Getting a jump start into a musical career by way of a childhood family band, Julia Vos learned early on the value of hard work, ambition, and authenticity. Before releasing her 2017 single “Whispers”, the talented singer-songwriter made her first big mark on Canada’s country music scene in 2016, winning the Calgary Stampede’s Nashville North Star and a delivering a memorable performance at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
After her debut single hit radios across the country, the Edmonton native notched a few more powerful performances on her belt, including the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the Boots and Hearts Music Festival. The latter not only solidified her reputation as a triple threat artist, but also garnered her a place as an Emerging Artist Showcase finalist in 2018.
But her passion for sharing and raw personal experience extends beyond her music. Over the years, Vos has accumulated quite the catalogue of go-to food and drink destinations in her homebase of Edmonton, and today the multifaceted Project WILD 2019 finalist shares a few of her favourites.
Breakfast
Under the High Wheel is the sweetest little place for breakfast; and when I say sweet, I mean get yourself a glass of the freshly squeezed orange juice and the Belgium waffle. It’s perfect for a Sunday morning stroll down Whyte Avenue, and they have amazing food.
Lunch
The Sugarbowl Cafe feels like home to me. There are so many chain restaurants out there that it makes me really appreciate places like this. You walk in and it’s this small cozy place that will hook you up with the perfect beer for a midday break.
Dinner
I find it really interesting that the trend today is how much people love farm-to-table dining. This is something I’m super supportive of and was fortunate enough to grow up with this style of cooking from my grandparents. Weekends were always spent going to the farm and next to nothing was store-bought, just all homegrown [ingredients].
I think it’s important to look in our own backyard and source our food locally--from veggies to dairy to meat. We have such a thriving business for it in Alberta and Workshop Eatery does a great job with sourcing ingredients locally and creating unique dishes that are to die for.
Drinks
El Cortez is the perfect way to spend a night out. I have one word for you and that’s tequila! It’s a great place to go try some cocktails, and maybe multiple varieties of tequila depending on how wild you feel like getting. After that, zip upstairs to Have Mercy where you can have a beer and often check out some great live music.