Anyone who ever chased the ice-cream man will understand the concept behind the food truck, those trendy mobile outlets that are starting to pop up on the streets of Calgary. The new version of the food truck leaves the ice-cream man in the dust. The newest vendors are doing more than serving prefab food like hot dogs and frozen treats. They’re cooking in those trucks, preparing everything from real barbecue to perogies. It all means that the curb might just be the most coveted dining spot in town this summer. (For those who argue that Calgary’s climate means that the season is too short for these outlets to make a go of it, Rocky’s Burger Bus, a foodie favourite parked off Blackfoot Trail, proves that Calgarians are willing to brave the elements for good food.) 
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It’s do or die at 7 p.m. tonight for Calgary’s Connie DeSousa. The co-owner of Charcut will compete in the Top Chef Canada finale on Ch. 25, attempting to out smart, out last and out cook Vancouver’s Dale Mackay and Toronto’s Rob Rossi. The classically trained bun head (that’s slang for ballet dancer), who recently broke her own record for deboning a pig’s head (taking “Wilbur” down in 2 minutes, 18 seconds), proves that you should never underestimate a Calgarian who wants something… bad.
If what you want is to experience Connie’s craft firsthand, on July 27 Charcut will be hosting a dinner in which she and her partner John Jackson, as well as chefs from Rouge and Alloy, will be making their case for why Top Chef Canada could have culled its top three right here in Calgary. Click here for more info.
Eliese Watson has become Calgary’s queen bee. It’s the inevitable result of her work over the last year and a half as an apiarist, educator, defender and protector of bees and advocate for urban beekeeping. Rather than focus on honey production for herself or for retail sale, her company, Apiaries and Bees for Communities (ABC), is dedicated to bringing small-scale, residential, hobby apiculture to the city.
Backyard beekeeping fits comfortably into the concept of permaculture, accessorizing urban gardens with natural pollinators that also produce food that is as local as you can get. But Wastson’s motivation goes beyond providing people with the ability to produce private stocks of honey. The bigger picture emphasizes the role bees play in our agricultural system, pollinating flowering plants like clover, thistle, wildflowers, canola and alfalfa. In some cases, these are significant crops in Alberta, and reduced pollination means a lower yield. more
Our Easy Cook, Pierre Lamielle, went to chef school in New York to learn these classic French knife techniques. You can pick them up right here in Calgary, as Pierre demonstrates them in the show kitchens at IKEA in Deerfoot Meadows.
Ready to chop? Enter our contest to win one of three Kraftig chopping boards and Gynnsam chef knives, courtesy of the generous folks at IKEA. more
You’ll never guess where Pierre Lamielle is slicing up oranges in this installment of The Easy Cook. Let’s just say, there’s more than one way to get a little Vitamin D during the darkest time of the year.
You Might Also Like These Exclusive Videos starring Pierre:
How to Cut an Onion
Shake Your Butter Maker!
Adding Sizzle to a Party
Pierre Lamielle goes mano a machino to demontrate how easy it is to make butter from scratch.
Check out more of Swerve’s original Easy Cook videos:
How to Squash a Squash
How to Cut an Onion
How to Add Sizzle to a Party
Pierre Lamielle is back, this time adding sizzle to a house party by cooking up beef tenderloin carpaccio.
A special thanks to Rita Sirignano for providing the perfect kitchen location, as well as the Swerve staff and freelancers who appear as extras. (Watch for Julie Van Rosendaal at 2:02 .)
Whether or not you have roasted a turkey, here are a few tips to help make this season’s bird the best one ever.
Meat: Brining your turkey is like dunking it in an enormous bath of marinade, infusing the meat with flavour and moisture before it goes into the oven. When stirring up your brine, consider what flavours go well in a turkey dinner: onions, apples, herbs like sage and rosemary. more
Watch the premiere episode of Calgary Cooks, starring Lydia Marshall-Br0wn … and Julie Van Rosendaal. But there’s a Swervey twist: Instead of Julie showing you how to cook, you get to demonstrate your mad kitchen skills for Julie.
If you’d like to share the secrets behind your trademark dish in an upcoming episode, e-mail us at swerve@calgaryherald.com.
Meanwhile, here’s how to make an authentic Trinidadian Beef Stew (recipe below) more
It’s turkey time. Which means decisions have to be made. Stuffing: bread or sausage? Roasting: breast up or breast down? Deep-frying: whole or in pieces? Brining: to soak or not to soak? And then, what should you do with all the spare parts, those under-appreciated and oft-discarded innards that usually come with the bird? more
Don’t know yer butternuts from yer acorns? A spaghetti squash from a pumpkin? And how the heck do you crack one open? Or cook the good stuff rather than the gunk?
Pierre Lamielle has all the answers as he rocks the marrows. Caution: Vegetables were harmed in the making of this video.
You Might Also Like: Evil Pumpkin Zombie Soup
The first in a series of original Swerve cooking shows:
Join Pierre Lamielle, Swerve’s Easy Cook, as he demonstrates the tear-free way to slice and dice an onion.
Having everyone contribute to a meal (or party menu) is a great way to take the pressure off the host while sharing the fun of food preparation. A potluck is like a box of chocolates–you never know what you’re gonna get. But when you’re asked to bring something, what’s a safe pick? When in doubt, cheese (in any form, really) is always well-received. more
While it would be nice to be able to call in the big guns every time you have a party, it’s not always an option to hire a caterer. Taking care of the food yourself need not be scary or stressful–and it shouldn’t keep you from inviting people over. more
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