The 2010 Annual Chili Cookoff

On Friday, I convinced Ellen to ditch the lunch being provided at the conference we were attending in favour of walking over to Scotia Place to meet Mack and take in the 20th Annual Chili Cookoff, organized by the Downtown Business Association.

To the left for chili!

Though Mack has attended before, I’ve never been able to make it. After this experience, I can see why this event is so popular. It’s the closest we have to Calgary’s Sun & Salsa event in Kensington – food sampling that goes to a good cause. In this case, all proceeds would be donated to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.

Twenty organizations put their best chili forward to vie for the 2010 title of “ultimate chili”. Competitors included the obvious suspects like hotels and area restaurants to companies such as Hemisphere Engineering, and not-for-profits like the Kidney Foundation and Boyle Street Co-op.

It was a pretty efficient setup – two tables in Scotia Place were devoted to selling chili receptacles for $2 a pop (unfortunately, they were styrofoam, accompanied by plastic spoons) so no money was changing hands at each of the sampling stations. The narrow aisles were somewhat congested, but thankfully, we were able to park ourselves in the “overflow” areas outside the main thoroughfares to consume our samples.

Chili frenzy

Entertainment was provided on a small stage, which definitely lightened the mood, and matched the festive decor around the foyer.

Loved the little chefs!

I couldn’t imagine having to be a judge (Karlynn Johnston of Kitchen Magpie wrote about her experience) – to have to determine the best of twenty chilis would be challenging, with palates easily overrun by the heat. Thus, it was no surprise that the varieties that distinguished themselves from the common ground beef base were the ones that were memorable, and rewarded for being unique.

Scott Lingley of See Magazine, one of the judges, was nice enough to pose for a photo (covering up his scores though, of course!)

We agreed with the judges’ top three, though not necessarily in that order. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra placed third with their smoky chili that tasted like baked beans (it also didn’t hurt that their recipe included bacon).

L2 nabbed second place with my favourite – a chicken-based chili, with a strong hint of lime. After several spicy samples, it was refreshing to encounter the citrus twist. They also had the best booth, hands down, with all servers dressed up in Hollywood costumes.

L2 getting their star power on!

As for first? Drumroll please…Hardware Grill took top honours with their amazingly tender stewed beef-based chili. Scott shared that their recipe also featured some “exotic” ingredients, including tamarind and anchovy. Mack also really loved the corn muffin that topped the sample.

Chili from Hardware Grill

Other notable chilis included Zinc’s alpaca version (the ground alpaca was much better and more flavourful than in the meatball format that we tried earlier this week), Hemisphere Engineering’s chocolate chili, made even more complex with a hint of Danish blue cheese (Ellen and I joked about finding her a “dessert chili”, and this was as close as we could get), and the Westin’s vegetarian chili, a bold, meatless choice that didn’t suffer for flavour at all.

The Westin’s vegetarian masterpiece

Our least favourite was, sadly, from one of our favourite shops in our neighbourhood – deVine’s. Ellen described it as bland, then unnecessarily spicy, but worst of all was the texture – we all agreed it was akin to baby food.

I thought I wouldn’t be full – but even between the three of us, we weren’t able to finish 12 small samples, in spite of the fact that consuming a large bowl of chili in one sitting for dinner hasn’t ever been a problem. Perhaps it was the variety?

More chili?

It was also great to see that some stations had utilized local ingredients in their recipes, such as the inclusion of alpaca by Zinc, and the use of TK Ranch beef by CBC.

All in all, it was a fun event – I was happy to have finally been able to see what the Chili Cookoff was all about – here’s to twenty more years!

LitFest: Genu-Wine

I was happy to be invited to LitFest’s Genu-Wine this year, though I have to say I didn’t know what to expect. The festival program was vague: “LitFest tackles serious global issues, accompanied by samples of seriously good wine”, but I was looking forward to seeing how it would all come together.

Mack and I walked over to the Kids in the Hall Bistro on Saturday night, and encountered a packed venue. A few stand-up cocktail tables were set-up, but halfway through the evening, patrons moved them aside to make room for more chairs. The room, with a buffet table, a wine station and a podium, was unfortunately arranged without proper flow – I had to think the organizers didn’t anticipate such a large crowd.

The spread (there was actually quite a bit of food)

Associate producer Shauna Sisson told us later that LitFest had always wanted to put on a “schmoozing” event, and this was their first attempt at combining wine with snippets of literary works. While festival organizers deserve kudos for trying something new, the format of Genu-wine probably needs further tweaking.

It seemed straightforward enough – the host would introduce one of the four authors and the wine to be sampled following the reading, the author would talk about their work, and end with a reading from their book. The audience was then invited up to help themselves to glasses of Yellow Tail wine (which had all been donated for the event), while enjoying upbeat tunes from Don Berner. Repeated three times, with brief moments to network in between authors, it felt choppy.

Alice Major

The authors themselves accomplished what they needed to do, however – provoking discussion in the crowd. Andrew Potter, musing on the idea (and fallacy) of “authenticity” and Dan Gardener on the nonsensical belief in predictions incited the most debate in our group, but Alice Major was undoubtedly the most eloquent and Lawrence Scanlan the most poignant (and my favourite of the evening), with his excerpt on the rebuilding in New Orleans.

Andrew Potter addresses the crowd

And though they were the cheesiest portions of the evening, I loved how the organizers cheekily tried to connect random varieties of wine with the authors (I will never think of “bubbles rose” in the same way again).

Yellow Tail line-up

I’m not sure what I would suggest to make the event better (two readings in a row? more time between readings?), but I think the casual, informal vibe of the evening is worth maintaining. I’ll be interested to check out Genu-Wine next year, whatever its incarnation.

LitFest 2010: All About Food!

One of my favourite presentations from the most recent Pecha Kucha was from Carol Neuman, a Litfest board member. In previous events, presentations from members of organizations were so advertorial in nature that Pecha Kucha started to feel like an evening of commercials, but Carol did an excellent job – skilfully addressing the themes of this year’s festival without overtly promoting it.

LitFest: Edmonton’s nonfiction festival is Canada’s only nonfiction festival, having rebranded itself in 2010 by tightening its focus. And though invited guests will address a variety of topics at this year’s incarnation, including energy, Canadian history, and bees, a definite thread of food can be found in their events.

Savouries on October 22, a fundraiser for LitFest, will see food readings served alongside a four-course brunch by Chef Gail Osbeck at Kids in the Hall. Featured authors this year include Brian Brett, author of Trauma Farm (Brett’s tale of small mixed farming on Salt Spring Island), Amy Jo Ehman, author of Prairie Feast (which chronicles her journey of eating locally), and Julianna Mimande, local author of the popular cookbook We Eat Together. Maki attended the event last year, and had great things to say.
Genu-wine on October 23 will mix a panel discussion on global issues with wine (the best way to get genuine discussion flowing, I say). Mack and I will be attending (we received one free ticket for the event); I am most interested in what Andrew Potter (author of The Authenticity Hoax and a blogger for Maclean’s) has to say, while Mack is looking forward to hearing Alice Major speak again (she’s a great presenter!).
Last but not least, A Brunch of Writers on October 24 will see “stories of personal tragedy, delight and courage combine with live music and an elegant brunch buffet at the Sutton Place Grande Hotel.” Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

LitFest runs October 15-24, 2010. Tickets available from Tix on the Square.

24/One at the Edmonton International Film Festival

At the City Market last weekend, dozens of people gathered around the Edmonton International Film Festival tent, readying themselves for the 24/One Challenge: make a family-friendly short film in just twenty-four hours!

For the chance to win a $500 cash prize, 45 teams of three entered the competition, with 38 managing to hand in their submission by the deadline. In addition to a selecting one of three genres (comedy, film noir or mockumentary), teams had to include a prop in their film (they were given $5 to purchase something from the farmers’ market), and also incorporate the line “They’re reel…and fabulous” into their script. A jury panel then chose the top ten to be screened on the last day of the festival. The winner of the grand prize, however, was to be chosen by the audience.

I was was planning on making it to at least one screening at EIFF, and after the excitement at the market, figured it would be best to satisfy my curiosity and find out how the teams did. Mack had been lucky enough to get free tickets from EIFF this year, so though he couldn’t come with me, I was able to take advantage of a complimentary pass.

Due to a fire alarm and subsequent evacuation, the screening had been pushed back a half hour. It wasn’t a long wait, and besides, it meant the excitement for the filmmakers in the audience (who wouldn’t know if their film made it into the top ten until show time) had even more time to grow.

The line at Empire Theatre

I really didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did. Several of the films were hilariously absurd (including personified vegetables, an alien encounter, and the sport of “freestyle walking”), and I couldn’t help but appreciate the creativity on display. Though some were cleaner than others, in terms of camera work or sound recording, for example, it was amazing to me that all of the films had been written, shot, and edited all in twenty-four hours.

My two favourite films (and the two that I ended up voting for with my audience ballot) were by Team Show & Tell and Team SSC. The former produced Mittens, about a man entranced with a girl who left a mitten behind at his bus stop, to the point of developing stalker tendencies, while the latter, Reunion, prominently featured its prop (a jar of grape jam from Strathcona County Kitchens) in its telling of a band shattered by a member’s “preserve addiction”.

My ballot

Though I didn’t connect with Walk the Line, a mockumentary about the sport of freestyle walking, it was clearly very well done. More than anything, I was actually able to identify the Edmonton locations they used (something I was hoping for more of) – Beaver Hills Park and the Legislature grounds.

Before they announced the winner of the $500 people’s choice prize, host Rick Lee handed out prizes in jury-determined categories. Walk the Line took home a majority of the awards, including best director, editing and cinematography, so it wasn’t a surprise when they were also called up for the people’s choice award.

I was really glad to have caught 24/One fever – it’s something I will definitely look for at next year’s festival!

Recap: Weekend in Calgary

At the end of July, Mack and I decided to escape to Calgary for a weekend, eluding the boxes and avoiding the general chaos that surrounded us after the move. I had good intentions to write a series of posts about all of our epicurious encounters down south, but as you can guess, I put it off. I figured – better late than never, and better something than nothing at all.

Belmont Diner

It’s no secret that Mack and I adore diners. so it wasn’t a surprise that our first stop ended up being a diner.

Belmont Diner in Marda Loop had been on my hit list for some time (operated by the same people behind Galaxie Diner and Myhre’s Deli), and though our driving schedule meant we would reach our destination towards the end of their operating hours on Saturday, their all-day breakfast menu meant we wouldn’t be penalized for our late arrival.

Mack loves his Coke

Though we had a decent experience at Belmont, I think our visit to Galaxie Diner coloured our introduction to Belmont. The layout and menu were strikingly similar to Galaxie, and unfortunately, my burger ($10.75) was dry. Thankfully, the bottomless(!) hash browns saved the plate – though they don’t look like much, the slightly crispy potatoes were nicely seasoned with an interesting blend of spices.

Burger

Mack had better luck with his hearty “everything” Calgary sandwich ($12.25), which also included a side of bottomless hash browns.

Calgary sandwich

While we would eat at Belmont again if we were in the area, based on this meal, we wouldn’t go out of our way to return.

Phil & Sebastian Coffee Company

After lunch, we wandered into the nearby location of Phil & Sebastian. This storefront opened in late November 2009, and based on the excitement exuded by the food folks down south, it was evident Phil & Sebastian has long outgrown their original booth at the Calgary Farmers’ Market.

I love their packaging

There is no question is it an absolutely stunning space. With a high ceiling, a clean white and black colour scheme and interesting light fixtures (a huge, Pixar-like arm lamp near the door, and of-the-moment Edison bulbs), I wouldn’t think twice about relocating my mobile office here.

Phil & Sebastian at the Marda Loop

Charcut

It’s hard not to salivate when reading about a 35 pound poutine, made with 3kg of cheese curds and fries simmered in duck fat. So although the family-style serving wouldn’t be in the cards for us, I knew a visit to Charcut would be, after reading Julie Van Rosendaal’s post.

Charcut opened in February in the swanky new Hotel Le Germain downtown, the name reflecting the “custom-built rotisserie and charbroiler” (char) and “featured vintage-style slicer and hand-crafted charcuterie eating bar” (cut). We would have loved to sit at the back of the restaurant, facing the kitchen (and the charcuterie cooler, complete with two pig’s heads), but they were unfortunately full that night.

How cute is the porcine paper clip?

I wasn’t too fond of the “ranch” touches in what could have been a sleek dining room – a cow mural, wooden beams, and wagon wheel light fixtures featuring mason jars – but I suppose they reminded diners of the rustic nature of the food.

Interior

The menu isn’t extensive, but changes every day (old menus are recycled into dish liners), and prominently highlights local producers. We decided to share three dishes, which although seemed doable at the time, filled us up in no time due to their sinfully rich nature.

Amuse bouche of turkey terrine and peaches atop a brioche crostini

The lamb croquettes ($15) were delightfully crispy, and were lovingly smoked, which enhanced the flavour of the meat.

Lamb croquettes

The share burger, “Charcut style”, consisted of a roasted garlic sausage patty, cheese curds, and a fried egg ($2.5/oz, minimum 9oz). It was interesting to try a sausage patty, dense and fatty as it was, but it was overcooked, making it even more difficult to eat. The brioche and egg, on the other hand, were perfect, the latter fried to a wobbly, yolk-bursting precipice.

Share burger

And the poutine ($8)? Heaven. The truffle oil assaulted our senses first, and gave way to fries that had been simmered in duck fat and drenched in a generous amount of cheese curds. The gravy was a bit thin (Mack prefers it thicker), but truly, it’s a dish to fight over.

Duck fat poutine

The trend of throwback desserts caught us, as it did at Farm. We couldn’t pass up their animal crackers, accompanied by a garden rhubarb and summer berry crème brulee ($8). The shortbread cookies didn’t taste quite like those boxed crackers of our youth, but went really well with the warmed custard (it was actually warmed through! a pet peeve of mine with restaurant crème brulees). Mack especially liked the softened fruit, which was distributed evenly throughout the custard.

Crème brulee

It’s worth noting that the kitchen was efficient, and that service was attentive but respectful. But regardless, need I say it again? Duck fat poutine.

Fiestaval 2010

On our way home from dinner, we stumbled upon Fiestaval, Calgary’s Latin Festival. Olympic Plaza was filled with food and product vendors, and we were able to catch the tail end of their last performer of the day.

Olympic Plaza

Between the crowd and the energy (people were dancing in the square), it’s hard to deny that Calgary has their own festival culture.

These pink gophers still crack me up

Over Easy Breakfast

Located just down from Diner Deluxe (one of my Calgary favourites), Over Easy has become a popular breakfast destination.

I loved the chalkboard ceiling just bursting with colour, and the equally fun “We Got Huevos” t-shirts (similar to the cheeky “Line Tamer” shirts at Diner Deluxe). Our server was exceptionally friendly and ensured we were never left wanting for coffee, and was notably excited when we told her it was our first visit to the restaurant.

Ceiling

Unlike Belmont Diner, Over Easy has an extensive menu, and one I could see locals returning to many times without compromising variety. And though they got my pancake order wrong, it was a happy mistake – the waffle was sweet, crispy and finished with icing sugar and berries, was like having dessert for breakfast.

Fruit-topped waffle

Mack’s blue plate special (actually served on a blue plate), featured a nice amount of fruit, and wonderfully crispy bacon.

Blue plate special

We’ll be back!

Sun & Salsa Festival 2010

We ended our weekend at the Kensington Sun & Salsa Festival, which I had added to our itinerary once seeing it on Andree’s blog.

Our introduction to the festival wasn’t pleasant – we couldn’t find parking in the neighbourhood for the life of us. Driving around in circles, it seemed to us that the entire city of Calgary had decided to drive to the event that day (our original plan was to take the C-Train there, but as it was our last stop, it didn’t make too much sense to backtrack on transit). We eventually secured a spot, and wandered into the grounds to see what all the fuss about.

Kensington

It was actually pretty cool – patrons were invited to sample over 40 salsas put together by local businesses and organizations, with proceeds from the taco chips going to charity.

The salsa from Naked Leaf was more chutney than salsa – a jasmine-infused peach salsa – but it was creative an unique

Though many stations were out by the time we made our rounds, our favourite was the salsa by Higher Ground – mild, tomato-based, but tasty.

The streets were closed to cars, and were packed shoulder to shoulder with people. A haphazard mix of booths lined the streets (with no method to the madness – non-profits placed at random in between municipal election candidates and private businesses), as well as outdoor food vendors. Though I think the food could have taken some attention away from the salsa (especially when the salsa stations weren’t clearly marked), the salsa didn’t seem to be the focus of the event anyway – instead, the intention was to bring people into the neighbourhood and to promote the area merchants.

Sun & Salsa

It was a fun event, and really, such a great idea – kudos to the organizers!

Visualeyez 2010

Performance art has always seemed a bit elusive to me – more than anything else, it probably has to do with my lack of familiarity with the medium rather than the art itself.

So when I found out that the 11th annual Visualeyez Festival, put on by Latitude 53, had adopted a theme of food this year, I was excited. Nothing like a topic that I love to get me interested and more willing to take the leap into the unknown.

Unlike an art gallery, where the pieces are static and accessible, for the most part, during operational hours, and unlike the Fringe theatre festival, where every staged production is performed multiple times, the Visualeyez Festival is not only brief by comparison at six days in length, but also, performances of some works were only scheduled to take place once.

That said, on the day Communications Assistant Alaine Mackenzie invited me to the festival, I was able to get a taste of three very different interpretations of the theme (and still can partake in one piece not bound by time – by downloading an audio tour of the Sobeys Urban Fresh).

Alaine was also really excited about this year’s theme of food, and really thought the banner would help break down the barriers of those daunted by the idea of performance art. The gallery was quiet when I arrived, but by the time the afternoon’s main event was underway, the main space was nearly full.

First, she introduced me to Alison Reiko Loader and Kelly Andres, who described their project titled kinder/garden as a “food laboratory”. Different from most of the other performances, both were on-site tending to the lab every day, and made a point of changing the space daily.

Alison and Kelly are based in Montreal, where they applied for and received space at the Concordia University greenhouse. They used the greenhouse to explore the idea of manipulating life, including Alison’s creepy but fascinating project of force-growing vegetables into moulds that resembled fetuses.

Pickled fetus-moulded tomato and cross-sections

The installation also featured other “live” foods, including yogurt (packed in plastic containers resembling test tubes for patrons to take home), a “doughbie” (a loaf of bread in a baby sling), and bacteria cultures in Petri dishes. Kelly was even serving up wheatgrass martinis (wheatgrass pulp + sparkling mineral water). Alaine and I decided to indulge. More than tasting like grass, it smelled like grass, but it definitely seemed to cleanse on the way down.

Kelly at work making our martinis

Cheers!

Alison and Kelly were more than happy to talk about their project, and this struck me as the most exciting thing about performance art – the dialogue between the patron and the artist. Sure, some galleries host evenings with the artists, and some theatres offer talk backs with the actors, but here, the very point is the exchange itself.

Next, I chatted with Cindy Baker, the Festival Animator. Her role was to attend all of the performances and blog about it, in the hopes of generating buzz and documenting the festival itself. She has done a great job, filing several thoughtful posts a day. She did comment that for a festival about food, however, there wasn’t much food being served.

I also wandered into Chun Hua Catherine Dong’s rice painting set, called Hourglass. Cindy did an exceptional job elaborating on some of the themes of her piece, so much so that I feel like I don’t have anything to add. Except to say that while the task of attempting to fill the bowl with painted grains of rice was futile, I enjoyed the experience. I liked the fact that there were only two chairs (even though many more hands would have resulted in lighter work), and that I was able to connect with another person, even for a brief moment, by sharing in the same task.

Two patrons taking on the task

Though Food Wars was delayed a couple hours due to the sheer number of dishes the two artists were putting together, I have to say, the food was worth the wait. The performance was billed as an Iron Chef-esque showdown: “Armed with only amateur cooking skills and each family’s secret recipes, Mexican artist Manolo Lugo and Guatemalan born artist Naufús Ramirez-Figueroa cook up a storm to prove which nation has the best cuisine!” The intention was for patrons to sample food from both countries, and vote for their favourite.

Latitude 53 Executive Director Todd Janes introduces the artists

Manolo and Naufús both did an exceptional job setting up their display tables, Manolo with a colourful fruit garnish and Naufús with an intense fondant-covered cake shaped like a Mayan pyramid (it was handy that a chef from Junction next door was in attendance, as she ended up helping Naufús with the fondant).

Dressing the Mayan cake

Naufús’s Guatemalan spread

From reading the description of the show, I did expect more exposition before the food free-for-all – someone in the audience had to prompt the artists for explanations of the dishes. Between the two, I thought Manolo did a better job, which was probably the main reason my vote went to him (because really, the food from both sides was equally good). An idea I was hoping they would explore further was substitutions in spite of their quest for “authenticity” – though some of the ingredients needed for their dishes were available to them here, Manolo expressed that he had to use similar but not the exact ingredients as specified in traditional recipes.

Manolo’s Mexican spread

Standout dishes for me included the Guatemalan stewed bananas in spicy chocolate mole, the Guatemalan cake (it was supposed to taste like Guatemalan egg nog, but I just thought it was delicious), Mexican stuffed poblanos with pecan sauce (the pomegranate seeds on top are such an inspired idea) and the Mexicn pibil chicken topped with pickled purple onions (you can check out the full menu here).

Mexican plate

Guatemalan plate (as you can tell, I reused the plate)

I think everyone was in a delirious food coma by the time I left, before the winner was declared (for the record, it was Mexico, though apparently some ballot box stuffing went down). And though a part of me still wanted more of a “performance” from Food Wars, between the food and the conversation, did it really matter?

Thanks again to Alaine for the invitation – I’m not sure I would have made it down to the festival without a push, and now that I’ve been to Visualeyez, I will likely return in the future.

Western Canada Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2010

I didn’t attend the last Edmonton Fashion Week in the spring, the first that had been rebranded as Western Canada Fashion Week, but was looking forward to seeing what the event had in store this time around.

I met up with Amanda on Saturday night at the TransAlta Arts Barns about forty-five minutes before the show was to start, as we assumed the crowds would be large. It wasn’t so, at least not on this night – the Westbury Theatre was barely even half full.

Me and Amanda

The show’s ultimate draw for both of us was Sid Neigum, a young designer from Edmonton who won Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer competition last year and was recently accepted into the Fashion Institute for Technology in New York. He had first billing on the evening’s program, but unfortunately, when the lights dimmed and his name was announced, it turned out he wouldn’t be showcasing his collection at all. Instead, WCFW wanted to honour him and dressed two models in what Amanda thought were designs from his last collection. Why the organizers chose to include his name in the program at all was beyond us – we were mislead, but were hoping the rest of the evening would make up for it.

Sid Neigum

Next up was Luxx by Derek Jagodzinsky. Amanda liked some of the bright, almost tribal-printed leggings, but we both thought the collection he exhibited was quite limited.

Luxx (the first model is Linsay Willier, known for competing in Canada’s Next Top Model)

E squared offered a similarly brief snapshot of their menswear line, most outfits which included shiny bursts of silver fabric reminiscent of futuristic space designs.

E squared

My favourite showcase of the evening was Joeffer Caoc (put on by My Philosophy) – clean lines and designs meant to show off a woman’s figure, I could see myself picking up many of the pieces. More than anything though, this set had many more models than the previous two designers, and instead of having the models walk and finish the runway on their own, built up a good rhythm during their segment by sending the subsequent model down when the first was about halfway done.

Joeffer Caoc

The show wrapped up with Lanvin Menswear (put on by Henry Singer) and featured suits and business casual attire.

Lanvin

After Sandra Sing Fernandes came out and did her usual call for audience members to “walk off” and closed the evening, I looked at my watch – only an hour had passed since we started at 8:15, and with the fifteen minute intermission, meant that there ended up being less than forty-five minutes of actual fashion. Compared to the previous EFW shows I’ve attended, this show seemed short.

Western Canada Fashion Week continues until September 23 – I hope the remaining shows provide more than just the fleeting glance that we received that night.

East Meets West 2010: Karibuni Afrikafest

Last year, the inaugural East Meets West Festival, put on by the Chinatown and Little Italy Business Association, was a great success. So much so that its 2010 incarnation was expanded from one to three days, with an additional cultural group added to the mix. Though I had good intentions to attend the Viva Italia Viva Festival on Sunday (I really wanted to watch the pizza eating contest!), I didn’t make it. Thankfully, we were able to take in the newest portion of the event on Friday – the Karibuni Afrikafest.

East Meets West poster

There really was a lot going on along 107 Avenue that day – Jill and I walked over to McCauley School after checking out the Outdoor Nite Market in Central McDougall, and Mack joined us soon after. A large stage had been set up on one end of the soccer field, with several merchandise booths placed at the opposite end. Food vendors were isolated inside the gymnasium, probably for reasons relating to power needs, but it was unfortunate – nothing draws a crowd like wafting food smells.

Merchandise booths

We took in a few of the acts before attacking the food stands. The entertainment would have benefited from better pacing throughout the evening – we saw three acts in the first fifteen minutes we were there – but in some ways, their enthusiasm and eagerness to showcase their community talent was admirable, if not infectious.

TKO (a young rap group)

A traditional dance from Uganda

Stomachs grumbling, we headed inside to satisfy our hunger. There weren’t many options, but that day at least, it was evident that the focus was quality over quantity. We started off our meal with dessert (the best way to eat, in my opinion), with a mandazi each. The African doughnuts were cakey on the inside, with a very fragrant, aromatic taste, and went very well with the accompanying cup of Chai ($3).

Mandazi

Out of the two entrée options, Rendezvous (10810 95 Street, 780-756-8902), an Ethiopian restaurant in Little Italy, won me over with their absolutely stunning plate of food, in spite of the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of injera. A myriad of colours, the cooked vegetables and lentil and meat stews were as delicious as they looked. It was also a great deal – the entire combo was just $8.

Jill holds up a plate from Rendezvous

Mack was equally buoyed by his plate, filled to the brim with tomato rice, chicken, fried plantain and a samosa (all for $7). He left no grain behind.

Mack before digging in

We also wandered the retail tents, which were selling a variety of imported goods, from clothing to jewelry to creams and decorative items.

Colourful clothing

The turnout was good – it’s always hit or miss for new initiatives – but I was impressed by the number of people who came out. Should it happen again next year (and I hope that it does), I’m sure the crowds will be even larger. Bravo to the organizers of Afrikafest for a great first year!

We’ll Show You Ours: That’s a Wrap!

It’s not a secret that the Fringe is my favourite summer festival. The shows, the food, the buskers, the atmosphere – it’s a combination that rightly attracts an incredibly diverse crowd. I really admire what the Fringe is doing to try to build their audience from the ground up, tackling the age-old issue of those who wander the grounds, but never step inside a theatre. From their First Time Fringer discount program, to the variety of Fringe apps that were available this year (built by community members), I would hope that their efforts do translate into more tickets sold, or at the very least, a piqued curiosity that may lead to future ticket sales.

Outdoor mainstage

The Fringe should be commended for their green initiatives this year – we watched as Green Team volunteers sorted through the trash for organic material to compost

Mack and I at the Parlour photo booth

I would be lying if I said this Fringe won’t be memorable for a reason entirely unrelated to the festival. That said, I haven’t overlooked the fabulous productions we were fortunate enough to catch during We’ll Show You Ours:

The Lime Tree Bower still lingers in my memory because it reminded me that the core of theatre is storytelling. Vincent Forcier, Jon Lachlan Stewart and Cody Porter were seamless in their delivery, fully embodying the characters, Irish accents unwavering. I was swept up by the vivid language, rich descriptions that nourished my imagination, transforming the immediate setting of a family-owned pub into a shadowy graveyard, a college auditorium, an inhospitable bar. It was also a great choice to have the characters subtly interact and respond to one another during each of their monologues – it added a laid-back air that made the production such a treat to watch. Moreover, I was happy to be finally be able to see the much-buzzed about Lachlan Stewart in action, who lived up to every expectation.
There is no one like TJ Dawe. If you haven’t yet watched this master at work, weaving personal experiences into relatable, thought-provoking anecdotes all while demonstrating his incredible skill with the rhythms of the English language – remember his name for next year. While I didn’t take to Lucky 9 as much as last year’s Totem Figures, it’s difficult not to enjoy Dawe, whatever the content.
The bar was set pretty darn high for BASH’d, with all of the accolades it has received, on top of the fact that the show had a successful off-Broadway run in New York two years ago. It cleared the bar with room to spare. I am still in awe of Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow – not only for their conviction and limitless energy (they barely stopped to breathe over the hour), but also for their ability to compellingly portray the heartbreaking tale of love and tragedy in a single hour.
We picked David Belke’s The Crimson Yak for its plot mention of Coca Cola (and by golly, they even referred to it as Mack has in the past, as “the nectar of the gods”), but it turned out to be a good choice for a host of other reasons. The songs were as hilarious as they were catchy (“Crimson yaa-aa-aa-k”), and Karyn Mott absolutely stole the show as the wide-eyed, fanatical Dhara.

The Fringe turns thirty next year. You can bet it will be a huge party, just as it should be. See you there!

City Market Report: Week 13

So we did end up cruising the City Market early on Saturday, due to some last-minute shopping for the Wild Boar and Beer BBQ to take place the following day.

Great weather for a stroll

After the errands were completed, I made my rounds. It was good to see Julianna, Gabe and Zach out – they were selling the last of their We Eat Together inventory.

Julianna, Gabe, Zach

I know I’ve become a broken record, but I am continuously amazed with Sundog Organic’s selection of produce. I picked up some spinach, kale, basil and cilantro, but marvelled at the rest of the gorgeous goods. I was also happy to hear that their farm tour last week went over well; they hope to offer more tours in the future.

Eggplant!

Field peppers

At Greens, Eggs and Ham, I picked up some lean ground turkey that I had pre-ordered (a privilege of being a member of their Futures program). I saw their rat’s tail radishes for the first time this season – small green pods that resemble a cross between a pea and a chili pepper, but are crunchy, and taste like radishes. They are often eaten as a bar snack.

Rat’s tail radishes

Patty pan squash from Kuhlmann’s

Green beans from Kuhlmann’s

Sarah of Belua Designs made her biggest monster yet (he required 7 socks!)

I love seeing new vendors at the Market, and this week, there were two to meet. First, Barr Estate Winery actually chose the City Market to debut their product in their first official day of business (they were told by their marketing person that the City Market is the place to be – I have to agree!). They have a small fruit orchard on their property in Sherwood Park, and in their spare time (Rick and Amy work as heart researchers during the day), they make wine. At the moment, they have two varieties –raspberry and rhubarb. Between Barr and en Sante, I think it’s a boon for shoppers to be able to pick up local wines at the market to accompany their fresh produce!

Barr Estate Wineries

The second new vendor is Sugar Sugar Bakery, joining Whimsical Cupcakes to expand the Market’s cupcake offerings. I love the cupcake names, many of which have been given a moniker from the Archie series of comics. Though we picked up four cupcakes for a friend’s birthday, we didn’t try any ourselves yet. That said, Maria said the honey cupcake (topped with a honeycomb – too cute) was her favourite.

Cupcakes!

The buskers at the Market play such a huge part at setting the tone at the atmosphere, and one of my favourites, Martin Kerr, was back, for his first City Market date this year. He’s set to return next week, if you’re interested in his acoustics!

Martin Kerr

At the end of the day, Mack and I headed to Patty Milligan (aka Lola Canola)’s booth to learn how to take down her tent (she was kind enough to lend us the tent for us at the Boar & Beer BBQ). While awaiting her return, Mack managed to sell two jars of honey on Patty’s behalf! He was all smiles after that.

Downtown was a busy place on Saturday, also hosting the festive Cariwest parade that afternoon. We could hear the music from our condo, and headed out to Jasper Avenue to watch the colourful procession.

Gorgeous costumes

The flatbed trucks, toting towers of speakers, DJs spinning and a steel drum band, were interesting modes of transportation – more so because of their sheer number!

And another one…

The costumes alone were definitely worth coming out for, and everyone in the parade looked like they were having a great time! I have to wonder though – there was some very suggestive dancing in places – for a family-friendly event, I would have thought those in the parade would have kept it PG.

Steel drums!

We followed the procession down to Churchill Square, where the party continued.

Make room!

Councillors Amarjeet Sohi and Ben Henderson having a blast

Palance!

You can take a look at Mack’s photo set of the parade here.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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