There’s little I love more than being at a crowded table in my dining room, surrounded by family, friends and special food.
Looking back, it’s pretty clear I inherited this love directly from my parents, who thought nothing of having 30 people over for Thanksgiving, or inviting all of the neighbours for drinks and dessert during the holidays. From them, I learned a few key lessons when it comes to hosting. First, don’t wait for things to be perfect. Better to invite those friends for basic burgers this weekend than to wait until your house is spotless. Second, use the good dishes, even for those burgers. And finally, there’s always room for more at the table.
I picked up some of the best lessons on what to serve and how to prepare it a little later in life, thanks largely to my friend Craig Laban, a fellow reporter in the Philadelphia Inquirer’s program for young journalists. Before we met, Craig had been working as a translator at a French cooking school – and picking up a lot of culinary knowledge along the way. Craig taught me some of the basic cooking skills I still use today – how to cut an onion, how to cook a chicken breast, how to plan a meal so everything gets done at the right time. A few years later, after working in New Orleans, Craig returned to Philadelphia as the restaurant critic, and going with him on review meals opened up my mind (and tastebuds) to so many amazing culinary creations. Food, I learned, could be creative, surprising and sometimes, mind-blowingly delicious.
All of these memories and experiences came together for me in February when I had the great pleasure of driving to Raymond to eat at Lethbridge College grad Kristy Olsen’s Eden Restaurant as part of my reporting for this issue’s cover story. Kristy – the granddaughter of one of the college’s Culinary program founders, Vern Olsen – welcomed her guests so warmly, making them feel completely comfortable in the historic house where she opened her one-of-a-kind restaurant in 2021. She definitely was using the good dishes – but the food she prepared went well beyond backyard burgers. From the beautiful and balanced beet salad with oranges, basil and pistachios, to the perfectly prepared duck breast with cherry and rosemary bread pudding, parsnip purée and sour cherry sauce, Kristy’s creations would have earned the highest ratings in any official restaurant review.
But Kristy did more than cook amazing food. She makes her guests feel at home in her unique restaurant (“it’s like having a private chef, except you come to my house,” she explains), and she takes true joy in chatting with them as she brings out course after delicious course. She built an innovative business model that worked during the pandemic and continues to work as she raises her daughter in her hometown. And like the chefs who created those Philadelphia meals I enjoyed all those years ago, she is opening up the minds and tastebuds of the southern Albertans who are lucky enough to be gathered around her table.
We hope you enjoy Kristy’s story and this food-focused issue of Wider Horizons! If you have a favourite recipe to share or a memorable meal you’d like to chat about, email us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our readers.
Lisa Kozleski, Editor
