Dish: Gastronomic Happenings in March and April

bibo is back

bibo is back

The newly reopened Bibo

We are loving the new Bibo in the Strathcona Hotel. Modern look, clean lines, airy, looking into the alley across from the Old Strathcona Market. The tapas-style menu is easy to enjoy—pulled pork, the delicious Truffula fermented cashew cheese, El Chorizo Latino charcuterie boards and Lakeside Farmstead or Bonjour Bakery cheese boards. We are especially excited about the premium sake menu as Bibo’s GM Aya Shiga used to be with Ikki Izakaya on Jasper. And there is talk about a summer patio in the alley. Bibo Strathcona, 10302 82 Avenue, 780-250-2426, culinafamily.com.

chef naga is here!

Belgravia Hub’s chef Naga

Belgravia Hub’s chef Naga

Check out the new menu at Belgravia Hub in McKernan, which highlights perennial favourites (corn fritters anyone?) and new dishes by chef Nagendra Singh. Chef Naga has parlayed his experience in various luxury properties such as Oberai, Taj Maldives and Kempinksi to a new life in Canada and a contemporary casual style of cooking, elevating comfort food to a new level. Chef is also responsible for the menu (recommended: the mussels in tomato broth and the spicy butter chicken) at the west end’s NV Restaurant. Check them out!

Belgravia Hub, 7609 115 Street, 780-756-3344, belhub.com, NV Restaurant, 20015 Lessard Road, 780-705-6160, nvrestaurant.ca.

the freezing father says thank you

A Cappella Catering’s Todd Rutter (L) and The Freezing Father Peter Burgess

A Cappella Catering’s Todd Rutter (L) and The Freezing Father Peter Burgess

Peter Burgess, Candace Toews and their son Ben were bereft after the tragic and still unexplained loss of their daughter Elan in July 2007. They wanted to give back to the doctors and nurses who had helped so much, but how? In Candace’s words:

“Peter had a passion for the outdoors. Why not camping in the winter to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital? On January 6, 2017, Peter pitched his orange tent at campsite #29 in the Rainbow Valley Campground and stayed there for seven days and nights.

“In 2017, I picked up fast food, but the next year Edmonton chefs and restaurateurs answered the call: could you help this guy out? There was not a moment’s hesitation, always something hot and delicious, every breakfast and dinner was spoken for with no hesitation. They braved Edmonton’s plummeting temperatures, arriving with hot food and other times cooking over the fire. We watched cracked eggs freeze on their descent to the frying pan, and we watched wine become slush as it was poured from the bottle. Piping hot coffee was essential for a cold and tired 50-something guy with a sore hip, rolling out of a sleeping bag in minus-20-degree weather.

“To: Todd Rutter (A Cappella Catering); Ryan Hotchkiss (Bundök); Brad Lazarenko, Cindy Lilge (Culina); Serge Belair (Edmonton Convention Centre); Charles Rothman (Food Service Solutions); Doreen Prei (Glenora Park Retirement Living); Rylan Krause (NAIT); Lindsay Porter; Shane Chartrand, Winnie Chen, JP Dublado (River Cree Resort); Steve Buzak (Royal Glenora Club); Shawn Balog (Snow Valley Ski Club); Manas Sawant (Starbucks); Mary Bailey (The Tomato food & drink); Paul Shufelt (Workshop Eatery); Gregg Kenney (Vivo Italian Ristorante); Todd Weimer (VSSL Gear); SiteOne Landscape Supply. Together we raised $182,797.11 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.” Candace Toews, A Freezing Father’s Fundraiser, freezingfather.org.