Notable food happenings

Urban Legend

It was a huge blow for hands-on foodies in February when Urban Element’s Carley

Schelck announced that after 15 years, it was lights out for the building affectionately known as Fire Station 11. But the culinary-event studio, renowned for its in-person cooking classes, has quickly gained a devoted following for its online version. Classes generally run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday each week, with participants receiving their ingredients and recipes the day before. Recorded live, the classes showcase the chefs’ personalities — and give them a chance to share favourite recipes, techniques, and tips. In regular rotation? Kassandra Pietropaolo

(formerly of Edgar and Holland’s Cake +

Shake) is a classically trained pastry chef and leads all the pastry and baking classes;

Dominic Paul (best known from his time at Arlington Five and Wilf & Ada’s) is the “date-night guy,” running fun small-plates classes (think tapas and izakaya); Devin Marhue likes to add some French and Asian ideas to the mix; and Tara Rajan mixes it up with Indian-, South Asian-, and Moroccan-themed classes. Feeling lazy? Urban Element also offers a weekly prepared meal delivered to your door. Knives Out The game is on! Food Network has announced that the ninth season of Top Chef Canada will air Monday, April 19, and local viewers can cheer for Jae-Anthony Dougan, the former chef-owner at Tingz on the Market. The selftaught chef quickly made a name for himself in Ottawa with his modern Caribbean cuisine (and his grandmother’s rum punch recipe, which he shared last summer on CBC Ottawa’s All In a

Day). A chef on the rise, Dougan, who describes his food as sexy, colourful, and multi-textured, has cooked for the likes of Drake, The Weeknd, and J. Cole. With a $100,000 prize on the line, watch for flair and attitude as Dougan takes on 10 fellow chefs from some of the best restaurants across the country. When not competing for cash and glory, the busy chef is building a new restaurant empire — Tropikal Restobar opened in March in Montreal, and an Ottawa location is in the works. Time to support local! (PSA: If you miss Top Chef Canada live, you can catch it later on the Food Network site.) Friendly Ghost Welcome Casper Kitchen Company! The ghost kitchen is the brainchild of food hypster

Sharif Virani, who has teamed up with Ulises

Ortega (owner of La Catrina), Nara Sok (a co-owner of Tomo), and David Wen (a young entrepreneur about town). The innovative business model sees Casper Kitchen moving into

Bowled over (Top) Jae-Anthony Dougan, the former chef-owner at Tingz on the Market, is competing in the ninth season of Top Chef Canada. (Bottom) Find comforting Vietnamese fare at Viet Fresh, a new restaurant that is part of the Casper Kitchen Company group working out of the former Mother Tucker’s ByWard Market space the kitchens of the former Tucker’s Market

place in the ByWard Market, using the space to launch four ghost restaurants. The delivery-first food concept has salaried chefs cooking up tasty takeout with a focus on fresh food that travels well. “Think of it as a modern-day food court,” says Virani. Linking into the local penchant for Vietnamese eats are Viet Fresh and

Banh Mi Bros. Those with a craving for chicken might opt for Old’s BBQ or Fried Chicken for

the Seoul. Running the show are two head

chefs — Binh Quach, formerly of Vietnamese Noodle House, and Henry Besser-Rosenberg, formerly of Mason-Dixon Kitchen + Bar — with their teams. At press time, the owners were considering adding a fifth concept,

Send Noods. And while the delivery-first idea remains at the forefront, there are plans to install outdoor seating this summer to take advantage of the warm weather. QUICK BITES • Mad Radish devotees will appreciate Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls, an offshoot of the main brand serving up burritos and bowls with groovy monikers out of its MR locations — Daikon Dynasty, anyone?

• All that’s old is new again? Swanky steakhouses have all but disappeared from the Ottawa scene in recent years, but the

Whalesbone restaurant group is bucking the trend. They have a high-end steakhouse in the works at the old Fox & Feather Pub location on Elgin; Harmon’s is slated to open later in the summer.

• The name’s an attention grabber. Sauce &

Balls meatball shop opened in the Market in March with such options as B.O.B. Balls (that’d be balls on bread – a.k.a. a meatball sandwich) and Sauce and Balls (various meatballs and sauces, including tomato basil, garlic parmesan, and lemon herb béchamel).

• As the pandemic rollerc oaster continues, locals in search of comfort might do well to check out Loaded Pierogi, a recent addition to the Wellington West scene that specializes in pierogis, poutine, and mac and cheese.

• Congrats to La Bottega in the ByWard Market. The Italian grocer recently celebrated 25 years in the capital. La Bottega now offers special takeout meals, available Monday and Friday, as well as an exciting lineup of wines.

• You may not be travelling to South America, but you can capture the vibe with an order from

Toasty Arepas, which serves up all manner of empanadas, arepas, and envueltos from its shared space with Goodies Fine Catering in the Vanier/New Edinburgh neighbourhood.

• Looking to spice things up? East enders will want to stop by Korems Foods & Variety Store, which opened mid-pandemic and sells African and Caribbean groceries.

• Lots of love out there for Barrhaven newbie

Khokha Eatery, with its modern take on Pakistani cuisine. Their street-style bun kabab has been especially popular. Picture a burger bun enclosing shami kebab, a slice of omelette, and onions with a spicy mint chutney.

• Apothecary Kitchen is the place to go for a warming elixir to get you through the cool spring months. Find their small-batch bone broths, vegan broth, and tonics through their website, as well as at Art-Is-In Bakery or

Parlour Place.

• A suggestion for the coffee-obsessed across the border. Make your way to Bluebarn Café and Roastery, which opened just before Christmas in Wakefield.