by Athena Raypold
Edmonton’s food scene has been rapidly reaching the heights of big cities like Vancouver and Toronto – part of that rise is the multitude of foodie events and activities happening throughout the year. From farm dinners to culinary classes to food truck festivals, Edmonton’s got a lot to offer its foodies. [Image credit: iStock.com/Sanny11]
Every November since 2002, The Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival has taken over the Shaw Conference Centre, offering attendees wine, spirits, and beers from around the world, along with bites from Edmonton’s premier restaurants. With its festival atmosphere, foodies buy their tickets in advance and then purchase sample coupons to try the food and beverages from various vendors. The 2016 festival featured a lot of local businesses, from Beercade to Blue Hour Tea, Central Social Hall to Japonais Bistro, and Noorish Cafe to Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse.
A high-end culinary event put on by the Junior League of Edmonton and NAIT’s Culinary Arts program, Indulgence unites local farmers with local restaurants, wineries, breweries, and distillers. The June festival pairs farmers and ranchers with restaurants, whose chefs create a signature dish, which is then paired with beverages to complement the dish. The 2016 festival featured notable chefs from Zinc, The Marc, and Get Cooking along with farmers like Irvings Farm Fresh, Sunworks Farms, and Greener Pastures Ranching.
Edmonton’s 104 Street boasts some prize eateries, including Cavern, a retail cheese store, bistro, and wine bar. And luckily for cheese lovers, owner Tricia Bell hosts cheese school about once or twice month. Previous classes have included seasonal wine and cheese pairings (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), Wine and Cheese Pairing for Entertaining, Big Red, Champagne, and cheese and chocolate. Tricia makes these Sunday afternoon classes fun with generous wine pourings.
A chef’s table style, low-key cooking school in Edmonton, Get Cooking slogan is “Think Local. Cook Global.” Focusing on sourcing ingredients locally and showcasing local growers and ranchers, Get Cooking uses these ingredients to teach global style cuisine from Thai and Korean, to Mexican, Portuguese, Italian and French. One of their most popular classes is Date Night with Chef Doreen Prei, where she teaches a four-course seasonal menu. In support of their local community, Get Cooking also host pop-ups and an annual Farmer’s Table dinner at Tangle Ridge Ranch.
One of the city’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, RGE RD, aims to connect people with where their food comes from. The restaurant began as farm dinners on various range roads around the city, showcasing local ingredients. The dinners were so popular that Chef Blair Lebsack opened up RGE RD to continue the tradition. But even with the restaurant readily available to diners, RGE RD continues their summer farm dinners, offering attendees a unique experience eating on the wide-open prairies.
Every summer, What the Truck?! Food Truck Extravaganza showcases the city’s vast and varied food truck offerings all in one spot, from Northlands to Churchill Square. Sort of a Taste of Edmonton, but for food truck fare, it’s a great event to attend with friends so you can try a little of everything. You can be sure to find popular trucks like Sailin’ On, Phat Tony’s and Meat Street Pies, and trucks from restaurants like Battista’s Calzone and La Poutine.
Continually amping up its culinary game, Edmonton’s roster of foodie events keeps on growing, but you can always count on these venues for a delicious night out.
