Awn Kitchen, #104 5124 122 Street NW, Edmonton, AB (2026)

04/13/2026

March was another busy month and the first bit of April has started off much the same! Been spring cleaning at Awn and at home - always feels so good to go through things and reevaluate what’s worth taking up space and what’s not. Been knitting socks galore - my therapy! Writing lots and one day the writing will make it’s way to the blog, but also writing for reflection and to ease my mind. Checking things off the to do list and refining systems and priorities. Spending time with my family and friends. Beeen cooking and baking lots at home in my downtime. Planning the rest of 2026 and prepping to launch the July, August and September schedule which will be posted Monday. I’ve been reading lots and am excited for the first Cookbook and Book Club to start on Wednesday. Continuing to limit my screen time and can’t quite believe how much good has come from it - a clearer mind, better sleep and here’s the real shocker - more productive! Easter weekend was great, almost four full days off of work with the odd email and a trip to Awn to fold washing and take out the bins, rare for me but grateful. Last Saturday I celebrated striding into my last year of my 30s and on Friday we celebrated my niece turning 14! My limited screen time has been spent obsessing over the Artemis II mission - the wonder and joy of it all, the collective good and how amazing all of those things combined are for our well being in a world that feels messy and loud! Here’s to the rest of April, spring feels like it’s here for real this time and the sunshine popping in and out is so welcomed!

03/10/2026

“It must be nice to only work 6-9:30.” “Being your own boss… Nice.” “So, how many days a week do you do this? Once or twice?” “Is this all you do?” “Is this your full-time job?” “Is this place all yours?”
I get these comments a lot. There are, of course lots of positive ones too, that come more often than the negative ones, and those are the ones I focus on. Over time, the negative ones do grind on me a bit. And while I’m calling them negative here, I know even in the moment they aren’t meant to be. When it’s not your job, how would you know?
To answer those questions – an average workday for me is 10+ hours. There is admin - emails, invoicing, bookkeeping, scheduling, social media, planning. There is a lot of shopping each week – multiple stores. I pick up a wine order weekly. Classes require testing, writing, development and reflection. There is laundry, bathroom cleaning, garbage runs, dusting, dishes, table setting, and general cleaning / organizing to do. I have two employees that combined work about 20 hours / week helping with dishes in class and other miscellaneous tasks. I teach an average of six classes / week, and a day “off” still includes work in some capacity.
Being your own boss has its perks, but it also means that the weight of everything is on your shoulders. Yes, it’s all I do! And yes, it’s my more than fulltime job. Yes, it’s my space, but not without the support of family, friends and my small team.
Something I have really been focused on over the last six months is balance in the busyness, truly finding moments of calm and checking out from technology, knowing I don’t have to be available 24/7. Having solid routines and systems helps too.
On the flip – I have a regular client base always encouraging me to continue to find the balance, reminding me to take time away, rallying for me and supporting Awn. When I’m teaching, I feel like I’m hosting a dinner party, meeting so many new people and getting to have wonderful conversations while sharing the values of Awn – it’s the best.
I genuinely love what I do. Small business isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s the most rewarding job out there.

03/09/2026

On International Women’s Day – I celebrate all the women who inspire and push me and who are always there for me. I wrote a blog about four extra special women, my grandmothers Molly and Ruby, Mrs. H and my friend . Mary, pictured with my mum and I last spring answered a few questions for me about food and the kitchen - which I shared in the blog. To all the other women - my mum, sister-in-law and niece to my friends new and old, and to my teachers and mentors throughout the years.

There’s someone else I celebrate today too, myself. The little girl I was who loved to bake. The teenager who loved to make a mess in the kitchen. The university student who didn’t quite know what was next. The culinary student who was following passion. The woman who, eleven years ago this month had an idea stirring in her head (while still at culinary school) to start teaching cooking classes with no idea how it would all play out. The woman I was when I expanded during a global pandemic and the woman I am today, the soundest stage of my life both in the kitchen and outside the kitchen.

And, of course today, I celebrate all the women who are yet to come into my life and inspire me, and to the future versions of myself too. Wouldn’t it be fun if we could go back in time and tell a different version of ourselves advice from the current version of ourselves?

02/24/2026

It’s somehow the last week of February! Although I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympic hockey (which I must admit is all I watched) I am grateful to be getting back into a normal routine with less screen time – did anyone else find themselves on social media more?

February has been another busy month at Awn, my knee is healing from tearing my MCL, we’ve hosted private classes as well as a solid regular schedule. We’re in the hungriest of months in Alberta – comfort food, but also a change to cravings.

A little update – kids summer classes are finally up, the fall session of our Kitchen Skills Course has launched as well as our fall Cookbook + Book Club, Knitting Circles are up through July, and in July we’re taking the Knitting Circle to the park (with a picnic of course!).

It comes up most nights “wow, your classes are sold out so far in advance,” it’s true, and I am grateful for everyone who supports Awn and shares Awn with friends and family. I am mindful of how the schedules sell and have tried different things over the years, but this seems to be the best. I also wanted to remind everyone – you can always add your name to the waitlist and be sure to scroll down to see classes that do have openings. Although upcoming classes (generally within a few weeks) are sold out, there are classes with availability at most points in the year, and I sometimes add additional classes to an existing schedule. There are spaces available in a few classes in March (March 3 | The Middle Eastern Table, March 23 | The Family Table, March 29 | Easter Brunch), April, May and June classes are up with lots of availability.

Speaking of additional classes – I’ve just added a brand-new class – The Maritime Table – lobster rolls, seafood chowder, baked beans…

As a thanks for a cracking start to 2026 and to celebrate the days getting longer apply WINTER2026 at checkout for 10% off a class booking until February 28 at 11:59pm – some exclusions apply.

01/30/2026

One of the first things I learned to make at culinary school was shortcrust pastry - in my memory it feels like we made it most days.
Coming back to Alberta - shortcrust pastry was one of the things I had to relearn to make. The climate is different, as are the ingredients. It’s still one of my favourite pastries to make and quiche just might be one of my favourite things to eat! It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, great on a road trip, can be eaten hot, cold or somewhere in between! I still think of and week one in the kitchens every time I make it - Pat was my first teacher - and one of my most favourites!

01/23/2026

As a kid I learned to crochet and knit – but barely, a phase that didn’t last long. In my early 20’s I re-learned how to knit and knit a strawberry tea cosy in England – that’s quite cute, but full of imperfections. A few years ago, I started to knit at night, it would go in spurts, and I’d knit the same thing – very plain, single stitch scarves. In the spring of 2024, I taught myself to purl and read a pattern (ish), then my friend Debbie taught me to knit in the round. I made a few baby hats and then had my first attempt at a very holey and wonky sock. I still have it even though no one will ever wear it – and it’ll never have a partner. After that my socks started to look a little less wonky and even still knitting sock number 44, I see improvements to my sock knitting. I knit my sister-in-law a sweater for her birthday (that she received four months late) – and there were points where I felt like I knew little about knitting – there were some holes in the armpits, but they were easy to fix. As soon as I finished hers, I wanted to knit another one – I have knit myself, a single pair of socks, everything else I knit have been gifts or snagged up by my niece and mum (which I’m happy about!). So, I decided to knit myself a sweater – in 18 days, and I must say, I’m quite chuffed.
Over the last six or so months I’ve been working to rid old habits – it hit me last night at work as I walked back from taking the garbage to the bin… The end of 2019 – I’m not totally sure when, was tough. There were moments I felt like I was coming out of the thick of it, but habits die hard. It might sound silly, but knitting was quiet time, it kept my mind just busy enough, it’s pushed me to learn. I remember someone saying to me once, “I couldn’t learn to knit, making mistakes and having to rip it out would be too hard…” I thought to myself, but isn’t that life? I love seeing the progress… I wrote a blog on why I started knitting, how I started knitting and some random thoughts on small business, work life balance and letting go of the notion that when the pandemic hit, the world changed.

01/17/2026

A mission of mine is to share and teach as many people as I can the value of a roast chicken. Roast chicken dinner is one of my favourite meals – simple, comforting, delicious, nutritious and easy to make. I grew up in a house where we had a roast dinner most Sundays – and it’s a fond childhood memory.

Buying chicken pieces costs more than buying a whole chicken for the same amount, the processor has had to do more work, it makes sense. But here’s the thing, with a roast chicken you can please those who love white meat (without drying it out), and those who love dark meat, you get the bonus of a carcass to make stock out of, and you have drippings which once you deglaze are liquid gold. And the chef’s perk, two perfectly delicious roasted wings – which can obviously also be served, but it’s my favourite part of a roast chicken and they rarely make it to the table. At Awn, I’m sure to share the wealth of those perfect wings.

I’ve said it before – I don’t love talking about food being expensive, because I truly believe it shouldn’t be cheap, cheap food has an impact that ripples into many areas. I do think food should be fair – for the farmer, the environment and for the consumer in all the areas it ripples to. With our costs going up – surely, we can understand that farmers are also experiencing the same things within their business meaning yes, they may have to charge more to be profitable.

I love seeing how far I can push one chicken (at home). Last week I roasted a chicken at Awn for class, we used half of it in a chicken pie that if it was a main course would have served six people generously with a salad on the side. I took the rest home and made chicken stew and used some for chicken sandwiches the next day. And there is a carcass in the freezer to make stock with that will be the base of a soup down the road. Eat less meat, better quality – and make the ripple positive.

A roast chicken, it’s easy to chuck into the oven, set a timer and walk away – but it doesn’t have to be used for a roast chicken dinner. It can be sliced or shredded with endless opportunity. I shared a few tips, tricks and recipes about roast chicken over on the blog.

01/07/2026

Nearly a week gone in January already…. The anticipation of the holiday season always seems so long and then p**f, it’s all over and it’s a New Year. I got sick on the 24th of December and had to cancel a private class and all the kids classes which was a disappointment. I’m well on the mend now and have a friend coming for dinner - roast chicken with stuffing and all the veg, since Christmas dinner was cancelled, this is my taste of Christmas! That all sounds a bit doom and gloom… The New Year has started off with lots of rest and reflection - knitting, cooking and baking at home, enjoying the quiet and simple moments, getting outside and plenty of planning for what’s ahead at Awn! It’s been a good start to 2026!

It’s been eleven years since I was at culinary school - where I fell in love with baking sourdough. Through the ebbs and flows of running a small business I must admit, prioritizing baking bread at home has fallen out of the routine. Something that for years was standard - I do miss it. I think 2026 might be the year where I start baking sourdough at home again. This is my second loaf of the year and I must say nothing tastes (or smells or sounds!) like fresh sourdough out of the oven.

Speaking of sourdough, January - March classes are sold out, but the new schedule launched yesterday and I added quite a few sourdough dates…. As well as brought bake the all day sourdough class which I haven’t taught in a few years!

There are loads of new classes on the new schedule as well as all of the favourites! The full schedule is on the website! Kids classes for the summer will be posted tomorrow at noon.

I’m back in the workshop tomorrow with week one of the Six Week Kitchen Skills course, and I can’t wait! It feels like months since I’ve taught, ha! Hope everyone’s had a slow start to the year. Happy New Year!

12/23/2025

December! It’s been a busy last month of 2025 and here we are two days away from Christmas! A wee wrap up and update!

A picture from class on Sunday - one of the most festive dishes! Roasted squash with a herby green sauce, feta and pomegranate. Always a favourite.

The workshop hosted 17 classes between December 1 and 21 - 11 of those being privates with between 8-22 people. Phew! It’s been so much fun and we’ve met so many wonderful people! We have one more private group after Christmas coming in and they’re cooking a Mexican feast, then that’s a wrap on 2025 classes.

We also hosted our December Knitting Circle a few weeks ago - a reminder the dates for January - March are up on the website!

The workshop received the best Christmas gift this week… new ovens! We’ve been battling with an issue with one set of ovens for quite a while now and pulled through replacing both units so they match and fit in the space properly - talk about standing behind your product.

December is always a busy month with family too, ahead of Christmas with three family birthdays! I enjoyed spending the weekend doing as much prep as I could for a smooth week of Christmas festivities which started last night with a bowling / taco salad party! On Sunday, we welcomed friends from Perth (some welcome for them with this weather, hey?!). I am looking forward to spending the next few days gathered together over good food and drink with family and friends - who really are family!

I’ll be taking a short break from emails and such over the next few days but, as always I will share tips and tricks from the kitchen Christmas Day! If you have a question you’d like answered - send me a note!

Hoping everyone stays warm and cosy and has a lovely few days ahead!

12/22/2025

Tuesday marks two years since the cafe closed - and four and a half years since this space opened. Like us - businesses grow, adapt, pivot and change. Over the last ten plus years this business has seen many changes - rebranding / expanding, closing the cafe and the renovation to the space this past January being some of the biggest.

I’ve spent many hours over the last (almost) year knitting in this spot - the knitting I do at Awn is mindless - in between tasks, sometimes a time to wind down, it quiets my mind but also leaves just enough room to think and reflect. I sit and look at the table across to the wall my cousin painted and think about how drastically different the business is now than the one I dreamed of for so long before expanding.

I’ve been proud of every version of my business, every step, every success (and even the not so successful bits), the good, the not so good and everything in between. But this version just might be my favourite. The version that has allowed me to stay busy building the business but to still be able to find time to slow down and value the slow moments again. The space is everything I imagined the workshop to be and getting to call this my place of work is the best.

I can’t believe it’s been two years since closing the cafe, but at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago. I still get asked regularly why I closed it and if I regret it. My answer is the same as it’s always been - opening the cafe alongside the workshop was meant to be part of the story - but where the business is now, is exactly where it’s supposed to be!

12/16/2025

As Christmas approaches and work winds down for the year I have loads to be grateful for. In a world of overconsumption, influence and inflation as a small business owner I wanted to jump on here and say how grateful I am for each and every booking in 2025! Every time I get a notification on my phone or computer from Shopify with a booking – I open it, look at who is coming, how they heard about Awn and what they booked. Every booking means something to me – the owner. Awn is small – and it takes a village of my family, friends and team to make things tick. Celebrating ten years this past summer and the busiest year of classes – it isn’t lost on me, how lucky I am to be here, still opening my door almost daily to welcome guests through the door to learn, connect, share, eat and be.

We’re down to the wire with Christmas only ten days away – I encourage you, in the hustle and bustle of it all – to consider supporting a local business over the convivence of ordering online. Last week I wanted to get new pasta rollers for Awn – and it makes me crazy that I couldn’t find them in person – we all know what online shopping from the big company that starts with A is doing to small business – the backbone of our communities – but they’ve made it so convenient, they’re smart, they have power. I refused to order them from them, made do with what we had at Awn. The convivence of shopping in the way we can now - it has an impact.

All this to say – a huge shoutout to every person who came to a single class or multiple classes, signed their kids / grandkids up for classes, to all that organised team building events, family / friend gatherings or celebrations, to the many people who organised staff holiday parties and to all the new and regular clients that have joined a class this year. You’re the backbone of this small business – because you support it. It’s true to say – every time you chose to support a small business – you impact individual people – supporting their dreams, their families, their small teams in a way that also builds community. Thank you to the Awn community!

Awn Kitchen

04/13/2026

03/10/2026

03/09/2026

02/24/2026

01/30/2026

01/23/2026

01/17/2026

01/07/2026

12/23/2025

12/22/2025

12/16/2025

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