Wanderlust and Words

“Exceptional Coffee – One Cup at a Time” For many of us, a coffee shop is an oasis, a place where we can sit quietly and read or visit with friends. Credo Coffee , on 104th Street in downtown Edmonton, became my home away from home last week. A home hobby that got out of control Geoff Linden is the owner of Credo Coffee. Geoff says that coffee was a “home hobby that got out of control.” He started out searching for a good cup of coffee and progressed to buying bigger and bigger expresso machines. Now he owns a coffee shop. The timing was right. Geoff’s two sons were grown, and he had time on his hands. His wife was a teacher and had a steady income. “I decided to give it a shot,” he says. “If it didn’t work, I could go back to a regular job.” Geoff knew about 104th Street and what people hoped it would become, and he wanted to be a part of it. Credo was the first tenant in the Icon Tower when it opened in June 2009. Geoff had expected that the Icon condo residents would be his pri...

“from fruit salad to sticky toffee pudding – the history of a country defines its food” What shapes us as individuals and as nations? So often it is small, seemingly inconsequential happenings that determine the future. Personal History Simon Reynolds, Simon’s Fine Foods , applied for two jobs when he left school at 17 in his home town of Norwich, England. One was with the RAF, the Royal Air Force. The other was as a trainee chef in a local hotel. At his interview with the RAF, they asked for his religion. When he asked why they wanted to know, they told him it was so they would know how to bury him if he died. Suddenly, the job as a chef was infinitely more appealing. And his future career was confirmed his first day on the job when he was asked to make fruit salad. “I’d never seen or tasted some of them before,” Simon says. “It was the perfect job, tasting stuff I’d never experienced.” Simon’ attraction to cooking grew when he had the opportunity to work in a Michelin-starred re...

Going Green – in your Life, in your Work, and in your Advertising As I googled the web for interesting places to eat and things to do in Edmonton, I stumbled upon El Designo : “We use our wrestling skills to protect the environment, battling papers that lead to deforestation, inks that lead to pollution and printing techniques that create waste.” [fun website!] As an environmentally-conscious communications consultant, I instantly wanted to know more. I had a very informative visit with Marc Nipp, one of El Designo’s owners, and asked him how he had decided to take this particular business direction. He smiled and said it was a long story. Protecting your Children’s Health and Safety “I didn’t use to be so aware of environmental concerns,” says Marc Nipp, “but it became very personal when my wife and I started having children.” The couple started with food, examining what their children were putting in their mouths: “We were shocked at what was in some of the products.” As a result...

I was up bright and early this morning in order to visit the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market . It was interesting to compare it to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market . Space – Old Strathcona Market has a larger indoor space but lacks Saskatoon’s attractive outdoor patio.Old Strathcona is only open on Saturdays - a much easier arrangement for the farmers and producers. Meal and Seating Options – There is more seating in Old Strathcona, but they don’t have the fantastic restaurant options that we have in Saskatoon (Prairie Pie Company, Riverbend Plantation, Guiseppe’s, Garlic Guru, Cava Café). Fruits and Vegetables – There seemed to be fewer vendors in Edmonton, but each of them ran a large operation. I felt that there was more of an emphasis on organic, including organic fruit from BC. I was very impressed by the variety of greens that were available: arugula, sprouts, rapini, bok choy, green and purple kale, rainbow chard and more. Maplewood Acres had an awesome selection of pota...

I am really enjoying staying in downtown Edmonton. Locals tell me that it used to be pretty awful with parking lots, drugs and prostitutes, but it has really been turned around. Huge chunks of downtown are taken up with office towers, high-rise condos, and a shopping centre, but there are hidden gems. Warehouse District Edmonton was booming in the first decade of the twentieth century, and many of the old warehouses and stores have been restored. I’ve had fun walking around and reading the plaques about the businesses that originally occupied these spaces. Art The new Art Gallery of Alberta is a fascinating place to visit. The architect has woven silver metal ribbons around and through the glass front façade of the building. Photographs really don’t capture the full impact as they only show a small slice of the circling ribbons and glass. The Alberta Craft Council (101086 106 Street) is very close to the downtown core and has a large showroom selling beautiful craft ob...

“Unexpected, Playful Harmony” So many restaurants rely on large servings or traditional menus to attract customers. Not Wild Tangerine . Their menu is subtle, creative and full of surprises – as well as being absolutely delicious. It’s a feast for the mind as well as the senses. Perhaps the first hint that this is not your typical restaurant comes when you see the scooter parked by the front door. Enter the restaurant and you find modern furnishings and a blend of orange, brown and white that is surprisingly restful. I was at the restaurant on a quiet night and really enjoyed the mix of vocal music playing in the background. The food is creative and unique, and there were several options for vegetarians. I tried the lemongrass-thai basil lentils with portobello mushroom, and it was both healthy and exotic. The flavours and textures were subtle and harmonious. The light, slightly citrus flavour of the lentil broth was balanced by the chewy, rich flavour of the mushroom. It was reall...

I’m a workaholic – just ask my family! And that doesn’t leave much time for cooking. So I was delighted to hear about McKeown’s Ready Made Meals and Catering . Restaurant-quality meals that I can just pull out of the freezer and stick in the oven? Sounds heavenly! Gourmet Shepherd’s Pie There is nothing more reassuring and familiar than [vegetarian] shepherd’s pie. But Mike McKeown takes it up a notch or two on the gourmet scale. There are nuggets of goat cheese nestling in the mashed potato topping and whole chanterelle mushrooms from northern Saskatchewan are a flavourful surprise in the filling. In addition, there’s fresh tomato chutney that is tangy and refreshing. And I paid $16.50 for a two-pound container. It’s good value. Spin Mike is offering both ready-made meals and in-home catering. “I want to make healthy meals that are rustic but upscale,” Mike says. I asked Mike to describe an ideal meal that he would cater, and he described enchanting items like potato and rosemary w...

You’ll get a taste for the variety at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market in the October newsletter . Tim Yoder of Peasant’s Pick direct seeds or transplants 35-45,000 plants – on less than half an acre of land. He offers Market-goers a choice of 20 to 30 different strains of vegetables, including at least 15 different kinds of lettuce. Tim is also proud of his “big sweet onions and monstrous sweet carrots.” Raw Serenity is a recent newcomer to the Market. They offer an amazing assortment of raw food. The sushi rolls contain a colourful mix of fruit and vegetables and are bursting with flavour. Michelle Zimmer, Wild Serendipity Foods , is currently in Paris taking a Cordon Bleu course in how to make French macarons – “two little clouds of soft meringue sandwiched with icing.” “I’ve heard they’re tricky,” she says, “but I’m determined to master it.” An additional blog post about Michelle highlights her business skills. You can follow the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Facebook. Or send a...

Reds Rule the Wine Horizon was the first time I’d attended a wine tasting organized by Doug Reichel Wine Marketing Inc ., but it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed the quiet, friendly atmosphere and the knowledgeable presentation of an interesting assortment of wines. Doug Reichel and Luis Manino, the Export Manager for Bodega Melipal , put a personal face on the wine, providing a connection between the wine producer and the consumer. Doug has visited all the wineries, and his daughter has worked at Cape Jaffa, so we were able to move beyond the anonymity of the liquor stores and put a face to the wines. About 30 of us gathered in a side room at TCU Place last Friday evening to take a leisurely stroll through a series of nine wines from around the world, starting with the Melipal Malbec Rose , which is light, but flavourful – the perfect wine for sipping while you visit with a friend. Melipal only makes a limited amount of this wine, so I made haste to the liquor store on Saturday t...

There is nothing more valuable than a good friend, because they will believe in you and boast about you even when you aren’t there. I asked Luis Manino, Export Manager for Bodega Melipal , about organic wines. His face lit up, and he told me that his friend, Gustavo Caligiore, makes the best organic wine in Argentina. Caligiore had tasted some organic wine and didn’t think it was very good. So he set out to make a quality wine that just happened to be organic. Gustavo Caligiore was an industrial engineer. He quit his job, and he and his father set out to recover an old family vineyard. With a handful of assistants, Caligiore runs the winery – from tending the vines to harvesting the grapes and making the wine. And the good news is that he’s having some success. Staccato, Caligiore’s Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend 2006, and Grazioso, a Chardonnay-Torrontes 2007 blend, received gold medals from the 2008 Taster’s Guild. Only three Argentinean wines received a gold medal so that’s hi...

“building a reputation for quality and consistency” I talked with Luis Manino, Export Manager for Bodega Melipal of Argentina, when he was in town last week with Doug Reichel Wine Marketing Inc. for Premier Saskatchewan. I learned so much about Argentinian wine and the Melipal Winery. A European Tradition Argentina has been making wine since the 1600s – not surprising when you learn that 80% of the population is of Spanish and Italian descent. But it was a very basic wine designed to satisfy the local market. Things have changed in the last 20 to 30 years, and Argentina is now one of the top five wine-exporting countries in the world. “Argentina is all about over-delivering on quality, says Luis. “Our $15 wine can compete with a $30 wine from another country.” Malbec The flagship wine of Argentina is the Malbec. The grapes were originally grown in France where they are used in Bordeaux blends or to add colour to lighter-coloured wines. The grape adapted well to a dry, high-altit...

The following post is based on the Livable Saskatoon talk by Gil Penalosa on September 30, 2010. The photographs are of Granada, Nicaragua. In Merida, Mexico, the community gathers in the zocolo (town square) at sunset. There are families with toddlers, teenagers out with their friends and old people watching from the sidelines. A military parade officially retires the flag. The shoe shine stands are packing up for the night, but the vendors selling toys and balloons have just arrived. There is dancing in the street on Sunday evenings, and the zocolo is surrounded by stands serving hot food. Even the sky is alive with flocks of birds coming in to roost for the night. Contrast this image with the downtown core of any Canadian city at sunset. If there’s late-night shopping, the streets will be lined with cars. On a nice night, you may see a few people gathered on the Starbucks patio. But in general, the streets are deserted. All that space and no people – no life. Streets – for Peop...