Mojo Jojo Pickles Expanded During the Pandemic

Johwanna Alleyne and her business Mojo Jojo Pickles have had quite the year. The Edmonton-based company, which offers a range of pickled products, preserves, and cocktail supplements, celebrated ten years in business in 2021 and was forced to move several times due to the pandemic. Still, Alleyne has managed to keep Mojo Jojo growing.

After selling the building where her commercial kitchen was located in 2019, Alleyne bounced around a few times until an attractive offer from Kingsway Mall came along. “Kingsway offered us a permanent spot and we opened two weeks before COVID shut us down [in March 2020],” said Alleyne. “And then all I did during COVID was move things.”

After a brief stint working out of the space at Cartago, her husband happened upon a space in the French Quarter at 9627 82 Avenue. In June 2021, they moved their kitchen into one side, and in August, opened up a storefront called Nosh and Quaff on the other. Alleyne shared that the support from neighbouring businesses has been unparalleled. “It’s the best it’s ever been,” said Alleyne. “And it all came out of this crazy journey. It feels like we’re home.”

Nosh and Quaff is the only place in Edmonton to carry the full line of Mojo Jojo products, in addition to canning supplies and cookbooks. It has also begun hosting classes and demos, following all public health guidelines.

Throughout the pandemic, Mojo Jojo has experienced a huge demand for their products, and has barely kept pace with orders. Although its wholesale business through suppliers like Save-On-Foods and Safeway continues to be significant, half of its sales come from fulfilling online orders across Canada. Alleyne credits a confluence of factors for their popularity. “It was the perfect storm,” said Alleyne. “Shopping local, comfort food, quality food, shopping online, cocktails, and cooking more for yourself at home.”

Alleyne said their Caesar bundles have been popular, but she also wishes she could predict which products would peak when. “There was something on TikTok about snacking on pickled garlic,” said Alleyne. “And pickled garlic is what people order in the middle of the night.”

COVID-19-related News

• There was some confusion as to whether the Restrictions Exemption Program would require all who step foot inside a restaurant to show their vaccine records. The Chief Medical Officer of Health clarified that restaurants “may allow individuals to enter for delivery, pick-up or take-out without requiring proof of vaccination or a neg test result.”
• Businesses including Remedy are seeing customers express their anger for opting into the Restrictions Exemption Program. That said, Edmonton currently isn’t yet considering passing a bylaw similar to Calgary that allows city peace officers to enforce public health orders.
• Apparently food court seating is off limits under current restrictions.
• Huma confirmed that all of their staff are also vaccinated.
• The Canadian Restaurant Workers Coalition is circulating a petition to better protect the health and pay of hospitality staff.
• Videos of packed bars shared on social media over the weekend frustrates doctors and businesses who are following the rules.

Openings

• Boba Club, a business that started as a home-based business during the pandemic, has opened a brick and mortar storefront at 6538 170 Avenue.
• Satisfy your poke and bubble tea in one spot with What the Poke and Song Tea at 3354A Gateway Boulevard.
• Spartans Greek Taverna has taken over the former Vivo space in Windermere (6143 Currents Drive).
• Community Taps & Pizza is coming to Old Strathcona at 8232 Gateway Boulevard (which previously housed Have Mercy).
• Soho, a new bar which opened at 11454 Jasper Avenue in early September, now also offers pizza by the slice.
• Cocktail Culture, Edmonton’s “only fully stocked cocktail supply store for the home bar and professional bartender” is opening soon at 10642 82 Avenue.

Upcoming Events

• Learn how to make a vegan pad Thai with Roni Zaide through Edmonton Public Library’s Sustainable Kitchen online series. The October 2, 2021 class is free but requires registration.

Local News

• DOSC will be closed on September 30, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and this week, will be donating $1 from certain dishes purchased to Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society.
• Explore Edmonton just released a Dining Pass for Old Strathcona (a Downtown Dining Pass was released back in February). The free mobile pass provides diners with discounts and deals at participating restaurants.
• Dalla is bringing back their Timpano kit just in time for Thanksgiving. Made famous by the film Big Night, their kit allows for easy assembly for a dish that would be otherwise time consuming to make from scratch. We tried it earlier this year and enjoyed it.
• Edify checks out Cafe la Reine.
• In partnership with the Alberta Chicken Producers, Linda shared 10 chicken dishes to try in Edmonton and Calgary to commemorate national chicken month.
• P & L Chinese Restaurant was closed by Alberta Health Services due to health violations.
• Latin grocer Paraiso Tropical is offering 15% off purchases of $40 or more on the second Tuesdays of each month.
• Congratulations to four local breweries, Analog Brewing Company, Town Square Brewing, Trial & Ale Brewing, and Sea Change Brewing for taking home gold in several different categories at the 2021 Canadian Brewing Awards.
• Moirae Choquette, founder of Tomato Wheels, has pivoted from a plan to originally provide Italian food to offering kitchenware.
• Quench Magazine, led by editor-in-chief Gurvinder Bhatia, will be back in print this fall.
• Congratulations to Tamara Vineberg and her team on winning two Canadian Public Relations Society awards for her BBYO Bagels for Breakfast fundraising initiative.
• Student volunteers in Alberta are connecting local farms with food banks.

What I Ate

• We’ve been meaning to take advantage of the enticing Dalla patio for a while now, and finally did so on Friday! It was a beautiful evening to enjoy some crostinis and pasta (in my case, the Di Bosco with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken). Emily loved her kid-sized pomodoro pasta.

Di Bosco from Dalla

• Mack and I dined on the beautiful rootfop patio at La Petite Iza to celebrate our anniversary. Staff were great with checking for vaccination cards, and we felt safe eating outdoors. As with my previous experience, service and the meal was great, capped off with a lovely sour cherry clafoutis.

Clafoutis from La Petite Iza

• It was our first visit to Prairie Gardens Adventure Farm over the weekend, and Emily had a great time. It was also fun to cap our experience by picking a pumpkin out of their expansive patch.

Found our pumpkin!

Restrictions Exemption Program Now In Effect In Restaurants

The provincial government introduced additional public health measures last week in an attempt to curb COVID-19 rates in Alberta, including the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) that applies to all restaurants and bars, effective September 20, 2021.

The program requires that all patrons over the age of 12 provide proof of vaccination (one dose is acceptable until October 25), proof of a negative rapid test, or documentation of a medical exemption in order to dine indoors. An apparent loophole in the program is that staff themselves are not required to be vaccinated.

Businesses that choose not to participate in the program will be barred from offering indoor dining, will need to restrict outdoor dining to a maximum of 6 persons (one household or two individuals who live alone), and end liquor sales by 10pm.

Over the weekend, many restaurants began sharing their plans based on the new restrictions, and it appears the vast majority will implement the program. Some restaurants, such as Fife N Dekel and Pho Tau Bay, have delayed indoor dining until October. Others, including Rosewood Foods, RGE RD, and Bundok, have announced that they will be participating in the program, while volunteering the information that all of their staff have been vaccinated. Restaurants such as Say Uncle have committed to requiring their staff to be fully vaccinated.

These hospitality businesses join Fleisch, EvoWonderLounge, and Arcadia Brewing Co. who mandated vaccine passports dating back to August and early September.

Passport Eats is one website that has popped up, offering to be a database of restaurants that have opted in to the Restrictions Exemption Program. However, because information is crowd-sourced, the information may not be accurate or complete.

One of the more prominent businesses to publicly opt-out of the Restrictions Exemption Program so far is KB & Co. It is yet to be determined if business choosing not to participate will see a decline in sales.

COVID-19-related News

• Earth’s General Store shared that their continued mask mandate throughout the pandemic has lost them many customers.

Openings

• Scoop & Roll has opened its first storefront at 9920 137 Avenue.
• Balla Eats is a ghost kitchen serving up Italian eats operating out of the Rosary Hall Building (10335 100 Avenue).
• It looks like Xing Fu Tang, another bubble tea chain, will be making its way to Edmonton soon.
• The former Jacek storefront on 104 Street will be taken over by a bubble tea chain, Quickly.
• Two locations of The Mash Craft Beer + Craft Pizza are coming to the Edmonton area in Windermere and St. Albert. The Mash utilizes spent grain from the brewing process in their pizza dough.
• Blowers and Grafton is adding a location to the Currents of Windermere.

Local News

• TeePee Treats has relocated to St. Luke’s Church at 8424 95 Avenue and will be re-opening on September 22, 2021.
• Flirt Cupcakes has moved to a new location further east on Whyte Avenue. They can be found at 9124 82 Avenue.
• YEG Eats, a video series promoting lesser-known restaurants in the city, has released their first three episodes on YouTube. They feature Greenhouse Eatery, Monamie, and Yellowhead Donair & Pizza.
• Jason Foster was on CBC to discuss Irrational Brewing.
• Chef Paul Shufelt prepares chicken risotto on an episode of Dish with Mary.
• Edify checked out local institution Barb & Ernie’s.
• Those looking to share their garden harvest bounty with others who could benefit should look to the Leftovers Foundation.

Beyond Edmonton

• Pizza 73 plans to offer beer across all of its Western Canadian shops by next summer. Beer is currently available at nearly two dozen locations in Alberta.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• This past year, enabled by grants, the Edmonton Urban Farm was able to expand to accommodate additional gardeners from newcomer communities.

What I Ate

• We picked up a meal from Viphalay to end a busy week. Emily lay claim to most of the spring rolls.

Pad Thai and green curry from Viphalay

• For the last Al Fresco Market of the season, Mack and I snacked on a couple of Whoanuts. Although it was tasty enough, because of the sweetness and the shape, it made me long for something that used to be available on 104 Street in the summers – a warm liege waffle from Eva Sweet.

Vanilla honey dip

Third Edmonton Hospitality Business to Require Proof of Vaccination

Arcadia Brewing Co. is the third Edmonton hospitality business to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter. Fleisch was the first to require proof for guests seeking to dine indoors back in August, and bar EvoWonderLounge mandated proof of vaccination last week.

Arcadia made the announcement on September 7, 2021:

“As of September 20th 2021 customers entering Arcadia Brewing Co will require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result within 48 hours of entering Arcadia…This decision was not made easily and we ask you to please be kind to our staff and please respect our decision.”

Since sharing the policy, Arcadia has received some negative feedback online, but noted that the majority of feedback has been positive. Arcadia co-owner Darren McGeown said:

“Generally, the support has been incredible from people either coming in or messaging me…The past few days people have come in – especially front line workers – have reached out and showed their appreciation, which means a lot to me.”

Venues Metro Cinema, The Starlite Room, and the Winspear Centre also announced similar proof of vaccine requirements.

The Alberta Hospitality Association is currently surveying its members before releasing a stance on vaccine passports.

COVID-19-related News

• After the Government of Alberta’s announcement of the $100 vaccine incentive, Fleisch offered a chance to win a $100 gift card for those sharing why they were vaccinated.
• The People’s Perogy has re-opened their restaurant.

Openings

• Brokin Yolk’s first Edmonton location is now open at 1641 102 Street in South Edmonton Common.
• Catch of the Week, a fish market, will be opening up in the former Bateman’s IGA at 5120 122 Street.
• Love Pizza will be opening up their first Leduc location at #110, 5411 Discovery Way.
• Sorrentino’s will be opening in the former Bistecca location in Century Park (2345 111 Street).
• Another location of Chachi’s is now open at MacEwan University.
• Secret Pizza opened up earlier this summer in the former Artisti Pizzeria location in Holland Plaza (11998 109A Avenue).

Closures

• Melt Sandwich Co. is permanently closed.

Upcoming Events

• Sorrentino’s annual Mushroom Harvest event runs the month of September, with mushroom dishes featured on the menu and wine dinners.
• The Festa Dell’uva, or the Little Italy Grape Festival, is returning to Giovanni Caboto Park on September 19, 2021 from 1-5pm. Expect grape stomping, food, and a wine garden, among other activities.
• JustCook is hosting their opening VIP event at the 5th St Food Hall on October 2, 2021. Tickets are $100 per person.

Local News

• The co-op behind The Piazza development in Little Italy at 10825 95 Street has announced that they will be transforming the development into a food hall and are currently seeking prospective tenants.
• The latest Best Dishes column focuses on Bundok.
• CJSR is recruiting volunteer podcast hosts for their That’s Food podcast. The production for the upcoming season runs from September until December.
• Edify published a profile of Curtis Cardinal of Tee Pee Treats.
• Three Edmonton-area bakers from Confetti Sweets and Cloud Cakes by Auntie Lou will be featured on Food Network Canada’s The Big Bake: Halloween. Their episode will air on September 27, 2021.
• Bon Ton Bakery is commemorating 65 years in business.
• Biera celebrated their fourth birthday over the weekend.
• Omar Mouallem started a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to extend the length of his documentary, The Last Baron, in the hopes of bringing the film to festivals and streaming services. A pre-screening party is taking place on September 16, 2021 for those who donate $30.

Beyond Edmonton

• A new Canadian-based meal kit service called Fresh Prep is launching in Alberta on September 16, 2021.

What I Ate

• We had a great time in Jasper last week! One of our highlights was visiting the Jasper Farmers’ Market. Only the early birds snagged eggs from Stonepost Farms, but we picked up some bagels from Coco’s Cafe and coffee from Vale Coffee Roasters.

Emily loves bagels!

• As with our other staycations during the pandemic, we brought most of our own food, but did allow ourselves one patio meal at Jasper Brewing Co. We really appreciated the protected patios set up by the municipality, with concrete barricades carving out additional space in the roadways.

Fish and chips from Jasper Brewing Co.

• Mack and I also lunched at Craft Beer Market’s refreshed rooftop patio – it’s hard to say how many fair weather days remain for outdoor dining, so it was nice to take advantage of a sunny afternoon. The half-price Monday pizza special was a nice bonus!

Pizzas from Craft Beer Market

The Tomato Turns 25

The Tomato, Edmonton’s longest-standing food publication, celebrates a milestone this month as it reaches twenty-five years in business. Their first issue debuted in September/October 1996.

Founder and editor Mary Bailey remembers those early days, driven by a perspective gained from inside the food scene itself. “When I started, I was from hospitality and in the wine business and knew nothing about publishing magazine,” said Bailey. “I really liked City Palate in Calgary and thought, ‘We need to have one of those in Edmonton.’”

At that time, City Palate was a publication focused on Calgary’s food culture that began in 1993. Bailey arranged to co-publish an Edmonton edition for a few years, paying them a royalty to use the City Palate name. Eventually, realizing that the shared identity wasn’t necessary, Bailey rebranded the magazine as The Tomato in 2010 (City Palate folded in 2019). “Funny thing about it was when we did it, everything – advertising, readership – went up,” said Bailey. “That taught me a big lesson: you have to reinvent yourself every few years because it felt new and fresh.”

That same year, they also started publishing content online, but Bailey acknowledges that much of her readership continues to be driven by their print copies. “I think people look for different things in different places,” said Bailey. “I was under the impression that people under 30 didn’t pick up publications but so many of my readers tell me they like the print edition because they can’t make a recipe and have it on their phone at the same time.”

The cover of the September/October 2021 issue features the images of twelve past covers, and in Bailey’s editorial note, indicates that they “selected cover images of many of the people who make our food scene what it is.” When asked how it is possible that no BIPOC persons were included, Bailey indicated that it was not intentional. “I don’t think we’ve ignored the diverse cultures in terms of food,” said Bailey. “It’s in our pages and not on the covers. We’re going to try really hard to do better.”

As for the future of the magazine, Bailey believes The Tomato will last because she continues to be excited about Edmonton’s food scene. “I’m a chronicler of the food scene,” said Bailey. “I think of my job as finding the people in the business that are doing interesting things. We will continue on talking about food, because food always changes.”

COVID-19-related News

• Alberta reinstated some restrictions on September 4, 2021, including a province-wide indoor mask mandate, as well as curbing liquor service after 10pm. Some restaurant owners, including those at Fleisch, were outraged that several rodeos were granted exemptions for the liquor curfew. Fleisch was unsuccessful at obtaining an exemption of their own even with a vaccination policy in place.
• Prior to the province-wide indoor mask mandate, Edmonton City Council had voted to reinstate the indoor mask mandate in Edmonton. In response, local hospitality businesses were concerned about the conflict that may rise with guests.
• Bar EvoWonderLounge has also instated a proof of vaccination policy for guests.
• Jumbo Dim Sum reopened on September 1, 2021.
• Lux Steakhouse is also re-opening in September.

Openings

• Mojo Jojo Pickles has a new home – their storefront Nosh and Quaff is open at 9627 82 Avenue. They had a shop in Kingsway that was open for two weeks before the pandemic shut them down.
• JustCook Kitchens is gearing up to launch their 5th Street Food Hall concept in September. One of the vendors, Seitans, has released their menu in anticipation of the opening.
• Gangnam Street Food and Coco Fried Chicken will be opening a location in Windermere (1109 Windermere Way SW).
• Flame Pizzeria is opening a second location at 989 Tamarack Way.

Upcoming Events

• The 124 Street Business Association is hosting Flavours of 124 Street on Fridays and Saturdays beginning September 10 and running until September 25, 2021. Participating restaurants will be offering menu specials.
• The Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts is hosting a Fall Harvest Market on September 18, 2021 at the Strathearn Centre with a variety of frozen and fresh food vendors.
• The next NOSH Food Fest featuring a variety of food vendors will be held on September 18-19, 2021 at the Strathcona County Community Centre in Sherwood Park.
• Dining in the Dark guests will eat their meals blindfolded for a different experience. Tickets for the October events start at $80.
• Save the date for the annual Pizza Pig Out event in support of KidSport, to be held on October 8, 2021.

Local News

• St. Albert’s Breadlove will be hosting The Public’s pop-up store featuring local products from September 28-October 15, 2021.
• Twyla has the story behind Edmonton’s first Cambodian restaurant, Pho or Kuy Teav.
• The Tomato’s Mary Bailey says local restaurants are seeing an increase in reservation no-shows.
• Additions to Edify’s Best Things To Eat List include the pad siew at Syphay and the rack at Vicky’s Bistro.
• Also from Edify, they wrote a love letter to Seoul Fried Chicken and the tenders from Bandits.
• Linda has BBQ recommendations of where to get your meat sweats on.
• The Tomato has a round-up of where to get bagels in the city.
• Edmonton AM profiled Dedo’s Food Truck, who will be operating the concession at Crestwood Curling Club in October.
• U of A students recommend their favourite eats and drinks on and off campus.
• Zaytun Restaurant and Cafe was asked to close due to multiple health infractions.
• Congratulations to Earth’s General Store for marking their 30th anniversary.

What I Ate

• In between errands on Saturday Mack and I grabbed some coffee from Roasti in Sherwood Park and happened upon a Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton concert in a nearby park. It was a nice way to enjoy our drinks outdoors!

Roasti Coffee in the ‘Park

• We also stopped by Bountiful Farmers’ Market for lunch (they have an outdoor eating area set up). It was absolutely bustling – and though it will always pain me that the market is not situated in a residential or retail area (meaning that most shoppers are reliant on personal vehicles for transportation), they are clearly doing something the longer-standing markets are not. The tacos from Frida were great, and definitely makes me want to check out their storefront on 124 Street.

Frida at Bountiful Market