Chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau have returned to Edmonton from Europe to share a taste of their travels through their pop-up venture, Vagabond.
Vagabond will take over Take Care Café at 9621 82 Avenue NW in Ritchie from Fridays to Sundays, starting July 21 and running until the end of September. It will offer 40 indoor and outdoor seats. "It is a pretty small space, like a backyard barbecue," Sandford said. "That's our vibe."
Sandford and Letourneau, who are also life partners, initially met in Edmonton 13 years ago through a chef-driven pop-up called Staff Meal. Vagabond is a way for them to continue to collaborate while gaining the skills necessary for their next endeavour.
"Our big plan is to open something together, more of a tourism-driven food experience rather than a restaurant, probably in the Okanagan," Sandford said. "I love hospitality, but I don't want to open a restaurant. For example, we've stayed in cool places where the food is important, like a winery, and when you wake up, a beautiful basket of food comes to your door."
Vagabond is "taking a step that is manageable, learning more business stuff and exploring those collaborations. It's a stepping stool," Letourneau added.
Ritchie is familiar ground for both. Sandford helped open Biera inside Ritchie Market in 2017 and led the kitchen to much acclaim for seven years before leaving in 2023. Letourneau, who worked at Bar Clementine and Woodwork in the past, previously rented space at Biera for his condiment company, Lessig Ferments.
"We're excited to be neighbours (with Biera), as well as with Darling (opened by another former Biera employee, Justin Jones)," Sandford said. "Way back when, Whyte Avenue was a hub, and I feel like it's going back to that. I want to be part of it again."
Vagabond will offer a happy hour with snacks from 3pm to 6pm, and a full menu with larger plates from 6pm to 11pm. Vagabond will have an outdoor charcoal grill and a wood-burning oven, in order to prepare hot items alongside smaller nibbles. Drinks will include curated wines, cocktails, and local beers. "We want people to come and try some dishes, and enjoy the summer while we have it," Sandford said.
Chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau will run the Vagabond pop-up from Fridays to Sundays, starting July 21 until the end of September, at the Take Care Café space in Ritchie. (Supplied)
The menu as a whole takes some inspiration from their travels in Europe over the last year. "We lived on the border of France and Spain," Sandford said. "Gilda, a Catalonian tapa (a snack or appetizer) we loved, typically has anchovy and pickled pepper. But we don't want to do it with those ingredients. We want to mimic those flavours with ingredients from Alberta."
The pair said they feel strongly about adapting ideas from abroad to the local context. "I really appreciate when people do a specific cuisine with local ingredients. You take those dishes and really think about it," Sandford said.
"If you keep importing stuff, Canadian cuisine isn't moving forward. We are not building our own identity," Letourneau added.
Sandford teased that some items may remind diners of similar plates she served at Biera. "There are definitely some dishes I worked on that will make their way on the menu," Sandford said. "Familiar with a new twist."
The pair said they are excited to work with Alberta farmers, including Reclaim Organics, Prairie Gardens, Fifth Gen Gardens, and Vital Green Farm. The menu will be continuously revised to highlight the changing seasonal bounty, and vegetables will comprise at least half the menu.
"Rather than having an idea of dishes, we go to our local supplier and see what's available," Sandford said. "That's how my brain works. If there's a specific green tomato, how can I make a dish mostly out of green tomato and maybe two other ingredients? We like to use three to four ingredients."
Sandford acknowledged that pushing local food can be challenging, especially at a time when food prices have increased significantly. "Sometimes it's tough to provide a meal using local ingredients," Sandford said. "You have to be careful as it can come across as pretentious or intimidating. But really, you're just using carrots that came from the ground. Sometimes the way our society is set up is that it can cost more, where local food is more expensive than imports. It's backward here. But it is starting to change."
After the pop-up wraps, the pair said they plan to travel, this time within Canada. Sandford and Letourneau will return to Edmonton eventually, for family, business (Lessig Ferments will continue to be based out of Edmonton), and palpable customer loyalty.
"That is the one part of working in Edmonton that's drawn us back," Sandford said. "We have this great community and following here. It feels special to see some people who have come to our original pop-ups and to the restaurants where we've been cooking for 16 years. It feels pretty special to have people support you the whole time."