Food Notes for December 31, 2013

I would apologize for my extended absence, but a vacation and extended time spent with family and friends was just what my soul needed. I feel rested and ready to take on the new year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with loved ones, and hope you have a fabulous 2014! Here are some of my catch-up notes that cover the past few weeks:

A number of new restaurants opened up in December such as Woodwork, the storefront from the folks behind Nomad. Vue Weekly provides a portrait of the restaurant in progress, as well as some of the philosophy behind the food and drink. Andrea had lunch there, while Chris also has an early review, noting that the temperature of the restaurant has been impacting dining experiences.
The Glass Monkey, replacing the Jack’s Grill in Lendrum (5842 111 Street) is now open. Anyone been yet?
The Phork (101, 9707 110 Street), occupying the revolving door space in Grandin most recently occupied by Antonio’s, opened on December 13, 2013 (thanks, Eva, for the heads up!). They are ambitious, serving up breakfast to late night. Perhaps this is the magic needed for that location?
Craft Beer Market, a Calgary import, opened at 10013 101A Avenue on December 19, 2013. They have over 100 beers on tap, and a large food menu. Several bloggers attended their opening event, including Cheryl, Chris and Liv.
Even Sherwood Park has a new restaurant: Square One Wye Road (#32, 993 Fir Street). Liv has already tried some of their diverse menu items.
If Urban Shabu is busy, you can now head down the block to 97 Hot Pot (10602 97 Street). Linda checked it out and loved their broths!
Lincoln spotlights Tasty Choice (107, 2920 Calgary Trail) in his YEGventures series, offering Asian comfort food.
Sushi Sugoi (2874 Calgary Trail), in the former Outback Steakhouse location on Calgary Trail, is now open.
No photo, unfortunately, but a restaurant called Delicious Pho is coming soon to the space that previously housed The Makk (10418 124 Street).
Learn more about North 53 (10240 124 Street), another restaurant in the growing inventory of establishments on 124 Street. They are accepting reservations starting on January 15, 2014.
The big news this December was twofold – Roast (10359 104 Street) in the Mercer Warehouse closed, ending the presence of another independent coffee shop downtown, but a day later, it was announced that Tres Carnales would be taking over the space, offering a new Mexican concept.
Congrats to the winners of the city’s Winter Drink competition, Transcend and Jasper Place High School!
Do your 2014 resolutions include learning more about food? Check out Shovel & Fork’s winter class calendar.
We had a smashing time in New York, exploring places old and new. I felt we knew a bit more about the city on this visit, so was better able to maximize our time there. There were lots of memorable moments, but as some of you already know, Mack asked me to marry him in Central Park, and I said yes!

At The Mall in Central Park

Food Notes for December 9, 2013

I’m counting down the days! Mack and I are heading to New York on the weekend for a long-awaited vacation. Although there’s quite a bit standing between me and that flight (namely, work and last-minute Christmas errands), I’m starting to get excited. I won’t be blogging while I’m away, but I’ll be back towards Christmas. On to this week’s food notes:

Christmas Reflections, an annual event at Fort Edmonton Park celebrating Christmas through the ages, is on December 6-23, 2013. Now that the mercury has risen a little, it should be more bearable to take in the outdoor streets.
Looking for something other than turkey for Christmas? How about afternoon tea and a tour of an Edmonton landmark? The Hotel MacDonald is offering their Nutcracker Tea and Tour from November 30-December 29, 2013.
On December 19, 2013, the businesses on 104 Street will be hosting customer appreciation events, ranging from discounts to samples.
RGE RD may be known for the summer farm-to-table dinners, but on January 19, 2014, they will host their first winter feast out on Nature’s Green Acres.
Mark your calendar – the second Hawkers Market is taking place on February 22, 2014, and tickets are already available.
Woodwork, the restaurant from the folks behind Nomad and the Volstead Act, is now open! Check out the menu here.
A tale of two reviews: Twyla and Andrea give you their takes on Century Hospitality’s newest restaurant, Parlour.
The Journal reviewed Fired Up BBQ last week (this has to be the year of the smokehouse in Edmonton).
Liane shared that Kathryn Joel of Get Cooking will be opening up a standalone cooking studio in the new year.
There’s been some discussion about what dish should represent Edmonton. Is it green onion cakes?
Looks like Irie Foods is no more, and has been replaced by Kaengthai Bistro (10152 82 Avenue).

Kaengthai Bistro

Season’s eatings: this time, it was for my work team’s Christmas lunch, at Viphalay.

Pad Thai

2013 What the Truck?! Roundup

While I did recap the first three What the Truck?! events that took place this year (Ginger Beef Throwdown, Old Strathcona and The Quarters), I fell off the wagon this summer and failed to keep up with the rest.

Louise McKinney Riverfront Park

Louise McKinney is a beautiful location to be sure, one that provides a gorgeous vantage point and approach to the river valley. However, we knew that the gradient and the few access points might act as barriers for some, but we were hoping that the trucks would be enough of a draw on August 24, 2013.

We had to change our original site map on the fly due to a concurrent event taking place in the adjacent park, which worked for the most part, but wasn’t perfect. Due to the same event, on-site parking was even more scarce. And so, in order to prevent drivers from looping through the vending area, Mack and I ended up having to second our family members to act as parking attendants and control vehicle access. While a majority of people were understanding (and took advantage of our recommendation to park along Jasper Avenue), it really was disheartening to see the number of drivers who didn’t hesitate to spew vitriol when told there was no on-site parking available. Mobility challenges and families with young children aside, I couldn’t fathom why some didn’t want to take advantage of an absolutely gorgeous day and spend more time outdoors.

Louise McKinney

That aside, for those that did take in the event, we heard pretty positive feedback. The relatively smaller crowd meant shorter lines, and everyone seemed to appreciate the location’s proximity to our river valley.

Beautiful vantage point

It was great to see people sprawled out on the grass, picnicking with their buffet spreads, or utilizing concrete parking curbs as benches.

Al fresco!

I was able to try Yellow Bird’s gyu-don beef rice bowl. The one dish filled me up for the rest of the evening, a tasty combination of beef, egg and veggies.

Gyu-don from Yellow Bird

A big thanks to the Shaw Conference Centre, who allowed us to set up in their parking lot, and to the Downtown Edmonton Community League for sponsoring a number of our events this year (including this one).

Churchill Square

Our final What the Truck?! in Churchill Square on September 20, 2013 was our biggest event ever, and it was not only clear that the Square was bursting at the seams with vendors, but also that food trucks have been thoroughly embraced by Edmontonians.

Churchill Square (photo by Dave Feltham)

We were really fortunate this season with good weather, and this was exemplified that Friday. It was a fitting finale for summer, and revelers came out in droves.

The crowds! (photo by Dave Feltham)

Some of the lines were long and rather unwieldy, but I’m happy to say that it looked like most people were enjoying themselves, catching up with old friends or meeting new ones.

Dining out

And while we welcomed a few new trucks to our WTT family that day, we didn’t know that we were saying goodbye to one. It was the last service for The Lingnan Express – Miles sold the truck to another proprietor, who will be rebranding the truck to be launched in 2014.

We’re always indebted to DJ Thomas Scott and his friends, who bring just the right party atmosphere to our events. You rock!

DJ Thomas Scott

And what can we say to thank our hard working volunteers, who perform thankless jobs like garbage collection? We couldn’t do it without you.

Super Su!

Thanks to everyone who came out that night and helped us celebrate a great year.

What the Truck?! Gives Back

We capped our season with a special service at the Bissell Centre. Our desire was to try and replicate the spirit of our other pop-up events, but of course, this one had one major twist: the food was free.

Six trucks served over 900 meals to underprivileged individuals that day. We can’t tell you how rewarding it was to see people enjoying themselves.

Bully at work

We always knew we were lucky to have such a great food truck community in Edmonton, but the participating vendors that day took that statement to another level. Thanks to The Act Out & About, Bully, Lemon Grass Grill, Little Village, The Local Omnivore, and Sailin’ On for your generous contributions.

Big hearts!

It was also a wonderful experience working with the staff from the Bissell Centre. The agency has had a rough month, experiencing a fire in their Thrift Shoppe, but the staff were more than accommodating to help us put on this event on their day off! Thanks to the staff and volunteers for their hard work.

Looking to 2014

You can be sure What the Truck?! will be back next year (we’ve already started brainstorming locations!), but perhaps the most exciting thing for us is an expanded team! We know this event could be so much more, but Mack and I aren’t able to grow it on our own. So we’ve invited a few more people to the table who will lend new ideas, perspectives and energy to the events. Welcome Caleng, Dave and Melina – I’m looking forward to working with you in 2014.

Team What the Truck?!

See you next year!

Recap: Hawkers Market Edmonton

The first ever Hawkers Market in Edmonton took place on Saturday, November 30 in the basement of the Mercer Warehouse (otherwise known as Vacancy Hall). Originating in Vancouver, Hawkers Market intends to “create a space where vibrant and exciting local food can be discovered…a place to conduct commerce, rapidly test ideas and meet customers face to face.” As a result, I expected the event to be similar in nature to the Toronto Underground Market I attended last year, which is set-up as an opportunity for start-up food businesses to grow and make a name for themselves in a competitive market. No doubt, one of the busiest vendors at TUM that night was La Carnita, which is now one of the most popular taquerias in Toronto.

Hawkers Market

Mack and I were given free admission tickets, but I did purchase two $10 advance tickets for my sisters. Menus weren’t available in advance, but when we arrived, we found that food averaged between $5-7.

With my sisters

Given it was Hawkers Market’s first time in Edmonton, a few hiccups were to be expected. For one, the start time was 5pm, though this was inconsistent on some of the advertised Eventbrite information. As well, with some power issues and poor ventilation, it will be interesting to see if Vacancy Hall will continue to host this event.

Getting busy

Eight vendors were set up along the periphery of the room, with a DJ adding to the party atmosphere. Though we were somewhat surprised to see that five of the vendors were existing or soon-to-be food truck operators, in a way, the timing perfectly complements the food truck off-season. That said, we were hoping to see more newly-established businesses, but I am guessing this will come as word spreads about Hawkers Market.

The Bully Food Truck team!

Drift’s mini truck replica greeted guests walking in, but perhaps even more enticing was their menu offering, a Burmese dish of khao swe ($5). One of Nevin’s family recipes, the coconut chicken noodles were served up and ready to be customized with an assortment of toppings: green onions, cilantro, fried onions, chickpea chips and sticks, boiled egg, lemon and red chili flakes. It was fun to make the dish to our taste, delectable as it already was.

Mini Drift!

Khao swe from Drift

Notably, Drift was also selling their signature ketchup and spice, nicely packaged for holiday giving. If you missed it, you can now pick up the products at Acme Meats!

Give the gift of Drift

Amanda high-tailed it pretty quick to Sailin’ On, her favourite food truck. We shared an order of chili-lime tofu tacos ($9), with refried beans, vegan cheddar, veggies, salsa verde and lime. She wasn’t disappointed with her pick.

Chili-lime tofu tacos from Sailin’ On

I didn’t expect a restaurant like XIX Nineteen to participate in Hawkers Market, though in hindsight, it was an opportunity to interact with a whole new group of potential patrons. Felicia ordered a dish of rabbit and gnocchi poutine ($5 without the meat) to try. It was a creative dish well-suited to the environment it was being cooked and served in, and the gnocchi was tasty in and of itself.

Gnocchi poutine from XIX Nineteen

In that same vein, Casa Doce, a food truck which has mostly operated in Sherwood Park this past year, showcased their Mexican cuisine to a different audience. We tried their jalapeno and queso fresco tamale ($5), topped with beans and pickled onions. It was piping hot, and definitely meant to be shared by a group.

Tamale from Casa Doce

It was exciting to see two brand new vendors launching at Hawkers Market who don’t yet already have an existing storefront or truck. Parts & Service is a forthcoming food truck, their name inspired by some of the off-cuts of meat they will be using. That night, they were serving up duck confit and roasted bone marrow ($5); we ordered the latter. Served with crostini and topped with fennel salsa, it was a memorable dish that immediately set them apart from other trucks.

Roasted bone marrow from Parts & Service

Unfortunately, we missed sampling the dessert from Paper Bag Donuts, courtesy of Red Ox Inn’s Sean O’Connor. To be honest, I saw a tiny sign with the letters “PBD” on the corner, but didn’t investigate any further – our loss. Hopefully Paper Bag Donuts pops-up again soon!

The one vendor that wasn’t quite like the others was South Island Pie Company, which had presence at the City Market this summer. They weren’t sampling any products, and instead, were selling frozen pies for takeaway. We did pick up a pair on our way out, as we were heading home and could stash them in our freezer, but given they were the odd booth out, we hoped they were successful through the night.

South Island Pie Company

So while the majority of the vendors weren’t necessarily new, I think Hawkers Market still accomplished their mission of increasing the exposure of small food businesses. It sounds like a second Hawkers Market is scheduled for February 22, 2014, so keep an eye out for more details!

Food Notes for December 2, 2013

While I’m not looking forward to the temperature drop this week, we were certainly treated to a gorgeous snow fall tonight, shimmering in the air and beneath my feet. It’s easy to forget how beautiful winter can be when we’re bundled up! On to this week’s food notes:

Though there have been a rash of restaurant closings in the past few weeks, we’ve been buoyed by a similar number of opening announcements: Chic-Hog-O’s is one, replacing the former Chateau Beirut at 10058 112 Street (disappointingly, I couldn’t find anything to link to, not even a Facebook page). Liv has already visited and posted about her meal here.
Century Hospitality Group’s newest restaurant, The Parlour, is also open. Looking forward to trying one of their signature pizzas.
It was great to hear that Credo, our beloved neighbourhood coffee shop, is expanding! Expect their second location to open some time in the spring/summer in the Limelight Building (10350 124 Street).
Nearby, Colonel Mustard’s, which was devastated by a flood in February, is looking to tear down the building and rebuild.
Are fresh vegan convenience meals a myth? Not if VegPalette has anything to say about it. They offer different meal plans based on the needs of the customer.
Liane Faulder, fresh off the heels of a successful culinary tour in Italy this year, will be hosting an 8 day food and wine tour in Barcelona in March 2014. It sounds like a great combination of food experiences, cultural site visits and walking tours.
This is such a neat idea (thanks to Jill for sharing!): a pop-up restaurant in Austria accepted food scraps as payment for a meal. Given the amount of food thrown away daily, it was an opportunity to highlight the possibility of converting compostable waste into biofuel.
First Urban Shabu, and now, Hot Pot 97 to come. It makes sense for a winter city to embrace hot pot – maybe this can be one of Edmonton’s signature dining experiences.

Hot Pot 97

Bannock Burger (10704 – 124 Street) is now open!

Bannock Burger

One of the Boards I volunteer for hosted a lovely Christmas dinner at ZINC last week. The service was attentive, and the meal was well prepared. As one of my colleagues noted, it was a great way to kick-off a season of eating!

Sablefish with green pea and asiago risotto

Mack and I took Grandma Male to Izakaya Tomo on the weekend. It was her first time there, and she enjoyed being able to sample a multitude of dishes. It was also a good excuse for us to indulge in a second order of chicken kara-age…

Chicken Kara-age

Austrian Dumpling Night at Elm Cafe

Mack’s Dad was in town last week for work, so we planned to have dinner together on Friday. When a call to one of the newest restaurants in the city yielded no prime time reservations, it was serendipitous for me to come across a tweet about a special supper being held at Elm Café. Allan Suddaby (one of Elm’s chefs), would be preparing an Austrian dumpling dinner at the café’s catering space on 118 Avenue. Though Mack and I have gotten to know Allan over the past few years by co-organizing Eat Alberta, we’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy a coherent meal he’s put together.

We’d been to the space before, but for an informal gathering. It’s been nicely redone by the Elm staff, sleek and modern with sparse enhancements and angled metal chairs.

Dining room

The set four-course menu was a very reasonable $30, not including drinks. We were able to choose from one of three entrees, so between our party, we were able to try every dish!

In a way, it felt like we were eating in Allan’s dining room, being treated to a meal he would prepare for himself at home. His straightforward style, highlighting good ingredients in comforting dishes was the perfect way to warm up on a chilly winter night.

The dinner began with a soup made of beef broth and thin strips of pancake. The pancake was more crepe-like than the fluffy versions served at breakfast, though cut in lengthy pieces, made it difficult for me to eat tastefully.

Frittatensuppe

The salad plate was a combination of several different textures (a big hit with me!) – fresh tomato and cucumber, cabbage with strong notes of fennel and a potato salad sprinkled with dill.

Gemischtersalat

Martin ordered the potato dumplings stuffed with ham and onions, then deep fried. As with the other entrees, it would be hard not to like anything deep fried (or in the case of the other dishes, baked with cheese or fried in butter).

Fleischknodel

We learned later that the bread dumpling was Allan’s personal favourite. He described it to be similar to a savoury bread pudding mixture that is boiled, then sliced and fried in butter. Served alongside a gravy-laden beef goulash, I could see why – they were a tastier accompaniment compared with a typical potato side, absorbing the sauce without losing its form. The celery leaves in the goulash were a beautiful touch.

Serviettenknodel

Mack enjoyed his Austrian mac and cheese, but did comment that he would have liked a side dish similar to how our plates were presented.

Kasespatzle

The final course involved a stewed rhubarb served with a sweet dough and vanilla ice cream. Mack is not usually a fan of desserts, but really took to this one.

Kaiserschmarrn

Our only minor quibble with the meal was the pacing. The kitchen was almost too efficient – the subsequent dishes were brought even before our previous plates were cleared. Four courses was a lot of food to consume in an hour!

It looks like Elm Café will be planning more one-off meals for the space. Follow them on Twitter to yourself apprised of the events. I look forward to attending other special events at this venue!

Food Notes for November 25, 2013

Less than a week out from December, folks! It’s my favourite time of year, and I’m looking to finally put up the tree this weekend (Mack’s Christmas tolerance begins, of course, at the conclusion of American Thanksgiving). Hope you’re enjoying the start of festivities as well! On to this week’s food notes:

Looking forward to attending the first ever Hawker’s Market in Edmonton on November 30, 2013! Get your admission tickets in advance and save $5.
The Parlour (10334 Capital Boulevard), the newest Century Hospitality Group restaurant, will finally be opening up this weekend.
It looks like we can look forward to a December 19, 2013 opening of the Craft Beer Market downtown.
Liane gives us a sneak peek of the forthcoming North 53 restaurant. Their menu will offer “progressive Canadian” cuisine.
Lillian visited Coco Deep Fried Chicken, where the “K” in KFC stands for “Korean”!
Not surprisingly, the Journal wrote a positive review for the newest Cactus Club location in the city.
The Journal also profiled the GF Diner in Old Strathcona, the first restaurant in Edmonton offering an exclusively gluten-free menu.
Two Montreal-area servers share their twenty pet peeves about restaurant diners.
Was a documentary about jet-setting foodies really necessary? I guess it’s not too much of a stretch from the excess already shown on television.
We took in the first annual All is Bright on 124 Street on Saturday. They really went all out, with a street closure, massive stage, and a good-sized food and beverage area. It was great to see so many families out enjoying the activities, and several businesses participating as well.

Sleigh ride

Food trucks are still alive and well!

Ice sculptures

I met up with Mack at Pho Tau Bay last week for lunch. Needless to say, it hit the spot.

Pho for two

Blink: Parkade Party Recap

Things really came together for our Blink: Parkade Party in August. For years now, I’ve been eyeing the parkade on 104 Street just south of Jasper Avenue, wondering how we could program the space. Thankfully, Vinci Park 103 was open to our use of the rooftop, and by working with a great team, we were able to make something happen!

The decision to screen the 50s classic Grease helped to establish the carnival theme that pervaded the rest of the event. Fat Franks and Cookie Love were on hand to dole out summer treats, while DJ Thomas Scott helped us set the tone with a spirited soundtrack from the era.

DJ Thomas Scott

To continue the party atmosphere, Alex of E-Town Salsa led a zumba session to great success. It was really cool to see the number of people who joined in!

Whoo!

We also worked with Cookie Love to host their inaugural cookie eating contest, featuring a number of Edmonton’s social media superstars. Brittney, Su and Mack were great sports, participating in a public challenge to see how many cookies they could eat in two minutes. Mack was the winner, however lightweight, winning the competition by consuming a total of three cookies.

Our brave competitors (photo by Alistair Henning)

Before the movie started, and during intermission, the fabulous Sugar Swing Dance Club taught the crowd Grease-inspired dance moves (I will admit now that this was somewhat inspired by a cheesy scene in The Wedding Planner, where the two romantic leads dance during a movie screening in Golden Gate Park). While our dance sequences were a little less spontaneous, they were equally inspirational!

Julie and Ben were fantastic instructors, upbeat and encouraging. Their first set involved pairs of dancers grooving to tunes of the era.

Let’s dance

At intermission, Julie and Ben led “Team Sandy” and “Team Danny” in a fun dance off. Based on the crowd’s cheers, I think it was “Team Danny” that was declared the winner.

Dancing showdown!

The main event was a screening of Grease onto the side of a parkade directly adjacent to the rooftop. With the help of Owen Brierley of Guru Digital Arts College, we were able to secure a projector that worked well in spite of the glaring parkade lights.

#parkadeparty

With the help of Media Architecture Design Edmonton (MADE), we were also able to provide some park-like seating options in the form of grass tiles! They were still a bit damp from the previous night’s rain storm, but brought a pop of unexpected green to the decidedly urban surroundings.

Grass tiles

We were happy with the turnout for the movie, realizing that the novelty of the screening location had something to do with it!

Grease is the word (photo by Alistair Henning)

As a result, we’re not certain this event can be replicated as such, but you can be sure we will always be on the lookout for underutilized spaces that have the potential to be so much more!

The event was free of charge to attend, and was only possible because of Edmonton Awesome Foundation’s seed money. The funding provided us with the opportunity to not only focus on putting on a good event open to all, but also retain our commitment to donate part of the proceeds to the Boyle Street Community Services’ Downtown Proud, a program that provides employment opportunities for formerly homeless individuals. With further sponsorship from Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and the Downtown Business Association of Edmonton, we were able to collect donations that would go straight to the cause. All told, with the generous help of those who attended, we raised over $2,100 for Downtown Proud.

We also want to thank the Downtown Edmonton Community League, Oliver Community League and Cask & Barrel for their support of Blink. We also had a number of fabulous volunteers who gave their time to help us out – thank you!

And lastly, having been involved in a variety of events and projects over the past few years, I can honestly say that it was a dream to work with Hannah McDonald and Stephanie Chai. And it wasn’t just the coincidence that our meetings always took place over wine! Thanks to you both for your creativity and endless energy – I hope our collaborative paths cross again in the future!

We’re with awesome!

Food Notes for November 19, 2013

I feel like I’m still catching up from being away last week, but it was nice to be able to visit Ottawa for the first time. Sadly, when we left for Edmonton, it was +14. On to this week’s food notes:

I’ve been looking forward to 124 Street’s All is Bright for some time! It’s a winter festival with food, hot drinks, sleigh rides and light displays. See you there!
Just in time for Christmas, Knifewear is back with a pop-up in the city, at 10816 – 82 Avenue. The shop will be open from November 23 through to January 28.
Hawkers Market is a Vancouver-based event that’s coming to Edmonton on November 30, 2013. The event gives food businesses, “a platform to cook, test ideas, meet customers”. It sounds a lot like the Toronto Underground Market I attended last year, which seemed to be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to gain traction.
It’s winter all right! Celebrate the season by submitting your best brew (alcoholic or non alcoholic) in the Winter City drinks competition! Prizes include a staycation package and in-home tasting parties. The deadline to enter your recipe is December 8, 2013.
Sushi Sugoi will be opening soon in the former Outback Steakhouse on the south side (2874 Calgary Trail).
Liane had some more information about the forthcoming Glass Monkey gastropub in Lendrum (5842 111 Street). It is set to open in mid-December.
La Oliva, a gluten-free kitchen, celebrated its grand opening this past weekend at 10575 114 Street. The business offers catering and cooking classes.
Liv checks out the new Rock Wood Fired Pizza.
It would be wonderful to see a restaurant in the building adjacent to Beaver Hills House Park.
Love chocolate? Check out Choklat’s series of tastings, called Choklat Snobbery 101, featuring tastings and wine pairings. Tickets are $40.
Don’t click on this post hungry – Valerie’s sixth Canadian Food Experience Project round-up features numerous photos of comfort food.
Did you know about Coca-Cola’s “assault on tap water”?
On our way to the Italian Centre on the weekend, we noticed signage for an Allegro Italian Kitchen on 95 Street and 108 Avenue. Anyone know if this is a second location or if the restaurant is moving?

Allegro Italian Kitchen

Recap: 97 Street Night Market

Over the summer, I worked with a team of volunteers to put on an event that we hoped would encourage Edmontonians to rediscover Chinatown. The neighbourhood is so full of history and possibility, but has largely been overlooked over the last number of years. While we recognized that the Business Revitalization Zone and to a greater extent, the McCauley Revitalization Strategy, had attempted to facilitate positive developments, we believed that something different was needed to foster the imagination of what Chinatown could be.

From there, the 97 Street Night Market was born. With a generous grant from the City and some committed supporters, we were able to transform a vacant parking lot into a welcoming space that introduced or reacquainted patrons with the dynamic nature of night markets right in the heart of Chinatown.

97 Street Night Market

Vendors were the commercial anchor for the event, and we were happy to have engaged some area businesses, including Universal Music and Pacific Café, as well as others from around the city. The range of trinkets to fashion items was varied enough for visitors of all ages!

Gama

No doubt, one of the most popular booths that day was actually one of ours – we had borrowed a set of fortune sticks from the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association, and volunteers sold fortunes for $1 a pop. That night, nearly 200 fortunes were told!

Step right up!

We were fortunate to have The Lingnan Express, Molly’s Eats and Swich on-site, offering Asian-inspired dishes, including oyster omelettes, curried fish balls and matcha green tea ice cream sandwiches. Though not from the window of a food truck, Gama was able to offer another night market staple – bubble tea.

Food trucks

Char siu pulled pork sandwich from Molly’s Eats

In addition, the market provided us with an opportunity to highlight many young performers. Some were more traditional, such as 5 Elements, who opened the evening with an engaging lion dance, while others displayed a fusion of cultures, including Nanyen Lau, who played the Titanic anthem of “My Heart Will Go On” on an erhu.

5 Elements

Edmonton Chinese Dance Academy

My favourite act was the energetic Convergence Dance Crew, who drew the biggest crowds to the stage with their infectious K-pop covers of Psy’s recent hits.

Convergence Dance Crew

Patrons also had the chance to participate in three different walking tours of the neighbourhood that highlighted various facets of Chinatown. The first had nearly thirty participants so engrossed in the tour the guides ended up doubling the originally-intended length! No question, we learned that tours of all varieties should be offered of Chinatown on a regular basis; people are curious, and want to learn about the neighbourhood’s rich history and hopeful future.

Tour group

For me, it was the creation of a neutral, safe space that most excited me. The perceived “ethnicity” of Chinatown is daunting to some who aren’t familiar with its businesses, while for others, the stereotype of an unsafe, neglected neighbourhood discourages exploration. That night, it was heartening to see people of all generations from many different backgrounds convening in a single parking lot, feasting, shopping, and otherwise socializing. It was a gathering place not normally found in Chinatown, and one that I hope will be replicated in the future.

Beautiful sunset

There are a litany of people to thank who helped make this event a reality. Qualico and Ledcor generously donated the site, and worked around our request, in spite of the ongoing demolition of the building directly south of the lot. Jane Molstad of the McCauley Revitalization Strategy immediately recognized the potential of this idea, and worked tirelessly to ensure the grant came through! We also couldn’t have done without the enthusiastic and hard working day-of volunteers. Lastly, thanks to all those who came, taking a chance on a first time event!

I’ve been asked more than once if the night market will become an annual event. Although I can’t answer the question definitively yet, I can say that a few of us are working to continue the momentum we began that day in some form or another. Stay tuned!

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