to imagine that luxe spa and dining experiences might be found just slightly off the beaten path or that they are somehow isolated from urban centres. But that is not the case with the Elora Mill: the unique hotel, spa and restaurant – a 2025 VineRoutes Vine Award Winner for Best in Distinction – are at the downtown epicentre of the cultural escape that is a central part of Elora, Ontario, an historic village often touted as among the most beautiful in Ontario, if not Canada.
The Mill has been a part of Pearle Hospitality since it was acquired in 2010 and re-opened as the Elora Mill, Hotel and Spa in the summer of 2018. An 1832 sawmill ensconced on the craggy limestone along the Grand River and near the 20-metre cliffs of the Elora Gorge, the fluvial riverscape features, including the extraordinary “tooth of time” rock outcrop, might have prompted English Romantic poet William Wordsworth to describe the area as “sublime.”
A blend of rustic and elegant
Inside the stone building, the setting is just as sublime with the respect paid to its rustic origin but restrained by an elegance that is warm and accessible – thanks to Pearle having added a lot of tender loving care to the property’s old bones, according to Bryar Hind, the company’s director of marketing.
“The structure had been left vacant for many years, and it was a significant undertaking from a restoration perspective to bring the property from where it was to where it is now,” says Hind, referring to the village landmark as now an example of “Canadian hospitality” in all seasons – and beyond food and beverage.
The Elora Mill is nestled along the Grand River and near the 20-metre cliffs of the Elora Gorge.
Hind, who has been with Pearle for over a decade, cites the Mill’s proximity to nature and conservation areas and year-round seasonality which sees them partner with local businesses to shuttle guests to local farms, provide for hiking and offer outdoor fireplaces. She says stepping into the Mill creates an immediate “sense of being taken care of” for guests who are expecting a sumptuous visit that isn’t limited to one area of the business.
“We have the food, the spa and we have the rooms to stay in. We’ve created this beautiful hospitality experience that’s very much rooted in the things that make us special, including those elements of seasonality that drive much of our decision-making from a food perspective, and which obviously leans into the wine choices we make.”
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That, of course, manifests itself on executive chef Dacha Markovic’s menus and in a culinary philosophy that is rooted in the local, according to Markovic.
“We try to keep it simple, so we use a lot of Canadian terroir ingredients but drawing on European techniques. Our proteins are strictly selected from Canada, from Canadian waters and with produce that’s in season and local,” he says adding that they work with the Mennonite farm community that is around them.
Seasonality and live-fire energy in the kitchen
Having grown up on a farm in his native Serbia, Markovic and his family raised animals and grew their own produce. After culinary school in Europe and working in restaurants across Canada, he cooked alongside chef-restaurateur Jonathan Gushue at both Langdon Hall and Fogo Island Inn: he says his family background has given him a special appreciation for the small-farm agriculture that is the backbone of much of Ontario’s best culinary.
The Elora Mill Head Chef Dacha Markovic.
“There are a lot of farmers that are supporting our purchasing, and we also have Pearle’s own Earth to Table farm (in Millgrove, Ontario) that we draw on between May and October.”
The farm is a good indication of the comprehensive nature of the group’s food philosophy: it’s worth noting that Isabelle Restaurant along the shore of Lake Ontario in Burlington and the Cambridge Mill in downtown Cambridge, both Pearle Hospitality operations, garnered for themselves VineRoutes’ “Award of Distinction” honours.
With multiple food services and dayparts, the Elora Mill kitchen (which, incidentally, was the Elora Mill Distillery from 1859 to 1876) is a busy one and bustling during the summer with 70 staff taking care of weddings, hotel guests, culinary tourism, private events and the spa. Dishes might be classics such as Beef Wellington – “a traditional preparation that we’ve mastered and which people like to visit for a lovely piece of beef,” says Markovic – or dishes which are generated out of an individual cook’s own sense of flair.
The Mill’s unique “kitchen counter” experience accommodates more adventurous guests allowing them to observe the flow of the kitchen team in action and how it operates through a “blind or omakase-style” menu that is a true expression of the cooks’ passion for food.
“You sit and we prepare for you what we feel like that day,” Markovic says. “It’s usually a nine- to ten-course meal, strictly focussed on seasonality.”
The setting at the Elora Mill pays respect to its rustic origin but is restrained by an elegance that is warm and accessible.
A central focus of the Mill’s cookery is the live-fire hearth, an impressive piece of equipment with swivel wheels and brasero basket that Markovic calls “the heart of the kitchen.”
“A lot is based on the wood fire. We use a lot of smoke and charcoal elements in the menu, not just in the hot dishes but in some cold dishes, some pastry items and even pastas.”
Ontario wines that can deliver a new experience
Pairing the varied activity of Markovic’s kitchen with the oenophilic is the purview of wine director Brie Dema Markovic who oversees a cellar of about 4,500 bottles and 400-plus labels and who also did sommelier duty at Langdon Hall and Fogo Island Inn. She has achieved WSET certification as well as having completed the advanced sommelier course and examination of the Court of Master Sommeliers along with wine studies in Verona and Piedmont.
“We only finished building the Mill’s cellar in 2023 and have worked hard to balance our wine with the food philosophy and translate that into our wine program. We knew when we were building that we wanted to focus on VQA and Ontario wines. That was an important goal, given that our food philosophy is very much local,” says Dema Markovic, adding that much of the day-to-day sommelier business since 2021 has been in the capable hands of lead sommelier Kendra Ellsworth.
Elora Mill Lead Sommelier Kendra Ellsworth.
“She’s one of the most talented and passionate sommeliers I’ve had the joy of working with and is key to our wine program.”
When it comes to Ontario wines, the Mill has roughly 65 selections that Ellsworth is confident will hit the mark with discerning wine lovers.
“We have a good selection of what guests are looking for but also wines that they may not be expecting, and which will deliver a new experience. I like the idea of taking them in a new direction and showcasing something different in the glass,” says Ellsworth, a WSET- and Court of Master Sommeliers-credentialled sommelier.
That includes showcasing one of her favourites: Beamsville-based Bachelder wines, Ellsworth says, speak through their very specific terroirs.
“You can get so many different styles within the one label. And that in turn really helps showcase that Niagara has so much going on, so many different soils and so many different ways to represent one single grape. I think that’s really exciting.”
An ethos of authenticity at the Mill
The food and wine at Elora Mill have carved out a distinct path for the hotel, restaurant and spa, perhaps much like the racing waters of the Grand River coursing through the limestone nearby, but among its unique qualities is the way it is “nestled” into the European-style village, according to Hind. With its natural, perhaps sublime, setting amid the bustling small town, she describes Elora as at once a bit quirky and a bit artsy but born of an “ethos of authenticity.”
When it comes to compliments and accolades for those qualities, Hind says they do mean validation for the venue.
“We’re lucky to receive daily feedback and accolades, if you will, from our guests. But it’s rare to receive that from our peers and the industry. It’s an honour and a testament to the team here that they have helped us build a really beautiful experience.”
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– Andrew Coppolino is a restaurant reviewer, book author and food columnist advocating for local chefs, restaurants and food businesses
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