Food Roundup

Openings

• Tee Pee Treats has opened its new location, Kakio Studio Cafe, at 10219 106 Avenue NW.
• Sip Soda Co. teased two new locations in Schonsee and Ellerslie. The dirty soda brand currently has locations in Sherwood Park and Kamloops.
• Jimmy John's is holding a grand opening event at 653 Wye Road in Sherwood Park on April 9. The American sandwich chain is offering free sandwiches and drinks on its opening day, among other deals during its first week operating in the region.
• Valerio's Tropical Bakeshop has opened at 17522 100 Avenue NW. The Filipino-style bakery chain is known for its pandesal rolls and other breads.
• Dennis Africa and Caribbean Market is open at Unit 105, 17635 58 Street NW. The grocer offers free delivery and 10% off for first-time customers.
• Always Coffee Co. has opened at 10906 105 Avenue NW, in a building formerly occupied by La Prosciutteria, and is planning a location in Windermere at 6070 Andrews Way SW.
• Meat the Bun opened its third location in the Edmonton region at 9919 170 Street NW.
• El Cafesito by MexiCánada is now open at 8111 102 Street NW.
• Pakistani restaurant Khan Kebabs & Karahi has relocated to 2619 Ellwood Drive SW.
• Soul Fuel Kitchen is celebrating its grand opening in Beaumont on April 11.
• Paraiso Tropical will be moving its north store to Manchester Square.

Closings

• Boston Pizza on Jasper Avenue at 106 Street, a longtime fixture, closed on March 31 amid ongoing concerns about downtown Edmonton's recovery. While some businesses see positive signs from ICE District events and returning provincial government workers, Rocky Mountain Ice House co-owner Wayne Jones told Postmedia that daytime business has slowly been recovering, while evenings remain stagnant. Quinn Phillips of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association said chain restaurants face competition from other local eateries, and noted that a newer Boston Pizza nearby remains open and is often busy. Hear more on Episode 350 of Speaking Municipally about how the Jasper Avenue location of the Edmonton-born BP's has influenced downtown-goers.
• The Blue Chair will close on April 26 after more than two decades of food and live music. The community fixture at 9624 76 Avenue NW has plenty of events scheduled ahead of the closure, including a few that are sold out.

Headlines

• Corinne Olson, the manager for the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market, told CityNews the market has seen a drop in visitors since the City of Edmonton implemented paid parking in an adjacent lot. "I'd like to say it's 50%," she said. "Our numbers have declined quite a bit." Reddit users have expressed both frustration with parking and skepticism about the market's math.
• Khadija Jiwani of Aliya's Foods Limited told Canadian Grocer about her work growing her family business's Chef Bombay line into a massively distributed frozen food brand. Today, Jiwani is leading a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing expansion to produce Mexican-American foods from a brand Aliya's purchased in 2023. "Mexican cuisine is very similar to Indian in the way the sauces are cooked," she said. "We had the expertise in frozen food, it was a really good opportunity to expand our culinary side and our capacities."
• Anohka Distillery owner Gurpreet Ranu weighed in on the new Alberta Whisky Act which defines and protects what can be labelled as Alberta whisky in an effort to support the province's craft distillery industry. "It's nice to see that all the hard work that we've been doing trying to make the best whisky in the world — and winning awards for making some of the best whisky in the world — has resulted in some recognition," he told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "Alberta grows more barley than any country in the Western Hemisphere. We have literally all these ingredients right under our feet, and historically, for the most part, we were just exporting this stuff or feeding it to cows."
• Nowhere Wine Bar is celebrating the Masters Tournament with a special menu from April 6 to 12. New chef Theo Pashko, who succeeded the chef behind Jola's, is preparing an open-face pimento sandwich, Arctic char crudo, beef tartare, and sticky toffee pudding for the occasion.
• Edify explored Edmonton's loose-leaf tea scene, speaking with owners of Acquired Taste Tea and The Tea Girl about the matcha trend and the differences in tea and coffee commerce.
• Edify tried the new Bonchon on 124 Street, praising the gochujang-sauced chicken sandwich and the restaurant's light, communal atmosphere.
• Edify paid a visit to The Coffee Shop in Devon, highlighting its freshly baked bagels and whimsical cream cheese flavours, such as rosemary honey and spicy dill pickle.
• Daily Hive highlighted a City of Edmonton map showing tens of thousands of publicly accessible fruit trees across the city, including apple, cherry, plum, and Saskatoon berry bushes.
• Edmonton's Food Bank spokesperson Tamisan Bencz-Knight told CTV News that rising fuel costs linked to the war in Iran will affect the organization's food delivery trucks. "We have 22 vehicles out on the road, regularly, seven days a week," she said. "We're anticipating that the costs of running those vehicles, having them out, picking up, and delivering food, is going to increase for us and impact us as an organization."
• Alberta Food Processors Association executive director Bianca Parsons discussed how the organization has grown its membership and secured grants to double its staff on the Executive Wins podcast, noting that at least 70 cents of every dollar spent on local foods stays in the local economy. Parsons recently spoke to Taproot about about the AFPA's changing Made in Alberta program; the organization has also launched a coaching, training, and funding initiative called SCALE AB.
• New Grocery Movement and the Food Secure Canada Youth Caucus have launched a cross-country food politics book club called Reading Between the Barcode Lines, offering free book access to participants across Canada who want to explore food systems and community action.
• Ian Barnes of Mega Meat Store spoke to CBC about the phenomenon known as "woody chicken", where cheaper cuts of chicken have an off-putting texture due to rapid muscle growth.
• The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network has launched a $9-million open competition to support agricultural innovation, with a focus on bridging the gap between new AgTech IP and commercial adoption. Funded through the federal government's Strategic Response Fund, the competition accepts applications in areas including automation and robotics, data-driven decision tools, and smart farm platforms, with rolling submission deadlines through October 2026.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• April 7: Spilt Spring Series - Fresh Herbs starting at 6:15pm at Spilt
• April 8: Spice Harmony: Indian Vegetarian Flavours & Techniques starting at 6pm at Get Cooking
• April 8: After Dark at Delavoye: A factory tour and dessert experience starting at 7:15pm at Delavoye Chocolate Maker
• April 8: Bridgeland Distillery Blending Seminar: Make Your Own Canadian Whisky starting at 6pm at Color de Vino
• April 9: Garlic Fest Wine Dinner: Sorrentino's Downtown starting at 6pm at Sorrentino's (Downtown)
• April 10-12: Wholly Handmade: Great Canadian Trade Fair at Millennium Place
• April 12: Garlic Fest Mini-STOMP Fundraiser Dinner starting at 5:30pm at Sorrentino's (Downtown)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 18: Culinary Arts Cook-Off: Cookie-Off Edition at Highlands School
• April 25: Tequila Cocktail Mixology Masterclass at Halo Bar and Bistro
• April 26: Hot Chefs Cool bEATS at Royal Glenora Club

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.