Category: Alberta

It is not every day that a new vodka hits the liquor store shelves, and certainly not one that is fabricated using only (100%) ingredients from Alberta. The bad news is Ginger and Nutmeg missed the grand opening party. The good news the Wild Life Distillery is nearby, in Canmore.
The distillery’s founders Matt Widmer and Keith Robinson are both Bow Valley locals. Widmer grew-up in Banff and Robinson in Canmore, their connection, like many residents, was snow and sport related – in this case, cross-country skiing events.

It might seem strange for graduates of Kinesiology (Widmer) and Business Administration and Marketing (Robinson) to join forces, but they both appear to be driven by entrepreneurial forces. In the summer of 2014, they shook hands on the slightly crazy idea of opening a distillery in Canmore, and the Wild Life Distillery began to take shape.
Nutmeg asked how the concept came together. According to Widmer,
“I have had an interest in distilled spirits since 2010. While living in Tofino, I would…

Recipes & Travel:
Alberta, Canmore, Liquors, Wild Life Distillery

OK, so Alberta suffers from a few extra months of winter than other locations in Canada, but that has not stopped foodies from noticing what the Province does produce — naturally. Events such as Cook it Raw Alberta (2015) have raised culinary awareness levels globally.

Karen Anderson, the founder of Calgary Food Tours, is a self-professed food lover. Her passion for the kitchen influenced by a family of cooks, with roots in St. Andrews by-the-sea, in New Brunswick, Anderson tells Nutmeg that “One grandfather owned a fish market, and the other was a farmer.”
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Recipes & Travel:
Alberta, Alberta Food Tours, Canmore, Culinary Travel, Edmonton, Food Tours

Chef Michelle DeLand acquired her knife skills, how to make a roux, and what it takes to make soufflé from some of the gurus in the food industry. American-born DeLand trained with Madeline Kamman (the NY Times called her “Flinty, Revered Teacher of Chefs“) in San Francisco. She also had the opportunity to work under Chef and TV personality Jacques Pepin for a short period.

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Recipes & Travel:
Catering, Chefs, Edmonton, Extraordinary Food, Guerrilla Dinners, Michelle DeLand

The cocoa goji balls are criminal – they should be locked up!
Carole Beaton owner and operator of An Edible Life in Canmore is modest, she says that she is not a confident cook and “only started baking in the fall.” When pressed for more details, Carole admitted that she may have baked before launching her food business, but never in retail quantities.
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Recipes & Travel:
An Edible Life, Canmore, Cocoa goji balls, Food, Gluten-free, Takeaway

Rhonda Zuk Headon had a self-imposed a deadline, if her career path was unclear by her 30th birthday she would force the issue. She did exactly that with a trip to Tuscany and her first taste of Italian pecorino.

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Recipes & Travel:
Alberta, Alberta Cheese, Artisan Products, Sheep Cheese, The Cheesiry