Home from Eat Alberta yesterday with so many thank yous to deliver and so much left to say to all who made that day better than any of us (Sharon, Allan, Mack, Su, Ming, Nicole and I)  imagined it would be!

Talk about a grass roots event! In February of 2010, the beginnings of what evolved into Eat Alberta were stirring within and by last year at this time we were just getting the details finalized for the big event that happened April 30, 2011. We hosted at the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension within the windowless basement of he Enterprize Centre downtown.  Our sixty spaces were sold out within three days (the first 80% sold within the first three hours) and we were ready to roll! And roll we did!

The night prior, we were at the location delivering carloads of equipment and supplies at 4pm and were there until 8pm setting up. Equipment? Supplies? We were doing full on cooking classes in classrooms without sinks or stoves or ovens. So, burners, and scales, and basins, buckets, cleaning supplies and kitchen equipment were all moved in.

Suzanne Dennis was our Volunteer Coordinator last year and had her host of 8 eager incredible volunteers at the door of the Centre at 7:30 am to assist the 16 or so presenters as they dropped off their supplies before parking. The Faculty of Extension Student Assistant that we hired for the day to assist was incredible. By 8am Sharon and Mack had the registration table up and running, all presenters were setting up in their classrooms, participants were arriving and volunteers were putting the last minute touches on the breakfast we had made and purchased locally.

Made? Yes. I had made the granola and the yogurt. The Queen of Tarts, now Dauphine’s, made a sweet and tart scone. The Jam Lady provided incredible jams. We had Saskatoon Berry juice and coffee provided the entire day by Transcend. We just sent volunteers running down the street and across for it, as needed. Oh, and Steve and Dan’s provided apples and pears, too! What a feast.

The Key Note was held in the biggest classroom. Packed. Positive energy and exciting information by James Vriend and Jenny Berkenbosch of Sun Dog Organic Farms.

After that, I really don’t remember much. The day, until lunch, was a blur. The bathroom sinks weren’t working to wash the dishes in (as we had planned – we had closed off one bathroom for this purpose alone), the chairs needed moving, we needed more coffee – and I didn’t do any of this. Su and her volunteer team did. I immediately went to work taking down the breakfast, preparing the lunch and the Tasting Boards. I remember nothing else. I didn’t even get to the session where I was to introduce Holly Gale. Thank goodness Kevin was in there.

The lunch? Last year, the Italian Centre Shops provided Italian Sandwiches for everyone and there were the most delectable cookies provided by the Confetti Sweet Treats (City Market). Maria and I spent a day making this very cassoulet: two massive turkey roasters full of it. I also made all of the tastings, except Kevin Kossowan fire roasted the bison in his out door oven.

We got everything set up. It was all hot. Tastes were all out, thanks to Ming and Nicole (both volunteers last year), and then people swarmed into this tiny little space for lunch bubbling with enthusiasm from their morning adventures. I knew right then that we had something very special here. I knew right then that Eat Alberta had only just begun.

Amid the clamor and chatter, a lovely woman asked me for the cassoulet recipe, and I promised her I would post it on the Eat Alberta website, thinking I would make it again to do just that. Well, when one makes two massive turkey ovens full of The Great Northern Bean Cassoulet, one does not want to make it again any time soon!

This year, I made it for our preparation potluck evening for volunteers and presenters, and serendipitously, that same woman asked me again during lunch this year if she could have this very recipe. I looked down at her name tag, vowing to remember, but I don’t. However, this post is for her!

Eat Alberta 2012 was held at NAIT this year. We felt so very privileged to be granted the opportunity to use this space as they have never done this before. What a difference it made to elevating our humble little event to a world class culinary event equivalent to any I have ever been to or could ever wish to go to. The staff at NAIT was second to none and I wish to publicly thank Chef Stanley Townsend and the Head of House,Samantha Wall, both of NAIT, for making this happen. The Four TA’s that worked in the kitchen, as well as the staff in Ernest’s, were exemplary.

In our own little grass roots way, we had still planned classroom set up details, supply details, plating and pouring assistance for all classrooms, and on and on – but NAIT took care of everything for us. Our volunteers worked hard unloading cars, bringing in supplies and setting up teacher materials, but after that, there was time for them to actually enjoy their day this year. What a team of volunteers, too, I may add! Exceptional!

This cassoulet is made with our own Alberta pulses: this time, a variety. There is so much goodness in this recipe, it is hard to imagine that it can actually be eaten (sans crème fraiche) by almost every kind of eater. Below is a photo essay that is self explanatory regarding the makings of this dish, followed by the recipe. One of the many tastes of our Alberta that we showcased at last year’s event.

Much more to come about the food at this year’s event on another post.

And tomorrow, I will publish the photos I took of Eat Alberta, as well as more thoughts about the day and a list of all posts written to date. Please also check out the website for that information as we will continue to update it as we discover posts and publications about the day.

My motherboard crashed after returning from Italy last November, and so my final photos of my haul home we lost. Thankfully, that was all, so there never was a post about the ridiculous and precious finds I packed into our bags and brought home. One of the many items was olive oil. Well, to be honest, not one – but ten. Yes, ten bottles of olive oil, mostly DOP from each region of the country we visited, or neighbouring regions where I could find bottles to pack away. I adore olive oil. I find this golden green hued fruity grassy liquid of the Mediterranean area enchanting. I have been eager to do a comparative tasting since November, and finally one night the last week of March, it all came together.

Overly ambitious? Yes. Usually, when doing a purposeful tasting with thought and intent, five tastes are enough. Even plenty. The palate desensitizes as the nose does when sampling perfumes. However, on this night, I went for it. I put out all 10 as well as one from Superstore, one from Greece (a gift from Vanja’s brother who was just there last summer), one from Serbia, and one from France (my Quebec acquisition). Then invited my guests, and one of my guests brought 2 more from her trip to Italy last fall, as well. Yes, we tasted 16 samples and it was an incredible learning experience for me. Not nearly as overwhelming or exhausting as the marathon chocolate tasting I put myself through a couple of years ago. Surprisingly, 14 tastes of olive oil, within the environment and process we used, worked very well!

I had tasted all of them at different times, and based on what I thought, I grouped them. The first 5 I put together, I believed would be the best. The next five still had what a believed to be two excellent bottles and others I didn’t know about. The last samples were the 4 that were not from Italy, and the two Italian ones from our guest. These little shooter glasses are 30 for a dollar at the dollar store and though I don’t like to use plastic, they are perfect for this kind of thing. Numbered 14 for each of us and numbered the bottles the same number as the number of the glasses that sample was poured from.

Below are the first round of tastes. The oil on the far left is the only oil made from the black olive and it a DOP bottle from the Liguria region which is the region Cinque Terra is in. I didn’t purchase it from there, however. I didn’t even see a DOP bottle of olive oil in any of the five little towns in that area, and believe me, I searched through them all for one. This one we purchased from some unforgettable oil vendors at the Campo de’ Fiori in Rome. They sold every kind of oil, but raved about this one as the “…best in all of Italy! The only one from the black olive! You must buy this one. It is famous!” I am not that hard of a sell. I was going to buy it just because it was a DOP from that region but this championed the bottle and had me salivating with expectation.

The second and third were purchased in Spello from Roberto Angelini. The second one is the one Alain Ducasse has exclaimed to be “the best in all of Italy” and the one he showcases in his Paris restaurants. The fourth one I puchased in Bologna from EATALY which adopts the philosophy where the supply of products must come from the direct origin of the producer and where education about food is paramount. These ideas are both based upon the tenets of Slow Food International which was the starting point to instilling a perception of quality and develop levels of healthy taste and enjoyment that makes human beings more fulfilled and happy supporting the belief “eating well help people to live better.” This very bottle can also be purchased at The Italian Centre Shops. It is also a DOP bottle. The last tall thin bottle was from Guillio, our Truffle Hunter. I have yet to write my post about our surreal experience with him. This bottle is the only one of single origin olives. Most olive oils are made by mixing varietals and he is a firm believer in the production of single origin oils and sees it as the future of the artisanal industry.

The next five start with what I believed may be the crème de la crème of them all: the one purchased in Rome very near the Testaccio Market at Volpetti’s on the last day of our holidays fresh from the presses! This is the only oil from 2011. All of the others were of 2010 origin. There was just enough left for the tasting as we had definitely been enjoying this one. This is followed by another DOP from the Liguria region.  This one I purchased at the Mercato Albinelli in Modena. I spied it there the day we left Cinque Terra and eye-poppingly plopped it in my bag! The Sardegna DOP was from a little shop steps away from that same market in Modena. I prefer fruitier oils than grassier oils, and Letizia had said the fruitiest oils come from Sicily. Somehow that made me hope that would also be true of Sardinia’s. I also wanted another DOP taste to add to the many terriors already collected! Puglia is up next. Oh, I cannot wait to visit Puglia with the foods from there I have come to love! I had been searching for a DOP and Martina said there were vendors at one of her markets that she knew had excellent olive oil from Puglia. We went. We tasted. We bought. The last one I have no recollection of purchasing whatsoever. So odd, considering each has such meaning for me, yet this one I cannot place at all.

The final four, with the exception of two more Italian samples from my guest, are not from Italy. The first bottle was a gift from Vanja’s brother upon his return from Greece last summer. We thought it would be cheap and tasteless as the lid was already partially open, the bottle held no charm, and his brother would definitely buy the least expensive bottle. (He is not cheap. He is poor.) Next, is the bottle I purchased in Quebec that comes from France and I loved it. When I sampled it before I bought it I was awakened with the depth of the grove and the freshness of Spring! Third, a bottle from Vanja’s home country, the former Yugoslavia. Another gift from a friend of his that know I adore this liquid gold. And last, my old standby from Superstore. I have done taste tests with this one before and one or two bottles purchased in Italy. This one was just as good. But, that was then.

Samples poured, not even a tablespoon in each glass. Just enough for a whiff and a taste or two.

Quite a line up. I believed we would not get through it, but thought that a Balsamic tasting in the middle would offer a reprieve for the palate refreshing our desire to continue.  Vanja and I had purchased a bottle from the Consortium in Modena at the house of the producer. There are only 57 producers of this product in the Consortium which is the “real black gold”. There are others that do make the balsamic in exactly the same manner, but they cannot belong to the consortium, and the small skinny bottle is one of those from the same region, though I purchased it at Volpetti’s. The 100 mls we purchased that is the authentic balsamic was 80 Euros. The one from Volpetti’s was 25 Euros, so a significant difference in price; both were expensive. I also had a bottle “made in the old manner” specifically for a store in Boston’s Italian area that I purchased while on a food tour there that I included in this tasting, and my guest brought her consortium bottle of authentic balsamic to join this trio. Balsamic is made from grape must, or grape juice. I happened to have a bottle of grape must that was gifted to me by one of my favourite lovers of food, Tara. That was also placed in the tasting frey.

The authentic consortium balsamic, bottle designed by Ferrari, followed by the Boston purchase, then the grape must and the other balsamic purchased at Volpetti’s.

I was expecting the colours of oil to have much greater variance that they did. Looking very closely with them on a white background, some were slightly greener and some were slightly darker, but they all looked the same at first glance, even at second glance.

Table set. I did add bread boards on the side with crusty pieces of bread for dipping or chewing between tastes which were needed and made the experience even more pleasurable for me.

Fist five up, tasting chart ready. Guests eventually arrive and we dive in.

Appearance: colour and clarity? Aroma? Tastes: fruity or grassy? Other tastes? Mouth feel and texture? Other comments? After leading everyone through the first taste and referring to the two tasting wheels provided under the chart for vocabulary reference, each taste was silent. We would breath it in, take it in, ponder, write and then discuss. Almost always there was a consensus. Each discussion helped me clarify my own perception of each taste through agreement or otherwise. There were a couple that we all gagged over and looked at one another immediately after tasting, and a couple that were complete pleasures. Very few had any aroma at all. That really surprised me. But, my predictions we not really on the money. Over all, four stood out as complex and flavourful olive oils. Two stood out as terrible. The rest were – well – forgettable. Not that similar, but eventually all came together as similar in their unified lack of impression.

1. No one in this group could tell any discernible difference between a black olive or not in this oil: a light green hue. It was very light and subtle. Not at all complex. One note and smooth.

2. A light golden oil, no aroma, grassy with notes of avocado followed by a pleasant bitter finish. It was a heavier oil than the first. It was tasty but no “wow” factor.

3. Greenest hue yet with a very aromatic fruity invitation to the nose. The first taste was grassy followed by a chemical mix and a bit of turpentine in the offering. It was light and smooth in the mouth with a bitter finish and presented quite a bold impression.

4. Greenish hue again with a floral aroma and fruity first taste followed by a nuttiness, a little reminiscent of avocado and a broader range of flavours with a depth not yet experienced. It was smooth on the tongue, yet the most viscous so far.The finish said “YUM” to me and left the impression of a bold, meaty, fruity luxurious pleasure. This was identified later as one of the favourites by most of us.

5. This was a gold colour, no aroma and presented a first taste of old grass to me. There was some disagreement here where a couple felt this was a fresh spring grassy taste. I felt it was a brown mulch that was quite off putting. It was light in texture and all agreed it had a bitter bite in the back of the throat as it finished that was unpleasant. Guillio had told us during our tasting with him in Firenza that this means there are too many impurities in the oil and it wasn’t properly pressed. A great metaphor for it was given by a guest who said it was like comparing a Metaxa to a smooth Brandy. Surprisingly, this is the single varietal from Guillio!

6. Quite green, no nose, slightly fruity, but more of a blandness accompanied the first impression. It was oily. Really, in the end, no one could identify any strong discernible note other than the thick unappealing oily texture (that, interestingly, none of the others had). Surprisingly, this was the only newly pressed and loudly heralded oil from Volpetti’s which I had been completely enjoying on my food. I do have to wonder if we were tasting the dregs from the bottom of the bottle as I recall many pleasurable moments with a bold fruity oil garnishing my food.

7. Again, gold in colour and no nose. This was a light grassy first taste with a fresh Spring appeal that was subtle but very pleasant. We found ourselves going back for a second taste as the flavour was appealing, though very light, it was refreshing. This was identified later as a favourite by a couple of us.

8. Very pale yellow in appearance with a sweet floral note. At this point, any sample that has an aroma at all is very appealing. The first taste was fruity overpowered rapidly by a powerful chemical undertow that washed through with a bitter finish that had us all gagging. Light in texture, this oil was terrible. It was the one from Sardinia!

9. Back to a bit of a greenish hue, this oil presented no nose and on first impression was balanced between fruity and grassy. There were waves of complexity within this spectrum but identifying any was abruptly interrupted by an almost hot burn just before the finish. My first impression was that this was going to be a winner, but I was left with a big dislike for the finish. This is the one from Puglia.

10. The last sample from Italy was a pale yellow with no nose and a nutty first taste. Not fruity, not grassy, but nutty: then swirling through the mix came chemical notes of turpentine and petrol mixed with a meaty and earthy black olive. It had a smooth texture but was a big turn off in flavour for me over all.

11. Back to a greener oil with no aroma and a grassy first taste followed immediately by fruity notes dancing across the tongue: artichoke, avocado, a little peppery finish and a very smooth overall feel. This was a thicker oil, but in a very appealing, luxurious way. This was one several chose as a favorite and it happened to be the one from Greece!

12. This was a darker gold with a bit of green. Not very pretty, really with a grassy nose and the first taste a musty old bitter overtone that immediately moved into a gaggingly off putting taste that was soon recognized as gasoline. In proper English: YUCK! This one was a resounding “NO!” How could this be?  I vividly recall standing on the floor of a charming Quebecois store at the Jean Talon Market in Montreal celebrating the flavours from this very bottle not so very long ago. It must have been longer ago than I recalled.

13. Light in colour, grassy aroma overpowered by the thick tongue coating viscosity of this oil coupled by an old chemical taste similar to the smell of grease at a service station. None of us liked this oil and it is the one from the former Yugoslavia. There are lovely trees there and there must be incredible artisan oils, too. There is certainly no standard for olive oil making which would affect production.

14. A definite green tone, this fruity floral nosed sample held its fruity first note on the tongue with an invitation to enjoy that was immediately quelled by a dull muddled indistinguishable mix of flavours that were somewhat spicy followed by a surprisingly bitter finish. It was a full bodies experience, without clarity and a roughness that lacked finesse in the mouth. Was this really my old Superstore President’s Choice stand by? Tastings do awaken the mind and the palate. There is no doubt about that.

Carmen’s two samples were both good. I didn’t take notes for them. Daniel Costa of corso 32 recommended Carmen and Dong visit Volpaia, eat in their Osteria and take a wine and, or olive oil tour and tasting. It was a great recommendation according to Carmen! The olive oils she brought for us to taste were Volpaia Extra Virgin Organic from Radda Chianti at the Volpaia winery and estate. This one was really fruity and complex. We were all amazed as we tasted it as it was definitely one of the best in our tasting group, though it was not a powerful or bold oil.  It was quiet, fruity and mellow, yet a beautiful tasting experience. The second bottle was from La Castellina in Castellina Chianti and sadly, I didn’t take notes on it. I do recall it was “nice”.

The Balsamics? Between the two from the consortium – both just happened to be done in cherry wood and that was apparent. Ours was a much smoother sample with a more luxurious finish if you are looking for the “aged black gold” experience. I do happen to enjoy a bit of a bite in my balsamic and found Carmen’s to hold a strong appeal for me. She paid 40 Euros for hers and for half the price, it was equal to ours in my opinion. Without them being side by side in a tasting, both hold equal enjoyment for me. Some preferred the one from Volpetti’s made in the same manner. It was also excellent, and without a side by side tasting, provides very similar tasting information. The sample from Boston was also good. Nothing like a common balsamic. But, it did not have the body and depth of the others. The grape must was a lovely companion to this tasting experience and one person preferred it to the Balsamics!

Another epic post. I will cherish this time spent with my friends who are like minded food lovers. I immensely enjoy tastings! Thank you for making this happen and for the full on engagement you each brought to the table!

I will continue to taste my way through the world of olive oils in search of understanding the tastes of the terriors through various olive oil making countries.

I truly enjoy the honor of judging food in these kinds of contests. I learn so much about the food and people’s passions through these tastings.

NAIT is our revered culinary institute in Edmonton and the work being done here by the staff and students is truly second to none. On this very early Saturday morning in February of this year, seven young women and one man met to duke it out over the BC apple! BC Tree Fruits are celebrating 75 years since a group of BC fruit tree farmers came together in 1936 to provide the world’s finest tree fruits. They are also working at drawing public attention to their fairly new technology, CA:  long term controlled atmosphere storage where some kinds of apples are kept for up to eight months. This special type of storage regulates the oxygen content to extremely low levels in conjunction with temperatures just above freezing to prevent the fruit from ripening. That is why they declared February Apple Month. Sobey’s donated all of the apples for this contest to celebrate this anniversary and focus on the development of this new technology.

There is one face missing from these contestants, as she had to rush off to another duty immediately following the competition, but look at these upcoming chefs in their last year of NAIT Culinary School. One would think this photo was taken before the competition as each is so spotless and perky. But, you can see the beautiful apple plates lined in front of them. I was just sad that so few of us were there to celebrate these extraordinary talents and the ingenuity of what each did with the apple.

We were very surprised to find that most contestants did choose to develop a savory plate. Ashley Broad’s duck breast and apple tart was spot on. The duck breast was cooked to perfection, the crust was flaky and tender and the combination of the cooked and raw apple provided both a sweet and tart note to this dish. The bitter leaves of the vivid brussel sprout was the perfect garnish. This was one dish that was most appealing when presented whole.

The apple curry soup in the apple vessel was an appreciated touch of whimsy! Curry can be overpowering, but this soup was seasoned and flavoured perfectly with a small carefully cubed set of crunchy appley bits added for an appealing mouth feel, a surprising crunch and a burst of tart pleasure. The salad was an equal partner to the strength of the soup on this plate. The dressing was sweet and tart. The leaves tender and fresh. The prosciutto added the salt and a crunch that coupled nicely with the nutty pecan. Cheese is a classic pairing with apple. This was no exception. This plate was singing some happy music to me as I lapped up the entire plate. Thank you, Pan Pan!

What a beautiful plate. I enjoy making stuffed meats as it is so much fun to dream up flavour combinations and surprise my guests with a plate like this. Christina Schell made us a meal! The meat was overcooked which was a shame as her concept was excellent: apple stuffed pork. The parsnip side was also infused with apples and the balsamic apple gastrique was a very tasty compliment to this plate and the only memorable taste on this plate.

This was a novel concept. The base of earthy mushrooms represented the earth. The layers between the apple slices built a complexity of flavour within this dish that was exceptional. Without even getting to the stuffing, I was a fan. The chêvre, poached apple, earthy seasoned mushrooms, crispy sliced apple and then the pork stuffing created a crescendo of appeal that was addictive. Gorgeous to look at with a combination of unexpected flavours and textures that worked so well is what made this dish so successful. Kudos to Chloe Lomas!

I was immediately taken by the idea of an apple sausage. When I saw Terry McNeil put this into the pan in the kitchen, I was very impressed. I love making sausage and the idea of adding apple to sausage for this competition was smart. However, there was so little fat added to this sausage, if any, that it was so dry and so overtaken by the sage that it was a complete disappointment. The apple cranberry compote under the sausage added a great colour contrast and was really delicious. Once the fat and flavours are balanced in this sausage, this would be a knock out! The apple slaw was stellar! We were all ooh-ing and ah-ing as we crunched in down. This is one of the best slaws I have ever eaten. It was absolutely unforgettable.

Art on a plate. Ren Ping Pui’s dish does not remotely beckon one to memories of a home kitchen or the idea of comfort food at all. This was an exceptionally appealing plate that had adventure written all over it. I had no preconceived notion  about what anything would taste like and dove into the creamy cheese under the pancetta crisp first. Velvet. Mascarpone was evident. Sitting on a bed of carefully diced apple compote, this creamy cheesecake was yummy. The compote was disappointing. I could not taste the Calvados that was to be prevalent in this dish as the cheese masked that note completely. The pancetta crisp had lost a bit of crunch, but was delicious. Just far too overpowering and salty for the delecate flavours in the cheese and the lost flavours within the compote. A light crumble may have been a better idea for the taste and texture of this plate, but I am not sure that would have worked as the velvet texture of the cheese did not need any interruption. I could tell how impressed the chefs were by the work of this student as they came in with his dish, but it didn’t even make it to the top three. Gorgeous plate. Incredible texture. Very clean and tidy work station. Missed the flavour complexity and combinations completely.

Talk about simplicity at its best. Krystle Duquette candied an apple, placed some well dressed bitter greens beside it with some amazing smoked apple cheddar cheese. And that was it. Woops. Not really. She also ventured into the realm of molecular gastronomy to create little bursts of apple in the glistening beads, or pearls, stuffing into the hollowed core of the fruit. Kudos to her for the attempt. The skin on them wasn’t firm enough to provide that expected burst of flavour, but nonetheless, the dish was one of the top three. The combination of flavours and textures had each of us sit up straight and then start bouncing out of our chairs. YUM! Yum! Yummmy! I understand it is hard to imagine, but we have been tasting several plates up to now, and when there is a winning combination, you know.

Sadly, the apple rugelach photos I took do not do this plate justice. the pastry looks soggy, but was so buttery and flaky and crisp. Talk about flavour! This gal used bacon fat in her pastry dough and was very passionate about the process. I smiled and nodded thinking, “How good can it be?” Sadly, most of you will never know, but it was the best pastry dough I have ever tasted, and I have rendered my own lard and done pastry tastings, so I have considerable experience in this area! Granted, this is really a cookie dough and not a pastry dough, but this “cookie” had a very pastry-like pleasure in the mouth. The tart apple filling was balanced with the sweet glaze and the rich crust. This was a completely unexpected triumph. Who would have thought that the one sweet entry into this competition with a more traditional approach could present such an unexpected taste and texture experience? This was the winning dish: Paulina Klassen’s rugelash!

Sobey’s awarded a $500.00 gift card to the winner which is a huge gift for anyone in a cooking contest, but for a student: gold.

Sharon Yeo of Only Here for the Food, myself, and Liane Faulder from The Edmonton Journal with her own blog Eat My Words were the judges.

There were three instructors overseeing the works of their students and they were really surprised at the outcome of our judging. I do find that usually the panel is like minded, but not always. This time, though our marks varied, we all had the same winners in the first, second, and third places. We would taste and mark silently, then discuss and share marks. Inevitably, we agreed on almost all fronts. The chefs were really surprised by our picks, but they didn’t taste the food, either.

Can you see that thoughtful expression after just tasting her food?

This was one of the platings where the presentation was more beautiful as a whole than as a slice. Isn’t it gorgeous?

The unforgettable slaw.

Loved to see the notes and planning that went into the process! Check out Sharon’s post about this event here.

What a lovely morning spent with some of Edmonton’s future culinary stars! I will be watching their progress! This was one of those rare competitions where almost everyone offered an outstanding plate of food.

It was early August 1981. My youngest daughter was turning one and my eldest had just turned three. Mommy was sitting at the old EPSB personnel office across from where the Brick used to be downtown. Waiting. Waiting. I had excellent interviews in the Spring and was told I was “la crème de la crème” by then Personnel Officer, Milt Halverson. But, it was August, and I still did not have a position, so I packed my daughters into my car, picked up my mom and drove to the office planning to stay however long it took until I was employed. This was a year when new teachers were not being hired, but, somehow, it worked.

I left that day with two half time positions and a FTE offer to work for Edmonton Public Schools. I cried. I was gainfully employed. I wanted to be a teacher since my first day in grade one, and now I was one.

That first year was not easy. But, it was a gift. A good friend took care of my babies and I could be happy that they were loved and rejoice during the drive home every night where we would sing all the way home. The two schools were like night and day, and built a firm foundation for my future as a teacher of precious children. That year I saw despair in the eye of a five year old. I saw hopelessness in the eyes of some parents. It was a whole new world opening up to me and I was just beginning to understand the magnitude of my work. I was definitely committed. I had found my calling.

The following two years I worked teaching grades one and two in a school newly annexed to the city. I felt as if I had gone back 50 years in time walking through that school, compared to the ones I had just come from. But, I was eager to do the work. Excited about the opportunity. My mother brought my babies out for party days and my students loved to see them. This was a tight-knit community and the parents were very supportive. My classes were small and we grew very close together those two years. I cried when I decided to leave, but it was time.

And, one of my students followed me to La Perle, a new school in the city at that time. I was there for five years. I haven’t been to a school since for five years, until now. I believed in moving and learning. La Perle was a fertile place for young educators. Led by our mighty visionary, Bob Fletcher, we flourished as a school and as individuals. My girls were old enough to come to this school. Ragan was in kindergarten my first year there and Lauren soon followed. What a beautiful life for a single mommy. I loved my work. I loved my girls and they loved school, too! My work was my life. We moved next door to the school, and for those 5 years, enjoyed professional and familial bliss. The principal changed after three years (Pat Legg), and then again after one year (Becky Shandling). So, I didn’t have to move to learn. With new leadership, came new learning: and all three of these leaders where extraordinary! And the staff. What can I say? I still love each of them. I still follow some of my students from these days and they, me. They are grown and married with children – or most are. This was a profound, life altering experience.

As the children grew, so did my yearning for a “higher education”. I moved to our neighbourhood junior high, and Ragan followed during my second year. I loved the students at this age. Lauren was in grade 5, alone for the first time at the elementary school. We loved junior high! It is here that I met Leslie Chevalier, a life long friend. But, I also loved change and learning. A new school with a new concept was opening, and I could not resist. The children were eager to move with me, so off we went, Lauren’s grade 7 year, and Ragan’s grade 9 year, to open Mary Butterworth School. What an experience.

I was at MBS with Jackie Hobal and teams of dynamic teachers that were absolutely second to none. I was there for three years. Ragan and Lauren stayed only for the first year. Jackie was there only for the first two, but her influence lives within forever. Lauren wanted to go back to her friends in the neighbourhood and Ragan was off to High School. This experience was life altering for me. We became intimately close as a staff. We remain life long friends with Colleen Oswald and family. And, there are so many others that will always have a place in my heart. I am still in close contact with many of these students and am so proud of their accomplishments. Facebook rocks! I belonged to the Church of Mary Butterworth, but there wasn’t anyplace in Edmonton Public any longer, for me to practice my new found religion.

After a couple of years at Crestwood, there was an opening of the Argyll Centre High School English program where I remained for three years. Just enough time to set it up and ensure it worked well. This was a very much “out of the box” teaching experience, and I thrived, but missed the daily contact with students. Back to junior high and Hardisty where I again developed life long relationships with many of my incredible students. The administration changed here, too, but was not what made the difference for me at this point in my career. It was the students. I was there for 4 years… or was it 5? Bullying was now rampant in schools and this was the first school I had experienced it in. This was a completely different kind of work, and one of critical importance that took those up the ladder a little longer to catch on to. But, not too long. Edmonton Public has my vote of confidence. I was so proud to be a teacher aligned with the core principals of the institution I worked within.

Kate Chegwin School was to be my last. I began with Darrel Robertson as principal. He had been a student teacher at Mary Butterworth and grown into a valiant focused and determined leader who earned the Gold Medal of Canada for his Master studies while with us. This was a work environment thriving with positive energy and incredible professionals working toward bringing out the best in every child every day, again. It is a bit of a reoccurring theme throughout my career. I have been very blessed to work with powerful leaders and inspired educators. Darrel left after three years, and I got very ill. I was probably ill before that, but I just kept pushing myself as we all do. It is difficult to be sick with a new administrator. I held on very well the first year, but the next three were the most sporadic in my teaching career. I was diagnosed with severe asthma and it became impossible for me to continue to teach. My body gave out before I did. It was a very sad and quiet leaving. I didn’t know. I left one day to take a couple of weeks to recover, not knowing I would never be back.

I am still so sad about that. There was no cleaning out of my desk. Not by me. I had never wanted a party. But, I did want closure, and I still do. Once I collect my brown box full of my precious keepsakes. Once I see my colleagues who have been so supportive. Once September rolls around and I don’t go back for the very first time. … then, I will say good bye. And wave. And smile.

Today, I am still in mourning. Sad that I have given my life for 30 years to so many and that powerful part of my life is over. Over. It was sweet. So sweet and so wonderful, full, lively and lovely. I have been blessed more than I had ever imagined possible with the gifts of friendship and knowledge acquired throughout my life’s work.

And I got a silver pin.

As a child, fried chicken at home was a regular occurrence. Mom would make it often because her mother raised chickens on the farm so we had gorgeous home grown ones in the deep freeze, and everyone loved it! In the summertime, if there was a nice weekend, there was a picnic. If there was a picnic, there was fried chicken. And, potato salad. They were standard summer fare. Everywhere. Not just in my family. And these are the two most personal dishes a mother can make. No one’s was every better than my own mother’s… and everyone thought the same. Kind of. My mother did have a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a very good cook and everyone else really knew they could not hold a candle to her chicken. If we were divying out the picnic fare, she was the person bringing the chicken.

As I grew older, TV commercials for Crisco reared their head, and I was dumbfounded. These raved about Crisco making the best fried chicken with the crispiest skin. I had never eaten fried chicken with crispy skin and I certainly had eaten the best fried chicken. Soon after, Kentucky Fried Chicken opened up a shop in Red Deer. Oh, my! Now, that was crispy skin. Talk about fried fat! But, come on… everyone loved it! What a sensation it caused in our little central Alberta prairie town. Deep fried chicken! Crispy chicken. Secret seasonings. It was certainly expensive and the chicken had no flavour. My grandmother would say, “Pssshaw! What kind of chicken meat is this? This is mostly fat and skin with hardly any chicken at all. I can’t even taste it!” But, no one really cared. It was all about the skin.

My mother still makes incredible fried chicken. She washes and butchers it herself, coats it with seasoned flour and fries it in butter. Once the skin is caramelized and crispy, she layers the pieces in a Dutch oven and puts it in the oven to finish cooking. This is not crispy chicken, but it is the way everyone used to cook it when I was growing up. Talk about finger lickin’ good! YUM!

Let’s move to the current century and update ourselves with a great chef, Allan Suddaby, who knows how to deep fry a great chicken without it being saturated in fat. The chicken is the star, though the crispy skin is certainly a big part of the appeal of this homey comfort food.

HIs first words, “Start with a really good chicken.”

This one is from Nature’s Green Acres. They grow really tasty grass fed chickens and sell them at the downtown city market. You have to stock up as they sell out fast. Their chickens are the old fashioned smaller size which I like for regular use. Sunworks Organics Farms also grow very tasty chickens and sell at their own new shop on Whyte avenue and at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market. I bought 30 last year for my freezer. Their chickens are much bigger, so when I want specific pieces for specific dishes or recipes, I usually buy from them as their pieces a huge.

Before the butchering lesson, we got a lesson on how to tie up a chicken for roasting. See how Allan has folded the wings back under the bird, then wrapped the twine around the “pope’s nose” and the legs pulling back to the other end of the bird to secure the twine under the wings?

Now for the butchering lesson. I learned how to do this by watching Julia Child’s on TV. I kind you not. It was a rerun as I am not quite that old, but I watched intently and then just did it and have been doing it with great success ever since, until I got Allan’s lesson on this day! It is so important to learn skills you will be using your entire life in the kitchen from someone who really will teach you how to do them properly. This was an incredible class for me and I thought I wouldn’t be learning anything new!

I have always started with the legs. Not the thighs, the legs. I get 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 breast pieces and 2 back pieces the way I have been doing it all of my life. I usually keep the back pieces for stock, but mom used to always fry them. Allan started with the thigh which is, of course, a part of the leg. With a very sharp knife, slice through the skin following the change of colour around the top of the thigh. Fold the thigh and leg backward until the you can see the joint in the bones, and it pops to make it easy for you to slice through. However, before you do that, take your thumb (as Allan is doing in the photo below, right) ad feel under the flesh and bone into the “oyster” and loosen it from the bone to include it in the cut so you don’t lose it to the soup, later, as it is such an incredible morsel of tasty chicken flesh. Now, cut through the bone to have your leg and thigh free from the body of the bird. Repeat.

I was aware of the “oyster” and had even heard it referred to as that, but had never learned how to loosen it from the bone to rescue it from the stock pot and save it as part of the leg for the frying pan. Ah-ha!

Now for the wings. Allan took off the tips. They are great for the stock and pretty useless anywhere else. True. He demonstrated how to cut a breast Suprème which is when the drumstick part of the leg is left attached to one half of the breast completely removed from the breast bone. Each of us did one of these and then we took of the other leg in the traditional fashion. The second half of the breast was removed in the same manner from the beast bone, but with out the drumette attached.

The legs have been removed. The breast is remove: one breast without the bone, and one with the bone. Now for the back. Just hold the carcus in your hands and bend completely backward and the bones will release and you will be able to slice through the skin and flesh. Next time, I will use a video camera. However, one learns best by doing and if you really want to learn how to do this, come to one of our classes here. This one wasn’t sold out which really surprised me. Usually, the classes sell out immediately. However, this one did not attract much attention, though was definitely an incredible experience for those new to butchering chickens and to seasoned old hens like me.

Apparently, there are standard ways to cut a chicken for 8, 9 and 10 pieces of meat. New to me. You will see Allan halving the Suprème to make 2 more reasonably sized pieces.

Wouldn’t another class on how to de-bone a chicken completely be fun? Allan demonstrated how to debone a thigh, below. I now have a whole new appreciation for the high cost of boneless meat. However, meat prepared with bone in is much more flavourful, so there is no reason to spend that kind of money, anyway.

The pieces of chicken were seasoned and stored from frying at home after twelve to 24 hours with a good flavourful rub on.

Now for the stock. The carcus pieces went into a very hot oven to brown while we diced the carrots, onions and celery.

Meanwhile, just like on TV, Allan had a beautiful plain stock for all of us to sample. No salt. But, flavour? Oh, my! After we got our bones in the oven caramelizing and our vegetables in the oven roasting, we also sampled soup made with Allan’s stock. It was exceedingly flavourful, yet very different – worlds different than the old farm prairie chicken stock and soup my mother and grandmother had taught me how to make. The roasting of the vegetables and bones made all the difference. I am partial to my own, as that is the taste I have been brought up with, but enamoured by the novel flavour here.. I can definitely see myself making this soup again. Particularly if the chicken isn’t a really good one as the caramelization adds such depth of flavour.

Time to get the oil to the magic 350°F temperature. Allan had seasoned his chicken the day before and the assembly line is in place: well seasoned chicken, buttermilk and seasoned flour. Once the temperature is at 350°F, dredge each piece accordingly and place 4 to 5 in the pot depending upon the size of the pot. No overcrowding! The temperature will drop immediately. Watch for it to regain its accurate frying temperature and be sure it doesn’t go over it.

The stock was ready in the pot when the first pieces of chicken had reached their crispy perfection. What a vision! What a gorgeous site. This is not the prairie fried chicken I was brought up on. This is Southern Fried Chicken. There is no doubt about it. But, when a place in time creates a beautiful thing with their food, who doesn’t want to learn how to do it on their own? What a sense of accomplishment!

The meat was flavourful and moist and the skin was so tasty and crispy, yet not fatty and greasy. Keeping the temperature at 350°F is key.

Happy! Happy! Who can resist fried chicken?

Delicious hot and cold. How often to I make it now? Mom’s way? Three to four times a year. This way? I would do maybe once or twice a year.

I think I need to change that right now. With this beautiful meal we also got a gorgeous soup and it really isn’t hard or very messy.

Once you know how!

Happy Special Birthday, Su! Your sister is certainly a doll to gift you with this class as a present! Hopefully, when she visits next, you will fry her up a huge basket of chicken!

Every holiday, I am drawn to my kitchen and the urge to fill it with children creating culinary delights and forging memories while playing with their food. I do not yet have grandchildren (girls!!), but am fortunate to have friends with lovely lively little people I can love a little throughout the year. I never tire of these Easter Basket cupcakes. Granted, thirty years ago they made a much bigger impression on the younger population when arriving in the classroom on huge trays decked out in all their Easter splendor. In those days, one could find the little chenille chicks in yellow, pink and blue with long tail feathers glued to a strip of white cardboard everywhere at this time of the year. No more. I adore them and they are now almost impossible to source.

When I was in kindergarten, my teacher, Mrs. Mulder, a single woman from Holland, took our entire class on a little fieldtrip down the street from her home, and there she had 12 of the most adorable baby chicks we had ever seen. Maybe she didn’t take us all, as I recall there only being a couple of us there. Probably her favourites. The chicks were all fuzzy and pink and blue. I got to hold one and felt as if I had just experienced a miracle with that little life in my baby hands. We would often see little pink and blue chicks in store windows under hatchery lights at this time of year as a child, but to hold one was unheard of.

As I told Karlynn this story, adding that there was a dye that was injected into the egg yolk just after the egg was fertilized, we both realized that this would never be allowed to happen to a living thing in this age. But, the memory is vivid. It is why there were pink and blue chenille chicks everywhere and the idea of plopping one on the top of a little cupcake as if it was just emerging from a jellybean egg is just too nostalgic to not replicate year after year after year.

When I do them by myself, I have 4 colours of pipe cleaners, the same 4 colours of icing and make the same 4 colours of coconut. I do this because I like coordination and order and the consistency of some kind of system to the colours in the mix. I love the monochromatic and the varieties made from the 4 choices. When I do them with children, none of that matters. The colours are wild. The choices are endless and the creativity, open. But, you will see as you study these images that there is still deep thought and magic in this work.

Memories made with the little cake baskets to be gifted to family and friends. The mess in Mrs. Magpie’s kitchen was considerable. She was an incredible sport!

Look! An Easter basket cupcake tree!

Of course, the eating is an essential part of the fun!

Thank you to Karlynn for taking the photos of moi.

Happy Spring everyone! Bring it on! It has been a long, grey set of days and the colour illuminated by the sun is sorely needed to cheer up my hibernating spirit!

Chef Blair Lebsack started his Range Rd Farm dinners last summer which was and unforgettable day in the country for Vanja and myself. Epic.  We weren’t about to miss his first “pop up” in the city at a Clothing Store just off Whyte Avenue, particularly as Spring was barely rearing her head, I was curious to see what our local food hero would create as he is so committed to local seasonal food. What a thoughtful festival of earthy flavours Blair prepared paired with Caitlin’s carefully selected local pairings.

First to arrive, I was immediately greeted by Blair with a board laden with meaty morsels. There is something about that grainy Alberta mustard and an old fashioned farmhouse terrine. Love the new tag line: untamed cuisine!

Of course, I tasted one of each. A terrine is always appreciated by me and this one was bursting with subtlety. The unctuous rabbit rillettes was a surprisingly light bite and the spiced apple garnish on the pulled pork strudel beckoned me back to the board more than I hoped any one noticed.

What I really appreciate and enjoy about Blair’s food is his commitment to freshness and simplicity. The beautiful Gull Valley tomatoes provided a gorgeous display and were later used in the bison dish. The lovely tender shoots brightened the polenta dish and that kind of attention to detail and appreciation for living food and real food I truly appreciate.

Caitlyn was the quintessential host as she made sure each new arrival had a beer and was fully introduced to the first bites of the evening. As a non drinker (oh, I know, I know) I was served a lovely light Sparkling Apple juice from Steve and Dan’s at both city markets. I am heading over to buy a case after tasting it this evening. Absolutely lovely.

And Blair greeted at the door with his food and warm welcome throughout the beginning of the evening, as well. I have come to really appreciate these kinds of communal dinners as I meet such interesting people over a carefully prepared meal. The conversation is lively, and as edifying as the food.

Danny and Shannon of Nature’s Green Acres were here and announced the date of the Second Range Road 135 Dinner this year at the end of the evening. Too bad you weren’t there to hear the announcement! They will be hosting 50 people this year instead of 30 and the price of the dinner will be 125 instead of 100. Let me tell you, this will be the best money you have spent on any meal you will have this summer in Edmonton. I won’t tell you more, however. You will have to ask me in a comment at the end of the post. (sideways grin and wicked wink)

I was so happy that Ming and Richard were able to come, particularly as Vanja got ill at the last minute and I was on my own.

The beet salad was my favourite of the evening. I cannot digest meat very well, though I do love it; therefore, I tend to eat a lot of vegetables. I adore beets and this hand pulled cotton candy, though only a small garnish, made a lasting impression. It was the healthiest tasting  cotton candy I have eaten. I think Blair said he used millet flour in it. The fennel millet crunch was a little jewel of pleasure on the plate, but the beets with the arugula was simply delicious. Every single bite. The Ex Nihilo Pinot Gris was apparently a heavenly pairing with this dish. Everyone around me was raving about it.

Love Blair’s sense of humor with this dish. The tomato gelée was scooped out and on the plate as he said to demonstrate the use of the entire tomato. “Many times you see tomatoes served with this scooped out and we wanted to show you that we are not only believers in head to tail meat, but also of head to tail vegetable use!” I learned from a Heston Blumenthal video that most of the umami flavour from a tomato is in the gelée, so I always use them and find as I oven roast them and the liquid evaporates that the flavour left from the tomato “innards” is unbelievably delectable. The harissa was too hot for my palate, but the flavour was contagious and the hazelnuts perfect with it. I just kept burning my tongue, though the pillowy softness of the polenta was soothing and buttery.

As this meal was on March 31, during Earth Hour, Blair announced that lights would be out and only candlelight would be used during this hour of the evening. Sadly, I didn’t even know about Earth hour, but I do know, and was so please to honor it in this public venue.

An intimate ambiance was created immediately. Not great for food photography, but really great for enjoying an evening meal with old and new friends.

The braised bison brisket was the hero dish of the evening for all of the carnivores. I have never tasted bison with such a depth of flavour, so fatty and juicy. It was so similar to short ribs that I was simply blown away that this kind of buttery texture and flavour could be developed with such lean meat. The coffee chrystals on top added such a bright compliment to the meat and lusciousness of the cheese. The gnocchi were marshmallowy light and incredibly rich with the Sylvan Star Gruyere. The rubies of tomato flesh popped with flavour and added a welcome contrast to the texture of the bite in my mouth.

Hand whipped meringue. The. Best. Meringue. Ever. My eyeballs almost did not return to the front of my head. Oh, my! The chocolate was deep and creamy and gorgeous with the coconut macaroon crust on the bottom and graham cake biscuit on top. The hazelnut chocolate ice cream was the perfect pairing for me. Who cares about the wine!

We have tickets for the next Range Road 135 dinner. Read about the last one here. Do you have tickets? I won’t miss a Range Road meal. It is more than a meal for me. It is an experience.

When Karlynn asked me to be a judge for her latest initiative: The Culinary Arts Cookoff, I was honoured and delighted. Cooking with kids is my raison d’être – well, one of them! After retiring from Edmonton Public Schools after thirty years of immersing myself in the lives and learning of our youth, I am committed to seeing that our youth learn to cook and eat good wholesome real food. And that is after dedicating my life to teaching reading, writing and English Literature. Talk about getting back to basics!

Karlynn partnered with one of our well loved, local community minded chefs, Chef Shane Chartrand now at Murriata’s, to carry out her all encompassing plans. Together, they hit the pavement and went knocking door to door within the Edmonton Restaurant community to garner enthusiasm for this friendly little competition: The Culinary Arts Mac ‘n Cheese Smackdown! Almost every door they opened stepped up to the plate and welcomed the opportunity to raise to this challenge in support of Mount Royal’s local community school.

And that isn’t all. The entire community also became involved. A kaleidoscope of vibrant colours embraced me as I entered the school on Saturday. Students had made macaroni art, sculptures, paintings and magnets to sell to the public. Teachers had hand painted pasta bowls; parents had knitted funky caps and Karlynn had acquired a host of small and large useful and artful items to be sold in the live auction, or the silent auction, or through the raffle. I had to buy an adorable little magnet immediately.

Studying the art, I gushed to a parent nearby, “Look at this vivid piece! It is so powerful and confident!” Her face lit up and she pulled over her son, “That’s my son’s piece!” Oh, my! What a lovely moment that was. And I got the artist’s photo, too!

Mrs. Magpie had a incredible support system. The entire school was teeming with volunteer parents; everyone so warm and welcoming. Mr. Magpie was also working intently behind the scenes putting up signage, below.

These knit caps were adorable! I had my eye on the large pasta bowl, below, to the right. They all went for over a hundred dollars. The bowls were each hand painted by the teachers and this is a school whose parents are 100% behind what they do! One went for $350.00. Clearly, I did not come home with my bowl.

Teresa Spinelli is definitely a Local Edmonton Hero. She is one of the most community minded and supportive individuals I have ever met. For this event, her Italian Centre Shops donated four massive trays of yummy cookies to sell. I confess, I did bring some of these home and am now pulling my jean up over them.

I caught Mrs. Magpie herself, below, left, looking ravishing, considering she had already been up with the other magpies, at dawn, to be on morning television before this event.

As people entered, they purchased small bowls for one dollar each: a dollar a bowl, and you got each filled with the macaroni sample of your choice. Most people bought 9 bowls and tasted all nine samples! There were raffle tickets for the last judging spot, too! Many were there early for that one!

Chef Lindsay Porter and her team from 4th and Vine sure know how to have some fun: some piggy porky fun as their mac ‘n cheese has lots of yummy puuuullled pork added to it!

Chef David Heard and his wife from Unheardof had the luck o’ the Irish with ‘em this day, and last, Liv Vors from Battista’s Calzone.

The four Mac ‘n Cheese Student judges are below with Assistant Principal, Kerri-Lynn Cayen, tucked in under her fine green hair. Throngs of people from the school community and Edmonton’s food community came out for this event.

Elaine Wilson from Allium Foodworks, below, won the raffle to be the fourth judge! I spied Joveena, then the infamous @Baconhound and @Joyfulfollies and David Dudley also attended. And Steve and Twyla! There were more. Many more. I have participated in fund raising events at schools my entire life, and this was an incredible success. I could feel it before the money was in the bank.

Whooshed into the judging room, all was calm, quiet, and cool. Quite a welcome reprieve, really, from the cheesy frenzy just outside the door. Chef Stanley Townsend, Program Chair, Culinary Arts at NAIT,  is another Local Food Hero, in my books. Did you read what he wrote about his last supper here? You must. He, myself and Liane Faulder were judging alongside the newly appointed Elaine Wilson.

Macaroni and Cheese Plate #1 was delicious in its pork and bacon fattiness. Ah, but we had a rubric to use, as you see above. And all restaurants were aware of the criteria ahead of time. Unfortunately, this very comforting quintessential dish of mac and cheese could not get points for plating. However, even though it was our first tasting of the day, it was noted as really yummy: great flavour, texture, cheesy without being heavy or gluey and lovely and moist. I ate my whole cup. (The Marc)

Talk about out of the box thinking! Chocolate pasta, mascarpone, yogurt and cream filling with Crème Anglaise and Crème Frâiche garnished with sour Evan Cherries: wholly classic pairing creamy glory and goodness. Great little dessert. Didn’t come close to the classic mac ‘n cheese comfort of expectation that #1 did, but that requirement wasn’t on the rubric so we didn’t worry about it. This was mighty tasty.(Zinc)

Dish #3 wasn’t pretty. It scored the same as dish #1 in the plating department. The squiggly wiggly shape used would be fun for the student judges. Smart move. This had boar bacon which was a novel idea. The chunks were hard and didn’t contrast well in the mouth with the soft cheesy macaroni. I do like raw onion with mac ‘n cheese. Some judges didn’t. This was one very hot onion which was unfortunate as it really didn’t compliment the dish, and the thickness of the chunks made the addition of it just unappealing. A very thinly minced, sweeter onion could have added a sparkle to the dish as the boar bacon may have if also sliced thinner and fried only until soft. (Chef Andrew Parker)

This was a fine looking plate of mac ‘n cheese. See how easily we are impressed? A tidy little bundle in the middle of the plate with a garnish is enough. In this case, the pasta was very creamy and cheesy which was a welcome change, but the chopped ham and okra didn’t really add any appeal or any significant compliment to the structure of the dish. The sauce was creamy, but not very cheesy and there was a lack of depth of flavour in the sauce. The okra was nicely cooked, but why was it there? There was a nice smoke flavour which did add appeal, but no specific spice or herb to tie this to the South or make it a Southern take on mac ‘n cheese that we could determine. (e4c)

Ah! A vegetarian mac ‘n cheese! This was the first of its kind in the competition. Also, the first to be topped with cheddar and to have mushrooms in it. Creamy. Artificial – ness. Hmmm… The creamy texture held a luxurious mouth feel similar to the last sample, but there was an off putting artificial something. Were the mushrooms canned? Had they been canned? The sauce did seem to be homemade. If the mushrooms had been fresh, pan seared in a hot pan with butter and added to this dish (Elaine’s suggestions) – then it would sing! (Shaw)

Platting does matter. Even with a mac ‘n cheese smackdown. Look at the lush and lively dish below. A touch of green for St. Paddy’s day – and that touch of jalapeno pepper jelly added so much to this dish. That little perk really picked it all up! The pasta was perfectly cooked and creamy. We did all mention that it was difficult to determine what cheeses were used as none of us could taste any cheese flavour. The pulled pork had Chef Stanley diving into the platter for seconds. Some found it too sweet when added to the pasta. I loved a touch of it with a touch of the jelly and a bite of the pasta. A novel change that is welcome come dish #6. (4th and Vine)

Such a simple plating idea: a bowl with a Parmesan cracker in it. Gorgeous in its simplicity. And, we confess. We didn’t miss the lobster chunks or the umami laden scent of the white truffle oil lingering in the air as the bowl was placed before us. The sauce was creamy and velvety with a rich complex cheesiness; the pasta was a bit el dente. The lobster was generous and luscious and sweet which paired well with the aromatic chives and the bold flavour of the Parmesan crisp. We just looked at each other and the silence was rippled with rounds of lip licking. Some had seconds. (Hardware Grill)

Plate number 8 was a little retro number to me. The parsley leaf and tomato wedge on the side were reminiscent of the 60′s and yes, I am old enough to remember the 60′s. Barely. Neither was necessary as the garlic laden bruschetta was a delightful compliment to the cheesy pasta. There was a balsamic reduction under the mac ‘n cheese as well that was a novel addition. Judges noted that this pasta was much too soft – over done. It was really a strong dish when mixed with the bruschetta. (theunheardof)

All of us sat up straighter when this board appeared with four mac ‘n cheese calzones on it. All were enamoured by the creativity and couldn’t wait for a taste. I have been to Battista’s and the calzones their are worth the trip. Deadly delicious. However, this one was – sadly, flat. An acute disappointment. It looked gorgeous. The idea was brilliant. The flavour: not there. Not even any seasoning on the inside. We had quite a discussion about this one as we all saw potential in the concept and were so disappointed with the result. Always rooting for each participant to succeed, ideas of a brightly seasoned tomato sauce accompanying the macaroni, not cooked too much as it would also be baked – with a much bolder cheese added to the pasta might work. Kudos to the chef for the concept. (Battista’s)

And the winner was: Hardward Grill. No doubt about it. Without the rubric, we all agreed that The Marc had the best all round mac ‘n cheese and that Zinc and Battista’s really thought out of the box and that we would forget neither for a very long time. But, the Hardware Grill went that extra mile and added that little extra “somethin’ somethin’” that made all the difference.

Liane Faulder announced Larry Stewart’s win and presented him with an outstanding macaroni art piece done by the students of this school. Brian Mason, the MLA for Highlands and the leader of Alberta’s NDP official opposition, then introduced The People’s Choice: The Marc!

The student pick, a third gorgeous work of macaroni art, went to 4th and Vine.

John Berry started the live auction almost immediately. People were hopping. Paper plates with big numbers on them were waving frantically throughout the room.

Sweet Chef Townsend just knew that Karlynn needed a little holding up by this time of the day!

And I found myself in the Silent Auction room. More to look at!

Ah! I had spied one of Chef Stanley’s aboriginal wooden Spirit carvings in his office one day and have hoped for one ever since. I suggested Karlynn hit him up for one for the auction. He supplied three… and I came home with my favourite. His name is Hank. They all have a name and the Art Card Reads: Wild Bill’s Woodcarving, Stanley W. B. Townsend, “a whittle bit cwazy”. Don’t you love it?

Now hanging at my front door to welcome visitors and ward off evil Spirits.

The school raised over 14 000 dollars on this day and tightened the circle of warmth within our city just that much more through the time and service of all who participated to make this happen. Well done!

Tickets are to be on Sale at 8 am this morning, but there have been some technical issues, so head on over to Eat Alberta to see if they have been solved! Register as soon as you can as there are currently over 250 people signed into the sight that got early registration notification and if you are reading this, you are next in line. Last year, this event sold out in three days, and you do not want to miss it.

This is a full day with hands on cooking experiences that are incredible. You will choose 4 sessions from 20 different sessions this year! Head on over to check it out! Look forward to meeting you there.

Edmonton’s Downtown Business association has decided to focus on Downtown Dining Week as its premier event and after sampling some of the wares that will be offered by the participating restaurants, I can, without hesitation, urge you to make a concerted effort to participate in this incredible opportunity.

The media launch at our AGA was first class! For some reason, immediately upon arriving, Vanja and I happened upon Nathin Bye’s simply irresistible cheery smile. Or….

…was it his simply irresistible ribs from Irving’s Farm Fresh. His smoky brown beans and the tender falling off the bone ribs were luscious and addictive. unforgettable, actually. The shrimp dish from Wildflower Grill’s sister restaurant, Lazia was equally as unforgettable, but for very different reasons. This was the closest I have ever some to imagining how garden slugs must feel in the mouth. Coupled with the deeply complex delicious intoxicating umami Asian flavours, the mouth feel of this house made rice noodle was… addictive. The slippery fat ooey gooey chewiness was such fun to eat!

The allure of any good food is the company. I was delighted to see my favourite Kitchen Magpie and her husband!

As was Kevin Kossowan and then some of my favourite Chefs were in the house! Chef Andrew Cowan and Chef Paul Shufelt presented two amazing dishes from their downtown restaurants, Hundred Bar Kitchen and Lux Steakhouse and Bar. The fish tacos were a welcome foil to the first dishes sampled: fresh, fragrant, light and lively! YUM. Lux’s Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese was inhaled. Have you ever had it? If not, you must. This is the most delicious macaroni and cheese I have eaten (sorry, mom)! There is some magic in that dish that I have to figure out.

Chef David Omar with Zinc made his very first pyrogy in honor of this event. I have never had a light pyrogy, but his was just lovely and the chêvre filling paired with the salmon tar tar was unexpected and somehow an Albertan play on the traditional Russian blini with caviar.

The Westin’s dish was simple. Tasty. Simple. It is refreshing to have a very simple plate to rest upon the palate amid such a tasting, yet it certainly didn’t inspire a visit there. The Watermelon Soup from The Creperie was really tasty. I am a soup aficionado, so went a little ga-ga over this soup. The watermelon really was not clearly identifiable, but offered a puzzlingly delicious je ne sais quoi that was truly compelling. It could have done with out the fishy garnish in the middle.

Now, let me mention Cocoa’s Restaurant at Edmonton’s Downtown Delta Centre Suite Hotel. They offered pulled pork with slaw on a bun. The buns did not look housemade, but who can resist pulled pork? I asked for a little on a plate with a bit of slaw for the full taste experience. Wowsers! This moist unctuous  pulled pork with the crispy creamy slaw was way past a home run! Talk about a power play. YUMMERS! The problem, for me, was that the pork came from a major meat packing plant in Red Deer. No thought put into where the food comes from that is put on the plate at this locale.

I enjoyed seeing Chef Hans Kuhnel testing Chef Omar’s concoction. That is part of the pleasure of these kind of events. The community comes together. There is collaboration and an intimate small town vibe that evolves when events like this rear their heads and lure us to participate in the opportunity to make our city the kind of place we love living in. I am totally in. Three lunch dates and two dinner dates booked at downtown participating restaurants this coming week.

But – ah, the but… it is my personal goal to work one baby step after another at getting some of these eateries to look closely at where they are getting their food and elevating the importance of purchasing local ingredients from our community farmers and producers.

Viva La Downtown Dining Week 2012! Here we come!