inthekitchen
retailer of the year:
Cocoabeans Bakeshop
About eight years ago, Betsy Hiebert, along
with a few family members, was diagnosed
with Celiac disease, which renders the body
incapable of processing gluten. Disappointed
at the substitutes available for gluten-free
baked goods, she was determined to find a
way to feed her family the tasty treats they
missed. Instead of using wheat, which has a
natural binder that provides elasticity, Betsy
developed recipes using bananas, flax, chia,
psyllium and powdered egg substitute to help
hold her baked goods together. She introduced
her products at several farmer’s markets and
local retailers, where they were snapped up by
gluten and non-gluten eaters alike.
Demand led Betsy to open Cocoabeans
Bakeshop on Tache Ave in December 2012.
Since its launch, she has gained many loyal
customers who are overjoyed to find they are
able to eat the foods they love again. It is not
uncommon for Moms visiting the shop for
the first time to burst into tears upon realizing
they are able to give their loved ones the simple
pleasures the rest of the family enjoys, from
healthy morning muffins to moist birthday
cake. Customer reactions have been ample
motivation to expand the product selection,
which now includes items like pizza crust and
buns which cater to those with dairy- and eggfree dietary restrictions.
Supporting local is Betsy’s philosophy,
sourcing Manitoba-grown ingredients such
as flax, potato starch and quinoa. The bakery
also supplies to more than 20 local retailers,
cafés and restaurants which would otherwise
be unable to provide gluten-free alternatives.
Betsy’s commitment to educate and provide
Winnipeg with healthy options has earned
Cocoabeans Bakeshop Ciao! magazine’s 2016
Good Food Manitoba Retailer of the Year
award.—KC
12
ciao! / aug/sep / two thousand sixteen
salt than commercial versions.
Many burgers celebrate the f lavours
Manitobans know and love—this is a place
where one could order a bison patty topped
with blueberry barbeque sauce. Nuburger
has been committed to local sourcing since
the beginning, bringing in beef, bison, pork
and chicken from local farms, Peak of the
Market vegetables, Bothwell cheese and
Loveday mushrooms with which to top
freshly baked Stella’s Bakery buns.
Sourcing loca l ly has posit ive
environmental impact, as ingredients travel
shorter distances. Sustainability is taken
seriously at the restaurant, which pays to
compost, and offers only compostable and
recyclable take out containers. Last year,
these efforts garnered LEAF (Leaders in
Environmentally Accountable Foodservice)
certification—Nuburger was one of only
five Manitoba restaurants to achieve the
distinction, and the only business not
under the umbrella of the University of
Winnipeg’s Diversity Food Services brand.
Nuburger, with their apropos heartshaped logo, is feeling the love from all
sides. Foodies flock to the restaurant for
its wild flavours and stay for the primal
satisfaction of biting into a really good
burger. It has been voted to victory
in the popular Le Burger Week event in
September for the past three years in a row,
featured on the Food Network’s You Gotta
Eat Here! and has begun a feel-good fast
food takeover of the city with a new second
location on Kenaston.
With the earnest inflection of someone
who truly believes in what they do, Marc
sums it up simply: “We’re just happy to be
here, making good food for Winnipeg.”
In an era of big culinary movements,
perhaps the most inf luential shift is
actually epitomized by the humble burger.
This is what we eat when we’re in a rush,
when we can’t decide where to go, when we
want something simple yet satisfying—and
while the burger continues to evolve with
our eating habits, restaurants like Nuburger
recognize its potential to help shape a
greener, healthier, tastier world.
Who knew? Hamburgers just might be
the ultimate superfood.