retailer of the year : Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen
While hip new startups have embraced local eating and heritage techniques , the folks behind Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen can truly say they were doing it before it was cool . 25 years after opening their first bakery , they continue to set the standard for local and environmentally responsible sourcing .
The business ’ s roots go back to the original Tall Grass Prairie bakery on Westminster Avenue , which began as a way to connect customers to the farmers that produced their food , a rallying cry against mass production and the undervaluing of the agricultural industry . From these seeds sprouted the location at The Forks , where owners Tabitha and Paul Langel , Lyle and Kathy Barkman , and Loïc Perrot have turned a simple retail space into a local institution .
Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen ’ s bake-athome meals and party-saving appetizers keep customers ’ freezers well stocked , while packed shelves of preserves ( pickles , veggies , salsas , jams ) make browsing the selection feel like a no-holds-barred raid of Grandma ’ s pantry . Perhaps most impressive are the bottles of organic Manitoba sunflower oil , which is cold pressed on site , eliminating the environmental and financial toll of hauling by truck .
“ It ’ s a ‘ back to the future ’ kind of company ,” says Tabitha Langel . From flour freshly ground from Manitoba wheat to mason jars of local fruits , the lost arts of preserving and baking from scratch are practiced here . “ We ’ ve always believed in the goodness of simple food .”
It may seem surprising in 2015 to find a business built on techniques commonplace 100 years ago , but the revolution Grass Roots is leading is a quiet one . This respect for tradition has earned Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen Ciao ! magazine ’ s 2015 Good Food Manitoba Award for Retailer of the Year .— JK
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keeps them passionate while serving large crowds .
They also enjoy a challenge . Last year Kramer ’ s goal was not to use a single out-of-season tomato at Elements . In an industry where consistency is prized , importing veggies from afar is standard , but a localvore directive prevents such a plan . Instead , summer was spent canning , freezing , and preserving , and ripe Manitoba tomatoes became flavourful condiments all year long . Such limitations lead to creative problem solving ; rather than slide a slice of fresh tomato onto a burger patty , Kramer explains , “ We have to ask , ‘ what ’ s that tomato for ?’ Flavour , moisture , offsetting the meat with some acidity – and then figure out what else can do that job .” In the end , the burger wore a dollop of rich red tomato chutney .
Buying locally and seasonally can be limiting , but the company has also had a hand in widening ingredient availability , as its large scale allows local producers to take a chance on guaranteed demand . Searching for fresh new finds has led to some boundary-pushing meals . The Folk Fest menu this year , for instance , includes protein bars and a chutney made from crickets . The bug ( which , we ’ re told , tastes like a sunflower seed ) is efficient to produce and packs a powerful protein punch .
Such wild ideas speak to the passion that all the chefs of Diversity share . Watching Kramer , Cattani , and Epp pinch purple leaves of orach – ‘ mountain spinach ’, a leafy , nutritionally dense heritage plant – during a morning photoshoot at Riverview Community Garden , it is evident that connecting to food ’ s origins brings pure joy . Taste reigns , and makes satisfied customers willing to hear why local eggs ’ rich orange yolks or the oft-tossed tops of radishes are so surprisingly delicious .
“ We want people to bite in and say , ‘ why does this taste so good ?’” says Kramer . Hemingway was on to something when he called Paris a moveable feast – like a beautiful city , a good meal stays alive in the memory , no matter where it ’ s served . Food fresh from the land , prepared well , will always be delicious .
12 ciao ! / aug / sep / two thousand fifteen