Prairie Catering is now the exclusive provider of food service, events, and facility booking at the Art Gallery of Alberta, according to a news release. The partnership includes the space that houses Zinc Restaurant.
"Our goal with the new space is to inspire and usher in a new wave of hospitality concepts in Edmonton," said Prairie Catering owner Jimmy Shewchuk. "Considering the disruption throughout the pandemic to the hospitality industry, I believe we have a unique opportunity for new ideas to emerge as we experience yet another hospitality renaissance."
When public health guidelines permit, Prairie Catering plans to host food pop-ups.
When the pandemic shuttered restaurants in March 2020, Zinc temporarily shut its doors but never did reopen even after restrictions lifted in the summer. The last chef who helmed the restaurant, Doreen Prei, shared in October 2020 that the restaurant had permanently closed.
The Art Gallery of Alberta (Mack Male/Flickr)
When it first opened in 2010, Zinc was operated by The Compass Group, a multi-national company that provides food services in various sectors including universities, hospitals, and work camps.
Prairie Catering operates Say Uncle and has been providing food and beverage services at the Edmonton Valley Zoo since 2019. In April, the company announced that all areas of the Zoo where food and beverages are permitted are now licensed for alcohol consumption.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Chefs Mark Bellows and Ryan Brodziak of The Local Omnivore were involved.