Healthy feast after Run to Remember
Reaching the finish line has never been quite so appetising as this Sunday’s Run to Remember in Christchurch. The annual 10-kilometre run was set up to remember the lives lost in the 2011 quake and to celebrate Canterbury’s resilience.
Although it can be tempting to use exercise as an excuse to indulge, the 2019 run is all about promoting a wholesome lifestyle, and event organisers have enlisted local, health conscious foodies to provide post-run fuel at Hansen Park Market.
Participants will be invited to quench their thirst with a kombucha from Born and Raised, and enjoy healthier versions of European cakes and cookies made from scratch by Angie’s German Baking (with vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options).
Oomph! Vegan Eats’ raw treats and Stripped Jerky’s handcrafted range of high-protein products will also be available.
The run finishes in Hansen Park around noon, so it’s the perfect opportunity to walk through nearby Opawa Farmers’ Market on the way home to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables. It didn’t take long for Empire Chicken to become a favourite of fried chicken fanatics.
Jayden Smith opened the window to his mobile eatery midway through last year, launching a simple menu of five items at a few markets and empty lots around town.
‘‘The plan was always to start with doing the basics really well,’’ he says. ‘‘Within half a year the business had grown exponentially.’’
With the food truck reaching its capacity, the opportunity for Empire to have a permanent shop couldn’t have come at a better time.
Smith will be a tenant of the new Riverside Market, due to open in June.
Like its truck equivalent, the eatery will be a takeaway window, but with more space inside to deliver a full menu.
‘‘This shop will be takeaway but the dream is to eventually open a licensed restaurant.’’
In the meantime, Empire Chicken can be found just across from its soon-to-be-open premises on Oxford Terrace.
Once the shop launches, the food truck will return to the market and events scene.
Empire Chicken, 98 Oxford Terrace
Dish of the week
Go big or go home.
The Maple Cornbread at Switch New Brighton is a fantastic way to embrace the best of American cuisine.
Invented as a homage to the cafe’s manager, a native of Seattle in the United States, it’s a combination of salty, sweet and spicy. The cornbread is made with polenta, and is sliced and fried in butter place to spend an evening and now it’s introducing a delicious start to the day.
From 10am on the weekends, The Terrace is waking up a little earlier with Botanic’s summer brunch menu.
The offering is small and simple, but varied and maple syrup until caramelised.
It’s served with a spicy Peter Timbs Butchery chorizo and grilled banana.
A final layer of indulgence (and fun) comes from a topping of house-made toffee popcorn.
enough that those with a sweet tooth, egg lovers, vegans, and carnivores can dine in harmony.
The buttermilk hotcakes are already causing a stir, as well as the healthy morning salads and pulled pork eggs benedict.
Botanic, Level One, 126 Oxford Terrace