Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/402160
(top) DarrEn JaCkniskY, (riGHt) MaplE DaWn tHoMsEn Common Frozen Ground T his winter, when you're digging your Ford Focus out of a four-foot snow dump, try to remember that the annual freeze-up, and how we cope with it,is one of the quintessential Albertan experiences – agony, ecstasy and all. Need more convincing? Pick up a copy of 40 Below, an anthology of short ction, poetry and non- ction by local writers – all about Edmonton's frigid annual bonding experience. "It's not all about how winter is amazing and great, but about acknowledging that it's part of who we are, especially in a city like ours that tries to embrace it," says Edmonton writer and project creator Jason Lee Norman. A second 40 Below volume, hitting shelves in November 2015, will celebrate winter across Alberta. fortybelowproject.ca Cuban Done Right belIeVe It or Not, Cuban food in Alberta is sometimes truer to tradition than what you get inside the country's borders. That's because here, ingredients are abundant, whereas in Cuba, longstanding trade embargoes have resulted in a dearth of fl avourings like chilies and spice. "In Cuba, if we need garlic to get the right fl avour, we may not get it because there is a lack," says Madelin Sardina, Cuban-born manager of Henry's Restaurant at the Best Western Rimstone Ridge Hotel in Rimbey. Every Saturday evening since last June, Henry's has hosted a Cuban food night. Head chef Alexei Suarez and chef Odofvani Rodriguez previously worked at Sandals resort in Varadero, and everything from the restaurant's music and the menu to the cocktail list – not to mention most of the other staff – hail from Cuba. For newbie diners, Sardina suggests starting with the Real Cuban Platter with corn tamales, croquettes, stuffed plantain, papas rellenas (mashed potato fi lled with ground beef, then breaded and deep-fried) and more. The Cuban paella is a specialty, as is the Caribbean lobster (special-ordered because Pacifi c lobster didn't quite cut it for Cuban night). And Alberta beef gets a twist in the tropa vieja – pulled beef with rice congris (cooked in black bean soup), yucca and fried plantain chips. –S.R. Members save up to 20% on accommodation at Best Western. AMARewards.ca/BestWestern TARTAN 2.0 L ooking for a one-of-a-kind family gift that's practi- cal, too? At the Cloth of Kin shop in Rocky Moun- tain House, weaver Anna omsen and six other artists create custom fabrics for families from wool, bamboo, cotton, silk and hemp. "We refer to it as a modern-day tartan; a symbol of a family's togetherness," says omsen. Each family member chooses a colour that is signi - cant to them; a weaver then creates a unique bolt of fab- ric just for that family. Orders take about six months. omsen conceived the idea for Cloth of Kin as a way of celebrating her own family's roots; her Swedish grand- mother and great-grandmother were both weavers. Like much of their work, which omsen and her family still have, omsen hopes families will treasure their Cloth of Kin creations."We weave each one with the intention that it will become an heirloom," she says. "It tells your story for the next generation." Order online or visit the shop, where you can also purchase brightly hued handmade towels, fabrics, shawls and scarves. clothofkin.com –Shelley Boettcher Henry's Restaurant head chef Alexei Suarez and manager Madelin Sardina offer up a cuban feast every Saturday at the Best Western Rimstone Ridge in Rimbey. Anna thomsen of cloth of Kin.