Wanderlust and Words

It’s hard to grasp what goes on behind the scenes when you drop into a store, make a few purchases and leave. I shop at Earth Bound Bakery once a week, but I didn’t know anyone’s names or what they did. It was time to spend a little longer at the bakery and begin to find out more about their roles. Trent Loewen opened Earth Bound Bakery (next door to Dad’s Organic Market ) just over four years ago. The grains and produce are organic as are as many of the other ingredients as possible. Trent uses lots of local ingredients as well. That can be a challenge, but it obviously stimulates his creativity. In the summer, there are tomato basil or asparagus croissants, while in the winter the standby is mushroom and sharp cheddar with an occasional roasted yam and jalapeño. “I work with what I’ve got,” Trent says. He was recently offered a box of over-ripe bananas and made an amazing lemongrass, lime leaf, coconut, curry, banana soup. Jason Bakers work crazy hours. Trent and his assis...

City Perks The renovations at City Perks have transformed a nice coffee shop into an outstanding one. The raised ceiling, chandeliers and recycled furniture (stools from The Pat, doors from the Bessborough made into tables, old church pews) add so much class. In addition, the kitchen layout is bigger and more efficient for staff, and there’s more seating room. The eco-conscious design and furnishings are thanks to Jacqueline Neusch of Sew Chic Décor and Christoph Neusch of Ribbitt Homes . (photo credit: J. Neusch) City Perks is now serving 49th Parallel coffee out of Vancouver. And the baked goods are still awesome! Cake Witch  I finally made it to the Refinery Market last Wednesday and had a chance to sample Barbara Harder-Lutz ’s cakes and biscotti. Barbara says that the Lemon Lavender Biscotti with Almonds are her signature piece, and they’re outstanding – crunchy with lots of lavender flavour. The cakes are made from scratch, with butter. The BC peaches in the ...

Café Noir Espresso Bar  I’m happy to see a new independent coffee shop on 2nd Avenue. Café Noir Espresso Bar is located in the King George building (former location of Saskatoon Sous Chef). The big windows provide lots of light which complements the modern décor. In addition to coffee and other hot drinks, they have baked goods – from ginger cookies to cheesecake brownies and strawberry tarts. They serve coffee from 15 Kilo Coffee Roasters in Calgary. Floating Gardens Floating Gardens has started harvesting their floating beds for the first time. They had two kinds of lettuce, two kinds of kale, spinach, herbs, cucumbers and more at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market on Saturday. City Perks, Feb. 19 City Perks reopens tomorrow - Tuesday, February 19, at 7 am - with a whole new look and layout. I'm excited to see it in person - the photographs they've been posting on Facebook look amazing. And they plan to add to their menu.  Museo  I had a very tasty bowl of...

Vegan Cupcakes  I spent a morning chatting with the staff at Earth Bound Bakery last week. I’ll post a full account of my visit shortly, but in the meantime you should know that all the baking is vegan. Laura B. makes wheat-free apple pie muffins every day and Thursdays is mini cupcake day. The flavours change, but last week they were agave lime with coconut buttercream frosting (made with chilled coconut milk) – yum! There are Cowboy Cookies on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cake Witch Café, Rosthern  Cake Witch Café in Rosthern is opening at noon on February 14 . Hummus & Pepsi Did you know that hummus is one of Pepsico’s fastest-growing products ? They distribute the Sabra brand to North America and will soon be distributing it world-wide. To secure a steady supply of chickpeas, Pepsico is helping 10,000 Ethiopian farmers to double their chickpea production. The project also hopes to address the local problem of malnutrition by supplying ready-to-consume supplementa...

Terra Madre Night, Feb. 7 Join Slow Food Saskatoon at 7:30 pm , February 7, at Root Down Workers’ Cooperative and explore Terra Madre/Salone del Gusto, the world’s largest food festival, through the photographs and experiences of Bryn Rawlyk and Sharon McDaniel. Enjoy coffee and dessert from Root Down, sample some funky Italian cheese (Sharon's photograph), and check out the silent auction. Forget about winter and celebrate the world’s best food and drink. Cherry Valentine Evening, Feb. 14 Students from the Saskatoon School of Horticulture are hosting Cherry Valentine Evening on February 14 in the Masonic Temple with live music and food featuring Saskatchewan-grown cherries as well as signature cocktails with spirits from LB Distillers. Call 931-4769 or email cherryvalentineevening@gmail.com to purchase tickets for $45 each. The students say, “The Prairie Cherry is one of the greatest fruit crops that we can grow here and we have chosen to honour it by using it a featu...