Food Notes for October 25, 2010

I could make reference to our first snowfall of the year, but that’s a bit depressing. So instead, I’ll talk about Glee. In a few short weeks, Mack and I have become full-on Gleeks. I’m not sure how it happened – we weren’t watching it at the height of its popularity earlier last season…but somehow, stumbled upon a few episodes, and well, we’re hooked. Airing tomorrow: the Rocky Horror Picture episode! Onto this week’s food notes:

Take note, cupcake fans! Crave will be invading Edmonton in January 2011, moving into the space formerly occupied by damon j (7929 104 Street), next to Planet Organic south. Can three cupcakeries within two blocks of each other survive?
Sure, it might be too early to talk about Christmas, but the Holiday Cocktails evening at deVine’s on December 2, 2010 sounds like the perfect way to usher in the season. On the menu: a Candy-cane Martini, Cranberry Snowdrift, Christmas Sour and Ginger Snap, among others.
Many people were sad when Pharos shut down, but it turns out it isn’t gone for good – it will be reopening above Haven Social Club.
The Edmontonian reviewed Press’d Sandwiches last week: “The sandwich itself is BIG. Did I mention that?”
The Journal gave a thumbs up to the revamped Next Act on Wednesday: “The Next Act is an unassuming class act, a wonderful remount of an old favourite, and one of the best restaurant values in Strathcona, where honest, thoughtfully prepared plates rule.”
Chris wrote about a special dinner he had at Joey’s, courtesy of Corporate Chef Chris Mills, presented in preparation for a meal to be presented at the James Beard House – don’t read this hungry! Vlad in Calgary had a similar experience.
Vue had a great piece on Alan and Nicola Irving (of Irvings Farm Fresh), and their learning curve when it came to sausage making.
Jennifer Cockrall-King is offering her annual food writing course at Grant MacEwan in November.
Since the Double Down was released in Canada on October 18, I was expecting blog reviews of the monstrosity of a sandwich. Mack and I plan on conquering it one day (morbid curiosity, much?), but in the meantime, I am living vicariously through Andree’s review.
I’m not sure why I was naive enough to think The French Laundry was the only restaurant in North America to Google diners, but it’s just amazing to me that some restaurants have the resources to do so (the Eleven Madison Park anecdote is pretty awesome).
I stopped by Far East Sandwiches (10301 109 Street) on Saturday on my way to meet a friend. Turns out that like V Sandwiches on Rice Howard Way, they are bringing the banh mi to the masses. And while I realize the sandwich itself might be larger (and their rent more expensive – especially for such a beautiful, bright space), paying nearly $5 for something that can be had in Chinatown for $3.50 is something I’m not sure I could do.

Far East Sandwiches

Mack and I made our first trip to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market since the beginning of May. It was just as crowded as we remembered, but we were happy to see a few vendors from the City Market having joined its ranks this year, including Mighty Trio Organics and Sylvan Star Cheese. It was also neat to see that Alan now has his own wall stall with plug-in coolers!

Alan’s new stall

Gorgeous flowering cabbages from Peas on Earth (I’ve never seen these before)

Slow Food Edmonton Dairy Farm Field Trip

Some Slow Food Edmonton events are all about eating, like Indulgence and Beer and Boar. Others are more about getting to know fellow members, like the Wood Fired Solstice and the annual potluck at Mary Bailey’s residence. The focus of the Dairy Farm Field Trip at the end of September was learning.

We are very lucky to have someone as enthusiastic as Valerie in the organization – she is so energetic and positive it makes my head spin sometimes. She had the great idea of arranging a group field trip to two of our local dairy farms – Sylvan Star Cheese and Bles-Wold Dairy – and ending the day with a meal at Eco Café. Seats sold out quickly, which, although priced at $75 a ticket, was a fair price given the inclusion of three meals, the tours and transportation to and from the farms.

We were up and at ‘em early – we had to be at Southgate Mall before 8:30 a.m. Thankfully, we live right on the LRT line, which made the trip fast and convenient. Our premature wake up call was made better by the two sweet and savoury scones that greeted us upon arrival, fresh out of the oven from Duchess.

I’m fairly certain it was the butter in the scones that pushed me into nap territory, but when I woke up, we had arrived at our first destination – Sylvan Star Cheese in Red Deer County.

Sylvan Star Cheese

They were a new vendor at the City Market this year, but I was familiar with their award-winning cheese from Planet Organic, and restaurants such as Madison’s Grill who have featured their product on their menus. Though I enjoy their cheese (particularly the cumin-spiced gouda and the aged cheddar), I know the price is a deterrent for us to use it as an everyday cheese. Still, I was looking forward to see their new home, with expanded cheese making (and aging) facilities.

Market

Jan Schalkwijk was our host for the tour. First, he invited us to help ourselves to samples of their cheese. Mack and I were able to try a few varieties, which was good enough for us (10 in the morning as it was), but I was hoping for a guided tasting from the expert himself – for example, running through flavours and textures to look for.

Tasting Platter

After the snack break, Jan told us how he got into cheesemaking in Alberta – essentially, because he couldn’t find good cheese here after immigrating from Holland, he decided to use the skills he had to make good cheese himself.

Jan introduces his business

Though Jan was fantastic at answering questions, I thought the tour side of things could have been better thought out – we could have started on the factory floor, for example, where the cheese is made, then worked our way to the aging and smoking rooms.

The smoker (Jan uses maple wood)

Regardless, it was a little frustrating not being able to hear our guide. Jan unfortunately does not have a voice that carries, and most often, our large group were in rooms where it was difficult to hear him due to a combination of factors including space constraints and whirring fans. A microphone – or dividing the group – would have helped immensely.

Where the cheese is made

Though I didn’t get as much from the tour as I would have wanted, it really was neat to see the humidity-controlled rooms where the cheese is aged. At the end of each of the shelves was a post-it containing the batch date – for the first sixty days, the wheels are turned once a day to prevent mould, and after that, turned once a week.

With my birthday batch of cheese!

It was also hard not to appreciate their expansive facility. Though there seem to be few employees on his team, they have ensured that they will have ample room to grow. The room below, for example, will be their new cheese aging room – it was absolutely massive, but given their increasing popularity, it’s not surprising.

Coming soon – another cheese aging room

Valerie’s post on this trip is much more detailed, particularly on this aspect of the day. She also has many great photos of the facility!

Mack loves cheese!

Before departing for our next stop, we had a nice soup and sandwich lunch, where we were able to socialize with Sherene and Su.

A tasty minestrone soup – just what I needed that morning

A half hour later, we arrived at Bles-Wold. Unlike Sylvan Star, Bles-Wold yogurt is something that I regularly have on hand – their fruit yogurt is thick, not too sweet, and is definitely more substantial than commercial varieties – and their plain yogurt is my go-to choice for salad dressings and other recipes. When we drove up to the farm, it was reassuring to see that the red barn pictured on their containers actually exists, and happens to be where the yogurt is made!

Bles-Wold Dairy

This tour experience was much more organized. The group was split into two right off the bat – my group followed Hennie upstairs for an introduction to Bles-Wold.

Hennie Bos described how the company began – after many years of experience running a dairy farm in Holland, he and Tinie moved to Alberta and started a dairy farm in 1994 with 60 Holsteins. In 1996, Tinie started making yogurt, and slowly, business grew – they now have 250 cows. Their products are currently stocked in 120 stores in Alberta, and most recently, two stores in Vancouver began carrying their wares.

Hennie talks to the group

It was most interesting to hear Hennie explain that yogurt is quota-based system in Alberta, which only produces up to 0.5% of the demand (rights to produce more can be purchased from other farmers). The other part of their business is producing milk, which is sold to Saputo.

We then switched with the other group, and Tinie talked about the yogurt-making process on the lower level of the barn. She said she was first prompted to make yogurt for her daughter, who was diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager, and had to avoid commercially-produced yogurt that contained artificial sweeteners. Using her brother’s recipe, she eventually started making yogurt for family and friends as well, and they suggested that it might be a viable business.

Bles-Wold yogurt was first sold at farmers’ markets, where Tinie appreciated the feedback from customers. She found that Canadians preferred a much thicker yogurt than the Dutch, and liked being able to choose from a variety of flavours.

Menu (plain is by far the most popular, followed by French vanilla, then blueberry)

She pointed to the machine behind her where the yogurt is made: it all starts with 3.5% butter fat milk. Skim milk powder is added for calcium and milk solids, then the mixture is transferred to the double-walled machine to be pasteurized, then separated. Cultures (from Denmark) are added, then allowed to grow for fifteen hours. The last step is integrating fruit jelly mixes (containing no artificial sweeteners or stabilizers from a company in Vancouver) to produce flavoured yogurt. The amount of yogurt they produce every week varies somewhat (depending on market need), but that week, they would be making 3000L of yogurt.

Where the yogurt is made

Tinie said she would be going to Europe in October to learn more about drinkable yogurt, which many of her customers have asked about. She said she had played around with various recipes, but hadn’t yet found one that worked.

Next, we moved on to the barns – one contained the calves (one just a day old!), and another, the 250 Holsteins (and one bull!). Everyone seemed to be just as delighted to see the young cows as we were, and even better, Hennie and Tinie had set out samples of their yogurt on the table for everyone.

Pet me!

Mack with a container of Bles Wold yogurt

The large barn that held the adult Holsteins was a sight to see (and smell, I suppose, but by that time, we had acclimatized somewhat). Though the cows typically have access to pasture, because they were expanding the barn this year, the cows had to remain indoors during this process – they will be back outside in the fenced pasture next year.

I am such a tourist

The notable features of this barn were the mechanized helpers inside – one that swept the hay back towards the cows as they nosed through it – and another behind them that we joked was a Roomba for fecal matter – a motorized circular machine that pushed manure down into the slats below.

Feed sweeper (we didn’t get a photo of the Roomba, unfortunately!)

Hennie was also very proud to show off the milking machine, where two cows could be automatically milked, a process that usually takes between 5-10 minutes. Here is a link to a video if you’re interested in seeing how it works – a cow steps in, a brush simultaneously cleans the teets and stimulates them, sensors pinpoint the udders, and the machine starts to collect the milk. It really was a sight to see.

The magical milking machine

Valerie really had timed everything quite well – we never felt rushed at any part during the day. We all had our fill of the milking machine, Holsteins, and of course, yogurt – and got on the bus for the journey to our last destination that day, dinner at Eco Cafe.

Leaving the barn

I had heard a lot about Eco Cafe, and their pride in sourcing local ingredients (including products from Greens, Eggs and Ham). Valerie had arranged a pre-fixe meal for the group, which was included in the price of the tour.

Located at Pigeon Lake in a small strip mall, Eco Cafe was much smaller than I had anticipated (our group took over the restaurant!). But what it lacked in size it made up for in charm, with lots of natural light, warm paint colours and friendly staff.

Eco Cafe

We started off with a plate of smoked prairie trout, served with cold pressed canola oil Mousseline in a corn and sweet pepper crepe, with greens and candied beets in a yogurt maple dressing. Though the dish was pleasant enough, it wasn’t memorable though I did like the dressing.

Smoked prairie trout with greens and beets

The entree was delicious, however – fall comfort on a plate. The bison short rib ragout was served over goat cheese mashed potatoes with oven roasted root vegetables. Everyone around the table – Valerie, Vanja and Mack – loved this dish. The meat was unbelievably tender, and thankfully for Vanja and I, the goat cheese was subtle.

Bison short rib ragout

Photo op

Valerie had told us that homemade cookies were waiting for us for the trip home, so we opted not to order dessert. Instead, we took the opportunity to stretch our legs before the trip home.

I always make a beeline for gazebos

The promised cookies were indeed worth the wait: the chocolate cherry hazelnut and breakfast cookies were a great way to end the day.

Breakfast cookies

More napping on the bus ride back, and before we knew it, we were in Edmonton again. Thanks again to Valerie (and Vanja) for all of your work in planning the trip!

Date Night: The Dish and Vi’s for Pies

Mack and I don’t normally schedule “date nights” anymore, but during a particularly demanding week, it just seemed right to make sure we had something to look forward to when it was all over. So when Friday evening rolled around, we were more than ready for dinner and a movie.

Though I love being central, and within walking distance to work and (of course), right above the City Market, I do miss Oliver sometimes. Their mature boulevard trees – a canopy that 104 Street doesn’t have – their peaceful streets, and the quiet parks.

Paul Kane Park

Predictably, we aren’t in the Oliver and High Street areas as much any more, but heading for dinner in the neighbourhood was a good excuse to take up our old walking route again.

Oliver School in the fall

I was craving comfort food, and Mack was up for anything, so we ended up at The Dish. They’ve since expanded into what was formerly the Electrum Design Studio (a room that can be booked for private functions), but the additional space thankfully hasn’t made the dining room any less intimate: the cozy wood floors, warm wall colours, and attentive service has remained the same.

We ordered what has to be one of the most inexpensive bottles of wine I’ve ever seen on a menu – the Mad Housewife white zinfandel, priced at just $23. We were first introduced to this label just down the street – at a performance of Hey Ladies! at the Roxy Theatre. Knowing that the bottle itself sells for around $18 at Sherbrooke Liquor Store, we both thought it was quite the deal (and we were able to take what we didn’t finish home with us).

Mad Housewife white zinfandel

It was just before Thanksgiving, so their special was a turkey pot pie with stuffing, an orange-cranberry sauce served with a salad. I was ready to get my turkey on, so was happy with the amount included in the piping hot ramekin. The only ingredient missing in the dish, however, was mashed potatoes – funny how we crave traditional fixings around the holidays.

Turkey pot pie with salad

Mack ordered the day’s flatbread, with ham and pineapple, and enjoyed it, but was hoping for a larger serving.

Flatbread

After dinner, we walked over to Vi’s for Pies (13408 Stony Plain Road), one of my favourite places for dessert in the city.

We probably should have just shared a dessert, but we both have different preferences when it comes to sweets. Mack ordered a slice of pumpkin pie (and apparently, half a carton of whipped cream), while I opted for a chocolatey-rich fudge cake. With a cup of coffee, it was the perfect end to our meal.

Pumpkin pie (I love the cookie topper)

Fudge cake

We caught a bus back downtown, and (finally) went to see a movie at the Empire City Centre theatres. A big perk of living in the core is being able to avoid the long lines and carjams at North and South Common – at least in theory, as we hadn’t taken advantage of our neighbouring theatre since we moved.

We watched the late showing of The Social Network (I loved the opening scene – pure Aaron Sorkin, and Jesse Eisenberg did a fantastic job), and though it was busier than I expected, it was still nothing when compared with the suburban cineplexes.

Thanks for an awesome date night, Mack!

Charity Fall Fair at the Salisbury Farmers’ Market

Though the Salisbury Farmers’ Market in Sherwood Park is year-round, it’s a little out of range to be our weekly winter market. That said, I hadn’t been back to Salisbury since visiting one of their Christmas markets last year, and with the excuse of having to run some errands on the south side anyway, Mack and I stopped by again last night.

Salisbury was having their first annual Charity Fall Fair, with the MS Society chosen this year to benefit from proceeds collected during a special supper. The BBQ featured products that had been donated from various market vendors.

Banquet set-up

It was quite the spread they were offering, and all for a minimum donation of $7 a plate: hickory-smoked pork from Johnson Family Farms, buns from Prairie Mill, potato and pasta salads from Earthly Delights, vegetarian chili from Mixes R Us, all finished off with a cookie from Confetti Sweets.

Yes, it all tasted as good as it looks!

It was a little cool eating outside as the sun was starting to disappear, but the festive atmosphere made up for the cold – there was a petting zoo set up nearby, with the delighted sounds of children encountering miniature horses, goats, chickens, bunnies and (yes) a pot-bellied pig floating joyfully in the air.

Geese and goats and bunnies, oh my!

After devouring our supper, we headed inside to warm up, and to check out the market. The greenhouse really is a lovely place, with inviting, cheerful seasonal displays by the entrance.

Who doesn’t love decorative gourds?

Of course, their Christmas section had also been set-up, much to Mack’s dismay. I didn’t mind so much, particularly because we will be buying our first tree this year.

About two months to go

The market section of the greenhouse was equally merry, the lively mood partially attributed to The Dirt Merchants (such a great name) who were playing up a storm – music and markets definitely go hand in hand!

The Dirt Merchants

There seemed to be more vendors at this market than at the one we visited last year, but some people we talked to said several vendors (including Belua Designs) were there specifically for the special event. The lighting also seemed to be a bit better, which definitely helps when the space is void of natural light!

Vendors

It was great to see Smoky Valley Goat Cheese out, as well as Steve and Dan and Prairie Mill (the latter two being our City Market mainstays).

More vendors

We were also excited to finally be able to try Jacek Chocolate Couture, a chocolatier based in Sherwood Park that has been much buzzed about for their beautiful creations. Jacqueline Jacek changes her collection regularly, with the Winter 2010 collection coming out next month.

We picked up a box of her current LouLou Belle collection, coloured pink in recognition of breast cancer awareness month ($2 per box is donated to Rethink Breast Cancer), but were happy to hear that her truffles are also being carried at our neighbourhood Credo (she recently started making their hot chocolate base for them). My favourite of the four varieties was the pink grapefruit sherbet – similar to the citrus/white chocolate combination of Chocophilia’s Lemon Dream, I loved the smooth centre that encased chewy bursts of grapefruit. Jacek will also be participating in the upcoming Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival.

Jacek Chocolate Couture

Salisbury is a charming market out in the ‘Park. Make sure to check it out Thursday evenings from 4:30-8 p.m. if you’re in the area!

The Cooking Chronicles: Something Fishy

While fresh fish is great, because we tend to do most of our grocery shopping on the weekend, flash-frozen fish is the better alternative for us because we can keep it in the freezer until we are ready to use it. In our case with the vacuum-sealed packages from Ocean Odyssey, the fish is already filleted, making it easy to thaw the night before and incorporate it into a weeknight supper. And though it was super-convenient to have Pat and her stall at the City Market over the summer, it’s just as easy to stop by her shop (10027 167 Street, 780-930-1901) year-round to stock up for a few weeks.

We used Ocean Odyssey filets for the following two recipes – they’re one-pot or one-pan deals!

Garlic & Tomato Fish Stew

Donna Hay’s No Time to Cook recipe for a garlic and tomato fish stew was fast and easy, and made for a tasty weeknight supper. We used sole filets, which meant flakier, smaller pieces of fish were in the cards instead of large chunks. I also liked the inclusion of potato.We served the dish with some toasted ciabatta buns from Sobeys, to be dipped into the broth of white wine, stock and tomato juice.

Fish stew

It’s something we will definitely make again!

Pan-cooked Grated Celeriac and Crunchy Fish

We were definitely in a rush the night of the final mayoral forum, but handily, Mark Bittman’s recipe for pan-cooked grated vegetables and crunchy fish did not take long. While Mack took care of grating the Greens, Eggs and Ham celeriac, I sautéed some onions and garlic with curry powder, then added the root vegetable to be cooked until browned. Then in the same pan, we seared up some cod filets that had been dredged in a mixture of corn meal and flour.

Crunchy cod over pan-cooked grated celeriac

This wasn’t my favourite way to eat celeriac (I much prefer the pureed soup), as the cooking time didn’t really allow the celery root to soften much at all – grated potato would have fared better. The fish, on the other hand, was delicious – crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, it was a healthier alternative to the deep-fried filets it reminded me of.

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.

Food Notes for October 18, 2010

I know many people probably know about Mack’s site, ShareEdmonton already, but if you haven’t checked it out for the election results, make sure you do! He’s been working really hard on it in the last few weeks, but especially in the last few days, to make sure it was ready for election night. I think he did a great job! Anyway, on to this week’s food notes:

The U of A’s Office of Sustainability is hosting a Sustainability Awareness Week from October 18-23, featuring a mini farmers’ market on campus, an elk burger BBQ and more!
Patty Milligan (aka Lola Canola) is organizing an event with Candace Savage, author of Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders taking place on October 24. Proceeds will go to the Canadian Bee Research Fund.
Far East Sandwiches is now open, located at 10301 109 Street (780-756-3278).
Cora’s has added two locations of their popular breakfast and lunch spots to the Edmonton market: one in the northwest (12520 137 Avenue) that opened today, and another in the west end (9977 178 Street), slated to open next week. And even more expansion for next year: “Cora plans on opening four more restaurants in the Edmonton area in 2011. A restaurant is coming to Sherwood Park and Cora is also looking at sites in St. Albert, the Oliver area near downtown Edmonton, Whyte Avenue and Leduc.”
Erin e-mailed me earlier in the week and said that in addition to Cora’s, she’s also seen a few other eateries open up in the northwest, including Mt. Fuji at 9635 167 Avenue) – great news for those that live in the area!
Foodie McPoon blogged about Rockford Grill, the new restaurant in the Sandman Hotel in southwest Edmonton (10011 Ellerslie Road SW).
D’Lish has been getting positive reviews in the blogosphere – from Raoul, May Contain Nuts, and Chris.
Urban Diner’s southside location (in the old Fiore’s spot) is shooting for an October 25 opening, shares Liane.
The NYT had an article this week about Wal-Mart setting targets to source produce locally (defined as purchasing from the same state). It’s interesting that their goals in Canada are far higher than their American counterpart – by 2013, to source 30% of the produce for Canadian stores locally, and when available, to source 100% locally.
It’s unfortunate on some level that the first cupcakery in the core is a franchise, but I’m still excited to have one close to home. Expect Big City Cupcakes to open later this year in City Centre Mall.

Big City Cupcakes

Mack and I were fortunate to get a quick impromptu tour of the soon-to-be retail location and cafe of Queen of Tarts, located in the basement of the Armstrong Block on 104 Street. Proprietor Linda Kearney was especially excited about the artisan breads they will be offering – her husband Paul recently attended a course in San Francisco to perfect his skills. I’m looking forward to their late November opening already!

Queen of Tarts – coming soon!

Olde Time Fair on the Square 2010

Mack and I managed to catch the tail end of the Olde Time Fair on the Square at Churchill Square on Saturday afternoon, just before ducking off to Jane & Yi-Li’s wedding reception.

Churchill Square

The set-up seemed similar to last year, though it seemed most of the family-oriented activities had wrapped up for the day, with the exception of the always-popular petting zoo and hay rides. There were several food vendors were on-site (including Eva Sweet, Fat Franks and the Fork and Spoon Brigade) and even live entertainment.

Entertainment

Test your strength

Horses!

The big draw for us, of course, was being able to pick up some produce from the City Market vendors. As expected, the proportion of craft to food vendors was higher than during the regular season, but there were many familiar faces from the Market, including Medicine Man Bison, Green Valley Farm, Sunhill Gardens, Coal Lake Honey and Prairie Mill.

Inside the tent

Kuhlmann’s had the largest display by far, and probably the most inviting, if not only because most of the other vendors were in enclosed tents with much less natural light.

Kuhlmann’s

While I’m excited that the City Market is continuing until mid December in this way on Churchill Square, the limited number of food vendors would make it difficult to do the majority of my shopping. Moreover, as no list is published to let the public know who will be attending which market, heading to the Old Stratchcona Farmers’ Market just seems like the more efficient choice – at least until the City Market finds an official indoor home for the winter months!

Vendors

Regardless, I’m glad we were able take in the event – it’s always great to see a bustling downtown!

People’s Food Policy Project: Kitchen Table Talk

Last night, I attended an event at the Central Lions Seniors Centre put on by Just Food Edmonton and Growing Food Security in Alberta that was seeking input from citizens around the People’s Food Policy Project (PFPP).

Welcome table

The PFPP is a grassroots project that hopes to, in April 2011, submit policy papers for consideration by the federal government. The ten current papers can be accessed here, and will be revised several more times as input is received at these so-called “kitchen table talks” as well as at an upcoming conference in Montreal.

Local food was served, of course, including BC apples and grapes, bread donated from Bon Ton Bakery, and some amazing homemade jam

The first part of the event saw individuals self-select one of the ten papers they were interested in having an in-depth discussion about. With perhaps 30 people in attendance, it wasn’t possible to have every topic covered, but it seemed to work well. I should also note that election candidates were invited to attend, but as the discussions were supposed to be based upon the ideas presented in the papers, I can imagine it would be difficult for someone who hasn’t given food-related issues much thought to jump in (and as a result, only one of the candidates, Brent Schaffrick, ended up staying the entire evening).

Discussion paper topics

I know I felt a bit selfish being there, feeling like I didn’t have much to contribute, but having a thirst to learn. The discussion I chose to participate in was “Access to food in urban communities”, touching on issues of personal food security, accessibility and affordability.

The discussion in the group was rich – touching on food deserts, vertical farming, and the need for small abattoirs, among other things – and perhaps even more so because the passion around the circle was palpable. And like some other events I’ve attended, the networking opportunity was more valuable than the content learned (Maryann Borch for instance, has a farm called Good Note southeast of Edmonton that I’d never heard of before – she participated in the On Borrowed Ground CSA this year). I do think more time could have been given for this part of the discussion, however. By the time we were given our two-minute warning, we had barely scratched the surface of the topic, and scrambled to write something down on our notes sheet.

The second part of the evening was done in an open space format, which allows individuals to start a discussion, and for participants to “vote with their feet” and change groups if they become disinterested with the dialogue.

I sat in at Perry Phillips’ table, where he talked about a new initiative by the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association, which has received a loan from Community Futures, to establish a local food value chain. This chain intends on growing the Alberta agriculture and food processing sector by connecting farmers and entrepreneurs with the right resources and expertise they need to succeed (e.g. sourcing products, locating processors, marketing to retail). It sounded like the chain was still in the beginning stages (they are hosting a facilitated discussion in November for the purposes of a needs assessment), but he did mention two things of note: first, the Leduc Food Processing Development Centre sounds like a great facility, a sparkly new incubator for food companies that provide, for a fee, access to state of the art equipment, staff, and assistance in the development of products, among other things. Second, he mentioned that the Executive Royal Inn in Leduc offers a 100-mile menu option for local-conscious folks organizing events and conferences – I had no idea, but will be looking into it.

Sharing our open space key points

Susan Roberts, the host of the event who works for Growing Food Security in Alberta, was asked at the end of the evening if Food: Today, Tomorrow, Together would be holding a conference next year (I attended the first conference she helped put on in 2009). Though the focus will be beyond food, Growing Food Security in Alberta has partnered with Pathways 2 Sustainability to host Food, Fuel and Finance in Red Deer next year, from February 23-25, 2011. Though food will be one of the angles covered, all speakers, she said, will be ready to address issues from all three sides.

Susan Roberts

The talk was worth attending, as I was able to find out more about the People’s Food Policy Project, and met some others in the city passionate about food! Thanks to Just Food Edmonton and Growing Food Security in Alberta for organizing the event.

Culinary Q & A with Kevin Kossowan

Occupation: Business Owner/Certified Financial Planner

What did you eat today?

Organic coffee, home-made organic stone-ground whole wheat bread, home-made apricot jam, goat cheese [Holly’s Valencay], vegetable soup [was harvesting veg from the back yard today – leek, beet, carrot, celery, kale, baby cabbage, swiss chard], pickled carrots [from my yard], a chocolate croissant from the Dutch Delicious Bakery, 2008 Chateau Pesquié Terasses.

What do you never eat?

I’d pass on Hakarl next time, but I still ate it, so doesn’t qualify as ‘never’. I may give it another go though over overcooked/burned/dried out processed foods from M&M Meat Shop. I remember going in there years ago thinking ‘cool, a meat shop!’. Not so much.

What is your personal specialty?

Game veal & yard food. I hunt moose and elk calves that are largely milk-fed and just starting to feed on grasses – much like Nature’s Green Acres’ Nouveau Beef which I’m a huge fan of. Yard food because I love to serve menus based on fruit, veg, wild mushrooms, and wines grown & made on my central/downtown city lot.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Butter, rendered pork fat, home-made jams/syrups, eggs, organic cold-pressed canola oil, various yeasts [wine and bread], play dough. There’d also be a meat of some kind, and seasonal veg and fruit. Lately it also contains a diverse collection of artisan goat cheeses.

What is your weekday meal standby?

I don’t have one. Because I work from home, anything is fair game, any day of the week.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

A sharp knife. I avoid kitchen gadgets something fierce.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

I’d start by doing a tasting of every bottle in my wine cellar, then base a menu around the wines. I’d also want to tie into the two large wheels of goat cheese in my cellar. With some good saucisson sec, rustic bread, fresh fruit and simply prepared veg – I’d be pretty happy. Until I got to the heavier reds – in which case I’d likely be motivated to do some herbed-up long-and-slow rotisserie meats over a wood fire. I’d pass on dessert and have more wine instead.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

For the once every month or two that we do, it would roughly be a tie: Leon’s Wonton & Noodle, and the Than Than [on 101st St]. I tend to value DIY, and eating out is rather DNY [Do Nothing Yourself], so eating out and I don’t get along very well most of the time.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

In one’s kitchen.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I used to think geography was a barrier to my culinary happiness – but don’t feel that way anymore. It took me 10 years of traveling and cooking in foreign countries to figure that out.

So I’m going to go with: at home, braised beef shoulder, mashed French fingerling potatoes w lots of chevre and butter, and a nice bottle of right-bank Bordeaux. Yum.

Check out Kevin’s blog here, but in particular, make sure to check out his fantastic From Local Farms series of videos.

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