FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT, FRESH PRODUCTS
Owner of bulk grocery inspired by a shopkeeper he knew in his youth, Erin Petrow writes.
During his years growing up in India, Nag Alrajan remembers being sent by his mother to buy groceries at the local shop where the owner would gather and weigh his purchases — packaging them neatly in paper tied with jute thread.
That experience inspired the idea behind Alrajan’s new no waste grocery store Bulk Basket, which focuses on giving shoppers a wide variety of choices paired with a friendly personalized experience.
“When you went there you talked to the real owner and he would help you with anything you needed,” Alrajan said. “But when you go (to most grocery stores) here you aren’t going to get that. You have to find everything yourself.”
Alrajan says he wanted to place an emphasis on cutting out unnecessary packaging and food waste through offering products for purchase in whatever amount needed while also encouraging shoppers to bring their own containers and bags, though you can buy them on-site if you forget.
Currently, the store is 90 per cent plastic free — but Alrajan hopes to bring that number to 100 per cent by the end of the store’s first year.
With a heavy focus on locally sourced foods and prices that are very competitive when compared to big box stores, Bulk Basket carries everything from fresh fruits to various grains, lentils and numerous types of pastas. They also make fresh juices onsite with no added preservatives or water — but that’s only the beginning.
And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, Alrajan says he is always happy to hear feedback from his customers and take their suggestions for products they would like to see added to the shelves. “I think people were really waiting to have a store like this. For a business that’s just opening we have seen a great response. People are looking to be plastic free and we are happy to help them.”
Bulk Basket
Owner: Nag Alrajan Address: 111-2301 Avenue C North Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone: 306-880-8298 Check Facebook page
SHIFT
Executive chef Jonathan Harris didn’t know what to expect when he and his wife Suyeon Myeong got the offer to head up Shift — the new riverfront restaurant housed inside the Remai Modern.
They were both looking for a slower pace after having spent a few years working at another Oliver & Bonacini restaurant in Toronto and thought that Saskatoon would be a perfect fit, especially when they arrived and discovered the city’s thriving — yet laid back — food scene.
It’s that local view that really drives the creativity behind Shift’s dishes. Harris and Myeong try to source the majority of the ingredients locally to create high end technical dishes that still feel very humble.
“There’s quite a bit of technique that goes into it but it’s not pretentious and it’s not flashy on a plate,” Harris explains. “We were very cautious of not trying to battle with the art and wanted to do something that would complement it rather ... but (the food) is not as simple as it might look sometimes.”
A good example of this — and a very popular option on the Shift menu — are the chickpea fries, an appetizer created from chickpea flour and deep fried until it is perfectly crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside.
Shift’s menus — which change seasonally — are a collaboration between Harris, his wife and chef de cuisine Myeong and Oliver & Bonacini corporate chef Anthony Walsh. The menus will not only reflect their personalities but also the local food culture.
“One of our chefs is Ukrainian so we have a pierogi dish on,” he said. “(Locally sourcing) is also very important to us because it integrates us into the community and gives us a better idea of what’s happening in the community as well.”
Though, he says opening the restaurant so late in the year made it harder to create those local connections. While they are already working with Carmen Corner Meats they are using the winter months to meet with more local vendors and to expand the options in the future. “We’ve been very fortunate to come in at a time where the food culture seems to be shifting a little bit here in Saskatoon and it’s really amazing for us to hopefully be a part of that.”
Shift
Owner: Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality Address: 102 Spadina Crescent East. (Inside the Remai Modern) Hours: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to late, Closed Monday Phone: 306-978-8954 Website: www.shiftrestaurant.com Check Facebook page and Instagram