THE VERY BEST IN STRESS-FREE CORPORATE CATERING

Soulful recipes heart part of our story. Check out Spolumbo’s for stress-free office, event and home catering. deli and ready-to-eat take-home meals are just waiting for you! us in Inglewood at 1308 9 Avenue SE | spolumbos.com part of our story. Check out Spolumbo’s for stress-free office, event and home catering. deli and ready-to-eat take-home meals are just waiting for you! us in Inglewood at 1308 9 Avenue SE | spolumbos.com

Don’t forget our in-house deli and take-home meals.

A TALE OF LOVE, WAR AND PIEROGI

Every now and then we come across a story that demonstrates the power food has to heal bodies and spirits, to unite people in shared experience or to create an unbreakable tie to home. The story of The Tisto Factory has all three. This particular food story begins with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Hailing from the small town of Konstantinovka, near the Eastern front, the Posikera family was close to the fighting and threatened daily with falling bombs and gunfire. In a gut-wrenching decision, Anna and Vladimir packed up their car with a few toys, some clothes, their two small children (Illia and Nikita), Anna’s mother, Inna Malmyhina, and fled west, away from the fighting. “We could only travel about 300 km a day, as our youngest son was just one year old and couldn't handle the constant road trips,” says Anna. “Everywhere we stopped, we heard sirens, explosions and gunfire, as the entire country was being bombarded with missiles. It was a harrowing experience, and we knew we had to keep moving to keep our family safe.”

But the fighting was always just at their heels and after driving thousands of kilometers, the family decided Ukraine was no longer safe and they had to make a fresh start somewhere else. That somewhere else was Calgary. On the advice of relatives who’d emigrated years before, the Posikeras took advantage of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel Measures (CUAET) and headed to Calgary with very few belongings and even less English. But Calgarians came through for them.

“We were initially apprehensive, but we were met with warmth and kindness at every turn,” says Anna. “(Calgarians) were incredibly supportive, offering us toys, household items, and anything else we needed to help us get settled.”

Settling included making friends and soon the family was invited to a potluck. As the Posikera children were notoriously picky eaters, Anna had developed a pierogi recipe that integrated vegetable pastes like carrots, beets. spinach and cabbage, making them colourful and bright and far more interesting to the kids and party goers.

The gorgeous (and delicious) striped pierogi were a hit at the party and the Posikeras were soon convinced to start a business making and selling them. Selling their car to cover start-up costs, the family rented a commercial kitchen and began experimenting with colours, textures and great names for the different flavours, including Bumble Bee, Agent Spinach, Blue Ninja, Chicken-in-law and others. Today, The Tisto (meaning “dough” in Ukrainian) Factory is a going concern with a full range of products available for sale online. Creating these quintessentially Ukrainian dumplings has given the family an opportunity not only to share their story and their culture with their new Canadian neighbours, but also to remind them of their history, their home and to honour the friends and family who are still fighting. Order your Tisto Factory pierogi online.* The Tisto Factory | the-tisto-factory.com

The Grand Dame Of Calgary

We recently enjoyed the unveiling of a $3.1-million renovation to Fairmont Palliser’s event and meeting spaces, which modernized nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of the hotel including the gorgeous and iconic Crystal Ballroom. General Manager Ken Flores says the project started pre-pandemic and happened over the last three years and included upgrades to electrical, HVAC, air quality and other systems that presented challenges in the 1914 building. The renovations weren’t for the physical spaces alone. The hotel also unveiled a new service delivery model that is in line with the needs of modern events in terms of furniture, technology and dining options. Flores likened the model as more like having dinner at a manor, rather than at the club – with a focus on intimacy, authenticity and class.

What hasn’t changed is the Palliser’s world-class food and beverage offering under the leadership of Executive Chef Gregor Dunki

If a meeting or a regular event isn’t on the horizon for you, do treat yourself to an evening at the hotel’s Hawthorne Dining Room, which features live music Wednesday through Saturday and has a beautiful food menu complemented by a delicious and Instagram-worthy cocktail bar.

Fairmont Palliser | 133 9th Ave. S.W. | 403.262.1234 | fairmont.com/palliser-calgary

HIDDEN GEM: CONGRESS COFFEE

At the east end of an unassuming strip mall in Calgary’s Greenview Industrial area is a delicious little time warp called Congress Coffee. Created by long-time Calgarian arts fixture Johanna Schwartz and partner Nick Papai, the café is modeled after a ’90s coffee house and pays homage to the local live music scene from those days up until today with regular live music programming on the café stage. The décor is brilliant with gig posters from the Republik , Night Gallery and other clubs of yore as well as vintage furniture, custom art pieces and a ton of other memorabilia that will keep your eyes popping from one thing to the next as you enjoy a great cup of coffee by roast master Shawn McDonald of Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee.

The menu is sandwich-focused with options for vegans and meat-eaters alike with the turkey being a best seller. This yummy sandwich features roasted turkey, dried cranberries, house-made pesto, cream cheese and green apple, served on grilled ciabatta. With regular, community-based music, poetry, film and art programming, Congress is destined to become a popular hub in this up-and-coming part of the city.

Congress Coffee | 1A 215 36th Ave. N.E. | 403.452.7320 congresscoffeeyyc.com