Blue Door Gourmet Inc

At Blue Door Oil & Vinegar in Calgary’s West Springs community, you'll find an almost overwhelming array of shiny kegs of extra-virgin olive oils and flavour-infused vinegars on tap. Bruce Gillis, who owns this specialty culinary boutique with his wife Courtney, says they carry about 80 varieties, which he encourages customers to taste test before they purchase.

The two were inspired to open Blue Door after visiting a similar store in Halifax. They love food and love to cook, and felt that kind of store would be a perfect fit for Calgary. So Blue Door opened in 2012, its name a reference to the ubiquitous blue doors found throughout Greece. "We found out blue doors are also common in olive-oil-producing countries around the world,” Bruce notes. In addition to premium olive oils and vinegars, Blue Door carries hard-to-find gourmet foods including flavour-infused sea salts, spices, a line of paleo-friendly sauces, spice rubs, honey and cocktail bitters. “If you can put a piece of chicken in the oven, we’ll give you the ingredients to make it a whole lot better. You don’t have to be able to cook at all,” says Bruce with a laugh.