Wanderlust and Words

Bogart’s Bay Coffee  Bogart’s Bay Coffee is now available at Dad’s Organic Market as well as Twig and Squirrel’s Wild Goods. They’re a “small, hand operated, charcoal-fired coffee roaster located on a bay of Birch Lake, in NW Saskatchewan.” Heritage Society Dinner, Feb. 8  The Saskatoon Heritage Society annual fundraising dinner is scheduled for February 8 at the U of S Faculty Club. The guest speaker is Frank Korvemaker, co-author of Legacy of Stone: Saskatchewan's Stone Buildings . He will be speaking on Heritage Conservation – The Right Project at the Right Time. The Heritage Society can be reached at saskatoonheritagesociety@gmail.com . Look to the Future  Fast Company’s top food stories of 2013 include one about the kitchen of the future (e.g. faucets that detect bacteria on produce), a look inside Chipotle’s organic tofu factory, and the three companies that Bill Gates thinks are shaping the future of food. Food Tank has compiled a list of 14 food reso...

New Year’s Eve  Earth Bound Bakery and Christie’s Il Secondo are joining forces to serve a multi-course feast on New Year’s Eve. More details are available at either bakery. Craft Beer & Tapas, Jan. 23  Prairie Sun Brewery, Wild Cuisine Catering and Garlic Guru are hosting a Craft Beer & Tapas Night on January 23 at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Six food courses will be paired with three of Prairie Sun’s beers. Two Stinkers Cheese Entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the Campbell family. Craig Campbell developed Choo-It cereal , now available in three different formats. His son Jade, who is only 6 years old, has created his own product and was marketing it just last week at SaskMade Marketplace . Jade has developed a spicy dry rub mix that he uses to prepare a hickory-smoked cheese. Ken Neuman, who manages SaskMade, says that Jade has been well trained by his dad. He shakes hands with his customers and writes out his own receipts. Night Oven Bakery Amy J...

I was asked by Valerie Lugonja, A Canadian Foodie , to comment on upcoming food trends for a composite blog post she prepares every year. Here’s what I came up with. Let me know what you think. 1. What surprised you most about food trends in 2013?  Buying local food has becoming increasingly popular. Even large grocery chains are beginning to purchase locally. Four new microbreweries ( Prairie Sun Brewery , Saskatoon; District Brewing Co. , Regina; Bin Brewing Co. and Black Bridge Brewery in Swift Current) opened in Saskatchewan this year – a huge jump, indicating increased popularity for local, craft beer. Urban agriculture is surprisingly popular – from school gardens, to community gardens, to the Saskatoon Food Bank’s Garden Patch . Food bloggers are increasingly working for industry with sponsored posts and giveaways. I believe this will result in bloggers as a group losing their independence and their credibility. There is a growing divide between celebri...

Location of Citizen Café Oops! I made a mistake. Thank you to the reader who let me know that the soon-to-open Citizen Café and Bakery will be located in the old Dance Street location (18 23rd Street East), NOT in the former Caffe Sola location. They hope to open early in the new year. Healthy Eating on a Budget I mentioned last week that lentils are a cheap, nutritious source of protein. A reader pointed out that not everyone knows how to cook lentils. True enough, and it points to the importance of cooking classes at school and in the community. But it also points to the need for a culture change, so our community as a whole becomes less meat-centric and has a more widespread knowledge of alternative protein sources. Here are 5 tips for stretching a tight budget as well as practical suggestions for going organic from Alternatives Journal – including a link to recipes for beans and lentils. Fermented Food And, while we’re talking about healthy food, here are 6 reasons...

Slow Food Salon, Dec. 15 Join me at the Slow Food Salon from 3-5 pm on Sunday, December 15, at City Perks Coffeehouse. Our conversation will centre on Food and Festivities: What role does food play in your family’s and culture’s celebrations? Everyone is welcome. Boffins Events If you work at Innovation Place , don’t miss the Holiday Baking Class on December 11, Fare & Ale on December 12, and In Vino Veritas on December 19. Cheese & Beer Fest, Feb. 1 Prairie Sun Brewery is introducing a completely new way of doing business. They not only brew their beer, but they host regular events. Monthly launches of their newest beer combine meals catered by local businesses and musical entertainment as well as sale of 1- and 2-litre growlers. On February 1, they’ll be holding a Cheese and Beer Festival , and it’s all about celebrating local. Five local chefs will prepare dishes with cheese from three Saskatchewan businesses (Bulk Cheese Warehouse, Herschel Hills, Salayview F...

You are invited to a Slow Food Salon  Sunday, December 15, 2013, 3 to 5 pm  City Perks Coffeehouse, 801 7th Avenue North   Food and Festivities: What role does food play in your culture’s and family’s celebrations?  Birthday cakes and funeral meats; a Seder meal and a Persian New Year’s dinner; lunch with friends or a family supper. Food is part of our culture and our family life. It brings us together and creates lasting ties. Each culture and family celebrates differently. Join us from 3-5 pm on December 15   at City Perks Coffeehouse and share your most cherished memories of food, family and culture in a respectful and open atmosphere. Coffee, tea and snacks will be available for purchase. What is a salon? A conversational salon is an ongoing gathering of people who share a passion for ideas. Conversational salons can be frontiers for social and cultural change. Less formal than facilitated meetings, salons feed the human need for connec...

Toffee Porter, Dec. 6 Prairie Sun Brewery is launching their Toffee Porter on December 6 between 11 and 6. Lunch will be served from 11-2 and supper from 5-8 (catered by Garlic Guru). Shoeless Joes will be performing at 8 pm. I really like the rich flavour of porter, so I’m hoping to attend. In the 1700s, porter was aged for up to a year, so brewers needed very large vats. “One of these vats, owned by Richard Meux's brewery, erupted back in 1814 releasing 320,000 gallons of Porter which demolished part of the brewery, a line of small homes and killed eight people in the wave of beer.” ( What The Hell Is A Porter?, Beer Advocate ) Prairie Pie Company  I picked up a piece of savoury squash, purple onion and goat cheese pie (walnuts and raisins too!) from the Prairie Pie Company at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market. I understand that Mary Uzelman will be offering special seasonal pies and baked oatmeal on a regular basis. And, if you haven’t tried Mary’s individual lentil pie...

Night Market, Dec. 12  The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will be holding a holiday night market on Thursday, December 12 from 4-9 pm . Wine, appies, carols and a butter tart competition. (via @tammyrobert) Earth Bound Expansion Earth Bound Bakery now has permission from the City for its renovations: a new kitchen space and a larger dining area. In his blog, Trent says , “We plan to soon offer breakfast, more lunch options, more take away meal options and perhaps in the future some special event dinner functions.” Seabuckthorn Recipes  Chef Jenni was cooking with Northern Vigor seabuckthorn berries on Saturday at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. She shared her recipes for Seabuckthorn Tomato Sauce, Seabuckthorn White Chocolate Mousse and Seabuckthorn Lemon Chai Cider. Here’s the recipe for the tomato sauce. Email me if you’d like one of the other recipes and I’ll send it to you. *1 cup Seabuckthorn purée *796 ml can whole tomatoes or four whole fresh tomatoes *two sta...

Edible City, Nov. 21 Slow Food Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Eco Network are showing the movie Edible City: Grow the Revolution at the Frances Morrison Public Library at 7 pm , November 21. Edible City profiles a diverse group of people who are challenging the status quo food system through edible education, grassroots activism and building local economies. Christmas at the Marr, Dec. 3 & 4  Actor John Huston will perform A Christmas Carol at 7:30 pm , December 3 and 4, at the Marr Residence (326 11th Street East). The performance will be followed by dessert and musical entertainment. Tickets are $15 and available by calling 652-1201. The Prairie Pantry  I’m of an age where I don’t need any more “stuff,” but I’ll always welcome gifts of food and wine, especially ones purchased and/or made by local entrepreneurs. I attended The Prairie Pantry’s Customer Appreciation Event at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market last week, and they have brought in lots of tasty new items...

Persian rice and eggplant accompanied by raclette and boiled potatoes? Why not? There is no better way to share our cultures and traditions than through food. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our differences rather than fight over them. Mahyar Behnami is the owner of the Saskatoon Persian Store . She has transformed an old grocery store just around the corner from the bus barns in Caswell Hill with an intriguing array of Iranian groceries. She recently completely some renovations and her friend Cathy Engel suggested that they host a dinner to celebrate. I was fortunate enough to be invited. The Remembrance Day meal was a surprising, but delicious, juxtaposition of Swiss raclette and a savory array of Persian dishes. Rice is a staple of Iranian cuisine, and it’s so different from Chinese rice. The grains are almost an inch long, and they are dry and fluffy, with a topping of nuts and berries. Cathy Engel works at the Bulk Cheese Warehouse , so there was a wonder...

Local HOPtion Launch Party, Nov. 15 Prairie Sun Brewery is launching the first IPA made with locally grown hops on Friday, November 15, from 11 am to 10 pm . There will be pints of beer, cheese, music, and brewery tours at 2 , 5 , 7 and 9 pm .  Collectively Green Holiday Sale, Nov. 16 The Collectively Green Holiday Sale from 10 am to 6 pm , November 16, at Grace-Westminster United Church offers earth-friendly wares and a silent auction to benefit the Saskatoon Food Bank. Slow Food Salon, Nov. 17 Slow Food Saskatoon will be hosting a conversational Slow Food Salon every third Sunday at City Perks Coffeehouse. On Sunday, November 17, from 5-7 pm , we’ll be discussing “What foodie book has changed the way you cook/think about food?” Edible City, Nov. 21 Slow Food Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Eco Network are showing the movie Edible City: Grow the Revolution at the Frances Morrison Public Library at 7 pm , November 21. Edible City profiles a diverse group of peo...

Root Down Sunday Brunch, Nov. 10  The Root Down Workers’ Cooperative will be serving vegan/vegetarian Sunday brunch from 10 am to 2 pm on November 3, 10, 17 and December 8 and 15 at Station 20 West. Gluten-free items will be available. Prairie Pantry Customer Appreciation, Nov. 13  The Prairie Pantry, Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, is holding a customer appreciation event in honour of their one-year anniversary from 5-8 pm , November 13. Check out the new products, sample a few goodies and meet some of their local producers.  In addition, there is a 10% discount on all items (except the new Christmas items) during the month of November. SaskMade’s Xmas Kick-Off, Nov. 16  SaskMade Marketplace will be kicking off the Christmas season on November 16 with samples, contests and in-store specials. Cake Witch, Nov. 16  The Cake Witch’s delicious German baking will be available at St. Joseph’s Craft Fair from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday, November 16. ...

What does it take to successfully open a new restaurant, particularly a hotel restaurant? Geoffrey Caswell-Murphy, Executive Chef of Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar in Regina’s newly-opened DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre , David McQuinn, Vice-President, Food & Beverages, and Brigitte Diem-Guy, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Silver Birch Hotels and Resorts, outlined for me some of the ingredients they are relying on for success. First and foremost, the focus is on local food. “We want the restaurant to tell the story of our community by serving unique dishes made from organic products from local growers,” David says. Local Products Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar, which opens on November 5, will serve products from Cactus Organics, Pine View Farms, All Natural Meats, Prairie Meats, Duck Farm, Timber Creek Farm, and Living Soil Farms. Müs Knuckle beer from the District Brewing Co. , Regina’s first locally owned and operated brewery, will be on tap. “We were th...

Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar, Regina  Regina will soon have a new restaurant. Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar will open on November 1 in the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Centre at 1975 Broad Street. Advance publicity states that Chef Geoffrey Caswell-Murphy will profile the Farmer to Chef relationship using as many locally sourced, artisan and organic ingredients as possible. The chef is East Coast born and raised so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a focus on seafood. I'm pleased to see that the trend towards locally-sourced restaurant meals continues in both Regina and Saskatoon. Seeds of Diversity AGM, Nov. 9  Seeds of Diversity is holding their annual general meeting at Station 20 West on November 9 from 3-8:30 pm . The event will include a seed exchange, a seed-saving workshop and a gala dinner. Luscious Desserts  Never let it be said that I am derelict in my responsibility to seek out all decadent desserts available in Saskatoon. Dad’s Organic M...

SK Wine Tastings  Doug Reichel of Fine Wines Sask has a number of upcoming events: October 24 – Rozendal Winemaker Dinner at Amy’s, Prince Albert October 25 – Rozendal Winemaker Dinner at Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina October 30 – Wine Wednesday with Paul Bosc Jr., Château des Charmes, at Temple Gardens Resort & Spa, Moose Jaw November 5 – International Wines & Local Appetizers at Eddie Webster’s Dining Room, Estevan December 6 – 5 Food Courses Paired with 5 Wines at Highway Host Restaurant, Rosetown SK Micro Breweries  Canadian micro breweries are experiencing sales growth of 15-20% , and Saskatchewan is no exception. Prairie Sun Brewery is Saskatoon’s newest brewery and appears to be doing really well. And Swift Current will soon have two micro breweries. Bin Brewing Co. prides itself on being all-Canadian. Everything in their brewery was sourced in Canada, from the water system to the energy-efficient lighting. Their beers emphasize local ingredien...

Slow Food Salon, Oct. 20  Slow Food Saskatoon is hosting a Slow Food Salon from 7-9:30 pm , October 20, at City Perks Coffeehouse. A conversational salon is an ongoing gathering of people who share a passion for ideas. Conversational salons can be frontiers for social and cultural change. Less formal than facilitated meetings, salons feed the human need for connection and rely on natural synergies.  The topic for the October salon is: What does Slow Food mean in the Saskatchewan context ? What is our local agricultural/food wisdom? What should we protect? What should we taste? How can we connect all the wisdom and resources in our local community to strengthen our food system? Slow-Cooked SK, Oct. 26  Stop by SaskMade Marketplace between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm on October 26 and pick up some easy recipes and tasty samples. And, if you live in Regina , be sure to visit SaskMade Marketplace in the Cornwall Centre from November to January . Home Delivery  ...

Hey, folks! I’m back at my computer but still not out in the coffee shops and restaurants, so be sure to send me news of any events or great places to eat so that I can share the information. Citizen Café and Bakery A new coffee shop is emerging at the former site of Caffe Sola. Citizen Café and Bakery , at 16 – 23 Street East, will open in November and plans to serve quality espresso and from scratch baking that is vegan and gluten-free friendly. Food Truck Boom and Bust Food trucks are all the rage, right across North America, but it’s not a sure-fire winner. The Modern Drive Through Food Trucks explores some of the challenges faced by food truck owners in Vancouver, including municipal regulations and location. Why Did Cavemen Die Young? I don’t understand the current craze for the Paleo Diet. Does it mean you should cook your meat outside over an open fire? And cavemen certainly weren’t eating cake and chocolate or drinking wine, so I’m not interested. As a result, I wa...