Food Roundup
Nov. 3, 2026
Farmfair International will offer food tastings and hands-on activities exploring where food comes from from Nov. 5 to 8 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. Cattle shows are among the signature events, with a Cattle 101 page that outlines just how much there is to learn about Alberta's livestock crown jewel. Organizers suggest supplementing a cattle show, where the beasts are judged by experts, with more foundational experiences such as barn tours and a visit to the Ag Education Zone. Last year, more than 1,150 cattle competed in front of 40,300 visitors.
Youth themselves are in focus on Nov. 7 during 4-H Alberta Day. Members of 4-H clubs and a junior 4-H program called Cleaver Kids will compete and develop their leadership skills. There will also be a focus on wellness — something the University of Alberta's AgWell Alberta says has been under-explored for farmers. A keynote from rodeo announcer Brett Gardiner, who is also a mental health advocate with a background in psychology, will cover that ground.
There's plenty of farm-adjacent fun for those who want a more layperson experience during Farmfair — which is apparently a lot of folks, as the event generated $20.4 million in economic impact last year. The Works Art & Design Festival is back for The Art of Farming, with artist Theodora Harasymiw transforming materials you'd find at a farm into contemporary art. And what is a farm fair without food? The featured country at tasting events is Argentina, with chances to sample sausage from San Martín Fine Foods, dulce de leche, yerba mate, and honey. The sausages will also be for sale as part of the Country Christmas Marketplace. Most food vendors at the market are visiting Edmonton from rural or far-flung places, but you can take home your purchases in a unique shopping bag made of feed bags by Sinkunia Community Development Organization's seniors quilting project.
Food Roundup Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors for helping to make our work possible:
Openings
- The Tiffin has opened at 9516 Ellerslie Road SW, offering home-style Punjabi and Indian food. The Virsa Group, which also operates downtown's The Virsa Mahal, is behind the restaurant.
- Pho Hoan Pasteur will open its sixth Edmonton-area location on Nov. 4 at #90, 993 Fir Street in Sherwood Park.
- Poppy's will hold its grand opening on Nov. 7 at 10621 100 Avenue NW, following a soft opening.
- Saint Laurent, a Montreal-inspired restaurant at 4721 50 Avenue in Leduc, will hold its grand opening on Nov. 7.
- Wabi Bubble Tea will open on Nov. 10 at 4110 167 Avenue NW.
- KBop, a Vancouver-based company offering Korean meal kits, is now available in Edmonton.
- Duchess Bake Shop is opening a third location in Keswick in south Edmonton.
- Effing Seafoods has announced its new Edmonton address at 9731 60 Avenue NW, following the closure of its longtime St. Albert location.
Where cold days meet comfort food
Savour all of Winterval's flavours including maple taffy, carnitas, hot chocolate and more. On Nov. 21, 104 Street will be the place to show up. Come with family, friends and your dog, but also come hungry!
Visit edmontondowntown.com/winterval to find out more!
Headlines
- Patricia Street Deli spoke to CBC's Edmonton AM about providing sandwiches for the families of soldiers recovering from the CFB Wainwright fire. The deli said it would use its Kindness Sandwich Program to feed the families. Owners Wendy and Glen Leitch moved to Edmonton after the 2024 wildfire in Jasper destroyed their business.
- Delavoye Chocolate Maker pledged to match donations up to $5,000 for the CFB Wainwright Support Fund through Support Our Troops. Owner Antoine Lavoie served 14 years in the military before opening his chocolate factory at 101, 10639 124 Street NW in 2024. He's tracking donations at the shop and through a custom link. Delavoye has also opened orders for the 2027 chocolate subscription, which delivers three bars per month for a year.
- Café Bel Air is seeking donations to repair fire and smoke damage at its Old Strathcona restaurant. The owners are asking for help with replacement equipment and inventory and operating expenses, and hope to rebuild an emergency fund. The crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $10,000.
- Twist & Taste launched gift card incentives after it lost money to people pretending to be market organizers. The owners planned to put market proceeds towards opening a standalone Georgian restaurant in January; the restaurant has been operating inside Waffle Bird since last December.
- Italian Centre Shop is offering a bonus gift card for gift card purchases made by Nov. 6.
- Kind Ice Cream sold out its first-ever advent calendar in less than a week of launching sales, even after expanding inventory due to demand. The calendars include 12 cups of ice cream.
- Anvil Coffee House in Ottewell offers tasty coffee and sandwiches alongside community programming, Edify reported. The café stays open late on Tuesdays for activities such as Dungeons & Dragons and writing nights.
- Breeya Schatschneider, 19, bought Grateful Grounds Cafe in Leduc through Facebook Marketplace. She told CBC's Edmonton AM about how the chance finding convinced her to defer attending university and become an entrepreneur instead.
- Mai Mai has partnered with Edmonton's Food Bank for the Spicy Bun Bo Hue Bowl challenge. Those that finish the bowl in 30 minutes are comped their soup and the restaurant will donate $10 to the food bank.
- River Cree Resort and Casino marked 20 years in business, with more expansion on the way after adding Canada's first Hell's Kitchen restaurant. "Good enough is not good enough," CEO Vik Mahajan told CTV. "Every time we do something, we strive to do even better, and we don't stop."
- Curiocity highlighted experiences at the Edmonton Christmas Market, including Christmas tea and a Japanese noodle-making experience. The market runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 20 at Fort Edmonton Park.
- WildRoots Bistro won the Ignite Award at the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce's Business Excellence Awards. The award is for a business with success in its first three years. The restaurant is hosting a schnitzel pop-up on Nov. 27 for walk-ins only, following an immensely popular past event.
- Andrew Rosychuk of Rosy Farms discussed wetland restoration and regenerative agriculture on Season 2 of Garden Stories. The episode explored a wetland restoration project covering about one-third of the Sturgeon County haskap farm. The TELUS Storyhive-funded show by Greenland Garden Centre's Jillian MacPhee and filmmaker Tyler Sirman will release its third season in 2027.
- Edify's 2026 Top 40 Under 40 recognized Heather Armstrong for her research into diet, the gut microbiome, and inflammatory bowel disease. The University of Alberta associate professor aims to provide personalized dietary guidance. Edify also recognized Sheliza Kassam, founder of Children's Birthday Miracles, a charity that has celebrated more than 3,500 children's birthdays with support from McDonald's and Coca-Cola.
- University of Alberta researcher Ning Xiang spoke to New Harvest about her progress on growing food from cells. New Harvest selected Xiang to research cellular agriculture at the U of A in 2024; she was just named a Canada Research Chair in the field. She is working to build out a lab to develop pilot-scale cultured meat. She'll share more about her work at Bioeconomy Guild Night on Nov. 4 at MKT Fresh Food and Beer Market.
- Ordr has appointed Daniel Montellano as an adviser to guide its expansion into lodging and hospitality. The company said he would help develop its customer-intelligence and integrated-payment products.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- Nov. 3: Sawmill's 50th Anniversary Fundraising Gala starting at 5pm at Sawmill Prime Rib & Steakhouse
- Nov. 3: Thoughtful Tuesday - Climate Extreme: Agriculture starting at 6pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
- Nov. 4: Bioeconomy Guild Night - Bridging the Scale-Up Gap in Cultivated Meat starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
- Nov. 5-8: Farmfair International at Edmonton EXPO Centre
- Nov. 5: Don't Let Your Brand Get Eaten: Protecting Your IP in Food & Beverage Processing starting at 12pm online
- Nov. 6-7: Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival at Edmonton Convention Centre
- Nov. 7: Opera Night with Andrea Pinna starting at 6pm at Ayco Cafe (Westblock)
- Nov. 7: Scarlett's Seasonal Soirée - Autumn Edition starting at 6pm at Clementine
- Nov. 10: Dumpling Fest Edmonton starting at 4pm at various locations
- Nov. 10: Thoughtful Tuesday - Milked: White Lies in Dairy Land starting at 6pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- Nov. 18: Indigenous Taste of the Market at Old Strathcona Farmers' Market
- Nov. 23: Reading Between the Barcode Lines: Gifting Outside the Box at Magpie Books
- Nov. 27: Festival of Trees Silver Bell Soirée at Edmonton Convention Centre
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.