Recap: Hawkers Market 3

The third Hawkers Market event took place on June 14, 2014 in Vacancy Hall, the cozy Mercer Warehouse basement suite. Mack and I were fortunate enough to receive free admission tickets.

Several of the vendors who were present at the Mercer Summer Super Party the week prior were back again, but it was nice to see some new vendors in the fray.

Vacancy Hall

Long Lost Foods (formerly Mirepoix Trio), explained that their new name was the result of another Canadian company already having registered under their former identity. Hopefully word spreads fast, and they won’t lose the momentum (and recognition) they’ve gained under their previous name.

Long Lost Foods

Long Lost Foods brought their A-game to Hawkers Market, with their vegan pizza bombs on offer. At 3 for $10, it was the best deal that night, and the perfect hand-held snack. For Mack, who lived off of Pizza Pockets in a past life, it was a way to indulge in an old favourite with less guilt.

Mack loved the pizza bombs

We also finally got to try Orbit, the first food truck to sell out at our last What the Truck?! event in Old Strathcona. Their orange ancho pork tacos ($5), with grilled pineapple relish and bacon was delicious, a nice balance between the succulent meat and the fresh garnish.

Orbit

Orange ancho pork tacos

The boys from The Local Omnivore were serving up The Hulk ($8), a sandwich layering stewed spiced beef, “baconed” onions, swiss and salsa verde together.

Thumbs up for The Local Omnivore

The Hulk

It was great to see Honest Dumplings again. Their menu seems to change so often that it always seems that you will always find a new, yet-to-be-discovered dumpling flavour on your next visit. That said, the Peking duck might just be my new favourite.

Honest dumplings

This Hawkers Market event didn’t seem as packed as the previous two, but I’d chalk it up to busy summer schedules more than anything else. And though I understand the reason for the sit-down picnic tables (encouraging people to linger, drink in hand), I’d prefer more cocktail tables, as attendees seem more likely to mix and mingle in that type of set-up.

While the next indoor Hawkers Market date hasn’t been set yet, you will find them at the East Meets West Festival in Chinatown on July 12, from 11am-9pm. They’ve partnered with the Chinatown Business Revitalization Zone to organize the food truck and pop-up food booths. I’ll be there!

Recap: Mercer Summer Super Party

I love street parties, and the Mercer Warehouse sure knows how to throw one. Though the all-ages Mercer Summer Super Party was technically their second event (the first one having taken place at the tail end of Al Fresco in 2012, but was unfortunately rained out), given the growth of the tenants and businesses in the building since that time, the differences were almost night and day.

104 Street

The weather was chilly, but cooperated enough to keep the rain away. And in that way, the combination of a street fest with the in and out privileges to explore what was taking place inside the Mercer was perfect on that evening. In some ways, the building capacity explained the need for attendees to have tickets, but ultimately, I think the provision of free tickets hindered the overall event attendance. The crowds didn’t seem as big as anticipated, so hopefully the Party organizers work out a different system for future events.

Rapid Fire Theatre

Indoors, On the Spot Pop-Up had a small trunk market in the basement (I loved the Green Window #rethinkjunk as art sprinkled throughout the floors), while many of the businesses on the upper floors had their doors open for curious wanderers.

On the Spot Pop-Up

Guru Digital

The Startup Edmonton space in particular was rockin’, with its own stage, free slushies, and of course, Lego!

Startup Edmonton

Outdoors, the stage hosted a variety of bands, DJs, and variety acts, while the rest of the street was lined with pop-up food vendors and food trucks. Mack and I love food trucks, but we took advantage of this opportunity to try some vendors we’d never encountered before.

Vendors

At the top of our list was the ramen burger, from Vancouver’s Rambu. We had seen this item at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, but didn’t have the chance to try it there. Here, $10 bought us a pork patty sandwiched with cheese, bacon, a fried egg, and ramen noodle “buns”.

Rambu

Mack remarked at how messy it was to eat, but yes, it was worth it! I love texture in my food, so the crispy-crunchy noodles did enhance the burger for me.

Ramen burger!

La Cantina Negra also offered a new-to-Edmonton item that is so popular elsewhere – the bao as popularized by David Chang. La Cantina’s version featured wagyu beef or soy-pickled wild mushrooms. The former was our favourite, the tender beef tasting almost gamey, complemented by the freshness of the cucumber and carrots. I actually didn’t mind that the bao itself was browned, but I know for some, this would be considered blasphemy.

Bao from La Cantina Negra

Lastly, we dug into a variety of dumplings from Honest Dumplings. They’ve been around at farmers’ markets this season, but we hadn’t yet had the opportunity to try their house-made creations (including the wrappers!). The dumplings were delicate, and with flavours like butter chicken, are definitely not your mother’s dumplings!

Honest Dumplings

We didn’t linger at the party too long (I had an early pancake breakfast start the next morning), but it looked like people were having a great time. Congrats to the organizers for a successful event. I hear another party might be in the works for August – make sure you keep your eyes open for the details.

Date Night: Hawkers Market & Parka Patio Party

In spite of how far we’ve come, there’s still a stereotype that nothing happens downtown on evenings and weekends. Well, on a recent weekend, we hopped from a great food event to a happening party, which all took place within a few blocks of one another.

We started out the evening at the second Hawkers Market to take place in Edmonton, again at the Mercer Warehouse. Conceived as an incubator of sorts for new food-related businesses, I think it still has a ways to go before it is able to attract the newer entrepreneurial efforts who really are seeking a platform to road test products.

Brittney and I at Hawkers Market

That said, Hawkers Market is still a great addition to the food scene in Edmonton, particularly in the winter, when economical events are harder to come by. Although the line-up of vendors was remarkably similar to the previous event, it didn’t deter the crowds. Organizers estimated about 100 more people this time around, and at least one vendor sold out an hour and a half into the evening.

The Drift team!

Kara of Drift Food Truck made a good point – the provision of seating really changed the experience for attendees. They encouraged people to linger and stay and to perhaps have another drink or dish that they wouldn’t have otherwise indulged in.

Busy night

As a result, the atmosphere seemed more festive, with friends gathering around tables, facilitating sharing all that much more. Mack and I sampled a handful of dishes, starting with bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers ($5) from Low & Slow Barbecue, a new vendor at the event. Some people might be familiar with them from the 124 Street Grand Market, but this was our first encounter with their food. Mack enjoyed them well enough, though we were told later on that their pulled pork was the standout.

Jalapeno poppers from Low & Slow Barbecue

Slow Food Edmonton had a booth, offering both sweet and savoury concoctions. I really liked their version of grilled cheese ($3), made up of a base of Bon Ton bread, a crackling crust of The Cheesiry’s pecorino, and a dollop of Mojo JoJo Pickles’ salted caramel pear butter.

Chad Moss cooks up some sandwiches

Slow Food Edmonton’s grilled cheese

Their local marshmallow trifecta ($4) was a unique dessert, with my favourite of the three being the honey-scented treat, topped with a honey toffee crumb.

Marshmallow treats from Slow Food Edmonton

Mack couldn’t resist Bully’s perogies and ham ($8). We anticipated tasty perogies, but what blew us away was the house cured and smoked ham steak, which was so tender it flaked under a fork alone. And you can always hand it to Bully to win the serving size sweepstakes!

Dean serves a mean ham!

Bully’s perogies and ham

Our favourite dish of the night was from Parts & Service, a food truck hoping to hit the streets this spring. Their take on chicken and waffles ($5) was ingenious from a street food perspective, as it could easily be eaten standing up with one hand. Not to mention, the house made chicken sausage (wrapped in a waffle cone) was delicious! It was served with maple syrup and an apple hot sauce, but really, the sausage was seasoned so well it didn’t need any accompaniments. I’m even more excited about their truck now!

Chicken and waffles from Parts & Service

I was most looking forward to dessert from Paper Bag Donuts (cooked up by Red Ox Inn chef Sean O’Connor). I had missed them at the last event, as I mistook their table as an extension of the bar. This time, they had an overhead sign advertising meyer lemon curd donuts ($3) and honey crullers ($5). We chose the latter, and weren’t disappointed with the warm, freshly fried treats.

Paper Bag Donuts

We had a great time, and based on that night, I think Hawkers Market has the potential to become a staple event in our community. For those who missed out, mark your calendars – the next event is scheduled for April 12, 2014.

Full, we walked over to Latitude 53, which was hosting their annual Parka Patio Party. Mack and I had attended their first ever winter patio party in 2012, but the weather had been kinder that year. This year, with temperatures hovering around –30 with windchill, we were grateful that the event had an indoor component.

Parka Patio Party

That said, we had dressed for an outdoor function, and like other attendees, had no use for the coat racks set aside.

What coat racks?

Hot tea and soup were served inside, but playing up the Ice Land theme, organizers were offering make-your-own cocktails out on the patio. Not only did this involve an ice luge, but also an array of frozen fruit. Needless to say, we gave it a shot.

Ice luge!

If that wasn’t enough, Pinocchio Ice Cream was also on hand sampling newer product varieties – popcorn and salted caramel ice cream.

Tom from Pinocchio Ice Cream

A DJ kept the spirits up indoors, and in addition to art up for silent auction, there was also a fun “Scandinavian Toy-Scape” installed in the space (I loved the little waving monster!).

Too cute

It was great to catch up with some familiar faces at the party, and to take part in a winter event, that in spite of the cold, played to a packed house.

The cold didn’t keep people away

Thanks again to Latitude 53 for the tickets! Here’s hoping it’s just a few degrees warmer 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!

Recap: The City Market Decides Against the Mercer Warehouse as a Potential Year-Round Venue

On April 18, 2011, a special meeting was held by the City Market Board, as motioned at the AGM earlier this year. Vendors were to discuss whether or not the Board should continue to consider the Mercer Warehouse as a potential year-round venue for the market.

The Mercer Warehouse (10363 104 Street) is one of the few vacant buildings left in the historic Warehouse District, and is only separated from the burgeoning outdoor City Market by one block. It was built back in 1911 by a liquor and cigar seller named John B. Mercer to be a shipping/receiving hub. More recently, it housed an antique shop, but has been empty for many years now.

Mercer Warehouse

The conference room at the Sutton Place Hotel was standing room only, as land developer Greg Wilkes presented how the heritage building would be transformed into three levels of market space over 37,000 square feet of space. This area could be divided into 120 stalls, 120 square feet each, with early plans also including provisions for a food court, performance space and children’s play area. The proposal was for the market to be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Interior shot (from Jon Hall, at the City Market Facebook page)

Kelly Pope, a local developer (who, in this 2004 article is credited with “single-handedly doing a huge job of cleaning up and restoring almost two blocks of Jasper Avenue”) recently purchased the building, and has been negotiating with the City Market, through its Board and Wilkes, on terms and the cost of renovations. The deal:

Ten year lease plus a five year option;
Pope would be responsible for base building upgrades (e.g. washroom refurbishing, roof repair) in the amount of $775,000-$1 million;
the City Market would be responsible for market-specific upgrades and demising costs (e.g. installation of public elevator, upgrade of stairs, refurbishment of common areas) for a total cost of $2 million; and
Market vendors would be responsible for individual stall improvements (e.g. installation of sinks, freezers, food-safe flooring, lighting and signage), which could run anywhere from $5,000-$50,000.

The Board had calculated that each vendor would be responsible to pay rent of $10,080 a year (an estimate of sorts that they were using for decision purposes), plus utilities, building tax and a proportional cost of operating the common space. That amount did not include the individual stall improvements. Vendors would also have to sign a $16,700 covenant with the owner over 15 years to cover the cost of the $2 million in upgrades.

Rough interior plans

Before the voting motion was presented, Wilkes opened the floor to questions. It was apparent that vendors were apprehensive about the Mercer Warehouse for many reasons, including the terms of the lease (some suggesting whether or not it would make more sense to simply purchase a building themselves), the viability of a multi-level market and the lack of dedicated parking, particularly for a year-round venue in a winter city. Also, though Wilkes did his best to assure vendors that the street market would continue from May through to October, he did not have a reassuring answer as to how the indoor market would interact with the outdoor component. Most of all, it became clear that vendors were not satisfied with the exploration of alternatives to the Mercer Warehouse – such as the Kingsland market model of an investors base, continuing in City Hall, or negotiating with the arena for inclusion in the winter garden.

The City Market Board

During the discussion, what was most distressing to Mack and I was perhaps the suggestion that locations outside of the core should be explored. The storied history of Edmonton’s original farmers’ market aside, as owners of a 104 Street condo and fervent downtown boosters, it was difficult not to slide into the “it has to be downtown” reasoning made (in)famous by Mayor Mandel on the arena.

After the lengthy discussion period, a motion was presented for members to vote upon. It asked whether or not members wanted the Board to continue pursuing the Mercer Warehouse as a potential year-round venue. A secret ballot was proposed for the voting, and after the votes were counted, there was no doubt the vendors did not like what they heard – 69 nay votes and only 3 yay votes.

It’s important to note that the City Market still has eight years left on the lease on 104 Street to house the summer market, but there is no doubt that there is an appetite for a year-round space in the core. The Board has been directed to go back and consider all other options – we can only hope that those options will be downtown.

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