A story of Fortuna's Row
Origins
A Journey across Latin America
Chef Mikko Tamarra
Chef Tamarra's kitchen experience has brought him across Mexico, Peru, Colombia, through Toronto and eventually to Calgary. His experience cooking at some of the world's best and most renowned restaurants (Pujol - Mexico City, Astrid y Gastón - Peru, Criollo - Oaxaca) has given him rare insights into the varying techniques, styles, and foods of Latin America, and the skillset required to elevate Calgary's local ingredients to a heightened degree of excellence.
Growth in Calgary
Building on his already thriving Taqueria, Chef Mikko Tamarra unleashes creativity and style, drawing on his experience cooking across many different regions in Latin America. Chef's back-of-house team includes pastry chef Teisha Huff, who has created a specialized dessert and pastry menu that makes use of local Latin American ingredients to provide artistic and entirely unique creations, and sous chef Jayme Tallis who has been an anchor in the Calgary hospitality scene (Ten Foot Henry -Calgary) The cocktail and drink menu at Fortuna's Row is crafted and curated by Ivana Lovric of Syndicate Hospitality Group.
Over 100 Years of History
A Storied Past
421 Riverfront Ave, re-dubbed the "The Bookers Building" has existed for over a century. Our hunt to find a space that not only matched the style and aesthetic of Latin American, but that would set the stage for Chef Tamarra's food, ended in this sun-lit, aged warehouse. The concrete bones of an aged textile factory, with enormous skylights, an unusual layout, and hundreds of intriguing imperfections has been restored to new glory here at Fortuna's Row.
A Bright Future
While the checkered past of what functioned in the space remains elusive (an after hours club, aquarium store, church, textile factory...) what we do know is that our team is establishing a new story for the building and the neighbourhood, beginning with Fortuna's Row. Anchoring the Riverfront between Chinatown and East Village, we are excited to help shape Calgary's evolving food and beverage scene, while contributing to and leading experience-based dining in Calgary.
Conception & Exploration
A talented collection of hospitality experts, architects, designers, builders, and artists helped reshape the Riverfront building. From tasting our way through Oaxacan history, to exploring Mexico City's best and more renowned restaurants, from humble stages in Lima, Peru to crafting a new story for a historical building, Fortuna's Row is the result of many, many hours of hard work.
