Make brunch count with the Meals on Wheels Best of Brunch fundraiser.
Visit fave Edmonton brunch spots, like Darling, Rosewood Foods and the Highlevel Diner, to participate in the Best of Brunch YEG fundraiser for Meals on Wheels. Each resto donates $1 from their featured brunch dish to Meals on Wheels, who provide nutritious, ready-to-eat meals for a wide variety of Edmontonians. Brunch often and vote for your fave, bestofbrunchyeg.ca.
A psa from the bees via Amanda Schutz
Amanda Schutz, Edmonton-based designer/illustrator reminds us of the importance of being messy in the spring. Wait to make your yard pristine until temperatures are over 10 degrees on a regular basis. So, no raking for at least a few more weeks yet. The bees and the ladybugs will love that.
Tour Whyte the foodie way with Karen Anderson’s Alberta Food Tours
One of our favourite people in food, Karen Anderson, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Alberta Food Tours, the company she founded in 2006. The tours showcase Alberta farmers, ranchers, food producers, bakers and chefs. If you haven’t taken one, now is the time to start, perhaps with the Savour Strathcona tour, monthly until October, albertafoodtours.ca.
Coming soon: the Rimrock is back!
Rimrock Banff director of food, beverage and entertainment Karla Garant and GM David Garcelon
What is your shoe size? That was the invite to take a sneak peek of Rimrock Banff, reopening in July. No problem for this team, headed up by general manager David Garcelon (some of you might remember David from when he was the exec chef at JPL.) We donned steel-toed boots, hard hats and safety vests to tromp through a world of plaster. We checked out a spectacular suite, a regular suite (still spectacular) and a standard room—filled with curvaceous furniture, calm tones, wood and rock. Relaxing. And yes, the views. The Rimrock Banff, now a sister property of the Fairmont mountain hotels, joins the Accor Emblems Collection. New dining includes Parker’s Table, Social and The Market (coffee bar and biergarten). For fans of Eden, the former Rimrock fine dining restaurant, know that the cellar came with the sale and remains a collection of deep verticals and spectacular vintages. More on the rebirth in the summer issue.
Filipino-inspired deliciousness at the new Barako Bistro
Hospitality veterans Camila Abalos and Sherwood Supa open Barako Bistro in the Erin Ridge Plaza, St Albert. Expect a Filipino twist on familiar dishes. “We are making almost everything in house,” says Sherwood. “The breakfast sandwich has house-made longaniza sausage on our tangy, salty and sweet pandesal bread. We are sourcing sourdough from Breadlove though.” They are putting their experience working with chefs (Sherwood worked with Rosario Caputo at Cibo and Camila worked with Daniel Costa for a decade) to good use with a menu that features pastas, including a tasty lasagna. Expect a different coffee experience too. “We call coffee barako (which also means wild boar) because the Filipino Liberica bean has such bold and strong flavours,” says Sherwood. Open from 7am-3pm, Tuesday-Saturday with private dinners planned for evenings in the future, barakobistro.ca.
Discover the joy of food with Terroir’s Signature Dinner Series in YEG
The Signature Terroir events happening May 27-29 in Edmonton start off this year’s Terroir Symposium with a bang. Experience cultures and flavours through craft, storytelling and terroir on a culinary journey on YEG’s charming streetcar across the High Level Bridge. Chefs Winnie Chen (Fu’s Repair Shop), Tracy Little (Sauvage, Canmore) and Liana Robberecht (Calgary) along with cocktail impresarios Glaizem Garcia (Fu’s) and Linda O’Flynn (Cask, Ireland) are your hosts, Wednesday, May 27. Chefs Blair Lebsack and Jared Dunn (RGE Rd) are joined by Irish chef Jess Murphy (Galway’s Kai Restaurant) as well as Iceland’s World Butchery team member Benedikt Gudgeirsson, at RGE RD, for a bison workshop with Noble Bison, Thursday, May 28. Chef Shane Chartrand (Paperbirch) hosts a gathering of chefs including Philadelphia’s Ari Miller (Poi Dog), for a menu inspired by Indigenous foodways and local sourcing, Friday, May 29. Tix for all at terroirsymposium.com.
Gérard Bertrand’s new Côte des Roses Rosé is beautiful inside and out
New this spring is a delightful sparkling rosé from Gérard Bertrand, the Côte des Roses Rosé, ideal for brunches, showers, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, rainy days and on the patio. The blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah provides vibrant red berry and strawberry flavours with balanced acidity, dry and refreshing. Delicious! Find at better wine shops.
