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OmAR
FARaH
Content Creator,
The Farah Kitchen
FAVE THING
SWISS
DONAIR
8308 144 Ave. NW,
swissdonair.com
Omar Farah knows his way around a kitchen.
As the creator behind The Farah Kitchen — an
East African food blog with nearly 200,000
followers on TikTok and Instagram — he claims
he can replicate almost any dish found in
restaurants. However, he has never been able
to recreate his favourite take-out dish from
his go-to spot: Swiss Donair.
It’s not for lack of trying; Farah has even
bought his own rotisserie to replicate the
spicy and savoury flavour of the long-standing
north-side institution, but nothing quite
compares to a visit to the donair shop. Farah
tops his donair with ingredients not typically
found in Edmonton’s traditional mix of
lettuce, tomato and onion. He prefers banana
peppers, pickles, black olives and extra
sweet sauce — a little tang to balance out the
richness of the donair meat.
“I’ve been going there as long as I can remem-
ber; they’ve been a staple in my monthly, if not
weekly, rotation,” he says. “My order pretty
much hasn’t changed in the last 20 years.”
A self-professed “donair connoisseur,”
Farah appreciates the certain je ne sais
quoi of Swiss, from its sweet sauce to the
homey, friendly service. After two decades
of patronage, it’s no surprise that the front
counter staff know him by name.
–Allison Stephen
ED’S
PICK
Tracy Hyatt,
Contributing Editor
Food and Lifestyle
Winterruption YEG When January hits, I’m fed up with double-digit below-zero temperatures. But this weekend
music festival changes my whole attitude. The lineup is eclectic — punk, electronica, pop, rock, comedy, even drag.
(Great for me since I don’t stick to one genre.) What I enjoy more is moving from venue to venue — all in downtown and
within blocks of each other. Last year, we made a Google spreadsheet to schedule our shows and maximize our festival
pass. We might be at the Starlite Room for two shows, then head to Rocky Mountain Ice House for another, walk to
9910 to dance into the early hours, then repeat for two more days. winterruptionyeg.com
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