Woodstock restaurant reinvents its food experience

Patrick McMahon talks to some Ironworks customers recently. He has teamed up with Mark Ellis to make some exciting changes at the downtown Woodstock eatery. (Contributed photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

One of the city’s downtown eateries has undergone a substantial transformation. Patrick McMahon, most notably known for his prowess in the kitchen at The Mill Restaurant and Inn in Tillsonburg, has joined the Ironworks team and introduced a new menu and culture.

“I have been coming here since it opened. I live in Tillsonburg but my children spend half their time in Woodstock. Every time there was a new menu we would come and eat. It wasn’t like there was anything wrong with the menu but my kids couldn’t find something to eat. There wasn’t always something for everyone.”

He has partnered with Ironworks owner Mark Ellis to revamp the menu as well as the behind-the-scenes operations. McMahon will take care of the food side of the operation while Ellis will handle the physical portion of Ironworks.

“How I run the floor, how I work with staff, it’s not just the kitchen it’s the culture of the restaurant including our uniforms. I was talking to (Mark’s) wife last night and she told me he’s actually sleeping this week. That makes me happy.”

He added the physical restaurant is dynamic and he loves what his partner has done for downtown Woodstock, an area often criticized for a homelessness and drug culture.

“I was on Oxford County’s social planning council for about five years so I am aware of the issues in the core. I want Ironworks to be great.”

McMahon’s love for the food industry came at a young age when he left home at the age of 16 and took a job at a restaurant in Oakville. He has never looked back.

“I took a job washing dishes and I found what I loved. Even washing dishes. Anthony Bourdain talked about his first day at work. A bunch of guys dressed like pirates and carrying big knives. Drank, stole, smoked. He felt like he was home and that’s how I felt. I’m lucky 30 years later I’m still doing what I love to do.”

He has lived in Oxford since the late 80s when his father took a job as a school principal. He took an apprenticeship in Alberta in his early 20s but Oxford is where his heart is.

“We are the hub of agriculture. Serving local and sustainable food. It’s just the right way to do business.”

That love of local food landed McMahon in a role as the boss of the Woodstock Farmer’s Market where he turned it into a true marketplace without a flea market atmosphere. He also ran the kitchen at the South Gate Centre along with 12 years at Wilfred Laurier managing the kitchen at a campus pub where he was hired to turn it into an experience, not just a watering hole.

“In pretty quick order we took that place from 90 per cent alcohol and 10 per cent food to the exact opposite. We grew from $1 million in sales to $4 million in sales and the president of the university was eating there. Good food. Good service. Fair price.”

He added it’s a simple recipe that gets complicated all too often. McMahon also has a unique approach to staffing his kitchen, one he said creates teamwork and comradery.

“I don’t have any titles. Titles lead to ego and a pecking order where the sous chef wants the chef’s job. I pay my team based on experience and what they bring to the table. They do the ordering and all the things a kitchen needs to do but it's shared among the group.”

McMahon added he doesn’t believe in salaries for kitchen staff because chefs too often burn out in part because of the pressure to keep labour costs down. He said as a result, some work too much.

“I want happy chefs who are working 40 hours a week or less with a good work-life balance while giving them two days off in a row. That means I need a team who can step in and do whatever needs to be done. We are going to create a culture here at Ironworks without an ego attached to it.”

He added the goal is to make the restaurant the best place to work in Woodstock’s food service industry.

“People want to work for us because we are a good employer, the menu is super cool, we have great live music. It will be an experience for our employees and our customers.

The focus on locally supplied food includes several Oxford farms and businesses including Bentum Family Farm where McMahon purchases his lettuce.

“He always asks me if it is too expensive. I’m like James, we sell salads for 17 or 18 dollars. It’s important he makes money then his business is good and my business is good because I know how much his salad is and I set my prices based on that. I don’t want discounts from small farmers.”

He also purchases his seafood for Tillsonburg from Chris Seafood in Woodstock, something he said will come to Ironworks once the customer base is large enough to go through fresh fish quickly.

“Chris is a big promoter of what we do and when he’s pricing for me, I want to make sure he’s making his 10 or 15 per cent. I know I could buy it direct from the same person he gets it from, but I want to buy it from him to help his business. It really is about creating community around food and that translates to butts in the seats.”

The new menu has essentially been gutted in favour of what McMahon called classic Americana.

“We don’t really have American food but we pull from all over the world, different cultures. We don’t complicate classics. We tried to streamline the ingredients so we aren’t wasting food. I tried to include something for everybody and when someone sees it, they say I have to come back and try this. I’ll have this today, but man, I really want to try that.”

He wants the beef short ribs to be the signature dish.

“Just a beautiful piece of Oxford County beef with local vegetables and mashed potatoes and a simple red wine gravy. Put your fork on it, it falls apart and melts in your mouth. I love how it’s been coming out.”

He added the appetizers have been well-received so far including dill pickle flatbread and mussels. He’s also added a classic shrimp cocktail, something normally only seen today at steakhouses. When it comes to beer, the restaurant has 16 draught taps meaning he will be able to highlight his love for small brewers but still keep some of the big beers around.