Food Notes for February 26, 2018

Emily is one month old today! I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly. I couldn’t get to this post last week, with family in town, Lunar New Year celebrations, and Emily’s baby shower over the long weekend, but as a new parent, I’m learning to not sweat the small stuff! On to a catch-up edition of Food Notes:

• Get Cooking has organized their first ever Kitchen Challenge, running on March 2, 2018. Inspired home cooks can sign up to compete in a judged “black box” competition – the cost for two participants is $270.
• NAIT is hosting a reception-style food pop-up with XIX Nineteen’s Chef Andrew Fung on March 5, 2018. Tickets are $30.
• Mark your calendar – Downtown Dining Week is back, running from March 9-18, 2018. 35 restaurants are offering set menus for $18, $30, or $45.
• The Edmonton branch of the Canadian Culinary Federation is hosting a Taste of PEI fundraising dinner on March 10, 2018. Tickets for the 5-course meal are $110.
• This year’s High School Culinary Challenge Awards dinner takes place on March 12, 2018. Tickets are $35 and include a 3-course meal. Linda has a run down of the competition that occurred in February.
• It looks like Chartier’s first mini farmers’ market was such a success that it’s returning on March 12, 2018 from 4-8pm. On March 26, 2018, Chartier will also be hosting a Prairie on a Plate dinner – tickets for the 4-course meal are $75.
• The next Chef’s Showcase dinner hosted by the Italian Centre will feature the Shaw Conference Centre’s Serge Belair. It is scheduled for March 14, 2018, with tickets priced at $80.
• Want to learn about about how you can minimize food waste? Leftovers YEG is hosting an educational evening and meet and greet with their board on March 19, 2018.
• Cafe Bicyclette’s annual Sugar Shack dinners will be offered in March and April – book your space in their tent in advance.
• The sessions for this year’s Eat Alberta has been released. Tickets for the April 29, 2018 event are available here.
• Kids in the Hall (the social enterprise located in City Hall) has rebranded and reopened as The Hallway Cafe.
• Food in the Nud (a vendor at the City and Old Strathcona markets) now has a storefront location at 9628 76 Avenue.
• Macarons & Goodies has opened up a second location in St. Albert (50 St. Thomas Street).
• Buok Fresh, offering “Korean bowls inspired by mom’s kitchen”, is coming soon to 10707 100 Avenue.
• Yelo’d, a forthcoming shop that will serve up Asian-inspired soft serve and baked goods, is looking for your support – they’ve put up crowdfunding-style rewards in the hopes of raising some capital for their storefront.
• Squish Candies will have a location in Southgate Centre.
• North 53 will be closing as of March 31, 2018 (OEB, the Calgary-based breakfast restaurant, will be opening up a second location in that spot).
• Vue Weekly’s 2018 Golden Fork Award winners were released last week.
• Liane highlights some of the newest breakfast joints in Edmonton, including Brown Butter Cafe on the south side.
• Graham offers one of the first reviews of Why Not.
• Also from Graham, he had a near-perfect experience again at RGE RD.
• The Journal is the latest outlet to visit Mayday Dogs.
• Twyla had a positive experience at Pip.
• Crystal recently indulged in a seven-course meal at Characters.
• Vue Weekly pubilshed reviews of Nuovo Bistro, Rooster Kitchen & Cafe, and Sahara Palace.
• YEG Foodie has a recap of Northern Chicken’s “Ultra Hot Sandwich Challenge” – where diners sign a waiver before consuming a very spicy chicken sandwich in 20 minutes. Those who complete the challenge were rewarded with a t-shirt, ice cream, and the cost of the sandwich is waived.
• Maximo’s Pizza & Donair held a grand re-opening last weekend to let Edmontonians know the restaurant is back up and running. The owner Riza Kasikcioglu had become known for his heroics in saving residents from a burning building across the street last January.
• Twyla has a nice retrospective of how the Edmonton food scene has changed, particularly highlighting the leaps and bounds made over the last decade. Here is the article version of her piece.
• Fort Saskatchewan’s Two Sergeants Brewing Inc. is relocating to Edmonton.
• The Globe has a great read on Indigenous cuisine in Canada.
• Sharp Magazine rounds up some reasons to visit Edmonton.
• The Marc’s Patrick Saurette has been elected the Chair of the Board of Restaurants Canada, which represents a “community of 30,000 foodservice businesses, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and suppliers.”
• The City of Edmonton has partnered with River City Events for the Hello, Let’s Eat! collaboration. Kits are available free of charge for those who want to host a community or neighbourhood meal, in the spirit of “turning strangers into friends”. It’s a great idea!
• Congratulations to Honest Dumplings and South Island Pie Company who have acquired production space in the Oliver area which will include a retail component featuring local products.
• Learn the story behind Winding Road Cheese.
• It was nice having my sisters back for a visit last week! Among the family activities was a cupcake taste test, in preparation for Felicia’s wedding this summer.

Cupcakes!

• We held Emily’s “sip and see” (aka her post-natal baby shower) last weekend. My Mum and my sisters did an amazing job organizing the party, and fulfilled my two requests: Zwick’s Pretzels, and a doughnut cake from Farrow (because all I craved during the pregnancy was pastries).

Savoury and sweet snacks for Emily’s “sip and see”

• City Market shoppers will be sad to learn that Ed Horvath of Sunshine Organic passed away earlier this month. Mack and I always enjoyed our weekly visits with Ed and Sherry as we picked up our eggs and poultry.  Condolences to Sherry and the rest of the family.

Ed and Sherry Horvath