Calgary Citizen Newsletter Thursday Nov. 7

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Good morning !

You may notice this newsletter is arriving a day late and we apologize for the inconvenience but we had a technical issue that delayed it a day. We hope you enjoy your surprise Friday edition though!

And a big thank you to everyone who already took our survey so far and if you haven’t, you still have another week. It just takes five minutes of your time and it will not only help us get to know you more but you will also be entered into our giveaway for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Calgary Flames vs. New York Islanders game on Nov. 19. Check out the survey here!

👀 In today's edition:

• Pastry chef wins hearts

• Chamber wary of Trump

• Dine and dash on rise

• 2025 Stampede poster unveiled

Get your story told! Promote your business, event, or restaurant in front of 34,000+ engaged locals! Contact our team today.

WORTH KNOWING

⛅️ Today: High 15C, Low 1C. See the 7-day forecast.

🚗 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation, and find the city’s traffic report and road closures.

Calgary chocolatier and pastry chef knows the recipe to success starts at home with mom

Calgary chocolatier and pastry chef instructor Kevin Conniff’s biggest inspiration to become a baker was his mother—and that inspiration has paid off for the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship series second-place finalist after making it to the end of the season 10 competition earlier this year.

“She loved to be in the kitchen baking up something delicious just and always encouraged me to join her,” Conniff tells the Citizen, adding their “special thing” was to bake together when he was a child. “I was lucky enough to land a job at a bakery as a teenager and fell even more in love with the craft during that period of my life. Honestly, the rest is history.”

That history includes Conniff’s passion project, Sweet Bella Chocolates, which has evolved into a beloved local business whose signature is to infuse the chocolate with tea flavours sourced from Kensington’s The Naked Leaf. But that’s not all; Conniff is also a pastry chef instructor at SAIT who enjoys watching his students grow and evolve.

“They are under my mentorship for a two-year period and over that time, they develop into extremely talented professionals,” he says. “After they graduate, I love watching them launch their own careers.”

He may not have won the Holiday Baking Championship title, but he made it to the finale and won the hearts of many not only in Calgary but beyond, and Conniff is grateful for the entire experience.

“Everyone on the show came from such diverse backgrounds and it was amazing to share our stories through our shared passion of baking,” he adds.

His favourite thing to bake? “A kiss cookie. It’s a recipe as old as me and always seems to impress a crowd. My mom showed me how to make it when I was in kindergarten and now I make it for my family every year at Christmas.”

Related story

Need to know

🪧 A serious challenge': Calgary Chamber of Commerce wary of Trump's second presidency.

🌲The city is going to plant 930,000 new trees to increase urban canopy.

💸 Dine and dashes are on the rise according to Calgary restaurant owners.

👮 Calgary police lay additional charges in brazen daylight shootings related to organized crime.

🔋 Fire officials are urging Calgarians to recharge batteries before they go dead, highlighting the dangers of lithium-ion batteries

🚓 Calgary man charged with sexual assault after volunteering to help immigrants.

🤠 The Calgary Stampede has unveiled the poster for next year's edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

💵 Calgarians fundraise for Spanish flooding relief efforts.

🏌️ Calgarians who already miss hitting the links will be able to tee off again — and they won’t have to jump on a plane to do it.

👩‍🍳 Tasty, Low Salt Cooking Nov 21 - Learn how to cook delicious dips and sauces with less salt in this FREE in-person cooking demo with Registered Dietitians from the South Health Campus Wellness Kitchen. Recipes included!*

*Sponsored Listing

The 2025 Calgary Stampede poster has been unveiled and it’s a beauty called Grit to Greatness

The Calgary Stampede 2025 poster artwork was unveiled and showcases the talent of 22-year-old Calgarian Elora Kiddle. Her work captures the essence of barrel racing, which is a vibrant symbol of determination, grit and the transformative journey of perseverance.

As a born and raised Calgarian, the Stampede is a part of the young artist’s family story because they attend ever year and Kiddle’s twin sister Emily is in her sixth year as a trombonist with the Calgary Stampede Showband. As a three-time participant in the Calgary Stampede Youth Poster Competition, winning the 2025 competition is a major milestone for Elora.

"For me, the 2025 Stampede Poster is about the journey from grit to greatness. Just like the Stampede grew from dust into The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, creating this piece meant pushing through challenges. With every splatter and brushstroke, I felt like I was finding my own voice as an artist,” Kiddle says.

Where to eat and drink

🍴 Burnin' Bird: Get your Nashville hot chicken fix with five levels of spiciness ranging from mild to extremely hot. Finish with deep-fried Mars bars or Oreo cookies.

🍴 Cocktail Sisters: Pick up beverage enhancers to elevate your at-home bartending game. Lime, orange, or lemon slices can transform any drink into a stunning work of art.

🍴 Italian Supermarket: Located in the city’s northeast, our reader loves the woodfire pizza lunch at this market that also has fresh food, coffee, and a great deli.

Have a food or drink suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

Things to do

🎟️ Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar and Craft Sale: Check out a wide variety of unique homemade baking; handmade crafts, toys, woodworking, knitting, painting, dolls, cards, jewelry, pottery and much more at Scan Centre on Nov. 10.

🎟️ Stuff A Truck: In Support of the Veterans Association Food Bank and Canadian Legacy Project, help fill the shelves by bringing donations to the Royal Oak Sobey’s on Nov. 9 from 9am to 4pm.

🎟️ Lunchbox Theatre: Jake's Gif: On the shores of Juno Beach, a precocious 10-year-old helps a WWII veteran confront ghosts from his past at Vertigo Theatre. Learn more at lunchboxtheatre.com.

Have an event suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

From our readers

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We’ll see you back here on Tuesday, same time, same place!