WINNIPEG, MB. – Winnipeg’s winter pop up restaurant, RAW:almond extends its table this year to three Manitoba locations – Gimli (December 29 – January 7), Winnipeg (January 19 – February 13) and Churchill (March 2 – 10). The project enters its sixth year led by founders, deer + almond chef and owner, Mandel Hitzer and designer, Joe Kalturnyk. Three unique architectural concepts and more than 40 menus come to life as they welcome a record 16 chefs to RAW:almond from December 29 – January 7.
“We created RAW:almond as a place to bring people together to meet, learn, love and share a Canadian experience like no other. We are excited to take the RAW dining concept across Manitoba and share the culinary tradition we’ve created in Winnipeg with new communities,” says Hitzer.
RAW:almond returns to its roots at the meeting point of Winnipeg’s historic Red and Assiniboine Rivers. The annual RAW:almond ticket launch takes place at The Forks Market on Sunday, December 10 at 9am. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Remaining tickets are available for purchase online on December 11 from 8am at raw-almond.com.
Among the list of culinary talent, Iceland Chef of the Year (2013), Nordic Chef of the Year(2014), and two-time gold medal winner at Luxembourg’s Culinary World Cup, Viktor Örn Andrésson brings his RAW menu to Winnipeg on February 5 and 6. Saskatoon superstar, Chef Christie Peters, well-known for her commitment to sustainability, leads the RAW table on January 23 and 24. With time spent in restaurants from Belgian Michelin-starred spot, In De Wulf to Edmonton hot spot, Beira, Christine Sandford joins the RAW team in Winnipeg for the first time on February 1 and 2. On February 3, owner of Toronto’s Grey Gardens, Mitchell Batesleads the RAW table. Bates is known around the world and in the New York food scene for his vision and innovation with David Chang’s top restaurant, Momofuku Ko.
The RAW season opens in Gimli on frozen Lake Winnipeg. From December 29 to January 7, Kalturnyk brings a new architectural concept to Lake Winnipeg and Hitzer’s Gimli’s menu reflects his lifelong appreciation for this part of Manitoba.
“Gimli is going to be a very special launch to our RAW tables this year. The Interlake region is very close to my heart. I spent summers growing up on the shores of Lake Winnipeg with my grandparents and family and I’m beyond excited to return to a place that was once home for me,” says Hitzer.
In partnership with Frontiers North Canada and Parks Canada, Hitzer’s team heads north for RAW:Churchill from March 2 to 10. Churchill’s pop up restaurant is housed in an innovative structure within the Prince of Wales Fort offering guests a chance to catch a glimpse of the majestic Canadian Northern Lights. For more information on tours to Churchill, visit raw-churchill.com.
Ticket information
RAW:Gimli
Date: December 29 – January 7, 2018
Time: Two seatings, 6:30pm + 9pm
Location: Port of Gimli, Gimli, MB
Chef: deer + almond chef and owner, Mandel Hitzer
Space Designers: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid
Tickets: $ 140 + ( Tax 13 % ) + ( Service 17% ), available now at raw-almond.com.
RAW:almond
Date: January 19 – February 13, 2018
Time: Three seatings, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm
Location: The Forks, Red + Assiniboine River
Chefs: Christie Peters, Dave Gunawan, Andrea Carlson, Joel Watanabe, Dan Geltner, Garrett Martin, Christine Sandford, Mitchell Bates, Connie DeSousa, Viktor Örn Andrésson, Makoto Ono, Hamid Salimian, Nick Nutting, Kyle Paton, Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, Mandel Hitzer and more.
Space Designer: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid
Tickets: $ 130 + ( Tax 13 % ) + ( Service 17% ), RAW:almond ticket launch takes place at The Forks Market on Sunday, December 10 at 9am. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Remaining tickets are available for purchase online on December 11 from 8am at raw-almond.com.
RAW:Churchill
Dates: March 2 – 10, 2018
Time: Two seatings: 5:30pm, 8:30pm
Location: Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site, Churchill, MB
Chefs: Mandel Hitzer, Emily Butcher
Space Designer: Joe Kalturnyk
Tickets: Packages available at frontiersnorth.com.