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The Canadian Food Experience Project: Kevin Kossowan

August 7, 2013 by Valerie Lugonja 21 Comments

A Canadian Prairies Food Hero

Kevin and Pam

I have known Kevin Kossowan since 2009. Kevin walks his talk. When we met, he was a financial advisor working with his father in the family business.  I vividly recall him saying, “Everybody asks me what I do.” That is because he accomplished so much that no one could understand how it was possible with a full time job. “It is a lifestyle choice.” He explained as he and wife, Pam, job shared at that time.

That enabled him time, as the quintessential and “self proclaimed cheap ass”, to hunt, garden and gather food for his family year round which was enabling them to live at a very high standard on very little money. He had a wine blog at the time and wrote about tastings which was a complete bore to me. The summer of 2009 I came home from Europe to find a series of blog posts about his urban garden that were riveting. I wrote and asked him if I could come and see what he had done. He wrote and asked us for dinner. The friendship was born.

Kevin grew into an avid urban homesteader and almost immediately started his “From Local Farms” project where he visited Edmonton area farms and videotaped his interviews and discoveries. It changed everything. This was a self-initiated project that Kevin took on out of personal curiosity. He started with a small pocket video camera, drove all over Alberta for three years, interviewed various farmers about their beliefs and practices, then showcased their stories on his website. This was groundbreaking stuff. As farmers followed and watched his work, the feedback was unexpected: “I never have time to visit my neighbor or see what they are doing. I am learning so much from this project.” And so was the general public. After this, Kevin TV was born. The information about Edmonton and Alberta food culture that has evolved through Kevin TV is staggering.

One example of his generosity and integrity is the work Kevin did for Smoky Valley Goat Cheese a couple of years ago. We have very few artisan cheese makers in Alberta, and Holy Gale was an exceptional fresh goat cheese maker. However, the business aspect of cheese making did not come as easily and she shared that she was going to have to close her business as she just was not making ends meet. Kevin designed her website, assisted her marketing practices, did tasting studies to determine her best focus as he worked with her to develop a business plan. In exchange, she taught him how to make and age cheese. His involvement raised her profile and made a significant difference in her company.

He has shared his hunting, fishing, foraging, wine making, cooking, charcuterie making and butchery knowledge in practical, detailed and economical ways. Kevin is one smart cookie. A Financial Advisor who has recently made a career shift through his artistic eye, acquisition of multi-media production skills and personal initiatives to contract work for various businesses and organizations in the food industry through his new business “Story Chaser”. He is also a partner in his personal initiative, “Shovel and Fork”, created at the same time to provide the public with hands on learning opportunities.  As well, he is a partner in Lactuca, an urban farming operation that uses organic growing methods to produce a broad array of hard-to-come-by green varietals, many grown in his own yard.

For the most part, he is a story teller and videographer. He is a forager, and educator, and an exceptional home trained French bistro type chef. A meal at his place is the best food you will eat in this city. Hands down.

In October of 2012, Kevin was named Edmonton’s Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 as a Self Made Food Expert as his work and contribution to the local community became known.

In May of 2013, Slow Food Canada named Kevin Kossowan the Regional Food Hero for the prairie provinces at the Slow Food National Conference in Osooyos due to the work described above and as his work and contribution to Slow Food Canada became known. A video accompanied this award,  which follows, and was produced by Kevin himself.

In July of 2013, Kevin was named a Director of Edmonton’s Food Council where he will be in the position to not only set an example for others, as he has done so well, but to really make a difference regarding maintaining a local urban food supply for our city.

Kevin is only 35 years old. This is just the beginning. This past year he has worked with Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance and the Alberta Department of Agriculture on several food related story telling projects. He has ventured through British Columbia and started telling regional Canadian food stories there.

Kevin’s knowledge, skills, passion, perseverence and his keen generousity of spirit have each contributed to enriching Edmonton’s local food community. That is why he is my Canadian Food Experience Regional Food Hero for August 7, 2013. The Canadian Food Experience Project began June 7 2013. Participants from coast to coast share our collective stories through our regional food experiences and we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity. A round up of all stories each month will be published on my site the 15th of each month.

And, happy birthday to me!

Thank you to Avenue Magazine for the photo of Kevin and Pam.

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Filed Under: Canadian Food Heroes, The Canadian Food Experience Project Challenges Tagged With: Edmonton, Kevin Kossowan, Slow Food

About Valerie Lugonja

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Educator, Writer, Gardener and Traveler who believes in buying and eating locally, and most importantly cooking at home! As a brand new Gramsy, so be prepared to hear a lot about this new role in her life!
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Comments

  1. Elyse says

    August 7, 2013 at 4:29 pm

    Happy birthday!

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 7, 2013 at 5:11 pm

      Thank you!
      You read the whole thing!
      Woo-hoo!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  2. Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says

    August 7, 2013 at 5:07 pm

    So nice to finally meet Kevin’s wife! Great story. Mine will be posted tomorrow. I had another commitment to post today and wanted to give each their day.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 7, 2013 at 5:12 pm

      Looking forward to it, Sarah!
      XO
      V

      Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 7, 2013 at 8:44 pm

      Looking forward to it, Sarah!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  3. Helene says

    August 7, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Happy Birthday!!!!

    Some people have interesting stories and this is a beautiful one. It is such an great story to read about him.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 7, 2013 at 8:43 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Helene. He is a special guy. Yes, he is.
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  4. Nadia says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    Happy Birthday Valerie and a belated happy birthday to Vanya as well. Great post!

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 7, 2013 at 8:42 pm

      Nadia!
      I miss you! Want to make salsa this year at the end of August? I am so in!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
      • Valerie Lugonja says

        August 7, 2013 at 8:43 pm

        How did you remember Vanja’s birthday?
        🙂
        V

        Reply
        • Nadia says

          August 9, 2013 at 3:17 pm

          Yes would love to make some salsa with you, let’s talk towards the end of August. I read your post re the Winnipeg birthday cake you made Vanya and I meant to wish him a happy birthday then but I forgot you know my mind, I hope you both had great birthdays 🙂

          Reply
  5. Dale (EatsWritesShoots) says

    August 8, 2013 at 11:21 am

    A great story, Valerie. Thank you sharing a truly inspiring individual and his great work. What really struck me, however, is how small things when mixed with a sprinkling of kismet and brought into contact with the right person can have huge impact and even become movements. Much like your own call to action to initiate this project, it is the courage for each of us to do little things, plant our small seeds, that provides the opportunity for the winds and rains of life to turn them into splendid feasts on tables for us all. It sounds like Kevin is indeed a force of nature.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 8, 2013 at 1:51 pm

      Dale
      This may be the most beautifully written and deeply thoughtful comment ever made on my site. Thank you, and I get it and completely agree.
      So happy you have joined the project and cannot wait to read your contribution.
      Big hug!
      Valerie

      Reply
  6. Judy Zieminek says

    August 8, 2013 at 1:13 pm

    Happy birthday, Valerie. Great article about Kevin.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 8, 2013 at 1:49 pm

      Thank you, Judy!
      I have asked him for photos to include with the article… and hope he sends me some. I only have ones of his kids cooking at my house.
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  7. Heather Lang says

    August 8, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    Happy Birthday!
    What an incredible and busy man. I will think of him when I feel bogged down by just the few projects I have and can’t find the time. What a blessing to have in our food world.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 9, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Hi Heather!
      Thanks for stopping by! You don’t have “just a few projects”, either – you are one busy gal!!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  8. deline says

    August 10, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    No one admires what Kevin has done more than I, but of course he, like any other man, has a full time business partner called “wife”. So many businesswomen wish they had a wife.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 11, 2013 at 9:17 am

      Deline
      Not sure what you mean by this? Could you elaborate?
      V

      Reply
  9. Phil says

    August 11, 2013 at 10:14 pm

    Val,

    Nice write-up on the second most handsome bearded fellow in town. 😉

    Phil

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      August 12, 2013 at 7:06 am

      Hahahaha!

      Reply

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