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...