Pandemic Shift for Confetti Sweets Becomes Permanent

Confetti Collective, which started as a pandemic-era side business for local bakery Confetti Sweets, has become a permanent fixture of the company’s brick and mortar shop in Sherwood Park thanks to a warm embrace by customers. Ubiquitous at Edmonton-area farmers’ markets for well over a decade, Confetti Sweets opened up a storefront in Sherwood Park back in 2014. In early 2020 owner Kathy Leskow decided to significantly expand, not knowing a pandemic would soon derail her vision.

“We actually took a big risk and tripled our space with leasing another bay in February 2020,” said Leskow. “To earn revenue for the extra space, we had plans to launch a birthday party program and to open a cafe style concept. COVID became a thing one month later and our plans were put on hold.”

Vendors that had become her “market family” thanks to years of selling alongside them at farmers’ markets had an uncertain future in those initial months after things shut down. “Farmers’ markets had no idea whether they would be able to continue as usual,” said Leskow. “In April 2020 I invited about 15 of them to sell in our space, and it grew from there. Now we have over 50 brands in our store.”

Leskow noted that while this side business was originally a part of the Confetti Sweets umbrella, with so many new products coming into the store and taking over their social media, they eventually decided to spin the effort out into a separate entity called Confetti Collective.

The Collective doesn’t charge the vendors any ongoing fees. “We typically purchase at wholesale prices and sell for retail prices,” said Leskow. “This pays for space in the store and any collective marketing we do. There are no other costs for vendors.”

The growth of their product catalogue, available both in store and through delivery, has been somewhat organic. Customers have requested specific items, and Leskow is also open to housing additional items. “We love new brands,” said Leskow. “They have to be produced in a commercial kitchen, and we try to have a good variety.  For example, we have a great Mexican variety so we won’t take on any more Latin foods at this time.  We do our best to support the brands that have helped us grow.” She shared that some of the most popular items include El Gringo chips, Kick Ass Caramels, Auntie Jean’s Fudge, KGW Popcorn, Chocolicious, and Sherwood Park Soups.

The Collective has been a win-win for Confetti Sweets. “Our average customer spend has doubled if not tripled in the past two years,” said Leskow. “If customers do come in for just a quick dinner solution from the freezer, they usually end up grabbing at least one cookie.”

While Confetti Collective was unplanned, Leskow enjoyed the challenge, and is grateful for the community support. “I kind of went from running a bakery, to running a grocery store, and I am still learning,” said Leskow. “The growth of this ‘side business’ has been super exciting. You don’t know how special it is when we start placing larger and larger orders with these local companies. It truly makes their day!”

Openings

• Continental Treat will be opening up their second location in the former Hardware Grill space (9696 Jasper Avenue).
• Tatemado is a new Mexican restaurant in Sherwood Park (975 Broadmoor Blvd, Unit 42).
• Shoyu Sushi is now open at 10011 109 Street.

Upcoming Events

• I’m looking forward to Edmonton’s first Winter Promenade event on December 19, 2021 from 11am-4pm at 116 Street & 100 Avenue. There will be food trucks, among live entertainment. It’s been years since we organized a What the Truck?! on Victoria Promenade, but looking back, that was always one of our best locations.

Local News

• Rising food costs and fewer customers has continued to make operating a restaurant very challenging.
• Linda and The Tomato put together lists about places offering Christmas take-out dinners this year, including some traditional and non-traditional dinners from the vendors at JustCook Kitchens.
• The Journal put together a holiday food-related gift guide featuring entirely local vendors. Also consider the Edmonton Eats’ Holiday Cultural Box, as featured on CBC.
• Edify checked out some of the new menu items at 142 Bistro Bar.
• The latest Josh Eats Edmonton segment features Alberta Avenue’s Flava Cafe.
• I was not aware that MacEwan had a pizza vending machine.
• A 7-11 located at 14110 127 Street is the first of the chain’s stores in North America to be fully licensed. Liquor will be sold from 11am-11pm, and can be consumed on site.
• A new distillery has popped up in Parkland County called Anohka Distillery, founded by a local lawyer.
• NAIT put together their own guide to winter patios.
• Prairie Catering is leading a Christmas
  dinner donation drive. With every three dinners donated, they will
  contribute an additional dinner.
• Sea Change is selling
  calendars featuring staff and their pets, with proceeds going to Zoe’s
  Animal Rescue.

Beyond Edmonton

• Former Edmontonian Bob Vandal revived the Funky Pickle pizza brand in England.
• This review of the “worst Michelin starred restaurant, ever” went viral last week. It’s quite the read.

What I Ate

This will be my last Food Notes until the new year. Thanks to everyone for reading, and a safe and happy holidays to you and your loved ones!

• I am definitely a creature of habit, and when I find a dish I love at a restaurant, it takes a lot for me to stray from that favourite. That’s definitely the case with the fried instant noodles with minced pork at Gui Lin. There’s no other place I’ve found with this dish, which holds up particularly well as take-out (and tastes great as leftovers). It’s definitely worth the trip out to Chinatown.

Fried instant noodles with minced pork from Gui Lin

• We wouldn’t make it out to St. Albert very often, but when we did, a stop at Jack’s Burger Shack was a must. Now, we have our very own Jack’s a block away from our home in #yegdt! We grabbed dinner there over the weekend – their hangover style buns (two grilled cheese sandwiches instead of bread) are a must, and we love their poutine. We’ll be back again soon!

Our Jack’s Burger Shack order

RGE RD First in Edmonton to Require Deposits for Reservations

In October, RGE RD became the first restaurant in Edmonton to require deposits for some reservations. No-shows and last-minute cancellations have been increasingly problematic for local restaurants. But restaurants around the world were grappling with the issue long before the pandemic began, leading fine dining establishments in particular to begin taking deposits or upfront payments for reservations.

Caitlin Fulton, co-owner of RGE RD, said they had been mulling the decision to implement a deposit system for months. “We found that once dine in service resumed, we had full bookings on Fridays and Saturdays, with wait lists of thirty people,” said Fulton. “Then we would have people not showing up or cancelling last minute. It was making me cry, because we confirm every reservation the day before. On some nights, we had up to 10 no-shows or cancellations. We only have 16 tables so it was a big impact.”

Fulton shared that it was a trip to the west coast that was the tipping point. “[Co-owner and partner] Blair and I went to Vancouver at the end of summer and it cemented our decision,” said Fulton. “In Vancouver we found that at restaurants of a certain category you couldn’t make a reservation without a deposit.”

On October 8, 2021, RGE RD began requiring a deposit of $10 per person for reservations on Fridays or Saturdays (weekdays are exempt because of a smaller demand for tables). The deposit is refunded as soon as guests dine in, or if cancellations are made 24 hours in advance. “I expected pushback and that’s why we hesitated,” said Fulton. “And then we implemented it and nothing happened. The odd person has asked questions about it, but honestly there has been such little feedback that I was astonished.”

Their no-show rate has decreased substantially to just three in total since they started the policy. “It’s been enough of a deterrent,” said Fulton.

Fulton said that the last twenty months has required constant adaptation (RGE RD offered elevated heat-at-home meals for a time). Once The Butchery, a complementary business that offers fresh meat, charcuterie, and prepared foods, opened in November 2020 the business found its footing. “In the first shut down in March of 2020 we were stuck with a lot of food that we ended up donating,” said Fulton. “In subsequent shut downs we had the ability to redirect the food to The Butchery and we ended up having more traffic because restaurants were shut down and people were looking for special experiences at home. The Butchery is what kept us insulated from the highs and lows.”

When asked about the potential for the Omicron variant to derail this holiday season, Fulton is cautiously optimistic. “We’re just hopeful that if everyone adheres to the restrictions and gets vaccinated, that we can continue on in a safe way.”

Openings

• Oodle Noodle continues its expansion, this time into St. Albert (330, 935 St. Albert Trail) and Airdrie (10, 105 Main Street).

Closures

• Prairie Fish ‘N Chips announced that they will be permanently closing their storefront on January 1, 2022: “The pandemic combined with our name change (wouldn’t change it FOR THE WORLD, we knew this was a risk we’d run and we stand behind it) and general overfishing and supply issues have all contributed to it not being sustainable for us anymore.” They will still be available through Skip the Dishes in mid-January.
• The Dapper Beaver announced that it is permanently closing in January. Back in September, the business closed its cafe space, but the roastery remained.
• Love Pizza closed its St. Albert location at the end of October. They are hopeful that it is temporary until they are able to secure a smaller space.

Upcoming Events

• Christmas in Little Italy returns December 12 and 19, from 12-4pm. Roast marshmallows, enjoy free hot chocolate, and sample some roasted chestnuts!
• Learn how to bake babka virtually with Larry Harris of Bonne Vie Bakery on December 19, 2021. For non-Jewish Federation of Edmonton members, the ticket cost is $36.

Local News

• Northern Chicken owner Matt Phillips’ tweet about business struggling really hit a nerve.
• Sabor posted that their “support for the LGBTQ+ community…has been questioned by members of the community this week.”
• Hungry Zine has put together two holiday boxes that support local BIPOC-owned businesses. Each box is $65+GST and can be picked up at Glass Bookshop on December 12, 2021.
• The Tomato’s Mary Bailey discussed holiday boxes on Global.
• The Alberta Ave Business Improvement Area is running a #ShopTheAve campaign. Throughout December they will be giving away one prize each day until December 24.
• NAIT put out a gift guide featuring some great food-related gifts.
• Local chef Kelsey Johnson (formerly of Cafe Linnea) will be joining Food Network’s Wall of Chefs. The new season will begin airing on January 3, 2022.
• Calgary-based La Mano is now offering its pasta club deliveries in Edmonton. Deliveries for two meals for two people start at $30 per month.
• Edify checked out the Transit Smokehouse & BBQ.
• Phil featured perogies on his recent Best Dish column, including those from Widynowski’s Sausage House and Lizzy’s Gluten Free Perogies.
• Josh Eats Edmonton profiled Three Vikings and Calle Mexico.
• DailyHive rounds up some options for take-out Christmas dinners, while this listicle features where to enjoy some festive drinks this season.
• A crowdfunding campaign has been started in the hopes of helping “Edmonton’s first Winter Promenade happen”. The event is tentatively planned for December 19, 2021 on Victoria Promenade.
• It’s great that The Kitchen at Stanley Milner will be opening in early 2022. Looking forward to seeing it come to life!
• Local food charities continue to feel the brunt of rising costs, and are now also impacted by supply chain delays.
• Alberta Chicken Producers contributed $30,000 to Food Banks Alberta.

What I Ate

• It was our first time trying YEG Pizza on Wheels, which just opened up in the Don Wheaton YMCA Downtown. We were swayed by the idea of a hot dog-stuffed crust, and it didn’t disappoint! With a ton of cheese and meat (we ordered the Canadian classic), it felt a bit indulgent, but Emily especially enjoyed the hot dog bites.

Canadian classic with hot dog stuffed crust from YEG Pizza on Wheels

• It’s certainly been a while since I’ve hit up my go-to work lunch T & D Noodle House, but their consistency is a large part of their charm. I love their grilled chicken and spring roll vermicelli bowl.

Two colour vermicelli bowl from T & D Noodle House

• I was lucky enough to be hosted on the weekend by the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald for their Festive Brunch. It felt as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances, with tables spread out, and sanitizer and disposable gloves for use at the buffet stations. The food selection and quality was stellar. But it was really that legendary Fairmont service standard that shone, with staff at every turn ensuring guests had a warm and memorable experience. Although their brunches are sold out for the holidays, they are booking for Sundays in January for seatings from 10:30am-12:30pm. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality!

Customized dessert crepe at the Hotel Mac