Go for a Good Cause: 4th Street Promenade Al Fresco Block Party

One of my favourite summer events, the Al Fresco Block Party, will be taking over our neighbourhood again on June 11, 2011. It’s an event popular for many reasons – it not only combines the best of other seasonal festivals, including fashion, music, wine and of course, food, but also proceeds to support a good cause along the way (I wrote about it here last year).

The new 4th Street Promenade banners going up

As with 2010, all of the money raised at this year’s Al Fresco will benefit the E4C School Lunch Program, which helps provide lunch and nutritional education to over 2,000 school children every year. In addition, E4C also provides healthy snacks to over 5,500 children a year, operates the Young Chef Program that teaches children meal preparation and food safety skills, and runs a community garden.

Attendees can expect some familiar features as in past events, such as a kick-off pancake breakfast, hosted by the Downtown Edmonton Community League, a fashion show put on by area merchants, and live music. The wine tasting promises to be equally exciting (though I’d advise heading to the tent earlier rather than later; it was absolutely packed last year!).

The 2010 pancake breakfast

The outdoor movie, however, has been axed, in favour of a new food aspect. Inspired by the trend of street food overtaking cities across North America, six downtown and area restaurants will be offering their own spin on high end street food.

Sabor Divino cooks up piri piri in at last year’s Al Fresco

Participating restaurants include Corso 32, MRKT, Tres Carnales Taqueria, Elm Cafe, Pampa and a 2010 Al Fresco favourite, Sabor Divino. The full menu can be viewed on their Facebook page, and looks to be well-rounded, with fresh salads to accompany barbecued meats and sure-fire crowd-pleasers like Corso’s arancini. Three 104 Street restaurants, LIT, Blue Plate Diner and TZiN, will also be joining the fray with extended patios.

For a little more information on how the organizers came up with this concept, and what can be expected from this year’s wine tasting, I contacted Ed Fong of DeVine’s, one of the folks behind this event.

Why is E4C’s school lunch program in need of support?

There is a lack of funding and the needs are increasing with the challenging economic times. The program identifies high needs schools and there are unfortunately many of them.

How did the organizing committee come up with the “high end street food” concept? How is it different than events such as the Taste of Edmonton?

Taste of Edmonton is getting very predictable and the offers are less than inspiring. 15 years ago, maybe, but not now. Like many food offerings at these type of events, the food vendors are settling for the “lowest common denominator”. So, they do what is easy and what makes them money. The thought of doing high end street food was inspired by people’s trip to other places in Europe and the States where you can get great food at farmers’ markets, vans and such. With the success of the first years’ charcoal BBQ Portuguese Chicken, we thought we would expand the concept. We also wanted to show that street food does not have to be uninspiring. So, no street meat or meat on a stick.

How were the participating restaurants chosen or approached?

Restaurants were chosen based on the relationship the planners had with them, their vision of street food, and their willingness to execute, donate their time and part of the proceeds. We also wanted to select restaurants with buzz, reputation for high quality and a reflection of independent, locally owned businesses. We were not really interested in chains. They are hard to deal with, and we do not have the time nor the desire to cut through their bureaucracy. We wanted Hardware Grill, but they did not have the staff that day. So, they are participating by donating their entire restaurant for a luncheon fundraiser [tickets for the June 11, 2011 three course meal can be purchased online here].

What can people expect to sample in the wine tasting tent? Are there any wineries or vendors you are particularly excited about?

There will be 23 wine and spirits importers who are participating. They will be pouring 58 wines, 4 beers/coolers and 5 spirits. So, lots of choice for $25. I’m excited about the choice of wines that are suitable for summer sipping and the opportunity to introduce so many new products to the store. Patrons can try anything from Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch to Cahteau Tahbilk Marsanne. This will not be just another hohum tasting tent. But I’m really excited about all the agents who are willing to donate ALL of their product and time to help feed kids. I’m very proud of the community spirit that brings us all together.

What makes Al Fresco such a great event?

The fact that this is a grassroots fundraiser, where neighbors all chip in to support a worthwhile cause. We feel it is a great event too because it does not happen in isolation, but in conjunction with the DECL Pancake Breakfast, Farmers’ Market and Pride Parade. It is unique because we set the bar very high. So we raise the food, fun, music, fashion, art and wine quotient every year. The event has a very cosmopolitan feel, and it gets people out on the streets. Neighbors and friends can come out, enjoy the event, socialize and have fun in a responsible way. That is what downtown living should all be about.

Make sure to mark your calendars if you haven’t already – let’s help Al Fresco exceed the $23,000 they raised last year! And if you’re looking for other ways to support E4C, be sure to also check out Al Fresco’s online auction.

See you at Al Fresco!

A Block Party and Policy in Old Strathcona

The advent of summer brings with it not only warm weather, but also a plethora of activities – you should never be wanting of things to do in Edmonton at this time of year! Saturday was a poster child of event overload – perhaps you ran into frantic City Chase participants, checked out either of the fabulous Royal Bison or Handmade Mafia craft shows, or learned more about public transit at the ETS Community Fair. We wanted to do it all, but with a seat at the CHG Top Chef table that night, we aimed to narrow our scope to Old Strathcona.

We should have taken the street car instead of the bus

Four walls couldn’t contain the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market!

Entertainment

Mack and I love a good street festival, so while we were in the neighbourhood, had to check out the East Whyte Block Party.

East Whyte

It definitely had the right elements – food from the ever-popular Fat Franks and Eva Sweet, art work displays, representatives from the community league, and demonstrations of athleticism from yoga practitioners and stunt bikes.

Art

Yoga

Stunting!

It was just lacking a festive atmosphere – music to help tie it all together would have been a great addition, and perhaps more signage near the farmers’ market to help direct pedestrian traffic that way. That said, for an inaugural event, it can only grow from here. I’m looking forward to see how next year’s party develops!

We made our way back to William McIntyre Park at noon to take part in the official kick-off to the City of Edmonton’s Food and Agriculture Policy Project. It was great to see a small crowd gathered to take in the displays and be a part of the launch.

Displays

Mayor Mandel and Councillor Loken emphasized that this policy, which will look at everything from where citizens source their food from, to where it is processed, to how it is disposed of, is a natural fit with the direction of sustainability in The Way We Grow, The Way We Live and The Way We Green (The Way We Grow, for example, highlighted the importance of the pristine farmland in the north east of the city last year, for example).

Councillor Loken addresses the crowd

As with other policies, the City will be gathering public feedback to assist with its development. An online questionnaire is already available, and a forum is being planned for the fall.

Timeline

Though it will be important that policies such as urban beekeeping and backyard chickens are thoroughly considered, I do hope other hands on ideas for sustainability, though decidedly less controversial, are also highlighted. For example, the Alberta Avenue Community League offered a series of “homesteading” workshops a while back, a great initiative that really should be happening on a larger scale. Opportunities for people to learn how to garden (in a yard or containers) and to preserve what they grow (canning, pickling, etc.) should be more common – and for most, will be a gateway into more involved forms of food production.

I look forward to learning more about the development of this policy, and am optimistic that it will help Edmonton become a leader in this area.

Art Burn at the 2011 Silver Skate Festival

At twenty one years of age, the Silver Skate Festival is the granddaddy of winter festivals in our fair city. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone in Edmonton is aware that Silver Skate exists, in spite of the fact that it offers something for everyone. What other event hosts a winter triathlon, long blade skate tryouts, snow sculptures, musical performances and fun with fire?

That said, it was a mostly brutal weekend for the festival to fall on – bitterly cold temperatures probably kept some curious festivalgoers away, and had we not already agreed to judge the Art Burn competition, as Mack mentioned, he and I likely would have been among those under self-imposed house arrest too. Of course – Edmontonians are a hearty lot, so it wasn’t a surprise that we encountered a small crowd at Hawrelak Park when we arrived at Silver Skate on Saturday night.

Walking to the festival grounds from the bus stop was a bit of an adventure in itself. Erin Di Loreto, Festival Producer, explained that one of the challenges of the site was access to power, but the stick lanterns that lined the path really didn’t really do the job. Moreover, though it might be minor in the grand scheme of things, some sand around the main programming space might have also helped in the relative darkness.

Once we arrived at the grounds, located next to the permanent shelter and concession building, we found it to be quite spirited indeed, but acknowledgement of the temperature – a tent had been set up to shield the musical performers from the cold, with a few fires set up around the stage to keep onlookers warm.

The snow sculptures were also noteworthy, picturesque and beautifully illuminated.

Snow sculpture alley

Some of the snow sculptures were still being touched up!

Fun Yelp throne

After meeting up with our fellow judges (Chris Carson, Director of Visual Arts Alberta and Shane Golby with the AGA), we took a look at the sculptures (with the aid of flashlights – most people would only see them once they were alight).

There were six sculptures in total, crafted from hay, wood, fabric and a few other indeterminately flammable materials. We were to judge them on criteria that included their artistic nature pre-burn, as well as how well the fire served the sculpture (and vice versa).

Marissa Kochanski’s phoenix

The lighting of the sculptures was almost as elaborate as the construction of them, and involved the Vibe Tribe, a dance troop that plays with fire.

The Vibe Tribe was so much fun to watch (we still have no idea how the woman with the hula hoop managed not to set herself on fire)

The crowd followed them to the roped off area, and under the watchful eye of a Fire Marshall, the dancers set each of the six sculptures on fire.

Follow the vibe

The pre-burn favourite was also the post-burn favourite: Marissa Kochanski’s phoenix, with elegant wings constructed from strips of fabric. Unlike a few of the other sculptures, it also collapsed in a graceful manner.

Phoenix, post-burn

It was a spectacle that Mack and I were happy to witness, let alone judge. Thanks again to Erin for the opportunity!

Looking for more winter fun? Check out the Mill Creek Adventure Walk, February 25-26, or the Elk Island Star Party on March 5, 2011.

Winter Light 2011: Illuminations

Mack in particular has been harsh on the Winter Light Festival in the past, but necessarily so, because we know how much potential it has to make the cold months in our city more bearable. Tonight, though, we were absolutely buzzing after attending Illuminations, a spectacular show that can and should legitimately become the jewel in the crown of winter festivals in Edmonton.

Illuminations

We didn’t make it out to Illuminations last year, but we did in 2009, and found the event to be underwhelming. There were decorations, bonfires, and a few roving performers, but it wasn’t anything that would draw us back again. I’m happy to say that this year’s edition was quite the opposite.

It was chilly out, nearly –30 with wind chill (easily twenty degrees colder than when we visited Ice on Whyte last weekend), but Churchill Square still held a sizable crowd.

Gathering around the fire

We arrived just before the finale performance, and had time to take in some of the visual installations, the bonfires, and marvel at the “winter people”, actors dressed in white and trailed throughout the Square by targeted spotlights.

The promenade

Circus Orange is a Toronto-based pyrotechnic circus performance troupe – but really, all you need to know is that they were amazing.

The show begins

Their show combined dance, stunts, pyrotechnics, and a good old fashioned clown, and was mesmerizing for both children and adults alike.

The clown tames the monsters with…marshmallows!

The show began in front of the Art Gallery of Alberta, luring the crowd with a striking, monstrous steel tricycle outfitted with flares. The tricycle eventually moved into Churchill Square towards City Hall, and everyone followed like the obedient ducklings we were, frozen, but eager to see what would come next.

Follow that trike!

The finale was unexpected and extravagant. We thought the climax had arrived when a female performer was lifted into the air by a massive crane, waving sparklers, but in actuality, that was just a teaser.

When sparks fly

The actual conclusion involved the same performer, again lifted in the air, but harnessed into the large tricycle wheel, spinning fifty feet above the crowd, sparks flying, and City Hall aglow behind the spectacle. Fireworks were icing on the cake.

Up in the air

More sparks

Fireworks

Congratulations to the organizers of Winter Light for a fabulous event. As Mack said in his post, we hope this calibre of a performance is something we can look forward to every year – once word gets out, we can only imagine it will become a must-see affair for those in Edmonton and beyond, regardless of the weather!

Canoe Theatre Festival: “Operation EVAsion”

Workshop West’s Canoe Theatre Festival promised “some of the season’s most interesting artists and challenging performances.” Based on the promo for Operation EVAsion, by local company Firefly Theatre, it wasn’t difficult to see why this particular play was included in the roster:

Operation EVAsion is based on the bizarre but factual account of the multiple disappearances of the corpse of Eva Perón. Upon her untimely death at age 33, her body was embalmed to the point of immortalization. Additionally, there were several duplicates made of her corpse, and in the ensuing Argentinean political turmoil, they all disappeared. Their journey lasted for 24 years and involved espionage, kidnapping, murder and astrology.

Mack and I took in the last performance on Sunday at the Timms Centre.

With such rich material to start with, I was curious to see how the company would present the story, particularly as a one-woman show (to be fair, musician Jason Kodie was also on stage, providing a auditory accompaniment in the form of an accordion). The set was black, save for a multimedia screen, ensuring the audience was transfixed on the sole performer. Annie Dugan recounted the body’s journey – through Argentina, Europe, and back – interspersing the narrative with Evita’s own words (in Spanish, with an English translation projected behind her). Evita’s corpse was wielded as a political weapon, used to maintain or regain power, or perhaps even more compelling, was the fact that after her death, she was able to affect her country’s politics (particularly among the poor, her image is still common in Argentina, often hung right next to the Virgin Mary). I did learn a lot (prior to this, the extent of my knowledge of Evita was the song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, popularized by Madonna), but I was hoping for more interpretation, and less historical fact.

Of course, as Firefly Theatre is synonymous with aerial performances, we were looking forward to seeing how they would use movement and height. Because our only previous encounter with Firefly was their stunning, explosive display at the RISE Awards, we were unfairly expecting something similar. That said, Dugan’s restrained perimeter better matched the tone of the play, and garnered much respect – it can’t be easy delivering an hour long performance suspended several feet in the air – something she did with poise and grace. It was an ideal visual – representing the limbo status of the corpse and Evita’s elevated stature. The white fabric that suspended her was also particularly effective in parts – when used as a screen for Evita’s visage, projected next to Dugan’s own face, and as a cocoon with eerie resemblance to mummified remains.

We left the theatre with a desire to learn more about Evita (the starting place: Wikipedia, heh), and an interest to see what else Firefly Theatre might have to offer. As promised by the Canoe Festival, it was indeed an interesting performance.

Ice on Whyte 2011

Spanning one of the coldest weekends to one of the warmest, this year’s Ice on Whyte festival has seen it all. Mack and I headed to Old Strathcona on Saturday to check it out, hoping that the ice sculptures hadn’t yet been reduced to puddles.

A part of Winter Light

There were a ton of people out, more than we’ve ever seen at the festival – we wondered if the high attendance numbers were attributable to the weather, or perhaps to the theme?

Large crowds

This year’s festival had a Chinese theme, with nine carvers from Harbin, China having travelled to Edmonton to collaborate on everything from the dragon slide to the pagodas.

Welcome

Both the gate and the pagodas were equally impressive (and seemed to be popular photo backdrops), but I had a soft spot for the ice zodiac, and couldn’t help but pose for a picture next to my representative animal.

That’ll do, pig

Mack’s favourite ice sculpture was the Transformer – though we appreciated the abstract and interpretive nature that made up a number of sculptures, it was a nice surprise to see one based on popular culture.

Transformer

Ice on Whyte appeared to be larger than in past years – there were a number of snow sculptures on display as well.

Still at work

In addition to the always-popular ice slide, there were several smaller ice slides as well in a children’s play area, complete with a small ice maze.

Maze

Slide pretty for the camera!

Next up for Winter Light is Illuminations, this Saturday, January 29, featuring a snowball battle, choir performances, and circus pyrotechnics. See you there!

You can see the rest of our photoset here.

Deep Freeze 2011

After writing off Saturday as a snow day, Mack and I put on our boots this afternoon, hopped on public transit, and headed to Alberta Avenue to take in the fourth annual Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival.

Follow the path

It was our first time at the festival, as previous intentions to visit never panned out. After this experience, however, it’s safe to say it will easily become an event to look forward to every year.

There were so many things going on for kids and adults alike – both indoors and outside (great planning, given it was –20C with the windchill today). 118 Avenue was closed from 90 to 95 Street to accommodate festivities, which included many roaring warming fires, a street hockey tournament, outdoor performances and cabane a sucre (sugar house)!

Mummers theatre

On the Avenue

To partake in the Quebecois tradition, I bought a popsicle stick for $2, and waited for a volunteer to pour hot maple syrup onto the snow patted down in raised boxes. It was my first time at this, and pulling and wrapping the maple taffy around the stick in a uniform manner was more difficult than I expected (I’m pretty sure the two kids next to me did a better job). It was a sweet treat!

Pouring the syrup

C’mon taffy!

With my finished product

I was perhaps most excited to check out the mini Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market, set up inside the Old Cycle Building.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

Though not all of the vendors were available for this special market, several of the regulars were on hand, including Shooting Star Ranch and The Chocolate Doctors. Johnson Family Farms, a new vendor to Alberta Avenue (they also sell at Salisbury), was also present. They sell eggs, chicken, turkey, pork and beef, and perhaps the most unique – farm fresh butter and cream.

Sharon Johnson of Johnson Family Farms

The Alberta Avenue market resumes its weekly Thursday schedule on January 13, 2011, with new hours: 5-8pm.

The rest of the space was filled with a variety of arts and crafts vendors – everything from photographs, to prints, to mittens made from old sweaters. I was charmed by the monster/city print designs of Whiteout Workshop, and picked up a cute pink coin purse as a result.

Arts market

Though there were a fair number of people outside (especially given the weather), it was busiest inside the Alberta Avenue Community Centre.

Alberta Avenue Community Centre

There was live music, courtesy of Allez Ouest & Friends, and French Canadian cuisine available from the kitchen. We opted to try their poutine ($6). It hit the spot, and yes, did feature squeaky cheese!

Allez Ouest & Friends

Poutine

Warmed, we wandered back outside through the Enchanted Forest (bravo to festival organizers for clear signage, by the way), we took in ice sculptures and olde tyme curling, among other things. There was also a hot dog/marshmallow roast available, family snow sculpture carving and outdoor ice skating with free skate rentals.

Mack’s favourite sculpture (check out those teeth!)

Curling

We finished our day with a wagon ride (I’m not sure what it is about horses and wagons, but I can’t help myself). We ended up sitting with Marianne and Charles, who were just beginning their visit to Deep Freeze!

Cold, but happy

Whee!

Deep Freeze was the first Winter Light event on the calendar – next up is Ice on Whyte, which runs January 13-23, 2011. See you there!

Saturday in Edmonton

It was a great day to be in Edmonton this weekend – I’m not really a football fan, but the excitement in the city for Grey Cup weekend was palpable. It helps that where we live is right in the thick of things, but based on the numbers of people on the streets – tourists and residents alike were out in full force taking in one of our biggest events this year.

We started our Saturday at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market (which seemed to be emptier than usual, no doubt because of the festivities downtown), then wandered over to the Cosmopolitan Music Society, which was hosting the 9th Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair.

Inside the Royal Bison

There was some uncertainty earlier this year whether or not Royal Bison would continue, as founder Raymond Biesinger moved to Montreal, but thankfully, three of the artists/vendors saved the fair from demise. It’s such a great event – I love the unique products, but also the variety available.

Fun vinyl accessories by Majesty Inc.

Suitcase amps!

Beautiful jewellery by Saraswati

Omar Mouallem is multitalented – associate editor at Avenue Edmonton, he is also a writer and rapper

Sarah Jackson of A Jam Story was nice enough to tell us our love fortune (something we missed out on at the last ArtsScene event)

We picked up a few gifts, then zoomed back home, just in time to catch the Grey Cup parade just outside our building.

There were snowbirds

And cheerleaders

Mascots

And smile-inducing floats

Horses

And those that clean up after them

Our armed forces

And of course…a sea of green

I knew from attending an Eskimos game against Saskatchewan that Roughriders fans are rabid supporters of their team, but I really didn’t know how much until this weekend. It really was amazing to be a part of, if only for a few days. (You can check out Mack’s post on the parade here, and see the rest of his photos here.)

After ducking inside to warm up (funny how staying stationary in even mildly cold temperatures can be chilly), we wandered over to Huddle Town, centering on Churchill Square, to check out the festivities.

A football game in front of City Hall

It was really amazing to us how many people were outside wandering around, enjoying themselves, not minding the cold. We hear so often that being a winter city prevents more programming of events outdoors – and though I recognize that the weather was actually not too bad, to some extent, the “build it, and they will come” mantra seems to hold true.

The crowds

The Gridiron Zone, for example, held in the square just south of the Stanley Milner Library, is empty most of the year. One reason provided was that the concrete isn’t sound due to the parkade structure just underneath. Well, everything seemed fine this weekend – as the space hosted sponsor booths, and, what else – a bar.

Inside the Zone

Lines seemed to be the word of the day, however – besides the massive wait for the Zipline (please, please bring it back in the future!), there were lines to get into the Spirit of Edmonton, the Huddle Dome and even the tented sports bar by City Hall!

Lines everywhere

In spite of the waits, everyone was in such a good mood. We even got a random hug from a woman walking around with a huge “Rider Nation” flag!

Spread the love

There really was something for everyone though, and enough activities to keep crowds busy. The music at the outdoor stage kept things lively, and of course, food is never a bad thing. It was great to see Eva Sweet out so we could warm up with some hot waffles!

Fozzy with Chris Jericho

Eva Sweet (without a truck!)

Though I’m sure people didn’t come out for the free stuff, there was quite a bit of swag to be had, some more random than others (we took the can of baked beans, but we live nearby; who would want to carry it around with them?). My favourites were the Mardi Gras-inspired beads from the organizers of TigerTown and the Grey Cup bandana.

Mack with his swag!

For non-sports fans, Alberta House could have been a bit of a sanctuary, with a good variety of arts and culture programming. We finished off our tour of Huddle Town with a quick demo by Brad Smoliak, who used quick-cook barley from Progressive Foods to make a risotto (which also featured pecorino from The Cheesiry, and wild boar bacon from Hog Wild).

Brad Smoliak at work

The finished product (I’ve made it before, but never with bacon – it tastes so much better with bacon!)

Kudos to the organizers for such a great weekend! Hopefully it leads to even more events downtown in the winter.

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.

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