Food + Drink

For Donna Howard, helping people has always come first. Long before she became the face behind Halifax Happy Hours, Howard spent years caring for others as a registered nurse. The profession taught her the importance of connection, community and well-being, which are values that continue to guide her work today. “I think being a registered […]

When a restaurant is launched by The Bertossi Group, the hospitality company behind establishments such as The Bicycle Thief, Amano, Il Mercato, Water Polo, Matadora and Pane e Circo, there are certain expectations. When Via Condotti arrived recently, it did so carrying lofty ones. The Bertossi Group does not lack bravado or confidence, and its […]

There is a particular kind of ambition that rarely announces itself loudly. It does not arrive with sleek dining rooms in major cities or celebrity partnerships. Instead, it appears quietly, often at the end of a gravel driveway, or in the case of Lupin Dining & Pantry, attached to a family home on Nova Scotia’s […]

There is something quietly compelling about the North End of Halifax right now. It is not just the restaurants that get the big headlines, but the smaller, more personal spaces that feel discovered rather than marketed. Places that rely less on spectacle and more on craft. Tucked into that North End rhythm is Michelle Ashley’s […]

Shivani Dhamija is turning comfort food into a cultural connection on Canada’s East Coast. As the founder of Shivani’s Kitchen, Dhamija has built a growing food business rooted in bringing Southeast Asian flavours, particularly Indian staples, to Halifax and across Nova Scotia. What began as a small effort to serve a homesick student community has […]

In the light-filled space that once housed Fawn at 1589 South Park Street, Public Café, Bakery and Bar has emerged. According to Shannon Bruhm of RCR Hospitality, the team behind Public, the goal was straightforward: “We wanted to create a comfortable community watering hole where people can drop in for coffee, pastries, lunch, dinner, or […]

For many people who love food and hospitality, the dream of one day opening a space dedicated to cooking, sharing knowledge, and celebrating great ingredients quietly lingers in the background. For Nicola Gillis, that dream eventually took shape in Halifax with the opening of Saffron & Salt, a thoughtfully curated cook shop and cooking class […]

If there is a common thread running through my favourite food and drink of 2025, it is intention rather than excess. Like many people, I have felt my discretionary food and drink budget shrink as global pressures continue to push costs upward. That reality has meant eating out less frequently and thinking more deliberately about […]