CITY VIEWS
by rachael frey
four people and order the entire
menu—sounds daunting but is
easily accomplished with the help
of some Riesling.
Where’s the best place to relax and
have a drink? Proof is my go-to
spot to chill and drink cocktails.
The room is very warm and
inviting and they have a great
happy hour as well.
Which annual event do you look
forward to every year? The ones
I look forward to most are Sled
Island, Calgary Folk Music Festival
and Calgary International Film
Festival. Carnival Cocktails for
Cancer is coming on its 4th year,
and is one of the best food events
and fundraisers in town.
Where’s the best place in Calgary
for live entertainment? I always
seem to find myself at both the
Palomino and Broken City for live
music, which I am always very
happy about.
Where are your favourite places
to shop? For clothes, I shop
almost exclusively at Understudy
and North American Quality
Purveyors—both are small, rad,
local, owner-run shops here in
town. For wine and booze, always
Vine Arts Wine and Spirits.
How do you spend your leisure
time? I spend most of my leisure
time hanging out with my
girlfriend, Maya—usually eating
at restaurants, working on DIY
projects for the restaurants or the
house, or just binge-watching
Netflix.
After getting his start in the restaurant industry bussing
tables at age 14, Cody Willis knew he wanted to own a
restaurant. He trained as a bartender, sommelier and chef,
and managed to parlay a series of pop-ups into one of the
city’s best known Mexican restaurants, Native Tongues
Taqueria. Several years later in 2017, Willis made waves once
again in Calgary’s dining scene with two new ventures,
Calcutta Cricket Club and Two Penny Chinese.
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THE ESSENTIAL CALGARY 2018
Do you have a favourite
neighbourhood in Calgary? My
favourite neighbourhood is
definitely Victoria Park. There
are so many creative restaurants
and small businesses in the
community that provide such an
amazing energy and vibrancy.
What’s your favourite restaurant
and what do you order when
you go there? I can’t narrow it
down to just one. I have so many
favourites. I’ve been digging Bar
Von Der Fels and Bread and Circus
a lot lately for a night out. The best
move at either spot is to go with
Describe your essential tour
of Calgary for out-of-towners.
In Calgary: Nose Hill park.
Glenbow museum. Inglewood.
National Music Centre. Dinner at
Pigeonhole. If you have time to get
outside the city, a trip to Banff or
Canmore is a must.
What is surprising or unexpected
about Calgary? I may be biased
here, but I think Calgary’s food
and restaurant community is
surprisingly advanced. Also,
Calgary is not nearly as cold as
everyone thinks it is… but maybe
I’m just used to it.
The Contemporary Culinarian