Food Notes for April 26, 2021

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