Salutes and Shout Outs

Salutes and congratulations are in order this month…

• Firstly to Teresa Spinelli of Italian Centre Shop, awarded Ordine Della Stella D'Italia Onorificenza di Cavaliere (the Order of the Star of Italy is similar to the Order of Canada) for her work in promoting Italian foodstuffs and gastronomy.

• To Serge Belair of the Edmonton Convention Centre, for taking top spot at the Great Kitchen Party in Edmonton - and to Scott Redekopp of Hotel Arts’ Yellow Door Bistro for winning the Calgary contest. They’ll both go on to compete at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa next February.

• To the restaurants making the list of Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022: Calgary’s Môt Tô at #4 and Major Tom at #8 (we don’t want to say I told you so, but if we were gambling types, we’d be rich!).

• And to the Special Mentions on Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022 list: Edmonton’s Chef Scott Jonathan Iserhoff’s Pei Pei Chei Ow - awarded Best Trailbazer and one of the Best New Takeouts. In Calgary: Pure Street Food – also one of the Best New Takeouts; Major Tom - awarded Best Cocktail of the year for their All the Way Up spin on the Manhattan; and Teatro Restaurant’s Clos de la Oyster Barre – one of the Best New Pop-ups.

• Finally, to our latest winners – Notorious PIG competitive BBQ team, who competed at The World Food Championships in Dallas and took 1st place for chicken and 5th overall. A great showing for Graham Sherman, Darren Clark, Hugh Sherman, Canadian BBQ champ Rob Reinhardt, and Chef Paul McGreevy!

Chef Salar and Sarah Melli’s Vintage Fork restaurant is now a tea shop

in Edmonton’s historic Barto Residence, with a choice of 86 quality loose-leaf teas (and three tea advent calendars!), cookies and treats, to buy in-store or online at vintagefork.ca. Take advantage of no minimum order free delivery, and free samples to try before you buy. Monthly tea subscriptions too! 11425 95A Street.

Calgary’s Mari Bakeshop has

finally reopened … and we couldn’t be happier for owners Lauren Ahn and Doug Gregory after 16 months of construction and supply chain issues. They’ve invested heavily in equipment and training their young team, and doubled in size and staff, with two kitchens – one for pastry and one for bread. There’s a warm café feel with wheat stem plaster on the walls, beige tones and pale wood, and a clever acoustic ceiling to lessen the noise of the coffee grinders. As well as some of Calgary’s best bread and roll cakes, they’re baking 700+ pieces of viennoiseries each day, but be quick as everything sells out very fast! 103 St Matthew Square NE, maribakeshop.ca.

Sweet Castle Bakery is open in Edmonton’s Tawa Centre

at 3019 66 Street NW, making authentic French pastries, cakes, and bread. Their tarts, choux buns, croissants, sandwiches, and cookies, are all selling out quickly too!

Hotel Arts’ former Raw Bar space has been completely transformed

into Freestyle Social Club, complete with two golf simulators where you can play real golf courses as well as other games, and pro Joel Monk is giving group or private lessons. Chef Scott Redekopp’s small ‘share-centric’ menu is mostly gluten-free and very delicious (try the Chorizo Cheese Fondido!) with a small cocktail, beer, and wine list too. Planned pre-pandemic, this bright and airy, modern space is right by the pool – making it a pretty perfect location for a Calgary staycation! freestylesocialclub.ca.

Thai Siam is Calgary’s newest Thai

restaurant and getting 5H reviews for their Thai curries, noodle dishes, soups, and salads, but it’s their pastries, cakes, and desserts, that are hard to find anywhere else, attracting the most attention. Dine in or order from their Facebook page for delivery and takeout. 702 41 Avenue NE, facebook.com/thaisiammarket.

Edmonton has a new Thai Restaurant

too! Thai Corner Restaurant & Bakery is owned by the Seedee family from Thailand, who are passionate about sharing their delicious range of savoury Thai curries, stir fries, soups, and noodle dishes, as well as cakes, rolls and pies. 9314 34 Avenue, thaicorner.ca.

Calgary’s Umbrella Group Hospitality (The Rooftop) has retired

Ceili's Irish Pub after 10 years, and transformed the space into Brix + Barrel cocktail bar and restaurant. Supporting the community that supports them, it’s a bit of an homage to the main pillars of Alberta’s economy, the oil and agricultural industries. Chef Tyler Goddard has created a super delicious sharing menu (we’re not sharing those crispy smashed potatoes!); craft cocktails await in little barrels behind the bar, with whiskey, tequila, and gin aging in barrels too. Private rooms for 20 and 25 with AV screens are perfect for corporate events. Happy hours 2-5 pm and 9 pm-close. 351 4 Avenue SW, brixbarrel.ca.

Bubble Tea openings galore in Calgary!

• Mr. Sun has opened in Calgary’s East Village at 620 8 Avenue SE, serving up bubble tea drinks with handmade tapioca pearls, fresh-brewed tea from Taiwan, and a wide variety of creative tea drinks, mrsuntea.com.

• Machimachi has many locations in Ontario, and now its first Alberta location, in Calgary at 737 1 Avenue NE. Enjoy freshly pressed tea, milk tea/latte, tea with cream foam, fresh or fizzy fruit teas, and the special Machimachi bottled drinks. machimachi.ca.

• As well as its Chinatown store, Ami Tea & Sub has opened its second location at 8330 Macleod Trail SE, offering a wide variety of subs, sticky rice dishes, and signature teas. amiteacanada.com.

Edmonton’s Asymmetrical Brewing is

now open. Housed in part of the space that was Two Sergeants Brewing at 11821 105 Avenue, this family-focused group has made sure the kiddies are welcome, with wooden play structures and a menu for the whole family to enjoy together. Five beers are on offer by the glass as well as in crowlers, along with coffee and house-made sodas. facebook.com/asymmetricalbrew.

Successful restaurants are opening additional locations!

• strEATS Kitchens has opened a third Calgary location at 180 Legacy Main Street SE, serving their globally inspired street food, and adding to their locations in the Edmonton area, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge. streats.ca.

• Leopold Tavern’s neighbourhood bars have been sweeping across Western Canada and have now opened their fourth Calgary location at 7746 Elbow Drive, leopoldstavern.com.

• Cravings Bistro is now open fulltime at Calgary’s Arts Commons with warm paninis, soups, and deli salads, to pair with wine and cocktails, and desserts with a specialty coffee. cravingsmarketrestaurant.com/bistro.

• Whippt Kitchen cake house and eatery has opened a second location in Britannia Plaza in addition to their Foothills Flagship location. Come for lunch and stay for the beautiful, desserts and cakes. 812A 49 Avenue SW, whippt.ca.

Do you have a notable achievement we should know about? A new opening, launch, rebrand, or accolade? Email us at info@culinairemagazine.ca.