The Pulse
July 22, 2026

Greg Sweeney's evolving HOM Street Food is an occasional pop-up restaurant, a catering and prepared meals service, a packaged food brand, and now the resident operator at Bibo Strathcona.

At Bibo, in the back alley at 10302 Whyte Avenue NW, the HOM menu is fragrant and bright, with dishes that make liberal use of herbs, chilis, garlic, and fermented ingredients. Sweeney informally founded the company after travelling across Southeast Asia in 2018.

"Southeast Asian food is fresh and bold," he told Taproot. "They do a lot of fermentation, and they do shrimp paste and fish sauces, and all these funky and umami flavors that I was blown away by."

Sweeney is putting his spin on regional specialties from countries such as Thailand and Indonesia rather than mass-consumed dishes that Western palates may be more familiar with. "Everybody knows green curry — which I love — but it's just not the type of thing I'm interested in making."

That said, one of Sweeney's current favourites is rendang daging, a dry, curried, caramelized beef dish. Rendang, or slow-cooked meat that is typically stewed in coconut milk and spices, is officially considered a national dish of Indonesia.

"It's one of my favourite dishes that I had over there," Sweeney said. "I serve it with peanuts and fried anchovies, so that's a little bit different, and with sambal, braised greens, and a turmeric rice."

When the Culina group opened Bibo in 2024, it was a sake-and-wine-bar reinterpretation of the Bibo that closed alongside Culina in Mill Creek in 2016. The operators tapped Sweeney for a June takeover after a turnover of kitchen staff turned into an opportunity to experiment, Sweeney said. It didn't hurt that he had worked for the Culina group in the past.

"This industry is really small," Sweeney said. "One thing I love about it is that the people who you respect and who you're friends with, they really want everybody to succeed and be great."

Dan Tansy, who works at nearby Boxer, built a cocktail menu to complement HOM's flavours. It includes the sake that is foundational to Bibo in a negroni named for Whyte Avenue, mixed with pandan gin and bianco (white) vermouth.

• The City of Edmonton said crews were repairing multiple sinkholes after heavy rains, including a new one near 120 Street and 108 Avenue and another ongoing repair at 107 Street and 130 Avenue. Neither EPCOR nor the City have an exact timeline for the repairs but updates will be provided as the work progresses.
• Edmonton Public Library (EPL) announced it has appointed Sharon Day as its new CEO, effective Aug. 17. Day has 20 years of experience in public libraries, including 17 with EPL, where she spent the last four years as executive director, customer experience.
• Gregg Distributors, an industrial supply company founded in Edmonton in 1968, has sold to the private-equity arm of Brookfield Asset Management for $1.6 billion. The company, whose 20,000 customers include energy companies, municipalities, and construction firms, is likely to benefit from most of the major projects underway across Western Canada. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. The Gregg family is exiting, but most of the company's 1,000 employees are expected to stay.
• The Edmonton Police Service released CCTV images and a composite sketch as it seeks help from the public to identify a suspect in a sexual assault investigation in south Edmonton on April 18. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
• In an opinion piece for Postmedia, former mayor Stephen Mandel argued that Coun. Michael Janz's comments about Israel were divisive and said city council should focus on local unity and safety. "We deserve leaders who bring us together, who respect factual truth, and who uphold the principle that every citizen, regardless of their background or faith, belongs here," Mandel wrote.
• At least five international students in Edmonton told CityNews they were denied post-graduate work permits (PGWP) after completing a non-credit program at Edmonton's Campbell College that they believed qualified them. Federal officials said eligibility rules have not changed. "We updated our PGWP webpage in June 2026 to clarify the existing eligibility requirements related to non-credit programs of study," the federal government told CityNews in a statement. "To be eligible for a PGWP, applicants must complete a program of study that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate from a designated learning institution."
• KDays hosted a 72-hour futsal marathon attempt aimed at setting a world record while raising funds and awareness for Alberta Dreams. Mayor Andrew Knack was among the players, and scored the first goal of the marathon.
• Edmonton Valley Zoo is taking name suggestions for three Arctic wolf pups. Name suggestions can be submitted on the zoo's Facebook page until July 26.
• Ahead of Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum, CBC News reported Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen again declined to say how he will vote. "There's a tremendous amount of people wanting to have this referendum, and I'm glad that it's being put forward to Albertans," he told reporters at a news conference on an unrelated topic. Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith and U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra also fielded separatism questions at an Edmonton business summit.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Theatre in the Park starting at 11am at Kensington Community Playground
• Magpie Festival Class: Richard Lee | Movement Lab — Selective Tension starting at 11:30am at Sugar Swing Ballroom
• Theatre in the Park starting at 2:30pm at Caernarvon Community Hall
• Musicians for Canada: A Benefit Concert for Canadian Unity starting at 3pm at William Hawrelak Park
• Tech For Good Alliance Working Group starting at 4pm at Arcadia Brewing Co.
• Community Cooks: Cree/Métis Cuisine starting at 4:30pm at Elmwood Community League
• Family Nature Nights: Urban Birds starting at 6pm at Alfred H. Savage Centre
• Edmonton Riverhawks vs. Kamloops Northpaws: Get Punk'd + 2000s Dance Party starting at 7pm at Re/Max Field
• Garden Concert: Jessica & Sam Heine starting at 7pm at Anglican Parish of Christ Church
• Magpie Festival Class: Lin Snelling | Walking into Dancing starting at 7pm at Sugar Swing Ballroom
• After Dark at Delavoye: A factory tour and dessert experience starting at 7:15pm at Delavoye Chocolate Maker
• Valerie June starting at 7:30pm at Horowitz Theatre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• July 28: Mocktails & Masterminds with Kevin Jones at Sherbrooke Liquor (St. Albert Trail)
• Aug. 5: Family Nature Nights: Movement in Nature at John Walter Museum
• Aug. 28: Dîner en Blanc at an undisclosed location

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

You'll find hints for 1-Across and 8-Across here.