good goods market and all is bright festival this weekend, popowich meats, plus: culina on line catering

less waste, more good

Candyce Morris of Kind and Aga Wajda-Plytta of Herbologie are both committed to reducing waste in their businesses. They have launched Good Goods a pop-up refill market this Saturday on the second floor at the Richie Market (9570 76 Avenue). What will you find? Items like baked goods, spices, skincare and coffee beans by a wide variety of local businesses who focus on less waste and sustainable packaging. Bring your own containers and bags!

Good Goods Market

who is afraid of the dark?

Join the 124 Street community to celebrate the coming of winter. All is Bright is this Saturday from 4pm-8pm, with music, mulled wine and lots of activities for the young folks. The light-up begins at 6pm but go early to enjoy specials at the different businesses in the area. Don’t forget to pick up your passport at Heart of the Home. Collect stamps from all the participating retailers to be entered to win prizes.

all is bright poster

local meats done right

Looking for a terrific local butcher in the west end? Popowich Meat Company (6843 170 Street, 587-462-8926, popowichmeatcompany.ca) is a full-service butcher shop with locally-sourced meats including beautiful lamb from Haywire Farm. Mike Popowich left corporate life, took the butcher course at Olds College and opened up the shop with his wife Treena. Elyse Chatterton, a member of the World Butcher Championship Canadian team, is behind the counter most days. Loved the house-made apple fennel pork sausages. Check it out!

Popowich meats
Mike and Treena at the shop

toast + pizza yeah!

Not only does Toast Culture (11965 Jasper Avenue, 780-761-4482, toastculture.com) offer a tasty breakfast and lunch, pop by after 5pm Wednesday through Sunday for pizza and a beer. They offer several local brews on tap and in the bottle along with several fine thin crust pizzas including a weekly special. Easy, casual and delicious. Dive in.

toast culture pizza

need your henckels sharpened?

Get your knives ready for the hols at the Zwilling Henckels Sharpening Clinic at Heart of the Home (12539 102 Avenue, 780-705-4928) on Wednesday, November 20, from 3pm-5pm. Limit three knives per person.

Zwilling Henkells Sharpening Clinic

find the steal of a deal at bill’s big bang for your buck tasting

Who doesn’t love a wine that drinks much better than the price? Taste great buys at Bill’s Big Bang for Your Buck Wine Tasting at Color de Vino (9606 82 Avenue, 780-439-9069, colordevino.ca) 7pm, Wednesday, November 20. Tix: $25/p+, call to book.

big bills tasting

click and eat

Culina To Go’s online catering store is open! Pre-order their delicious mains—Icelandic cod, pecan mushroom koftas or Korean-style sweet and sour pork, along with sides, then pick up at the Oliver Exchange (12019 A 102 Avenue). They use retro enamel roasting pans, which you could put right on the table. The big benefit of course is to the environment, no messy packaging in the garbage after dinner. No deposit, but they do ask that you return the pans promptly. Visit culinafamily.getbento.com to order.

Culina To Go’s online catering

bubbles and blini

There was a festive bubbles tasting last week at RGE Rd. Highlights included the Ayala Brut Champagne—refined, with a fine mousse and finish and the Bella sparkling wines from Naramata. Accompaniments were some of the kitchen’s savoury house-made charcuterie and delicious little potato blini made by Carla Alexander, who is now in the kitchen at RGE RD. Carla was the founder of Soul Soup before leaving cooking (sort of) to have two children. Happy to see Carla back in action. On my wish list: a seat at the RGE RD bar tasting their sustainable Canadian caviar with these blinis, along with a glass of Bolly. Pure luxury!

Carla Alexander Blair Lebsack