Méli-Mélo May 2022
BEAN THERE?
Coffee talk
Mother and daughter duo Paula and Jayde Naponse opened Beandigen Café at Lansdowne in the autumn of 2021, after being selected by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group from applicants vying for a popup shop in the area. The Anishinaabe- owned business’s name is a play on words of “biindigen,” which means “come in and welcome” in Anishinaabemowin. Along with coffee, bannock and other treats, Beandigen is hosting workshops and selling Indigenous art.
Beandigen Café, 106-900 Exhibition Way, Ottawa, Ont., @beandigencafe
Caffeine rituals
After three years in Kanata, Chinelo (Chi) Houron decided to close shop at The Thirsty Maiden, rebrand and make the move to Stittsville. Kicking off 2022 with her new venture, Ritual on Main, Chi’s trendy space serves up coffee from Brown Bag Coffee Roasters in Aylmer, as well as local fare and in- house baked goods. Just steps away from the Trans Canada Trail on Stittsville’s Main Street, the coffee shop also has a liquor licence — in case a martini is your preferred way to enjoy your espresso.
Ritual on Main, 1510 Stittsville Main St., Stittsville, Ont., @ritual_on_main613
Sweet support for Ukraine
Apiverte is donating part of the proceeds from its sales of sunflower honey to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal to support Ukrainians impacted by acts of violence and displaced from their homes by the war.
A small-batch artisanal honey producer in the Gatineau Hills, Apiverte harvested this batch of honey from the sunflower field at the Richardson Family Farm in Wakefield in the summer of 2021. Ukraine is the world’s top producer of sunflowers, the country’s national flower, and each of the $10 jars will come with seeds for the same variety grown in Ukraine to sow here in Canada.
Apiverte Inc., 324 chemin Kennedy, Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham, Que.
MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Coming to Beechwood Market
Created in 2019, Food for Thought aims to curb food insecurity in Ottawa by donating fresh, hot meals to people who face barriers accessing food or the means to cook. Though the pandemic meant that the group of volunteers had to close the internet café from which it was serving the community and creating a gathering place, Food for Thought became an official not-for-profit at the end of 2021 and reached its goal of providing 365,000 meals in 2021 (that’s 1,000 meals per day.) The official charitable status means the organization will be able to access more funding opportunities to support its work.
The beginning of 2022 proved to be a rough start for the Food for Thought team as its work was impeded by the ‘Freedom Convoy’, which blocked many downtown streets, but it was still able to distribute many meals to downtown residents facing food insecurity. It also announced a new partnership with the Beechwood Market. The online market will be selling Food for Thought’s fresh-frozen meals by the kilogram, which will fund more meals for those in need. Led by director of culinary matters Joe Thottungal (owner of the Coconut Lagoon and Thali), early offerings include a chickpea curry, butter chicken, lamb curry and a beef and mushroom stew.
Food for Thought, foodthought.cafe, beechwoodmarket.ca
BECAUSE THE PLANET ISN'T SINGLE-USE
Friendlier packaging at The Red Apron
When The Red Apron moved to its new location further east on Gladstone Avenue, its parking lot got quite a bit of attention. Instead of asphalt, the lot is made up of a grid of recycled plastic covered in gravel, a more environmentally sustainable solution that allows for moisture to drain into the soil, reduces the “heat island” effect of uncovered pavement and requires less road salt in the snowy months.
The latest sustainability effort by the gourmet food shop is reusable packaging for its take- home meals. In an effort to reduce the use of single-use packaging, the bright blue containers are from Friendlier, a woman-owned company in Guelph, with packaging materials manufactured in Canada. Clients can clean and return their containers to the collection bin at The Red Apron and receive a refund for the packaging, or choose to have the refund donated to a charity of their choice.
The Red Apron, 410 Gladstone Ave, Ottawa, redapron.ca
The list of restaurants and food companies using Friendlier's reusable containers is growing. Find them at Carleton Place's The Good Food Co., Family Table Ottawa, The Kitchen at White Lake, Pure Kitchen, Sula Wok, le Suq and The Red Apron.
Concerts at BeetBox Farm — it's salad gold, baby.
Treat yourself to a concert under the stars at BeetBox Farm on the last Friday of the month from May through to September. After getting into hosting outdoor live music last summer, the farm team decided to make it a regular event for the 2022 season. Located within the Greenbelt in Ottawa’s west end, concert-goers are invited to bring their own chair or blanket to kick back at the farm. Tickets are $30, with proceeds going towards the co-operative farm “in its efforts to offer diversified organic vegetables and community programming to the Ottawa community.”
Check the farm’s website for updates on who will be playing and if you can’t make the concerts, visitors are welcome at the farm anytime the farm store is open.
BeetBox, 230 Davidson's Side Rd., Nepean, beetbox.ca/events, @beetbox_coop
