EDMONTON – The High Street Social Club, a theme dining night regularly hosted by the Manor Casual Bistro, is kicking off its 2013 lineup with a 1960s cocktail and dinner party. Winkingly referred to as The R and D Meeting, the event is on Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. at the bistro, 10109 125th St.

Organizer Tarquin Melnyk, the Manor’s bar director and promotions manager, promises live jazz, as well as 1960s-era cocktails such as Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Gimlets. Manor chef Alex Sneazwell says the food will reflect the trends of the day. (Devilled eggs? Cheese Whiz? Piggies in a blanket?)

The cost is $55 including tax and gratuities, with a full cash bar available. Call 780-482-7577 to purchase tickets.

The High Street Social Club began in mid-2012 and aims to make dining more of a social event than merely an experience for couples or small groups. Held on Sunday nights, it tends to be a favourite among people who work in the restaurant sector, because that’s often the only day their restaurants are closed. But all are welcome, and it’s fun for non-restaurant folk to rub up against the people who make it happen on the food scene.

“It’s about making the food community smaller and more accessible for everybody,” says Melnyk.

You can follow the High Street Social Club on Twitter @HSSCyeg.

- Doreen Prei, the chef de cuisine at Zinc, is moving on. The German-born Prei, a fresh and inventive force at Zinc since it opened three years ago in the Art Gallery of Alberta, will be turning her knife skills to good use at the Edmonton Petroleum Club. This is sad news for Zinc diners, but good news for the private members at the Petroleum Club. I predict a major steak sandwich shakeup.

- Nomad food truck, a fixture on Rice Howard Way over the summer, is moving inside. Nomad chef and NAIT grad Mike Scorgie has leased space in the McLeod building downtown and hopes to open by the summer. Watch this space for details as they emerge. Also, the Century Hospitality Group is opening a new shop, The Parlour Italian Kitchen and Bar, expected to start slinging pizza by the spring. nomadkitchen.ca

- Michael Kalmanovitch of Earth’s General Store (9605 82nd Ave.) is sponsoring a session on working with fermented foods, which are good for the body, the planet and the tastebuds, on Monday, Jan. 14 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will feature a conversation, and a demonstration, about fermented flavours from kefir to sauerkraut. The workshop costs $25 and you have to purchase your spot online, in advance, via Event Brite. Call Earth’s General Store for details at 780-439-8725. egs.ca

- If you’re suffering from January remorse, Dietitians of Canada can help. The group has developed a program called Eatracker that will help you become a new person by noon tomorrow. Actually, achieving a total transformation is probably not strictly necessary; a sensible diet and exercise program is more realistic, and less stressful.

Eatracker helps with meal-planning, food analysis and exercise tips, plus offers recipes complete with nutrition information. eatracker

- CapitalCare Dickinsfield is having a fundraiser to help refurbish 11 dining rooms at the facility. The fundraiser, geared around a Ukrainian theme, is being held Jan. 30, with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. CapitalCare Dickinsfield is at 14225 94th St. Tickets are $45 each for a multi-course Ukrainian extravaganza featuring everything from perogy to poppyseed cake. A Ukrainian band will help you dance the calories away. Call 780-448-2413 for details and to get tickets.

- Fork Fest arrives in Edmonton for its semi-annual festival of eating well at bargain prices. This year, the event happens from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, and then again from Jan. 27 to 31. Keep your eyes on the Live Local website for details on which independent restaurants are taking part, but rumour has it this will be the largest Fork Fest event ever.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/food/Edmonton+Food+Notes+fashioned+flavour+foodie+night+town/7791314/story.html

Nomad is one of four food trucks at McIntyre Park on May 10, 2012.
Photograph by: Greg Southam

EDMONTON – Edmonton could become Street Eats City after civic officials said Wednesday they want to loosen the rules for sidewalk patio and food truck permits.

They’re looking at allowing mobile food vendors to run past the current 11 p.m. closing time in entertainment areas, put out tables, and swap locations with other operators, said current planning branch manager Scott Mackie.

“We’re hoping … to have a lot of these changes in place when our high season hits in the spring,” he told council’s executive committee.

There were permits issued for 26 food trucks and 24 hotdog carts this year, a growing trend propelled by TV shows and local events such as What The Truck?

Saylish Haas, co-owner of Old Strathcona’s Next Act Pub and The Act — Out and About food truck, said she’s excited about the city’s interest in allowing several outfits to pool parking places and move their vehicles to different areas.

She would like more mobility for her mobile operation, which must pay $111 monthly to rent a metered parking stall.

“A lot of the cities, they (provide) 20 spots … It’s first come, first served,” she said.

“The trucks work really well together. I think most of (them) would be willing to work together to achieve that.”

The city has been working on improving regulations since May, when the owner of Grandma Lee’s Bakery Cafe near 108th Street and 100th Avenue complained the Drift Food Truck was taking away his customers.

The truck had a permit to sell food there, but he wanted it moved. City staff eventually decided Drift Food had the right to be at that location.

Haas, with businesses on both sides of the issue, said parking and taxes mean her truck isn’t cheap to run.

Edmonton restaurants will just have to adapt to the competition, she said.

“If you want to go inside and have a beer and a burger, that’s a lot different than grabbing something and going back to the office, so I don’t see a lot of crossover.”

Coun. Don Iveson, who raised the issue, described these outlets “an indicator of civic vibrancy.”

“We’re trying all kinds of things to get people out on the streets and support unique local businesses in Edmonton.”

Meanwhile, the city is also proposing to cut the time to approve minor restaurant patios with less than a dozen seats to about a week from up to two months.

Other suggestions include examining whether to redirect pedestrians through street parking stalls to make room for sidewalk patios, and simplifying the review process.

Councillors also want to talk to other municipalities about lobbying the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to change what Iveson called “Victorian” rules that forbid servers from crossing a sidewalk to sell alcohol at a patio.

But committee members still don’t like Edmonton’s requirement that patios close from Oct. 31 to April 1, and can’t use gas heaters.

“I don’t know where we get this parental approval. If somebody wants to do it, good luck,” Mayor Stephen Mandel said.

“These things are silliness. We’re a winter city … February can be wonderful.”

EDMONTON – Drift Food Truck will be allowed to stay put and keep serving food on 108th Street and 100th Avenue, according to the City of Edmonton.

Nevin and Kara Fenske, the owners of the popular sandwich and fries outfit, got an email from the city last week saying they had just as much right as other businesses to be in that location.

In its email, a city official said Drift Food Truck was parked far enough away from the entrance of another restaurant.

The uproar over the food truck’s spot started in May, when neighbouring restaurant owner Jim Timmons said the Fenskes had been taking away business from his establishment, Grandma Lee’s Bakery Café. Although the truck had a permit to sell food at that location, Timmons wanted it to move.

In its decision last week, the city panel that considered the matter found Drift was not in conflict with Grandma Lee’s, which is located 65 metres away from the food truck, “well inside the Petroleum Plaza.”

Fenske said he was happy with the city’s decision, but he added the conflict with Grandma Lee’s highlights the need for more clarity on how street food vendors are regulated.

“I expect that by the end of the summer, food trucks are going to double or triple … It’s such a new thing that they don’t have guidelines in place,” Fenske said.

Earlier last week, Ward 10 Coun. Don Iveson asked for a report on whether the regulations surrounding street food vendors should be revised.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Drift+Food+Truck+keep+spot/6832111/story.html

By STAFF | CBC News

Owners were ordered to move after downtown business complained

The City of Edmonton is again allowing the Drift food truck to park near a downtown restaurant.

Drift owners Nevin and Kara Fenske were asked last month to move from their location at 100th Avenue and 108th Street because the nearby Grandma Lee sandwich shop complained they were taking away business.

The Fenskes appealed the city’s order. Not only were they granted a reprieve, Coun. Don Iveson asked city administration to clarify the rules for food trucks, which have multiplied in Edmonton over the past three years.

“We’re very happy about it and we’re happy with all the support and stuff we got from our customers and people writing the city,” Nevin Fenske said.

“There really are not that many rules in place as of right now especially for trucks … that’s really all we were actually fighting for and asking for anyways.”

The report from city administration is expected to be completed by September.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2012/06/22/edmonton-drift-food-truck.html

Kara Fenske, one of the owners of Drift Food Truck, takes a customer's order at their downtown location. Photograph by: Edmonton Journal - EdmontonJournal.com

EDMONTON – The owners of a popular downtown mobile eatery don’t plan to move any time soon, despite a complaint lodged to the city by a neighbouring restaurant.

The Drift Food Truck, owned by Nevin and Kara Fenske and famed for gourmet sandwiches and fresh cut fries, was asked to relocate a few weeks ago by the city’s sustainable development department after a complaint from Grandma Lee’s Bakery Cafe, located inside an office tower at the corner of 100th Avenue and 108th Street, where Drift regularly sets up shop.

Jim Timmons, president of Grandma Lee’s, said it’s unfair that the truck can “cherry-pick the business” and operate in a prime neighbourhood without having to pay the same taxes.

“I pay substantial taxes for premium real-estate every day of the year,” Timmons said. “If the food truck wants to pay the same rates for taxes and for rent that I pay for premium location I don’t mind the competition.”

Timmons said he brought the issue to the city’s attention when Drift opened up in front of the building a few weeks ago. It only went public this week when the Fenskes took to Twitter to let customers know they would be relocating.

But now the Drift owners say they’re not going anywhere. They also say the city needs clear bylaws to fairly handle such disputes.

Nevin said the city told him, “there wasn’t much written and what was written said, if there was a dispute, it would go to the restaurant.”

“You need to put bylaws in place to be fair to everyone, not just one side,” he said.

At lunchtime on Wednesday, the Fenskes served a long line of regulars outside their big green truck.

They say they’ve been operating along 108th Street since last June and relocated a block south to their current location in early May when the city shut down the block they were parked on for construction.

Nevin said if they move again it will likely hurt business.

“We’ve built up a clientele … we keep moving away from our clientele who are very loyal to us,” said Nevin.

Among the customers who patiently waited for their food was René Gobeil, who said food trucks are a growing part of Edmonton culture that need more support.

“I feel really bad that these guys are going to be relocated but their food is so good, I will hunt them down,” Gobeil said. “It’s a peaceful solution, but I don’t think it’s the best solution.”

According to city guidelines, a vendor may be asked to relocate if a conflict arises with neighbouring businesses.

No formal appeal process exists to contest a decision made by the city in such instances, said Scott Mackie, manager of current planning.

“The best situation is that we find a compromise,” he said. “The mobile vendors do have that opportunity to locate to prime locations within the city that are not to the detriment of another business.”

Nevin Fenske said they’ll continue to talk with the city and appeal any move from their current location.

“Just because we have wheels doesn’t mean you can push us around.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Dispute+between+food+truck+restaurant+highlights+need+bylaws/6633940/story.html

This afternoon, from 11am-2pm, we hosted our inaugural Truck Stop, a smaller offshoot of What the Truck?! at Churchill Square.

At this point, we’ve resigned to the fact that the weather won’t be on our side. We recognize that it could have been much worse – the rain held off until the very end – but after three events in less than ideal weather, we don’t know what we have to do to get some sunshine on our side!

Anyway, set-up this morning was seamless – 102A Avenue in front of City Hall has been closed to vehicular traffic for a few years now, and as we found with What the Truck?! 2, curbside is the best way to go with food trucks. By 11am, all five vendors were ready to go – but would Edmontonians brave the elements for street food?

Ready to go

Of course they would! The crowds didn’t swarm in droves as they did for WTT, but we didn’t expect them to, given the lack of notice and the inherently smaller nature of the event. We had pulled some of the colourful bistro tables from the centre of the Square to create a more inviting space, and were happy to see the slight chill didn’t deter people from al fresco dining.

Lunch time!

Smokehouse BBQ, with its wafting aromas of wood smoke, had a pretty solid line up during the noon hour lunch rush. They tweeted later that it was indeed a good day – they sold more today than they would have over four days in their usual spot in Nisku! So fans of Southern BBQ – if you give them a reason to come back – they will!

The line at Smokehouse

Mack and I had been looking forward to trying Smokehouse BBQ ourselves – and they didn’t disappoint! The three rib mac and cheese was my definite favourite – the meat just slid off the bone! And the creamy mac and cheese was especially comforting in the cold.

The bacon bomb and the three rib mac and cheese

But the beauty of food truck gatherings is the variety – and it was great to see groups of diners arriving together, but ultimately choosing the truck that would best fit their craving, whether it was from Bo Thai, Drift, Fat Franks or Eva Sweet.

Jill enjoys her pork belly sandwich from Drift (and tries not to look cold!)

At noon, a zumba class on the Square definitely enlivened the atmosphere. Mack and I weren’t sure that the dance class would go forward with the numbers that were anticipated, but boy, were we wrong. Upwards of forty people joined the instructor for an up-tempo work out right in Churchill! Unfortunately, this was the last zumba class of the year, but given its success, it sounds like programmers will want to continue it next year.

Zumba on the Square!

Halfway through the event, we noticed some fire pits and heat lamps on the Square. It’s too bad we couldn’t have put them into use today – I’m sure it would have encouraged more people to stick around to have lunch outdoors – if places like Earls and Joey’s can extend their patio season with heat lamps, why couldn’t food trucks?

Chris and Brit are content with al fresco dining

Thanks to everyone who came out to Truck Stop today – you helped us prove that food trucks aren’t just a warm weather phenomenon! Thanks to the City for helping us to make this happen. And a big thanks to the vendors who stuck with us through the rain – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Mack and I don’t have plans for any more food truck extravaganzas this year, but that doesn’t mean food trucks are disappearing from Edmonton streets. Drift, Molly’s Eats and Bo Thai will be out at the Movies on the Square on Friday, and Bo Thai will continue to serve in Churchill Square on weekdays until October 21. For the whereabouts of Eva Sweet, Drift and Smokehouse, be sure to follow them on Twitter!

http://www.onlyhereforthefood.ca/2011/10/06/street-food-for-lunch-truck-stop/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OnlyHereForTheFood+%28Only+Here+for+the+Food%29

The Drift food truck will be one of the new featured vendors at the next What the Truck? festival coming next month. The Drift food truck will be one of the new featured vendors at the next What the Truck? festival coming next month. The Drift food truck will be one of the new featured vendors at the next What the Truck? festival coming next month. Photograph by: Candace Elliott, File, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON – The second What the Truck? celebration of street food in Edmonton has been set for Sept. 16 with an expanded lineup of mobile vendors booked for the downtown festival.

Again organized by local foodies Mac Male and Sharon Yeo, What the Truck? will be held Sept. 16, between 4 and 8 p.m., on 102 Street just south of Jasper Avenue. The seven food trucks who participated in the inaugural event back in June will be back, along with three new additions: Molly’s Eats, Drift and Nomad.

The trucks will be able to serve curbside during the temporary closure of the street and picnic tables will be set up in the adjacent Abbey Glen Park. As with the last event, there is no admission fee.

More information is available at www.whatthetruck.ca.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Keep+Truckin/5329026/story.html