Fresh biscotti and elegantly wrapped panettone — just some of the treasures at a northeast gourmet shop.
Meals on Wheels needs your help if it is to reach its goal
DeFazio Gourmet is a freshly renovated manufacturer of biscotti, buffed up by its new owners, Carla Roppo-Owczarek and her husband, Kris Owczarek.
The duo make fresh biscotti on-site in a northeast industrial strip mall, Kennedale Plaza, and earlier this month, they opened a stylish storefront at the same location with a cappuccino maker to expand their business. I can vouch for their biscotti, dipped by hand, and available in Christmas flavours, such as cranberry orange white chocolate and hazelnut white chocolate.
Equally impressive is their excellent, imported panettone, elegantly packaged at $40. The panettone was available at the time of writing, but phone before you go. 780-4528960; 12853 52nd St. defaziogourmet.com
Local chef Brad Smoliak of Kitchen by Brad is opening his downtown studio on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to offer a number of his locally produced food items that would make good hostess gifts or stocking stuffers — including bacon jam, espresso caramel sauce, and hot fudge sauce.
You can also stock up on two other seasonal, local products while you are here — candy by Newget and Mojo’s Pickles.
The studio is located at 101, 10130 105th St. Find out more at kitchenbybrad.ca
The Edmonton Meals on Wheels annual Christmas fundraising campaign is short of its goal. To date, the agency has raised only $40,940 of the $75,000 it needs for the campaign to be successful.
This time last year, according to Kerryn North, the organization’s manager of marketing and fund development, Edmonton Meals on Wheels had already raised $51,700. Dec. 31st is the deadline. The money from the annual campaign helps subsidize meals for low-income clients, as well as offering a boost for the agency’s overall grocery budget.
Donations can be made in person at 11111 103rd Ave., by phone at 780-429-2020 or online at mealsonwheelsedmonton.org.
Red Seal chef and cookbook author Sally Vaughan-Johnston has several cooking classes running after Christmas, including a Sweet and Savoury Crepes class on Friday, Jan. 25th at the Ottewell Community Hall.
Vaughan-Johnston will demonstrate how to make a basic, light and lacy crepe, and then give participants a range of ideas for using the basic crepe as a dessert or a savoury dish.
Crepes Suzette, Ice Cream-Stuffed Crepes and brunch favourites such as Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Crepes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce are just a few of her specialties.
Classes are $75 per person. Call 780-461-4238 for details on these and other cooking classes, or visit chefsally.ca
The Blue Plate Diner is helping us get through winter with perogies, served every Sunday night. Featuring Baba’s Own perogies (made by the good folk at St. Michael’s Healthcare), the Diner will round the plate out with homemade cabbage rolls for $14. Add a hearty link of Stawnichy’s sausage (available locally at Smokin’ Iron Farms) for $16.50. For details, checkout the Blue Plate Diner’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/ Blue-Plate
A new menu has arrived at the Manor Casual Bistro, carefully curated by the restaurant’s new chef, Alex Sneazwell. There are fewer items on the menu (although the popular Nasi Goreng remains, don’t worry) but a lot of imagination has gone into them.
Try the Lamb Tagine, a belly-warming combination of Moroccan-inspired warm spices such as cumin and coriander, garnished with the fresh, cool tang of cilantro.
The duck and braised pork belly combo is plopped happily in an apple-fennel purée, and the plate is plumped up with herb potato gnocchi — all crafted in-house.
Chef Sneazwell also makes his own ravioli, stuffed with apple wood-smoked corn, mascarpone and squash, which is served alongside the Chicken Supreme.
You might want to check out the restaurant’s New Year’s Eve offering, for which chef Sneazwell has pulled out all the stops with a six-course meal that begins with Gravlax of Arctic char and ends with Cherry Clafoutis.
All the food is included for $80, and there are two seatings. 780-482-7577. themanorbistro.com lfaulder@edmontonjournal.com
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