Flavourful Saskatoon, January 9, 2012

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – take your pick of a Market dinner, a Chinese New Year celebration, a Robbie Burns supper, and a new Prairie restaurant

Prairie Harvest Café, January 13-14
Prairie Harvest Café will officially open its doors at 2917 Early Drive this coming weekend.

I attended the soft opening this past weekend and was very impressed with the quality of the food and the setting. I’ll be posting a full review later this week.

Executive Chef Dinner, Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, January 19
The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will be hosting Executive Chef Dinners on the third Thursday of each month from January to May, pairing local chefs with fresh Market ingredients.

Chef Anthony McCarthy, recipient of the Gold medal at the 2011 Saskatchewan Gold Medal Plates competition, will host a 5-course meal with wine pairings on Thursday, January 19. You’ll have a chance to talk with Chef Anthony before dinner. Tickets are $85 and are available online or at the Market office (Tuesday to Friday).

Future dinners will be hosted by Chef Brent Lloyd (February 16) and Chef Mike McKeown (May 17).

Explore Mediterranean Spain, January 20
Join me on Friday, January 20 at 2 pm in the Frances Morrison Library Auditorium (main downtown branch) for a trip to sunny Spain.

My slideshow presentation moves beyond the beaches of Mediterranean Spain to visit a cheese store tucked away in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, wineries in Jumilla, palm tree gardens in Elche, and chocolate factories in Vilajoyosa – not to mention lots and lots of markets. I hope to see you there.

CFCR Chinese New Year Feast, January 20
CFCR Community Radio is holding its annual Chinese New Year celebration feast on Friday, January 20 at the Mandarin Restaurant. Tickets are $25 and are available from CFCR.

Robbie Burns Supper, January 21
The 96th Highlanders Pipes and Drums and the North Saskatchewan Regiment Pipes and Drums are presenting a Robbie Burns Supper on Saturday, January 21 at St. Patrick Parish, 3339 Centennial Drive. Dinner at 6:30 will be followed by Celtic dancing, pipe bands, and a silent auction.

Wine Fundamentals 1
Cameron Rizos, Managing Partner of Cava Wines & Spirits and an ISG-certified sommelier instructor, will be offering Wine Fundamentals I, the International Sommelier Guild’s (ISG) introductory course. The course offers a basic understanding of the major grapes used for making wine around the world as well as an introduction to fortified and sparkling wines. Register on the ISG website and then contact Cava for further information.

Three Farmers Camelina Oil – New Flavours
Three Farmers has launched two infused camelina oils – Roasted Garlic and Chili and Roasted Onion and Basil. Three Farmers products are available online as well as at various Saskatchewan retailers. I know that SaskMade Marketplace is carrying the new oils.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular articles about new restaurants, food products, and culinary entrepreneurs.

Follow me on Twitter or subscribe to Wanderlust and Words by email (top right-hand corner).

See also:
Cooking up a Storm: Expanding Saskatoon’s Food Culture
Random Acts of Urban Playfulness

Comments

Joanne and Pat Halter said…
plardHappy New Year Penny.
We are disappointed that we will not be able to view the slideshow presentation of Spain. Hope there will be another opportunity in the future. Would love to see it.
Joanne Halter
January 10, 2012 at 6:33 AM
Penny McKinlay said…
Have a great time at the sunny wedding, Joanne! See you at the Farmers' Market.
January 10, 2012 at 1:01 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 28, 2017

Image
The Next Great Food Business Public Tasting, Sept. 7 The Local Kitchen is hosting a public tasting with samples from each of the finalists in the Next Great Food Business competition. Finalists are: King’s Jerky, Kind Condiments , Smoke and Salt BBQ, Bannock Express , and Voodoo Van . Wine Tastings Guess the most expensive wine (Sept. 8), sample some Rhône wines (Sept. 22), or attend the 2017 Premier Showcase Wine Dinner (Sept. 28) sponsored by Saskatoon Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Premier Showcase is also offering a Portugal with a Splash of California wine seminar (Sept. 29) and a Women & Whisky seminar (Sept. 30). Refresh and Renew I had a chat with Trent Loewen about his plans now that he has sold Earth Bound Bakery. He is heading east to visit chef friends in Ontario and then off to New Zealand to explore what's happening there. After 9 years with a single focus, it's time to explore new ideas. Interestingly enough, the bakery's new owner is a business
Read more

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 21, 2017

Image
Prairie Harvest Café I was sad to learn that Prairie Harvest Café has closed its doors. It’s been one of my favorite Saskatoon restaurants since day one, and I really appreciated the fact that the chefs focused on cooking with local ingredients, many supplied by the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. All the best of luck in your new adventures. We’ll miss you. Hug a Farmer This has been a tough summer for many farmers. Prairie Sun Orchard lost their entire cherry crop to insects. Drop by their stand at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, tell them you care, and have an ice cream. My favorite is the chocolate cherry fudge, but Clare Pearson, the principal ice cream maker, says her new favorite is the salted caramel. Peppers If you’re like me, you assume that all small, skinny peppers are super hot and avoid them like the plague. But that’s a big mistake. Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens is offering two long, skinny peppers – one can be hot, but the other isn’t. Padron chile pepper
Read more

The Golden Towns of Beaujolais

Image
Heading north out of Lyon, you pass through a long tunnel and exit into a lush green countryside leaving the city far behind. You then turn and head up the hill onto winding roads between a patchwork of vineyards. Many of the vines are really old with short, thick, twisted trunks and a thin stem of green leaves and buds. These are the Gamay vines of Beaujolais, interspersed with a few fields of greener, leafier Chardonnay vines. South Beaujolais, just 45 minutes northwest of Lyon, encompasses 25 medieval villages of orangey-gold stone (limestone and iron) that is surprisingly vibrant (I had been expecting something lighter, similar to the Cotswolds in England). Some of the villages still have the remains of 14th century castles. Oingt is classed as one of the most beautiful villages of France and it really is lovely. You can take a walk around the town on the former ramparts and the church is austere and beautiful. I was on a half-day tour , which combined stopping to
Read more

Petra Market: A Mediterranean Grocery

Image
Tucked away in a strip mall on Primrose Drive (north of Lawson Heights Mall) is Petra Market, a treasure trove of food products from the Arabic countries in the Mediterranean. I’m fascinated by grocery stores full of unknown-to-me products but also a little nervous about trying things, so I was really happy when Nour Dabbour, the owner of Petra Market, showed me around and told me about the different items. Nour is trying to stock products from as many Middle Eastern countries as possible. He even stocks the same product from a number of different countries because he says that each country’s product tastes slightly different. Za’atar , a spice mix, is a prime example with packages from Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and each one is a slightly different colour with a slightly different taste. The most popular areas of the store are the nut and treats bars with an amazing assortment of Middle Eastern candies and mildly spiced nuts. Nour gave me a variety to try and I’m real
Read more

Spelt and Millet: Ancient Grains for Today's Healthy Diet

Image
When I was growing up, whole wheat flour and rice were exotic options. Now we have a whole range of intriguing choices – buckwheat, spelt, millet, kamut – the list goes on and on. My problem is that I don’t know very much about some of these grains, so I arranged a phone call with Nicole Davis, the Owner/Manager of Daybreak Mill near Estevan. Daybreak Mill grows and processes approximately 18 different kinds of flour, whole and de-hulled grains, flakes, cereals, and legumes. They are 100% organic. “We want people to have access to healthy, wholesome food,” Nicole explains. Two of Daybreak’s products – spelt and millet – have been nourishing people around the world for over 9,000 years. Spelt Spelt was cultivated by ancient civilizations in Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years. It grows well in poor soil and doesn’t require fertilizer. It’s resistant to frost and the thick husk protects the grain from insects. However, spelt requires more processing than wheat as
Read more