Upcoming Events

• Instead of hosting a dining week, Feed the Soul pivoted this year to publishing a Black Futures Dining Guide. They are launching this guide on March 3 with free bites from Cafe Caribbean in O-day’min Park.
• Atrium at Sabor is hosting a culinary showcase of Prince Edward Island on March 28, with chefs from Charlottetown, Calgary, Canmore, and Edmonton. Tickets are $150 each and include access to food stations, 2 drinks and entertainment.
• Hot Chefs Cool bEATS returns on April 23 to the Royal Glenora Club. The event offers food stations and music. Early bird tickets are $95 until March 31, and proceeds support future culinary talents through the High School Culinary Challenge.

Local News

• It’s March, which means it’s time for the “best of” lists again, including Edify’s Best Restaurants. Their picks for best new restaurants are: Next of Kin, Nero, Atrium at Sabor, JuuKu, and Golden Sparrow. Their best overall restaurants include RGE RD, Olia, Fu’s Repair Shop, Otto, and Bianco. It’s great to see Otto, a markedly more casual, neighbourhood spot, recognized in that category. Other categories include best bakeries, burgers, tried and true, and pizza, among others.
• The Tomato’s Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink list was also released, and the top five are dishes from Rita Trattoria, Sabor, Kobachi, RGE RD, and Bar Bricco.
• These lists prompt me to resurface the list Linda and I last updated in 2024, Edmonton Food Faves We Crave: “we chose the title of the list as ‘Food Faves’ rather than ‘Best’ because it is completely subjective to our tastes and preferences, not at all exhaustive, and reflects our biases.” Unfortunately, some of the places showcased on the list have since closed – another reminder that we cannot take our favourite restaurants for granted.
• From Edify, they talk to the family behind The Moth about their planned closure later this year, and to the folks behind Cheese Louise YEG, a new grilled cheese spot in Old Strathcona.
• Balay Coffee let go of their operations at The Hub, and will revert back to more of a pop-up model for the time being.
• High Dough had their door smashed last week – support them if you are able.

What I Ate

• We redeemed our voucher for a free pizza from the Italian Centre on the weekend, a gift for participating in the Holiday Hamper program last year. All of us devoured the pizza.

Pepperoni pizza from the Italian Centre

• Mack and I made up for some months without a date night by packing it in over a couple of days (thank you, Mom & Dad!). We checked out one of our new neighbourhood restaurants, Fennec. They’ve done a nice job with the interior, and it feels cozy in spite of the expansive windows. Of the dishes we tried, the tuna tartare was our favourite; I enjoyed the seasoning on the accompanying wonton chips.

Tuna tartare from Fennec

• We also hit up Bar Henry for the first time in a while. We hadn’t yet tried The Millie, and we loved it – the most decadent elevated grilled cheese sandwich, dressed up with savoury and sweet notes of truffle and honey.

The Millie from Bar Henry

• We were also able to check out the Jola’s pop-up at Candid Coffee Roasters in Highlands. Unpretentious and well-prepared comfort food, cooked from the heart – the pierogies are easily the most silky, perfectly seasoned pockets available in the city right now. The pop-up is on for six months. Get there soon.

Potato & cottage cheese pierogies from Jola’s

Openings

• Jola’s, offering seasonally-inspired Polish dishes, is now open from Wednesday-Saturday in the evenings at Candid Coffee Roasters in Highlands (6419 112 Avenue NW).
• Enigma Bar & Kitchen is now open in Old Strathcona, at 10308 81 Avenue NW.
• Bowling alley chain Splitsville is opening its first Edmonton location on February 27 at 13543 St. Albert Trail. It will be joined by a second location in South Edmonton Common later this year.

Closures

• Central Social Hall’s downtown location is now closed, and has been acquired by restaurant franchisor Foodtastic. It appears Central Social Hall’s Ellerslie and St. Albert locations are still open.

Upcoming Events

• Downtown Dining Week returns March 11-22 with over 65 restaurants, including first time participants Atrium, Zymo, Playwright, and TDS Cafe. Check out the menus here.
• Chocofest, “Alberta’s Premier Chocolate Tasting Festival”, will take place April 24-25 at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park. Adult admission starts at $16, which does not include tickets required for samples.

Local News

• Happy Beer Street officially received its entertainment district designation last week. Folks will be able to enjoy alcoholic beverages in the area, and the surrounding businesses, including Shiddy’s Distilling and Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company, will be planning more collective events.
• Some have expressed their concerns about the City’s plans to charge fees for medium and large patios on public spaces, including a former Downtown Business Association Executive Director and a previous City Council candidate.
• Edify checked out Lalibela African Restaurant, pasta making at L’OCA, and specialty candy available at YEG Exotic.
• Sharon shares her five favourite sushi spots in Edmonton.
• Happy first birthday to Kin!
• The Journal interviewed several local writers about where they put pen to paper. Spots that came up include Next Act, ACE Coffee Roasters, Dream Tea House.
• Ramadan started last week,an important month marked by fasting and reflection. Canada’s first mosque, Al Rashid, will host its annual Taste of Ramadan feast in March.
• The latest episode of the Edmonton Community Foundation’s Well Endowed podcast is guest hosted by Jessica Truong and Linda Hoang of Chúng Ta Cùng Nhau (“We Are Together”), and features Mai Mai Vietnamese Street Kitchen’s Linh Vu and her refugee journey to Edmonton.
• The Little Potato Company is commemorating 30 years in business.

What I Ate

• Tiramisu Bistro was absolutely packed on a cold, blustery Tuesday afternoon, so they must be doing something right! It’s been ages since I’ve been to the restaurant, but our team had a good experience. The Italian gourmet burger was very tasty.

Italian gourmet burger from Tiramisu Bistro

• I had another work lunch at Thanh Thanh, and really shouldn’t be surprised by the size of their portions by now. But I always am.

Chicken vermicelli bowl from Thanh Thanh

• There’s nothing better than ending a long (short) week at Jack’s Burger Shack.

My go-to Hangover

Closures

• After 16 years, the Brewsters in Summerside closed its doors on February 9.

Upcoming Events

• Brotherhood of Plates aka Craig Martell is hosting an event at Waffle Bird on February 19. He has collaborated with Waffle Bird to create a sandwich, and the Brotherhood of Plates t-shirt will also be sold.
• The YEG Pitmasters Dinner on April 18 will feature five teams, and proceeds are going to support the teams as they participate in competition season. Tickets are $113.22 and include a 3-course meal and live entertainment.
• Vancouver-based chef Alex Kim, a NAIT grad, will be returning to Edmonton as the 2026 Hokanson Chef in Residence from March 23-27.

Local News

• Starting in April, the City of Edmonton is introducing fees to businesses who are operating large year-round patios on public spaces, ranging from $3700 to $6900. Some businesses, including Rocky Mountain Ice House and Sabor are questioning the fees.
• Edify highlighted specialty mousse cakes from Tisto Bakery and doughnuts from Bliss Baked Goods.
• CBC Radioactive talked to Tu Le about his decision to sell Jack’s Burger Shack.
• The Executive Committee has approved Happy Beer Street as the next Entertainment District in Edmonton; the decision moves to Council this week for approval to move forward.
• Olds College has suspended its Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations diploma, and announced the forthcoming closure of the Olds College Brewery in June 2026.

What I Ate

• I ordered some take-out from Amore Pasta last week to take advantage of their 2-for-1 deal. This post advertising the deal is misleading, as I was told that only the feature pastas are valid for the special. At any rate, my kids enjoyed the truffle alfredo, and I appreciated that the pasta held up well in their take-out containers.

Amore Pasta’s feature pastas

• I picked up a couple of sandwiches from Patricia Street Deli to take on a winter picnic at our favourite trail over the weekend. The winner of the two was definitely the bird (their chicken sandwich) – we loved the cranberry mayo and the bread and ingredients all tasted very fresh.

The bird from Patricia Street Deli

• Mack and I long ago stopped dining out on Valentine’s Day, but I took my little valentine to Farrow’s for a treat (and a grick middle for me – it’s been too long).

My sweet valentine

Openings

• Square One Coffee opened its sixth location in the Edmonton area, this time in Mill Woods at 7319 29 Avenue NW (Community Health Centre).
• Jola’s Polish Cooking, from chef Filliep Lament (who had most recently been cooking at Nowhere Wine Bar), is opening this week in the evenings at Candid Coffee Highlands.
• Mayte is a new Spanish restaurant opening at 12026 107 Avenue NW (formerly Ashford Pub) in Manchester Square. Its grand opening is on February 13.

Closures

• Smoke BBQ Bar announced their closure last week, and will be rebranded to The Whiskey Barn, a country bar. It will open on February 13.

Upcoming Events

• More than 40 businesses are participating in this year’s Sweet Treats & Latte Festival in Old Strathcona. All participants feature either a special drink or a treat from February 12-22. Edify has a preview of the event.
• Cindy Lazarenko is hosting her first cooking workshop, titled How to Host, at Culina Famiglia, on February 14. Tickets are $65 per person.
• Hom Street Food’s next pop-up will be at Bibo Wine Bar on February 21. Tickets are $70 per person.
• Freson Bros. is hosting The Future of Alberta Food at Ernest’s, made by six teams of culinary students. The event takes place on February 21; tickets are $75.

Local News

• Radio Active highlighted Cheese Louise YEG, a new grilled cheese shop in Old Strathcona. The business also has a notable feed-it-forward program.
• Zoning changes may be leading to the opening of a new bakery and commercial baking school in a house next to The Colombian in the French Quarter.
• The February edition of Modern Luxuria includes stories about Atrium, Honi Honi, and Token Naturals, a cannabis business from Keenan Pascal of Token Bitters.
• Coliseum Steak & Pizza celebrates 50 years in business this year.
• Congratulations to the Workshop Eatery on their ten year anniversary.
• Feed the Soul co-founder Rochelle Ignacio shares some of her favourite Black-owned restaurants as a part of Black Futures Month.
• Lauren Kyle-McDavid’s new cookbook, called The Atelier Table, is now available to pre-order for $135. Edify shared her recipes from the cookbook for orange chicken and cashew lettuce wraps and spicy palomas.

What I Ate

• I was back in Calgary for work last week. Vietnamese subs have been a part of my travels on the bus as a wonderfully portable lunch.

Combo sub from Nhon Hoa

• One of the dinners with colleagues introduced me to Bar Chouette. It was a wonderful experience that will bring me back; the tasting menu was varied and excellent. Favourites: melt-in-your-mouth milk buns, delightfully crispy prawn katsu sandos, and the decadent cheese soufflé.

Cheese soufflé from Bar Chouette

• I ordered take-out for my return bus trip to Edmonton from the incredibly photogenic Lai Rai (I love their story of a father and daughter opening the restaurant). I especially enjoyed the beef carpaccio (and it travelled well!).

Lai Rai in Calgary (there’s something about red stools)

• I had the pleasure of leading a walking tour in Chinatown as a part of Togather on the weekend. Thankfully, the weather was the polar opposite (haha) of last year’s –30. This year’s tour focused primarily on Chinatown North, and the group sampled treats from several restaurants, including RJ Tasty Bites. Thanks for coming out!

Puto flan from RJ Tasty Bites (and owner Julie!)

• After the tour, my family met me for lunch at Xu Hue, for our last Chinatown Dining Week meal. Fans of Xu Hue will be happy to know their fabulous $20 deal (pho + appetizers) will now be featured year-round on their regular menu.

Rare beef salad from Xu Hue

• We would have also been remiss if we didn’t grab one last treat from Little Bon Bon, as they are closing again until May.

I always bon bon my ice cream

Openings

• Happy Lamb Hot Pot serving Mongolian-style hot pot, and is now open at 3838 Gateway Blvd NW. There are 11 other locations in Canada.
• Cookie shop COSW has opened up in the former Rock n Roll Ice Cream space at 10109 108 Avenue NW.
• Paraiso Tropical will be opening a new location with an “innovative concept” this year.
• With the closure of Epic at Station Park, the next iteration of the building will be the Station Park Food Hall, opening spring 2026.
• Chain cafe Chai Walla just opened their second location in Edmonton, at 2571 17 Street NW.

Closures

• Downtown taqueria Carne Asada is now closed.
• Also downtown, it looks like Gyu-Kaku is now closed.
• Takopo’s West Edmonton Mall location closed on February 1. The business will continue to operate its food truck.
• After ten years in business, Ayesha’s Kitchen and grocery store will be closing its doors.

Upcoming Events

• Burger It Forward runs February 1-28, 2026. 10 Edmonton restaurants are participating in this year’s event. Each burger sold will see Canada Beef donate $1 to Edmonton’s Food Bank.
• Winefest returns to the Edmonton Convention Centre on February 20-21. All-inclusive admission starts at $115.

Local News

• Taproot published a story about the King of Tarts’ new location, which formerly housed Sugared and Spiced.
• The Journal reviewed downtown’s newest restaurant, Fennec.
• Edify rounds up some north side restaurants where you can enjoy suhoor, the final meal before fasting during Ramadan.
• Edify also checks out Catch of the Week.
• Forbes covered the unique beers brewed by Blind Enthusiasm.
• NorQuest College’s new greenhouse microcredential program has a wait list.

What I Ate

• Chinatown Dining Week continues until February 8. Our family enjoyed the fried chicken skins from Kim Fat and the combo deal from Syphay last week.

Chinatown Dining Week deals (the chicken skin had already been picked over by my kids when we took the photo!)

Openings

• Jacek Chocolate has opened a location in St. Albert, at 150 Bellerose Drive, #107. It is their third standalone store in the Edmonton region.

Upcoming Events

• Shane Chartrand of Paperbirch is offering an Indigenous Taste of the Market on January 28 and February 11. Tickets are $120 and include 7-courses.
• Chinatown Dining Week is back, running January 29-February 8. Though I am no longer involved in the organizing committee, I am looking forward to eating my way through the $10 and $20 deals!
• I’m so happy to be returning as a volunteer to Togather. I’ll be leading a free walking tour (yes, in winter!) in Chinatown North on February 8. We’ll talk about the history of Edmonton’s two Chinatowns, discuss the future of the neighbourhood, and sample some of Chinatown’s culinary delights. Sign up here.
• Save the date for the return of Nosh Food Fest in Sherwood Park, which returns March 7-8.

Local News

• Edify has quietly changed Editor-in-Chiefs; Omar Mouallem is out, and Mifi Purvis is in.
• Tu Le and his brother have put Jack’s Burger Shack up for sale, to enable him to spend more time with his family.
• Slow Pour has debuted a new food menu, inspired by “small side-street beer bars of Copenhagen and the beer halls of Berlin and Prague.”
• Also in the beer family, it’s great to see another local collaboration, this time between Boa & Hare and Dog Island Brewing, for a limited edition Lunar New Year lager.
• Fn’za did a PSA for those in Central Edmonton to avoid the mark-up of third-party delivery apps by using their in-house delivery service.
• Zymo is soliciting for interest of private investors.
• Chartier has announced a new executive chef, Crystal Higgins. She is transitioning from her most recent role at the Royal Glenora Club.
• Edify checked out the latte design class at Liberta Coffee.
• The owners of Mokha Coffee House and Yemeni Palace Restaurants are working to revive Yemeni coffee traditions in Edmonton.
• CBC Radioactive’s beer columnist Jason Foster discussed what to expect in 2026 from the Alberta craft beer industry.
• Congratulations to Alberta Food Tours on their 20-year birthday!
• Local writers Mifi Purvis and Kim Larson (and former Edmontonian Jennifer Cockrall-King) have published a new cookbook called Worth the Weather, a “1970s snack-sized winter cookbook”.

What I Ate

• I spent much of last week in Calgary, and was able to explore some local eats. Ramen Ichinen was excellent – efficient, friendly service, and great bowls of ramen.

Tonkotsu from Ramen Ichinen

• Pho Dau Bo brought me to Calgary’s Little Saigon for the first time. Their broth was fantastic, and my colleague enjoyed the hearty stew. A shoutout to Dong for the stellar recommendations.

Pho from Pho Dau Bo

• Back home, it was time to reacquaint ourselves with Love Pizza’s mac and cheeza.

Mac and cheeza

Openings

• Flatboy Burgers is now open in Beaumont, inside Sea Change Brewing Co. at 5302 50 Street.
• DRTY Ice Cream has opened a location north of the river, inside Foosh at 10150 104 Street NW.
• Cheese Louise, a grilled cheese-focused spot, opened in Station Park in Old Strathcona last weekend.
• UK-based dessert chain Heavenly Desserts opened over the weekend at 10430 82 Avenue NW (formerly Cacao 70).
• Back in November, Spruce Grove’s El Taco Loco opened a location in Edmonton at 11520 100 Avenue (formerly Villa Bistro).
• Leduc has a new café called Pastry Heaven & Coffee Shop, at 5201 50 Street.
• It looks like Korean Fried chicken restaurant Bonchon is close to opening, at 10418 124 Street NW.
• BB2 Korean BBQ is opening a second location at West Edmonton Mall this spring.

Closures

• Epic Market at Station Park is now closed after nearly 2 years: “Operating at that corner was unfortunately a Herculean task without parking or foot traffic…We’ll be pursuing a new and improved home and let you all know as soon as possible!”

Upcoming Events

• Mother by Chartier is popping up at The Hub on Whyte on January 24.
• Filliep Lament has left Nowhere Wine Bar to pursue his Polish restaurant venture Jola’s full time. In the meantime, he will be hosting Slavic Supper Series on January 31 at Under the High Wheel, along with Davina Moraiko and Peter Zukiwski. Tickets are $75 for the 6-course family-style meal.

Local News

• Chinatown Chowdown was featured in the Journal.
• Also, The Journal reviewed all 19 of Wyrd Bier Adventure’s beverages.
• Edify has a round-up of some hot wings available in Edmonton, including Rob’s Famous Fried Chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken Flirty Bird, and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
• Uber Eats celebrated their 10 year anniversary in Canada with some highlights, including naming Edmonton the most polite Canadian city.

Beyond Edmonton

• I don’t typically link to the NYT because of their paywall, but an article by Tejal Rao this week about the grief experienced when your favourite restaurant closes is worth sharing. The final paragraph: “In the past, if I’d neglected to go back to an old place, it was because some small, delusional part of me thought it would always be there. But restaurants, like people, aren’t made to last forever. And it’s not stars or reels or lists that give a restaurant meaning — it’s going back, again and again.”

What I Ate

• It’s been a while since my last Too Good to Go order, but one from Fawkes last week was a great value at under $7. The cinnamon buns were delicious!

Too Good to Go Box from Fawkes

• I had been wanting to try the breakfast pop-up Brunch, Baby at the Fox Burger location in Westmount. It exceeded our expectations, with excellent food (I loved my spud bowl and its extra-crispy potatoes) and fun drawing pads available for kids. Bonus – it is super transit accessible, as we disembarked to the bus stop right in front of the restaurant!

Spud bowl from Brunch, Baby

• Our family had a wonderful time at Deep Freeze on the weekend. It is our tradition at the festival to snack on treats from Green Onion Cake Man.

Green onion cakes at Deep Freeze

• Our kids are over the moon that DRTY Ice Cream is now on our street. As a parent, I also love that their sorbabies are perfectly sized for kids, as golf ball-sized scoops. We’ll be back!

Ellie and Emily at DRTY Ice Cream

Happy New Year! I took an additional week off due to personal and work commitments, so there is a lot to catch up on.

Openings

• The folks behind Dagu have opened a hot pot restaurant called Boiling Hot Pot at 2848 James Mowatt Trail SW.
• Chianti’s has opened a second location in Riverbend, at 500 Riverbend Square NW.
• King of Tarts has re-opened a brick and mortar shop at 10334 82 Avenue NW (the former Sugared and Spiced location).
• Cocktail bar Plume Bar opened on Boxing Day at 10145 104 Street NW.
• After a ten year break, The Druid opened in the Mercer Warehouse on December 30.
• Calgary-based Gogi Korean BBQ has opened in Edmonton, at 4112 Calgary Trail.
• Sam’s Whyte Ave closed to make way for the owners to pivot to Banh Mi Nghia.
• Yelo’d announced that they will be opening a new location in Terwillegar/Riverbend.
• Flat Boy Burgers will be expanding to Beaumont.
• DRTY Ice Cream will be opening an indoor location downtown.
• Tarboosh Market, a Lebanese grocery store, is now open at 6873 Astra Boulevard NW.
• Calgary-based Perfect Meat Bowl, offering build-your-own hot pot, opened in December at 3316 Gateway Blvd. NW.
• Korean bubble tea chain Palgong Tea is now open in NorQuest College.
• UK-based dessert restaurant Heavenly Desserts will be opening a location in Edmonton, their first Canadian branch outside of Ontario and BC.
• I can’t believe the restaurant name is real, but it is: American chain Bag O’Crab is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• H & W opened a new store in St. Albert, at 90 McKenney Avenue.

Closures

• The Moth Cafe announced a planned closing date of November 2026. The reason is connected to plans to “revitalize this corner of the city.”
• After 50 years, Red Diamond House Restaurant will be closing at the end of January.
• Langano Skies announced their closure of their operations out of Barb & Ernie’s, with their last day being January 17. Langano Skies closed their brick and mortar shop in 2022.
• The owners behind vegetarian restaurant Loma House announced their retirement after 16 years in business. Their last day was January 10, 2026.
• Dosti is now closed, but hint that a “new Dosti experience is on the way.”

Upcoming Events

• Wyrd Bier Adventure is returning from January 7-February 1, featuring creative beers from 19 breweries. The Journal covered what to expect.
• Vagabond Pop-up is returning with Alpine Express “Express” at Little Wolf on January 17-18.
• Chinatown Dining Week returns January 29-February 8, 2026.

Local News

• It looks like CoffeePass has a direct competitor in Cafe Quest. Created by the folks behind Felice Cafe, they differentiate themselves with a minimum $5 value at each cafe, including food among what can be enjoyed, and that “profits are shared with our café partners – plus, a portion of every map goes to the Edmonton Food Bank.”
• Edify checked out Atrium and featured the story behind Hatch’d.
• The Tomato had a story about seven places for donairs in Edmonton – let the great debate continue.
• Modern Luxuria’s latest issue highlighted Fu’s Repair Shop and Mokha Coffee House.
• Evo Wonder Lounge posted that they could use more regular visits from folks to support being open for food and drinks seven days a week.
• Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen pitched for investment at CBC’s Dragon’s Den earlier this year, and the episode finally aired in December. They were unsuccessful.
• Steve and Dan’s Fruit also pitched at Dragon’s Den, for investment for their Pomme MD electrolyte apple juice drink. They were unsuccessful.
• The competition TV series Come Dine With Me is returning to Canada, and among its episodes, will feature five Edmonton amateur chefs.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• The Strathcona Rail Community Garden has been added to the City’s inventory of historic resources.

What I Ate

• I met up with a friend at Sofra for dinner, a restaurant I haven’t been to in years. We enjoyed the food – the beef meatballs were the standout.

Beef meatballs from Sofra

• We returned to A Cappella’s take-and-bake turkey dinner for the holidays. Long live turkey leftovers!

A Cappella take-and-bake provisions

• We had many pizzas to commemorate Mack’s birthday (his annual request). This year included a stop at Leopard. The kids approved.

Pizzas from Leopard (plus Ellie)

• Our family satisfied a soup craving over the holidays with dinner at King Noodle House. We love #photogo, but there’s nothing like not doing the dishes, too.

Happy to say my kids love bun bo hue just as much as I do!

• I spent some time in Calgary for work, and had dinner at Park by Sidewalk Citizen. The solarium probably feels much different when bathed in natural light; on a winter evening, the room was too dim and bleak for my liking. That said, the food made up somewhat for the surroundings – the watercress salad was bright and wonderfully textured.

Watercress salad and gnocchi from Park by Sidewalk Citizen

• Our family continued our annual tradition of adopting a Holiday Hamper family. Emily has reached the age where she asks about the hamper as we approach Christmas; we look forward to Ellie doing the same in the years to come.

On our way to delivering holiday cheer!

Openings

• The Druid reopens in the Mercer Warehouse (10363 104 Street NW) on December 18. It joins the Pawn Shop as another former venue re-opening after a decade.
• Hathaway’s Diner opened their third location in the Edmonton area on December 15 at 10141 124 Street NW.
• Pho Hoan Pasteur has opened their sixth location in the Edmonton area in South Park, #950, 3803 Calgary Trail NW.

Local News

• Award-nominated filmmaker Kevin Kossowan has partnered with wine personality Gurvinder Bhatia to produce an online show called I’m Still Hungry. The show celebrates “food, wine, craft beverage, music and arts scene and the significant role they play in the culture, economy and identity of our community.” Episode one is available online, and features Daniel Costa, Little Wolf’s Shaun Hicks, Guru’s Gurjeet Khaira, RGE RD’s Caitlin Fulton, and Cafe Caribbean’s Nadine Lewis and Patricia Ross.
• CTV had a story about the rise of people choosing to gift experiences this holiday season, including cooking classes at Awn Kitchen.
• Deep Freeze returns to 118 Avenue on January 17-18, 2026. The festival is recruiting participants for their perogy and tourtiere challenges. The application deadline is January 10.
• Edify has a round-up of winter patios.
• Alberta Native News profiled chef Shane Chartrand.
• Meuwly’s has launched Scale Kitchens, which offers the rental of commercial kitchen space, as well as The Hub, their pop-up space.
• The latest This is Edmonton podcast focuses on the changes and growth of Edmonton’s Food Bank.
• Chocolatier Colleen Heidecker has written the first of a 5-part book series called The Lagoon Chronicles.

What I Ate

This is likely my last Food Notes for the year, as things wind down for the year. I’ll be posting my yearly wrap-up and reflection in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading, and wishing you a wonderful holiday!

• I had lunch with friends at Zymo last week. I’ve always loved the natural light in that space from its days as Dalla, and Zymo has kept the decor palette neutral to make the most of it. The lunch menu has more Ukrainian options than can be found online, so we were pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the creamy mushroom soup, and appreciated the detail of warmed bread on the side.

Lunch from Zymo