Babbo’s renovated bar area Since 1985 the Adamo family have made it their goal to create an experience for their guests at Hockley Valley Resort. This year, the resort is celebrating its 25th anniversary and in honour of the occasion president and general manager John Paul Adamo decided a new look was the right way to go.

Hockley Valley Resort is more than just a ski destination in the winter and a golf course in the summer. The Adamos specialize in giving their guests an experience to remember, whether they are just staying the night, dining in the new dining venues, attending a corporate conference or meeting, enjoying the spa or celebrating their wedding.

Since Mario and Nancy Adamo first purchased the Hockley Resort they have changed a lot in the once small, 28-room hotel. They renovated rooms, added a Scottish linksstyle golf course, expanded the ski hills, enhanced the landscape and created a plush European-style spa.

NEW GARDEN: Chef Daniel Mezzolo and gardener Santos Bartucci pose in front of the nearly two-acre garden that was added to Hockley Valley Resort’s landscape this year. Tracy Broad, the resort’s director of marketing, commented that John Paul Adamo’s ultimate goal is to turn Hockley into a culinary destination, and Tavola, (“table” in Italian), Hockley’s new private dining room, fits into this mold perfectly.

Tavola sits up to 16 people and features a ‘faith menu’. The idea of a faith menu is for the people eating the food to interact with the chef to plan their menu. The Tavola room is outfitted with a large harvest table and a clear view into the kitchen so that the guests may see their meal being prepared, from scratch using fresh ingredients from the resort’s own garden.

Chef Daniel Mezzolo, a man who has spent years working on perfecting his passion in Italy and throughout the Caribbean, is the exclusive chef for Tavola and Babbo, the other new restaurant featuring a tasting menu.

The waiting area in the lobby has been transformed from a single couch into a comfortable lounge area with spacious furniture and views into Babbo and directly out to the ski hills. Visitors are also able to see into the impressive glass temperature controlled wine cellar containing Ontario wines as well as handpicked wines from abroad.

Ms. Broad commented that Babbo and Tavola are great places to go for dinner, even if you don’t plan to spend the night.

“People think that you can only eat here if you re staying in one of the rooms,” said Ms. Broad. “Anyone can come here for lunch or dinner.”

Babbo has both indoor and outdoor dining and a variety of table sizes for guests. The décor is very modern and contemporary. Brown leather chairs and an onyx bar that lights up at night as well as handmade furniture by a family member make this room all come together.

Except for a couple favorites, Babbo’s menu changes weekly so that diners can enjoy a new experience every time.

The breads and pastas are all made in-house. The Adamos have also made it a point to buy local meats and vegetables where possible. Ms. Broad commented that the Adamos buy organic meat wherever possible and even though it costs more, they see it as a commitment to quality. Hockley works with local farmers and purveyors to get locally grown ingredients.

“They will only buy outside local if they can’t possibly get it,” said Ms. Broad.

The recent addition of an extensive vegetable garden at Hockley will hopefully yield 80-90% of the produce required by the kitchen staff.

The garden, just less than two acres feature four varieties of beets, five of carrots, three of radishes, 10 of tomatoes (5 heirloom, 5 standard), four of beans, onions, five types of lettuce, five varieties of berries, four of peppers, corn, three varieties of eggplant and cabbage and 15 of herbs.

‘Going green’ and protecting the environment have also yielded some changes for Hockley.

A compost program diverts 70 tones of waste from landfills to reusable compost, a water bottling system, enabling Hockley to bottle water on-site without pollution.

The restaurants offer reusable china and cloth napkins and fair-trade, locally roasted coffee. They have a no idle zone and also designated parking for Hybrid vehicles.

Reducing their carbon footprint and a hands-on ownership are staples for this successful destination.

When John Paul took over Hockley from his parents it signaled a change.

The recent renovations have made it clear that Mr. Adamo wants to make something unique and new out of Hockley.

Ms. Broad commented that when people who have been to Hockley find out they have done some remodeling they are shocked by the transformation.

Sundays also have a new feature. Local vendors are welcome to bring their fare to Hockley Resort and participate in the farmers market. The first market this year was June 6.

This will be a weekly occurrence from June to October.

The renovations have improved the overall mood of the dining areas and staff.

Over the last 25 years the Adamo family have given guests experiences to remember, and the next generation appears to have the same goal in mind.