Just off Blackfoot Trail and Ogden Rd., cross corner from the Crossroads Farmers Market, there s a q

Just off Blackfoot Trail and Ogden Rd., cross corner from the Crossroads Farmers Market, there s a quaint little breakfast lunch spot nestled in an unusual strip mall located literally next to an on/off ramp. It s the home of Naina s Kitchen , a family restaurant that started off to become an industrial park diner, yet due to the passion of Erin Mueller , evolved into an entirely new creature altogether.
Erin, head cook of Naina s, is probably one of the bubbliest people you might ever meet. Always bouncing about her restaurant behind the cash, at the front, or experimenting on one unusual comfort creation cheap airline tickets to daytona florida or another, no one can deny her passion. Involved in the restaurant industry for ages at the Front of House or as a manager, things changed cheap airline tickets to daytona florida with the birth of her daughter Maren. Wanting a safe place for her daughter to play and combine it with her passion for home cooking, and with the support of her mother, Jacqueline-of-all-Trades Kelly, a diner seemed to be the perfect idea. To add a special touch, Erin named it after the term of endearment that little Maren used to call her grandmother, Naina . And from Day One, all three generations have been involved in one way or another in the business. Erin is usually in the kitchen, Kelly (when in town) is behind the cash or charming the customers, and Maren would try to help mommy, or be seen in a corner drawing , playing or just brightening up the day of all involved.
It was a bit of a slow start admittedly. cheap airline tickets to daytona florida While the menu was filled with much of the usual standards, the crowds weren t just piling in. But Erin refused to lower her standards, drop the pricing and compromise her food to bring in business. Her dedication was eventually rewarded when opportunity came in the form of a small local blog called BurgerQuest . BurgerQuest, a dedicated cheap airline tickets to daytona florida labour of love by a trio of burger lovers, were seeking Calgary s best burger. Rating Naina s stuffed burger the best, it brought the attention of other noted local food celebrities such as Julie Van Rosendaal and John Gilchrist , and the devoted loyalty cheap airline tickets to daytona florida from noted local businessman cheap airline tickets to daytona florida George Brookman (who had ordered some of the CBC radio crew to try the Naina burgers!).
Since then, Naina s has become a destination restaurant instead as her unique Stuffed Burgers has grown a following, positive reviews, and even WON the May YYC Burger Week challenge against some of Calgary s best restaurants such as Notable cheap airline tickets to daytona florida (2nd place by a squeaker), 80th and Ivy and Market . It s not our thing to be fancy, just good. noted Erin. As for what s a stuffed burger? Well, the Nainalicious, the winning YYC Burger Week burger below should pretty much explain it all.
It s a little quieter in the Kitchen now that Maren s in Kindergarten. But Erin s been using the extra time industrially to play with new ideas. Even now, she s already working on the next recipe to defend her 2013 trophy win while fundraising for the Calgary Zoo . It s important, they re our neighbor. I ve always had a season pass, and it s good for our city. states Erin. As such, with every purchase of a Nainalicious burger, a portion cheap airline tickets to daytona florida of the sales goes to the Zoo restoration fun. She also added, I m even going to open during dinner hours in the new year from Friday to Sunday. Best of all, the original Naina will soon be back in Calgary, reuniting all three generations for the holidays.
One amusing note for the readers, considering how Erin and I met, it s a wonder she even talks to me. When assembling a list of competitors for last May s YYC Burger Week charity competition, I made a cold call to Naina s Kitchen and asked for Maren instead of Erin. Wondering who was calling the restaurant and asking for her 4-yr old daughter, she understandably reacted with some suspicion. Realizing my error, the situation was eventually cleared cheap airline tickets to daytona florida up and the rest was YYC burger history.
You Might Also Like Stories from Our Skies: cheap airline tickets to daytona florida Introducing Santa Claus YYC Burger Week is Back Stories from Our Streets #YYCFLOOD Edition An Evening at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association Hall Stories from Our Streets: Introducing Margaret Nemeth
Imagine a Chinese Quebecois kid with an insane love for all things cheap airline tickets to daytona florida pop culture, chivalry and political / economic theory. Make him a foodie, add a few espionage skills, and have him exposed to Monty Python from birth. Toss in a few useful computer skills, a dragon boat paddle, a flair for the dramatic and the unenviable knack of being in the strangest places in the strangest times. Put that together, and… hi, I’m Terry Lo, the @calgarydreamer. I’m many things to a lot of people. Most people know me as the Spy Gadget Guy, an enthusiastic Yelper, or a local food fan. You may have seen me in the rare interview, my constant rants on Twitter over the best smoked meat places or even the rather embarrassing year I was a soap opera actor as a teen. If you’re ever around the Glenmore Reservoir during Dragon Boat season, you’ve definitely probably heard me growling from the water as I paddle with my Red Eyes team. But in the end, I like to think I’m a storyteller, and one who’s always been fascinated with the idea, “there’s a million people out there, and each and every one of them has a story.”