I Heart Edmonton

The Food By Emil Tiedemann There’s a #foodie revolution happening in Edmonton, just ask any of the growing number of food bloggers and social media gluttons online. They’ve been pretty busy telling us about the delectable delights that are all of a sudden all over town, as exciting new cafes and eateries pop up mostly - but not exclusively - in the downtown and Old Strathcona regions.  The culinary scene in Edmonton has finally earned some respect and is no longer just that place where big U.S. franchises come to test the waters before expanding throughout the rest of the country. Nope, we’ve evolved into something kind of like the Portland or Atlanta of Canada, this sort of overlooked market for emerging chefs and their maverick menus.  Some dishes from some of Edmonton's best eateries (photos by Linda Hoang). And now we’ve become spoiled, our palates refined, our taste buds pampered by the ever-progressive and devotedly tasteful dishes from restaurants like...

124th Street By Emil Tiedemann Filming of MGM’s iconic The Wizard of Oz began on a lot 2,800 kms away in Culver City, California on October 13, 1938. On that very same Thursday, Edmonton began it’s own cinematic legacy, as the doors of The Roxy Theatre opened up for the first time on the corner of 124 Street & 107 Avenue.  At the time, the Roxy was considered one of the most luxurious movie theatres around, built by I.F. Shacker of Hanna with spring seating, air conditioning, and plenty of legroom! Designed by Edmonton architect William G. Blakey , the Roxy would eventually screen The Wizard of Oz (1939), but the very first feature lit up on the theatre’s marquee was Deanna Durbin ’s Mad About Music , which started at 6:00 that evening.  Eventually, in 1988, the Roxy became a live performance venue, and by 1989 was the home of the Theatre Network and their Nextfest . It remained one of Edmonton’s most beloved venues for local artists up until January 13, 20...