The summer issue of our Market Report feature puts the spotlight on two remarkable local vendors who have been delighting our taste buds and adding a touch of magic to our local markets.
At Cookies by Jen every bite is a memory and YYSeafood offers freshness from the water to the table.
YYSEAFOOD
YYSeafood is Calgary’s newest fresh, quality seafood destination — and it’s the culmination of a dream 10 years in the making. Husband-and-wife duo Grant William and Leanna Edward met working in the seafood industry and have always loved farmers’ markets. Naturally, they jumped at the opportunity to launch their own seafood stall at Calgary Farmers’ Market West in 2022.
At YYSeafood, an array of fresh and frozen high-quality seafood fills the display cases; you can find anything from octopus poke to fresh oysters to wild halibut filets. The couple says sustainability and quality are important to them, and their popular tuna poke is made with wild, sashimi-grade tuna and flavoured with gluten-free soy sauce and sesame. The flavours are perfectly balanced, and the freshness of the fish is clear. The stall goes far beyond its five different types of poke, you’ll also find an addictive, tangy shrimp ceviche with cilantro and crunchy peppers. Leanna says they are experimenting with some new types of ceviche, too.
YYSeafood’s bestsellers are their salmon burgers and halibut burgers. The halibut patties are delicious and tender, with a bit of a kick, and the recipe includes a mix of products from other market vendors: gluten-free breadcrumbs from Delissitude, ketchup from Culture Shocked, and spice blends from The Silk Road Spice Merchant. “We believe cross promoting with other market vendors and using quality ingredients is what really makes them stand out,” says Leanna. We’ll be eating these burgers all summer long!
YYSeafood | Calgary Farmers’ Market West | 25 Greenbriar Dr. N.W. | yyseafoodmarket@gmail.com
COOKIES BY JEN
Spritzgebäck cookies are a traditional German butter cookie, and Jennifer Schlese inherited her recipe from her beloved grandmother. After a head injury and subsequent neurological symptoms left her unable to continue her career as a youth care worker, Jen launched Cookies by Jen in 2017. “Never in a million years did I imagine that I would be selling cookies (for a living),” she says.
Jen started selling her cookies at schools and began participating in local community markets. Demand for these tasty, melt-in-your-mouth delights just kept growing. With the mentorship of Crossfield Market’s Cheryl Shea, whom Jen refers to as “my second mother,” she grew her business and obtained the necessary certifications to sell her cookies at larger markets. Today, she is a permanent vendor at The Crossfield Farmers’ Market and Bearspaw Sunday Farmers Market. Jen’s passion for her community is easy to see; she describes her fellow vendors as family, and says she loves hearing her customers’ stories. “People say that this cookie brings them back to their childhood,” she says.
Jennifer’s Spritzgebäck cookies come in a wide variety of flavours, from maple to chocolate to jam-filled. Jen says she’s always experimenting and spent over a year figuring out how to make the cookies taste the same gluten-free. Her favourites are the original buttery vanilla flavour and Belgian-chocolate dipped. She says, “The community has been unbelievable with their support, and I am so grateful and appreciative.”
Hot tip Jen’s cookies can be stored in the freezer for a late-night snack!
Cookies by Jen | Bearspaw Sunday Farmers Market, The Crossfield Farmers’ Market, and Tangled Tree Markets | 403.605.1513 | cookiesbyjenn.com | Instagram: @cookiesbyjen4u
Leave A Comment