Stemming from the French Canadian Term “Cuisine Du Marche,” which means cooking with fresh ingredients, Market has a manifesto to use fresh, local and in-house ingredients. Located in the heart of 17th avenue, they are the first restaurant in Calgary to use an internal home garden, where they grow more than 16 varieties of heirloom seeds year round.

“Six years ago when we opened, we were one of the first farm to fork restaurants. We support local farmers, producers and use seasonally inspired ingredients on our menu. We like to keep the money in Calgary and surrounding areas,” says Executive Chef Evan Robertson.

Building relationships and supporting producers is a very important aspect of the business for Robertson, who regularly meets with local farmers.

“I’ve been working with 4k farms, our pork producer, for years before I got to Market. Pretty sure I bought their first pig they had. We also use inspired greens which is a greenhouse outside of lethbridge. They have a completely sustainable model, you could pick it up and put it on the moon. Bert, the farmer from our lamb producer, Ewenique, drops the product off once a week. It’s nice to be able to support the farmer and know your money is going to someone who works hard,” Robertson Exclaims.

Beginning his career in Edmonton, Robertson completed culinary school, working at the Hardware Grill under Larry Stewart, where he was inspired to create fine-dining cuisine that leaves the customer satiated; “farm portions.”

Evan says, “my culinary goal is to give somebody something that they crave, but in a finessed situation. We really strive to pay hommage to the farmers and producers with our cuisine, and make that connection to the customer. That aligns with my values as a chef.”

Market keeps their bar stocked with a variety of local craft breweries and distilleries including Trolley 5, Last Best, Park and Eau Claire. They produce their own soda syrups in house, further setting themselves apart in the dining scene; creating a platform for delicious, unique cocktails.

“We try to utilize any local craft brewery or distillery that we can. That is who we are, we want to support local. If it’s made locally, it’s most likely on our menu,” says Robertson.

Earning the title of Restaurant of the year in 2015, Market has carved a niche dining experience that is inclusive, original and palatable.