Feed the Soul YEG is presenting the Callaloo + Chow: Trini-Chinese Culinary Pop-up from Feb. 19 to 23 at Fu's Repair Shop in lieu of its annual dining week with Black-owned businesses as the organization enters a new era.
"I really wanted to showcase (not only) the Black community, but also our stories of migration, adaptation, of resilience, and (to tell) this unique story of the Chinese community's influence in Trinidad," Feed the Soul founder, Rochelle Ignacio, told Taproot. "We're using food to unite the Chinese and the Trinidadian communities."
The pop-up pairs chefs Nadine Lewis and Pat Ross of Cafe Caribbean with Winnie Chen from Fu's. Its title comes from its signature offering — a combination of one of Trinidad's national dishes, a stew called callaloo, and chow mein.
"(Callaloo) is a staple on a Sunday," Ross told Taproot. "When we say Sunday food, it's a big thing for us. Maybe during the week, if you're poor, you might not eat well, but on Sunday, you'll always have a really good meal. That is like the crown jewel — you're not going to get callaloo all week."
The cultural mix on offer at the pop-up reflects a longstanding tradition for Trinidad food, Lewis told Taproot. She said Chinese food enjoys a similar popularity to doubles, a famous street food that pairs spiced chickpeas with flatbread. "Trinidad is really a melting pot of many different cultures, and it's really good for us to be able to showcase that," Lewis said. "Chinese food, for example, is just the same as if you were to buy roti or doubles (in Trinidad). So why not bring it to the forefront?"
The callaloo and chow mein dish is one of the items on a small menu that's being whittled down from what's on deck for a ticketed opening reception on Feb. 19. (Aside from the event, reservations can be made for the pop-up on OpenTable.) That night, guests can also expect chicken wings and green onion cakes made with Chinese five spice, geera-style pork or tofu served on bao, "Trini-fried" rice, and more. A margarita and a non-alcoholic drink option, both made using a syrup derived from sorrel, a flower similar to hibiscus, will be on offer.
Ignacio, who is also the director of equity, diversity, and inclusion for the Tamarack Institute, said food can build connections between people through learning. For example, one of Feed the Soul's volunteers made a video about the history of Chinese migration to Trinidad and Tobago that played on a loop during a media preview Taproot attended on Feb. 5. It detailed how the first large group of Chinese people moved to Trinidad and Tobago in 1806, when British colonizers wanted a workforce to preempt the abolition of enslaved African labour.
From left: Chefs Winnie Chen, of Fu's Repair Shop, and Nadine Lewis and Pat Ross, of Cafe Caribbean, created the menu of Trinidadian-Chinese food being served at the Callaloo + Chow pop-up. Presented by Feed the Soul YEG, the event takes place from Feb. 19 to 23. (Colin Gallant)
"These small, intimate gatherings are really important for building our brand, because it's not about the big, flashy thing," Ignacio said. "We want to be telling stories of resilience, we want to be using food as that cultural text, and we want to be bringing the community and getting them involved."
To that end, Feed the Soul co-hosts a food and mural tour with blogger and influencer Linda Hoang on Feb. 21. Guests will stop at the pop-up, at Ayco Bakery, and at LOCHI AFRO NIJA to meet restaurant owners and eat, plus visit artworks by Jamelle Davis, Macha Abdallah, Keon Courtney, and Rust Magic.
"We will also be talking about Edmonton and Canada's Black history," Ignacio said.
Speaking of history, Feed the Soul's eponymous dining week is changing. Launched in 2023 as a volunteer effort, the dining week connects hungry Edmontonians with specials at Black-owned restaurants. Next year the February feast will go by the name Black Futures Dining Week. The name aligns with the growing number of people referring to February as Black Futures Month, something that's even making news with kids. The federal government included the word "future" in its Black History Month theme for this year, with the title "Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations."
Ignacio said adding futures to the mix puts more optimism into the conversation on Black cultures.
"I'm an anti-racism practitioner, and I'm migrating into my futurist era," Ignacio said. "My projects are always about Black economic mobility, and that is to secure the future of the Black community. Having a futurist mindset and celebrating Black futures allows us to look at Black History Month in just a little bit more of a positive way. But (to) also think about, 'What are the legacies? What's the ancestral and the cultural knowledge that we're leaving behind for a future generation?'"
The Feed the Soul banner will now be used mostly for collaborations and to pursue new events that interest the organization's volunteers. Ignacio also said Feed the Soul may work on additional dining weeks in response to demand for collaboration from restaurateurs who are racialized and/or Indigenous.