Food Notes for August 31, 2009

Mack and I signed up for the AIDS Walk for Life this weekend – we had a blast last year, and think it’s a great cause to support. It’s taking place on September 20, beginning at Churchill Square. If you would consider sponsoring either Mack or myself, that would be awesome! On to this week’s food notes:

Has the downturn affected consumer spending in the food industry? Maybe, but data from Stats Can indicates it might be less than expected – sales in June of this year were down 1.2% from one year ago. Chances are – people are opting for cheaper meals, but not eating out any less.
Kelly posted about Urban China, a new Asian eatery which is set to open in the space formerly occupied by Rosie’s on 101 Street.
Vue Weekly reviewed the new-ish Indian Fusion restaurant this past week, granting it a mostly positive write-up.
Jon in Calgary wrote about his recent visit to a hybrid Tim Horton’s and Cold Stone Creamery – looks like it would be worth a try!
September’s edition of Avenue Magazine has a good article about the craft brewing business in Alberta.
It’s that time again – the Prairie Regional Barista Championships are just around the corner, taking place in Calgary on September 12. Transcend Coffee posted several links where you can follow their baristas in competition (we picked up a bag of their Sin Limites coffee from Costa Rica this weekend, which we were told Chad will be bringing to the competition – it’s great).
Starting September 29, VIA, Starbucks’ venture into instant coffee, will be available in all Starbucks locations in U.S. and Canada. I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of instant java, but I’ve heard good things about VIA.
The NYT wrote about “haycations” last week – where instead of a typical vacation involving a hotel, travellers are paying for the privilege to see what life on the farm is really like, complete with chores.
I think I’m in a bit of Frank Bruni overload (I just got my copy of his memoir, Born Round), but I did like this exit interview he did with a crew from Eater.
The Italian Centre in Little Italy has joined Wild Earth Foods as the second store in the city subscribing to the Eat Local First labelling system.

Eat Local First labels denote Bles Wold‘s “local” status

Hellmann’s Eat Real, Eat Local Campaign

I have been meaning to write about Hellmann’s Eat Real, Eat Local campaign for quite some time, but didn’t get to it until now. It’s old news now – a multinational launched a campaign this spring in an attempt to brand their mayonnaise as a local product, with the crux of the advertising directing consumers to their Eat Real, Eat Local website. The site did reach a milestone in August, reaching 100,000 “actions” for real food, which means Hellmann’s will donate $25,000 to Evergreen, a national organization that supports community food resources.

The Eat Real, Eat Local website has many noble facets: encouraging discussion surrounding what Canadians eat (particularly around imported products); offering concrete modes of action (e.g. pledging to take action, signing a petition to get grocers to offer more local products); and providing resources for how concerned citizens can redirect their spending habits and make more conscious choices. At the end of the day, the fact that a multinational with money is choosing to raise awareness about this important issue is good news for local organizations who are often running campaigns by the seat of their pants (I remember Jessie Radies explaining to me that the Eat Local First promotion is essentially done out of the back of her car).

That said, the website’s national scope fails to really capture the “local” movements at the root. Nothing says local better than those who live and thrive in the community – in Edmonton’s case, organizations like Slow Food Edmonton, Just Food Edmonton, or resources like the Alberta Farmers’ Market listing, Go Organic, and Eat Local First should have a place somewhere. The Flash design of the website also reduces the ability for users to easily share pages without permalinks.

There is some helpful information on the site, but users will have to dig – the Evergreen-compiled Real Food Guide is a good starter guide for those looking for concrete instructions on how to eat locally and get involved in the local food scene. Even with its Prairie scope, it’s the best thing on the whole website (click on “Learn” at the bottom left of the site, and download the PDF Prairies guide), and should have a more prominent placement. I will admit that there isn’t currently a “one-stop shop” of Edmonton-centric eat local resources in existence, so for the moment, the Real Food Guide isn’t a bad placeholder until something better is developed.

So because of the spotlight on choosing local, does it even matter that the involvement of Hellmann’s is a stretch? That their justification of using Canadian eggs and canola oil is enough to string a whole campaign on? That by pointing to community-based farmers’ markets, they seem to undermine their whole definition of Canada as “local”? If this is the campaign that opens the public’s eyes on what can be done to support local farmers, and Hellmann’s sells more mayonnaise in the process, then so be it. Hellmann’s can do what they want to try to identify themselves as “local”, but hopefully as consumers learn more about eating locally-sourced products, they will realize they can do better than picking up a jar of mayonnaise.

Green & Gold Community Garden

My Mum pointed out an article in Thursday’s Journal about a very cool community garden at the University of Alberta farm.

Green & Gold Community Garden

Volunteer-run, the Green & Gold Community Garden sells their vegetables on a pay-what-you-can basis, with 100% of proceeds going directly to Tubahumurize, a non-profit organization based in Rwanda that “supports and empowers socially and economically marginalized women with counselling, life-skills coaching, health care education, and opportunities for sustainable income generating activities.”

Mack, my Mum and I drove out to the garden this afternoon, intent on picking up some vegetables for ourselves. At the garden, a volunteer explained that we would be matched with another volunteer who would help us harvest the vegetables of our choosing. We were encouraged to wander through the garden, but told to stick on the paths.

Harvesting lettuce

Corn will be coming along shortly

Sunflowers!

Though zucchini, tomatoes, turnips, beans, peas, corn, cucumbers have been planted, they either weren’t ready yet, or had been picked through for the day already. Swiss chard, leeks, beets and a variety of herbs were available, but we were happy with some beautiful red and green leaf lettuce and a handful of baby carrots.

My Mum and I with our vegetables

We paid $20 for the vegetables, knowing all the money would go to a good cause. What a fantastic idea – I hope this project continues next year!

The Green & Gold Community Garden open Tuesdays 7-9pm and Saturdays 1-3pm – check the website for directions.

Ten Things to do in Edmonton Before Summer’s Out

No, your eyes are not deceiving you – leaves are indeed starting to change their hue. So before this season has transformed completely into fall, here are ten ideas to help you make the most of our fleeting summer days.

Revel in Alberta’s Bounty: nothing says fresh like the outdoors, and my favourite farmers’ markets are always those in the open air, unbridled and set under a bright blue sky. There are a few outdoor markets to choose from, but there are only a few weeks remaining in their season: St. Albert runs until September 26, City Centre operates until October 10, Mill Woods closes October 1, and Callingwood wraps-up October 11. Or even better, harvest your own fall produce at a local U-pick farm.

Get Lost in a Corn Maze: a corn maze brings out the kid in all of us! Or in some cases, reverts us to the children that we were (with us, that means cheating with shortcuts, heh). The Edmonton Corn Maze presents a new challenge every year based on an event or theme prominent that year, with stunning aerial shots to prove it. Just go before the first frost hits – otherwise the mood and task are undercut by other heads bobbing above the stalks.

Visit a Warm Weather City Attraction: Fort Edmonton Park got my vote as the best of the City-run attractions even before they added the wonderfully charming 1920s midway. It’s only fully open until September 27. Or, take a walk down to visit the fun (and free!) John Walter Museum.

Do as the Tourists Would: I wrote about a few sample itineraries last year to help people explore some remarkably walkable parts of Edmonton, and included notable things to check out along the way, as well as places to stop for sustenance. The tours are meant to be done on foot, and it’s infinitely less burdensome to do so while still warm out!

Picnic in the River Valley: one of Edmonton’s most talked-about attractions probably gets used the least by locals who end up admiring it from afar. Break the pattern – head to the Italian Centre to pick up some fresh bread, meats, cheeses and a couple of cold drinks, and have a picnic down by the river – at Louise McKinney Park, perhaps?

Enjoy a Canopied Boulevard: one particular Pecha Kucha speaker about tree-lined streets stuck with me. It was about boulevard aesthetics, and how the age of an area can be estimated based on the height and canopy development of its trees. After the presentation, I began to really notice the trees, and how far the deciduous awning stretched, and started to appreciate their shade functionality, character, and beauty. Consider visiting one of Edmonton’s older neighbourhoods, such as Riverdale, Garneau or Oliver, and enjoy the canopies – while they last.

Play Outdoors: how about go-kart racing at Whitemud Amusement Park? Paddleboating at Hawrelak Park? Or a round of mini-golf at Rundle Park? If anything, outdoor amusements are a fun way to break the usual weekend routine before huddling around a fire becomes the norm.

Take a Photowalk: the idea is simple – put on a comfortable pair of shoes, grab your camera, choose a course and take photos along the way. It’s not the destination or even the location that’s important, but what you capture en route. It’s guaranteed you will discover something new about a familiar neighbourhood, or begin to appreciate the small things that have been previously overlooked.

Dine Al Fresco: while our patio season is extended with those ubiquitous space heaters, I find it’s always a nicer meal when the weather naturally allows for al fresco dining. Before the chill breaks, hit up your favourite patio, or try a new one – how about brunch at the New York Bagel Café, dessert at Vi’s for Pies, or dinner on Hotel MacDonald’s stunning balcony? Heck, just grab a hot dog at a Fat Franks stand.

People Watch: a past time on it’s own accord, pick a bench or a sidewalk patio, and watch the world go by. The days might be getting shorter, but we can fool ourselves a little longer.

Enjoy the last weekend in August!

The Cooking Chronicles: End-of-Summer Chili

Never take ingredients in your fridge for granted, particularly if expiration dates or other people are involved. I learned this lesson recently while making Rachael Ray’s end-of-summer chili.

I was near the end of the recipe – a chili packed with more vegetables than meat – and asked Mack to retrieve a bottle of beer from the fridge in our office to add to the simmering dish. He came back, regretfully empty handed, and said that he had drank the last bottle the night previous. I had sworn we had multiple bottles of beer just a few days back – and we did – but Mack’s hot weather thirst had to be quenched somehow. We resorted to using one of my beer coolers: Alley Kat’s Aprikat, which actually didn’t end up sweetening the dish as much as we thought it might.

I loved the chili, mostly because it was packed with vegetables (our default chili recipe involves the slow cooker, which would have pulverized the zucchini), and had decent flavour considering the quick cooking time. Mack would have preferred something with more meat (as always), but liked it. We did end up straining out some of the liquid, as it didn’t reduce much at all, and next time, would drain the canned tomatoes first.

End-of-Summer Chili

An easy meal to help bridge summer to fall – what could be more seasonal?

Country Cuisine: Tomato Fare

Though we missed this year’s Taste of Summer in St. Albert, we trusted from our previous experience with Edmonton’s Countryside’s Country Cuisine that their first ever Tomato Fare event would be just as festive and delicious.

Tomatoes galore!

Mack and I met up with May at the Country Road Greenhouses in Strathcona County. Parking attendant volunteers were out in full force, directing traffic to spaces still available – though it seems like a minor detail, given how hodgepodge the cars could have been scattered, it was much appreciated.

For $15 admission, we were given 6 taste tickets right off the bat (additional tickets could be purchased for $1 each), and a welcome bag that included, among other things, an Atco Blue Flame cookbook. A folk singer helped set the tone (Mack observed that all food events of this nature default to folk), and the atmosphere was light and carefree. A few of the food vendors (and lone beer purveyor) were set-up outside along the perimeter of the designated eating area, but the majority of them were inside one of the stifling greenhouses. And though having the option of shelter was good given that clouds threatened rain, the setting definitely wasn’t as glorious at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park.

Country Road Greenhouses

Pretty zucchini and squash

Tomato Fare is an event similar to Taste of Edmonton, but all of the dishes incorporated fresh, local ingredients. In an effort to decide what to sample, the three of us did a round past the vendors. Unfortunately, everything looked so tempting that the only thing the visual preview determined was that we would all have to top up our ticket wealth. Eventually though, we all bit the bullet and redeemed our tickets (most of the utensils and containers used were biodegradable, but we should have brought our own regardless).

Inside one of the greenhouses

Mack chilling with his beer

An unusual tomato muffin by the Country Road Greenhouse won my first vote, even though it was tiny and garnered the price of 1 ticket. It was slightly sweet, and had a rather mild, but fresh, tomato flavour.

Savoury Mini Tomato Muffin

Barbecued suckling pig from the Pipestone Food Company looked and sounded promising, but never having been the most graceful eater, and combined with the fact that the fatty pork hadn’t been sawed into cubes meant it was one of the messiest dishes I have ever eaten in public. While it was good, I can’t say I enjoyed it.

BBQ Suckling Pig with Bread

The best deal of the lot was an Irving Farm Fresh sausage roll, made by Cook’s Corner. Nothing beats puff pastry stuffed with ground sausage, and all three of us indulged in one each.

Sundried Tomato Basil Sausage Roll

Mack’s favourite dish was the butter chicken from Taste of India.

Butter Chicken

A refreshing carrot and cilantro salad from Cafe Haven finished off my tickets. I loved the bright orange ribbons specked with bursts of green, dressed with citrus juice and sesame oil.

Carrot & Cilantro Salad

Mack opted to end his sampling with dessert – ice cream with saskatoon berry topping from Shallow Creek Nursuries. The fruit topping was more like a jam, and overwhelmed the ice cream in both consistency and concentration. Still, it was a treat that helped cool us off in the glaring heat.

Ice Cream with Saskatoon Berry Topping

Feeling satisfied, we wandered to the family-friendly games area, with tomato bocce ball and putting green. I tried my hand at the latter – it was harder than it looked!

Trying my best

Before we left, I picked up a container of heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes – the deep purple, almost brown colour of the tomatoes was too unusual to resist. They tasted slightly sweeter than the usual red cherry tomatoes.

Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes

Given the quality and creativity behind the food, Edmonton Countryside’s tasting events are worth seeking out. Their next big promotional event will be the Fall Country Drive event – check here for dates.

You can see Mack’s full photo set here.

Food Notes for August 24, 2009

I started my day off this morning with fantastic news – Edmonton’s Fringe reigns supreme! Stage a Revolution absolutely smashed Winnipeg’s 81,000 record – 92,100 tickets were sold this year. Way to go Edmonton! Now on to this week’s food notes:

I finally finished reading Julia Child’s My Life in France. Though this was my second attempt at reading it, I have to say watching Julie & Julia gave me the needed push to finish the book. It’s a lovely memoir, filled with vibrant prose and hilarious accounts of Julia’s trials at Le Cordon Bleu and her decade long struggle to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I loved her use of words (“marketing” and “cookbookery”), and do think the movie undercuts how much work really went into Mastering (for example, I cannot imagine communicating exclusively via air mail…in this age of technology, I can’t fathom anything less than instant). I appreciated the glimpse into the making of an American legend, and reading about the absolute joy that Julia found in cooking.
On the topic of books – Edmonton Public Library is having their back-to-school booksale this weekend – pick up some new reading material for next to nothing, and perhaps a new cookbook or two!
The Endless Feast is a PBS show that explores “the connection between the earth and the food we eat, one incredible feast at a time”. They will be filming an upcoming episode in Edmonton on Friday at Peas on Earth and at the City Centre Market on Saturday. It’s awesome that an American show will be featuring our city in all its glory.
I missed out on Mary Ellen and Andres’ picnic on their Greens, Eggs and Ham Farm this year in favour of the Fringe and another local food event, but I was happy that Valerie wrote a detailed account of it.
This is old news by now, but in case you missed it – Transcend Coffee’s second location is official: they will be taking over the Garneau space formerly occupied by Pharos Pizza. The cafe is set to open in January 2010.
Speaking of coffee – Vue Weekly had a short piece about the relatively new JoJo’s Cafe, located inside La Piazza Dasee, this week. Turns out the barista learned his chops from Transcend (every new cafe seems to have a tie to Transcend, eh?). On a related note – the Edmontonian reviewed some of JoJo’s brunch offerings here.
The Journal had a piece on Saturday featuring the results of a gelato taste test. The unlikely winner? Chocolate Exquisite. I’ll have to make a point to stop by sometime soon.
If you’ve walked past Rice Howard Way, you probably noticed this sign on Co Co Di’s doors – it reads: “Co Co Di will be reopening later this year. We look forward to serving you in our new location on Jasper Avenue between 114 & 115 Street, north side”. I hope they get some foot traffic with the move west.
Janice tipped me off that there will be a third location of Famoso in South Edmonton Common (in the area with the new Gap and Banana Republic outlets). They do already have an address and number ready to go – 1437 99 Street, 780-468-0000.
President Obama said that he would like to see a farmers’ market set up in front of the White House. Who knows if that would ever happen, but how cool is it that POTUS made mention of it?
The second artsScene Party took place at Latitude 53, and allowed us to scope out what is billed as the “only downtown rooftop patio”. Being at the top of a two-storey building wasn’t what I had in mind, but it still picked up a nice cool breeze. Of course, the gallery itself has a few pretty cool exhibits right now, including Trespass Act and a community gallery featuring this striking work by a Victoria High School student titled “Between Liberty and Freedom”.

Latitude 53 Rooftop Patio

On our way to the City Centre Market on Saturday, we stopped to gawk at the new community garden in Mack’s neighbourhood. It’s beautiful, with circular paths in between plots, benches, and perhaps even a future water feature.

Oliver Community Garden

Starved and with only $5 cash between us, Mack and I wracked our brains for something affordable to eat on the Fringe grounds on Sunday. Luckily, we remembered Chicago Deep Dish (8114 104 Street, 780-413-8866). At $2.50 a slice, it’s still the most economical purchase on Whyte.

Ham & Pineapple Slice from Chicago Deep Dish

Chris had mentioned something food-related was under construction next to Bubble Juice on Whyte. Turns out, he was right – Irie Foods will be open on September 1, 2009. It looks like they have another location in Mill Woods – anyone know if this is replacing that store or is an additional one?

Irie Foods on Whyte

It will be hefty competition for TZiN, but Kelsey seemed to know it was coming: Lit Wine Bar will be opening up on the ground floor of one of the Icon Towers.

LIT Wine Bar on 104th Street and Jasper Avenue

There’s also a new bubble tea place in Chinatown on 97th Street. What downturn?

Bubble Tea Cafe

Stage a Revolution: Day 11

Our last day at this year’s Fringe was short and sweet – two plays nearly back-to-back, which, given that the skies threatened rain all day, meant that the prospect of getting drenched waiting in line was somewhat lessened.

We started the afternoon off at a new Fringe venue – The Laugh Shop – to see The Art of Being a Bastard. Set-up cabaret style not unlike the Yardbird Suite (which I similarly don’t like), the hodgepodge of chairs and tables wasn’t an ideal theatre. The play, one of two written by Matt Alden this year, was another very contemporary look at life, this time out of the lens of three shy twenty-somethings who wished they had more luck with the ladies. It was an enjoyable hour, though it did take a while to get going. The three actors kept up with the fast-paced production very well, juggling multiple characters and visibly sweating after a few of the frantic side-scenes (Mack in particular enjoyed the rap number, while I loved the Saturday Night Fever nod). It was another light, fun play that I imagine was written specifically for the Fringe, but of the two I watched in this category, Space was better.

Our last play this year was David Belke’s A Final Whimsy. Watching Belke’s yearly offering (this year marked his twentieth festival) has become a tradition for me. Whimsy focused on two sisters rehearsing a song for their father’s upcoming wedding, and needing to hash out some of the mysteries surrounding their mother’s departure from their young lives. Although the church setting was appropriate given the context of the play, the echoing acoustics made the dialogue hard to follow sometimes, particularly when the conversations were heated. That said, the vaulted ceilings worked for the musical portions of the show, with Andrea House’s rendition of “All I Have to Do is Dream” being the delightful standout. In all, it was a sweet story about family and what people will do to protect each other from painful truths.

Because the shows I wanted to see all scheduled themselves so well this year I didn’t end up spending that many days on the grounds. For that reason, it felt like I could have seen twice as many productions as I did. Of course, although the Fringe ended today, there are still opportunities to catch several popular shows that have been held over – check out the schedule here.

Thanks for a great Fringe! I am looking forward to next year already.

Stage a Revolution: Day 7

The food at the Fringe has been disappointing so far this year – Funky Pickle’s booth is nowhere to be seen, and the vendors we have visited on site have not been very good. Mack’s mini doughnuts were a little sad, and sweet potato fries from The Punky Potato only resembled its namesake in colour.

As a result, we’ve been hitting up Whyte Ave for sustenance – Fat Franks, and on Wednesday, the take-out window at Origin India. We both had a butter chicken wrap ($8.95, including a can of pop). The naan is, dare I say, the best in the city, and contained within was some rice, red peppers, and saucy butter chicken. Mack was impressed with the ingenious bag it was contained in, to help avoid sauce-on-clothes contact. I wished for some fresh herbs, and maybe some more prominent onion goodness, but as a whole the wrap made for a pretty good quick meal.

Butter Chicken Wrap from Origin India

Having taken the day off, I started off day 7 of the Fringe solo. My first show that day was Unsolicited Mail, portrayed as a love story between a listless man who mails spam for a living and an anonymous phone sex operator. Between the two main actors, Fiona Morris’s low-key, laid-back emotion felt far more genuine; Fred Krysko’s frantic, climactic breakdown seemed forced and over-the-top. And though the message of resounding loneliness in a world dominated by sensational stories and personal distance was relatable ( a world where Krysko’s character worked alongside another person for three years but did not get to know one another), something just didn’t click.

Thankfully, my day would get better – Space, a Panties Production featuring Jocelyn Ahlf (one of my favourites), Belinda Cornish and Mark Meer was light, fun fare that hit the spot. About a trio of women sent to explore the possibility of other life in the galaxy, there were a multitude of hilarious one-liners and the perfect role for Meer to once again steal the show. He played an android with human aspirations not unlike his character in Salon of the Talking Turk, with a mechanical laugh that almost always set the audience off (“my fleshy colleagues”, heh). Kristen Padayas, who I had seen but didn’t stand out in The Addelpated Nixie, was actually quite well-cast, and revelled in her role of the naive crew member. See Space if you’re looking for a non-committal, but entertaining show.

I met up with Mack for our final production of the day – Totem Figures by the one-of-a-kind TJ Dawe. I typically avoid one-person shows because they are so hit-or-miss, but Dawe is the one exception to that rule. On Wednesday, he didn’t disappoint. Totem Figures is Dawe’s bio, a play about the influential figures and myths in his life where he ponders the question – “who would be on your personal Mt. Rushmore?” Artfully written, seemingly unrelated anecdotes were woven together to form a rich tapestry of learning and experience. As always, his delivery – demonstrative of his expertise in manipulating the rhythms of the English language – swathes the audience in that magical feeling only achieved when watching someone very good at their craft. I do hope he returns to next year’s Fringe.

Two more plays to go!

East Meets West Festival

After a trip to the City Centre Market (after a few busy weekends and the Fringe, I think I was going through withdrawal), Mack and I walked over to Chinatown to check out the first East Meets West Festival.

We weren’t sure what to expect – the grassroots committee had put together the festival as a means to promote the Chinatown and Little Italy neighbourhoods – but if anything, we were happy that the event seemed to attract locals that perhaps wouldn’t otherwise set foot in the area.

Lion Dance

We arrived just on time for the opening lion dance, and ended up wandering up 97th Street which had been closed to traffic. As Mack noted, the tables were too spread out and sporadic, and there was a definite lack of food vendors (food smells are half the reason outdoor fairs attract crowds). Still, knowing that this is hopefully the first of many such festivals, I’m sure it will be much improved next year.