Vancouver Magazine September/October 2024

Ivory Inspiration

Jewellery designer Melanie Auld is one of the Vancouverites who opened her doors to us this issue.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 VOLUME 57 // NUMBER 7

Contents

Culture

SO FUN CITY

It’s our Fall Arts Spectacular! New visual arts, theatre, music and more.

HOT TAKE

You’ll be sneaking around in style with these high-fashion running shoes.

ON THE RISE

Aselectfew weaves the immigrant experience into luxurious streetwear.

23 24 22 26 11

KNOW-IT-ALL

How has a famously always-empty mall survived for all these years?

THE DISRUPTOR

Bryn Davidson is a rabble-rouser with a noble vision: housing for all.

REVIEWS

Elio Volpe is the buzziest resto to open in months— does it live up to the hype?

BEST THING I ATE

This dish from Bar Susu takes the familiar flavours of pho to new heights.

SECRET RECIPE

Make these sable cookies from Beaucoup Bakery.

Welcome Home

The owners behind Commerical Drive’s delightful Dilly Dally Kids toy store have created a personal kitchen lined with Lego-like tiles (page 29).

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COME ON IN

We’re honoured to get up in the personal spaces of some of Vancouver’s most interesting people in this issue, from a drag artist’s glam zone to a jewellery designer’s luxe living room and beyond.

45

BOTTLE SERVICE

We put our wine and spirits editor Neal McLennan to the test with a laundry list of wine quandries and requests for recommendations. He delivered.

53

OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER

How lucky are we to be living in a wine bar boom? Writer Kurtis Kolt reviews the abundance of options right now for the Vancouverite who wants a glass of something nice in an unstuffy space.

Emslie, senior manager corporate relations, Nicola Wealth; Khelsilem, council chairperson, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw; Gary Pooni, president, Pooni Group; Jen Riley, VP brand and communications, Bosa Properties; Joseph Thompson,

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Developed by

Knock, Knock!

There are a lot of great things about making a new friend. First, you’ve got a fresh audience for your most well-worn anecdotes and jokes. Second, human connection makes life worth living or whatever. Third, you’re on track to see the inside of their house soon. Jackpot. Maybe it’s because I’m a professional snoop—I mean, uh, a proud lifestyle journalist—but is there anything more thrilling than the moment when you get invited over to someone’s place for the first time? Stepping through the door to explore the home of a new pal (or neighbour, or lover, or nemesis, I’m not picky) is an honour, even if they didn’t bother to vacuum first. It’s as intimate as it gets; a shortcut to getting to know someone, and a candid portrait of how they live. A look around will reveal their aesthetic preferences and personal habits, their organizational quirks and pop-culture obsessions, all in a way that cuts to the chase. Fancy hand soap? A signed and framed Air Bud poster? “Live Laugh Love” cushions on a $20,000 B&B Italia sofa? Every detail is a beautiful clue about who this person really is. Come into my house, for example, and you’ll learn plenty about me that I might not think to mention in day-to-day conversation: say, that matching side plates are not important to me, but owning the complete works of David Sedaris is.

Which is why we were so excited about the opportunity to set up our cameras in the homes of some of Vancouver’s most interesting people for this very special At Home issue of the magazine. We’ve long admired the folks featured in these pages—drag star Kendall Gender, the playful couple behind toy store Dilly Dally, cult-fave jewellery designer Melanie Auld and the duo running cool-kid coffee shop The Birds and the Beets—and we found even more to love exploring the details and stories in their kitchens, living rooms and wig-storage-glamour-zones. Of course these spaces are each inspiring, but, more importantly, they’re real, and reflections of the dynamic people who live there.

This is a city magazine, though, so we can’t spend all of this issue cooped up inside. Explore the best live music and more with our blow-out arts spectacular crafted by culture-vulture and pun queen Kerri Donaldson (page 11); hit up the glut of bars name-dropped by writer Kurtis Kolt in his wine trend report (page 53); take managing editor Dani Wright’s Elio Volpe review to heart (page 58) and get yourself a reso ASAP. Go live an interesting, vibrant life and then build a home to reflect just how cool and fun you are. And don’t forget to invite me over. Snoop’s gotta snoop.

STACEY McLACHLAN

editor - in - chief

smclachlan @ canadawide com | @ stacey mclachlan

Coming Up Next Issue

The Vanmag Wish Book

We start working on our gift guide in July, so you’d better believe it’s jam-packed with the best buys in town, wishlist picks from the coolest people we know and locally sourced goods we’ve been dreaming about for months on end.

Why Can’t We Build More?

We’re all keenly aware that housing stock in Vancouver is low… so why can’t we build more (and build now)?

Acclaimed urban planning writer Kerry Gold takes on the surprisingly complicated question to create a conversation-stirring assessment of today’s biggest development challenges and roadblocks.

On the Web

The New Vancouver Uniform Blundstones. Half-zip fleeces. Black leggings. We scour the shops to bring you the best dupes or stylish alternatives to Vancouver’s most-popular wardrobe essentials each month.

FOLLOW US ON

Flint by leolux

The Flint features a unique design language that’s always appealing. The organic seat and armrest shapes give it a friendly look, which is reinforced by the generous, loose seat cushions. Flint is a ball of energy, a design that demands a place in the room.

Pallone

A Leolux icon. The ball chair that specially designed in 1989 for the house of the future is still as futuristic as it was back in the days of its introduction.

Perhaps that's why it's so successful. Pallone is a personality, the perfect centrepiece for eccentric interiors.

Playing with upholstery

CULTURE

Culture Crash!

In this special edition of “So Fun City,” we bring you our Big Culture Preview: a comprehensive guide to all the exciting events, art openings, concerts, performances and visual arts showcases happening this fall. (We even threw in some sports because we’re well-rounded like that.) Let’s have some fun, shall we?

by Kerri Donaldson

Dancing Through the Highs and Lows with Dear Rouge’s Lonesome High

Dropping September 13, the Vancouver alt-rock duo’s new album turns personal struggles into dance-worthy inspiration.

Even though life is busy—a new album, a new baby and the start of the summer festival season—Drew and Danielle McTaggart of Dear Rouge are happy and at peace in their Alberta hotel room when we call, with their son Elliott sleeping nearby. It’s the kind of fulfilling busyness that comes after a long wait for something wonderful, something you’re proud of. Their fourth studio album captures this essence: the emotional highs and lows that define a journey. It’s highenergy and dance-y, with an edgy poppunk vibe and nostalgia for early 2000s indie rock that’s meant to be played live (“Dani even screams on a couple of tracks,”

says Drew), but, lyrically, the album is deeply personal, transforming the couple’s fears and experiences from a long, hard road to parenthood into danceable anthems.

Lonesome High was crafted in Toronto’s famed Giant Studio with acclaimed producer Gus van Go, who had just finished collaborating with Metric and The Beaches on their most recent albums. “We were just so excited because we sit in the middle of those two,” Danielle explains. “It was the perfect fit and just really cool.”

But it’s not just the studio and producer that makes Lonesome High stand out. Danielle was seven months pregnant during the recording sessions, following a painful sevenyear struggle with infertility. “The whole album sort of deals with the lonely highs of life and the spectrum of those emotions,” she says. The result is surprisingly optimistic: encouragment to lean into the intense moments and groove to them.

One standout track, “Not Afraid to Dance,” turns fears into irresistible beats. It’s one of Danielle’s favourites. “I giggle every time I hear the lyrics,” she says. (“I’m afraid you might get bored of me” and “I’m afraid of my browser history coming to slash my throat” are among them.) But the emotional core of the album is “Garbage,” featuring the heartbeat of their infant son finally here after almost a decade of trying. “It’s about how nothing is a waste,” says Danielle. “Everything matters.”

DEAR ROUGE’S PERFECT VANCOUVER DAY

First, it’s brunch at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s 1 1931 Gallery Bistro (“A lot of people don’t go so you can always get in,” notes Drew.) Then, when they emerge into the sunshine, they’ll grab some bikes and cruise around between breweries: 2 Alibi Room and Red Truck are faves. But musicians can’t live on beer alone—after a few drinks, it’s time for some 3 Chicko Chicken on Robson Street and some seaside views.

“4 Sunset Beach is the place to finish off the perfect day,” says Drew. If there’s a show at the 5 Commodore after dark? All the better.

“It’s Vancouver’s living room,” says Danielle. “It’s just such a cool vibe, the staff are awesome there, the energy—we started our career there so it feels like an old friend.”

THE BIG MUSIC PREVIEW CALENDAR

A HOWL: REMI WOLF

WHEN September 14

WHERE Orpheum Theatre

COST From $58

It’s quirky pop infused with soulful vibes and infectious energy that will have you howling at the moon.

MAKING WAVES: FUTURE ISLANDS

WHEN September 10 and 11

WHERE Malkin Bowl COST From $83

The indie new wave synth-pop quartet is set to bring their dreamy vocals and mesmerizing dance moves to the great outdoors, joined by pals Oh, Rose.

BEACH VIBES: ALLAH-LAS WITH MASTON

WHEN September 20

WHERE The Pearl

COST $40

As summer fades, ride the cool waves of Allah-Las’s vintage surf rock and psychedelic beats— pretend the sunny season will last forever and ever.

BREATHLESS: AIR

WHEN September 25

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $103

Catch a breath of fresh French air with the ultra-cool electronic duo from Versailles and live your best new-wave life.

CLAM JAM: SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

WHEN October 15

WHERE Rickshaw Theatre

COST $30

Dive into a ’60s beach party with a punk twist, serving up pure nostalgia for an era most of us missed. Don’t go ham; go Clam!

GROUP THERAPY: FAYE WEBSTER

WHEN September 30

WHERE Orpheum Theatre

COST From $105

It’s actually cheaper than therapy. Head to the Orpheum Theatre for a night of smooth indie folk and cool R&B and get ready to cry over all your exes.

WIZ KIDS: KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

WHEN September 12

WHERE Pacific Coliseum COST From $60

The Australian rock band known for its experimental style, microtonal tuning and energetic live shows is coming to offer just that.

THE PLAYLIST

DJ duo Common People (Adam Fink and Bryan Sea) spin at the Fox every Saturday night.

What album can’t you get enough of?

BS: I probably listen to WWW by Justice once a week from back to front. It’s a really good kitchen chores album.

GLOBETROTTER:

TEMS

WHEN September 22

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $82

Tems is your new musical obsession from Nigeria, blending soulful R&B with Afrobeat and deep lyrics. You’ll swear she’s singing right to you.

HORNED UP: KOKOROKO

WHEN October 22

WHERE Hollywood Theatre COST $42

If your high school band skills never felt hip, here’s your validation. Led by the trumpet-wielding Sheila Maurice-Grey, the explosive eightpiece group mixes Afrobeat with jazzy twists and a splash of London cool—stretch first, because you’ll be dancing the night away.

What’s new in your rotation?

AF: I’m obsessed with the new Charli XCX right now [Brat]. It’s so fun.

Your go-to song that always lifts your mood?

BS: Anything by Dua Lipa— especially off the Future Nostalgia album—just puts me in a good mood.

If you were DJing a party, what’s a must-play song?

BS: Anything by Abba, honestly. “Dancing Queen” and “Gimme Gimme” are instant dance floor igniters.

Your go-to karaoke song?

BS: Adam and I have been known to sing “Mr. Brightside” together.

VISUAL ARTS CALENDAR

INTERSECTING

IDENTITIES: THE SUM OF ALL: AFRO-INDIGENOUS ART

WHEN Until September 8

How to Start an Art Collection, According to a Gallerist

Bau-Xi Gallery director Riko Nakasone shares the inside scoop on starting your own art collection... even if you’re living in a 400-square-foot Olympic Village rental.

Where does a beginner art collector start?

Visit your local galleries and discover artists or imagery that resonates with you. Explore art online to further hone your tastes and calibrate your eye. Reading some art history in the area of your interest will provide additional knowledge and context. Then, once you develop a sense of what works and what you are drawn to, you can begin to focus on specific artists or perhaps a specific genre (abstract, landscape) or a specific medium (oil painting, photography). It’s also a good idea to subscribe to the email lists of your favourite galleries and artists and follow them on social media... you’ll get advance notices of upcoming exhibitions, artist receptions and new arrivals, along with a peek into the process of creating a body of work or the motivation behind it, and you’ll gain a better understanding of the artist.

What if you’re on a tight budget?

Search out talented emerging artists who are at the beginning of their careers and therefore have a lower price point. Original works on paper,

limited-edition prints and photographs can often be less expensive than oil or acrylic paintings on canvas. The scale of a work also plays a factor in the price, and you can begin by acquiring a small work by an artist that you admire if you can’t yet afford a larger work. And, a last resort: if a desired work lies just beyond your budget, inquire if payments in instalments are possible.

What are some common mistakes that new collectors make?

One is being a little too cautious with scale and acquiring artwork that is too small or not proportionate for the intended space. Or hanging work too high—a general rule of thumb is that the centre of the artwork is hung at eye level. In the gallery, we use 56 inches from the floor to the centre of the artwork as a general guideline.

What should new collectors look for when choosing their first pieces of art?

If you acquire art that you love, it will reflect who you are and create an interesting and more cohesive collection.

WHERE Bill Reid Gallery

COST From $13

Get ready for film, dance and even jewellery that explore Indigeneity and Blackness through visual and performance art, delving into ideas of identity.

4

SLICE

WORLD: COLLECTIVE

CHAOS END OF SUMMER SOCIAL

WHEN September 7

WHERE Slice of Life Gallery

COST $5 (or pay-what-you-can)

The indie gallery’s ongoing Collective Chaos project features 20 artists with a new theme each month. Come rub elbows with the creative collaborators as they toast the season’s end.

6

THINK INK: TRUE TRIBAL: CONTEMPORARY EXPRESSIONS OF ANCESTRAL TATTOO PRACTICES

WHEN Until September 7

WHERE Museum of Vancouver COST From $22

Got sleeves you can’t roll up? This exhibit is for you. Explore 30-plus years of Indigenous tattooing and modern works, and get inspired for that last patch of skin.

2

WORK IT: ZOE

LEONARD: VIEW FROM BELOW

WHEN Until September 8

WHERE Contemporary Art Gallery

COST Free

Strike a pose at the CAG... in front of a piece of fashion photography to really soak it in. The photo exhibit tackles not only ‘90s catwalks but also the politics of gender, representation and display.

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5 1

APOKALYPS

NOW: ANTI-ICON: APOKALYPSIS

WHEN Until September 29

WHERE The Polygon Gallery COST $20 (or pay-what-you-can)

This photography series from internationally renowned American artist Martine Gutierrez features 17 self-portraits of the artist posing as legendary characters, re-imagined with challenging, “anti-iconic” interpretations.

SCRATCH IT: SHELLEY NIRO: 500 YEAR ITCH

WHEN Opens September 28

WHERE Vancouver Art Gallery COST $29

The VAG pulls together 50 years of work for the first major retrospective of multidisciplinary artist Shelley Niro, who uses humour and pop culture to explore her connection to her Six Nations Kanyen’kehá community.

Your Ultimate Guide to Going Fringe

The delightfully uncurated, always quirky Vancouver Fringe turns 40 this year, so we grilled executive director and longtime Fringer Duncan WattsGrant on his expert tips for making the most of the performing arts fest, happening September 5 to 15 on Granville Island.

1. See at least three shows. With shows ranging from 25 to

75 minutes and tickets as low as $15 (plus a mandatory annual $10 Fringe membership), you can take a few risks. Snag tickets to a surefire bet (the one everyone’s buzzing about), an experimental pick (something weird and risky) and a wildcard (a random show that fits your schedule—sometimes the best surprises come with no expectations).

2. Bring a friend to debrief with. There’ll be plenty to discuss... especially after the more experimental shows.

3. Eavesdrop at the Fringe Bar. It’s an all-ages spot with entertainment, drinks and a chance to mingle with performers and fellow Fringers. Plus, you’ll hear the latest buzz on must-see shows.

THEATRE AND PERFORMING ARTS CALENDAR

TWINNING: BARD ON THE BEACH SHAKESPEARE

FESTIVAL: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

WHEN Until September 21

WHERE Vanier Park COST From $30

Hit the beach for The Comedy of Errors—which isn’t just a fun working title for our autobiography, but also a wild ride of mistaken identities and hilarious mishaps.

PLAY RIGHT: THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, OR AS YOU LIKE IT

WHEN September 25 to 29

WHERE York Theatre at the Cultch

COST From $98

Written and performed by Lakota actor and playwright Cliff Cardinal, this mischievously funny one-man show tackles land acknowledgements and the Bard.

VALLI OF THE DUDES: JERSEY BOYS

WHEN September 5 to October 20

WHERE Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage COST From $39

The Tony and Grammy award-winning Broadway musical about The Four Seasons—not the hotel, but the 1960s quartet that made “Grease” the word and declared “Big Girls Don’t Cry” long before Fergie.

THE DEETS

THE 40TH ANNUAL VANCOUVER FRINGE FESTIVAL

WHEN September 5 to 15

WHERE Various venues on Granville Island

COST From $15 (plus $10 annual membership fee)

4. Take notes at the opening night preview. At the kickoff (a.k.a. Fringe4All) on September 4, you can watch 30 acts preview their shows in a couple of hours. Each act has two minutes, and if they run long, they’ll be cut off by the hilarious (and yet-to-bemade) cluck-cordion, an accordion made of rubber chickens, the fest’s unofficial mascot. What could be more Fringe than that?

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A STAGE ACTOR IN VANCOUVER?

Actor Tess Degenstein stars in The Comedy of Errors at this year’s Bard on the Beach, pulls back the curtain on stage life.

What’s a typical day in your life during rehearsal and performance season?

On a show night, the biggest challenge is not burning myself out during the days. When I was running Date [a show where an audience member becomes a co-star onstage], I remember telling myself that my task during the days was just to “become soft” so I could carry the tension and energetic output of the show in the evening. (Is that a good answer to your question? “Become soft”?)

HOMEWARD BOUND: BROADWAY ACROSS CANADA’S COME FROM AWAY

WHEN September 10 to 15

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre COST From $77

The critically acclaimed musical tells the true story of the stranded air passengers after 9/11, starring the unlikely hero: the small town of Gander, Newfoundland.

DANCE MOM: RAVEN MOTHER

WHEN October 9 to 12

WHERE Historic Theatre at the Cultch

COST From $98

Making its world premiere, this multimedia Indigenous performance by the Dancers of Damelahamid celebrates the legacy of the late Cree Elder Margaret Harris with movement, song, regalia, sculpture and design.

How do you prepare for a role in a Shakespeare play? If I can, I like to read the play every day for 30 days before rehearsals start. It makes for a nice slow on-ramp into the language, letting it just live passively with me for a month before I start trying to do too much with it.

How do you see the future of theatre evolving, particularly in Vancouver? I do think that as AI becomes more prevalent in other media we’re consuming, theatre is going to provide an increasingly necessary experience for people. I feel that for myself when I’m in an audience—just kind of lucky, grateful, a sense of relief at the aliveness and that it’s all happening right there.

SPORTS AND THINGS TO GET YOU MOVING CALENDAR

DOG

DAYS OF SUMMER: CORGI RACES

WHEN September 6

WHERE Hastings Racecourse COST Free

Starting at 7 p.m., come cheer on your favourite furry athlete as they dash across the track, vying for the title of Top Corgi. This cutest race ever will also include live music trackside which, we assume, will just be repeating “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

SURF THE PAVE WAVE: WEST 49

INDOOR SKATE PARK

WHEN Friday to Sunday WHERE West 49, Tsawwassen COST $15

Work on your kickflip, ollie or nollie to your heart’s content with fellow boarders at this indoor skate park. Maybe you’ll qualify for the 2028 Olympics in L.A.—you’ve got some time.

ROLL CALL: PUBLIC SKATE NIGHTS WITH ROLLA

WHEN Every Saturday

WHERE Rolla Skate Club, East Hastings Rollerland Building COST From $22

Every Saturday, slap on your best eight-wheelers and dress to impress for a new theme each week—complete with a DJ and full bar, so you can party and exercise at the same time.

SWINGERS

CLUB: VANCOUVER CANADIANS BASEBALL GAME

WHEN September 7

WHERE Nat Bailey Stadium

COST From $22

The season is almost over—don’t miss our baseball boys as they take on the Eugene Emeralds at 7 p.m. Enjoy fireworks and bid farewell to your summer fling: the three-foot Yard Dog.

100-YARR DASH: BIG PIRATE RUN

WHEN September 22

WHERE Garry Point Park, Richmond

COST From $22

A family-friendly (there are different distances) running event with a pirate theme—what more do you need to know? It’s a big pirate run!

Never Too L8 to Sk8

Late Bloomers

Skate Club is a space where all ages, genders and bodies can get on board.

If you’re like us, you’ve wanted to get into skateboarding for decades. But much like making the “30 Under 30” list or qualifying for the Olympics, it’s starting to feel like it’ll always just be a half-pipe dream.

“Trying something new as an adult is hard,” confirms Alicia Pelegrin-Tudor. But as director of Late Bloomers Skate Club (LBSC), she’s advocating for a skate culture where it’s never too late to carve it up; the community group welcomes any wannabe skaters or former thrashers to drop into one of their weekly meetups and get on a board. “Having a space like this is rare and important,” she says. “It gives people a chance to be themselves and try something new.”

Kate MacMillan originally founded the club after a 2018 trip with a skateboarding friend who encouraged them to bring a board and try it for themselves. MacMillan continued to share that skate journey online, organizing more and more meetups. “Things really got rolling when I went to a Vans Get on Board event hosted by Michelle from Antisocial,” says MacMillan. “We saw that more people were learning later in life.” Contributions from friends and groups like Vancouver Queer Skate, Chickflip and Skate Goats helped LBSC grow. Pelegrin-Tudor started skating with LBSC in summer 2021 and quickly became a volunteer as the original founders stepped back. “Late Bloomers was important for me and many others, so I wanted to keep it running,” she says.

Now, Pelegrin-Tudor leads a dedicated team and is taking LBSC into a new chapter. “We call ourselves a ‘club’ but we are far from exclusive,” she says. Most sessions have no sign-up, fees or requirements, except when space is limited. The group is a dynamic mix of regulars and newcomers, all united by a love for skating. “Every person that joins becomes part of our Late Bloomers family,” says Pelegrin-Tudor. And unlike an ollie, joining is easy: find meetup times on Instagram, and then just show up.

HELLO MOTO: FIM WORLD SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP (WSX) SERIES OPENER

WHEN October 26

WHERE BC Place COST TBA

B.C. Place is hosting the opening round of the FIM World Supercross Championship— catch the motorcycle mayhem before the tour heads to Australia and Abu Dhabi.

Skateboarding culture is shifting, with more women excelling and receiving recognition. “Inclusivity within skateboarding has come a long way,” says Pelegrin-Tudor. There’s a prominent queer skateboarding collective, There, in California, that includes trans skaters like Marbie and Cher Strauberry, and here in Vancouver there are groups like the previously mentioned Vancouver Queer Skate, plus Real Hot Skate Moms, Nations Skate Youth and Takeover Skateboarding, who are all paving the way for inclusivity in the sport.

Despite the ongoing challenges of finding undercover space to skate in rainy Vancouver (“It’s shocking we still have to fight for an accessible spot during wet months,” says Pelegrin-Tudor), skateboarding can make a profound impact. “It’s one of the hardest things I decided to do,” Pelegrin-Tudor admits. There are the physical challenges, of course, but there are mental ones, too. “Trusting your abilities and overcoming fear is something everyone faces, from beginners to advanced skaters,” she says. “But you don’t have to be good at it. And you only have one life, right? So why not?”

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BENEFITING

MORE FUN FOR YOUR FALL

WITCH, PLEASE: TIM MURRAY IS WITCHES!

WHEN September 10

WHERE Chill x Studio

COST From $23

Think: Bo Burnham but in drag and singing original comedy songs about pop culture’s most famous witches. Queer comedian Tim Murray, fresh off five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest, invites you to join his hilarious coven—if you dare.

FULL-FLAVOURED

FUNNY: SEASONED

IMPROV COMEDY

WHEN September 19

WHERE Little Mountain Gallery

COST $15

Listen, it’s simple: Ronald, Ese and Kevin are friends who just want to do improv together, make people laugh, say weird stuff and call it a night! They happen to be hilarious, so it shouldn’t be hard.

6 5 1 CRYSTAL CLEAR: THE CRISTÁL BALL TOUR

WHEN September 5

WHERE Hollywood Theatre COST From $35

Join the iconic drag queen Sapphira Cristál, RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 runner-up and Miss Congeniality winner, as she boots and belts the house down with her classically trained opera voice— now that’s fierce.

CUT THE ENGINE: CAR FREE DAYS

WHEN Sept 7 (Commercial Drive), Sept 15 (Main Street), WHERE Various streets across Vancouver COST Free

Take to the streets now that our four-wheeled oppressors have been banned (at least for the day) and snack hard as you shop local vendors. Pedestrians rule, cars drool!

STOMP AND CLAP: VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

WHEN September 12 to 22

WHERE Various venues COST From $42

It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s flamenco: the festival celebrating the Spanish dance brings international pros to twirl and tap on Vancouver stages. Take a class of your own if you’re feeling inspired.

YES, AND: THE 26TH VANCOUVER IMPROV FESTIVAL

WHEN October 1 to 6

WHERE The Cultch COST From $25

Some of the best improv artists from far and wide (and locals, obviously) come together in one festival to use your suggestions to make things up on the spot and make you laugh. And yet that guy you’re seeing can’t text you back?!

Graffiti Goes Digital

From street to screen, Alex Beim’s Graffiti+ is transforming Vancouver’s graffiti scene

Vancouver has hundreds of murals at this point, but only two sanctioned graffiti walls. So where’s a street artist supposed to find a blank space in this day and age? “The city embraces painted murals as a way to displace graffiti,” says Alex Beim, founder of Graffiti+. The art form is often considered glorified vandalism, so Beim’s East Van studio aims to flip that script with a unique hybrid digital graffiti space. This interactive setup brings street art to life on a giant LED screen, complete with hyper-realistic spray cans. Beim’s here to shake it up in more ways than one, it seems. Beim’s passion for graffiti began in his rebellious youth: it was a way to navigate a tumultuous political time in his home country of Uruguay. Now in Vancouver, he transitioned from graphic designer to founding Tangible Interactions and Graffiti+, amassing

high-profile clients like Chanel, Porsche and Coldplay. You’ve probably walked by one of their interactive installations in Vancouver yourself. Today, Beim is shifting his focus from big commercial projects to community engagement. He’s educating people about graffiti through workshops and events, using the digital graffiti wall to bring the community together. It also happens to be very fun (shaking the spray can tool is oddly satisfying), whatever your skill level. Graffiti+’s three-hour workshops are a crash course, taught by a graffiti artist, and a chance to create your own tag while learning about the art form’s history. Currently, it’s offering two-hour team-building workshops for up to 21 participants to learn graffiti basics, followed by hands-on practice on the seven immersive digital screens in a 7,000-square-foot studio.

The digital graffiti wall offers other clear perks: it’s safe (no climbing into railyards to get access to a sweet, blank boxcar), and it’s legal, erasable and fume-free. It also offers infinite space to artists—more than those two city-sanctioned walls could fit. Though it isn’t free to access, Beim works hard to provide opportunities for those who would benefit most. “We rent this system to big names like Nike and Disney, but we also make it accessible in the Downtown Eastside,” says Beim. Graffiti+ hosts events at the studio and around town, with pop-ups, artist residencies and graffiti battles, and the

organization recently helped fundraise for the Clean Lines graffiti festival and hosted workshops for at-risk youth. Their latest initiative, Art on Wheels, makes it even more accessible with a mobile wall (two 75-inch touch screens on a truck), allowing you to create digital art using your fingers, brushes or digital spray painting.

Ultimately, the goal is inclusivity— especially for those who could benefit the most. Street art is an opportunity for self-expression and social statements, and has long been a tool for people who don’t necessarily have the means for canvases or studio or gallery space. It’s the art of the people, a medium that adds vibrancy to cities—what would New York be without it, for instance? Beim hopes to keep that spirit alive in Vancouver with his project. “There’s tons of graffiti in places nobody sees,” says Beim. “We all need space for self-expression.” 220 Victoria Dr. | @graffitiplus.io

HOT TAKE

by Amanda Ross

TREADS WITH THREADS

This October, Chanel’s Coco Neige 2024 collection reimagines the high-top in iconic tweed for the win. Price upon request, Chanel boutique at holtrenfrew.com

Walk This Way

These chic sneaks and statement-making runners will have you strolling the streets in style (with ample arch support, for once).

COURT OF APPEAL

Sorel’s new waterproof leather Ona Ave classic court sneaker in honey white and sanguine ups the game with a low platform sole. $120, sorelfootwear.ca; thebay.com

CHAMPION STATE OF MIND

LOCAL LEGEND

New shoe family DDFT, or Don’t Delay Fluevog Today, debuts with an everyday sneaker called the Velocity Prism. Constructed from a soft, breathable wool blend, it moulds to your foot while lightweight EVA midsoles and carbon rubber outsoles lend multi-surface traction. From October 18 to 20, join Flummunity Fest, a three-day celebration of all things John Fluevog, featuring longtime fans like designer Anna Sui and Kate Pierson from the B-52s. $249, fluevog.com

ARITZIA KITSILANO

THINK PINK

Run, train or walk in Arc’teryx’s Norvan SL 3—one of the lightest trail running shoes on the market—with breathable knit upper and lightweight outsole in new Alpine Rose. $190, arcteryx.com

Vancouver’s own Aritzia, that everyday luxury behemoth first born on the shelves of Hills of Kerrisdale, opens its West 4th Avenue flagship in the vacated heritage building on the corner of Yew Street. 2199 W 4th Ave. | aritzia.com

The Reigning Champ x Norda 001 goes from city walking to trail running in one sustainable-fibre swoop that’s 15 times stronger than steel by weight. $295, mec.ca

ON CLOUD 9

With the new waterproof Cloudrunner 2, running just got comfier and more supportive thanks to On’s Swiss engineering prowess. This September, two new colours—Zinc/Seedling and Zinc/ Midnight—hit shelves at the Right Shoe when the store officially launches its On shop-in-shop. $190, therightshoe.ca

NIGHT MOVES

Local Vessi’s new Courtside Classic waterproof sneaker goes from day to night

Blanket Statement

Aselectfew brings South Asian culture to the luxury streetwear scene.

by Alyssa Hirose

A promising career in entertainment design (read: making roller coasters) may sound like a dream for an engineer, but flying all over the world and working on $10-million projects wasn’t exactly the thrill ride Moneey Singh had hoped for. “As much as I enjoyed the travel aspect and the design elements, there was a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of code,” he shares. “My parents immigrated from India to Canada and allowed me to get educated here—I just felt like they had such a large purpose, and I wanted to think bigger than the corporate nine-to-five.”

So in 2018, Singh founded Aselectfew, a Vancouver-based cross-cultural fashion brand that merges relaxed, cozy elements with luxury design. Take the KMBL pullover: it’s a dead stock fleece sweater inspired by a blanket that brings back all kinds of nostalgia for Singh. “That plush, polyester blanket very common within South Asian households—I would even say Asian households, especially immigrant families—has these rich floral prints and a grandma-esque colour palette,” he explains. Singh notes that the material and pattern aren’t usually associated with status, so translating it into a luxe pullover isn’t just a fashion statement—it’s a statement of cultural pride.

EDITOR’S PICK

The brand’s anorak jackets, designed using 3D tech, are another example of Singh’s ingenuity. “Rather than making multiple samples, which is kind of wasteful and very

expensive, we’ve utilized technology to get form and fit refined before we make a physical piece,” he says. The majority of the collection from Aselectfew (with garments ranging from T-shirts and bucket hats to monogrammed jeans and silk-panelled hockey jerseys) is made in Vancouver. “I believe that if you want to innovate you have to be part of the whole process... I need to be learning from my mistakes in real time,” says Singh. So perhaps he hasn’t totally left the roller-coaster world behind: ups and downs are part of the job.

ANRK Pullover ($850), a water and wind-resistant pullover with an adjustable waistband, hood and sleeves is perfect for the fall.

Fresh Take

Founder Moneey Singh (inset circle) remixes aesthetic references with pieces like a hockey jersey with silk jacquard paneling ($600) or the KMBL zip-up (centre, $675).

KNOWIT-ALL

by Stacey McLachlan

Why Is International Village Mall So

Empty?

And more importantly: how does it stay in business?

illustration by Byron Eggenschwiler

Confession: the real question I wanted to answer today was “Why can’t I stop call-

ing the mall ‘Tinseltown’ even though the Tinseltown theatre there changed its name in 2010?”—but it turns out that’s a question better tackled by my therapist. So here we are, pondering a different unknown: the mystery of why one of the most centrally located malls in Vancouver can be consistently, utterly, spookily unoccupied... and still have remained in business for nearly 25 years.

The International Village Mall website suggests it’s a “location like no other,” and, honestly, you can’t argue with that. International Village is the

only shopping complex in town that boasts more cell phone repair kiosks than shoppers, and it’s the sole place to find both Amanda’s Shoes and Fancy Gifts under one roof. What you can argue with is the claim that it’s a “stateof-the-art entertainment and shopping venue,” because that is not really an accurate way to describe a half-empty place that's equally famous for being home to both Einstein Wrap House and a high-profile stabbing.

If you weren’t there for shawarma or knife crimes, odds are high that the last time you were at International Village was to see an indie movie (e.g., Garfield Goes to Camp 2) at the topfloor Cineplex, forced to journey to the summit of the mall via a treacherous and never-ending series of escalators. (“Vancouver’s Everest,” as the locals call it.) It may be these escalators that, ironically, keep International Village from reaching its true heights. Civic historian and noted Person Who Takes My Calls John Atkin pointed out in a recent conversation that the mall isn’t designed like other North American malls—the tower structure is intimidating to shoppers here. In Hong Kong, ascending multiple storeys to access whatever the Hong Kong equivalent of the Gap is (the Chājù?) is totally typical, but here, we like our malls like we like our men: squat, straightforward and full of Orange Julius. So maybe IVM never had a chance.

It wasn’t intended to be like this.

The vision for the mall was for it to be a designer fashion mecca, and during the development phase dozens of huge international brands were reportedly on board: Gucci and Chanel and the gang were sold a vision of a destination that would lure the high-spenders from Robson and Alberni with its upscale selection and some dazzling tile work in the atrium. But as these brands got more familiar with the mall’s, um, ungentrified Crosstown location, they pulled out, one by one. Did representatives come to visit and find the

neighbourhood a little too rough around the edges, or did they get swept away by the flow of Canucks fans headed back on the Skytrain to Surrey and had to start a new life selling crocodile handbags on the King George Station platform? We’ll never know.

Hong Kong’s Henderson Development followed through with the $150-million project even without Burberry ’n’ friends, but, without any major retailers (no offence to Fashion Hut or Oh My Print), the mall never reached its intended heights. It’s sad that this vision of glitz and glamour crashed and burned before it even began, but, as it turns out, a 300,000-squarefoot mall can operate at half-capacity for decades if it has one important feature—condos on top.

That’s right. The mall itself is just a base for a far more lucrative real estate venture: homes. Look up. Look wayyyy up. Atop the David Hornblow–designed building, you’ll find 191 apartments, occupied by folks who never have to think twice about where to get their cell phones repaired.

Of course, Henderson would like the shopping area to be more than just a cavernous lobby for the building’s residents... though, frankly, its pitch is a little weak. The website lists a few “compelling reasons” for retailers to be a part of the mall, one of which is “adjacent to the Millennium Gate,” and all of which are demonstrations that Henderson does not know what the word “compelling” means. If you really want to entice stores to set up here (can you imagine what an economic driver a lone Claire’s could be?!), you’ve gotta mention the big benefit here: easy access to folks who are ready to shop after getting all hopped up at the second-floor cat café.

Got a question for Know-It-All? stacey.mclachlan@vanmag.com

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Become a volunteer with The Salva�on ArmyIt's a great way to give back to your community.

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Speaker of the House

Notoriously vocal housing advocate and architect Bryn Davidson makes tiny homes and big waves at city hall.

by Frances Bula

Bryn Davidson doesn’t fit the image of a persistent thorn in the side of the City of Vancouver. He doesn’t organize demonstrations or wave placards or deliver thundering speeches in council chambers. In fact, as he speaks about his projects in various forums—always in his thoughtful, even-toned way—he looks and sounds like he should be farming corn somewhere or maybe overseeing some bridge construction in a remote rural area.

But, when we reached out to see if he’d be willing to be interviewed as a “Disruptor” for this magazine, he cheerily responded: “Sure. Sounds nicer than ‘shit disturber.’”

What 48-year-old Davidson has done, in the years since he started his green-home-building business, Lanefab Design/ Build, shortly after he graduated from architecture school in 2005, is quietly and persistently convince the city to change important housing policies. When he tackled his first house, city bureaucrats were going to levy a penalty on his company for the thicker walls needed for passive-house construction— a type of construction that produces homes that are so well insulated and ventilated that they don’t need heating or cooling systems. Eventually, he got them to provide a density bonus (more total buildable space

allowed) for any builder doing the same, making passive houses more financially feasible.

As Vancouver has gone through rolling transformations of its housing policies— laneway homes first allowed in 2009, various efforts to encourage new types of multi-family housing, cautious moves into allowing duplexes in 2018, a full embrace of multiplexes (four to six homes on a single lot) two years ago—Davidson has been talking to others in the industry, attending city meetings and speaking out on social

media constantly, giving his very experience-based opinions on which changes will work, and which ones won’t. He has also been a consistent voice calling for the province to intervene in some housing issues, because cities are just not going to make enough bold changes on their own. “I feel like what I’m arguing about is five to eight years ahead of where governments are,” says Davidson. Along with that, he spent years advocating for the creation of the St. George Rainway in Mount Pleasant—a project

that is now under construction to re-create a stream along St. George Street that replicates the course of one that used to run in the same area before it was covered over. (Davidson works and lives in Mount Pleasant.) And all the while, he was growing his company, focused on working with clients who had the same environmental goals as he did. Lanefab now has about 20 people in it, designing and building about 10 homes a year.

In 2020, he ventured into a new kind of housing mission when he built a tiny house and then found a temporary site for it in the Downtown Eastside as a way to push the city into accepting them as an option. City staff had always pooh-poohed the idea, which has been used in other cities, like Portland and Prince George. But in February 2022, they finally approved a pilot project—one that now consists of 10 tiny homes near Main and Terminal.

Davidson’s willingness to speak out has earned him praise from advocates on various points of the housing spectrum, particularly because he’s not an academic or a housing enthusiast with a background only in computer programming or video-game development— the resumé of more than one person involved in Vancouver’s (and North America’s) rapidly expanding Yes in My Backyard pro-housing movement.

dose-prevention sites, was impressed with Davidson’s willingness to go far out on a limb to build and find a site for a tiny house.

“He’s obviously one of those people who is willing to try a crazy thing,” says Blyth-Gerszak, who has a track record of her own in that area. (Another sign of his willingness to step off the well-trodden path: he’s just finished up living for a year in Bali with his partner and young son.)

House Rules

Davidson has been shaking things up all over the city. Clockwise from top left: the first laneway house in Vancouver; a proposal sketch of a nine-foot wide home; a certified passive house that uses 90 percent less energy for heating; a proposal about passive-house mutiplexes in Shaughnessy for OneCity; tiny homes built in three months for the Downtown Eastside; Davidson himself.

“It is always helpful when you’re talking to somebody who is actually building stuff,” says Russil Wvong, a volunteer with Abundant Housing Vancouver and a council candidate in 2022 with Kennedy Stewart’s Forward Together party. “They’ve got more on the line. These are people who have to make the numbers work.”

Wvong says the illustrations that Davidson puts out on X/ Twitter do a wonderful job of helping the public see what the possibilities are for denser housing that fits well into existing neighbourhoods.

Sarah Blyth-Gerszak, the Downtown Eastside activist who has been a major force in creating Vancouver’s over-

Davidson’s background doesn’t have any flashing red arrows that would indicate the role he’d eventually be playing. He’s the son of two public school teachers from a small town in California near Sacramento. “It was a great place to grow up as a little white boy,” he says. He got a mechanical engineering degree at the University of California, Berkeley, then went to work in Alaska for three years—only to find the work wasn’t as creative (or green) as he’d hoped. So, he went back to school and got a master’s degree in architecture from UBC in 2005.

If Davidson is ever to express any noticeable annoyance, it’s when he looks at how silent too many people in his industry are about reforms that need to be made for climate change and accessible housing. “I’m frustrated at times by the lack of willingness to be a shit disturber,” he says. Still, he’s adamant that advocating for change doesn’t have to mean being a jerk. “I try to be lovingly critical,” he says. “I understand how hard it is to make change within a bureaucracy.”

Your Tailored Kitchen Awaits

Designing with two-tone or tri-tone cabinetry not only adds interest and depth to any size kitchen, it also allows for an individualized expression of style. While the all-wood kitchen look may be frowned upon by many designers, it has made a comeback in multi-tonal designs. This tri-toned kitchen uses black painted wall cabinets, maple-stained island, and natural white oak open shelving and range hood detail. A beautifully unique space that won't go out of style.

COME ON IN

Theory: cool people live in cool spaces. Proof: the pages that follow. From a drag artist's dressing room to a retro-chic, toy-filled kitchen, this is your invite into Vancouver’s most interesting homes—and a chance to meet the fascinating folks who inhabit them.

by THE EDITORS // photography by TANYA GOEHRING

Wigging Out

A fan favourite from two seasons of Canada’s Drag Race, Kendall Gender’s star power shines even when she's in her own sanctuary of a dressing room.

VANITY PROJECT

A drag artist’s peaceful preparation space leaves the chaos of the stage behind. by

Alyssa Hirose

We’ve barely been in Kendall Gender’s Yaletown apartment for one minute before she’s offering to make everyone coffee and giving a quick lesson on different varieties of press-on nails. When our art director compliments her makeup, she politely insists she isn’t wearing any (it’s a quip that has us all giggling—later, she tells us she’s been up since 7:30 a.m. getting ready). An artist prepares, and this drag queen’s downtown Vancouver home is the perfect spot to get ready and stay ready.

Given her own rhinestone-covered, ostrich-feathered, totally dazzling drag looks, the performer’s apartment is surprisingly minimal. Her sofa, rugs, bed, curtains and linens are all white. “I really like neutral design—it’s a little bit Axel Vervoordt, who did Kim Kardashian’s house,” she says. It’s the first place she’s lived in on her own since she was a teenager, and she’s curated the space— especially the solarium, where she dolls up Kenneth into Kendall—into a feminine, creative haven. “I wanted it to feel glamourous and girly, for the six-year-old boy in me who would have been so excited to play in a room like this... I wanted that dream to come true,” she says. Another dream come true? She can see how busy her favourite restaurant, Jinya Ramen, is from her window.

While the rest of the space is bathed in soft neutrals, the solarium is home to shelves of hot-pink heels, larger-than-life wigs and skincare products galore. There’s a spot for everything. “I’ve had to turn myself into a tidy person, because there is so much stuff,” she explains. “That being

said, when I get into drag... that’s when everything gets really messy.”

Because most of the time in this room is spent looking in the mirror (and listening to SZA, her music of choice to quell any pre-show jitters), the drag artist is selective about what she puts on her walls. “I promise I have this up all the time,” she says with a laugh, gesturing to her framed Power 50 feature, which appeared in this very magazine in 2022. “I like to look behind myself at some of my accomplishments and that makes me feel at ease—it’s a very proud space for me.”

Seeing Red

“This is not meant to sound materialistic,” the artist asserts as she explains that her favourite pair of shoes is her Louboutins. “I did a campaign for Annabelle Cosmetics— it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my drag career.” Once she signed the deal, she treated herself to these sparkly heels.

SHOP HOPPING

Moe’s Home Collection

Full disclosure: Gender has worked with Moe’s on 2SLGBTQIA+ events in the past. But she’s also been using their barstools in her kitchen for years.

Cowboy Kendall

There’s subtle Beyoncé influence everywhere—from the artist’s wigs to her tattoos to her prayer candle. “Beyoncé is always looking out for me,” she half-jokes.

CB2

The furniture and accessories retailer is where she goes to source special statement pieces, like her bedside tables or a dramatic lamp.

Retro Modern Designs

The locally owned Hastings Street shop is where Gender found her sofa. Pieces here take their inspo from decades past—think bubbly ’70s-style seating.

Get The Look

For this photoshoot, the artist was inspired by ’60s-era glam. The lavender ostrich-feather dress is by Chicago-based designer Monique Vee, and the wig is based on (you guessed it) an image of Beyoncé from her Cowboy Carter album.

Light Makeup

The neon sign comes from Kendall’s booth at RuPaul’s DragCon UK. “I mounted it on my wall,” says the artist. “Well, somebody mounted it. Shoutout to Taskrabbit.”

How’s Your Head?

This stunning headpiece—and the flaming pink bodysuit that goes with it—was designed by Bunnism Studio. Gender wore it for the finale of Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.

SLAY YOUR STORAGE

Kendall Gender’s tips for keeping an over-the-top wardrobe organized.

X LABEL MAKER

Foundation, powder, lipstick, eyelashes and eyeshadow palettes each have a designated, labelled drawer in Gender’s drag room. “Even if the insides are messy—and I promise you, they are—at least it’s easy for me to put things away,” she says.

Wig Out

The precariously balanced wigs range from Halloween costumes to asseen-on-TV wonders (one comes from the episode of Canada’s Drag Race in which Gender won the “Roast of Brooke Lynn Hytes” challenge).

Cover Girl

From her spot at the vanity, Gender can see her framed Vanmag Power 50 award, her feature in this magazine and her cover of 2SLGBTQIA+ business magazine Q-Biz. “I like to have my accomplishments around me, but I don’t want to venture into Real Housewives territory where I have a floor-to-ceiling photo of myself.”

X SEE THE RAINBOW

Rather than sorting clothing by season or style, the drag artist opts for colour coding. “All of my clothes and shoes are all rainbow organized; I actually do that in my ‘boy closet’ as well,” she says.

X PRIDE AND SEEK

Gender uses both exposed and hidden storage for her shoes: some are lined up on shelves, while others are tucked away in drawers. “For me, shoes are such a staple of the outfit, and displaying them reminds me of an old-school boudoir,” she says.

X WERKROOM

The queen keeps most of her drag things in a separate room from the rest of the apartment, which is white and minimal. “My life is so colourful and chaotic, I really enjoy the dichotomy of that very neutral space,” she says.

X GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

To keep her space clean and serene, the drag artist always tidies up before she turns in for the evening—there’s no do-ittomorrow mentality here. “After I've gotten ready for a show, everything is everywhere,” she says, “but everything has its place, and I always clean up the night of.”

DETAIL ORIENTED

Of course jewellery designer Melanie Auld's bright and airy living space is going to be considered, curated and welcoming: casual, artful elegance is her stock and trade. by Dani Wright

The Sesann sofa by Tacchini was custom-ordered from Vancouver’s Bloom Furniture. “It was so easy to work with them,” says the designer, seen here with dog Louie. “I loved the curve of the Sesann sofa; being of Italian heritage, it felt right to have a piece in our home that was designed and created there.”

Unsurprisingly, jewellery designer Melanie Auld’s bright and chic Dunbar home is all about the details. She brings the same honed vision that helps her craft her elegant-enough-for-a-gala-buttimeless-enough-for-everyday jewellery into her personal space.

After purchasing the love-atfirst-sight home in 2020 and prior to any of those earthy-yet-elegant touches being hashed out, the designer knew that “a little love and updating” was in order. “The soul of our home is what led most of our design choices,” Auld says, referencing the two-year reno that transformed the original 1906 build into what it is today.

“I’ve always wanted to renovate an older home. I’ve watched so many beautiful homes in our city be torn down and replaced, and I just wanted to save one and make it my own,” Auld explains. Which is why she turned to interior designer Gillian Segal, who ran with Auld’s self-described “pared down” taste (a vibe that feels more intentional than sparse) and, says Auld, captured “exactly what I envisioned, but on another level and with details I would never have thought of.”

From artisan-crafted pottery (sourced from Etsy and beyond) to a Tacchini sofa with tons of texture— each curated piece has gravitational pull, along with a story to tell (yes, that is an authentic Parisienne mantel, circa 1910). But the airy functionality of the space lends a sense of zen that provides enough breathing room to truly appreciate those choices.

Namely: there’s no clutter here. Instead, intentionally sourced pieces from female artisans are peppered throughout the built-in shelving, bringing an utterly chic vibe to the space—or, as Auld succinctly puts it: “it’s important to have meaningful items in your home and not just things for the sake of things.”

La Dolce Vita

SHOP HOPPING

Auld scours the online marketplace for both art and homewares—she focuses on pieces by female artisans, like Elena Savina (Echo Studio).

Terracotta Warrior

Auld’s self-proclaimed “obsession” with natural stone comes through loud and clear in the stunning veining of the marble fireplace that was sourced here in Vancouver by Scott Landon Antiques.

“I’m really drawn to the terracotta colour,” the designer explains. “We have it in our store, too.”

Light Bright

Auld explains that she “held out” for the coral version of this Louis Poulsen lamp. The iconic piece adds a pop of colour to the otherwise tranquil, stone-toned living room.

Known for its Parisian fleamarket vibe, the website has been a source for some special pieces in the designer’s home, like her Gubi lamp.

Rackets and Runners

Auld spends her free time on the courts, and her favourite spot for tennis gear in Vancouver is Oak Street’s Rackets and Runners.

When there’s a beautiful piece from the international design house, like her sideboard, Auld is willing to travel across the border to pick it up.

Auld and her family head to the public market for fresh fish and veggies when they have time to wander.

Etsy

1stDibs

Soho Home

Granville Island

Think Small

“I like to support local and small artisans,” says Auld... like the wooden bowl (pictured here) by North Vancouver-based Alexis Dodd of Steel Wood Designs.

Community Connection Program (CCP)

The Community Connection Program (CCP), an innovative initiative designed to foster student engagement and build impactful partnerships with non-profit organizations across the Lower Mainland.

Benefits for Students

Support meaningful nonprofit initiatives.

Build valuable professional connections.

Deepen understanding of societal issues through community engagement.

Benefit for Non-Profit Partners

Gain student assistance for projects without extra costs. Achieve more with students' help in administrative and project-based tasks. Strengthen your organization's impact through collaboration with dedicated students.

Columbia College invites non-profit organizations across the Lower Mainland to partner with CCP. Together, we can create a positive impact on our communities with the help of our passionate and dedicated students.

If you’d like to become a partner, please contact our Student Career Advisor, Ana Albuquerque at aalbuquerque@columbiacollege.ca.

More information please visit:

columbiacollege.ca/ community-connection-program

Our Partner's Feedback

"Our organization has benefited from CCP participants' support in helping us with administrative duties in our virtual office and added project support to help us complete long-standing projects," said Rachelle Smalldon from Vantage Point "Without the support of these students, we would not have progressed as far in project completion, or they might even remain on our to-do list."

Thank you to the Estate of MARY GORDON

Douglas College has received a $3 million donation from the Estate of Mary Gordon, a former nurse whose philanthropic gift will be used to support future generations of nurses in B.C. In recognition of this gift, the nursing simulation suite at the Coquitlam Campus was renamed the Mary Gordon Health Sciences Centre for Experiential Learning.

Mary Gordon’s gift will provide 10 entrance awards to first-year nursing students at Douglas College as well as support the creation of post-degree and continuing education programs in gerontology. The gift also helps address the acute shortage of health care providers in B.C.’s rural communities by providing opportunities for nursing students to complete their clinical studies in remote areas of the province.

The generosity of the late Mary Gordon will have an enormous impact on building a robust pipeline of early career nurses and future nursing professionals. – Dr. Kathy Denton, President and CEO of Douglas College

If you want to learn more about how you can remove barriers and transform futures through naming opportunities and other forms of sponsorship, please get in touch.

LET’S PLAY

Inside Claire and Tyler Quantz’s vintage-inspired kitchen: a space as whimsical and charming as its toy-store-owning residents.

by Kerri Donaldson

Time Warp

The base of the dining table was found on Etsy, giving the table new life. The custom banquette seating and chairs share a similar vintage aesthetic, though they’re new.

Pretty in Pink Accents throughout the home, like the staircase, baseboards, doors and dining chair seat cushions, are a complementary blush pink that gives the whole look that ’50s dream glow.

Commercial Drive’s Dilly Dally Kids is a whimsical space, for obvious reasons: that’s just how toy stores tend to be. But stepping into the low-rise West End apartment of owners Claire and Tyler Quantz (and 10-year-old son Otis) is an equally playful experience, chockablock with colour, vintage-inspired touches and (of course) plenty of toys.

The Quantzes—who grew up in Victoria and fell in love in high school— have been residents of this late-’70s building for three years, but it wasn’t always this cute. For instance: the initial state of their kitchen, located at the back of the unit, was gloomy and uninspiring. “It was white subway tiles, with dark early 2000s Ikea cabinetry,” says Claire. “Pretty ugly, boxy and not the most functional to be honest. It felt very dark and heavy.”

The couple tapped Kelly O’Quinn of PlaidFox Studio to help them turn the tiny space into something fun and welcoming that “felt great to cook in,” says Tyler. The once cramped kitchen now tells a story of brightness, colour and texture—the ’50s and ’60s, but seen through the lens of a hip millennial

SHOP HOPPING

Japan Centre Claire and Tyler lived in Osaka for a while and turn to this “ode to convenience stores in Japan” for their favourite treats and ingredients.

Spot of Tea Claire picked up the teapot on the lower shelf on a trip to Chechnya. “It was Chechen Republic then, maybe 25 years ago,” she says. Another teapot from the collection was an inherited gift originally intended for her parents, and a third is Japanese. “Over time it takes on the flavour, so it makes better tea the more you use it,” says Claire.

Faithful Though they’re typically seeking out vintage pieces when they shop, the couple regularly pops into this homewares boutique to scope out the Japanese and Scandinavian design.

Vancouver Special

The Main Street furniture and accessories store stocks pieces from beloved design brands like Alessi, Hay and Normann Copenhagen.

Konbiniya

Old

What’s Cooking?

Among the collection of cookbooks is a vintage tome about throwing parties, a gift from Tyler’s parents. “It’ll be themes like ‘Strawberry Cream Sandwich Party’ and random 1930s ideas,” says Claire.

Canned Goods

A large entry closet across from the kitchen was converted into a pantry. “It added lots of shelving to make it an extension of the kitchen, making it a huge improvement for our lifestyle,” says Claire. The pantry, with its custom cabinetry and open design, is too nice to be hidden behind a door.

couple. The kitchen’s aquamarine cabinets are paired with butcher-block counters and open shelving in natural wood. “We love the warmth wood brings. It gets dinged up from wear and tear, but we still like the way it looks. We didn’t want a material we had to be too precious with,” says Claire.

The vintage-inspired backsplash tiles, with their raised circles that look

Classroom Nostalgia

The old classroom poster hanging in the kitchen feels like an oldtimey Where’s Waldo. “It was used in Dutch schools— maybe from the ’40s—as a teaching tool,” says Tyler.

Creature Comforts

The little toy mice—made by Maileg, a Danish brand—that sit in the kitchen (and throughout the home) are from Dilly Dally. “It’s our most popular toy line,” says Tyler. And the little toaster? “A vintage ’60s kids’ toaster from Toys ‘R’ Us.”

like Lego pieces, add a playful texture. The dining area, tucked under the pink stairs, features a custom-made banquette and table base (from Etsy, like many things in the home), paired with Blu Dot chairs from Victoria. “We built a cozy eating booth to maximize space but still be able to fit a good number of people around the table for dinner,” Tyler says.

On Living with Kids

“Being close to Stanley Park and the beach is huge for us. Even though we have a small space, our almost-backyard is filled with beaches, big trees and clean air so we spend a lot of time outside,” says Tyler.

On Creating Intentional Storage

“We have a lot of stuff between our vintage and toy collections and all the things you seem to accumulate when you have a kid, so we have shelves everywhere to house all our treasures,” says Claire.

On Urban Living

“We downsized on purpose, with the philosophy of living a good chunk of our life outside of our home, seeing friends, going for walks,” says Tyler. “That’s why it was really important for us to live in the West End.”

One more thing the family has been able to fit in: a collection of favourite toys from the shop, including a selection of tiny mice dolls that are peppered throughout the space (the cutest mice infestation you could ask for). Otis, unsurprisingly, is eager to join the family business. “He’s constantly checking the children’s labour laws about when children can work,” laughs Claire.

DANCING TO THEIR OWN BEET

A Strathcona couple builds a cozy, eclectic home that’s as popular a hangout as the beloved coffee shop they founded. by Stacey McLachlan

Wall Flowers

When Sean Cunningham (left) and Matt Senecal-Junkeer built The Birds and the Beets, they fell in love with a high-end wallpaper... then were heartbroken to realize that it wouldn’t stand up to the wearand-tear of restaurant life. “But for our house, we knew we could get the really nice one,” says Cunningham. This vintage-inspired pattern is from Sandberg.

Rumour has it that this used to be a brothel. And a hideout for the Vancouver Communist Party. And the highest home in Strathcona, when it was first built in 1908. But while we can’t confirm that these theories from the realtor are true, here’s what we do know for sure: Matt Senecal-Junkeer and Sean Cunningham, co-owners of Gastown coffee spot The Birds and the Beets, have created a home here that’s something special.

They’ve lived in the homey heritage house since 2014, slowly adding and shuffling around new pieces over the years: a rug spontaneously acquired on a vacation to the Island; the wallpaper they always wanted for the restaurant; artwork from friends; a side table allegedly rescued from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s reject pile. “I don’t know a word for it other than eclectic,” says Cunningham. “We like things that you wouldn’t expect together.” It’s

Nestled Vessels

The teak buffet is another Marketplace find. It holds a collection of Japanese glassware and ceramics from friends like Leigh Elliott. “She used to work for us a long time ago so we’ve collected her stuff over the years,” says Cunningham. “We have early stuff that she’s embarrassed about, but I love it.”

Family Finds

The wooden dining table (did you spot the carved gargoyle feet?) belonged to Cunningham’s grandparents; ditto the vintage floral light fixture that hangs above it.

forever evolving—Cunningham skims Facebook Marketplace almost every day for treasures—but always warm and welcoming to a revolving door of guests. (The two love to entertain, and impromptu after-work dinner parties are constant.)

With a baby on the way for the couple, the design will have to continue to evolve. “The sofa used to be for hosting 15 friends

and 20 bottles of wine, but it’ll also be good for a family,” says Cunningham. She looks around at the home with consideration, eyes landing on the more delicate pieces lovingly displayed in the wood-andbrick-lined space: shelves stacked with handmade pottery from friends; the heavy chain of cheeky brass monkeys hanging from the ceiling. “We’re excited, but I really like my adult things.”

Dry, Dry Again

Nassi Soofi, co-founder of cult-fave floral shop Wild Bunch, gave the couple a bouquet (which they’ve since dried) in this Nathalee Paolinelli vase.

Crash Pad

The oversized modular sofa with a striped, woven pattern is allegedly a custom model from Inform; the couple scored it for $200 off of Marketplace. “We almost got divorced trying to move it in, though,” says Cunningham. Now, friends are always piled on it, “lying down and drinking wine.”

Grid of Glory

Cunningham was on a trip to Victoria when she happened to see a listing for a Ligne Roset rug in Oak Bay on Marketplace.

(“You’re obsessed,” says Senecal-Junkeer to his wife.) She changed her ferry reservation to get it and it barely fit in the car. Now, she can’t imagine the house without it.

Cool It Down

The house came with a standard-sized fridge that jutted out into the hallway, so they searched high and low to find something that would fit in the awkward nook—this mint-hued number from a brand called Unique did the trick (and adds to the space’s retro charm).

Monkey Business

Vancouver artist Robert Chaplin made these brass monkeys. “He’s a friend and regular of ours,” says SenecalJunkeer. “He did a mould of the Barrel of Monkeys monkeys and made them anatomically correct.”

Brass Act

Cunningham found the brass lamp and side tables at the Union Gospel Mission thrift store. Both apparently had previous lives as accessories at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. A knit trivet sits beneath the lamp, crafted by Cunningham’s grandmother.

Neighbour

The beautifully curated fashion boutique is right next to The Birds and the Beets, so Cunningham and SenecalJunkeer find themselves there constantly.

Itsumo

All the Japanese homewares here are top-notch, but Senecal-Junkeer is a fan of the glassware, specifically.

Gourmet Warehouse

The pair snags their kitchen tools from this legendary East Van shop. They always have the best peelers, and never the most expensive ones—just ones that work.

Tin Lee Market

Cunningham and SenecalJunkeer are fruit hounds, and regulars at Chinatown’s Tin Lee Market. You’ll get the most perfect passionfruit here.

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The Wine Guide

BOTTLE

SERVICE

Sometimes, you have wine questions that go beyond “can I have some?” And that’s when we call up Neal McLennan, our esteemed wine and spirits editor, who is always happy to dispense advice along with a heavy pour of something very nice. With his specific wine solutions to your specific wine conundrums, you’ll never burst into tears at Legacy again. Cheers to that.

I’m having steak and potatoes; my vegan partner is eating some sort of raw lentil pie. We’re from two different worlds but we’re making it work. What’s a bottle of wine we could share?

THE SOLUTION

We’re gonna let you in on a secret: wine pairing is inexact and overrated. So instead of seeking a bottle that pairs perfectly with one specific dish, move toward choosing a style of wine that works across the spectrum—like lighter reds with high acidity. This bottle of Bodegas Peique Ramón Valle ($28) is from the Bierzo region of Spain, where they grow the mencia grape. It’s lively enough to cut the richness of the steak, but juicy enough to lift the lentils—plus it’s vegan and costs about a fifth of what the Cali cab most red meat eaters would reach for.

What’s the best bottle to give my boss at Christmas?

Something that says both “I respect you but I’m not sucking up” and “this is actually a thoughtful choice and not just a last-minute panic buy at the liquor store.”

THE SOLUTION

You’re looking for a bottle that represents all of the things you are to the company: forward-thinking, unique, focused on quality, passionate. 1 Mill Road in Naramata is still a young winery, but its chardonnay ($48) already is at the pinnacle of the Okanagan and can stand toe-to-toe with wines that cost double (or more) from Sonoma or Chablis. It’s restrained, elegant and age-worthy, and if a wine nerd sees it in your boss’s cellar, they’ll give them props for serious discernment. And the kicker: it’s under $50 and there’s a small amount available at the BCL.

WINE CONUNDRUM #3

I’ve scrimped and saved to take the person of my dreams to a Vanmag Restaurant Award–winning spot renowned for its impressive wine list. I want to show them that I’m a thoughtful sort worth investing in... while staying within spitting distance of the “second cheapest bottle” rule. What’s an area to explore that will get the somm to endorse my interesting bona fides?

THE SOLUTION

Let’s talk about another somm passion: changing people’s expectations about a certain wine or region. Thanks to years of retsina-derived fever dreams, it takes some confidence to use the words “Greek” and “wine” in the same sentence, but order an assyrtiko from cult producer Vassaltis ($76) and watch the pro beam at your inspired choice. It hails from the famed island of Santorini, where assyrtiko has been grown for generations but has lately come under threat as land prices spiral upward in the tourist mecca. But one sip of it—grippy, tropical, clean AF—and all involved will agree that land can have no higher calling than producing wine of this magnificence.

WINE CONUNDRUM #1

WINE CONUNDRUM #2

WINE CONUNDRUM #4

I’m going to dinner at my friend’s house and she’s a certified somm. The pressure is on. What’s the best bottle to impress a wine nerd (on a just-a-casualWednesday-night-pastadinner kind of budget)?

THE SOLUTION

Well, this is a loaded question, isn’t it? The heart of the somm is deep, but fickle: 30 years ago it might have been a bottle of Priorat from Spain; 20 years ago a Sonoma Coast pinot; 10, a Cru Beaujolais. But today? How about a wine that’s relatively new here, but has a storied history, an intense saline and stony flavour profile that calls to use the loved descriptor “minerality” and is grown on volcanic soil (somms love volcanos)? All this esoterica is available for only $36 in Los Bermejos Lanzarote Malvasia Volcanica from the Canary Islands: a unicorn of a wine weirdly hiding in plain sight at the BCL.

WINE CONUNDRUM #5

I’m going on a hike with my partner (brag) and I’m going to propose when we get to the top! What’s celebratory, but can also handle being shuttled along in a backpack for four hours?

THE SOLUTION

Ok, lots of vectors at play here. While red wine doesn’t need chilling and can hold up to jostling, do you really want a plastic cupful of barolo after sweating it out climbing the Chief? So let’s lean into convention here: in this case, a half-bottle of Taittinger champagne ($80), cooled by a mountain stream, seems like the perfect vignette to remember. It’s also a bottle that’s available widely throughout the world, so after you’ve come down from Kilimanjaro on your 25th anniversary you can have dinner in Nairobi and revisit your romantic past.

WINE CONUNDRUM #6

I’ve been invited to a 30th birthday bash in Whistler and the theme is, quelle surprise, “All things Aussie.” I’ve been asked to bring a bottle of red but I don’t love big, bold shiraz. How can I go Down Under but still satisfy my minimalist palate?

THE SOLUTION

Honestly, this is easier than you think because while most of our Southern doppelgangers do still like a good ol’ fruit bomb, there’s a growing cadre of really dedicated experimental types who are pushing more boundaries than Guy Pearce in brothers, who are on a serious purity quest. Their take on Bordeaux, The Clare ($47), is like Christmas in summer: a revelation. It’s intensely floral and herbaceous and the opposite of leaden in the glass: you might just convert more than a few mollydookers with this bottle.

WINE CONUNDRUM #8

WINE CONUNDRUM #7

I’m stocking the fridge for the babysitter. What’s a wine that says “have fun and thank you” but also “please don’t get too loaded”?

THE SOLUTION

To be clear, this is a 19-plus babysitter, right? This sounds like a job for piquette, the wine cousin that’s made by re-using already-pressed grapes, resulting in a fizzy, low-alcohol bevy originally drunk by field workers but that has now, like Carhartt, been co-opted by people with exceedingly soft hands and statement headgear. But that doesn’t mean that a rosé version from Bartier Bros. isn’t a stone-cold winner for its ultra-low alcohol (4.2%), keepin’-it-real price point ($4 a can, important given that you’re legally obligated to pay this young-but-not-tooyoung adult $17.40/hour) and its juicy cranberry-and-orange crunch of flavour.

I just got dumped. My true love was a pinotphile and now I can’t drink it without crying. Where do I go for my light red fix?

THE SOLUTION

No one said living with a pinot fan was going to be easy (those thin skins and all). But I have a solution: really good gamay. When treated seriously, the grape offers plenty in common with pinot: pale red colour, light body, tart delivery, better with the tiniest chill. We have some serious gamay producers in B.C., like Orofino and Haywire, but let’s opt for the gamay OG, Blue Mountain ($34), which is a dense, spicy and complex take on the grape and can age like a fine grudge. In one word: brooding (both you and the wine).

YORK BY LISTRAOR

New York-inspired, Vancouver established, York is a collection of unstacked parkfront townhomes offering modern families the perfect balance of city and nature.

JMADE FOR FAMILIES

BY JESSICA KIRBY

ust steps from paths that meander through a beautiful city park and minutes from bustling South Cambie streets and all the amenities the city offers, York is calling. This collection of 29 threebedroom townhomes is inspired by New York City and built exclusively for modern families who appreciate unique architecture, thrive in thoughtful interiors that meet diverse and growing needs, and revel in a close connection with nature.

STEPS FROM GREENSPACE

York is nestled on a quaint, tree-lined street at the corner of Willow & 37th directly across from Oak Meadows Park. This lush neighbourhood gem boasts safe and accessible walking/jogging trails, playfields, a playground and an open meadow for play or picnicking.

Residents can stay connected—to the outdoors and each other—with top to bottom functionality, beginning with direct entry from ground and parkade levels providing seamless access to your home. With three bedrooms and ample storage, there is plenty of space for your family’s growth and evolution over time. For relaxing and entertaining, enjoy a spacious kitchen for gathering, along with generous outdoor spaces including a front patio, balcony off primary bedroom and private rooftop deck in select homes with views of the North Shore Mountains.

Outside, a central community courtyard encourages connection parallel to the park, separated only by a tree-lined street.

INTERIOR BEAUTY

Inside, contemporary design and carefully curated features along with thoughtful details are the perfect backdrop for busy family living. Each home features up to 1,664 square feet of living space with tasteful finishes in a soft neutral palette that uses warm woods and creamy tones to create

a sense of timeless elegance. Epicurean kitchens are the heart of the home with fully integrated stainless-steel Bosch appliances, including gas cooktops, unique wood-fluted millwork on all kitchen islands, and quartz countertops extending to the backsplash.

Enjoy the spa-like ambiance of primary ensuites draped in luxurious large format porcelain tile on shower walls and flooring, double vanities, medicine cabinet for convenient storage, and a frameless glass shower with mosaic tile flooring.

York is backed by the highly regarded reputation of Listraor, an established Vancouver developer who, over 30 years, has built form, function and beauty into communities across Metro Vancouver, with special focus on the West Side.

This family-run business delivers some of the finest homes in the city, driven by the expertise of an in-house construction team that builds superior quality and lasting value into every home.

York homes will be move-in ready spring 2025. Visit yorkvancouver.com, email info @yorkvancouver.com or call 604.369.4265 to register.

Uncle Ernie is visiting from his farm in Estevan, Saskatchewan. I want to highlight our local wine scene but ol’ Ern ain’t interested in supporting any “big city millionaires with their hobby farms.” Where do I turn?

THE SOLUTION

Get a map of B.C. and ask Ernie to follow you north up Highway 99, past Whistler, past Pemberton, and, when you near the tiny town of Lillooet, tell him about how a pair of dreamers named Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek came to this remote spot—the nearest Starbucks is a two-hour drive—and set up a winery in a place with no history of grape growing. Then have him taste their Foret Berens cabernet franc ($46), a smoky, crunchy, vibrant glass of wine that’s both bold and refreshing (like Ernie’s freely shared views on Trudeau) and let’s see if he doesn’t order a case on the condition that it be illegally shipped back home.

I only want to buy a bottle of wine if the label is also beautiful. (I’m shallow.) What has pretty packaging but is also not total swill?

WINE CONUNDRUM #10

I told my mom I would bring the wine for Thanksgiving and now it turns out that all 16 of my cousins are coming. What’s the best bulk buy?

THE SOLUTION

The normal math of three-ish people to a bottle of wine doesn’t work with cousins, who drink like fish. But how to bulk up without looking overly thrifty? This box of Hands Up White from Monte Creek in Kamloops is a large-crowd godsend—for $49, you get the equivalent of four $20 bottles, so you’re already ahead, financially speaking. And the juice inside is crowd pleasing: an out-of-the-box (get it?) blend of six grapes, some of which are familiar (chardonnay) and some of which are definitely not (you get Frontenac gris and blanc!). The end result delivers ample fruit—ripe apples and mangoes—while still offering cool-climate freshness to literally cut through the gravy.

THE SOLUTION

For starters, don’t beat yourself up—while it’s not scientifically proven that there’s a connection between good graphic design and good winemaking, more often than not you can glean a sense of where the winemaker is going with their cover art. Case in point: natty wine pioneer A Sunday in August makes big-hearted, open-armed wine that’s organic and juicy and then adorns the bottles with original commissions for local artists like Claire Milbrath and Celia Duthie that run the gamut from Fauvism to slightly less Fauvism—making for a big wine/artist love-in that’s very... natural.

WINE CONUNDRUM #9

WINE CONUNDRUM #11

SCAN HERE

YOU’LL BE PART OF A COMMUNITY OF INFLUENTIAL VANCOUVER VOICES, AND THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CITY. JUST FOR JOINING, YOU'LL BE ENTERED TO WIN A PAIR OF APPLE AIRPODS MAX

by Kurtis Kolt

Our CupRunneth Over

If you’re looking for a wine bar that’s serving up both interesting bottles and good times, you’re in the right place—Vancouver in 2024 is overflowing with options. Welcome to the new wave of wine.

PHOTO BY ALAN CHAN, ANOTHER STUDIOS

Swirls Night Out Unfussy and unbelievably popular, Dear Gus is the quintessential New Wine Bar.

My FrenchCanadian heart is full.”

That sentiment was shared with me by Maude Renaud-Brisson, a sommelier by trade and co-proprietor of Vancouver’s This Is Wine School. The school acts as an outpost of the globally recognized Wines and Spirit Education Trust certifications and as a venue for freestyle wine events—ones where disco balls get flicked on and socializing with fellow wine enthusiasts is as important as making tasting notes.

Why is her heart full? Because right now is the perfect time to be a wine lover in Vancouver.

You see, not even half a decade ago, the wine bar scene in Vancouver barely existed. Sure, there have been sporadic examples of the concept over time, but a full-on movement never took. Way back in the mid-’90s at Bayswater and West 4th, there was the Livingroom Bistro—a place shockingly lost to history—with a dynamic by-the-glass list on offer amongst a handful of cocktails and craft beer. It was open quite late, with trip-hop blaring through the speakers, and revellers (which often included local restaurant industry folks) would nosh on small plates like corn fritters with salsa fresca, wild mushroom risotto and warm breads

with romesco sauce and other dips. The place spawned others that followed the trend, memorably Bin 941 on Davie and Bin 942 on Broadway, both of which featured decadent mains with truffle oil and balsamic reduction (the ’90s!) rather than casual wine bar fare. And then, in the early aughts, I was one of the folks running Sean Heather’s Salt

Tasting Room in Gastown (relocated recently to Chinatown), which married flights of wine with local charcuterie and artisan cheeses.

All of these places were successes in their own right, but overall, there was a

lack of wine-bar culture here—and when Renaud-Brisson moved here in 2009 from Quebec, she took note. A half-decade ago, she created a series of pop-up wine bar events, dubbed Apéro Mode. Situated at various restaurants and bars around the city, these nights offered engaging counter service of delicious wine, snacks on offer and a casual, accessible atmosphere.

Along came some more wine-curious pop-ups—and then there was COVID. Obviously a troubled time for us all, but in the scramble of the past years, something shifted for local wine enthusiasts and hospitality pros in particular, inspiring many to pause, reflect, re-think life decisions and map out a few previously back-burnered dreams.

On the other side of those darkest days, the scope of a Vancouver wine bar scene has changed, for the better. There are now a growing number of places to nab a seat, grab a glass and have a small bite without feeling the obligation to do an all-out full dinner. This style of going out—a sip, a glass, well-appointed and delicious— seems to have found Vancouver’s heart well; based on lineups and buzz, this is what we’ve been waiting for all along.

Fresh on the scene after opening mere months back is Dear Gus Snack Bar (2040 Quebec St., deargus.com), first-time proprietor Rachel Lee’s 18-seater in Mount Pleasant. Her career in real estate development was going strong, but the pandemic allowed her to consider some personal goals and passions. Next thing you know, she was tackling red tape and zoning bylaws to open her place in this semi-industrial pocket of town.

“I wanted to bring inspiration from time spent travelling through Europe to create something approachable and fun, but still with high-quality offerings,” she says. “But, most importantly, something that could be a neighbourhood gem.”

Lee works with wine importer Nabila Lalani of AmoVino wine agency on the Dear Gus wine program, focusing on organic, sustainable, solely European wines; there’s a refinement to the list that she’s proud of. “I wanted modern classics on the wine list that paired well with the style of food I was going for,” she says.

That food style spans everything from nuts, olives, cheese and charcuterie to decadent mains like pork belly with sherry glaze, quince puree and pickled Swiss chard. (Château du Hureau “Tuffe” Cabernet Franc from the Loire, anyone?) Lee wants guests to feel just as welcome and comfortable coming in for a bowl of chipotle-spiced cashews as they would doing the whole dinner shebang. Those nightly lineups clearly show that new patrons are pickin’ up what she’s layin’ down.

Another with a pandemic pivot is Kovic Prévost, a chef by trade who’d been on the pans all over the world (New Zealand, Montreal, Europe and beyond) before planting himself in Vancouver three years back and firing up Gastown’s Is That French (45 Blood Alley Square, isthatfrench.com). He always enjoyed the laid-back, casual vibes of Montreal wine bars and wanted to bring some of that feel here. After a recent visit, I can happily say “mission accomplished.” The candlelight-laden brick room charms. The savvy crew will walk you through a glass or a flight of low-intervention wines like Peter Wetzer’s Furmint from Hungary or a stunner of a Kutatás from our very own Gulf Islands.

Mighty Fine Wine

(Clockwise from top left) Dear Gus is sunny and inviting; Dear Gus’ Rachel Lee; sharable bites from Dear Gus; casual fare from Is That French; the bistro-chic interior of Is That French; a 2019 pop-up wine bar event at Dachi; sommelier Maude Renaud-Brisson

When I asked Prévost if he thinks of his wine program as “natural,” he shudders. “Since there isn’t an official definition of natural, I don’t like to use it as a catch-all,” he says. “Minimal intervention wines that are farmed with respect to the land where they’re grown is what we like to bring in—from classic styles and a good handful of out-of-the-box listings, too.”

Is That French features an impressive menu for a place without a traditional kitchen—no hood vents, nothing. That limitation had Prévost initially launching a raw bar concept, with tartares, crudos, ceviches and such—but the current menu incorporates an ever-changing list of culinary flexes like arctic char with sauce escabèche and borlotti bean ragout.

And speaking of tartare, just a few steps aways from Is That French is Bar Tartare (54 Alexander St., bartartareyvr.ca)—the nighttime operation that shares a space with The Birds and the Beets, a popular daytime eatery. It’s another new wine bar around these parts... kinda.

One of the key players of the modern wine bar movement in Vancouver for many years has been Juice Bar, which was located in the space Bar Tartare currently calls home. The local natural wine hub was known for boisterous good times, a rotating roster of resident and guest chefs and casual counter service, and it acted almost as an unofficial community centre for myriad local food and drink industry folks.

When proprietor Siôn Iorwerth decided recently to pick up sticks and move back to his Welsh homeland, the keys to the place were passed to veteran wine pro Lindsay Otto, formerly of Bistro Wagon Rouge, Ubuntu and—yup—Juice Bar. Knowing the space and what worked well, she kept what clearly resonated with their audience and employed only a few

very small tweaks. The roster of chefs rotates a little more in this incarnation, from the contem porary Filipino-esque fare of chef Mark Singson to the crews behind local favourites like Thank You Pizza and Lucky Bepo Ramen. The big cooler full of global natural wine royalty is still there, with marquee names like Matassa from Côtes Catalanes in France and the Similkameen’s Scout Vineyard. I’m also loving that the service is now a little more user-friendly; if you want to have another glass or bottle while you’re at your table, they’re happy to bring it over, so it doesn’t become an evening of up-down-up-down, to and from the counter. (Lazy wine fans, your time has come!)

I’m also loving the live music programming and wines made-on-premises at the cultural hub of La Fabrique

St-George Winery (7 E 7th Ave., fabriquestgeorge.com), where you can nab rillettes, conservas, dips, spreads, potato chips and more from their well-stocked shelves, and they’ll get you nice and comfy with plates and cutlery for your fare. And while the Gastown location of Salt Tasting Room is no longer, its new Chinatown spot (227 East Pender St., saltchinatown .com) offers the same combo of wine flights, artisan charcuterie and cheeses that locals have flocked to for years. Elsewhere, there’s Bar Susu’s creative wine and small plate program (209 E 6th Ave., thisisbarsusu.com), which survived a fire and a temporary relocation but has served a smart selection all the while; I’ll be tucking into their Kentucky-fried maitake with harissa mayo and sipping a bottle of something special soon.

All of these places are bustling, full of character and adding muchwelcomed diversity to the local wine scene. Grab a menu from any of ’em, pore over it and get sipping. It’ll make your heart happy, too.

Poppin’ Bottles (Clockwise from top left) Inside La Fabrique St-George Winery; Bar Susu’s food and wine; a dish from La Mano at Bar Tartare; the Bar Tartare exterior in Gastown.

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TASTE

Hope you’re hungry— we’ve got a feast of a food section for you this month. Read on for our review of Elio Volpe, an ode to phoflavoured tartare and a sable recipe that’ll knock your socks off.

Saucy Perfection

We can’t stop thinking about the salsa rossa that accompanies Elio Volpe’s expertly charred lamb chops.

New Fox on the Block

Elio Volpe stands out as an instant Vancouver classic.

by Dani Wright

It’s not easy to grow up under the shadow of your bonafide celebrity siblings. Just ask Kieran Culkin: the pressure is on when the spotlight was lit years before you were an inkling of a concept. Let’s just say it takes a lot of talent to go from Fuller in Home Alone to winning an Emmy for your role in one of HBO’s biggest shows ever.

In the case of Elio Volpe, the latest addition to the Banda Volpi restaurant group, rather than cower behind its rockstar siblings, it too took the Kieran route. And the Cambie Village restaurant has come out swinging with an all-star lineup. At the helm is chef Alan Tam, the 15-year culinary vet who previously ran Michelin-recommended Nightingale. Vish Mayekar, previously of Caffè La Tana (also of Banda Volpi), kicked things off as exec sous (though he’s since stepped down). And at the top of the org chart is Phil Scarfone, culinary director for Banda; under his guidance, the restaurant group highlights various styles of Italian cuisine, like the rustic Savio Volpe and its straight-out-of- Goodfellas sibling Pepino’s. With a roster like this, no wonder snagging a table meant planning weeks in advance.

Despite the weeknight reservation, when my partner and I arrive at what was once a mechanic shop, we’re met by a vibrant crowd—foursomes gushing over their meals, couples nestled near the large window that borders the host stand. Inside, a high, industrial, exposed-beam ceiling gives way to a warm, open space.

A full page of negroni interpretations stand out within a robust drinks program, and the classic version is pitch-perfect, with a flawlessly clear ice cube in the centre—

forever a sign of good things to come. I succumb to the siren call of the vesper Italiano ($20): delicately floral, and topped with a drop of Agrumato lemon oil, balancing each sip. Vancouver is no stranger to tuna crudo, but Elio’s version ($26) surprises me. Cubes rather than slices sit in a punchy, fish-sauce-laden dressing. There’s the heat of thinly sliced serrano, and the sweet-tart jolt of ground cherries and basil combined with the citrus-forward sauce, leaning Vietnamese more than Italian. That’s no condemnation: this iteration is one that I’d order again and again, and it’s a representation of my impression of Elio as a whole: an elevated neighbourhood joint. A place you want to return to.

Our Roman-style pizza ($28) arrives screaming hot, with possibly the thinnest crust I’ve ever seen and featuring chunks of Italian ham, in-season asparagus, a generous pile of arugula, jalapeno and truffle crema. To know me is to know

I love sauce, but here, the truffle crema doesn’t take centre stage. Instead, it acts as a vessel for umami notes, a hint of creaminess that lets the early summer produce and expertly crafted crust shine. Finishing up on cocktails, we turn to wine. The by-the-glass program at Elio is thoughtful—so thoughtful I have the fleeting sense that it might be too elaborate. But the neighbourhood-joint vibe is still going strong in the pages of the wine menu, and with my partner’s 2021

Star Fish

Elio’s tuna crudo (left) is topped with serrano and basil; its culatello (bottom) features 20-year balsamic and parmesan.

away any of its power. The chianti is richer, and, when paired with the food, the tannin finish feels dynamic, each sip robust.

Borgo Scopeto Sangiovese Chianti at $17 and my 2022 G.D. Vajra Nebbiolo Langhe at $18, it feels downright affordable. I’m no wine pro but I can describe it for you in the way I need my own grapes spelled out: the nebbiolo is very drinkable. Moreish even. It’s red-fruit-forward on its own, but with the pizza it tastes brighter without giving

Cacio e pepe is my go-to. I treat it the way chefs on TV talk about the perfect French omelette: it’s a litmus test. I’m immediately intrigued by Chef Tam’s rendition ($18)—which includes a 10-year cheddar and roasted jalapeno—because, frankly, it sounds nothing like the pasta dish I love. I’m right—and that’s a good thing.

A mountain of roasted jalapeno sits at the centre of a bowl of lacquered rigatoni, begging to be mixed with the cheese. Once combined, the al dente pasta doesn’t taste like straight-up heat or salsa or any

540 W 17th Avenue

Open 7 days a week; brunch on weekends

other dish that usually features the ubiquitous pepper: it’s like someone turned the dial on cacio e pepe up to eleven. Fruity notes from the jalapeno come through, but they’re matched with the salinity of the cheese, and what’s left is a lingering but tight spice. At once it’s both exceptional and everyday. My partner opts for the lamb, and it’s expertly charred on the outside with a pink interior that gives way to the knife with ease. The chunky salsa verde combined with the crunchy pistachios is a fresh version of the overdone jelly condiment. But it’s the salsa rossa that will have me thinking back on the dish for days (I told you I’m a sauce fiend). It’s lightly bitter yet fruity, with a deep spice that ends short to give way to the rich lamb. It’s so multifaceted that I ask my server what’s in it. I expect to hear it’s a secret recipe, but when she reveals that the sauce is a combination of chipotle in adobo, ancho chile and red pepper, I’m brought back to the thought I had while eating the tuna: that the talented team creates a casual, easy air that makes it easy to miss just how much expertise is at play.

Elio Volpe might be the newest of the unabashedly fabulous Banda Volpi restaurants, but it has already earned its place in the dining fabric of Vancouver. Unfussy yet elevated, it redefines classic dishes with flourish but in a way that feels effortless. Chef Alan Tam and his team are up for the challenge, and I can’t wait to taste what they recreate next.

Chomping at the Bit

Clockwise from top left: Elio Volpe’s bright and airy dining room; ultra-thin crust Romanstyle pizza; rigatoni cacio e pepe with 10-year cheddar and roasted jalapeno.

BEST THING I ATE

by Alyssa Hirose

Bar Susu’s wagyu pho tartare, $20

Pho Get Me Not

Sometimes food writers need a reality check. When I find myself saying things like “I think caviar is overrated” or “I don’t really care for foie gras” (both true statements), I like to rewind back to earlier days in my personal food journey, when one of my favourite spots was a place in Richmond my family called “filthy pho.” The restaurant wasn’t expensive or pretty or even particularly clean (hence the nickname), but it was good—balanced, indulgent broth, hefty slices of pink beef, towers of bean sprouts and surprisingly fresh mint for sprinkling. We didn’t care about the sticky menus or the creepy cardboard-carpeted hallway you had to enter through.

Don’t freak out, this story isn’t about that restaurant. It’s about Bar Susu, a modern, friendly (hygienic!) wine bar just off Main Street. When sampling Susu’s creative plates and whimsical wine pairings, that suburban pho spot couldn’t have been further from my mind... until, that is, I tried the tartare. In general, tartare is in the caviar/ foie gras space for me—as privileged as I feel to be able to eat it, it’s just not really my thing. But Bar Susu’s wagyu pho tartare, with its crunchy, cloud-like rice cracker and fresh thai basil, somehow embraces all of pho’s layered, comforting flavours, sans soup. I was doing Olympic-level mental gymnastics to connect the stunning dish before me with those nostalgic, cheap-and-cheerful memories. Delicate fried shallots and cilantro add to the multidimensional texture of every bite: it’s rich but fresh, playful but complex. An elevated culinary triumph with a guilty pleasure vibe—memorable for all the right reasons. 209 E 6th Ave. | thisisbarsusu.com

A new downtown restaurant is bringing Italian summer to the city: Locanda dell’Orso (“Inn of the Bear”) serves fresh, indulgent pastas like pappardelle with bison ragu, Dungeness crab gramigna and agnolotti stuffed with chicken and beef. Look for a twist of Italy on the cocktail list, too (the “Old Disaronno Fashioned,” for example). locandadellorso.com

Opened May 2024 | 350 W Pender St.

Royal Family

Perhaps you’ve had chef Rob Belcham’s “dirty burger” before at Campagnolo Upstairs (RIP), the American or a local pop-up—it’s been making its way around Vancouver for a decade, but now it’s found a permanent home on Main Street. The dirty burg reigns supreme at Monarch Burger, but there are heirs to the throne: a veggie mushroom burger and spicy loaded poutine are also on the menu. monarchburger.ca

Opened May 2024 | 3034 Main St.

Double Trouble

Shira Blustein teaming up with Meeru Dhalwala may be the most exciting collab of 2024 (sorry, Taylor Swift and Post Malone). The founder of the Acorn (and the Arbor—which closed in April, but don’t get too sad yet) and the former chef and co-owner of Vij’s have dreamed up a new Indian restaurant, Lila , that lives in the Arbor’s former space. (See? A delicious silver lining.) lilarestaurant.ca

Opened May 2024 | 3941 Main St.

by Betty Hung of Beaucoup Bakery

A Little Nutty

Who says sables are just for the holidays? These sweet, diamond-shaped treats sparkle any time of year, in our humble opinion, especially when given a twist by ever-talented pastry chef Betty Hung, co-owner of Beaucoup Bakery. Here, pecans replace typical almonds, but get nutty in your own way by subbing in walnuts or hazelnuts if you prefer.

MAKES 36 2-INCH COOKIES

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup pecans, toasted and finely crushed (reserve 2 tbsp for the topping)

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

⅔ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup + 2 tsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp whole egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp bourbon (optional)

Egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt)

METHOD

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set it aside until ready to use.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, beating on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale (about 3 minutes). Add the egg, vanilla and bourbon, and mix on medium

speed for another 3 minutes, until incorporated. Stop mixing, and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and start the mixer on low. Mix for about 30 seconds, just until there is no more dryness in the dough. If necessary, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for 10 more seconds.

3. Take the dough from the bowl and shape it into a square roughly 6 inches across. Wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. When you are ready to roll out the dough, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Divide the dough into two pieces for easier rolling. Lightly dust your dough and work surface with flour. Start rolling the dough from the centre to the edge, rotating the dough 90 degrees after each roll and dusting with flour if necessary. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut out diamond shapes, roughly 2 inches wide in the middle, and place them about an inch apart on the baking sheets.

5. Lightly brush a layer of egg wash on the cookies, avoiding the edges, and sprinkle the reserved pecans on top. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges and bottoms are golden brown. Cool the cookies before serving. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Empowering the next generation of changemakers.

At TELUS, we believe that every young person deserves the chance to pursue post-secondary education. That’s why we created Canada’s largest national student bursary fund to support young changemakers who are experiencing financial hardship.

Last year alone, we provided more than $2 million in TELUS Student Bursaries to over 400 youth in Canada committed to making a difference in their communities — including Langara College student Yahya, who wants to become a doctor and inspire other refugee youth to achieve their dreams.

Learn about how you can help support the changemakers of tomorrow.

Yahya TELUS Student Bursary recipient

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