Articles

You probably have a new idea every day. Getting it off the ground is a lot more difficult than just thinking of it. Nothing in life is easy (except failure). ere are some suggestions from the inspiring life of ChefGail. It’s not what you look at but what you see that matters. – Henry David […]

It's a new year and you have another 12 months in which to become famous. ChefGail was a well-know personality in Edmonton but she didn't get famous from self-promotion. It took hard work at the community level where she gave as good as he got. Is this the year you will receive an award? #5 […]

As an entrepreneur, ChefGail had a remarkable success. She idolized her entrepreneur father and followed in his footsteps. Through her efforts she was able to find herself and you can too. #2 Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. - George Bernard Shaw Like her father, Gail was a serial entrepreneur. Nothing […]

The ChefGail Memoir contains 30 recipes but it also includes business insights drawn from ChefGails remarkable success in two different companies. Here is another one. You can read all of them in the book available at local bookstores and retailers. INSIGHT #12 A cynic knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. – […]

Many people think that Maps, Markets and Matzo Ball Soup is a recipe book. The memoir does contain recipes but it also includes business insights. ChefGail operated two very successful businesses and worked in retail and for the government. She was a highly regarded business person and served on community boards and committees. Some of […]

Here are some suggestions for discussion topics for your book club. We would be interested in your comments and suggestions coming out of the discussion. E-mail them to me at on@Q32.ca.   Maps, Markets and Matzo Ball Soup: The inspiring life of Chef Gail Hall Book Club Discussion Topics 1. Twyla wrote: (page 21) “The more […]

Twyla Campbell is a freelance scribe who has been writing about food, drink and travel for 14 years. Her articles have appeared in local, national and international publications. Twyla’s knowledge and experience has made her a sought after panelist and culinary competition judge, and CBC Edmonton AM’s restaurant reviewer (since 2010). When she’s not writing, […]

The best selling memoir Maps, Markets and Matzo Ball Soup: the inspiring life of Chef Gail Hall became an Edmonton Best Seller in its first week on the market. Here are some media links about the book that should convince you that you want to, not only own a copy, but give it to all […]

Gail Hall was idolized by the Edmonton food, theatre and educational communities. Her passing on Nov 16, 2016 was deeply felt by her many friends, students, tour participants, and people who knew her through her television and radio appearances. To preserve her legacy and to extend her work with young chefs, a memorial fund has been established […]

Exciting Food News: CHANGE Adventure Camp Chef Gail Hall knew how important good food and active outdoor recreation activities are for a healthy lifestyle. Education of what you eat and your health is a growing concern, especially now that statistics show that no longer is 50% of the Canadian population overweight and/or obese. Current reports […]

Hmm…let me just talk about the food, as this is a US town that has seen better economic times. It’s really not, so rather than camp at a very questionable campground, we settle for a Motel 6 – with air conditioning. Remember, it’s hot….at the recommendation of the front desk, at the Motel 6, we […]

We leave Hollywood and drive up the coastal highway heading to Santa Barbara. At Oxnard, the scenery changes from water and coast to inland agriculture. Strawberry fields forever! Here are some pics to give you an idea of what we drove through (I see a culinary tour to these parts...): Santa Barbara is a coastal […]

Must get to Hollywood to see the stars! But where are they? Hollywood Blvd. is not what I was expecting. It’s run down, seedy and pretty depressing. We did go to Graumann’s Chinese Theatre to see the where the stars have left their names and handprints or footprints forever cast in cement. We also walked […]

One of the problems of being on vacation and keeping a daily blog going, is staying ‘on vacation’ while keeping a blog going. It has become work. So forgive me if there hasn’t been any news for the past week – I got caught up on vacation. I’ll make up for it now with some […]

I could easily get used to the life of the rich and famous…. a day at the hotel, exercise room, pool and a theatre engagement at night – we splurge and buy tickets to see Broadway Across America’s Billy Elliot, the Musical, at ASU’s Gammage theatre. The theatre’s stage is smaller than the Jubilee’s, with […]

Yes, that probably caught your attention. It’s because of a must stop at Shields Date Gardens (corner of hwy 111 and Jefferson) for a date milk shake – yes, a vanilla milk shake made with date crystals (small dried date pieces). Known for their cultivation of dates, the Shields started in 1929 and produced 119 […]

Okay, so we pass up the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess….just kidding. I want to look up Chef Patrick Turcot, who is the Executive Chef of this magnificent resort. Chef Turcot was at the Hotel Macdonald and Jasper Park Lodge before coming here. Chef takes us on a tour of this sprawling campus style southwestern property – […]

We arrived in Indio, CA (just east of Palm Springs) in time to watch the Royal Wedding at Sun City Shadow Hills the home of Edmonton friend Dennis Goddard. Jon and I have to get used to the space – what luxury compared to the room in our VW. It’s a treat! Thank you Dennis! […]

Gail is a locavore; someone who eats food provided by local producers, growers and suppliers. She promotes local products in her classes and radio shows and uses local products in her recipes whenever possible. The extreme end of locavorism is “100 mile dieting” which means that all products must originate within 100 miles of the […]

VW van requires a bit more work today (new clutch). The weather is beautiful and Jon and I decide to take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from Berkeley to San Francisco. To the Ferry Plaza Market for breakfast. I wait in a long line at The Blue Bottle Coffee Co. (there’s always a line […]

It’s get the van fixed day (tune-up, oil change and muffler repair followed by four new tires) and at the suggestion of the guys at Buslab (specializing in VW Westfalia repair) we go to La Note for breakfast. I admit; breakfast is one of my favourite meals of the day. I love eating breakfast out […]

If your only tool is a hammer then every problem is a nail. I think about that all the time because I am a marketing guy and every issue is viewed through a marketing lens. I have been considering the wine industry for the past weeks while visiting a couple of dozen wineries. Winemakers spend […]

It’s Easter Sunday and some kids from a nearby camper are on an early Easter egg hunt. We get up, shower and enjoy a camper breakfast of Greek God’s honey yogurt, a banana and the alst of the Three Sisters Bakery Granola (it was mighty fine granola). We head to the Fairmont Sonoma Mission and […]

Drive to Berkeley in rush hour traffic and head to Peet’s for a latte. Busy place and Peet’s is celebrating 45 years in business. Did you know that Peet’s was the learning ground for Howard Schulta, the founder/owner of Starbucks?...It's less structured than Starbuck's, but just as busy. Lunch at Slow, a small bright spot […]

Travel is broadening. Despite the fact that we both intend to loose a few pounds on this trip as a result of good eating and increased exercise and therefore decrease the width of our beam, the trip has widened our minds. I already have a head full of unrelated and generally useless trivia but after […]

Hearty breakfast at Gillwoods café (multi-grain blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon for Jon and a breakfast sandwich – bagel, egg, cheese and bacon –for me). It’s off to the Rutherford area to tour some wineries: William Harrison, purchased a bottle of their cabernet franc; Rutherford Ranch, purchased their port and zinfandel; and St. […]

We continue touring wineries along the Russian River: Mill Creek (produces about 8,000 cases per year); Hop Kiln (a beautiful historic building that had been used to dry hops); Thomas George winery with a new cave that opened in 2010; and lastly Porter Creek winery (we had to stop here as Jon’s sister and family […]

Continue down the coastal hwy to Ft Bragg and purchase some smoked products (turkey and pork chops) from a local deli. We decide to head east on Dry Creek for Healdsburg (the north part of Sonoma). It’s a good thing we did this in daylight, as we climbed up to elevations of 2000 ft on […]

I am not addicted to media! Although it is different to be out of touch with the world outside my immediate realm, it has not been difficult to turn off the news, information and useless flotsam that drift through my life when I am constantly wired to the media. While Gail and I are on […]

Purists seem to think that there is a clear line between what is considered a local, artisanal product and therefore desirable and a mass produced, commercial product that is not so desirable. I can tell you that the two worlds are just shades of grey with lots of light to be shone on both sides […]

I am living with two women at the same time. No this is not some sister wife arrangement. One of them is fully aware of the situation while the second or newest woman is blissfully unaware of the other woman; and she doesn’t seem to care. Both women comment about my driving and provide invaluable […]

Our stop in Port Orford included a dinner at Griff's by the water. If a picture could tell a thousand words, it would tell mariner's tales I'm sure. Right on the water, this restaurant/shack claims that it serves the freshest seafood on the Oregon Coast and uses fresh catch of the day including some flash […]

The food cart phenomenon is well worth the visit. Food carts are scattered throughout the city. We head to Alder and 10th Street following the recommendation of neighbouring eaters last night at The Little Bird Restaurant. Carts/wagons/booths of all shapes and sizes are situated on perimeters of parking lots (oh what we could do with […]

I am not used to being insignificant. At six foot four I usually stand out in a crowd (except when I go to basketball reunions) so it is a bit of a shock to run under the radar at campsites. Gail and I are travelling in a 15 foot camper and when we pull into […]

We’re really impressed with Portland. Like Edmonton, it’s a city that is divided by a river. But unlike Edmonton It’s an easy city to drive around (with triple the bridges) and for a city of half a million people, they have great bike paths and a well-designed public transit system that includes low-profile streetcars (similar […]

Reflections on Travel We are blessed by the thoughtfulness of our predecessors who have since the early 1900’s developed a network of roads linking one community with another. Since the middle of the last century the highway network has developed with more pavement, interchanges and roadside amenities. We can zip from one community to another […]

We stop at two wineries that were on our original culinary tour to Seattle, way back in 1999: Columbia and Chateau Ste. Michelle. Since our tour, wineries have increased from about 70 to well over 200. The route definitely looks different…A wine passport event is taking place, so at 11 am, it’s very busy with […]

We rise early, and after tuning up our blog at a coffee shop, head to two wineries that we visited on our culinary tour of Seattle in 1999 – Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia. Both wineries are extremely busy at noon as they are part of a 40 winery passort program. People everywhere are pulling […]

Our eight week journey in a small camper van requires simplicity and thrift. It does not, however, require us to be miserly or uncomfortable. We are also loath to give us some of the elements of our lives in an electronic age. So our baggage includes cell phones, GPS, computer, I-pods and other electrically powered […]

It’s time to leave the Hamilton’s and head to the Black Ball Ferry, stopping at Discovery Coffee in Oak Bay at the recommendation of Allan Thimot, a former fan of Credo coffee in Edmonton. He’s right – it’s very close to the latte served at Credo and that makes me very happy! We arrive at […]

Bill drives us downtown and we tour the Royal BC Museum, taking in the Emily Carr exhibit (which focuses on her youth) and visit the history of BC (one of my favourite features of this museum, showing things like the history of the salmon canning industry). We grab a bite at Sam’s Deli (owned by […]

Enforced Simplicity Gail and I have embarked on an eight week journey without a schedule or an agenda. We will be living out of a 15 foot camperized vehicle with no fixed address. We each have a small bin for clothes and a bag of shoes. Our food fits in a refrigerator smaller than a […]

We drive down island and stop at Averill winery in Cowichin. A lovely stop; owned by Andy and Wendy Johnson (former Edmontons who owned the Medi-Centres). We have a wine tasting and fall in love with their blackberry dessert wine. Bottle in hand, we continue on and arrive in Oak Bay to the home of […]

We leave Osoyoos and head to two wineries Crowsnest and Forbidden Fruit. I purchase Sauvignon Blanc, a Cabernet Merlot and an award winning Iced Apple wine. We arrive in Burnaby BC to Adam and Thomas’s – friends from Edmonton who moved to Saskatoon and then Burnaby a few years ago. Adam, a former Gourmet Goodies […]

Osoyoos at the south end of the Okanagan is the warmest place in the valley. It attracts a year-round vacation crowd who enjoy the sights, recreation and wineries in the area. For a destination resort town it is lacking in fine dining. The Watermark is attempting to fill the void and there are remarkable restaurants […]

We leave Nelson, but stop first at Au Soleil Levant, a French Canadian bakery in the alley off Baker Street behind the BMO. They’ve been in Nelson for 10 years and word has it that they make the best challah (only available on Fridays). I buy a brioche with cranberries, raisins and walnuts and a […]

Now, Nelson has a population of 10,000 and I’m sure they have more independent coffee shops and restaurants than most cities that size. There are some hidden gems to satisfy hunger and soul. We had breakfast at the Full Circle Café. I go for the healthy choice, granola with yogurt finished with mango puree. Shannon’s […]

April 6, 2011 We leave Edmonton at 4 pm and head to Calgary to stay with friends Vic and Cathy Close. The van sputters a bit, so our aim is to get to Calgary and get it checked out in the morning. We are still in urban, working mode but as we head down the […]

From April 6 to May 29, check in with me as I travel with Jon in our Westfalia van to the west coast and down the Pacific Coast Hwy, writing about all things food along the way. Once we get through the first week of visiting friends and family along the way, we’ll stick to […]

Our culinary tour to Argentina and Chile was amazing. Memories of fantastic grass-fed and finished beef in Argentina paired with lots of Malbec wine. Chile's seafood and Carmenere wines were delightful. One of the cooking classes we did was an empanada cooking class. These beef filled turnovers paired with a salad make a great meal […]

A little bit about me: I’m a chef, writer and educator and I admit; food was my life. My apprenticeship in the wonderful world of food began at the age of five when my mother let me cook with her. I have great memories of cooking and baking under her watchful eye: everything from homemade […]

Good bakeries seem to be sprouting up all over town -- as they should. We are on the prairies, known for our fields of grain. Breadland Organic Whole Grain Bakery in Oliver Square is a hidden gem. The bakery was started by husband and wife, Csaba and Agnes Nemeth, both European master bakers who came […]

It may be the prairies, well-known for its fields of grain and grazing cattle. But did you know we do first rate smoked salmon hre as well? The recipe I've created uses gorgeous smoked salmon from Sgambaro’s Signature Foods. This Edmonton business specializes in producing fresh, never frozen, smoked salmon. It’s owned and operated by […]

Did you know that even in the cold of winter, Alberta's local producers are growing greens and herbs in greenhouses. The next time you reach for a package of herbs, why not source out some local ones? One of my favourite producers is West Country Herbs and Morinville Greenhouses. This business is about 5 miles […]