Nuptial Nosh National Spotlight BY JESSILYN FORIGO
Enjoyment of food with friends and family is such an important part of celebration and never is this truer than when it comes to weddings (and all of the pre-nuptial parties leading up to them). We interviewed Justin Labossiere, Culinary Director of National, a local favorite with 4 locations in Calgary, to get his take on what makes for great food and stand-out celebrations.
What is National’s unique approach to food? Something people may not know, and we’re working on promoting, is that we make almost everything we serve from scratch and source everything from local providers. We make our own bacon, salad dressings, even pepperoni that we use as garnish on our Caesars right in house. Our beef is grass-fed, our pork and poultry are naturally raised and all sourced from local ranches and farms. We get produce from the Redhat Cooperative out of Redcliff in Southern Alberta, and we’re working toward zero interruption in getting our produce this way. For example we’ve got lettuce coming 2 days out of the ground, pesticide free, 12 months of the year from right down the road.
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What makes National a great location for couples thinking about their wedding celebrations? Our locations are all so unique so we have something to really suit the personality of any couple. You can go from the largest rooftop patio in western Canada at National on 8th, to a basement bowling alley and event space at National on 10th or even a champagne and oyster reception right in the heart of the action at National on 17th. You can even channel a tropical destination for a rehearsal dinner or post-wedding brunch at Ricardo’s which runs out of National on 17th – it’s tropical themed!