inthekitchen
fun food
What else would you call it when going
to work means getting to play all day?
by Joelle Kidd
We are in the midst of a fast casual revolution.
This relatively new dining category has grown in popularity in
recent years, displacing the time tested grease-bomb image of fast
food with innovative takes on fresh, healthy fare. Gold star chefs now
sling burgers, tacos, pizza, and anything else that will fit into paper
containers, and quick eats take cues from a full spectrum cultures
and styles, all served at clean, modern, order-at-the-counter spots.
Winnipeg has hopped wholeheartedly on this bandwagon, and it is
hard to remember the landscape as it was a few short years ago, when
Kawaii Crepe came on the scene.
“At the time, no one thought a crepe could be a meal,” owner Phil
Salazar remembers. He recalls friends and family members reacting
to the business idea with skepticism. “Everyone would ask, ‘you’re
only serving crepes?’”
Salazar’s wife and business partner, Candy Lam, is the dreamer
behind the cute shop. A trendsetter by nature, Lam’s entrepreneurial
spirit had led her to own a clothing store, Para Mix, in Osborne
Village. During frequent buying trips to Japan, Lam spotted crepe
stands serving crispy, cone-shaped versions of the beloved French
pancake, spun on circular griddles and filled with fruits and sweet
12
ciao! / apr/may / two thousand sixteen