The Pulse: July 25, 2023

After rebranding from JustCook Kitchens earlier this year, EPIC has shifted away from its original food hall concept to a new model for its downtown location. But an expansion later this year could see the food hall return, with a twist.

"When we first started JustCook, the idea was having a brand targeted to chefs," Maëlle Toews, chief marketing officer at EPIC, told Taproot. "We were focusing on infrastructure and the technology for operations, so chefs had the tools to become business owners. But what we've learned is that though chefs like to create new dishes and menus, they don't want to be running the actual restaurant."

Toews said the JustCook name also did not resonate with diners. "JustCook wasn't meant for that," said Toews. "But EPIC for us represents what we want to be — we want people to come in and have an epic time and an epic experience that they remember and share."

In addition, EPIC has transitioned to encompass more refined, elevated food rather than the fast-casual concepts it started with. The new menus have been created by five "chefs in residence," but are executed by EPIC staff.

"That would be the main difference between JustCook and EPIC," said Toews. "Before, we left the chef to handle the kitchen side of things, and now we're in the kitchen."

The five chefs include Edmonton's Winnie Chen of Fu's Repair Shop, Peter Keith of Meuwly's, and Lindsay Porter of The Common, plus Calgary's Alex Edmonson and Oliver Butterworth from B.C.

Toews said EPIC selected the chefs based on their industry connections and word-of-mouth, and the arrangement allows those chefs to flex their creativity outside their day-to-day restaurants. For instance, said Toews, Chen's Asian fusion offerings at EPIC expand her repertoire.

"All the dishes that (Chen) made for our menu are things that she had considered for Fu's but didn't fit on that menu," said Toews. "This allowed her to explore a different side of her cooking. It's not a competition, it's a complement."

• The federal government has announced $47.8 million in funding through the 2 Billion Trees program to help plant 1.5 million trees in Edmonton. The city is matching the funding through its $66-million Greener As We Grow tree planting project. "This grant will allow us to expand our planting efforts over the next eight years, and bring us closer to our goals of being a healthy and climate-resilient city," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. The city plans to add two million new trees by 2030 and to reach total canopy coverage of 20% by 2071.
• The thunderstorm that blew through the city on Sunday night caused several power outages throughout the region and damaged at least one home when lightning ignited a fire. "It's been a really busy, interesting, taxing summer for all of our crews," Brian Williams, a district chief with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, told Global News. "But last night was a bit of a phenom for sure." EFRS said crews responded to about 300 storm-related calls.
• Changes are coming to the afternoon lineup of 630 CHED following the departure of J'lyn Nye. Chelsea on CHED with Chelsea Bird moves to the 2-5pm slot, and Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer will air 5-7pm. The changes will begin on Sept. 5.
• WestJet is expanding its winter service from Edmonton, restarting flights to Abbotsford and Mazatlán, and launching service to Montego Bay as of Nov. 12. The airline is also extending its Edmonton-to-Minneapolis service to operate year-round.
• Edmontonian Khaled Hussein, who was arrested by British police at Heathrow Airport last week, has now been formally charged under the U.K.'s terrorism act. Hussein has been charged with membership in a proscribed organization, identified as Al-Muhajiroun or the Islamic Thinkers Society.
• The provincial government said $68 million in funding for innovative housing solutions is now available through the Affordable Housing Partnership Program. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 16. The first round of funding, which closed in January, resulted in $124.7 million in funding for 30 projects, including $14.9 million for Civida's Lendrum Redevelopment.
• Premier Danielle Smith's mandate letter to Dale Nally, the minister of Service Alberta and red tape reduction, asks for action on infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles as well as electric vehicles. "It's not about one or the other," Nally told Postmedia. "It's about offering Albertans choice in their zero-emission vehicle."

After being on opposite sides of the debate on whether to close 102 Avenue to traffic, two Edmonton advocacy groups are working together to look at ways to improve walkability in the downtown core.

Urban Development Institute-Edmonton Metro, an organization representing real estate developers, and Paths for People, a group advocating for active transportation, are surveying people who spend time downtown about where they would like to see improvements. They released preliminary results on July 20. The survey will close in mid-August.

The project came about after the two organizations disagreed about turning part of 102 Avenue into a pedestrian corridor. While Paths for People supported the idea, UDI opposed it. Ultimately, city council decided to reopen the avenue to traffic.

"We wanted to really show that we can disagree on different topics and approaches and still move forward," said Jason Syvixay, director of metropolitan strategy and advocacy for the institute. "That conversation really revealed that all stakeholders, whether it's Paths for People or UDI-Edmonton Metro, we really want one thing and that's a vibrant downtown."

When Paths for People's push to turn 102 Avenue into a pedestrian corridor was unsuccessful, chair Stephen Raitz wanted to explore other opportunities to improve the pedestrian experience.

"Everybody wants like a really great pedestrian-friendly downtown," Raitz told Taproot. "We can't agree on where right now, but we can agree to things in that larger vision. So this project is all about trying to sort out what that larger vision could tangibly look like."

The survey asks people to rank options that could improve walking or rolling downtown, such as improving sidewalks, crosswalks, or the pedway system. It also asks which streets respondents think could be improved.

Preliminary results show that while there is a large focus on Jasper Avenue, several corridors have been identified for improvement, Raitz said. The early results also show an interest in improvements to sidewalk infrastructure.

"Right now, it's very much a patchwork of different standards of sidewalks downtown," Raitz said. "Some of them are (of) a higher quality, like around Rice Howard Way and some parts of 104 Street. While on portions of 102 Ave., the sidewalks, especially at the western end, are not as hot. So some uniformity around the standard of sidewalks is a strong interest."