Food Notes for June 15, 2020

Edmonton Sun Columnist Graham Hicks Departs Publication

Last week, two local food writers re-surfaced previously published reviews written by Graham Hicks in the Edmonton Sun. Carmen Cheng excerpted 2015 reviews of Korean restaurant NongBu, where Hicks questioned whether the restaurant is “too ethnic”, and another of Kazoku Ramen, where Hicks wrote that to make ramen, “Your momma could open a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, dress it up with oriental accessories and proclaim it ramen.” Cheng referred to the reviews as “racist” and as “whitewashing of content by food media.”

The next day, Hicks announced in his final column that he was re-retiring from the Edmonton Sun without referring to the social media uproar. He also deleted his Twitter accounts that same day.

Linda Hoang took issue with Hicks’ lack of accountability for his actions, tweeting, “This is truly an upsetting display of his own white privilege. By doing this, Graham is essentially telling everyone that he does not care if we think he’s racist. He does not care if his words hurt anyone. He will not learn from his mistakes (if they were unintentional).”

In the wake of his departure, Hoang is hopeful that “the Edmonton Sun chooses to take this opportunity to consider whether a BIPOC writer’s perspective could better serve this space.”

COVID-19-related News:

• Restaurants continue to announce their re-opening for dine-in services. Vaticano, Dagu, Blue Plate Diner, and Kind Ice Cream have, or will be welcoming dine-in guests this week.
• Juniper Cafe is re-opening for take-out on June 16, 2020, and is launching “love funding” (aka a crowdfunding campaign) to help with cash flow. The owners chatted with Edmonton AM about how this came about.
• Liane covered how some restaurants are collaborating with other businesses to remain sustainable in the pandemic – including Workshop Eatery’s drive-in, Pip and Color De Vino’s online wine tastings, and The Public’s food boxes.
• Though restaurants have been permitted to re-open to dine-in services, many including Haus Falkenstein and Olympus Donair continue to struggle with little to no traffic.
• #Takeoutday continues with a “wing edition” on June 17, 2020. The organizers are encouraging diners to order their favourite wings for take-out that night.
• Local Cart is another grocery delivery service, offering products from small, specialty food stores.

Openings

• Amandine Cafe is now open at 8927 82 Avenue.
• Malina Ukrainian Bakery, located at 629 Cameron Heights Drive, is now open.
• Congratulations to Gangnam Street Food, who will be opening their fourth location on June 25, 2020 in Kingsway Mall.
• It looks like Downtown is gaining another restaurant, called 99 Sunflower Eatery at 10010 104 Street.

Closures

• Starbucks announced further closures of up to 200 additional stores this year in Canada.

Upcoming Events

• Food Bike Tours have branched out into offering online Chef Kitchen Tours, just in time for Father’s Day. Attendees will be guided through recipes in a 30 minute interactive session, using ingredients delivered to their door, at the price of $90 for two people. The first two chefs scheduled in June are from Sabor and Bodega.
• 15 hospitality businesses located in Alberta Avenue are participating in this year’s Dine the Ave. They will be featuring special menu items available to order (including through Door Dash) all through the month of July.

Reviews

• Twyla returned to Narayanni’s, the first restaurant she reviewed for CBC 10 years ago. She had forgotten “how freaking delicious the masala chicken is…and how rich and hearty the cream-free curries are.”

Local News

• Many restaurants are offering options for home-based Father’s Day celebrations, including Father’s Day Beer & Cupcakes from Town Square Brewing and The Art of Cake, a take-home feast and Old Fashioned kits from RGE RD, and the “man pack” from the Italian Centre.
• If you’re looking for something to help cool off, Bianco is now offering house-made gelato and sorbet in cups, cones, and pints.
• Emma Tu is a 13 year-old entrepreneur selling mango sticky rice through home delivery.
• The University of Alberta Botanic Garden is offering the “Twilight Picnic Experience” this summer, combining exclusive access to the garden after hours and a picnic box sourced from local vendors. I was invited to try it out and wrote about my experience. Karen Anderson also shared her take of the evening.
• Cam Tait shared his fond memories of visiting Peters’ Drive-In in Calgary.
• AMA featured the couple behind Love Pizza, Braede Harris and Gavin Fedorak, and how they’re giving back to the community.
• Edmonton will be gaining two FreshCo stores, the discount brand of Sobey’s and Safeway. They will be located in the Heritage and Tamarack neighbourhoods, and will open in Spring 2021.

Beyond Edmonton

• Last week, Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport resigned after accusations of a racist culture at the magazine.

What I Ate

• We’ve been meaning to order burgers from Wishbone’s pop-up restaurant Grey Mare for some time, but didn’t get to it until last weekend. We tried the Daisy Duke and the Nashville hot chicken – both were very tasty. The carbonara croquettes were the standout for us though! If you’re looking to try it, make sure to order soon as it’s their last week before reverting back to Wishbone’s menu!

Grey Mare’s Daisy Duke in the park