We sat down with Jennifer Keith, the CEO and Co-founder of EPIC, to chat about EPIC's rebrand, her favourite dishes on the menu, and the exciting things EPIC has in store in the next few months.
© EPIC
Tell us a bit about you, Jennifer.
I'm Jennifer Keith, CEO and Co-founder of EPIC. I am a born and raised Edmontonian, I went to the UofA and I graduated with an MBA where I met my co-founder and started EPIC after working in the corporate world after a number of years. I've been loving this entrepreneurial journey since.
How'd you get into the food industry?
My family's always been in food, my dad opened a number of restaurants when I was younger, he still owns a seafood distribution company in Richmond, BC. I've always loved food myself; when I was going through my MBA I did a bunch of venture creation classes and for some reason I always gravitated towards food-type businesses because I think food is a universal experience that brings everyone together. I love the community that it creates.
Where did the name 'EPIC' originate from?
The name 'EPIC' originated from an exercise that my co-founder and I went through as we were trying to re-brand our company. A theme that kept coming up was Epicurean, and we thought: why don't we shorten that to 'EPIC'? 'EPIC' became what we wanted to evoke in terms of experience.
What are your favourite dishes on the current menus?
My top three favourite dishes right now are probably the Mushroom Arancini, those really soft, cheesy risotto balls with a little bit of truffle flavour that's so good. The honey butter fries are the best fries you can get in the city, I think, and the Cherry Duck Breast, the sour cherry preserves with the vincotto and smoked duck is so tasty.
What’s your biggest learning experience from this EPIC adventure?
I think my biggest learning from this EPIC journey so far is a lesson in business and entrepreneurship. Just like any EPIC adventure, it's a rollercoaster ride. Nothing goes according to plan, so I think the best thing you can do is continue to evolve, grow, and adapt in order to survive.
What’s happening for EPIC in the next few months?
We have some really exciting things planned for the next couple months, we are going to be introducing some new menu items and brunch at our Downtown location. We will be adding some new cocktail classes and cooking classes. Of course, we are building our Station Park location, which is set to open in the fall, so stay tuned if you are EPICurious!