Mazel tov to Charles Rothman, a “Jewish kid from Toronto” who is doing his part to fill the longstanding void of Jewish food in Edmonton. Rothman, former general manager at Edmonton’s Petroleum Club is whipping up European comfort food at Rooster Kitchen, including blintzes, Eggs Benny and sandwiches on challah or sourdough from Bonjour Bakery. 

Renowned Gryfe bagels from Toronto (near where Charles grew up in Jewish corridor around Bathurst and Lawrence) arrive boiled, par-baked and frozen. Rothman finishes them to order and serves them plain with three types of cream cheese: regular, scallion or lemon dill, but we recommend you go for the Schmear or the Mensch, because we all need to up our Yiddish, don’t we?

The restaurant is at the base of the Garneau Lofts on Whyte Ave, where Artisan Bakery Cafe operated for years.

Rothman is using many local suppliers like Fuge Fine Meats, Gull Valley Tomatoes, Sgambaro Smoked Salmon, Four Whistle Farms, and Fruits of Sherbrooke. Local ingredients come together in the Kippered Salmon Club, a sandwich Rothman made to pay respect to his friend, Chef Gail Hall, who passed away November 2016. For every Kippered Salmon Club sold, $1 goes to the Edmonton Community Foundation’s ChefGail Fund.