Food Notes for April 22, 2013

I’m really looking forward to a brief vacation this week, when I’ll be heading to Toronto with my Mum to visit my sister. I will likely not be blogging while away, so make sure to check out my culinary counterparts if you’re looking for reading material! On to this week’s food notes:

• TEDx Edmonton’s next Salon event is all about food, “from how it gets produced to how we understand it before making purchasing decisions.” Speakers include Carol Neuman of 10 Mile Meal and Meagan Dear of Localize. Check it out on April 30, 2013 at the Mercer Warehouse.
• Chop Suey on the Prairies, an exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum about the history of Chinese restaurants in Alberta, opened on April 20, 2013. What the Truck?! has paired up with the exhibit to organize a special Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition, taking place in May. More details soon!
• Taste pairings are all the rage in Edmonton – we really enjoyed our wine and chocolate pairing a few months back. Now, Cookie Love and Alley Kat are hoping people might enjoy a cookie and beer pairing! Get your tickets to the May 17, 2013 event here, to be held at the Edmonton Petroleum Club. All proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House.
• Smokehouse BBQ’s Edmonton location is now re-open! Congrats to Terry and Sherry on getting the shop up and running again.
• Nearby, The Makk’s sister restaurant, Pure Kitchen (12325 102 Avenue), is also now open! Check them out for light breakfast and lunch fare.
• It looks like Menchies at 8705 109 Street, the newest frozen yogurt chain to open in Edmonton, will be open on April 23, 2013.
• Andrea wrote a review of Taste of Yogurt, another new fro-yo shop in Riverbend.
• Food trucks galore – I can hardly keep up! Liv posted a review on the newest truck to hit the streets, The Food Fighter, which specializes in all things parmigiana.
• The Cheesiry will be hosting a cheesemaking workshop on May 4, 2013.
• Speaking of cheese, we have wine and beer of the month clubs (courtesy of places like Sherbrooke Liquor), but how about a cheese of the month club? Check out Everything Cheese for more details on how you can sign up to receive a few different cheeses every month, starting in September.
• Congratulations to Sylvan Star for winning the awards for best gouda and farmhouse cheese at the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.
• Have you heard about FarmOn? It is a social media group trying to encourage young farmers to share their stories on social media.
• Michael Pollan has written a new book, called Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. It is his call for a return to the kitchen.
• A heads up that Pho Tau Bay will be closed April 29-June 30, 2013. A few coworkers and I made sure to visit last week to get our fill before the void begins.

My regular

• Eat Alberta 2013 is a wrap! Thanks to everyone who participated, from attendees, to presenters, to our fabulous volunteers. A special thanks to our MC Jennifer Crosby who kept things moving! I hope to write more about the conference in the next few weeks, but I have to say it was a pleasure working with my fellow committee members – we did it!

Allan’s brilliant tasting board

Have a good week!