What the Truck?! turns Churchill into a feast
Event expected to attract 16 trucks
The last What the Truck!? of the year is on Friday, Sept. 20 at Churchill Square, and it promises to be the biggest gathering of food trucks in the event’s two-year history. Sixteen trucks will land in Churchill Square from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., including The Local Omnivore, Little Village and Swich. For more details, go to whatthetruck.ca
The talented likes of executive chef Christophe Ihurrithze has left Sage restaurant at the Marriott River Cree Resort. Taking his place at Sage is SAIT culinary arts grad Robbie Oram, who worked under Ihurrithze’s tutelage for the last several years and has also cooked at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing.
I can highly recommend a new documentary called Spinning Plates, which takes an up-close look at the people who run three restaurants in the United States, including Chicago’s Alinea, run by the renowned likes of Grant Achatz. The film screens at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Edmonton International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 at Empire Theatres in City Centre downtown.
Joseph Levy is the filmmaker and he tells the story of three extraordinary restaurants and the people who created them. Gradually, layer by layer, the impact of the restaurants on the staff, and on their community, is revealed.
Alinea is the only restaurant many people may have heard of. The second restaurant (150 years old) is in a small town in the Midwest and is considered the heart of the community, with a fried chicken buffet that draws guests from other states.
The third is a fledgling Mexican restaurant in Arizona, whose owners can barely make ends meet and may lose their home, though the food they prepare in the restaurant is amazing. For more information, go to edmontonfilmfest.com
Harvest fairs are starting up for the fall season. On Saturday, Sept. 21, there will be a harvest celebration at the Spruce Grove Grain Elevator site at 120 Railway Ave. from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Vintage farm machinery will be on display, and there will be a hay ride and a number of old-fashioned contests, including a potato sack and a three-legged race.
All activities are free, but I wouldn’t leave without buying some homemade chili or a pickle on a stick from the concession.
Festival 2013, held last Wednesday at the Shaw Conference Centre, was the 25th anniversary of the event, hosted by the Alberta Food Processors Association, and featuring products grown, raised and processed in Alberta. Literally dozens of chefs took part, coming primarily from the hotel sector. A few smaller kitchens also contributed their talent, including Characters (with chef Shonn Oborowsky), Century Hospital Group (with chef Paul Shufelt) and Zinc (with chef David Omar).
Some 1,500 people attended the event, which sees each person at each table visiting a different restaurant booth for each of four courses (appetizer, soup, main and dessert).
Though it had the potential to be a chaotic mess, the evening ticked along beautifully. I guess 25 years of practice will do that. Congratulations to all involved.
A silent auction throughout the evening went to the Stan Ballard Endowment Fund, supporting the education of apprentice chefs.