The NEXT Great Food Trend Happening at The Forks Market

It's time to treat your taste buds to the NEXT exciting food experience at The Forks Market. Now open, the NEXT food kiosk in The Forks Market showcases a unique local chef or restaurant that will rotate on an ongoing basis.

The Forks Market has always been a destination for variety when it comes to food, and NEXT is here to build on that trend. We’re really excited to offer a rotation of great chefs and restaurants at NEXT- and continue to share Winnipeg’s innovative foodie scene!

The NEXT food kiosk is located in the newly refurbished Centre Court, now dubbed the Food Hall, and will have Dancing Noodle as its first tenant. Their hand-pulled noodles are as authentic and appetizing as they are magical to watch when being made.  Usually located on Pembina, Dancing Noodle will be at The Forks until August 5, temporarily closing their main location.

Innovative and local, not to mention tasty- those are some of the things we are looking for when it comes to NEXT tenants. NEXT gives well-known restaurants and chefs in the city a food lab to show off new and innovative menu ideas. And for new entrepreneurs, NEXT can give them a space to launch their unique concepts.

So, if you want to become part of NEXT (or know someone who should), call 204-987-4352.

Stay tuned on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. to find out who's coming to NEXT.

Cheers to the first Craft Beer and Wine List!

The opening of the Craft Beer and Wine Kiosk at The Forks is SO CLOSE, and we can't wait to celebrate with you with a bevvy in the Food Hall!

We've got our first lineup of beers to sip with your fish and chips and wines to enjoy with your Greek salad.

So, who chooses the craft beer and wine?

We tasked Canadian-based professional sommelier and beverage business development specialist, William Predhomme, with choosing the beer and wine for our new Craft Beer and Wine Kiosk. Oh boy, did he deliver!

William says when he heard about the Craft Beer and Wine Kiosk, he couldn't say no. He created a list that is nothing like any other licensed Food Hall in Canada – a truly craft list not bound by large suppliers and with something that everyone will like.

All of our beer and wine has been carefully chosen to pair with the delicious food in The Market.

Without further ado... 🍺🍷

I can't wait until these taps start pouring the nectar of Gods. #Winnipeg #TheForks #beertime #craftbeer

A photo posted by Mike Smith (@wpg_msmith) on May 29, 2016 at 7:04pm PDT

Which craft beers?

We've handpicked the best beers to go with your Skinner's hot dog:

• Hop City Barking Squirrell
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager 
• Erdinger Weissbier 
• Stiegle Radler 
• Rhyme & Reason APA 
• Saugatack Brewing The Reverend Monk 
• Pommies Apple Cider 
• Local features from Half Pints Brewery and Fort Garry Brewing

We will serve beer in 12 or 16 ounce servings for $8-10 a glass. You can also get flights that will feature four, four ounce beers for $12-20.

Which wines?

We've chosen wines that come from as far away as Portugal and South Africa, to as local as British Columbia and Ontario.

• Bengamine Bridge Tial Bay
• Opawa Pino Noir
• A.A. Badenhorst Family Wines The Curator Red 2012
• Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner
• Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon
• Leaning Post The Fifty Unoaked Chardonnay (Owned by former Winnipeggers!)
• Leaning Post Syrah

We will serve six ounce glasses for $8-40 dollars a glass. You can also get wine flights that feature three, two ounce wines for $12 and $20.

#WineWednesday anyone!?

A photo posted by John Medina (@itsalexmedina_) on May 24, 2016 at 6:05pm PDT

The Craft Beer and Wine Kiosk will be opening VEEERRYY soon. Keep an eye out for announcements of the opening date, hours, and new food tenants!
Cheers! 🍻 

We're Buzzzzzzzing with Excitement

Flowers are blooming and the bees are now buzzing at The Forks as we launch the first urban bee project in Winnipeg’s downtown this spring. Thanks to our friends at BeeProject Apiaries, two honey beehives have been installed on top of the Caboose near The Forks Market.

As part of our Target Zero initiative, we’re really excited about having honey bees at The Forks. They play a huge role in our ecosystem, and globally their population is on the decline. We're hoping that we can be good stewards of our environment and use it as an educational tool for people to understand bee importance too.

The two hives each have approximately 10,000 honey bees and one queen, and are now secured on top of the Caboose.  This area was selected because it's out of public reach, close to flowers and the Public Orchard, and offers the honey bees a clear flight path above the people below.

Chris Kirouac, co-owner of BeeProject Apiaries, says that typically bees get a bad rap, but they are actually very docile and won’t sting unless they feel threatened. The urban setting is ideal for honey bees as they're shielded from many pesticides, predators, and harsh elements from the outdoors.

                                                    

By adding the two hives, the honey bees will help pollinate surrounding trees as well as The Forks Public Orchard. This will help the Public Orchard to produce more fruit that is more flavourful. The honey from the hive will also be more flavourful because of the variety of plants and flowers available to the bees.

The lovely folks at BeeProject Apiaries are going to be taking care of the colonies over the season. They expect the hives will produce 20-25 kilos of honey this year, with the first batch possibly ready as early as July.  The honey will be made available for sale with proceeds going to support The Forks Foundation. 

More information coming soon on when honey will be available- until then, we'll beeeeeee seeing you around 
  

Until We Meet Again

More than just ice and snow - we had over six weeks of beautiful conditions on the Red River Mutual Trail. Winnipeggers came out in record numbers to embrace winter and take advantage of 6 kilometres of river skating trails, an art gallery, Warming  Huts, and to check out classic "Winterpeg" events on ice.

While we glided our way down the trails, there was a crew hard at work creating and maintaining the ice. Made up of 11 members, the team worked morning, noon and night to keep our ice in impeccable condition.

One of the crew members, Jordan Janisse, captured life on the trail, giving us a glimpse into their world.

                                                                  

Let the season begin.

                                                                  

First flood.

                                                                  

Long days.

                                                                  

Getting ready for the crowds.

                                                                  

Opening day.

                                                                  

Flooding morning/noon/night.

                                                                  

Winter fun on the Red River Mutual Trail.

                                                                  

Too soon, the season comes to an end.

Until we meet again.

Photos by: Jordan Janisse

Fun Facts of the 2016 Red River Mutual Trail (RRMTrail):

- Open for: 46 days

- Total length: 6 km
- Most skates by one person (that we know of): 31
- Most Skaters in a weekend: 18,000 on Louis Riel Long Weekend
- Gallons of water pumped from the Red River to flood the RRMTrail: 630,000
- Thickest part of the ice: 28"
- Warming Huts on the RRMTrail: 5 new and 12 returning
- Warming Hut children got lost in: Snow Maze (don't worry, all children were also found)
- Hockey pucks recovered from berms around the Historic Port Rinks: 138
- Kilometres driven by the Olympic Ice Resurfacer: 700
- Number of canoes raced down the RRMTrail: 4
- Wind Derby Machines flown down the RRMTrail: 6
- Gourmet meals and cocktails consumed at the RAW:almond restaurant: 3200
- Number of Christmas trees used on the RRMTrail: 300
- Number of people on the RRMTrail Crew: 11
- Total of floods happening between 10 pm and 5 am : 10
- Litres of coffee consumed by the RRMTrail Crew: 80
- Total of injuries for RRMTrail crew members: 0
- Number of Fashion Shows on ice: 1
- Bathing suits that were worn on the RRMTrail during the fashion show: 2
- Weddings on the RRMTrail: 1

- Listed as one of the Top 10 Rinks in Canada!

The Forks Cycle Track is Gearing Up

Photo by: @whitepinebicycleco

Bicycle- Bicycle- I want to ride my bicycle! And soon you'll be able to ride it on a dedicated cycle track at The Forks. In the heart of the city, The Forks is a natural through way when it comes to biking around town. Now with phase one of our proposed cycle track under construction, biking between Osborne Village and St. Boniface will soon be easier. 

The plan is to turn the two-lane road into a multi-use access point: one lane for people in cars, a raised bike lane, and a dedicated sidewalk on either side for pedestrians— including strollers, wheelchairs, and other mobility vehicles. 

This is only phase one of the plans. Over the next few years, we'll complete a dedicated cycle track throughout the site connecting the Assiniboine Bikeway to the proposed Provencher bike lane project. We're also hoping to add a few more VIP parking spots for bikes site wide.

We'll be sure to keep you posted on future phases. Oh, and how could I forget to mention- the bicycle is a good invention. 

Happy biking from all of us at The Forks.

After 25 Years, The Forks Market Gets a $2.5 Million Refresh

We just celebrated our 25th anniversary last year, and we can't wait for what's coming next. Today, we are thrilled to announce a $2.5 million refresh to our beloved Centre Court and Atrium area of The Forks Market. It's going to have an 80 person harvest table, more seating, a craft beer and wine kiosk and five new food vendors.

This is going to mark the start of a new era for us, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the innovative ideas that are part of the design while still keeping our historical roots. We're saying goodbye to the teal and welcoming a more industrial feel with metal and wood. It's going to incorporate a look and feel of what the building was originally used for, a horse stable and machine shop for the railways. 

You can expect to see upgrades to all sorts of things in Centre Court, including: tables, chairs, lighting, fixtures and fittings, storefronts, flooring and the addition of technology (Yes, that's right- we're adding charging stations for all you tech-savvy folks).

With all the changes to Centre Court, it will be renamed to the more appropriate title of "Food Hall" and will feature a refreshed look for the existing kiosks and five new tenants. For the new tenants we are looking to find some local up-and-comer foodies, people who are excited to bring new food ideas to Winnipeg (If you think you've got what it takes to be the next great food kiosk at The Forks, click here for RFP details). 

Along with a new look we are also adding a craft beer and wine kiosk to The Market. This means you can now get a beer with your fish and chips, or wine with your roti! The kiosk will be open during Market hours and will be serving locally produced beverages. 

As for the Tower Atrium (commonly known as the skate changing area in winter), there will new tables and chairs, a chandelier made of hockey sticks, and flooring that will let you wear skates or heels! 

The renovations are going to start May 18, but don't worry because the Market will remain fully open as many of the renovations are taking place off site, or when The Market is closed.

Be sure to keep checking for updates and progress here on our blog, as well as on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Dearest Mothers

Dearest Mothers,

Wow*, you are the best! You've been there through it all {and dealt with a lot}. You've cheered us on from the sidelines and encouraged us to take those giant leaps out into the unknown. You've believed in us even when we didn't think things were possible, and you've celebrated with us when we realized you were right. If you didn't already know... you ARE the BEST!!! And there is nothing we could do, or say, or dream up that would show you how very thankful we are - but we will keep on trying because without you we couldn't imagine life as it is today.

Happy {almost} Mother's Day to all those that are mothers and mothers at heart!

If you're looking for ways to celebrate the mother in your life, we've got some great options here at The Forks:

Dining with Mother:
If you aren't the greatest at cooking, but want to make sure your mother has something yummy to eat, check out these delicious options:

• Old Spaghetti Factory has a great Mother's Day Feature Menu
• Era at CMHR is offering a brunch menu.
• The Forks Market also has a variety of quick service kiosks and full service restaurants to choose from.
• And for the adventurous mother- Food Trucks!! (weather permitting) 

Something Special for Mother:
If you are looking for bit of something special to give to your mother, here are some options {some classic, some creative}:

• Generation Green offers great eco-friendly and local products for every mom. 
• Forks Trading Company has hand crafted pottery, local paintings, specialty bath products, locally-made candles, jewelry and more. They are also doing a pop-up flower shop on Saturday and Sunday, while quantities last.
• The Almond Tree offers unique chocolate and chocolate covered treats that you can't find anywhere else in the city.
• Fenton's Wine Merchants can suggest the best bottle of wine as a gift or if your mom would love to learn more about wine, sign her up for a wine course.
• Bayshore Gifts in Glass has some amazing handcrafted specialty glass gifts
• Plus there are over 25 other shops in The Forks Market that you can check out for other special gifts.
• Riverstone Spa offers great treatments or gift packages that include time in relaxation areas and steam room.

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate your mom, remember that nothing can compare with spending some time together. So come to The Forks, grab some Fro-gurts and take a stroll on the River Walk.

*PS- Moms are truly wonderful... the name mom even confirms it because mom turned upside down is WOW!

Photo from Forks Trading Company

Food Truck Alley

 

It's only been a few days, but we've been loving the addition of food trucks to The Forks site.

Since May 1, on Israel Asper Way between Canadian Museum for Human Rights and The Forks Market, there have been food trucks setup from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each truck brings something fresh to The Forks and offers more innovative, local flavours to what is already on site.

Currently there is a list of 10 trucks and one ice-pop cart that will rotate through the four designated food truck parking stalls. There isn't any online listing of who will be on site, so be sure to check out their social media pages to see if they're here at The Forks!

Look for the following food trucks at The Forks this summer:

• Iggy’s Family Doener
• Healthy Eats
• Burgers R Us
• Little Bones Wings
• The Poutine King
• Habanero Sombrero
• The Bannock Factory
• Smokin’ Haut
• Fired Up!
• Hot Rod’s
• Pop Cart
• The Churro Stop
• Pimp My Rice
• Simba Safari