My daily bread...
Well… it finally happened. Patio Season has officially arrived at Rise.
I rounded the corner at 3am on Friday morning and there it was. The patio had shown up sometime in the middle of the night, and I honestly could not wipe the smile off my face.
We hauled out every table and stool we could find, pieced it together as fast as possible, and hoped for the best. And you know what? You all took to it immediately. Pizza Friday, the patio was full of people soaking up the sunshine, eating pizza, drinking coffee, visiting with friends, and just enjoying the energy of it all. It didn’t matter that it was still a little rough around the edges. It already felt like summer at Rise.
Over the weekend, I added a few more touches - some planters, more tables, and the big communal table that I’ve had in storage is out there ready for Monday morning. There are still a few little details left to finish up, but as usual, time ran out before my ideas did. Still, it’s officially happening, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
There’s just something about seeing people gathered outside with good food, good coffee, and a little Alberta sunshine that makes all the hard work feel worth it.
And honestly? That’s only the beginning of this week’s newsletter. There has been so much happening around the Rise Kitchen this past week, and I’ve actually got pictures this time to prove it.
Speaking of signs of summer… Edgar Farms Asparagus is back in the Rise Kitchen again this week.
I picked up an even bigger batch this time because honestly, it felt like we almost ran out last week. So there is a huge box of fresh local asparagus sitting here ready to go, and we are weaving it into as many things as we possibly can.
You’re going to find it in the salad bowl, you’re going to find it on the pizza, and if there’s enough left after all of that, I may even sneak a little bit into the soup this week too.
There’s just something about asparagus season that feels like the true beginning of spring in Alberta. Fresh picked, local, and absolutely beautiful. So while Edgar Farms keeps harvesting it, we’ll keep finding ways to fit it into the menu around here.
Okay… we need to talk about the Kaslo Sourdough Pasta for a second because you guys have absolutely fallen in love with it.
And honestly? I completely understand why.
I haven’t even worked my way through all the different varieties yet myself, but every single one I’ve tried has been incredible. The texture, the flavor, the way it cooks - it is just such a great product, and I’m so excited to have it on the shelves at Rise.
The response has been so good that I went ahead and brought in even more varieties this time now that I know there is definitely a customer base for it around here. The shelves are stocked!!
Finally… gardening season has officially arrived.
May long weekend is behind us, we survived our little Alberta snowstorm, and now it’s time to get our butts out into the garden.
Which brings me to something kind of fun happening at Rise this week. If you’ve ever heard that coffee grounds are good for your garden - it’s true. So instead of tossing all of our beautiful Birdy Coffee espresso grounds into the garbage, we’re bagging them up and giving them away.
Spent coffee grounds are wonderful for adding organic matter to your soil and compost, and gardeners love using them around flowers, vegetables, herbs, and planters. They can help improve soil texture, add nutrients like nitrogen, and worms absolutely love them in compost piles too.
Trust me… every single planter on the Rise patio has a healthy dose of Birdy Coffee grounds mixed into it for good health and good vibration.
We usually have at least one or two good-sized bags every single day, so if you’d like some, just come on down and grab a bag. First come, first served.
Or… if you’d like us to save you one, you can absolutely add it onto your preorder and we’ll put your name on a bag and set it aside for you.
PRE-ORDERING: While we’re talking about coffee grounds, pasta, bread, soup, pizza, salad bowls, cheesecake, or honestly, anything else at Rise… this is probably the perfect time for a little reminder about pre-ordering.
For all of the new faces that have been coming through lately - yes, you can absolutely pre-order pretty much anything at Rise.
We keep it very old-school around here. You come in, chat with us at the till, let us know what you’d like, prepay for it, and we put your name on the list underneath the till. That’s it.
No disappointment. No tears. No showing up at 12:30 hoping there’s still pizza left and finding out somebody ahead of you bought the last on.
If it’s on your preorder, it will be here waiting for you.
Okay… how many of you have been around long enough to remember the Chicken Burritos?Well - we finally did it. We made a huge batch on Friday, and they are officially back in the freezer ready for you.
And for those of you that have never tried them before, this may be your sign. These little bundles are absolutely perfect for this time of year. Camping season, quick summer suppers, easy lunches, late-night meals, throwing together something simple with a salad on the side - they are just so handy to have tucked away in the freezer.
Each burrito is packed full of roasted chicken mixture and rice, rolled up inside a flour tortilla, dunked in pureed salsa, topped with cheese, and then grilled before freezing. Which means… they are fully cooked and completely ready to go.
All you have to do is heat them up!
Italian sodas are back at Rise!
Sitting out on the patio with one of these in your hand just feels like summer.
This year we are kicking things off with an absolutely incredible pureed Lemonade Italian Soda! Rae ended up being the very first official taste tester on Pizza Friday. She was grabbing her pizza, we handed her one to try, and then of course the rest of us had to have one too “just to make sure the proportions were right.”😜 Research purposes, obviously. And wow… it is so good.
We make it with real lemons - skins and pith removed. I throw it into a high-powered blender and puree it all together with just a little bit of sugar. It’s bright, fresh, tart, refreshing, and unbelievably full of real lemon flavor. Then we pour it over ice and top it with sparkling spring water.
That’s it. Simple and absolutely perfect.
And if you like things a little sweeter, you can totally add a shot of vanilla syrup. Just ask.
Ok, now let’s get into what’s happening in the kitchen this week…💛
MONDAYS AT RISE
Monday mornings at Rise start bright and early. Doors open at 7am, the coffee is on, and the kitchen is already moving.
The espresso bar is fully rolling with all of your favorites - lattes, cappuccinos, iced coffees, cold brew, teas, our in-house made chai, golden milk lattes, and now of course… the Italian sodas have officially joined the lineup for patio season too.
The pastry counter will be stocked up with all the usual morning favorites, and if you’re looking for something a little lighter to start the week, we’ll also have Yogurt Parfaits layered with berries and our fresh house-made granola ready to go as well.
And while all of that is happening out front, the kitchen is in full Monday mode behind the scenes because honestly… you beautiful people buy us right out by the end of the week.
So weekends are for grocery runs, restocking fridges, hauling in ingredients, and getting ready to do it all over again.
The team rolls in, the knives come out, the music goes on, and the chopping officially begins.
First up this week will be the wraps. We’re kicking things off with Grilled Chicken and Veggie Wraps again because you absolutely flew through them last week. And if all goes according to plan, I did pick up a ham this weekend, so we should have some ham wraps joining the lineup a little later in the week too.
After the wraps come the Rice Paper Salad Rolls w/Peanut Sauce - always one of the first things to disappear once they hit the cooler.
And then we move into the salad bowls.
Now… this week’s bowl is taking a little twist away from our usual quinoa-heavy direction. There’s still a little quinoa pasta happening in there, but we’re changing things up a bit this week, and honestly, I think you’re going to love where this one is headed.
Salad Bowl of the Week - Thai Peanut Asparagus Noodle Salad Bowl is happening this week, and I am very excited about this one.
We’re building it with quinoa pasta, French black lentils, vermicelli noodles, and loads of fresh vegetables all tossed together in a beautiful peanut vinaigrette. There’s broccoli, asparagus(of course), green onions, mung bean sprouts, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and all those bright fresh flavors that make this kind of bowl so addictive.
Back in the early days at Rise, we used to make a version of this with soba noodles, and it was always a favorite. But over time, one thing that has really become a signature around here is making sure our salad bowls stay gluten-free whenever we possibly can. So this version keeps all the flavor and freshness while making it accessible for even more people.
You can add on Rockridge feta and a side of fattoush for a little extra crunch and flavor if you like.
Sourdough line-up...
Monday - no sourdough loaves
Tuesday - SuperSeed Multigrain Loaves and Red Fife Country Loaves
Wednesday - The Classic Brown Loaf and Herb Focaccia
Thursday - Light Rye Loaves and Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns
Friday - Red Fife Country Loaves and Cinnamon Buns
Wednesday Soup - Rustic Lemon Parm Italian Wedding Soup.
This soup is everything you want out of a cozy bowl of comfort food, but it still somehow feels bright and fresh at the same time. We’ve got grilled Italian sausage chunks, tender orzo, loads of vegetables, rich broth, parmesan, herbs, and a beautiful hit of fresh lemon running through the whole thing.
It’s hearty without being heavy, rustic without trying too hard, and honestly… it’s one of those soups that just makes people happy.
And if history repeats itself around here, this one probably won’t last long.
We’ll be ladling it up by the bowl and litre starting at 11am.
TGIF - Spring Asparagus Pasta Nest Pizza with Baked Egg.
We’re starting with a cream of asparagus lemon garlic base, then layering on roasted asparagus, ribbons of prosciutto, roasted red onion, provolone, and mozzarella.
And then comes the fun part.
Right on top of the pizza, we’re building little Kaslo sourdough pasta alfredo nest, each one tucked with asparagus spears and a baked egg nestled right into the middle.
It is rich, creamy, fresh, rustic, and just a little bit ridiculous in the best possible way.
And of course, once it comes out of the oven, the whole thing gets finished with fresh greens and a bright lemon dill aioli to pull it all together.
Coming out of the oven starting at 11am.
Cheesecake Friday
Okay… first of all, last week’s Mojito Cheesecake was absolutely phenomenal. I snapped a picture of our little staff table while we were doing some very serious cheesecake “research,” and honestly, this is one of my favorite little traditions around here. Whenever something new comes out of the kitchen, we all gather around, grab forks, and officially taste test before it ever hits the counter.
And yes… the Mojito Cheesecake absolutely passed the test.
The fresh lime, the mint, the creamy filling, the rum chantilly on top - it was ridiculously good!
Which of course immediately led to the conversation:
“Okay… what are we doing next?”
So this week, we’re continuing the whole cocktail-inspired cheesecake situation with a Strawberry Basil Daiquiri Cheesecake.
I have a beautiful giant pot of fresh basil ready to go, strawberries are happening again because I am still completely obsessed with that rum chantilly, and somewhere between now and Friday there’s a very good chance we dream up a few more ridiculous additions that absolutely do not need to happen… but probably will anyway.
At the moment, I’m picturing strawberries, basil, creamy cheesecake, rum chantilly, maybe a glaze, maybe a crumble, maybe something crunchy… honestly, who knows where this thing will end up by Friday morning.
And somehow… as if Pizza Friday and Cheesecake Friday weren’t already enough chaos for one day… This coming Friday is also the last Friday of the month. Which means it's also: CINNAMON BUN FRIDAY.
Yes - the legendary sourdough cinnamon buns are happening again, and yes, you absolutely should get your preorder in for these.
These buns are made with the same beautiful milk bun dough that we use for our Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns, with the only little tweak being a touch of brown sugar swapped in for white sugar to give them that deeper caramel warmth.
And just like all of our breads, these are 100% naturally leavened sourdough. No commercial yeast. Just time, fermentation, and a whole lot of love.
Once they come out of the oven piping hot, I completely drench them in our in-house caramel sauce that’s been spiked with cinnamon. Then they cool slightly before getting topped with cream cheese icing and toasted pecans.
They are sticky, soft, rich, messy, and absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way.
And because they only happen once a month, they disappear very, very fast.
So if you’ve never had one before… this might be your month.
And if you already know what I’m talking about, then you also already know you should probably get your name onto the preorder list sooner rather than later.
Well… after looking ahead at the weather forecast, I think it’s safe to say we are finally heading into a beautiful Alberta summer week.
Twenty degrees, sunshine, patio season officially underway, cold drinks flowing, coffee brewing, pizza baking, flowers growing, and all of us slowly coming back to life after a very long winter.
And yes, there’s probably a little thunder shower hiding in the forecast somewhere because… Alberta. But don’t worry. We’ll just grab the patio tables, haul them back inside, squeeze everybody in together, and carry on like we always do around here.
So this week, stop by. Sit out on the patio. Grab a coffee. Try an Italian soda. Bring a friend. Stay for lunch. Pick up bread for home. Slow down for a few minutes and enjoy all the little things that make this season so good.
Thank you, as always, for continuing to fill this little bakehouse with so much life, conversation, laughter, and support. Watching all of you gather around the patio this weekend honestly made my heart sing.
Wishing you all an absolutely beautiful week ahead.
And I’ll be back here next Sunday with more stories from the Rise Kitchen.💛
