Meet the entrepreneurs behind some of Calgary’s most beloved local market eateries in our regular feature, Market Report. This issues spotlights Krooked Lucy’s and Primal Soup Company.
Krooked Lucy’s
Drop by Krooked Lucy’s and you’ll find someone behind the counter with an infectious enthusiasm for perogies, borscht and Reuben sandwiches. Leanna Parent-Hertz, Lyndon Hertz and Jared Salekin are responsible for Krooked Lucy’s, which launched at the Inglewood Night Market in 2021 before finding a permanent home at Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens.
Krooked Lucy’s is a mashup of Krooked Kraut, a passion project that chefs Leanna and Lyndon started during the COVID pandemic, and Grandma Lucy, who contributed the perogy recipe the team uses. Leanna explains that Krooked Kraut’s goal was to “make approachable and fun flavours of sauerkraut with shorter ferments, so it has more crunch.” Krooked Lucy’s massive Reuben sandwich features both fennel-and-garlic kraut and dill kraut, which lends a refreshing tang to the hefty slices of pastrami, toasted sourdough, creamy Dijon aioli and melted Swiss cheese. It’s a masterpiece that requires extra napkins — there’s no delicate way to eat this sandwich.
The star of Krooked Lucy’s menu is the hand-pinched perogies, which Jared makes every week by the thousand. The perogies are generously stuffed with potato and cheddar or traditional cottage cheese and dill and beautifully fried up to order. Leanna says Krooked Lucy’s aims to make delicious, time-intensive comfort food to make people feel good. They’ve certainly accomplished that with their menu, and we look forward to new flavours of perogy on the horizon — including truffle mushroom.
Krooked Lucy’s | Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens | 12445 Lake Fraser Dr. S.E. | Instagram: @krookedlucys | krookedlucys.com
Primal Soup Company
This “mushroom issue” of Savour Calgary proves that mushrooms are a versatile and endlessly delicious ingredient. Primal Soup Company founder Margaret Nemeth agrees — one of her bestselling soups is Cream of White Mushroom, a velvety from-scratch creation featuring white mushrooms, herbes de Provence and a splash of chardonnay. Equally intriguing is the Cream of Shiitake Mushroom soup, which is full of hearty shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and 
potatoes. Both soups were created by chef Martin Brock, who has been with the Primal Soup Company for the past decade.
Primal Soup Company opened as a neighbourhood café some 30 years ago, but after a developer bought their original building in 2014, they relaunched with an expanded soup menu at the now-closed Kingsland Farmers’ Market. Eventually, Margaret and her team found their way back to Killarney and now have a café location in the neighbourhood, as well as a market location at Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens. Margaret says, “Each location has its own charm and there is nothing more exhilarating than introducing our soups to others.”
And there are a lot of soups to try! Customer favourites range from Thai Coconut Chicken to Jambalaya to the always popular Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle soup. A rotating selection of the soups are available fresh and frozen year-round at both locations. Margaret credits the longevity of her business to “a loyal community of customers that have supported us through thick and thin.” Here’s to many more years to come!
Primal Soup Company | Fresh & Local Market & Kitchens and Primal Grounds Cafe and Soup Company | 12445 Lake Fraser Dr. S.E. and 5255 Richmond Rd. S.W. | 403.454.5282 | primalsoupcompany.com
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