TYP TOP Bakery is a Sweet Social Enterprise

Running a business in the pandemic is not for the faint of heart, let alone operating a social enterprise that relies on sales to provide participants provides connection and meaningful employment.

Clark Hardy, Founder & Director of the Trinity Youth Project, has had a whirlwind few years doing just that. He started the project as an art-based program while working as a high-risk youth worker. However, in 2019, after being hired on full-time by the Anglican Diocese, he introduced a small baking program as a way of providing employment opportunities for vulnerable youth in Edmonton. “With the pandemic hitting in early 2020, we had to put our art program on hold,” said Hardy. “But because the bakery was considered an essential service, we were able to continue to grow that.” The bakery was rebranded as TYP (Trinity Youth Project) TOP Bakery.

Since being established, about 60 youth have been involved in TYP TOP Bakery. “In addition to our employment stream, we also take on youth looking to complete volunteer hours, sometimes as part of a restorative justice agreement, or probation conditions,” said Hardy. “This allows us to build further connections with more youth, and opens up the door for them to work with us as positions become available.” They work closely with the employment program at the Youth Empowerment Support Services, and have helped a few youth work towards long-term careers in the food industry.

The bakery started with a few of Hardy’s family recipes, specifically his grandmother’s cinnamon buns and dinner buns. More recently, they’ve added some new items, such as stuffed cookies. “These have been really fun to work on because the youth get to be very directly involved in coming up with crazy new ideas and flavour combinations in a way we haven’t been able to do with some of our previous staples,” said Hardy. Flavours include peanut butter & Reese’s Pieces, and vanilla birthday with sprinkles. Just in time for Mother’s Day, TYP TOP has launched a box that includes a half-dozen chocolate dipped strawberries along with two feature cookies.

The pandemic has led to some opportunities but also many challenges. “As a result of the pandemic, we were able to apply for and received several government grants that allowed us to hire on some staff,” said Hardy. Those staff included Chef Kelsey Johnson (formerly of Cafe Linnea, which has permanently closed), who helped with recipe and product development for a six month period. Through the grants, TYP TOP was also able to increase the number of days they were baking and offer more hours to the youth. “We were able to provide thousands of baked goods for other vulnerable folks around the city through various church meal programs and other non-profit organizations, so it was really a win-win,” said Hardy.

TYP TOP Bakery has collaborated with a number of local restaurants, including Baijiu and Biera, where they’ve featured some of their goods on their menus. More consistently, they provide baking to Lui-Chi’s Cafe, The Dapper Beaver, Fringe Grounds Cafe, and Flat Boy Burgers. “Our wholesale partners have really been great as they’ve provided at least some stability in an otherwise very chaotic year with all of its ups and downs,” said Hardy. “Each of these have been great for the youth to get to see their baking in great food establishments around the city.”

An ongoing challenge for the bakery is the lack of a dedicated space. Last year, TYP TOP participated in some markets and special events, but with those on hold due to public health restrictions, their goods are only available via pick-up once a week from Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Old Strathcona or The Grizzlar. Also, they will need to find a new kitchen in the very near future. “[The Church] has graciously allowed us to operate out of their facility, but once their regular operations resume, the kitchen won’t be as available,” said Hardy.

In the meantime, their website is open for orders. “When people support TYP TOP Bakery, not only are they getting to try some exciting and unique baking, but they are also having a direct positive impact in their community,” said Hardy.

COVID-19-related News

• The Local Omnivore has decided to voluntarily close over the weekend due to a staff member being in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
• Be weary of dining outdoors in enclosed tents, says Dr. Stephanie Smith, a University of Alberta Hospital infectious disease specialist. The provincial outdoor dining guidelines also prohibit structures with roofs to have more than one wall.

Openings

• The Edmonton location of Pablo Cheese Tart, at 10163 81 Avenue, opened on April 24, 2021.
• The Colombian has rescheduled their grand opening of the French Quarter location to May 1, 2021 to accommodate the self-isolation period of their exposed staff members.
• Chef Daniel Costa didn’t go ahead with his take-out concept Zio’s in April 2020, but a year later, he’s revived the idea. The pop-up is their “take on some Italian American chow”, and is available only through pick-up, Friday to Sunday.
• Anticipation continues to build for the Seoul Fried Chicken location on 104 Street.

Upcoming Events

• Root 107, part of Downtown Spark, takes place April 28 – May 2, 2021, and will see a variety of food trucks set up along a pop-up public space with art, greenery, and unique seating areas.
• Firefly Theatre has organized a unique fundraiser called Bread & Circus that is part virtual cooking class and part performance. On April 30, 2021, attendees will learn to bake Fougasse Bread with Get Cooking, and while the bread bakes, they will be treated to circus acts and live-streamed music. Tickets are $100 per household and include a bread making kit delivered to your door. Ticket sales end on April 28.
• Free Wheelin’ Food Truck Fest returns on May 7, 2021 from 3-8pm at Kingsway, and will feature ten food trucks in the parking lot of Kingsway Mall.
• Save the date for Al Fresco on 4th, which returns to 104 Street June 5, 2021, and will run every Saturday from 10am-3pm until September 11, 2021.
• The Edmonton Craft Beer Festival has been scheduled for September 17-18, 2021 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

Local News

• The 5th Street Food Hall, branding itself as Edmonton’s First Foodhall, has announced its four restaurant tenants, which include Backstairs Burger (an initiative of Chef Levi Biddlecombe, formerly of Why Not?!) and HOM run by Chef Gregory Sweeney, who successfully ran some pop-ups last year. The Food Hall plans to open in June at 10344 105 Street.
• Tamara Vineberg is at it again with her Bagels for Breakfast fundraising initiative, which sees Montreal bagels sold, then shipped to Edmonton, with proceeds going to the Bn’ai B’rith Youth Organization. Orders for the St. Viateur bagels will be accepted until May 17, 2021, with pick-ups to take place on June 1. On the first day, 279 dozen bagels have already been ordered.
• Looking ahead for Mother’s Day? Consider this list of patio dining and take-out options.
• EDify visited The Sandwich Project, which opened last year at 4511 97 Street, and along the same vein, highlight three breakfast sandwiches worth trying.
• DailyHive has a listicle featuring the best places for cake by the slice in Edmonton.
• EDify covers the shifts that were forced upon two new breweries in Edmonton because of the pandemic: Irrational Brewing and Longroof Brewing.
• Several businesses, including a KFC and Little Caesars were destroyed in Sherwood Park from a fire over the weekend. A man has since been charged with arson.
• Goodwill Industries installed a bee hotel at the Goodwill Impact Centre in northwest Edmonton.

Beyond Edmonton

• Recipe website Epicurious has made the decision to cut out beef from its new recipes, articles, newsletters, or social media as a way of addressing climate change.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Have you considered substituting food in place of your front lawn? An Edmonton couple have applied permaculture to their garden.

What I Ate

• Our final Downtown Dining Week meal was from Buok. I don’t know why it took us so long to try their fare, but their Downtown Dining Week special was a great way to sample their menu. We found it really satisfying, and loved the bulgogi beef in our rice and noodle bowls. The chicken ginseng broth was also great to sip!

#TasteYEGDT from Buok

• Last week, it was too beautiful not to pick up a kouign-amann from Lockstock to enjoy in the sunshine.

Kouign-amann from Lockstock

Making Edmonton Digital Helps Businesses Get Online

The pandemic has accelerated the need for businesses to create and maintain an engaging online presence. Making Edmonton Digital, a partnership between the University of Alberta, City of Edmonton, and Digital Main Street, is helping local businesses with this transition.

Funded by the City of Edmonton and Western Economic Diversification, this free program connects business owners with a consultant who can work with them for a maximum of 12 hours. Services could include learning how to update Google listings, creating websites or accounts on social media channels, and work on branding. The program will run until September, or when they reach a total of 630 businesses. So far, approximately 400 businesses have signed up.

According to Brett Eigner, Marketing Lead on the project, services are tailored to the business owner’s level of understanding. “We walk everyone through the steps carefully and cater [to] each individual and digital literacy level accordingly”, he said. “Whether we are showing them how to edit their webpage or how to use email, everyone gets the utmost respect, care, and attention.”

Of the businesses in the food and hospitality sector that have joined the program, include farmers’ market vendors such as Sunshine Organic, shops like Carol’s Quality Sweets, long-standing restaurants like Blue Willow, and newer establishments like Pine & Dine. Food-related businesses currently make up 67 of the program participants.

Businesses run by individuals or families who may not speak English as their first language, or represent marginalized barriers, often face additional barriers. “We have a range of languages spoken by our consultants,” said Eigner. “When we have had a language not spoken by our team we have arranged to get a translator to assist our work with the business owner.”

Eigner also shared that while they have done some targeted outreach, including with an Indigenous business association and Black-Owned Market, they are hoping to do more over the summer.

Eigner acknowledged that some additional support may be required beyond the 12 hours allotted. Their partner Digital Main Street can offer some extra training, but it is limited. Eigner said they are working through various ideas, but nothing is confirmed yet.

To sign up, businesses can go to the website for more information.

COVID-19-related News

• The City of Edmonton extended its temporary outdoor patio and retail space program until April 2022 so businesses can continue to extend business spaces onto city sidewalks and in some cases, on private properties.
• Speaking of al fresco opportunities, the Downtown Business Association arranged for parts of 104 Street Downtown to be closed for extended patios last weekend and next weekend to allow more people to experience Downtown Dining Week at participating businesses.
• Some hospitality businesses have set up makeshift patios wherever possible, such as in adjacent parking lots or back alleys.
• Businesses in Old Strathcona, including Sugared and Spiced, remain optimistic in spite of the pandemic.
• Loblaws, Sobeys and Co-op stores in Alberta reported a total of 77 cases of COVID-19 amongst staff last week.

Openings

• Congratulations to Kind Ice Cream who opened their second location in Highlands last weekend! Find them at 6507 112 Avenue.
• The Colombian had planned their grand opening for their second location in the French Quarter last weekend. Unfortunately, on Saturday, they announced that due to a staff member testing positive for COVID-19, they voluntarily shut their doors. When they re-open again, they can be found at 8816 82 Street.
• Candid Coffee Roasters opened its doors for the first time last week, located at 6752 75 Street. They aren’t open regular hours just yet; check their social media for updates on their next opening dates.
• Local Calgary breakfast chain Bro’Kin Yolk will be opening their first Edmonton location this summer at South Edmonton Common (1641 102 Street).
• Awn Kitchen (formerly The Ruby Apron) will be opening its storefront in Landsdowne this June.
• Edmonton’s first location of The Mill Craft Bar + Kitchen will be opening in May at 4810 Calgary Trail. Another branch of the restaurant is already open in Fort Saskatchewan.

Upcoming Events

• We loved the Twilight Picnic Experience we were treated to at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden last year, so it’s great to see the idea has expanded to include a brunch option, too! This option is available between 10am-2pm from Thursday to Sundays starting in May. Prices are $60 per adult (and $35 for children) and include an individual box, non-alcoholic beverage, and admission to the Garden.

Local News

• Fleisch now offers soft ice cream, known as Groove by Fleisch. The origin story behind the sub-brand is that co-owner Kim Der’s partner, Ivan Rankic, is responsible for the design and ice cream flavours, inspired by his favourite things. Given they sold out on their first operational day, it seems like a success already!
• The latest CBC Radioactive Best Dishes column highlights the Punjab Parantha Hut in Mill Woods.
• Have you wondered where you can get your hands on birria tacos in Edmonton? Sharon has you covered.
• Congratulations to Nai Nai Mie on reaching their first birthday!
• Curiocity has a listicle featuring 10 patios in Edmonton to visit this spring.
• Daily Hive posted a listicle of the 10 places to find the best cinnamon buns in the city.
• Eat North chatted with local singers Chloe Albert and Celeigh Cardinal on their favourite places to eat and drink in Edmonton.
• The City of Edmonton is recommending a pilot that will allow alcohol at 47 picnic sites in Sir Wilfred Laurier, Whitemud, Hawrelak, Government House, Victoria, Gold Bar, and Rundle Parks. The pilot would run May 28-October 11, 2021. This item will be discussed at Council on April 28.
• Campio Brewing, along with its three sister brewpubs have created a charity collaboration beer called First Call. Funds from every sale will be donated to support systems that serve Alberta’s first responders, including Legacy Place Society, an emotional support system for first responders.
• Voting is now open for the Made in Alberta Awards, which include categories covering savoury and sweet food products and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Voting closes May 15, 2021.
• The MilkCrate Listens series focusing on mental health concludes with an interview with Chef Christine Sandford of Biera.
• Omar Mouallem is making a movie about the Burger Baron chain!
• The LoveGood Food Exchange Box celebrated its one year anniversary. There are now 9 similar food boxes around the city.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• The newest episode of The Well Endowed Podcast features an interview with beekeeper and gardener extraordinaire Dustin Bajer.
• Also on the topic of bees, the Alberta Beekeepers Commission is warning that bee import delays could impact production of honey and canola this year.

What I Ate

• PSA: just one week left to check out Downtown Dining Week deals, as the event only runs until April 25, 2021. 48 restaurants are offering multi-course meals for $20, $35, $50, and $65. Last week, we were gifted dinner from Sofra – the Kusleme Kebab (lamb medallions) were a perfect medium rare, and the bulgur pilaf was pakced with flavour (and a bit of heat!). Emily loved the pita bread and Biber Ezme (red pepper dip). It was another reminder of how fortunate we are to have so many diverse restaurants in #yegdt.

Lamb and scallops from Sofra

• Friday night was made for balcony dining! Mack and I picked up Downtown Dining Week take-out from our neighbours Tzin and DOSC for a dinner date. We couldn’t get enough of Tzin’s gnocchi with mushrooms and Parmesan cream and bison brisket risotto. Consider mixing and matching meals to try even more restaurants!

Meals from Tzin and DOSC

• I love that I am still discovering #yegfood hidden gems, even now. We hit up Hazeldean Bakery last week for the first time, and I had to use Emily for scale of the apple fritters (though we actually ended up enjoying their cinnamon buns more)! Bakeries also have to be one of the few pandemic-proof businesses.

Emily loves doughnuts!

Downtown Dining Week Returns Amidst Indoor Dining Restrictions

Downtown Dining Week is an annual event organized by the Downtown Business Association. It highlights the hospitality industry in the core, and is typically a fixture on the March events calendar. Having pushed the event back to April this year, it was an unfortunate coincidence that the news about indoor dining restrictions would be implemented on April 9, 2021, just days before the event was due to start.

Running April 13-25, 2021, 48 participating restaurants are offering $20 multi-course lunch or brunch menus, and/or $35, $50 or $65 multi-course dinner menus.

Because of the restrictions, some of the restaurants have had to change course and adjust menu offerings, shared DBA Marketing & Communications Manager Tracy Hyatt. Most menus have been redesigned for take-out, while three restaurants are offering the specials through delivery as well.

In addition, the event has accelerated the timeline for al fresco options. “The restrictions and Downtown Dining Week have also made a lot of participating restaurants open up their patios ahead of the normal patio season,” Hyatt said. “26 restaurants are offering some form of outdoor dining.”

New to Downtown Dining Week is the inclusion of a “fast casual” category; in previous years, only establishments serving more high-end fare were eligible to be included. “Fast casual is a growing dining concept and downtown has some pretty amazing ones, such as BUOK and Rosewood Foods,” said Hyatt. “They are great additions to the food scene and you can’t find them anywhere else in the city.”

A list of menus of participating restaurants can be found on the DBA website, but given the current situation, Hyatt encourages diners to check the social media accounts of individual restaurants for hours and other information.

COVID-19-related News

• Effective noon on April 9, 2021, indoor dining at restaurants and other food service businesses were again restricted, with no announced end date. While some of the measures echo the restrictions imposed in December, one significant difference is that businesses can still offer outdoor dining. The guidelines specify that “If the patio or facility has a roof, it cannot have more than 1 enclosing wall”; as such, some of the enclosed structures some local restaurants have brought in would have to be modified to fit these specifications. In addition, the restrictions require individuals to “stay seated with their dining party unless using the washroom, paying, or entering/exiting the facility”, which seems to address the comment Premier Kenney made about some patrons transmitting COVID-19 when “table hopping”.
• The Alberta Hospitality Association continues to request data to support the closure measures, even as studies about indoor transmission rates abound.
• On the outdoor dining front, the Old Strathcona Business Association is advocating for extended semi-permanent walkways to be installed along Whyte Avenue, while the Downtown Business Association would like to see 104 Street closed to vehicular traffic on weekends for extended patios.
• Some restaurants across the province have chosen to defy the indoor dining orders, including the Crown & Anchor Pub and Grill on Edmonton’s north side. In December, a waitress at the business required 14 stitches after an altercation with a patron about mandatory masks inside the pub. On the weekend, AHS issued a closure order to cease dine-in services.
• Premier Kenney projected that large-scale summer events will be able to go forward if vaccination supplies remain consistent, and that most restrictions would be lifted by June.
• Palette Cafe is struggling with the recent closures to indoor dining, while others like Barb & Ernie’s express their frustration about the hospitality industry being “targeted”.
• Formerly a ghost kitchen, the Burger Brawl menu will now be offered on the DOSC patio.

Openings

• Spring means one thing: food truck season has begun! Some new trucks have already started appearing on Edmonton streets, including El Santo Taco Truck and Korean fried chicken truck Oh! Chicken.
• The Colombian shared that their second cafe, located in the French Quarter at 8816 92 Street, will be opening in a few days.
• Italia Mia is a forthcoming restaurant to open in the former Il Forno space, at 14981 Stony Plain Road.
• Barbacoa is a new restaurant in Spruce Grove that opened for take-out only (for now) last week. They specialize in barbecued meats over open flame.
• Also in Spruce Grove, Alberta’s newest small brewery RavenWolf Brewing opened last week.
• A & G Burgers is now open on Rice Howard Way, at 10127 100A Street.

Upcoming Events

• The University of Alberta is offering a free webinar open to the public about the benefits and how to participate in local food systems. The webinar will take place on April 16, 2021.

Local News

• Dalla is launching Rano’s Take-Out Pop-Up, which will serve up “classic Italian-American dishes that have been popularized in film and in your favourite kitschy Italian restaurants”.
• The Journal has more on the back story behind Sherwood Park’s first brew pub, 70 Acres.
• Eleanor and Laurent lands as the Alberta representative on a Readers’ Digest list of the best coffee in every province.
• Dished highlighted the hot pot kits that can be delivered from Liuyishou Hot Pot.
• Given the number of likes on this tweet, it’s fair to say that Old Strathcona stalwart Steel Wheels has quite the reputation outside of Edmonton.
• There is a crowdfunding campaign for Island Grill, a restaurant that “suffered severe damage” from a fire on March 28, 2021. The campaign seeks to raise $20,000.
• Twyla wrote a sponsored post about the diversity of products available at Bountiful Market.
• Edmonton Eats is offering a sweet way to celebrate Mother’s Day, with treats traditionally eaten during Eid al-Fitr. The boxes are $20 and have to be pre-ordered for pick-up.
• Fresh Routes, the social enterprise that set up mobile grocery markets in underserved communities in Edmonton, has had to pause their operations while they review how they can remain sustainable into the future.
• Future Fields, an Edmonton-based start up helping to produce lab-grown meat, received $2.2 million in seed funding from American venture capital firms.

What I Ate

• We satisfied our King Noodle House craving with #PhoToGo! The restaurant remains open for take-out.

Bun Bo Hue from King Noodle House

• We were lucky enough to be treated to a preview two of the $20 Downtown Dining Week menus from Bao Bao this weekend, one of the new “fast casual” additions to this year’s event. All of their set meal options include one of their signature soup dumplings. In my opinion, their pan-fried bao are particularly fantastic, while Emily loved their dry noodles. We have and will order from them again in the future! Thanks to the Downtown Business Association for arranging the meals.

Downtown Dining Week meals from BaoBao

More Hospitality Businesses Voluntarily Close to Indoor Dining

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta continue to rise. Numbers released on April 5, 2021 point to a provincial positivity rate of 9.9%, with 39% of active cases being variants of concern.

Some in the medical community continue to advocate for a return of restrictions. In an open letter to the Premier dated April 1, 2021, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association recommends an immediate lockdown or circuit breaker, “advising people to only leave their homes for essential services or outdoor exercise.” In an interview with Global Edmonton, University of Alberta infectious diseases expert Dr. Lynora Saxinger expressed her concern about “places where, for example, people have to unmask to eat like in restaurants, food services and things like that.”

With escalating cases, some hospitality businesses are voluntarily and proactively closing indoor dining, mirroring the shift that took place back in November before the Alberta Government mandated in-person dining restrictions in December.

Arcadia, which opened their Manchester Square location in late November, suspended their indoor service on April 1, 2021. They remain open for patio service and take-out:

“This is a very difficult decision, especially being such a new business & still trying to get off the ground. But, the safety of our staff & you the customers is much more important.”

Similarly, Chartier in Beaumont closed to indoor dining as of April 5, 2021, but will continue to offer curbside pick-up and patio service:

“We understand that everyone may not agree with this move. And that’s ok. At the end of the day, we’d rather be remembered as the jerks who cancelled meemaw’s birthday vs. the jerks who played a part in meemaw’s COVID-19 infection.”

Some restaurants have remained closed to indoor dining since November, including Fleisch, NongBu, Northern Chicken, The Local Omnivore, and Jack’s Burger Shack in St. Albert.

COVID-19-related News

• Sabor’s Downtown location is temporarily closed due a staff testing positive for COVID-19.
• Transparency is so important for diner trust, so this example from Calgary’s Ship & Anchor Pub is perhaps one to follow in terms of notifying the public of possible transmission even when not required by Alberta Health Services.
• Cerdo in St. Albert and Spinelli Bar Italia locations have re-opened for dine-in service.
• Eat North rounded up responses from restaurant operators in the Prairies reflecting back on the year that was, including Chris Sills from Tres Carnales Taqueria and Tres Carnales Rostizado.
• Alberta Loblaws and Sobeys stores are reporting new COVID-19 cases.

Openings

• After some delays, Bandits is now open, just downstairs from and by the same folks behind Smokey Bear (8223 104 Street). They serve up fried chicken sandwiches.
• Green Ash Cafe opened last week in Bonnie Doon in a converted house, located at 8903 83 Avenue.
• Wild Rose Cakes was open for its first storefront sales on Saturday. Find them in Pleasantview at 6017 104 Street.
• There’s another new izakaya in town called Sakura Izakaya that’s now open at 4436 Calgary Trail.
• Pür & Simple delayed their opening in Kingsway Mall to April 2, 2021.
• Rossonero Trattoria & Bar is now open at 10051 109 Street.
• Sherbrooke Liquor is opening a second location at 9271 50 Street.
• Candid Coffee Roasters is a small-batch roaster opening a tasting bar soon in south Edmonton.
• Although the Muttart Conservatory remains closed, the Culina to Go inside opened up in early March. Their current hours are 10am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Upcoming Events

• Sorrentino’s is hosting its 29th annual Garlic Fest, with cooking classes and wine dinners running throughout the month of April.
• A free webinar called Restaurant Possible will be hosted on April 14, 2021 to provide information about mental health as well as strategies and tools for moving forward beyond the pandemic.

Local News

• The #StopAsianHateAlberta campaign continues, and was featured on Global Edmonton and CityTV.
• Sepps is now offering in-house delivery.
• Also on the pizza-front, the latest Best Dishes column from CBC Radioactive focuses on the Italian, Detroit-style and Chicago tavern-style pizzas from Big Bite Pizza.
• Pampa is now offering café colonial brunch, a tradition that began through the influence of German immigrants in Southern Brazil: “An authentic café colonial gathers flavours from charcuterie, sweets, salads, hot dishes, meats, coffee, and specialty beverages, all to the same table to be enjoyed as a morning or afternoon affair.” Café colonial will be available at Pampa (as dine-in) starting on April 18, 2021.
• The Journal has more about what to expect from the Pablo Cheese Tart franchise coming to Edmonton this spring.
• EDify profiles the owner/pastry chef behind Mood Cafe, Ahmed Daoud.
• Also from EDify, a delectable Filipino meat platter from Cebuchon & BBQ and photogenic charcuterie boxes from Cheycuterie.
• Linda wrote a sponsored post about some of the best ice cream shops in Alberta.
• Fish Griwkowsky reminisces about “The Strat”, and visits Leopold’s Tavern to compare.
• Zwick’s is now offering hand-crafted, hard pretzel Cheddar Zwicksticks!
• Edmonton bartender James Grant will be representing Canada at an international competition after winning the Diageo World Class Canada Finals last week. He was hosting “last call” events into March as he would be relocating to a new city soon.
• JoAnne Pearce published a recipe collection called Mock-Ups: Mocktails for Grown-Ups that features sophisticated recipes for those who are “sober curious”.
• The winners of Edmonton’s NextGen March Meaet were Majesty and Friends and Golomein, who will be receiving $2500 and $1000 respectively for their businesses.
• Restaurant Dil-E-Punjab has provided 32,000 meals for those in need since last April.
• The family behind Salisbury Greenhouse will be taking over the Enjoy Centre, to be known as Salisbury at Enjoy, and have scheduled a grand opening for the fall.

Beyond Edmonton

• Joveena Holmes alerted me to a free cookbook download from Ikea called The Scraps Book, which features recipes to decrease household food waste.

What I Ate

• Last week during a particularly sunny day I decided to treat myself to another #Eatson118 picnic. This time, I tried Jasmine Belle Cafe, which serves up Colombian cuisine. The patacon piaso was a delicious surprise – light and crispy fried plantain topped with fresh guacamole and chicken, it’s something I’d definitely order again.

Patacon piaso from Jasmine Belle Cafe

• Over the weekend, we enjoyed some eats from Culina On the Lake, including this tasty breakfast burrito.

Breakfast burrito from Culina on the Lake

• It’ll be hard to go back to a scratch-prepped meal after this – the A Capella Catering turkey feast was convenient and delicious, and for our family of three, will be enough for the week.

Turkey dinner from A Capella Catering