Meeting Chef Chris Cosentino and Lunch at Ernest's

Chris Cosentino tests out AB faux fur feeb

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a technical school, located in Edmonton, AB. They specialize in technical programs and hands on programs for post secondary students, allowing students to learn practical skills, with one of these programs being the Culinary Arts program. Since 2009, they have invited a well-known chef to be the Hokanson Chef in Residence, allowing young chefs the opportunity to learn from with one of the world’s best chefs, first hand. This also exposes the students to different cooking styles, trends and techniques. This year, the Chef in Residence was Chris Cosentino. Chris Cosentino is recognizable by most as being on the The Food Network, having guest starred and hosted several shows, as well as being one of the Top Chef Masters winners.

A Hopping Good Squirrel... Err... Beer

Barking Squirrel Lager

A publicist contacted me months ago while I was traveling in Europe, asking if I’d be interested in trying out their beer, which they were bringing to Alberta. Although I’m not a beer connoisseur of any sort, I had heard about this particular beer through a friend of mine, Squeaky Oat Bear, a small oat colored bear with a squeaker in his belly (otherwise known as the little bear featured in the banner picture on my FaceBook Page who is attempting to BBQ me, he's truly a carnivore). He currently lives in Ottawa, who like myself, usually prefers wine, but was fairly impressed with this brew, so I figured I’d give it a whirl.

Dabbling with Dishcrawl

Walnut and Chickpea Slider and Lentil Loaf
at The Clever Rabbit

The concept of Dishcrawl is to allow diners to visit four restaurants in one night, so they can explore what a neighborhood has to offer without committing an entire evening or meal to just one place. You buy a ticket and are taken on a tour of a particular neighborhood  without knowing in advance what the four restaurants are. Each restaurant prepares a small sampling of items that are meant to highlight the best of what they offer, and diners spend approximately 45 minutes at each location. Since all of the restaurants for the evening are located within walking distance, you should ensure that you dress appropriately for the weather and wear shoes meant for a brisk walk. Note that drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic, are not included it the price of the ticket and Dishcrawl advises you to bring cash for drinks, but most restaurants were fairly swift at processing debit and credit card payments for beverages.

Frustrated and Furious at Fifteen London

Tortellini

Anyone who has watched The Food Network knows who Jamie Oliver is. He has done a variety of shows dealing with food from a variety of angles, including showing people how to cook it, trying to increase fresh food awareness with young children, and trying to give troubled teens a second change through cooking. So naturally we wanted to try his famous restaurant, Fifteen London, where kitchen staff consists of people coming from troubled homes or lives, trying to change the course of their life through cooking.