Eat

  by Callandra Caufield What a winter. Crunchy snow, a blizzard or two, and more than our usual share of grey days. There’s only so many nights one can read a book beside the fire. If you are ready for a change, put on your warmest boots and your oh-so-Canadian toque, and come on out and join in the fun of our Calgary Food Tours’ Craving Kensington neighbourhood food tour. “What exactly is a food tour?” In brief, a food tour is an eating, sipping, guided walking tour with just enough history, culture, and food stories to make you sound really interesting at your next dinner party. The ulterior motive of all of our Alberta Food Tours is to help you fall in love with our local farm to table food scene.  When you buy a ticket to come on…

During the brief, glorious summer season, it is recommended that every lover of local food, whether you live in Alberta or are just visiting, sign up for an outdoor, farm-to-fork dinner. This not-to-be-missed Prairie experience generally features a long, communal table set out under a big blue sky in a farmer’s field, and laid with the best of local protein and produce. If you’re lucky, there will be a few cows standing around. The trend began in Edmonton a few years back, when RGE RD chef Blair Lebsack teamed with farmers Danny and Shannon Ruzicka of Nature’s Green Acres to hold an outdoor meal on the Ruzicka farm, located near Viking, about 120 kilometres east of Edmonton. Lebsack served vegetables that he had grown himself on the Ruzicka property, and all the meat was also supplied by Nature’s Green Acres…

The long-awaited languid days of summer are here. Finally. And that means one thing for those of us who love to savour the flavour of anything freshly picked or locally made.  Biting into fresh–picked corn dripping in butter. Popping juicy, purple huckleberries straight from the bush into your mouth, like candy. That first sip of your favourite cold and hoppy craft brew on a hot summer day.   We are spoiled for choice when it comes to exploring the province’s exploding culinary scene this summer. Thrown into the blender of this summer’s festivals and events is Alberta’s booming food truck scene, creative chefs and a chance to meet local farmers and ranchers.   We’re hard pressed to pick favourites, but here are a few. Check the Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance or Travel Alberta for a fuller list.   To market, to market – June through fall – You don’t have to drive far to come across a local farmers’ market. Outside of Calgary and Edmonton city markets, you’ll find stalls of fresh produce and more in towns and cities from Medicine Hat to Cochrane and Camrose, all the way north of…

It is time to stop and taste Alberta’s food again like you are tasting it for the first time. That’s not as easy as it sounds because when something has been right in front of you your whole life you don’t see it – let alone taste it – for the truly unique thing that it is. On our food tours we ask our guests what is Alberta’s food?  Beef is the first thing they think of. They are surprised to learn that cattle have only been in Alberta for about 160 years. We explain that they are an exotic Scottish import. Before there were fences, Montana cowboys “drove” them here in search of grazing lands. Bison is the animal that was formed with this land. There is archeological evidence that the first bison crossed from Asia over a land bridge 120,000 years…

Canmore Uncorked is a bit like Christmas. There’s 12 days of fabulous festivities. Only instead of all those maids a milking and lords a leaping, there’s set price menus, free tasting experiences, a whiskey, wine and beer festival, progressive dinners, cooking classes, and of course, our own Canmore Food Tours’ behind the scenes food tours (more about those soon).   My name is Callandra Caufield and I’m the operations manager at Alberta Food Tours, Inc. I was raised in Canmore and I love this town. Canmore Uncorked started in 2014 and I’ve had the pleasure of participating since inception. Though it’s tempting, I can tell you first hand, it’s impossible to experience everything this festival has to offer. Because most of us have limited time (and waist bands) for the festival, I’m going to share my “must eat” list of Canmore Uncorked…

By Liane Faulder, Edmonton Food Tours guide and writer for The Edmonton Journal The definition of a romantic meal varies widely. Some couples can feel dreamily alone in a noisy and crowded space like El Cortez Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar (8230 Gateway Blvd.) and others like a padded banquette in a dark corner at the Red Ox Inn (9420 91 St). One duo might find a grilled cheese eaten while perched on a stool in a trendy sandwich joint like Farrow (8422 109 St.) to be gooey and gorgeous. Another needs champagne in the Confederation Lounge at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (10065 100 St). If you’re of the cheap and cheerful persuasion, look no further than the aptly named Café Amore (10807 106 Ave.) The tables for two are tiny, and it’s easy to have an intimate conversation, especially…

February is the month we all think of romantic dinners but why squish all that love into one day or one month each year? Whether it is love for yourself, your family or a certain someone, it really is better to share love any and everyday of the year. Nourish a love affair with yourself,…

Story by Liane Faulder – Far from hunkering down to wait out winter, Edmontonians are famous for getting out and discovering ways to brighten and warm the long, dark season. Here’s a list that celebrates keeping active this winter for visitors and locals alike:   Patio fare Dining au plein isn’t restricted to the summer in…

  Best Bars in Edmonton for a Woman to Enjoy a Drink Alone By Liane Faulder, Alberta Food Tours Inc. Tour Leader and food writer for the Edmonton Journal Sometimes a girl feels like getting out for a glass of wine and a nibble, but the thought of downing a beer and a plate of…

Five Coffee Bars We Love Written By Liane Faulder, Alberta Food Tours Inc. Tour Leader and food writer for the Edmonton Journal Photos By Karen Anderson, Alberta Food Tours Inc. President Edmonton has a terrific independent coffee culture that’s built up over the last decade. Here is a whiff of the caffeinated landscape in our…