Flavourful Saskatoon, November 4, 2013


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.

Developing an Organizational Food Policy, Nov. 27
CHEP is hosting a workshop on developing a food policy for the board members and staff of organizations providing programs and services with Aboriginal people from 10 am to 3 pm, November 27. The workshop will focus on the quality and safety of the food provided, whether it’s a snack, group cooking classes, or a special event.

Restaurant Closures 
I am sorry to learn that Taj Mahal and Weczeria restaurants have closed.

Chef Dan Walker of Weczeria was one of the first Saskatoon chefs to really promote local foods and to showcase the farmers who provided the raw ingredients.

Rano and Nitu Vasani opened the Taj Mahal restaurant in 1989 and were the first to introduce Saskatoon to quality Indian cuisine.


District Brewing Co., Regina
Regina has its first locally owned and operated brewery, the District Brewing Co. Just one variety of beer available at the moment – Müs Knuckle. It’s on tap at Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar, Regina’s newest farm-to-table restaurant.

Foodshed Wins International Award
Dee Hobsbawn-Smith, a former chef, cooking educator and food advocate, has become the first Saskatchewan writer to win a prize at the High Plains Book Awards. Hobsbawn-Smith’s book Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet, won the culinary award at the High Plains Book Festival, which celebrates writing in various disciplines and genres from across the American northern plains states and Canada’s three Prairie provinces.

Restaurants Go Green
Restaurants can save thousands of dollars through going green. LEAF helps Canadian food service businesses to reduce their environmental impact and makes it easier for diners to find certified green restaurants. There are no LEAF certified restaurants in Saskatchewan as yet, but there are lots in Alberta and many others across the country.

Small Farm Support Group 
Running a small farm is a challenging undertaking. Alberta is holding a Small Farm Summit on November 9. It will be an opportunity to share information, ask questions and meet other farmers. A Farm Small website is currently being set up.

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

You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Comments

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

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

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

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