Flavourful Saskatoon, April 11, 2016

Taming of the Brew, Apr. 23/25
The Woods Alehouse is celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday and St. George’s Day on Apr. 23 and 25 with traditional English cuisine and special kegs of The Merry Wort of Windsor, a mild ale with a light chocolate profile. Recite your favourite Shakespeare sonnet or quote and get 50% off your first pint of the featured ale.

Street Stall Saturdays, May 7
The newly-formed Saskatoon Food Truck Association will be holding Street Stall Saturdays beside Ideas Inc./Saskatoon Farmers’ Market starting May 7.

SK Author Tracks Rise of Organic Food Movement
Pointing to the different customer groups that buy organic food, Lisa Clark, author of The Changing Politics of Organic Food in North America, says she "hopes her book sheds light not only how the organic movement evolved, but will help readers better understand its current state, and the ongoing debates around where it may be headed. . . .

"These things are political . . . . One of the things I try to examine in more detail in my book is that it is not just about science. It’s not just about economics. It’s actually about politics and how people perceive value in certain models and ways of production.”

Making Vegetarian Food Appealing to a Mass Audience
“Two of the hottest burgers on the New York City food scene right now are vegetarian or vegan, and they’re changing the way people think about meat-free food. “One of the biggest problems with bringing vegan food to the mainstream is people think of it as hippie food: crunchy, granola, and sprouts,” says Chloe Coscarelli, the chef behind one of the burgers transcending that stereotype. . .

Both eateries are confronting and overcoming a major challenge for vegetarian, and especially vegan, casual food places: appealing to a mass audience. Coscarelli explains her approach: “You need to make it familiar. People need to realize it’s hearty and delicious. Veggie burgers are fun because they show people you can eat something hot and really bite into it.”

The Free-From Restaurant Boom 
“Whether it’s gluten, sugar, nuts, eggs, waste or even carbon, today’s most successful restaurants care as much about what’s off the menu as what’s on it. . . . “When we opened, we wanted to have places where you can eat vegan, gluten-free, paleo, or none of the above, and still eat something delicious and satisfying.”

Japan’s Heirloom Vegetable Revival 
In Yamagata, a whole community is mobilizing to save its heirloom vegetables from disappearing.

Zak's Garden Herb peas are a crunchy addition to a salad and loaded with iron and protein

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

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