Travel

Stay for the Food

In this mountain playground, there are lots of ways to satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst    Story By Wes Lafortune

Come for the mountains; stay for the food.

If Canmore was ever looking for a new town slogan to replace its current one, Do More, Play More, Live More, this may be it. This one-time mining community has, in recent decades, been transformed into a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, but it’s also becoming known as a mecca for great-tasting food. Thanks to the nearby Rocky Mountains, clean air and sheer beauty of the place, this town of 12,000 is a year-round tourist attraction that easily rivals its better-known neighbour, Banff. 

The key to getting the most out of the Canmore experience is two-fold: get out of your car and bring your appetite. Cycle, walk or even jog while exploring this jewel of a town nestled along the Bow River and you’ll be rewarded with a lineup of food and beverage options that includes everything from boar pâté to freshly brewed beer made with Alberta barley.    

My first stop is Valbella Gourmet Foods, a 25,000-square-foot facility that creates some of the tastiest meat products around. An easy two-kilometre cycle from the town’s core, it’s situated off Highway 1A at 104 Elk Run Boulevard.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008, Valbella was established by Walter and Leonie von Rotz. Leonie and daughter Chantal manage the office, while Walter, a master butcher and sausage maker, takes care of the day-to-day operations. Originally from a small town near Lucerne, Switzerland, Walter has captured gold medals at European food shows for his sausage making.   

Recalling the early days when his dream was only to introduce the very best products to Alberta’s consumers, he says, “One day, our sales were $38. We had real doubts about what we were doing.” Today Valbella offers a roster of more than 140 products, all made with loving care at the company’s Canmore headquarters. Valbella supplies hotels, restaurants, retailers and sells direct to consumers. 

And the best part of heading over to Valbella is a chance to visit the deli and store where rows of garlic sausage, duck pâté and bison patties compete for attention. There’s still plenty of Alberta beef available at Valbella, but this carnivore’s dream has staked out a special place for sausage lovers. 

The leek and cabbage sausage, with some red wine added for good measure, or the Tuscany version, which has ingredients that include Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheeses, are just two of the lip-smacking sausages available. 

“There are lots of travellers coming into the deli,” says Walter. “Some people show up with a cooler and fill it up.”

I leave Valbella to spend more time cycling Canmore’s 71 kilometres of scenic trails, all located within town boundaries and easy to navigate thanks to colour-coded markers. Soon it’s time to check out another restaurant. I had hoped to stop in at the renowned Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, known for its flatbread pizzas brushed with olive oil and featuring a base of organic tomato sauce. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn’t offer a lunch service.  

Yet in the town of Canmore such a small inconvenience is, in fact, a huge opportunity to check out other eateries. Just a couple of blocks away is the Grizzly Paw Pub, which has clawed its way up the hill of Alberta’s great brew pubs. When I walk into this popular destination, I’m greeted by Kraig Trudeau – the friendliest bartender in Canmore.

He whisks me into the inner sanctum of the operation where Michele Lowney is atop a ladder, peering inside one of the brewery’s massive stainless steel tanks. She’s putting finishing touches on the pub’s bestselling beer, Powder Hound.  

“The beer goes from grain to glass in two weeks,” explains the American-born wildlife biologist turned brew mistress. Lowney says that the base of almost every good beer is barley, and Powder Hound is no exception. A light, crisp beer, it’s a pleasing Pilsner. 

Returning to the long wooden bar, I take up Trudeau’s suggestion and order a flight of beer, or tasters, to really understand the genius that takes place at the Grizzly Paw Pub. 

Trudeau presents me with a tray of six small glasses of beer that range from the chocolatey tasting Moose Knuckle Winter Stout – a good choice with steak – to the Beavertail Raspberry Ale, which would be the perfect partner to a garden salad.

With a sizable appetite earned after exploring Canmore for several hours, I decide on a pint of Indian Pale Ale and a burger. The burger is juicy and generous; however, on this day my focus is the Indian Pale Ale, which, as promised, provides a “little fizz on the way down.”

After Grizzly Paw, it’s best to trade my bicycle for walking shoes to continue on Canmore’s culinary trail. Another notable spot to visit while trekking through this mountain town is Crazyweed, recently relocated from its cramped quarters in the centre of Canmore to

a new airy and contemporary space at the end of Railway Avenue. Crazyweed showcases fresh cooking from the kitchen of Jan Hrabec, with such dishes as grilled eggplant and a “lambwich.”    

Also look for the Railway Deli & Café run by Austrian brothers Harry and Roland Griesser. Sausage is a house specialty here too, but the Griessers are also known for a rotisserie chicken that is quickly becoming a favourite to many of those who stop in at this charming restaurant overlooking Canmore’s Three Sisters Peaks. 

When you go

Canmore is a leisurely hour’s drive west of Calgary on what is arguably the most scenic section of the Trans-Canada Highway. One of the most popular annual events taking place in Canmore is the Highland Games, which happen at Centennial Park, two blocks off Main Street, each year on the Sunday of the Labour Day weekend. Highland dancing and some of the best haggis make for a memorable time.  

For more information about Canmore, visit Tourism Canmore at www.tourismcanmore.com