Food Notes for July 24, 2023

EPIC shifts focus from chefs to diners with new concept

After rebranding from JustCook Kitchens earlier this year, EPIC has shifted away from its original food hall concept to a new model for its downtown location. But an expansion later this year could see the food hall return, with a twist.

“When we first started JustCook, the idea was having a brand targeted to chefs,” Maëlle Toews, chief marketing officer at EPIC, told Taproot. “We were focusing on infrastructure and the technology for operations, so chefs had the tools to become business owners. But what we’ve learned is that though chefs like to create new dishes and menus, they don’t want to be running the actual restaurant.”

Toews said the JustCook name also did not resonate with diners. “JustCook wasn’t meant for that,” said Toews. “But EPIC for us represents what we want to be — we want people to come in and have an epic time and an epic experience that they remember and share.”

In addition, EPIC has transitioned to encompass more refined, elevated food rather than the fast-casual concepts it started with. The new menus have been created by five “chefs in residence,” but are executed by EPIC staff.

“That would be the main difference between JustCook and EPIC,” said Toews. “Before, we left the chef to handle the kitchen side of things, and now we’re in the kitchen.”

The five chefs include Edmonton’s Winnie Chen of Fu’s Repair Shop, Peter Keith of Meuwly’s, and Lindsay Porter of The Common, plus Calgary’s Alex Edmonson and Oliver Butterworth from B.C.

Toews said EPIC selected the chefs based on their industry connections and word-of-mouth, and the arrangement allows those chefs to flex their creativity outside their day-to-day restaurants. For instance, said Toews, Chen’s Asian fusion offerings at EPIC expand her repertoire.

“All the dishes that (Chen) made for our menu are things that she had considered for Fu’s but didn’t fit on that menu,” said Toews. “This allowed her to explore a different side of her cooking. It’s not a competition, it’s a complement.”

The other menus feature tapas from Keith, Italian plates from Porter, French cuisine from Edmonson, and plant-forward items from Butterworth.

Meat Shack Barbecue is the sole remnant from JustCook’s fast-casual iteration, but Toews said diners have embraced the wide spectrum of food. “We have seen people order from both menus,” said Toews. “The nice thing is that barbecue is pretty complementary to the five concepts that we have.”

The downtown location operates more like a full-service restaurant now, where diners place orders with a server. But EPIC plans to try the food hall concept again at its forthcoming second location near Whyte Avenue. That location, in partnership with Beljan Development at Station Park, is slated to open in October and will feature a larger footprint that makes it easier to offer the food-hub experience.

“We are restricted with the layout downtown,” said Toews. “At Station Park, it will be a less full-service model but without feeling like a food court.”

Diners will interact directly with each concept, and the five resident chefs will offer a fuller menu for each. Toews also promised more events, such as cooking classes, special dinners, and the option to book the venue for weddings and corporate gatherings.

Back downtown, Toews said things have been tough, citing a combination of COVID, fewer people than anticipated returning to office towers, issues with perceptions of safety, and inflation. But she remains hopeful that with the changes, EPIC can become a destination.

“We want the experience to be a special outing and bring something more than just ‘going to a restaurant’,” said Toews. “We want people to come in together and have a good time and come back.”

Openings

• Score two for Crestwood: first is Happy and Olive, from Frank and Andrea Olson of Canteen and Red Ox Inn, opened earlier this month at 9640 142 Street. Their hours are expansive as they serve coffee/pastries in the morning, lunch, and dinner.
• Also in Crestwood, Stingray, the latest
  restaurant by the Century Hospitality Group, opened in early July in the former
  Delux space at 9682 142 Street. The menu is “Inspired by traditional
  Japanese cuisine, but with…Century Hospitality flare and casual
  favourites.”
• El Jardin, the second restaurant from the folks behind El Corazon, is
  now open in the Mercer Warehouse downtown (in the former Rostizado Tres
  Carnales space).
• The Colombian is set to open their fourth location in Mill Creek at 8905 99 Street (the former Todd Cleaners) later this fall.
• K-Pot, a Hong Kong street food and claypot rice bowl restaurant is open as a pop-up location at 10336 81 Avenue (formerly the location of Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle).
• Ribeye Butcher Shop has added a third location to the Edmonton area, this time in Sherwood Park (Unit 630, 205 Festival Way).
• North Central Co-op grocery store is now open in St. Albert at #200 Rankin Drive.
• Ontario-based vegan fast food restaurant Odd Burger is opening its first Edmonton location at 336 Mayfield Common.

Local News

• After a temporary closure, Battista’s Calzone Company has re-opened. They continue to operate on weekends only.
• With all of the new ice cream shops that have opened in the city over the last couple of years, it’s especially nice to see two of them collaborate! Yelo’d and Kind Ice Cream worked together to make the ube keso birthday cake flavour for National Ice Cream Day.
• Die Pie was broken into last week – consider supporting them as they recover from this.
• The winners of the K-Days new foods competition included falafel perogies and deep fried Oreo.
• The Journal has been posting daily mini Taste of Edmonton reviews.
• The latest Fav Eats feature in Edify spotlights Kobachi’s sushi.
• Padmanadi has been making their own hot sauce with locally-sourced red chili peppers as they have been affected by the shortage of the popular sriracha made by Huy Fong Foods.
• If you hadn’t yet heard, there is a bidding war on a donair costume put up for auction by the Alberta Government. The manager of Blowers & Grafton, one of the companies who has been bidding on the costume, would like to see the proceeds donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (as the costume was originally made for a drunk driving awareness campaign).
• The organizers of the Russian pavilion at Heritage Days, which will be excluded from this year’s festival, has sent a letter to the Alberta Human Rights Commission about their exclusion being a “potential violation of the Alberta Human Rights Act.”
• Local craft brewers, including Sea Change Brewing, Campio, and Alley Kat will be able to sell their products at licensed Explore Edmonton events (alongside Labatt Brewing products). Explore Edmonton was able to make an arrangement after months of discussions with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission and Labatt.

What I Ate

• My friend Su and I met up at The Lunchbox in Gradin for some sandwiches. We were impressed with the large portions (I only managed to eat half for lunch). They are definitely set up in a great spot for people to grab food for a picnic at Ezio Farone Park!

Sandwiches from The Lunchbox

• We hit up Taste of Edmonton on Thursday to avoid the weekend crowds, and enjoyed several of our old favourites (dry spicy chicken from The Lingnan, birria nachos from Pikante), and some new favourites (the shrimp katsu from Shojo Izakaya). Mack and Emily had to finish with sweet treats.

Sweet treats from Taste of Edmonton

• We walked over to ReMax Field on Sunday to take in an Edmonton Riverhawks game. It would have been criminal not to have a hot dog at the ballpark, but it was made even sweeter when it was delivered to our seat using Ordr – definitely something I’d consider using again!

Hot dog (and the best picture I could manage with Ellie in my lap)

• It’s also been ice cream weather, so we definitely had to treat ourselves after a walk took us by Kind last week.

Salted caramel from Kind Ice Cream