City Life Magazine Sept/Oct 2020

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CRASH ADAMS THE WORLD IS THEIR LIVING ROOM

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NANDO SIRIANNI THE BODY AS A TEMPLE

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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 3 | SEPT/OCT 2020

CONTENTS 46 65

COVER STORY

42

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: Beating out 2,000 other actors to play the role of Disney’s Aladdin was just the beginning for the soulful Mena Massoud

24

18 ROOSTER CROWING: Husband and wife décor designers Nina Ber-Donkor and Prince Brefo-Donkor break boundaries in imagining your reinvented home

24 CRASH ADAMS: Musicians, trendsetters and social media influencers, this twoperson band of brothers is preparing to unleash upon the world’s living room

56 FOOD BASKET: The Stop Community Food Centre is an innovative model to grow food, cook meals and foster community building

65 IT’S BAKED IN: Cakes and pastries

never looked so good as when given the artistic creativity of in-demand baker Nadia Colella

32

EDITOR’S PICKS

16

DESIGN NEWS

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56

30 BODY AND SOUL: For

52 FAMILY TABLE: Celebrity chef

34 DEEP THINKING:

60 FOOD SOURCES: One of

personal trainer Nando Sirianni, the overall fitness of the body extends far beyond its physical capacity

Transcendental meditation specialist Bob Roth has been teaching for nearly 50 years, but he has never been more needed than now

David Rocco has travelled the world producing his famous shows, but his critics at home are his favourites the pandemic’s revelations has been the state of migrant farm workers in Canada, and how much improvement is needed

More stories inside …

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Believe In a world that is fast becoming soulless Be challenged to find your own soul Then make it selfless.

When the television portrays only tragedy Be challenged to turn it off Spend your time working on your own humility.

If you’re surrounded by people who are envious Be challenged to cull the herd around you Fill your life with those who bring joyousness.

During the times you feel utterly hopeless Be challenged to claw your way out Understand that genuine happiness is timeless.

Find your soul. Believe in yourself. Trust in your God. Love your family. Share your plenty. Lean when you need. Live out loud.

Love heartily. Grow your humanity.

Infect the worldZerillo with your faith.

Fernando

Co-Founder/Creative Director — from The Wife by Iris Imeneo

natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, one could ask the same question now. In De Lio’s case, where was God when deadly bacteria infected his body, nearly taking his life and resulting in the amputation of both of his legs?

In that article years ago, one of the questioned religious leaders replied that God was in the firemen going up the stairs to rescue the people in the towers. It’s a response that to this date gives me comfort. Likewise, now, God is in the rescue workers bringing across North America with his two friends to discover vegan restaurants relief to Puerto Rico, Mexico and Florida. And God was in the and recipes he would later feature in his book. “If you believe in karma doctors who fought to save Paul De Lio. He was with the family at all, then you have to believe that karma from what you eat is passed and friends who prayed for De Lio’s life and later, for his recovery. down into your body and your spirit," says Massoud.

Today, just a few months after his ordeal, De Lio is filled with Speaking of gratitude. vegetables,He many of us to who areothers tryingfito positivity and is ready help ndincorporate ways to more veggies into our diets have discovered the benefi ts ofin growing live with motivation. Dare I say, then, God also resides De our own.

We asked a few readers to send in photos of their gardens Lio’s heart. See his story on page 32. andOf their bountiful crops. But grow ourmy ownthoughts or pick up course, it’s possible youwhether do not we agree with our produce from the local supermarket, it’s important to stop on the whereabouts of God. We all know that one should notand think whenever we can about where most of the food that lands on speak casually of politics or religion, for these are sensitiveour tables from,the including farms thatagrow and anymore, the workers topicscomes (although weatherthe isn’t exactly safe it topic who harvest We oweyou so will muchbeofinterested our comfort either).

But it. perhaps in and our convenience story about to migrant farmFaith, workers who worknew seasonally in Canada, yet7do not have the Bahá’Í a relatively religion with 5 to million adherents practising globally.

If you believeIn in this the betterment the same rights as other Canadian workers. issue, we tellofthe the world, in unity, love and service, you might findasyour story of Mexican migrant worker Luis Gabriel Flores, he fiplace ghts for here.

Bahá’Í’s equality of all sexes, races and creeds, the rights of allbelieve migrantinworkers. and inhope the harmony science andofreligion. on page 74.you We you enjoyofthis edition City LifeStory Magazine.

May In thisinner day and age, we could usetrue morehappiness, unity, loveasand enjoy peace, a clear mindalland we faith, venture regardless into the fall.of what form it takes. May you enjoy this edition of City Lifeour Magazine.

It, like is yours toand experience and do Until next edition, staylife, healthy, happy safe. with what you will.

Happiness comes from within

CAN YOU HAVE SYOUR CAKE AND Michelle Zerillo-Sosa,

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

triving to achieve happiness is a real human goal. We tend to think that once we get a promotion, a house, a new car, that will make us happy. But this could not be further from the truth. Experts say that true happiness has nothing to do with external factors. Instead, it is to be found within us, but often, negative thoughts, fears and anxiety get in the way.

According to renowned transcendental meditation teacher Bob Roth, by meditating we can build inner strength and control our response to externalell, forces. c studies have proven that in the Scientifi case of Yolanda Gampp, this could be meditation can reducea stress and anxiety, improve sleep and creativity, real possibility. If you’re not yet familiar with and — my favourite her — increase emotional and physical resilience. work, she is a multi-millionaire YouTube These are all things we could(3.3 use million in these subscribers, turbulent times. baker that is) … all Mena Massoud, star of theimagination. live-action film Aladdin and first-time thanks to her incredible is isnot a woman who dreams upifcakes forhea wouldn’t living —wish not author,Th does own a magic lamp, but he did, traditional tiered shapes andhis flavours, but cakes that like for material possessions.

Instead, three wishes would be:look to turn hot dogs,and huge candy watermelons, in create flavours likelove the 2020 around make theapples, coronavirus go away, to more ultimate velvet the andUnited chocolate cake … You get the idea. in the world, red especially States, considering everything mother of God, lady hasand theget power tempt thatSweet is going on there, and tothis travel more to seetothe placeseven he person with her cakes! Her belief is that has the not strongest-willed yet visited. anything is possible, and with the lovegrew andup support of family An Egyptian-born Canadian, Massoud in a family that and friends, the highest levels of success are attainable.

Read had to hustle in order to make things happen, just like many other her story on page 38.

Canadian immigrants. He learned that in Hollywood, no one ever Speaking of belief, we all pray that our faith need never be hands you anything on a platter, especially not when you are an actor of tested the way Paul De Lio’s is. Many of us go through life colour. This prompted him to create his own production company, Press without ever having to question why tragedies strike our lives or Play Productions. Its mission is to give a voice to the unheard and to the lives of others in the world. A few years back, we published helpan actors of diverse ethnic to access new opportunities. article about the defibackgrounds nition of God. I remember asking the Massoud’s new cookbook, Evolving Vegan, also testifies“Where to the writer to pose this question to various religious leaders: dedication and hard work he learned from his parents.

He travelled was God in moments such as 9/11?” Given the recent state of

EAT IT TOO?

W

14

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

Sept/Oct 2020

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Zerillo-Sosa Michelle Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Fernando Zerillo Co-Founder/Creative Director

@citylifemag / @amorebagstoronto / @fernandozerillo @dolcetweets @amorebagstoronto

www.mycitylife.ca

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca ART D E PARTM E NT CO-FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christina Ban SENIOR UI/UX DESIGNER Yena Yoo WEB DEVELOPER Jordan Carter JUNIOR UI/UX DESIGNER Maria Korolenko E D ITO R IAL D E PARTM E NT FASHION & HOME DÉCOR EDITOR Michelle Zerillo-Sosa BEAUTY & WELLNESS EDITOR Angela Palmieri-Zerillo CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rick Muller, Donna Paris, Cece M. Scott, Myles Shane, Josh Walker COPY EDITORS & PROOFREADERS Catharine Chen, Jennifer D. Foster, Nina Hoeschele CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Doug Inglish, Alexi Lubomirski, Carlos A. Pinto SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & CONTENT CREATOR Jessica Spera PR & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Cassandra Giammarco VI D E O D E PARTM E NT VIDEOGRAPHERS Daniel Cooper, Carlos A. Pinto PUBLISHER

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T: 905-264-6789 info@mycitylife.ca DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Mario Balaceanu OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Katrina Murray FRONT COVER Mena Massoud | Photo by Doug Inglish

City Life Magazine • Volume 18 • Issue 3 • Sept/Oct 2020 City Life Magazine is published by Dolce Media Group, 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 T: 905-264-6789 • F: 905-264-3787 info@mycitylife.ca • www.dolcemedia.ca Subscribe online at www.mycitylife.ca or by calling 905-264-6789. City Life Magazine’s yearly subscription fee is $24.

We accept Visa, MC & AMEX. Send cheque or money order to Dolce Media Group, 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40026675 All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictly prohibited without written consent from the publishers.

DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCULATION City Life Magazine reaches 294,810 readers per issue through household distribution and event partnerships across Canada. City Life is also available to over 100 million digital consumers of Magzter Inc. and Issuu.

Inquiries about where City Life Magazine is available for sale should be directed to Dolce Media Group: info@dolce.ca or 905-264-6789.

ISSN 1206-1778 Next Issue: Nov/Dec 2020 The opinions expressed in City Life Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers. Dolce Media Group does not assume liability for content. The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is in no way intended to supersede professional advice. We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 25 years without any government funding or financial assistance of programs to cover editorial costs. It has all been possible thanks to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers. ©2020 Dolce Media Group • www.dolcemedia.ca • Printed in Canada @citylifetoronto

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15

DESIGN NEWS

With eclectic style, an exciting vibe and brilliant colours, creative designers have stepped up their game in this most memorable year WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

MONGOLIAN LAMB SERIES − “And everywhere that Mary went, her lamb was sure to go.” This plush playmate makes for an adorable accent to any child’s bedroom. www.rhbabyandchild.com

JELLY BEAN SERIES − Each brush stroke is painted in one-of-a-kind colour, representing various positive ideals, love and faith — joyous energy sure to liven up any luxurious space. www.petertriantos.com

ELECTRIC BUILT-IN FIREPLACE − Keep the home fires burning with this Diamond Series wall insert electric fireplace.

It’s easy to clean, low maintenance and a signature addition to any room. www.torontohomedecor.ca

DOTTED TAIL GIRAFFE − This elegant and exotic statuette — crafted out of resin featuring rich texture and detailing, and standing 17 inches high — is a definite conversation-starter. www.abbottcollection.com

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Sept/Oct 2020

WHIMSICAL PLANTER − More than just a face in the crowd, this distinctive planter is one of dozens of designs and thousands of products at Juxtapose Home in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. www.juxtaposeannex.com

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17

home design

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

CROWING OVER THE DECOR

Husband-and-wife owners Nina Ber-Donkor and Prince Brefo-Donkor have a keen eye — and that’s the cornerstone of their successful home furnishings business, Black Rooster Decor

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Sept/Oct 2020

www.mycitylife.ca

If you’re tired of all the same-old, same-old stuff in everyone’s home, maybe it’s time to check out Black Rooster Decor and its Canada-only sister store, Black Rooster Maison, brought to you by the husband-andwife owners Nina Ber-Donkor and Prince Brefo-Donkor. After all, we’re spending a lot of time at home now: they’ve become our living spaces, workplaces, and workout and entertainment spots. Why not surround yourself with fun, interesting and exclusive items that make you happy?

INTERVIEW BY CASSANDRA GIAMMARCO WRITTEN BY DONNA PARIS

W

hen you talk to Nina, nothing is off limits: home décor, travel, relationships, COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement. And one thing’s for sure: she’s authentic, she speaks her truth and she gets it. Maybe that’s why the word “lucky” comes up a lot. “I count my blessings every day,” she says.

Fun fact: Roosters are symbolic of good luck, and that was the inspiration for the name of the shop. If you’re wondering how to start an online décor business, you have to begin at home. “We both had full-time jobs, but we would go shopping to look for inspiration, just for our own space at home,” says Nina. “And we really loved that experience; lucky we both have a good eye.”

When they started thinking about making a go of it, about 10 years ago, they were building a website, then decided to make it a place where people could shop, fill up their carts and check out online. “It really happened by accident, and we realized we were on to something,” she says. And then, a few years later, they were in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood and saw a For Lease sign at a shop. In a classic case of “If you build it, they will come,” the people did. “Luckily, we haven’t had to advertise anywhere. Everything’s been organic on Instagram. If somebody buys something, they tag us and spread the word,” Nina says.

It’s funny; when you take a look at

www.mycitylife.ca

the website, it’s like Black Rooster is bringing us all the things we want — almost before we even know we want them. Much of their inspiration comes from what they love, which comes from their travels (virtually, this year) to countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco. “We love Greece, because we love the beaches, the architecture, the fashion — it’s just such a cool vibe,” she says. And so they bring things into the shop that remind them of places they have been, like the beautiful Harlequin Eye Tray by Jonathan Adler. This is how you know someone isn’t just bringing in pieces to make a buck: sometimes they buy two of something, so they can have one for themselves, like the Zeus in Plaster.

“We ordered two of them, and one is sitting in our living room right now, because it’s fantastic,” says Nina.

How does a business survive a year like 2020, which includes a pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and worldwide protests? Actually, Black Rooster was perfectly poised to not only survive, but also to thrive. “With COVID-19, it was awful,” says Nina.

“But then people started to become a little bit more optimistic, and we started to see a resurgence of people wanting candles, dried flowers and plants.” In fact, greenery is trending now. Prince does all of the greenery in the store, and right now, they have a 10-foot-tall olive tree in the shop, and another one that just sold.

Add to this the fact that the couple

is of mixed race (Prince is African; Nina is Russian), which coincided with the Black Lives Matter movement and the worldwide protests after the death of George Floyd in the United States.

“It just happened that people found out that we were mixed race . . . so we got a lot of support from that,” says Nina. “We never really mentioned it, but it was just so timely for us, because everyone wanted to support Blackowned businesses and small businesses.

We’re really blessed.”

Asked about the nicest gift she ever received, Nina pauses. “Could it be something that I gifted myself ?

Could it be my son?” she asks. “He’s the best gift ever. I honestly can’t think of anything better.” And speaking of the Black Lives Matter movement, she adds that as a mother of a young black man, she can say that while there hasn’t been enough progress, there has definitely been more awareness. “I can walk my dog at three o’clock in the morning and not worry about anything, but I worry about him,” she adds.

As for Prince, he says simply, “I’m happy for the movement and the progress happening. And the discussion and the awareness.”

Not only is the store a beautiful place to shop for awe-inspiring items, but it’s also a genuine reflection of Nina and Prince — an authentic couple with a keen design eye. www.blackroosterdecor.com @blackrooster Sept/Oct 2020

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19

Owner Claudio Grisolia (below left) began the business 32 years ago and has since been joined by his son Devon in the familyowned and -operated business

A DV E R TO R I A L

STEELES PAINT & DÉCOR

L

ike everything else about 2020, this upcoming fall season has a distinctly different feel about it, especially for businesses. And with the focus on home since March, companies dealing with anything homerelated have an insightful perspective on how we are seeing our nests these days.

One of those companies is Steeles Paint & Décor. Since 1988, it has been 20

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

Sept/Oct 2020

a go-to resource that draws do-ityourself homeowners and professional decorators for the considerable expertise of its designers for paint, wallpaper and all things décor-related to personalize any home.

Steeles Paint & Décor’s 20,000square-foot supercentre at 4190 Steeles Ave. W. is the largest independent paint store in North America. Its vast selection

and knowledgeable staff with a custom approach to every assignment are well versed in identifying trends in colours and décor, and certainly this year has had a significant impact.

“We’re seeing the effects of the pandemic with multi-purpose spaces and home offices being the focus,” says Petal Douglas, one of many fulltime designers on staff. “With people www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO

Supplying the joy of colour and design when we need it the most

spending more time at home for work, they need an esthetically pleasing space. And with kids not having full schedules, you’re looking at spaces which have to do more things, including creative spaces for the kids to do their thing.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, being stuck inside for so long has had an impact on what Steeles Paint & Décor is seeing for paint colour and wallpaper trends for the fall, as people want to embrace the outside.

“Some of the trends we are seeing for a multi-coloured fall are in the greens, from warm to cool greens and also warm mid-tone greys,” says Douglas.

“Because we’re stuck at home, the greens are bringing that more organic feel to the home. Wallpaper is continuing that trend, and organic wallpaper is now popular, either an organic print of leaves or an organic design, which is more of an abstract. You can use them in close proximity to each other, which can be soothing and fun at the same time.”

Owner Claudio Grisolia has seen many trends since he started Steeles Paint & Décor 32 years ago, but this current situation is even more pronounced.

“We know where our clients’ focus is during this time — it’s on their homes, where they are spending the majority of their days,” says Claudio. “It’s like many are noticing things for the first time, and their eyes are opening to the design and colour possibilities of their homes. Steeles Paint professionals have made paint and décor their careers and are happy to guide and work with clients on this journey of exploration and imagination.”

Guiding the client experience at Steeles Paint & Décor is the singleminded focus on customer service. “We start with a big overall picture of the design concept of any space, from wood floors or tiles at the base, which gives us the direction in which to move and to fit in the proper elements,” says Douglas.

“We have all the tools for the do-ityourselfer, and we have the decorating staff to supply the professional help regarding paint colours and any other design needs.”

Devon Grisolia followed his father into the family-owned and -operated business and can speak first-hand to www.mycitylife.ca

Steeles Paint & Décor has a team of in-house decorators and design specialists who work individually with clients to guide them through the decorating process

“ IT’S LIKE MANY ARE NOTICING THINGS

FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THEIR EYES ARE OPENING TO THE DESIGN AND COLOUR POSSIBILITIES OF THEIR HOMES

”

the commitment to customer service at Steeles Paint & Décor. “Beyond the exceptional level of knowledge and expertise of our in-store decorators and paint experts, is the amount of time they spend with each client,” says Devon.

“They have a real sense of care and dedication to their clients. It’s almost as if they’re decorating a room in their own home. It’s very impressive.”

We all need a little spark these days more than ever to step outside our normal routines and reinvigorate our surroundings, and Steeles Paint & Décor is the ideal place to start reimagining

— Claudio Grisolia

your colours and décor for the indoor months ahead.

4190 Steeles Ave. W., Woodbridge, Ont. 905-850-4040 www.steelespaint.com Sept/Oct 2020

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

21

A DV E R TO R I A L

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PUTTING JOY IN THE HOME DESIGN EXPERIENCE Since 2009, the design consultants of Zilli Home Interiors have worked with homeowners, designers and industry professionals to select the perfect interior design pieces that balance functionality, spacing and personality, making a house a home

D

esigning your home with personalized furnishings and decorative touches can be one of the most exciting parts of home ownership. And it can be made even more pleasurable and comforting if experts like Zilli Home Interiors are alongside you in making these important and sometimes intimidating design decisions.

For the past 11 years, discerning homeowners, designers and industry professionals from Vaughan, Ont., and across the GTA have relied upon the design advice and wide selection of stylish pieces made available at the 22,000-square-foot Zilli Home Interiors store, located at 672 Chrislea Rd. in Woodbridge, Ont. Founder and owner Natalie Papia is 22

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blessed with an innate sense of design and style, as well as empathy for the pressures and stress that sometimes come with selecting pieces in designing a home, and she and her team of design consultants are always available to offer helpful advice.

“Starting to select pieces is always hard, as you want to invest in something special [that] is going to last you a long time, but your budget doesn’t always allow for that,” says Papia. “One of the recommendations we have is, if you’re going to invest in a few quality pieces, start with a sofa, a kitchen table and a bed. Those are the pieces [for which] I recommend you invest in better-quality products that are timeless and can last a long time.”

While those pieces are necessities,

Papia says décor staples that personalize your space are the finishing touches.

By adding a personal touch with your favourite artwork, area rug and a few carefully curated accessories, you can make your house feel like a home. She also advises to take your time and enjoy the experience. By adding pieces to your home slowly, the home becomes a reflection of your lifestyle, your travels and you as an individual.

“There are a few important things to consider when shopping for home décor: functionality, spacing and personality,” says Papia. “Function refers to what do you need, what is the purpose, who will be using it and how often. Spacing refers to the size of the room and how much furniture you already have. And last but not www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

A natural-born entrepreneur, Papia’s marketing and accounting savvy has led her team at Zilli Home Interiors to industry success

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZILLI HOME INTERIORS

The 22,000-square-foot showroom of Zilli Home Interiors in Woodbridge contains fashionable and essential pieces of furniture, plus stylish décor items to personalize your home

least, your personality needs to shine through in your pieces: consider colour, style and what makes you happy.”

Being a proud Italian may explain Papia’s bias for her favourite room in the home. “The kitchen — for so many reasons,” she says without hesitation.

“I love cooking and baking, using new and interesting ideas with whatever is in season and fresh, and cooking with my family, as we all get in there together with different dishes. Best of all, I love sitting down together at the end of a long day, enjoying dinner and great conversation with my husband and three teenagers.”

Like every business, the pandemic has pivoted Zilli Home Interiors in new directions. The move toward working from home is making a big impact, as www.mycitylife.ca

“ WE TAKE GREAT

PRIDE IN OFFERING QUALITY, SERVICE AND FASHIONLEADING HOME FURNISHINGS

”

homes are now lived in 24 hours a day, and therefore, functionality and design need to come together.

“Our website is fully accessible for online shopping, plus it’s updated weekly with new arrivals and floor model specials,” says Papia. “We also have a

Live Chat feature for quick answers, and we’ve introduced an e-design service, where clients can interact with our design consultants virtually for any space planning or design ideas.”

It all points to continued success for Zilli Home Interiors in servicing its loyal clientele. “We take great pride in offering quality, service and fashionleading home furnishings,” says Papia.

“We are strong, we are fierce and we are ready for the next challenge.”

672 Chrislea Rd., Woodbridge, Ont. 289-268-0020 www.zillihome.com @zillihome Sept/Oct 2020

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Music

Crash and Adams describe their music as “feel-good” songs that you can listen to anywhere, at any time

INTERVIEW BY CASSANDRA GIAMMARCO WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER SHOT LOCATION AT PETER TRIANTOS STUDIO WWW.PETERTRIANTOS.COM

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www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO

They refer to each other as ‘brothers’ rather than friends, plan to tour the world with their grandma’s red couch and recently won $10,000 as part of an Instagram Live talent show. This is Crash Adams, and they’re just getting started

PHOTO COURTESY OF CRASH ADAMS

The duo’s music videos are shot in various neighbourhoods across the city of Toronto

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pend any time talking with Crash Adams, and you’ll understand why their music is so packed with personality. “We’d describe our music as ‘feel good,’” Crash explains. “You can listen to it when you’re happy and just hanging out, you can listen to it if you want to dance, you can listen to it in the car. It will get stuck in your head — whether that’s a good thing or bad thing — but it’s feel-good music.”

Bouncing off each other at a rate that’s hard to keep up with, Crash and Adams (as they want to be called, for fear of people knowing their real names) say they draw from influences ranging from 50 Cent and Led Zeppelin to Prince and The 1975.

The pair met when they were young.

They grew up around Toronto and spent much of their early lives around music. Where Crash has an uncle who always had a recording studio, Adams www.mycitylife.ca

I think it’s esthetically pleasing and it’s a funny juxtaposition, because the world’s our living room — Crash

has been playing in bands since the age of 12. Crash eventually started making dance music and DJing, while Adams dropped music, because, he says, “I thought I had to pursue other things.”

After a couple of years, where the duo “disconnected” for school, Crash hit up Adams with an idea: to get together and make a band. So, they got together and went into the studio to do a track. That track led to another, and, as Adams continues, “we ended up there for two years.”

Today, Crash Adams has been making

a lot of noise, both musically and online. Their music videos, shot in different neighbourhoods across the city of Toronto, feature the pair in their statement suits, and they’ve made quite a commotion on social media. We talked to the duo over the phone to find out about being a band in quarantine, and what we can expect to hear in future.

Q. In your music videos you’ve been everywhere, even in Bulk Barn.

How did you get permission to film there?

Adams: We had this whole idea for a music video (“Make It Last”) on the journey of all these kids who eventually end up at Canada’s Wonderland. But with Bulk Barn, we just walked in, started the candy fight, and no one really knew what was going on. We bought some candy, but it was way easier to do it and ask for forgiveness after, as long as it’s legal, with good intentions and lighthearted.

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Alongside their red couch, the pair are known for the sharp suits they wear

SHOT LOCATION AT PETER TRIANTOS STUDIO WWW.PETERTRIANTOS.COM

Q. And then you found its “Mini-Me.” Crash: That was also there, but I 26

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didn’t know we had it until recently. It’s literally the perfect Mini-Me. Q. So, which are you taking on the world tour? The big one, or the Mini-Me? Adams: The big one.

Crash: We have some big plans for that one, and the couch will definitely be making appearances.

Q. How have TikTok and Instagram helped your band?

Adams: Social media, especially during the [novel] coronavirus with a lot of people being home, gave us a lot of visibility, and we popped off on TikTok at the right time. But, it’s literally put

our music in front of so many people’s eyes and ears. It helped us grow the fan base, and we’ve met a lot of great people.

The main thing was being entered into an Instagram Live talent show. That really helped boost our following and helped us win $10,000. That was a cool experience and wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t seen on TikTok. Crash: And because we’ve started to gain a following, we’ve started to become friends with other influencers.

They’ve been amazing and helped us so much by spreading our music, as well.

Q. You particularly took advantage of the situation with your “Caroline” video, which is a montage of videos www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

Q. Tell me about this red couch.

Who picked it up, and why are you hauling it around?

Crash: So, the couch is actually my grandmother’s. She had it in her first house, when she came to Canada, so it’s got to be from the ’60s. It ended up getting moved to my uncle’s studio, so when we started Crash Adams, we decided to take some photos in front of it, and it led to us bringing the couch to different intersections. I think it’s esthetically pleasing and it’s a funny juxtaposition, because the world’s our living room.

others sent in. How was that experience?

Adams: That was pretty cool, because we put out a message asking people to send us their videos, and the video we put out on TikTok started to blow up about two weeks after, so we got a lot more videos than we previously expected. But it was definitely a cool music video.

Crash: It was different. We were in the middle of planning the music video for “Caroline” when quarantine hit, so we had to switch it up. It was a lot of editing.

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Q. Is there still the rumoured EP coming out this year?

Crash: We’re debating that right now. There’s definitely more music coming out this year, and if an EP doesn’t come out this year, it will definitely come out next.

Adams: Singles have been pretty effective until we have that body of work to put out, but we’re still deciding.

Q. What’s one thing you’ve missed most in quarantine?

Adams: No. 1 is definitely playing live. No. 2 would be going out for dinner and being able to socialize.

Crash: I would say the same, but I’m pretty thankful for what’s transpired and what’s going to transpire.

Dr. Sylvia Santos MBS, ND Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Clinic Director & Owner

416-400-NAT0 (6280) Book Online: www.natcanintegrative.com @natcanteam 3905 Major Mackenzie Dr. W, Unit 102, Vaughan Ont.

Q. So, is Caroline a real person?

Crash: We’re going to say, “Yes, she’s a real person.”

Q. Is Caroline her real name?

Crash: No, it is not.

Q. What’s your definition of love?

Crash: I would say completely giving yourself to something, and when that something seems tough, it doesn’t matter, because you made the decision to give yourself to it.

Adams: I’m going to go with what he said.

Q. Can you also tell me what it’s been like promoting the band during COVID-19?

Crash: It’s challenging, but if you have great ideas and have a plan, you can get it done. There are definitely opportunities that without COVID-19 would speed up our growth, but you find other ways.

Q. Looking back over the past two years, is this what you imagined would happen?

Crash: Without a doubt. We’re not even close to what is going to happen. We’re having this conversation now, on August 19, 2020, at 2:33 p.m. In five years from now, you’re going to say, “Wow.” www.crashadamsmusic.com @crashadamsmusic www.mycitylife.ca

TOGETHER WE CAN Our noble mission is one of making a positive difference in the lives of children in our community affected by Autism. All funds raised go directly to providing financial assistance towards these children’s therapies and specialized programs.

To support Waves please visit

www.wavesofchanges.ca Sept/Oct 2020

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A DV E R TO R I A L

This is the place to come for great ideas. Started by Angela Caputo (left), Direct Interiors is still a family-run business

ALL UNDER ONE ROOF

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ithout any formal Interior Design education, Angela Caputo has something that a classroom just can’t teach you — passion. In 1980, she and her husband both worked day jobs, but her enthusiasm for colour co-ordination and fabric choices, along with a knack for sales, led to a part-time business for them, selling furniture pieces out of their

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garage, driving customers to showrooms and showing them all the options available in catalogues. It filled a niche.

“People admired what I accomplished, because it was all through catalogues and visuals. It was like I was the Internet before it started,” laughs Angela. “I would make appointments at their homes, figure out what they wanted and put it together for them.”

That was 40 years ago. Fast-forward to today, and Direct Interiors is now a two-floor showroom, employing 44 people. “It wasn’t easy then, especially for women,” she says, but Angela just kept going. “I decided to go big, because I had to take a lot from a man’s world, and I thought, You know what? I’ll make it happen, so that my kids will have it easier.” www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO

Looking to furnish and redecorate your home? It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming and exhausting experience — it can actually be fun and enjoyable.

At Direct Interiors, you’ll discover a one-stop shop for all of your furniture and décor needs, including two floors of designer furniture, interior design services and in-house stylists. And staff can help you with everything from lighting and window coverings to linens and area rugs, perfectly complementing your lifestyle

Direct Interiors is a one-stop shop for everything you need to design and decorate your home, from a nursery to living areas and more

In fact, it is a family business now, and Angela’s two daughters, Vanessa and Stefanie, are part of it all, with Vanessa working as a buyer, helping customers to furnish and accessorize their homes, and Stefanie working on design/ build projects. Stefanie’s first project was even featured on an episode of Property Brothers.

When clients come to Direct Interiors, they get all the help they need. “We’re a full service; we sit down with clients one-on-one to figure out what they like and to bring their vision to life. And we won’t let you leave until you find what you love and you’re happy,” says Vanessa. As well, clients get to see new furniture lines before they’re released, perfect for The Design Trade, who also get full access to the company’s suppliers, samples www.mycitylife.ca

WE SIT DOWN WITH “ CLIENTS . . . TO

BRING THEIR VISION TO LIFE. AND WE WON’T LET YOU LEAVE UNTIL . . .

YOU’RE HAPPY

”

new lines for the nursery, it is a relaxing and seamless experience for decorating and furnishing a home. “People can come here, and their entire home will be furnished and decorated, instead of having to go to 50 different places in the GTA,” she adds.

— Vanessa Di Girolamo

and fabrics, including the benefit of trade pricing.

What’s up for the future? “Well, we’re kind of already getting there. Customers can come here, and it’s a one-stop shop for them,” says Stefanie. They really are, too. With new boutique areas in the showroom aimed at millennials and

2005 Clark Blvd., Brampton, Ont. 905-791-9660 www.directinteriors.com @directinteriorsfurniture @directinteriorshome Sept/Oct 2020

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fitness

APPROACHING THE BODY AS A TEMPLE With a humble, passionate approach to personal training, Nando Sirianni is helping clients throughout Toronto reach their health and fitness goals INTERVIEW BY CASSANDRA GIAMMARCO WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

Sirianni works with a range of clients, including those with injuries who need rehabilitation and professional athletes

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He recently started a YouTube channel offering a range of workouts focused on different muscle groups

PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO

F

rom the moment he wakes up, Nando Sirianni is focused on how he can use his fitness journey to inspire others. A typical day starts at 6 a.m., where he’ll train clients until midday. Following that, he’ll spend a few hours on creating content for his social media channels and working out, before going back to train more clients until the evening.

“I was always into working out when I was younger,” Sirianni says, thinking back to when his love of fitness began.

“I started in high school, and fitness and health were always part of my upbringing. I was also involved in sports a lot growing up — hockey and soccer — so I was always in that atmosphere of health and fitness.”

Working with people of various ages, from those with injuries (whom he helps with rehabilitation) to athletes, Sirianni’s experience is expansive. And he approaches each client with care for not just their physical health, but also their personality. As such, every routine is carefully crafted to ensure it meets an individual’s personal milestones.

“Everyone comes in at a different fitness level,” he explains. “So I gauge that first session as more trial and error, to test

www.mycitylife.ca

I always say to start gradual. You want to be excited to work out

different exercises to see what would be more beneficial for that person. Then I get them on a training program that fits their goals.”

Like most things during lockdown, the process of keeping fit has changed.

Sirianni has both seen and experienced this change first-hand and advises that, even if you’re doing just 10 minutes of exercise, it’s better than doing nothing.

“Some people think they have to train for an hour, but even doing just a 10-minute ab workout or a 15-minute hit workout is better than nothing. Set yourself up to do 10 minutes today, 15 [minutes] tomorrow, and you’ll end up getting toward that hour goal, anyway,”

he says. “Just move, walk outside, go for a run. It doesn’t have to be something crazy.”

He also understands that fitness is something personal, which depends as much on your mental state as it does your physical. And so Sirianni urges those looking to begin a new routine to take their time when measuring their expectations. “Take it day by day,” Sirianni says. “I find, when people try to work out every single day, it’ll end up backfiring. You’ll end up going from five days a week to four to two to nothing. I always say to start gradual. You want to be excited to work out.”

Moving forward, Sirianni plans to continue work as a personal trainer at Inklein Fitness and Rehab in Kleinburg, Ont., working on himself (normally to the music of RÜFÜS DU SOL, Chemical Surf and Drake). And he has recently launched a YouTube channel, offering workouts such as 15-minute calorie burners and 10-minute lower ab sessions.

“If you’re starting out, there’s no right time or place,” Sirianni encourages. “As soon as the need to get fit comes into your head, you need to do it that day.

You need to react to it.” @nandosirianni Sept/Oct 2020

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Now more than ever, we all need to be distracted by shiny objects, and City Life offers some noteworthy suggestions WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

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EDITOR’S PICKS

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inside a pair of Beats Solo Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling headphones. www.chapters.indigo.ca 7. Improve your indoor space over the coming cooler months with ideas from the expert designers and craftspeople at Unique Store Fixtures.

www.lcbo.com 6. For the finest in on-ear headphones, tuck yourself away

mythical tales from around the world, from the imagination @foylesforbooks of Bolu Babalola.

5. Crisp, biting, super cool and refreshing, Kim Crawford Rosé is the ideal libation to toast away the days of summer.

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more distinctive than with a Pamela Love Open Eye Ring.

@lorathecandygirl 3. Jewelry never looked better, and an eye for fashion never

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8. Surrounded by exquisite design and enveloped by comfort, there is no better way to revel in a snow day than with Gluckstein Home. www.glucksteinhome.com 9. New Sesame Street vitamins by Webber Naturals are kid-friendly gummies made with high-quality natural ingredients. www.webbernaturals.com 10. Be sleek and streamlined but also stylish with this eye-catching De Rosa Idol Disc bike to smooth your ride. www.labicicletta.com 11. Arlene Dickinson hits the perfect note during the pandemic pause with her new book Reinvention, focusing on how to use this time wisely. www.chapters.indigo.ca 12. Fossil’s FB-Adventure three-hand date black silicone quartz watch is a lifestyle statement of quality and design. www.fossil.com 13. Polo Red eau de toilette natural spray is captivating, exciting, distinctive and memorable — everything you expect from Ralph Lauren. www.ralphlauren.com 14. Rouge Pur Couture lipstick allows you to customize your lipstick in three easy steps, from the masters at Yves Saint Laurent. www.yslbeauty.com 15. Under Armour’s HOVR Phantom 2 running shoes actually connect to the UA MapMyRun app for coaching and training guides, so you can hit your goals. www.underarmour.ca

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wellness

MEDITATION IN THE AGE OF ANXIETY: ATTENDING A MASTER CLASS WITH BOB ROTH Renowned transcendental meditation teacher Bob Roth discusses the recent rise in meditation and the importance of backing up the ancient art with science PHOTO BY MADISON LAVERN

WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

I am, by nature, not what you might think a meditation teacher would be like,” begins Bob Roth, speaking at a recent wellness master class hosted by the Global Wellness Summit. “I really love science. I love big ideas, but I like them to be anchored in ‘real.’ I’ve been called a skeptic and I embrace that. I think that’s healthy, particularly when we’re talking about something like meditation.”

As one of the most renowned meditation experts in the United States, Roth has been teaching transcendental meditation for nearly 50 years. His clients include celebrities Katy Perry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Hugh Jackman, he’s authored The New York Times bestseller Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation and he directs the Center for Health & Wellness, bringing meditation programs to both Fortune 100 companies and small businesses.

The master class, which brought 34

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Self-transcending says, ‘Yes, there are waves on the surface of the ocean by its nature, but by its nature, the ocean is silent at its depth

together people from Mexico, Serbia, the Netherlands and Paris, to name just a few, started with Roth talking about what meditation is, defining some of its key terms and discussing how it’s changed over the years.

As a term that was historically, in the words of Roth, “something you didn’t want to say in polite company,” meditation has surged in recent years and is now offered at military bases, in hospitals, schools, homeless shelters and within businesses. For Roth, that surge comes down to a combination of three things: stress and anxiety being worse than ever, a lack of medication or a pharmaceutical drug that you can take to heal trauma or stress and lastly, the rise in science to back it up. “There’s so much scientific research today that you can’t dismiss meditation,” Roth explains.

“You could say you’re skeptical [about] whether you could do it, but you can’t be skeptical that meditation produces an effect.”

Roth continued to explain that, as a result of this scientific research, all the meditation apps and current approaches to meditation fall into three categories.

He likens the mind to an ocean, where the surface might be tumultuous with waves, but beneath that, there’s a deep, vast area that’s still and calm.

continued on page 36

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The first type of meditation, focused attention, seeks to approach meditation in order to stop the waves, or thoughts, in order to have a calm mind. The second, open-monitoring, takes the approach that thoughts are not necessarily the disruptor of calm, but, rather, the content of the thoughts. The third type, Roth’s specialty, is transcendental meditation.

“Self-transcending says, ‘Yes, there are waves on the surface of the ocean by its nature, but by its nature, the ocean is silent at its depth,’” Roth explains. “So, by self-transcending we say, ‘Yes, my mind is active with moods, feelings, thoughts, upset,’ but the hypothesis is, deep within every human being right now, there’s a level where the mind is already settled and peaceful and quiet and alert.

[And] transcendental meditation gives effortless access to that.”

Following Roth’s overview of meditation, he talked about the mental health crisis that’s resulted from COVID-19 and the role it plays in the current climate. “I think, these days, one of the most significant outcomes is recognizing the need that meditation is not just a luxury for other people who have the time. That illusion is going to have to drop off. There’s 1,440 minutes in a day, [and] we’re just going to have to allocate time for [our minds], like we allocate time for eating or exercising. [In doing so], we’re far more efficient in our day and far less distracted.”

As well as taking other questions at the end of the master class, Roth discusses what he feels the future holds for transcendental meditation, the role of technology on meditation and where in the world transcendental meditation is on the rise.

“I’m hopeful about human nature not listening to ‘experts,’ but finding [out] for themselves how to become healthier, even if it’s not taught in the textbooks or [is] as mainstream as we’d like it to be,” Roth concludes. “The quest for everyone is to find their own path. I think that’s what’s going to lead us through this dark time — human spirit and human nature to find truth.”

You can watch Roth’s master class in full at this link: www.globalwellnesssummit.com/

wellness-master-class/bob-roth www.meditationbob.com @meditationbob

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CYCLEWORX WINTER BIKE STORAGE TIPS

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

continued from page 34

Angelo DiPardo, owner

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ld Man Winter is coming, and for thousands of Ontario motorcyclists that means a few months off “The Hog.” Cycleworx Custom Motorcycles of Vaughan, Ont., has nine tips for bikers regarding the winter storage of their prized possessions, so they can enjoy that sweet ride again in the spring: 1. Go for a Long Ride: If it’s the last time this season, make it a fun one, safely and within the law, of course.

2. Fresh Fluids: Change all fluids — oil (with filter), clutch, brakes and coolant — before every winter storage.

3. Scrub, Wash, Dry and Wax: Wash and thoroughly dry your motorcycle, beginning with the dirty parts, such as the chain and the brakes.

4. Wax/Lubricate the Chain: You can extend the life of your chain by treating it before storage.

5. Gas Treatment: For fuel-injection systems, fill the tank with fuel, add fuel stabilizer, run it for a few minutes and then shut it off.

6. Exhaust Prep: Spray a small amount of WD-40 into the end of the pipes, wrap a plastic bag around the pipes and secure. This keeps out the varmints.

7. Inflate Tires to the Correct Pressure: And rotate each wheel once a month, preventing flat spots.

8. Use the Correct Cover: Use a breathable cover, never plastic.

9. Store in a Well-Ventilated Area, with No Open Contaminants: Contaminants can speed up corrosion.

“The experts at Cycleworx take bike maintenance very seriously, so that you can enjoy your ride without any worry,” says Angelo DiPardo, owner of Cycleworx.

“We’ve shared these tips in order to make things flow as easily as possible for all riders, and so we can all get back out there next year safely and in great shape for optimum performance.”

Follow these tips, and your baby will positively purr when you press the start button in April to arrive at your spring tune-up at Cycleworx. www.cycleworx.ca @ cycleworx_custom_motorcycles www.mycitylife.ca

JEWELRY

Thomas Sabo Bee Necklace: Gold-plated bee necklace.

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Damiani Seamless Ring: Engagement ring in 18-karat white gold, with 2.13 carats of diamonds, starting at C$6,900. Centre stone sold separately.

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Miss Mimi Bangle: Gold-plated mesh bangle, set with cubic zirconia stones.

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Thomas Sabo Eagle Ring: Sterling silver and onyx stones.

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All items are available at Damiani Jewellers Ltd., 15 Jevlan Dr., Unit B, Woodbridge, Ont. Tel: 905-850-4653 | www.damianijewellers.com

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A DV E R TO R I A L

TOTALLY HEALTHY It’s not just about going to a doctor when you’re sick. It’s about taking charge and making lasting changes to improve your overall well-being. And at Tri-Health Wellness Centre, it’s an innovative, integrative approach to ensure that every facet of your health is supported.

Naturopathic doctors Maria and Jason Granzotto, owners of Tri-Health Wellness Centre, are excited to welcome clients into their bright, beautiful 2,500-square-foot space, overflowing with postive energy

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www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

Y

ou’re tired all the time, you’re run down and you’ve been dragging yourself around for months. You make an appointment to see your doctor, who tells you that everything is fine. You’re relieved, of course, but you’re still not feeling great.

Maybe there’s a better way. What if you step it up, instead, and take a new approach, with a combination of natural health and medical care for the best body, mind and spirit? That’s exactly what Dr. Maria Granzotto and Dr. Jason Granzotto, owners of Tri-Health Wellness Centre in Vaughan, Ont., are excited about. “There are so many things you can do to be proactive,” says Dr. Maria. “Let’s get the body as strong as possible, so that not only do you feel good, but you’re also preventing getting sick — in a serious way.”

Dr. Maria and Dr. Jason met when they were both attending the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine more than 10 years ago, and they realized they share the same philosophy. Now, Tri-Health is their dream. A beautiful, bright 2,500-square-foot space, it’s a place where they’ve brought together practitioners from all health fields under one roof. Here, you can consult with a naturopath or a nutritionist, get chiropractic and acupuncture treatments and massage therapy, as well.

“We’re trying to build a network for people to feel that, whatever condition

they have, we’re turning over every stone,” says Dr. Jason. “You don’t have to pick one thing: you can try acupuncture, do blood work, then you’re going to go back to your medical doctor. And we’re all going to be all communicating with one another.”

Disease prevention is a cornerstone at the centre. “We don’t want people to come in as a last resort. We want clients to feel the best they can,” says Dr. Maria. “Sometimes, even just boosting basic vitamin levels can help the body function like it was created and designed to.” It’s not a one-sizefits approach, says Dr. Maria, whose passion is nutrition and exercise. All treatments are individualized, and no two patients get the same treatment plan.

Technology and new diagnostic tools are used to full advantage at the centre.

For Dr. Jason, who often deals with people who have chronic digestive problems connected to immune issues and diet, one of the most powerful diagnostic tools that he uses at Tri-Health is live blood microscopy. A drop of your blood is put under the microscope, so you can see exactly what is going on. “It’s a great hands-on tool for patients and me to use, because it’s real-time feedback.

And it’s a good experience for them, because it’s something they’ve never seen before. They’ve never gone to a doctor who has shown them this, and it gives us so much information.”

Another one of the diagnostic tools they use at Tri-Health is the InBody 570, a body-composition analyzer that analyzes lean muscle versus body fat composition, along with various healthrisk factors — all in 45 seconds flat.

Progress is tracked with personalized updated results from previous tests.

And now, both Dr. Maria and Dr. Jason are excited about thermography scanning, available in the fall, which will show areas of inflammation in the body.

“It’s important to understand what is going to be the most effective way to help a client feel most balanced,” says Dr. Maria. With the fall and winter coming up, it’s so important to boost your immune system, with customized www.mycitylife.ca

“ IT’S IMPORTANT TO

UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO HELP A CLIENT FEEL MOST BALANCED.

”

— Dr. Maria Granzotto, ND, naturopathic doctor & owner of Tri-Health Wellness Centre

The centre brings together practitioners from a wide range of health fields under one roof. In-house testing and supplements ensure the client gets the best options for optimal well-being

supplements and detox programs. And they take the time to ask the questions that are often left out of treatment plans, such as: “What do you do to relax? What are your hobbies? Do you have a social network?” Adds Dr. Maria: “We need to get a plan in place, when stress levels get high. It happens to everyone, and you need to have a way to manage that.”

“I love empowering people,” says Dr. Maria. “Sometimes, people feel like there’s nothing they can do. But, there is so much in our control,” she adds.

“What you choose to eat, the vitamins you take, your lifestyle.”

Some people say they feel better just walking into Tri-Health Wellness Centre.

“Hopefully, people will be happy to come here, because it’s just a really welcoming environment,” she says.

“When people leave here, I want them to say, ‘I love that place; I can’t wait to go back.’”

8611 Weston Rd., Unit 4, Vaughan, Ont. 905-605-WELL (9355) www.trihealth.ca @trihealthwellness Sept/Oct 2020

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www.mycitylife.ca

A DV E R TO R I A L

Silvio Russo, serving fresh baked goods year-round

latest sports and news updates on the weekend. New desserts, cakes, breads and pastries (think salted caramel-pecan cupcakes and Nutella fritters) have made their way on to the menu since the bakery’s initial opening almost four decades ago, but it’s the true Italian taste and outpouring of personality that keep people coming back for more.

YOU NEED TO “ WORK HARD, BE

DEDICATED AND HAVE PRIDE IN THE PRODUCTS YOU MAKE

”

WELCOME TO

MAPLE BAKERY:

A TASTE OF ITALY IN THE HEART OF ONTARIO Since its beginnings in 1983, Maple Bakery has established itself as the go-to place for authentic Italian flavour

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

W

hen Silvio Russo’s father and brother started Maple Bakery, Maple was a small, quiet Ontario town. But, armed with passion and a dream to open a familyrun establishment, they knew it was the place to be. Fast-forward 37 years, and Maple Bakery is, as it was then, a staple of the area. It’s a delicate slice of history that’s carried with it the art and tradition of baking, serving fresh bread and baked goods year-round. www.mycitylife.ca

The characteristics that made Maple Bakery so charming in 1983 remain today, and it still prides itself on being family run. Russo is at the helm, with his sister-in-law Luisa and his mother Assunta at the counter, and conversation, coffee, party-sized pizza and (in summer) sweet gelato flow generously through its doors.

It’s a place where busy workers stop for espresso in the morning or a quick, healthy meal at lunch. It’s also a place where regulars can catch up on the

“For me, success is defined by hard work and quality products,” says Russo, whose personal favourite is Sicilian cannoli. “Most of our products are made in-house, from scratch.”

A typical day for Russo starts early, at 4 a.m., when orders are checked and the baking begins. The impact of COVID-19 means the place isn’t as packed with people and conversation as before, but the orders are far from slowing down, and they’re looking forward to reopening their space to regulars soon.

“You need to work hard, be dedicated and have pride in the products you make,” Russo continues, talking about what it takes to be a successful baker.

“You have to have a real passion for it.

It’s not just a job you go to. It’s an art, and it takes a long time to develop your skills. If you have passion, your products will come out excellently for the people you’re making them for. They’ll enjoy eating them as much as you do making them.”

Maple Bakery is located at 10040 Keele St. and is open seven days a week.

www.maplebakery.ca 905-832-2987 | @maplebakery83 Sept/Oct 2020

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PHOTO PHOTO BY

BY ALEXI ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI LUBOMIRSKI

An introvert when he was young, Massoud has come into his own

MENA MASSOUD

CELEBRATES HIS DUAL PASSIONS FOR ACTING AND THE VEGAN LIFE In spite of his own struggles around procuring highprofile acting roles since his title performance in Aladdin, Massoud is a driving force in lending a hand to fellow actors of diverse voices WRITTEN BY CECE M. SCOTT

H

ow many times have you wished that you had a magic lamp that you could rub, and all of your wishes would come true?

A $50-million lottery win? Done. The gift of good health? Done. Fame and its resultant fortune? Not always that easy to actualize. Just ask Mena Massoud, the Egyptian-born Canadian who was the star of the 2019 remake of Disney’s animated film Aladdin.

Part of a classic saga embedded within a larger story (The Thousand and One Nights), Aladdin, a fable which is rooted in Middle Eastern origins, is a master class in narrative highlights.

There is a young boy, whose family is poor and seeks a better life; there is a sultan and his beautiful daughter, the www.mycitylife.ca

princess Jasmine; there is an outsized genie with magical powers, whose mission and propensity is to grant the ever-famous three wishes; there are caves and magical lamps, intrigue and fluttering love. And, of course, there is the always-present evil character who cannot bear to see anyone happy, which in this case is the malevolent vizier, Jafar. Retold umpteen times, both on the big screen, as well as on the stage, the latest reiteration of this children’s story, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Toronto’s own Massoud, as well as superstar Will Smith as the genie, played to an audience whose eager attendance grossed US$1 billion when the movie came out last year.

Massoud, who was chosen to be Aladdin from the 2,000 aspirants auditioning for the coveted role,

immigrated to Markham, Ont., from Cairo with his parents and two older sisters when he was three years old. “It was a predominantly white demographic at the time,” Massoud says. “It certainly wasn’t the city it is now. My parents wanted to make sure that we did not lose the sense and importance of our identity and that we continued to honour our culture and traditions, so they both worked hard to make sure the family stayed close. Mom would cook us Egyptian food when I came home from school; she cooked all of the time, and in fact, that is where my love of cooking really began. She had a passion and commitment to food and to the entertainment of others,” he says. “My parents hustled. My dad was a satellite engineer back home in Cairo, but in Canada — because he had Sept/Oct 2020

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to take care of three kids — he picked up any job he could. For a while, he was a pizza delivery guy; he also worked in a VHS factory. It taught me the true meaning of dedication and hard work.”

After attending St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School in Markham, Massoud went on to high school at St. Brother André Catholic High School, where he excelled across a platform of forums. Dori Elliott, Massoud’s highschool drama teacher, with whom he says he was close, called her student a shape-shifter — a quiet, gentle person until he got up onstage, at which point, she says, he was volcanic. “I would say that is an accurate description,” Massoud says.

“I was an introvert in high school. I kept to myself until it was time for drama class, or improv class, and then I let loose. I was able to figure out who I was as a person during those times when I was up on the stage. I studied the sciences — chemistry and biology — but that is just something I did to please my parents.”

A high achiever, Massoud took drama throughout high school, while also running both the school’s improv team and the announcement team. It is no surprise, then, that the year he graduated, Massoud was the school’s valedictorian.

After graduating from high school, Massoud enrolled in the neuroscience program at the University of Toronto (U of T), where he briefly attended classes — “briefly” being the operative word. From the time he was a young boy, Massoud dreamed of being an actor. So it wasn’t long before he decided to leave U of T’s neuroscience program and enroll at Toronto’s Ryerson School of Performance, in its four-year program.

“I was drawn to the stage from the time I performed Peter Pan in elementary school,” the actor says. “In high school, I did a lot of stage work, appearing in productions such as Romeo and Juliet. Robin Williams [the actor and comedian who tragically took his own life in 2014], was always someone I 44

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looked up to, admired and respected, and not just because he was the voice of the genie in the animated Aladdin film [1992]. It was one of the few films that I could watch and relate to as a young boy, because it looked like my culture; I could identify with what was going on.

Of course, there was also Mrs. Doubtfire, probably the film I watched the most, especially whenever I was feeling down or wanted inspiration.”

By his third year, the aspiring actor had made a decision that film and

FOR ME, IT IS A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY television were going to be the routes that he would pursue. He had some success on television, including guest appearances on the television series Nikita, as well as Combat Hospital. He also had a six-episode recurring role in Poser, in 2011. In 2015, Massoud played Jared Malik in the Canadian drama series Open Heart. (Which only ran for one season.)

So with a burning desire to garner a higher profile in the movie industry and evolve as an actor, Massoud, armed with the $20,000 he had saved up from working in a series of restaurants, secured a working visa and moved to Los Angeles in 2017, where he “literally, lived in a closet,” he says. “I ran into another Canadian soon after I got there, who told me that he had a house with two bedrooms, both of which were occupied. But he said that there was a bedroom closet available

that I could use,” Massoud shared in a January 2020 interview with fellow Torontonian Lilly Singh. “So I took it. It was, literally, a closet. I was able to get a mattress in there, but the roof was slanted, and every morning I had to lean sideways when I was coming out of the closet.”

Lean and fit, with curly dark hair, warm empathetic eyes and a dimpled smile that accentuates his piano key– white teeth, Massoud exudes a movie star aura. After seven or eight years of hustling for acting work in Toronto, things started to happen for this charismatic, genuine and passionate actor in L.A. “Jack Ryan got booked out of L.A.; Strange But True got booked out of L.A.; Aladdin got booked out of L.A.,” Massoud says. The actor made all the rounds, taking any audition that he could, although he did make a strict promise to himself: he would not play any stereotypical ethnic roles.

It is a testament to his charisma, passion and acting skills that Massoud was chosen to play Aladdin in Disney’s live-action remake of the movie by the same name.

The worldwide search for the perfect Aladdin reportedly extended to 2,000 auditions for the coveted role.

True to the power that is social media, before the announcement that Massoud had won the role of Aladdin, he had 4,042 Instagram followers. Three days after the announcement, his following skyrocketed to 23,200. As of September 2020, Massoud’s Instagram followers sits at 2.4 million.

The seven- to eight-month shoot for Aladdin involved gruelling 14- to 15-hour days, but the schedule was something that Massoud was used to from his four years of theatre school at Ryerson University, when he would wake up at 5 a.m., attend classes until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. and then go into rehearsals afterwards. “It was the same type of schedule when we were shooting Aladdin,” Massoud says. “I would be up by 5 a.m., work out with my trainer, followed by stunt classes www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY DOUG INGLISH

Massoud believes in the karma of living a spiritual life

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IF YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA AT ALL, THEN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE KARMA FROM WHAT YOU EAT IS PASSED DOWN INTO YOUR BODY AND YOUR SPIRIT and voice lessons, then get ready for the movie shoot. My dad’s efforts taught me the true meaning of dedication and hard work.”

While Massoud had appeared in the film Ordinary Days in 2017, playing the role of Ollie Santos, and also had a recurring role as Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime original series Jack Ryan (2018), Aladdin was a whole new level of stardom. The cast featured the blockbuster actor, comedian and rapper Will Smith; actress Naomi Scott, who starred in the science-fiction drama series Terra Nova and the Disney Channel film Lemonade Mouth; and, of course, director Guy Ritchie, who has directed such films as Snatch (with Brad Pitt); King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Sherlock Holmes and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. While a lot of other actors might have been intimidated by such a starstudded lineup, Massoud says he took a page from his parents around managing expectations and staying focused on what needed to be done.

“To be honest, I block out my emotions when I am doing something important,” Massoud says. “There was a lot to accomplish, and I was focused on the things that needed to get done. For the six or seven months that we were shooting, I didn’t really think about it much. The acting for Aladdin was the thing that I was the least worried about. The singing and the dancing, the stunt work and the fitness training were my focus. I wasn’t tied up in my emotions; I just put my head down and 46

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worked hard, just like I was taught to do by my dad,” Massoud says. “I didn’t think about how big the role was or what was at stake. It was more about managing expectations around what the role would do for me. I don’t think that anyone thought that the movie would gross US$1 billion. [The budget for Aladdin was US$183 million, and Disney’s box office projection for the movie was US$400 million to US$500 million.] Nobody ever thought it would make a billion dollars.”

Massoud’s affinity for Robin Williams, who was heavy into improvisation, and the fact that in high school Massoud was head of the improv team, prepared Massoud for the improvisation he did with Smith in the movie. “It was something that came naturally to me,” he says.

Three of the top takeaways that Massoud garnered from Smith and Ritchie resonated post-release of Aladdin, more so than during the actual shooting. “I learned in a big way that in this industry, all you have to rely on is your hard work and dedication. No one is going to hand you anything, especially an artist of colour,” he says.

“That is just not how it works in this industry. Even after Aladdin, I’m still having to fight hard for work. I have to produce and figure out what my next thing is. I think my parents prepped me well for that; as a family, nothing was ever handed to us.”

While Aladdin was a blockbuster box office success, acting opportunities post-movie have been less than stellar

Massoud turned his passion for food, something he learned from his mother, into his first book, which was released September 15, 2020

for Massoud. And while having a leading role in Aladdin was a dream come true, at this point, Massoud had adopted the attitude that beggars can’t be choosers. “Nobody is being invited to rooms because of COVID. It’s all self-tapes for everyone. But I’m open to doing pretty much anything. I am not one of those actors sitting at home, being real picky. I am just trying to get auditions, get tapes and trying to book something. I’ve had some great roles, but moving forward, I realize that I will have to evolve as a producer; I will have to produce my own things. I want to create opportunities for myself.”

To that end, the actor has created his own production company called Press Play Productions, and its mantra is to give a voice to the unheard, to produce opportunities that showcase ethnic faces and diverse voices. He has also founded his own charity called Ethnically Diverse Artists (EDA; edafoundation. com) out of Toronto. EDA’s purpose is centred on giving back to artists of colour in Canada, particularly in Toronto. EDA’s mission is focused on inspiring inclusivity and diversity in the arts and entertainment industry.

Currently, EDA has five to six artists who are being assisted in their mission to get noticed. EDA is facilitating headshots, sourcing internships and providing resources key to aspiring artists’ evolving careers.

Also, Massoud’s love and passion for food, which he garnered from the numerous meals his mother cooked for the family, have sparked a whole new www.mycitylife.ca

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NO MATTER HOW SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE, OR HOW MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE ACHIEVED, MATERIAL THINGS WILL NEVER BRING YOU HAPPINESS lifestyle and a whole new career path for the actor.

“Two of my best friends and I started gradually cutting animal products out of our diet,” Massoud says. “To me, going vegan works better when you evolve into the lifestyle. After a while, I started to see progress at the gym. I felt better and lighter — spiritually and energetically. If you believe in karma at all, then you have to believe that the karma from what you eat is passed down into your body and your spirit. In that way, it has definitely been a blessing.”

In 2018, the passionate foodie founded a company with his two best friends, called Evolving Vegan, with a mission to introduce people to the vegan life. For his book, Evolving Vegan: Deliciously Diverse Recipes from North America’s Best Plant-Based Eateries— For Anyone Who Loves Food (released September 15, 2020, by Simon & Schuster), Massoud travelled around North America (pre-COVID-19), to find the best vegan food and meet change-makers in the field. Described as part cookbook and part travel guide, Evolving Vegan includes recipes from the cream-of-the-crop plant-based restaurants across North America, as well as some of Massoud’s own recipes and those of his mom. The book’s description highlights the role food and cooking can play in armchair travel during these times of restricted travel.

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Initially, there was no publisher on board for Massoud’s book, so he self-funded the venture with his two partners. They travelled across North America — a road trip, of sorts — visiting plant-based restaurants and sourcing recipe excellence for the book. “We wanted to show people how accessible it is to be vegan,” Massoud says. “In fact, that are no shortage of vegan restaurants in Toronto, some of which I profile in the book, including YamChops, a vegan butcher shop that is the first of its kind in North America, and Sweet Heart Kitchen for their NoBake Maple Pecan Pie. There is also a pitch in the works for a food/travelogue television series based on the Evolving Vegan book.”

Life in L.A. has been good for Massoud, but he admits that there are things that he misses about Toronto, including his love for the Toronto Raptors basketball team, a sport that he is well familiar with, having both played it in high school as well as being a member of the Ontario Basketball Association at that time. The recent postponement of the playoff games

by NBA players has Massoud’s full support. “I think NBA players have an incredible platform right now. We all know that the majority of athletes in the NBA are Black African-Americans, and I think they are doing whatever they think is best. If that is postponing

the games, then postpone the games,” Massoud says.

He also says that Toronto is one of his favourite cities, particularly in the summertime, when he enjoys doing the simple things, like strolling along Queen Street West and hopping into coffee shops. “Toronto is an amazing city,” Massoud says.

The year 2019 was a banner one for Massoud in the nominations and awards category. In addition to landing the role of Aladdin, the actor was nominated by the Teen Choice Awards for his role in the Aladdin movie, and GQ Men of the Year Awards nominated him in the Breakthrough Talent category, which the actor won. Massoud was also nominated by the National Film & TV Awards in the Best Actor category (for his role in Aladdin), as well as in the Best Newcomer category.

Being authentic and being true to himself are fundamental to Massoud, who is a big fan of the Branch Rickey quote, “Luck is the residue of design.”

“I love this quote, because in reality a person has to work hard to get themself into a position of garnering that luck,” the actor says.

If bestowed three wishes from the proverbial magic lamp, Massoud’s wishes would include the hope that 2020 would turn around; that the coronavirus would go away; and that there would be more love in the world, especially in the United States, around everything that is going on there. “On a more personal level, I wish that I could travel the world more; there is still so much of the world I haven’t seen, including Europe, Southeast Asia, the rest of Africa,” the actor says.

Following one’s dreams and discovering happiness are, to Massoud, the keys to living a dolce vita life. “Believe me, what I have learned, especially after these last few years, is that happiness comes only from within. That is something that Will [Smith] taught me as well. No matter how successful you are, or how many accomplishments you have achieved, material things will never bring you happiness. For me, it is a spiritual journey.” www.menamassoudofficial.com @menamassoud www.mycitylife.ca

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There’s no place like home, and there’s no place like your home — especially the kitchen. “This is the place where everyone gathers, where people spend their time as a family and enjoy their friends,” says Kaucis. “It’s important to have a space that works for you.”

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Food

IN CONVERSATION WITH . . .

DAVID ROCCO Celebrity chef David Rocco discusses la dolce vita, the way travel can change a person and why his kids are his favourite critics

SCAN THIS QR CODE FOR THE INTERVIEWS WITH DAVID AND LIDIA

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Rocco has travelled to countries all over the world and enjoys using food as a means to share those experiences with others

F

or David Rocco, la dolce vita is all about family. It’s about being able to celebrate work with his loved ones, while taking time to enjoy the good life.

Throughout his career, Rocco has been bringing his passion for food and travel to a huge audience. His shows, Dolce Vita, Dolce India and Dolce Africa, have been wide successes, he’s published three cookbooks and won a number of awards and accolades.

“I feel very blessed, and it’s interesting, because over the course of 180 episodes going to Italy, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Vietnam and Cambodia, I come back, and it changes you forever,” Rocco explains. “I think food is our connector and how were able to connect with people, and it’s a universal truth. Not everyone drinks wine or whisky, but we

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all have to eat, and there’s something magical about sitting down,” he says.

“Whether it’s in Vietnam, Cambodia or Sicily, it’s all the same. To be that conduit to an audience and bring in other aspects of life — I’m honoured to be able to do that.”

With a career like Rocco’s, it can become difficult to leave the family for extended periods of time, so he made a pact with himself. “There’s been a deal, subconsciously, I made with myself,” he says. “If I’m going to go out into the world and spend 17–20 weeks away from my family or outside my home, my family has to participate and see the world with me. That is the deal, and it’s a nice legacy for me to leave them.”

Rocco has also found that the more he’s travelled, the more his perspective is changing, to the point that someone

described him as more of a food journalist. “We’re looking to push the boundaries of what we can do as producers, and every country, every city offers something really special,” he continues. “This past series, we worked with refugees in Kuala Lumpur and in Rome. We worked on talking about the new face of Rome and migrants. What is being an Italian now? You open yourself up to changing and also you just can’t stand and stare any more. It’s about human connection, and how food can be a powerful medium.”

Talking with Rocco, it’s clear family is a big part of his life. His definition of la dolce vita is making sure they’re present, but that’s not to say they keep their opinions to themselves when he gets his food to the table. “My kids are very funny, because they’ll cook, but also be fantastic critics,” Rocco laughs. “They do it more to have fun with me, but they’re slowly developing their palettes.

And it’s nice that it goes beyond Italian food. One of our favourite family meals is a very good ramen or pork buns or Thai.”

Despite the corners of the globe he’s visited and the countless cultures he’s encountered along the way, Rocco remains proudly Italian-Canadian.

“When I go out in the world, I certainly have an Italian-Canadian perspective on things, because the Italian in me is strong. But Canada is my home,” he says. “It’s where my family is, my friends, and so there’s this really deep connection with Canada. I feel fiercely Canadian when I’m abroad.” www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

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Food

IN CONVERSATION WITH . . .

LIDIA BASTIANICH

As an Emmy Award–winning television host, bestselling cookbook author and founder of the hugely successful Eataly, Lidia Bastianich has spent her career bringing true Italian cuisine to the masses

SCAN THIS QR CODE FOR THE INTERVIEWS WITH DAVID AND LIDIA

www.mycitylife.ca Bastianich’s approach to regional Italian cooking had a huge impact on New York City’s food scene in the 1980s

One of the great rewards of being on television . . . a long time is that it’s transgenerational. I affect different generations within the same family,” Lidia Bastianich explains, reflecting on a career spent sharing her love for Italian food to homes all over the world. As well as posting videos to her YouTube channel, she has a show on Amazon Prime called Lidia’s Kitchen. “They come to my book signings in three generations — granddaughter, grandma and mum — and for me, that’s very rewarding. They say, ‘You showed me how to make the recipe that my grandma didn’t know how to write down.’”

Recently, Bastianich released Felidia, her first restaurant cookbook containing 115 recipes from her acclaimed New York eatery of the same name. “My new cookbook Felidia is almost a dedication and gift or acknowledgment of the Felidia restaurant that opened in ’81,” she says. “Forty years of a successful 54

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restaurant in New York City — that’s something to celebrate. And the book pays homage to Felidia and all the people who have made it what it is.

Ultimately, it includes all the recipes we can’t take off the menu, because people love them.”

Having been open for four decades, the food industry has naturally changed in the time since Bastianich started working there as a chef. “At that time, I began cooking regional Italian food,” she explains. “The Italian food known in the Americas was Italian-American, but here was a young woman chef bringing regional Italian food. It got a lot of acknowledgment for that and remained a messenger for true Italian cuisine.”

Alongside the release of her restaurant book, Bastianich has also published My American Dream, a biography which charts her story from Pula, Croatia, learning the art of Italian cooking on the Istrian peninsula to spending two years in a refugee camp before settling in New

York. “It’s the story of immigration, not unlike what is happening today with a lot of Italian people here: a trip to a new country, forming a new home and becoming part of another culture . . .

It’s not an easy trek, especially for adults who can’t speak the language, so continuing that message in today’s time is very important.”

Bastianich also loves spending time with her family and does what she can to bring their influence into the kitchen.

“First it was my children, but now it’s all about the grandchildren,” she says, after being asked who the favourite sous chef is in the family. “When they’re small, they like to get their hands dirty, then there’s a period they don’t want to know about grandma’s food. Then they enter college and want to know how to cook again. I love having them back and bringing their friends, and how proud they are of what grandma is. I am so gratified at how my grandchildren are proud of me.”

In the time Bastianich has when she’s not cooking or spending time with the family, she is also a philanthropist and enjoys giving back to various communities. “Coming into a city and being part of the city means really getting involved in the fabric of the city. And that means supporting [it],” Bastianich says, talking about the time she’s enjoyed in Toronto. One of the charities she supports here is Villa Charities, an organization that helps provide elderly Italian-Canadians with affordable, high-quality long-term care. www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO

WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER

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55

Community-building

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

It doesn’t take much to set up your own veggie garden at home. The sky’s the limit, especially now with all the choices and varieties available. Popular choices include kale, cabbage, tomatoes, even artichokes. And bunnies love lettuce

At The Stop — a thriving community hub that provides healthy food, skill-building and the fostering of social connections — the greens and the veggies are blooming WRITTEN BY DONNA PARIS

Y

ou’ve heard of paying it forward? That’s exactly what happens at The Stop Community Food Centre, located in Toronto. It’s an innovative model: participants and volunteers work side by side to grow food, cook meals and foster communitybuilding. And they’re constantly striving to do better, by increasing access to healthy food and meals in a way that maintains dignity, builds health and community, and challenges inequality.

From its origins as one of Canada’s first food banks in the ’80s, The Stop has blossomed over the years to provide drop-in meals, community kitchens and gardens, as well as a broad range of programs ranging from building cooking and food skills to offering nutrition advice and even family support.

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“People have been grateful to be in the garden and to have a space outside, with some semblance of normalcy” — Yuan Xu

What sets The Stop apart from other programs and organizations is its creativity, especially in these unprecedented times. Since the spring, The Stop has had to reduce the amount of people in its gardens at any one time, but the staff have discovered new ways to keep growing and keep participants connected. A lot of the seniors couldn’t participate because of COVID-19 precautions, so staff have been arranging smaller site visits and delivering produce directly to their homes. “People have been grateful to be in the garden and to have a space outside, with some semblance of normalcy,” says Yuan Xu, the community gardens co-ordinator.

“For many, this is the first place they’ve been to that isn’t a grocery store. You can really see that they miss being in this space.” www.mycitylife.ca

Gus Napoli, Sebastian and Phoenix Salvatore and Teresa Zerillo Tarquinio Palmieri with grandchildren MiaRose, Allegra, Sophie and Christian Giulia Papa’s hand-picked cherry tomatoes and veggie

Lucy Piotrowski and great-granddaughter Lucy Cappuccitti

Ellen Contardi’s herb garden

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There’s something about a garden — the connections for children, families and grandparents are lifelong bonds forged in the earth. City Life readers know that the taste of hand-picked veggies is out of this world, and that’s why they’re happy to share their photos

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“Now that the market is outside, people in the community can walk up and ask me these things.

I think it’s great”

There’s nothing that rivals the taste of vine-ripened veggies that have been soaking up the sun all summer long

— Ramdath, a volunteer with The Stop

Andrea Ramolo Everyone, from kids to adults, loves watching fruits, veggies and flowers grow

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT A GARDEN? There’s nothing like the taste of a sunripened tomato, a snappy cucumber or a tender zucchini grown in your own garden. Harvesting the fruits and veggies is the best part, but there are myriad other benefits, too: No pesticides.

You can grow your favourite varieties for a very low cost.

A garden is an easy way to teach kids about healthy eating habits.

Gardening is good exercise, great for stress relief and good for your spirit.

Fresh produce is more nutritious than food that has been shipped from thousands of miles away.

The health benefits of eating fruits and veggies are tremendous, including protection from diseases such as cancer, and it’s easy to eat more when they’re growing in your own backyard.

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Recently, The Stop’s Good Food Market has reopened, and everyone is welcome to shop for low-cost affordable and locally grown fruits and veggies.

Two of the volunteers, Ramdath and Anna, have been volunteering at the Good Food Market for years — Ramdath for more than seven years. “It’s wonderful to see familiar faces now that we’ve reopened,” says Anna.

The good news is that The Stop has still been able to have a great growing season this year. The produce is now being harvested, including tomatoes, kale, garlic, onions, radishes and squash, and the harvest is being split with volunteers and The Stop’s food bank and takeaway meals.

It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of community gardens. It’s not just about the food and providing space to grow low-cost fruits and veggies for people without a place to garden at their homes, but also a place for people to meet and make friends

Christine with her granddaughter

with neighbours they might never have met otherwise. It encourages neighbours to support one another by practising teamwork, learning from one another and promoting working together.

One surprising upside this year? A lot of people in the neighbourhood are stopping by the garden for the first time and asking some questions. “We’ve seen new community members showing interest in both contributing to the Earlscourt garden and starting their own,” says Xu. Ramdath agrees. “It’s nice meeting people here,” he says, and Ramdath often shares his cooking tips with shoppers.

“People ask all kinds of questions about the food: ‘What is okra? Where does it grow?’”

He’s happy to talk okra and other veggies. “I can explain it to them. I love to cook,” he says. “Now that the market is outside, people in the community can walk up and ask me these things. I think it’s great.” www.mycitylife.ca

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Social Justice

THE SYSTEMIC RACISM TOWARD

MIGRANT FARM WORKERS

Ever since migrant farm workers have been allowed to work seasonally in Canada, they have had to adhere to a different set of rules than the rest of Canadian workers, limiting their rights and stopping them from attaining Canadian citizenship. This story follows Mexican migrant worker Luis Gabriel Flores, as he fights for the rights of all migrant workers WRITTEN BY MYLES SHANE

M

ost of our kitchens are filled with fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables that Canadians rely on to ensure their families are eating well-balanced meals.

However, the majority of us are not aware of the history of our fridge’s contents.

Beyond our trip to the grocery store, we have little idea of their back stories. What farms did they come from, and were they Canadian? Who are the people who slave over the fields, picking food so we can live our best lives? The answer is, migrant farm workers. And this is their story, which really needs a happier ending.

COVID-19 Over the decades, there have been myriad reports, publications, testimonials and media stories that have raised red flags about how Canada’s temporary immigration system breeds abuse and exploitation of migrant farm workers. These warnings have been ignored. As COVID-19 ravaged communities across Canada, migrant workers again raised the alarm about their plight with many federal and provincial agencies, which continued to look the other way. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW ), “the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified an existing predicament and has brought to light and into mainstream knowledge the many injustices migrant farmworkers have been facing in Canada for over 20 years.” Chris Ramsaroop, an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers, explains that “at the start of the

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pandemic, we tried to raise our concerns to the media regarding the impact opening borders would have, but this was met with silence. Sadly, it is only when the COVID-19 numbers began to skyrocket, and there were three deaths, that the larger community began to take notice.” One of the examples the media and Canadians were reading about and watching has been the case of migrant farm worker Luis Gabriel Flores, who anonymously reached out to The Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star with his story. The following letter he wrote to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino, illustrates the systemic racism, terrible living conditions and slave-like labour migrant workers live with each and every day, before and during the pandemic.

THE LETTER I was punished for speaking up for my rights. Today, I am here to say to you and the media that I am not afraid.

That I deserve dignity. That all of us deserve dignity. That all migrants need full and permanent immigration status immediately.

My name is Luis Gabriel Flores. I come from Mexico City. I’m 36 years old. I have been in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) for 6 years, and I have worked in Canada for four seasons. My family depends on me — my wife, two daughters, and a mother with disabilities who just had a major operation for which we still owe money. I came to work on Scotlynn Farm. The houses were in poor

condition; communal bathrooms are shared by many workers and household items are in very poor condition. There was very little space in the rooms and in the houses; it was impossible to keep distance.

At work they pressured us a lot. They never let us rest. They watched us as if we were slaves. It was impossible to keep distance in the field or in the packinghouse, and we were mixed with workers from other houses. The employer never gave us protective gear — no gloves, no masks, no antibacterial gel.

Several of our co-workers began to show symptoms, including Juan López Chaparro, with whom I shared a house.

Those who were getting sick alerted the foremen and asked for medical attention.

They ignored us, and never did anything for those who were getting sick other than giving them some medicine like Tylenol. It was not until the workers themselves called an ambulance for a co-worker who was in serious condition that the employers began to pay attention. On Saturday, June 20, Juan died.

When we got tested (before Juan died), 199 of us were positive for COVID-19, including me. Five of our co-workers ended up in the hospital. I was very unhappy with the conditions and mistreatment that led to this crisis and that is why I spoke to the press anonymously to shed light on what was happening. I spoke to The Globe and Mail on June 10 and the Toronto Star on June 13.

I decided to stay home the day after Juan had died. It was then the owner of the company, Robert Biddle Jr., accused me of having spoken to the press in a video www.mycitylife.ca

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PHOTOS BY IAN WILLMS/MIGRANT WORKERS ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE

Bottom left: Flores speaks in front of a crowd of activists demanding change to how migrant farm workers are treated

and that he would be sending me back to Mexico at dawn.

Scotlynn Group’s president and CEO, Scott Biddle (Robert’s father), told The Globe and Mail that Flores’s account is “completely untrue.” He said Flores decided to return to Mexico because he was afraid of the virus and wanted to tend to his ill mother. City Life also called Mr. Biddle for a statement but he never returned the call.

According to Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), Flores left the farm once he was fired and has been put up by a supporter in co-ordination with MWAC. On July 30, Flores filed an anti-reprisals claim to the Ontario Ministry of Labour for $40,401.35 and delivered a letter to Minister Mendicino’s office to call for full and permanent immigration status for him and his temporary co-workers. His lawyer explained that the legal action is for financial compensation for the loss of wages. “We are also seeking pain and suffering damages for the impact of being fired.” He added that his client is looking to get an open work permit as he doesn’t want to return to the farm that does not care for its workers.

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THE RALLY To this day, Flores remains in Canada, on a tied work permit that only allows him to work for Scotlynn. The permit is set to expire on November 30, 2020. At this time, Flores has no permanent housing or permanent income. He is anxious about how he will support his family back home.

Even though Flores is possibly at his lowest point emotionally and financially, he showed up on August 23, 2020, for a rally outside a government immigration office in Toronto. As a one of the key speakers, Flores intensely criticized the treatment of migrant workers during the pandemic.

The event was planned by MWAC, which believes migrant workers should be given the same status and benefits as Canadian citizens. Hussan articulated the underlined and unique issues migrant workers are always dealing with: “Migrant workers have lost lives and have lost their livelihoods due to COVID-19.” Hussan says Ontario migrant workers need to demand more protection from the federal government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of migrant workers in the province have tested positive for the virus over the past few months, and three have died.

Like a politician campaigning, Flores rallied the protestors: “The employers are given too much power against the workers. It makes it impossible to defend ourselves.”

Another speaker at the rally, Marisol Bobadilla, a former short-term foreign worker, spoke about her frustration over the self-censorship migrant workers inflict upon themselves: “We are scared to complain and lose our job, because losing our job means losing a better life for our families.”

Flores is set to have a mediation trial next week. Flores is looking for $40,000 to cover his expenses and time spent not working. If an agreement isn’t reached, both parties will appear in court on September 14, 2020.

THE HISTORY OF MIGRANT WORKERS One of the topics Ramsaroop was passionate about discussing with City Life was the history of migrant farm workers in Canada. He detailed that in post-Second World War Canada, Dutch farm workers arriving here had no restrictions. They were able to arrive in Canada with permanent residency.

Moreover, Polish Second Word War veterans only had to work for two years www.mycitylife.ca

Founder , e c i oanne D

J

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before they could apply for residency.

Ramsaroop touched on the impetus for systemic racism against migrant farm workers: “The arrival of migrant labour from the Caribbean mirrored racist exclusionary immigration practices that Canada used to deny admission to other communities since our country’s inception. Whether it’s Chinese migrants to the West Coast, South Asian labourers or AfricanAmericans from Oklahoma, Canada utilized both overt and covert policies and regulations to exclude workers from the global South.”

Ramsaroop also discussed Vic Satzewich’s book, Racism and the Incorporation of Foreign Labour: Farm Labour Migration to Canada Since 1945. The book contains letters that were found in the archives of Canada from bureaucrats regarding the arrival of migrant workers from the Caribbean. The book cites five reasons to be concerned regarding migrant farm workers: Caribbean labourers could not handle the cold weather; the federal government nor employers wanted migrants to gain access to Canada’s social safety net, whether it’s Employment Insurance or welfare; they were concerned that their arrival would lead to race riots in rural Ontario; they did not want the men having interracial relationships with white women; and with seasonal workers, they were concerned that they would be unemployed during nonseasonal periods.

Ramsaroop then explained the back story of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which was introduced to Canada in 1966. Migrant farm workers from Jamaica arrived first, followed by workers from other parts of the Caribbean and finally, Mexican workers came to work in Canada. They were tied to one employer and had no labour and no social mobility. At the end of the season, they had to return home. For the Caribbean workers up until recently, 25 per cent of their earnings were kept in a compulsory savings scheme that the workers could only access when they returned home, and the workers to this day cannot apply for permanent residency.

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A SUMMARY OF THE REPORT BY MIGRANT WORKERS ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE According to a recent report by MWAC, “We are releasing a report of complaints on behalf of over a thousand migrant workers and their organizations that were unheeded by federal and provincial authorities and consulates in advance of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks. This shocking report provides a snapshot of the abuses faced by migrant farm workers, including stolen wages during quarantine, being forced to work while awaiting COVID-19 test results, racist threats, decrepit housing and inhumane treatment. The report situates these abuses in a long history of prior warnings made by migrant workers about Canada’s temporary immigration and labor laws.”

The report indicates that every year, Canada accepts more than 50,000 migrant agricultural workers to work its farms and fields. The workers can apply via three different streams: SAWP, the Agricultural Stream and the stream for low-wage positions. Ironically, none of these programs offers a path to permanent residency in Canada.

The MWAC report also points out the systemic racism migrant farmers have dealt with during and before COVID-19. The use of security guards policing the migrant workers combined with the employer’s use of racial slurs and verbal abuse are a very dangerous situation. This employer threat — united with racism faced by workers in the community — generates a level of extreme uncertainty for these workers. MWAC received reports of a local grocery store in Delhi, Ont., that declined to deliver groceries to 10 workers at a local farm. In another example, workers raised grievances about being asked to show documents prior to being allowed to enter grocery stores.

This increased racism and xenophobia directed against migrant workers have made their lives even harder during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTIMIDATION, SURVEILLANCE AND RACISM DURING COVID-19 According to the report, workers detailed increased racism from employers, local shops and some

community members, who treated them as if they were “disease carriers” — even in situations where workers arrived prior to COVID-19. In all, 209 migrant workers reported amplified intimidation, observation and threats from employers, often under the pretext of COVID-19 protocols. Grievances among Spanishspeaking and English-speaking workers are largely consistent, and complaints about threats were excessively higher for Caribbean workers who are mainly black men (19.7 per cent of Caribbean workers, as compared to 12.8 per cent of Spanish-speaking workers). Racism — specifically, anti-Black racism — underpins the workers’ experience.

THE UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS UNION According to the UFCW, “The extreme vulnerability of migrant agricultural workers is the result of deficiencies and discrimination ingrained in current immigration and workplace law. Currently, immigration law creates a captive migrant workforce through the use of closed work permits, and workplace law excludes agricultural workers form essential workplace rights, protections, and entitlements.”

Hussan has pleaded that, “for years, we have called on the federal government to stop tipping the scales against migrant workers, to stop giving employers complete control over workers’ lives.

All migrants must have the power to protect themselves, to speak up, to leave abusive and dangerous situations, and that means full immigration status for all is essential. The federal government needs to send a signal to migrant and undocumented people across the country today. What happened to Flores will not be tolerated.”

Can you imagine a Canada without migrant farm workers? A country where we didn’t have an abundance of produce in grocery stores? If our government doesn’t change the systemic racism toward these workers, inevitably, they may not want to risk their lives to fill our homes with a never-ending stream of fruits and vegetables. It’s time to change the ending of this story. www.migrantworkersalliance.org www.ufcw.ca www.mycitylife.ca

ARTISTIC STYLE

NADIA COLELLA A creator in the kitchen and an artist at the canvas, Nadia Colella is rising to new heights INTERVIEW BY CASSANDRA GIAMMARCO WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER

PHOTO BY MIKE CARINGI

With a BFA from OCAD U, Colella brings a special artistic touch to her wondrous designs of decadent cakes and pastries

P

erhaps nowhere in cooking is the balance of artistry and tastes more evident than in pastries, cakes and other delectables. And this takes more than just being able to bake. It takes a fine eye for inspiring design and a deep passion for the craft â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two attributes that artist Nadia Colella possesses in abundance with her eight-year-old Toronto-based company, Nadia & Co. Art and Pastry.

www.mycitylife.ca

Like any world-class baker, Colella has the basics mastered.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her artistry and design she adds in the decorative process that make her tasty creations highly sought after.

Colella began baking for fun at age 15. Her eye turned to art, and she then obtained a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD U), before being trained in French pastry and starting her Sept/Oct 2020

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business in 2012. And she draws her inspirations from her life experiences.

“The art on my cakes comes from my past fine arts, which have inspired me for years,” says Colella. “Architecture is another influence, as the details on an ornate building can inspire a detail on a cake. I also love china and ceramics, wallpapers and fabrics, and that leads to fashion. Many bakers have ‘cake-brain,’ where we see something and wonder how we can transfer that onto a cake.”

Colella has become one of the most coveted designers of custom wedding cakes, all of which are hand-painted, in the Greater Toronto Area.

During this unusual time, Colella is using her engaging personality to expand her presence on social media, where she has created a series of how-to videos on Instagram via @nadiaandco with her Share the Tea show on @IGTV. Offering expert tips, sharing recipes and answering viewers’ 66

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questions, the weekly show is where Colella’s naturally enthusiastic passion for her craft shines through. She also recently returned to her first love — painting — and now offers custom-designed prints for sale.

“It’s interesting how painting on cakes has opened up my eyes to what is possible and what people are looking for,” says Colella about this burgeoning part of her business. “That’s where art becomes more sellable, with florals or landscapes.

It’s also interesting to see clients who have enjoyed my cakes over the years now purchasing my prints and putting them in their everyday worlds.”

Nadia Colella has merged her passions for exploring life through art, as well as creating decadent cakes and pastries, supplying her with platforms where her true artistry can bloom and flourish. www.nadiaandco.com @nadiaandco www.mycitylife.ca

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NADIA COLELLA

Colella has recently returned to her first love of the fine arts and has used the pandemic pause to create custom-designed prints with the same artistic creativity she adorns on her beautifully designed wedding cakes

We were honoured to serve over 35 families during the month of July and August! Let us serve you this fall!

Lino Arci CEO and Sales Representative

*Seller and Lino Arci must agree on price and closing date

4 BIG REASONS TO CALL LINO ARCI TO SELL YOUR HOME

NEW WESTON DOWNS

Custom Designed Entertainer’s Dream Home A True Home Of Distinction

Stately & Rich In Character San Juan Fibreglass Saltwater Pool 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 3 Car Garage Approx. 3,500 Square Feet

$2,098,800

Sell your home without worry & protect your family’s health ...

1 We Will Sell Your Home FAST!

PRESTIGIOUS ISLINGTON WOODS

27 Roselawn Drive Vaughan, ON Premium 70 Feet Wide Lavishly Landscaped Lot Grand Cathedral Foyer with Main Floor Den 4 + 1 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms Approx. 3,400 Square Feet

$1,688,800

2 We Will Sell Your Home For TOP DOLLAR! 3 You Will Have LESS HASSLES! 4 Your Home Sale is SAFE!

RARE PENTHOUSE-STYLE CONDO

2900 Highway 7 #204 Vaughan, ON

Our COVID-19 Seller Protection Program makes the house selling process safe in these uncertain times.

PRIVATE COURT LOCATION

115 Dante Court Vaughan, ON

2 + 1 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms Approx. 1,900 Square Feet

Premium Lot 50 x 150 Feet Grand Scarlet O’Hara Staircase Professionally Finished Basement Apartment 4 Bedrooms, New Bathrooms Approx. 3,200 Square Feet

$1,249,800

$1,488,000

Luxury Corner Suite at Expo City Totally Custom Renovated & Masterfully Designed

RE/MAX Hallmark Lino Arci Group Realty 416.571.2724 (ARCI) | www.linoarciteam.com 3420 Major MacKenzie Dr. W, Unit #103, Vaughan, ON @LinoArciTeam www.mycitylife.ca Proud Sponsor of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Sept/Oct 2020

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

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CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

Sept/Oct 2020

www.mycitylife.ca