Food Notes for September 19, 2022

Lindsay Porter First to Represent Edmonton on Top Chef Canada

Local chef Lindsay Porter will be Edmonton’s first-ever representative on Top Chef Canada, which launches its 10th season on Food Network Canada on Sept. 26.

She’ll compete against 10 other chefs from across Canada for the show’s largest ever cash prize of $100,000.

On previous seasons of Top Chef Canada, other major cities have been well-represented, including 11 contestants from Calgary since the show’s inception in 2011. Chef Alexei Boldireff, formerly with Baijiu, competed for a spot in Season 7, but failed to join the main cast.

Porter has participated in several other Food Network programs in previous years, including Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Fire Masters. But as to why it took 10 seasons for Top Chef Canada to embrace its first contestant from Edmonton, Porter can only speculate.

“Maybe it was Edmonton’s reputation for not having many independent restaurants years and years ago,” said Porter. “In the past, Edmonton had kind of a muted culinary scene and wasn’t really known for adventurous foods. I think now our culinary scene has exploded, and it’s the perfect time for Edmonton to shine.”

Porter is the executive chef at The Common, and she is very happy that she will have the platform to showcase the restaurant on the show. Porter joined The Common after the pandemic forced her to close her restaurant, London Local, in 2020.

“It’s one of the best companies I’ve worked for,” said Porter. “The people here are great. They’ve been very understanding in that they let me leave to do the competition. I’m super happy to promote them.”

In fact, The Common’s sister restaurant, Fu’s Repair Shop, contributed to the items Porter brought with her to potentially use on the show.

“I brought different ingredients that I was exposed to when we were developing the menu at Fu’s,” said Porter. “I brought lotus leaf and a homemade XO sauce that we make there.”

As expected, Porter cannot reveal much about her time on the show before it airs, but she did share that she was surprised at how quickly she was able to form friendships with the other chefs.

“The chefs are really great,” said Porter. “Not that I was expecting to have feuds or anything, but it was a nice surprise that people were quite humble and good to work with. The most relaxing part of the competition was being able to have nice conversations with people.”

At the moment, The Common hasn’t yet planned to host viewing parties, but Porter indicated that is something they may consider. She was also open to the idea of serving food inspired by her time on TV.

“I could take dishes from various competitions I’ve done — win or lose — and incorporate them into a menu,” said Porter. “It would be fun to put together.”

In the meantime, Porter is excited about the new fall menu items she’s worked on for The Common, including Bengal curry with beef and shrimp, roasted potato fromage blanc cannelloni, and, in the coming weeks, chicken and waffles served with bourbon peach jam.

Porter welcomes any diners who want to ask her about her time on the show and is thrilled that the city is finally getting its due.

“I’m excited to see Edmonton represented,” said Porter. “I’m very proud to be part of the culinary scene here.”

Openings

• Pip is re-opening in their new location across the street at 10335 83 Avenue on September 22, 2022.
• DasBrezelHaus is now open at Manchester Square, offering “authentic German hand twisted pretzels”.
• Brunch Glory opened on September 17, 2022 at 15985 97 Street.
• Flirty Bird’s second Edmonton location opened this week at 10350 124 Street.
• OEB’s third Edmonton location will be “hatching” at 5133 Mullen Road.
• Bodega will be opening another location in Windermere later this year.
• Brits ‘n’ Bobs is a forthcoming British import shop to open at 10706 82 Avenue.

Upcoming Events

• The Public is hosting a charcuterie experience with Meuwly’s on October 1, 2022. Attendees will enjoy drinks and snacks, and learn about ingredient pairings and presentation tips.
• Chicken wing lovers will be happy to hear that Lord of the Wings returns to RE/MAX field on October 1, 2022. Tickets are $38.15 with a portion of profits going towards Wings of Providence.

Local News

• Coffee Bureau was named one of the top 5 coffee shops in Canada based on Yelp reviews.
• The Transit Smokehouse is celebrating its first anniversary with a party on September 24, 2022. Tickets are $60.37 and include dinner, a drink, and entertainment. Co-owner David Egan wrote an op-ed in the Journal about the importance of supporting local restaurants.
• Congratulations to Izakaya Tomo who is celebrating their tenth anniversary.
• Tee Pee Treats offers suspended meals (vouchers for food pre-purchased by others). It’s especially great given The Nook, which had offered a similar suspended meal program, permanently closed earlier this year.
• The rice with bean curd and pork from Double Greeting Wonton House is the latest addition to Edify’s Best Things To Eat list.
• This is a beautifully produced video about Pei Pei Chei Ow.
• Twyla highlighted Fu’s Repair Shop, one of the three restaurants on the long list of enRoute’s Best New Restaurants.
• Linda’s latest vlog features the High Level Streetcar Cask Party, hosted by The Common.
• InsideHook has a profile on Siu To, the man behind the green onion cake.
• The Public will be expanding its reach to other Prairie cities with a roadshow.
• The existing agreement with Coca-Cola to supply City facilities with beverages will be up for debate on September 26, 2022. Currently because of the agreement, smaller suppliers like Boocha are not able to vend their products at certain events or locations.

Beyond Edmonton

• The Michelin Guide’s first foray into Canada – in Toronto, of course – has yielded 13 Michelin-starred restaurants.

What I Ate

• We walked over to Tee Pee Treats on on the weekend and tried their cheddar bannock burger special. It was massive, and very satisfying. We enjoyed our lunch on their sunny patio.

Cheddar bannock burger from Tee Pee Treats

• We also had the chance to try Pal’s, and experienced first hand what the hype is all about! We loved the beef dip and cubano sandwiches we ordered, and the service was spot on. Looking forward to our next visit!

Beef dip from Pal’s

• Trying to make the most of these last summer days, we ended our time in Old Strathcona with some treats from Made by Marcus.

Cone from Made by Marcus