The Tomato’s Frank Award honours the person, place, or thing that has most contributed to culinary life in Edmonton in the past year: farmer, rancher, chef, restaurateur, market/grocer, scientist, food, or dish. The award is named for Frank Spinelli, who built a legacy in the grocery business, now carried on by his daughter Teresa. We applaud his vision, tenacity, perseverance, and sense of community and look for these qualities in Frank Award nominees.
2010 Recipient: Edmonton and area Farmers’ Markets
Every great city has farmers’ markets — they act as a vehicle for farmers to reach their customers in the most direct way possible, and as a way for urban to explore rural.
Some of Edmonton’s markets are well established and successful — so much so that we grumble about crowds, and not being able to get our shopping done speedily. Some are fledglings, and need nurturing in the form of more vendors and lots more customers. Some are inside and cosy; some are outside and fall victim to bad weather; some are a bit of both.
The variety is why they are so wonderful — each provides a microcosm of its neighbourhood, a reality check on where we are right now. For customers, weekly markets provide fresh vegetables and meats, time to chat with our regular merchants, to buy bedding plants, to people watch, to wander. For vendors it’s an opportunity to learn customer service, and a lesson in basic commerce — what sells, what doesn’t, and at what price.
We salute Edmonton and area farmers markets, and marvel at our great luck in having them as part of our urban fabric.
2009 Frank Award recipients
Shared by Monique Nutter of the Greater Edmonton Foundation (GEA) and Dieter Kuhlman, founder of Kuhlmann’s Market Gardens, for bringing the issue of urban farmland into the fore and onto Edmonton’s Municipal Development Plan.
2008 inaugural Frank Award recipient
Chef Simon Smotkowicz executive chef, Shaw Conference Centre and president, Canadian Culinary Federation Edmonton for the High School Culinary Challenge, encouraging high school students to pursue careers in the culinary arts.
We salute current and past winners for their dedication, vision and sense of community.
2010 Edmonton and area Farmers’ Markets
We can now shop at a market from Wednesday to Sunday
Alberta Avenue
Alberta Avenue Community Centre
10150 80 Street
Thursdays, 5pm – 8pm
Castledowns (Renegades)
Castledowns, Moose Lodge
10811 146 Avenue
Wednesdays 4pm – 8pm
Old Strathcona
10310 83 Avenue
Saturdays, 8pm – 3pm.
Salisbury, Salisbury Greenhouse
Sherwood Park, Thursdays
4:30pm – 8pm
Seasonal markets May to October (exact dates vary with market)
Beverly Towne
40 Street and 118 Avenue (south of Cenotaph Park)
Tuesdays, 4pm – 8pm
Callingwood
Callingwood Mall, 69 Avenue and 178 Street
Wednesdays, 2pm – 7pm
Sundays 10am – 3pm
City Market Downtown
North of Jasper Avenue on 104 Street
Saturdays 9am – 3pm
Southwest Edmonton
Lillian Osborne High School parking lot, 2019 Leger Road
Wednesdays, 5:30pm – 8pm
St Albert
St Anne St and St Thomas Streets
Saturdays, 10am – 3pm
For a list of all Alberta markets, visit albertamarkets.com.