Local Connections Halifax - Winter 2016

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d i s c o v e ry

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Battery Park Downtown Dartmouth's hot new beer bar

Who's selling ? our city we NEED to attract people to come live in our city

IN MY OWN VOICE LOCAL DISCOVERIES SYMPHONY NOVA SCOTIA IN 2016

the big picture, the nitty gritty, and the future

winter 2016

Studio East food + Drink asian fusion in the west end

T H E T H I R D A N N U A L’ I S H ’

SPO N SO RED

BY

EARLYBIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE until MARCH 31 (while supplies last)

Tickets and more information online at: localconnections.ca/events 2LOGOS.indd 1

26/06/14 10:48

Winter 2016 | Volume 5, Issue 17

FEATURES

26 Mayor Mike Savage

The big picture, the nitty gritty, and the future.

Mayor Mike Savage, photographed by Applehead Studio

56 who's selling our city?

We need to double down on our efforts to attract people to live in our city.

son)

compari (average house price

, live well!

Buy a house, start a business

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2016

Saturday, may 14

at t h e c u n a r d c e n t r e • 2 s es s i o n s ava i l a b l e

nscraftbeer.ca/nscbw MUST BE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE TO ATTEND. ID CHECK AT THE DOOR

Winter 2016 Winter | Volume 5, Issue 17 2016 | Volume 5, Issue 17

Editor-in-Chief Art Director Alexander Henden Contributing Editors Brenden Sommerhalder Lola Augustine Brown Lia Rinaldo Jordan Whitehouse Laura Oakley Tiffany Thornton Angeline Maclennan Amy Savoury Photography Applehead Studio Riley Smith Michelle Doucette Scott Thieu Contributing Experts Phil Otto Lindsay Burns Rodney Habib Hana Nelson Illustration Scott Macdonald

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44

Our regular selection of new things happening in Halifax.

A look at icewines with our very own Amy Savoury

LOCAL DISCOVERIES

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50

Excitement builds for Halifax's soonto-be brand new science centre

A Q & A with The Carleton owner Mike Campbell

THE NEW DISCOVERY CENTRE Local Connections Halifax is a free magazine with a frequency of 5 issues/ year. all 30,000 copies of This magazine were printed at tc Transcontinental in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia For magazine advertising: advertising@localconnections.ca

nova scotia uncorked

the man behind the music

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52

A look at Stouts and Porters with our very own Angeline MacLennan

Retro pop, Beer and Beethoven, Tchaikovsky — the 2015/16 season ends with a bang

nova scotia uncapped

SYPHONY NOVA SCOTiA

For all other inquiries: magazine@localconnections.ca Š Popcorn Creative 2016 LO C A L CO N N EC T I O N S H A L I FA X | W I N T E R 2 0 1 6

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1314 Martello Street, Halifax 123 Bluenose Drive, Lunenburg

Editor's Message

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

T

he beginning of the year is always an exciting time. Most of us have benefitted from taking some time off with friends and family during the holidays, and hopefully we’ve taken advantage of the slow months of winter to prepare for the year ahead. We're calling it a year to remember.

2016 should prove to be an interesting one. There seems to be no shortage of new restaurants popping up, adding to the already impressive mix we have right now, and there are a few more local breweries and distilleries on their way as well. We're really becoming a true food and drink destination, which is something we should take pride in. The value of the Canadian dollar is now at its lowest point in decades, and so it’s likely that 2016 will be a banner year for tourism in Nova Scotia.

2016 is looking to be a big year for Local Connections Halifax as well. It marks the beginning of our fifth year as a magazine, and we've positioned ourselves to have a solid fifth season. The magazine itself, which you are about to read, has just undergone the first phase of a refreshing process — and it's a lot more than a simple lipsticking of the pig. Yes, the look and feel is a little crisper, but we've also changed the content mapping as well. In a nutshell, we've revisited everything we're doing and have done in the past, and looked specifically at how we can focus things a little more. As we move into the year, you'll see us continue this refocusing process. You'll see many new things, but also new ways of doing old things.

Our events programming has also just undergone a redesign process. It all started with our very successful Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration on January 14, and will continue with the Science of Beer on May 12 and the Wine & Spirits Gala on May 25.

We also have a hand in producing this year's flagship for Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week, the Full House Craft Beer Fest on May 14. The bottom line is you can expect bigger and better things from in 2016 and onwards.

On a final note, we're also looking at 2016 and wondering what we're going to do with all of these new condos and homes that are being built. It's just the beginning of the conversation as far as we're concerned, but our “Who's Selling Our City” feature on page 56 asks the question: Is anyone doing anything about fixing our population deficit here in Nova Scotia? It's a big question, and one that needs answering, soon.

Alexander Henden Owner, editor-in-chief, local connections Halifax

The Restaurant Scene

Local

Discoveries a bunch of new stuff

Food & Drink Retailer at the Seaport Market If you've been to the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market on a Saturday over the past few months, you've likely already seen The Shelf. What you may not know is that this space is open throughout the week, selling the very best Nova Scotia wines and spirits, along with a fairly wide range of made-in-Nova-Scotia products.

This is great for both the cruise ship passengers looking to take something back with them and for locals who might need supplies for an office party or perhaps a bottle of wine for an after-work dinner party.

THE

SHELF

Some interesting new additions to Halifax's local dining roster It seems that nearly every month there's a new restaurant opening in Halifax, and this winter has seen more than its usual share of moves and openings.

RATINAUD FRENCH CUISINE recently packed up and moved a block down the street to its new home on 2157 Gottingen.

With the bigger space, they are now hosting their famous Kitchen Table dinners more frequently. CHI BISTRO has popped up in the space on Charles Street where Tess used to be. As the name suggests, the focus is on Asian flavours, which definitely gives the Agricola Street dining scene a little more depth. So will TIMBER LOUNGE, which will likely be the only place in Halifax where you'll be able to drink craft beer and throw axes around. They're set to open this spring. Still in the north end, this time in the Hydrostone, WAFFLE LOVE is set to open its doors in the coming weeks. Along with waffles, we're to expect some Polish pierogies, wraps, soups and other goodies. It'll be interesting to see what they can do with waffles. The Spring Garden Road disctrict has seen some recent activity with the addtion of BLACK SHEEP, a new all-day brunch space right on Dresden Row, along with the recent move of TOM'S LITTLE HAVANNA and THE FIRESIDE to Birmingham Street in the same building as Pete's Fine Foods. Of course downtown Halifax is not without its share of new openings.

By the time you are reading this PAVIA

ESPRESSO BAR's newest location in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia should be open, or at least very close to. THE OLD APOTHECARY is in the midst of an expansion, having recently taken over the unit next door. Just a bit down the street, THE HIGHWAYMAN, which is the latest venture from the owners of Field Guide, along with Adam MacLeod and Michael Hopper, is set to open in the spring. Halifax has also seen a rash of beer bar openings over the last couple of months. BATTERY PARK (featured on page 32), GOOD ROBOT TAPROOM, and THE CHARM SCHOOL (Unfiltered Brewing's new taproom) have each opened their doors to the public. There's also some significant activity on Cunard Street in the west end, starting with the opening of STUDIO EAST FOOD + DRINK (featured on page 36) back in November. Now we're told that a Mediterranean wine bar is set to open soon, just around the corner on Clifton Street, which will make a nice addition to nearby Robie Street Station, Wild Leek, and The Good Food Emporium.

Downtown Dartmouth continues its medeoric rise with the addtion of PORTLAND STREET CRĂŠPERIE. At this stage, it's now safe to say that Downtown Dartmouth is now a food destination, not unlike the north end. Another noteworthy entry is TOMAVINO'S recent move to the Halifax Seaport, in the space where Java Factory used to be.

Something New at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Starting soon, passengers departing from Halifax Stanfield International Airport will have a new place to spend some of their leftover cash and bring home a taste of Nova Scotia. Liquid Assets, a subsidiary of Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, will open a new shop at the airport sometime in April. The focus will be on premium Nova Scotian wine, spirits, craft beer and cider. And because the shop will be post-security, passengers can stock up on whatever they can carry on board.

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Here the elements perfectly align

Love is in the Air! As a sequel to its Holiday Gift Guide from last Christmas, the Downtown Halifax Business Commission is releasing the first-ever Lovers Guide to Downtown Halifax. It's a lot like the holiday guide in that the reader will have access to pages of specials happening in Downtown Halifax. Things ranging from food and drink specials, hotel and entertainment packages, clothing and jewelry, couples activities, and more.

There's also a page of event listings, highlighting some of the many events happening in Downtown Halifax.

Winery of the Year

Atlantic Canadian Wine Awards

RESTAURANT

avondalesky.com 902.253.2047

While the guide is named The Lovers Guide, singles can play along too.

It's really about the love, the love for Downtown Halifax that is. downtownhalifax.ca

Experience it yourself

Local

Discoveries a bunch of new stuff

Spryfield's New Farmers' Market The community of Spryfield has something to be excited about this spring: an all-new farmers' market. As we've come to understand, the location will be the Golden Age Social Centre, and the plan is to have it open sometime in April.

Back in the Game After the departure of our last NBL Canada team, the Halifax Rainmen, a new group has brought basketball back to Halifax. The new team's name is the Halifax Hurricanes, and their 2015-16 schedule is already well underway. Still, the team has another four home games in March and three more in April, and as always, tickets for NBL Canada games are super affordable. Adult tickets are going for $19, senior tickets for $15, student tickets for $12.50, and kids under 12 tickets for just $8. You can also save a few bucks by purchasing a five-game ticket pack, which seems to be the best value for the super keen basketball fan. halifaxhurricanes.ca

Stubborn Goat Goes Seaside Just days before this issue went to press, it was announced that our friends at The Stubborn Goat Gastropub won the bid for the beer garden space on the waterfront.

It's a three year contract, so we'll be seeing them down there for a while.

Wine & Spirits Gala Returns After a one-year hiatus, we're proud to announce that we're bringing back the Wine & Spirits Gala, this year to The Lord Nelson Hotel. This event is pretty much the ultimate evening for anyone who's interested in Nova Scotia wine, spirits, cocktails, cider, food and music. Because it’s in The Lord Nelson, we're still able to provide the multi-room experience we had at The Halifax Club, albeit on another level. Tickets are, as always, all-inclusive, which means you can eat and drink as much as you like. The date of this event is Wednesday, May 25, and tickets are available right now. Speaking of which, there are a number of early bird tickets (best prices) still available which simply won't be available closer to the event date.

Full event details will be available at the end of February, but rest assured we're putting together another corker. localconnections.ca/events

stubborngoat.ca

The Return of Propeller Cask Nights We spent most of last year wanting this to happen, but now, as of January 2016, Prop'r Cask Nights have returned to Propeller Brewery on Gottingen Street. It's a great addition to the city's growing culinary calendar. Each event will take place on the last Friday of every month and will feature a different restaurant each time. There will be a special oneoff cask beer for patrons to try, and guests will also have access to a wide range of Propeller beers. Each event is an all-inclusive evening, meaning just buy your ticket and show up.

Space to these events is limited, so don't wait until the last minute. facebook.com/propellerbeer

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Sunday, 13 March 7:00 pm Lilian Piercey Concert Hall

Sunday, 10 April

Seven Strings a Secret

2:00 pm Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library

Shimon Walt, cello and friends

Olivier De Spiegeleir, piano

Classical Music & the Cinema

A Curated Guide to Nova Scotia It's been in the works for a couple of years now, but this June we'll finally launch the first ever curated guide, showcasing Halifax, along with a portion of the Annapolis Valley and South Shore. The purpose of the guide is to put together a collection of our favourite restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, some retail spaces, attractions and events so that tourists and locals alike can know where to find all the best stuff — according to us, that is.

Inside The Curated Guide, content will be broken into sections by neighbourhood (e.g., Downtown Halifax, North End, Downtown Dartmouth). We’ll include a brief bio of the ’hood, then the listings themselves, followed by a map with navigation tools. A lot of planning and development has gone into how the guide will function, as our goal is to make it as user experience -focused as possible.

Stay tuned!

Sunday, 17 April

Sunday, 1 May

Lieder et Canciones

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Lynn Stodola, piano Philippe Djokic, violin Kerry Kavalo, viola Benjamin Marmen, cello

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E AT I N G LO C A L

Illustration: Scott MacDonald

WINTER NIGHTS, SHUCKING DELIGHTS

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t’s oyster season! Our favourite season at Afishionado.

Why are oysters so luscious right now? They’re in hibernation mode — fully prepared for the chilly Maritime weather after bulking up on nutrients all fall. This means fattier, tastier oysters for us. That delicious liqueur you find in the shells can provide oysters nourishment for weeks.

Oysters can boost your energy during the long winter months, too.

They are a true superfood high in zinc (more per serving than any other food), iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, B12, C and D, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Harvesting oysters in the winter can be dangerous, and once the ice sets in aquaculturists have to go under the ice to harvest them or plan to leave the oysters in dry storage (salt water tanks on land).

Most oyster farmers harvest under the ice, often by cutting holes in the surface. “The worse the winter, the longer my chainsaw gets,” says Maxime Daigle from Maison BeauSoleil, a popular oyster company in Neguac, New Brunswick. ”But there’s nothing better than having some bubbly and oysters after cutting and then pulling out a four-foot-deep trench of ice.” Marc Andre Mallet, who grows the St. Simon oyster in northern New Brunswick, describes the oysters he harvests in the winter as having a briny start that transforms into a sweet, lingering, buttery finish. He and his colleagues also harvest

their oysters through the ice all winter long. A good spot to reward the hard work of these oyster farmers is Lot Six Bar and Restaurant on Argyle Street, where you’ll find a wide selection of Nova Scotia oysters.

And if you need another reason to try oysters tonight (we certainly don’t), consider their positive impact on the environment. Unlike many other forms of aquaculture and agriculture, oyster farming provides net-positive effects for the ecosystem. Oysters feed by filtering nutrients out of the water column, and they help clean the water as they go. One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day!

Oysters are known to take on the flavour of their environment, and there are many uniquely flavoured varieties within Nova Scotia. Plan a tour of the oyster offerings of Nova Scotia to find your favourite. Start with Eel Lake, Malagash, ShanDaph, Sober Island, Black Point, Cabot or Mabou. Talk to staff at our local restaurants who pride themselves on their oyster knowledge, people like The Gahan House’s Bradley Gallant, who notes that “In the winter, waters in the

North Atlantic can get too cold, which causes oysters to lower their metabolism to save energy and live off stored fats and liquor existing in their shells. Shucking oysters this time of year is a pleasure because they are full and deliciously crisp.

It’s a rewarding feeling seeing top quality in the product.”

Never tried one before? Get over the fear of shucking — all it takes is a little patience, an oyster shucker and a twist to pry the hinge open (the narrow part of the oyster). I have found that it’s more about a twisting action than applying too much force — an oyster is waiting to be unlocked, and you hold the key! Detach the abductor muscle from the top and bottom of the shell, slurp it back to get its full flavour, chew a couple of times and enjoy! For some variety, you can try freshly squeezed lemon, horseradish or a mignonette sauce.

Practice makes perfect, so put down the storm chips, go grab some local craft beer and head to our website, afishionado.ca, where you can find Nova Scotia’s largest selection of oysters and learn about our new “Fish in the Box” program. █

Hana Nelson

f AFISHionadoHalifax l halifishmonger

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ON BUSINESS

Illustration: Scott MacDonald

CONDENSE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

L

ots of people talk about business plans, but how many businesses actually have one?

Sometimes you need a business plan to secure financing, other times it can assist your business development and help you avoid potential roadblocks in your startup adventure. It’s hard to argue the importance of a business plan and the positive role it can play in strategic business growth, yet everyone seems to always have a very long to-do list that seems to take priority.

Being an entrepreneur can be all-consuming, so how can you reap the benefits of a business plan without sacrificing too much time? I briefly mentioned this concept of an abbreviated business plan in an article a couple of years back, and I feel it’s worth elaborating upon.

Take your business plan and condense it. Develop a two- to threepage plan and post it on the wall in your office. Update it semi-annually or even annually. As your business changes throughout the year, physically reach up to your “wall plan” and make notes. Keeping your plan on the wall, and updated regularly, will help you visualize how your business

is performing year over year. Are you falling behind or are you exceeding expectations? You’ll always have this reminder of your overarching goals, and I encourage you to make notes of unexpected opportunities that present themselves through the year.

Your abbreviated business plan should outline your mission statement, your value proposition and some of your high-level goals.

When outlining your goals, be realistic, specific and set a deadline for yourself. It can be helpful to outline some actions you plan to execute to achieve these goals, and check them off as they are completed.

Below are a few examples of business goals and actions that may be helpful in developing your own mini plan.

Strategic Company Goals: Outline the high-level growth strategy for your company.

Example Goal: Hire a new salesperson

by March to increase incoming business by 25 per cent.

Action: Write a job description and post that position by January to facilitate interviews in February.

Marketing Goals: Outline the strategic ways you plan on spending your valuable marketing dollars.

Example Goal: Tap into the online market through social media in the first quarter.

Action: Hire a social media consultant to develop a social media strategy that matches your overall marketing plan and budget.

Financial Goals: Outline your plan for the year in dollars and cents.

Example Goal: Reduce operational costs by 10 per cent by the end of the year.

Action: Inventory the office supplies and cut monthly orders by performing more administrative duties electronically. █

Lindsay Burns

i ca.linkedin.com/in/lindsaybest l lindsaybestbiz

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ON BRAND

Illustration: Scott MacDonald

ADVERTISING'S PLACE IN BUILDING A BRAND

I

f vision, mission, values and purpose are the soul of a brand, and logos and brand identity are the skin of a brand, then advertising is what tells the brand story.

And in the 30 years that I’ve been in the advertising and branding industry, I’ve seen more change in the past five years than in the prior 25.

But while advertising channels are evolving and growing from traditional broadcast, print and outdoor to digital and social, the rulebook of advertising has not changed since the beginning of time. It is about understanding what makes a product or service unique and finding the most efficient and effective methods to tell the right story to the right audience. And realizing that if price is your best foot forward, even in these challenging economic times, you really don’t have much of a brand at all.

There’s a lot of clutter and noise in advertising today and taking a disruptive approach isn’t about being

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brighter, faster, louder, obnoxious or intrusive. It is about being relevant. In an era when consumers are assaulted with thousands of marketing messages every single day, the messages that have an emotional resonance are the ones that are noticed and acted upon.

Advertising driven by insight is more about observations, courage and intuition than science and statistics.

Our world is filled with clever advertising that is neither relevant nor effective. I define clever as a witty headline that can sit atop any product, any logo or even any industry, and it remains just that: witty but unmemorable, ineffective and irrelevant

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to the brand. Great advertising doesn’t attempt clever. It strives for brilliant, which is disruptive, memorable, relevant and steeped in insight around the brand and its product or service.

But not every advertising campaign needs to be brilliant. Sometimes it just needs to be smart. Smart advertising is simple and practical. Smart advertising is relevant, efficient and effective.

Finding the right blend of brilliant — the most effective way to build brand awareness — and smart — a great way to drive traffic — will stretch resources and give you the most impact for your advertising dollar. █

Phil Otto

i ca.linkedin.com/in/philotto l brandguy

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P E T H E A LT H

IS IT A GOOD THING TO ONLY OFFER YOUR PET DRIED KIBBLE?

T

oday, 96 per cent of pet owners around the globe feed their pets dry commercial pet foods. Of those 96 per cent, there is a large majority who believes that dried commercial pet food is really all their pet needs and who would never stop to consider the benefits of adding fresh “human food.” (By “human food” I mean clean sources of meat-based proteins and some organic plant matter, not beer and nachos.)

There are many reasons why some of these pet parents feel this way.

However, the most popular reason today seems to be the 50-year-old rumour that is in existence and still spreading. You know the one: “Giving your animal table scraps is bad!” How or when did this terrible rumour start?

Well, if we go back in time, research shows that shortly after the invention of processed pet foods, manufacturers were having a hard time convincing pet

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parents to make the switch from foods in refrigerators to their commercial pet foods. So in 1964, the pet food industry, along with the Pet Food Institute, joined together with a whole bunch of marketing dollars and launched one of the most influential campaigns the pet world had ever seen: the “Ban All Table Scraps from Your Pets’ Bowls” campaign!

Through thousands of newspapers, magazines and news stations, the public was warned about the dangers of table food scraps, or “human food,” and the importance of feeding processed commercial pet food. From there, the giant smear campaign took off! Not only did this clever campaign work, but it was so impactful that now, 50 years later, folks are still fearful of offering anything that is not labelled “pet food.”

So is it a good thing to only offer your pet dried kibble? Not according

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to ongoing research, and especially considering that today’s cancer rate is one in two dogs!

In a 2005 study conducted at Purdue University on Scottish Terriers, the results showed that adding fresh vegetables to dry commercial kibble actually prevented and/or slowed down the development of transitional cell carcinoma (aka bladder cancer)! In the study, dogs ate a diet of dry commercial pet food, some getting an assortment of vegetables added to the mix at least three times per week. By the end of the study, researchers weren’t really shocked by the results. They found that dogs that ate any green leafy vegetables, like broccoli, had reduced the risk of developing bladder cancer by 90 per cent and that dogs that consumed any yellow-orange vegetables, like carrots, reduced the risk by 70 per cent!

Seriously. A lousy carrot helped smash the potential for cancer.

Yes, of course cats are obligate carnivores (must have meat to survive) and our dogs are facultative carnivores (carnivores with omnivorous potential if circumstances demand), so offering clean, meat-based protein sources should always be top priority and essential. However, due to factory-farmed livestock being fed genetically-modified grains and our planet being contaminated with every type of pesticide, fungicide and larvicide, the importance of fresh, organic plant matter to help detox the body couldn’t be more crucial.

And if the cancer-reducing benefit doesn’t tickle your fancy enough to convince you to add any fresh “human foods” to your pet’s bowl, then maybe think of it this way: How bad would it suck if someone forced you to eat dry processed foods your whole life? █

Rodney Habib

f PlanetPawsPetEssentials l PlanetPawsNS

cua.com 902.492.6500 Financial Planning

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Commit to local where you live. Not only do you eat well, you strengthen the connection between food and community, you support local producers and you feed the local economy. In Nova Scotia, we’re blessed with a year-round bounty of local food from fish to farm fresh produce. So get inspired by what’s around you and add a little local to your life. It’s good for all Nova Scotians.

Looking for more local inspiration?

Visit selectnovascotia.ca #CommitToLocal

Chilifax

- NS LAMB & BEEF CHILI INGREDIENTS ½ lb (250 g) ½ lb (250 g) 1 tbsp (15 ml) 1 cup (250 ml) 2 cloves 2 cups (500 ml) 1 cup (250 ml) ½ cup (125 ml) 1 cup (250 ml) 2 X 28oz cans 1 can 2 cans 1 tsp (5 ml) 3 tbsps (45 ml) 2 tbsps (30 ml) 1 tbsp (15 ml) 1 tsp (5 ml) 1 tsp (5 ml)

Serves 6 to 8

NS ground beef NS ground lamb butter onion diced garlic minced chopped mushrooms green peppers red pepper beef broth stewed tomatoes tomato sauce red kidney beans turmeric chili powder oregano thyme coarse sea salt cracked pepper

METHOD In a good size pot, melt butter then sauté the ground meats until browned, Drain any fat that may have collected. Add in diced vegetables and sauté until softened. Add beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and kidney beans, stir in spices and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Serve with your favorite bread. For added flavor consider serving with a topping of grated cheese.

Frittatamagouche - NS Veggie FRITTATA INGREDIENTS 6 ¼ cup (50 ml) 2 pinches 2 pinches ¼ cup (50 ml) ¼ cup (50 ml) ½ cup (125 ml) 1 cup (250 ml)

Serves 4 to 6

eggs cream sea salt pepper onions diced pepper diced any color cheddar cheese grated assorted vegetables or fruit like cherry tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, mushroom, corn, kale, spinach, apples, green onions,

Protein Options:

You can add lobster, bacon, sausage, ham, or chicken.

It is recommended however that the meat be pre-cooked.

METHOD Preheat oven to 350F (180 C). Beat eggs and cream until well mixed and frothy. Add in finely chopped vegetables and lobster (or protein of choice) if using. Heat an oven proof skillet (cast iron works well) and melt a tbsp. of butter. Pour in the egg mixture and cook over medium high heat until the edges begin to set. Place skillet into preheated oven and continue to bake until the top has set, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Serve with a leafy salad.

Perfect for a light lunch or brunch.

OUR COMMUNITY

DISCOVERY CENTRE

Article: Lola Augustine Brown · Photos: Discovery Centre

Excitement builds for Halifax's soon-to-be brand new science centre

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ext year we’re set to get a spectacular new attraction on the Halifax waterfront.

The Discovery Centre will move from its current location on Barrington Street to gleaming new premises in the Nova Scotia Power corporate headquarters on Lower Water Street.

The new Discovery Centre will span 40,000 square feet and serve up interactive learning and programming in beautifully designed spaces. As anyone who has visited the Discovery Centre will know, this will be an incredible change from the current space it inhabits. An upgrade is long overdue, and has been in the works for quite some time.

Renée Fournier, Capital Campaign Director for the Discovery Centre, says that all involved feel very strongly that this move is part of a renaissance in Halifax. “We’ve got that gorgeous new Central Library, the new Nova Centre is being built and the new YMCA. In three to five years, Halifax is going to be

completely reimagined, and the coolest place, we’re excited to be part of this,” she says. “We wanted it to be bigger, better and bolder — bold like the city’s motto.”

The Discovery Centre comes from humble origins, starting as a travelling science show from the back of a van and becoming what is now the largest science museum in Atlantic Canada. For the past 10 years, the Discovery Centre’s board has been dreaming of new premises, and for the past seven, they actively started looking for them. In 2010, the Discovery Centre announced its partnership with Nova Scotia Power, which has enabled them to turn the dream into a reality. “We launched the capital fundraising soon after that, and I’m happy to say that we are almost done,” says Fournier. “We’ve raised $18 million of the $20 million that we are targeting for this build, and there’s a huge amount of community support for this project.”

The new centre will feature five themed galleries that will direct many of the exhibits, but there are also open

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spaces such as the huge atrium, the first immersive theatre in Atlantic Canada, and an innovation lab, which is targeted at 12- to 18-year-olds. “It’s a distinctly different experience than what we offer right now, and the audience and demographic will open up as a result of that,” says Fournier, who adds that programming for adults will also be part of the mix at the new location (they’ve already had test runs at Barrington Street and partnered with Local Connections on events).

At the new location, the Discovery Centre will have a distinct local flavour.

“We wanted our science centre on the east coast of Canada to be very different from what you’d get on the west coast, or anywhere else in North America, really,” says Fournier. “It’s very focused on what we do here and what is important to us as Maritimers and Atlantic Canadians.”

Construction has begun on the new Discovery Centre, and you can follow its progress at rediscoverscience.ca, where you can also check out the public

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campaign, called “Beelieve,” which aims to increase community involvement. Doors will open towards the end of next year.

Truth be told, there aren’t a lot of options for rainy day things to do with your kids in Halifax, and as a parent who loves our Discovery Centre (and has an annual membership), I’m eager to explore everything that this new location promises. “The new centre is worlds apart from where we are now,” says Fournier.

“And it is so exciting.” █

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OUR COMMUNITY

IN MY OWN VOICE Article: Jordan Whitehouse · Photo: Michelle Doucette

Not-for-profit in the heart of Uniacke Square helps participants reclaim narrative

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rom where Charlene Gagnon is sitting today inside 2439 Gottingen, she can clearly see the stop sign outside with “Gottingen” and “Uniacke” crossed on top. She has a stubborn look, and she’s remembering when she first came here to work here with In My Own Voice (iMOVe) as its director of operations.

“One of the first things I did was go out and take a picture of that sign.” She made it the Facebook profile pic of the Uniacke Centre for Community Development, a program under the iMOVe banner.

“When there was a shooting, the media would come and do a close up of that sign, so it was like, okay, let’s take that image and change it.”

Image isn’t everything, but after an hour here, it’s clear those small acts of reimagining are a big part of what iMOVe is all about.

When Sobaz Benjamin launched iMOVe in 2009, it was about encouraging young people to slowly reimagine their own identities. He and a team of community volunteers delivered community and prison-based programs to youth with video production at the core. iMOVe made one promise to participants: their voices were important and would be heard.

“It was really about your story; what was it that brought you to this place?” says Benjamin, who’s sitting beside Gagnon. “And then what emerges is

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a sense of identity and a sense of a comprehensive self, a whole self, as opposed to this fragmented, out of control kind of identity.”

Since then, iMOVe has grown, reimagining its own identity as not just a space for youth, but a community hub for everyone in the heart of Uniacke Square.

The group moved in upstairs here in 2010, launching Centreline Studio with the help of the Halifax Regional Police and a local group called Communities and Uniacke Square Engaging (C.A.U.S.E.). Decked out with video and audio production equipment, Centreline was, and still is, a place for young people to tell their stories. “The aim wasn’t to turn young people into artists,” says

Benjamin, who, with Lindell Smith and El Jones, organized Centreline. “Young people need to find themselves; they don’t need another group telling them what to do and who to be.”

Still, musicians and spoken word artists have emerged from here, along with burgeoning young broadcasters. You might have heard some of them on 106.9 FM during the Gottingen 250 festival, when iMOVe hosted GotAVoice, a six-day special event broadcast all about the north end’s history and culture. One of the loudest messages from the week was how mute the African Nova Scotian voice often is in local media.

You might have also heard these artists and broadcasters on Youth Now Radio, an iMOVe radio show aired on CKDU 88.1 FM on Mondays between 5:30 pm and 7 pm. This open panel show brings youth, youth at risk, and young and adult offenders together to, you guessed it, tell their stories. iMOVe isn’t just about young people, however. If it was, Outreach Coordinator Debra Parris-Perry, who’s sitting under a painting featuring a black woman with fist raised high, might not have stayed. “I kept saying, ‘I wasn’t working with the youth, I wasn’t working with the youth,’” she remembers with a laugh.

“But I wanted to give back to my community, so I thought, what would be the most effective thing for me to do first?”

She came up with the idea of simply being here to help out with anything people needed — filling out forms, accessing services, having a conversation and a cup of coffee — which is essentially what the Uniacke Centre for Community Development has become since opening on the first floor of 2439 Gottingen in April 2014.

The centre might be best known for its Wednesday night craft club, which usually welcomes up to 15 people per week, but it also runs community drop-ins from Monday to Friday, has a computer lab on the second floor and offers space for other community groups to gather. “It’s a very grassroots approach,” says Gagnon. “When we came, we said we actually don’t have a whole lot planned, we want you to tell us what you want us to do.”

Right on cue, a young man who has recorded spoken word here knocks on the door and comes in. He’s just had a job interview and is looking for a cigarette and a quick conversation with Benjamin, Gagnon and Parris-Perry.

“Come back and see us!” Gagnon shouts as he turns to leave.

“That’s what we do here, the simplest things,” says ParrisPerry when the door closes. “This is a community that has suffered a lot of mistrust, a lot of damage, so the whole big word here is trust. And we have that trust within the community.”

“Another word that I’d like to throw in is hope,” says Benjamin before he, Gagnon and Parris-Perry have to leave.

“Hope was there from our inception, and you can’t have one without the other.” █

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COVER STORY

THE MAYOR OF HALIFAX Article: Brenden Sommerhalder · Photo: Applehead Studio

The big picture, the nitty gritty, and the future

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ho would have thought that losing could be so much fun? At least that’s the impression you get when the first-term mayor of Atlantic Canada’s biggest city and former member of Parliament compares his two political careers.

“I've done more fun things as mayor in three years than I did as an MP for seven-and-a-half years,” explains Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, who successfully ran for mayor in 2012 after failing to be elected for a third term as MP for the riding of DartmouthCole Harbour in 2011. A victim of Jack Layton’s historic “orange wave” of support for the NDP across the country, Savage says, “If I was still a member of Parliament, I wouldn't be part of bowling in Grand Parade or hosting a wedding to commemorate civil marriage for gays and lesbians; I wouldn't be doing videos eating lobster or square dancing. There's a fun part of the job that's kind of cool.”

The self-described “marketer-in-chief” for Halifax, Savage’s appreciation for leading a municipal government goes well beyond public appearances and promotional videos. “One thing about being mayor is that it's somewhat liberating,” he says.

“When I was an MP and a member of the Liberal caucus, you're always worried about what you say may affect other people in your party, what the impact is going to be on the brand. As mayor, I certainly represent the city, but I don't have to worry so much about something I'm saying [politically] hurting some other member of council.”

The relative political freedom afforded to mayors comes with some costs. “The non-partisan aspect of it, or at least the multipartisan aspect of it, is both a complicator and an enabler,” says LO C A L CO N N EC T I O N S H A L I FA X | W I N T E R 2 0 1 6

Savage. “It allows you to make decisions without the burden of politics but it also means you don't have any natural caucus solidarity on which to fall back on to drive an agenda. So, on every single issue you basically start at zero.”

And the job is bigger, as Savage explains. Much bigger. “Not only is my constituency as mayor four-and-a-half to five times bigger in terms of the number of constituents, and way bigger in terms of physical geography, but mayors also get invited to be involved in things or express opinions on things that other politicians don't,” reflects Savage, over three-quarters through his first term.

“Our government is a big job, it's a wonderful job, there's hardly a day that goes by that there isn't a headache, but there's also hardly a day that goes by when you don't think to yourself, ‘What a privilege it is to do the job.’”

A Big Three Years The public discussion during the mayoral election of 2012 made one thing clear: Haligonians wanted to turn the page and start a new chapter. In this, Mayor Savage has not disappointed, rarely allowing tradition to dictate his actions and priorities.

“For me personally, I'm pleased that we've ventured into some areas that the city wasn't in [before],” says Savage. “Things like housing, immigration, health. These are not things that the city was really involved in, but to suggest that we don't have an interest in housing is ridiculous. I'm excited about the fact that we've taken on some of those things as a council and said that we can do more, that's important.”

COVER STORY Savage has pursued action on these issues by partnering with organizations like United Way, rallying the community in support of Syrian refugees, and using the tools of municipal government to encourage healthy choices. “We've been working very hard on our new transit strategy,” he says.

“I think the ‘Moving Forward Together Plan’ is an important thing that council has seriously undertaken.”

There are smaller things Savage points to that his council has done, such as introducing free swimming lessons and enhancing the Oval, that Savage says are important to the overall health of the community. “We need public spaces that anyone can use that can be shared without having to buy a membership card or pay a toll,” he says. “Just come and be part of it.”

Making City Government Work Arguably among the least glamourous aspects of the job, the mayor is responsible for chairing council meetings and setting ground rules for how council and its committees operate. As mayor, Savage has made several changes in this capacity aimed at focusing discussion about complex topics and increasing opportunities for public participation.

“Now we have a strengthened committee system where, for example, organizations that have an interest in community planning and economic development can come to a council committee and get a hearing. If there's a piece of policy that comes out of that, it can come to council for final approval,” he explains. “In my view, it provides a better forum for more people to be heard by council. There are certainly those on council who will say, 'I don't care about that, I don't care about what's happening in the news.' I get that. But I think hearing from people is modern, progressive governance.”

Savage also believes that the committee system he has implemented at council has led to a better process for setting the municipality’s annual budget. “Traditionally, most things got sort of thrown into council, holus-bolus, and it was scrapped over in a combative atmosphere,” he says. “We brought a discipline to that and that's through the committee system.”

Savage says that there are a few other governance issues he would still like to examine, such as the role of community councils and some of city council’s governing policies, but he is pleased with how council has been operating under his leadership. “I think on the whole we've made council more open, we've made it more progressive, and in my view we've made it more effective,” he says.

A Good Mayor

“When you run for mayor nobody says, 'How are you going to run council meetings?' They don’t say, 'Are you going to stick to the five minute time limits?' They ask you what you

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want to do with the city,” says the rookie mayor of what it takes to do the job well. “I think a good mayor is somebody who is able to articulate a vision for a city that gets people excited about it.”

Savage has also noticed which of his skills have helped him to be successful as mayor. “I think a mayor has to be somewhat judicious in her or his comments generally,” adding that when he speaks in council he always lets everyone else speak first. And the issues can be unexpected, so versatility is helpful. “As mayor you don't know when you come to work in the morning what you're going to be on the news for that night. You may think you're going to be on for economic development, or something on the arts, or housing. But you could end up being on the news about the donair, or a statue in Cornwallis Park. You just don't know.”

Savage says he has taken a cue on how to address some of the complex issues facing the municipality by looking at the group Our HRM Alliance. “I started to see this alliance come together of people who wanted to protect green spaces, densify the core, have business opportunities, enhance walking trails. The idea being that you focus on your strengths and you agree on the things you can agree on. You get that stuff done and then you worry about the smaller stuff later. I think that's a good model for municipal governance.”

Our Developing City

“I think we have a pro-development culture but not development at any cost,” explains the mayor of a city where developments, and developers, have been familiar topics of public discussion. “And I think we're very fortunate. If you look at the development that we have in the city, I think it's very good. We're much more creative, we have a positive development community,” says Savage. “Many are first- and second-generation entrepreneurs who have come here to do very well after arriving with little.”

Savage adds that “developers also have to understand that rules and regulations have to be followed. I think as long as there's an open and transparent relationship, a relationship with developers is important, just as a relationship with people who may oppose a development for any number of reasons is important.” Savage, who last year put forward a unanimously-supported motion to tighten the rules of municipal campaigns, explains that “I've been clear that I think we need campaign finance reform. Sometimes people think that's just around the development community. But it's not. It's around the whole community that there has to be openness and transparency.”

Savage points out that signs of success of recent and ongoing urban planning policies are everywhere, and show themselves in many ways. “Now we're seeing that investment in the downtown,” he says. “You're seeing that it's working because now we have a corresponding problem

Make Your Easter Decadent of the construction causing problems for businesses in the downtown, so now we have to figure out how we deal with that and try to get out in front of it in the future.”

The Future of Halifax “I think the success of Halifax hinges on a number of things, but they all revolve around people,” says Savage. “I really believe that a lot of the growth of the city can come from some groups that are underutilized at this point in time.” He lists the Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian and LGBTQ communities, as well as people living with disabilities, as “underrepresented in the workforce,” and adds that “we haven't done a very good job in making all people part of the success of the city. We can do better.”

Savage adds that we also need to look beyond our own borders. “I think we have room for more people, and that's why I see the Syrian refugee crisis and the ongoing refugee crisis in the world as an opportunity for us,” he says. “Some of these folks who are going to come here with nothing are going to enhance our community in ways we can't even imagine.”

Savage is heartened by the innovation sector in Halifax and the opportunity presented by thousands of students who flock to our city. He recently toured the offices of Lixar, a local mobile technology company. “If you say to me, 'Mayor, put your finger on the future of Halifax,’ it might be that,” alluding to Lixar’s success in attracting talent from around the world. “Dozens of people from other parts of the world, who didn't all get here by accident, in some cases they actually went online and said, 'I want this as a community and this as a company,' and it pointed to Lixar, right in the heart of Halifax,” he says. “We have that potential in this changing world to be the magnet for talent if we have the right combination of government, private investment, good planning and a welcoming people.”

The Future for Mike Savage There is a municipal election in October of this year and Savage knows that people are wondering whether he is planning to run for a second term. He would just rather not talk about it — yet.

“Whether I run or not, as soon as I announce, as an incumbent the mayor is the starting gun. I don't think it should be a yearlong election. But I know people want to know.”

Savage explains that running for mayor and doing the job if elected are huge commitments. “I really and truly need to make sure that it suits my family at this point in time, and I need to make sure that I can give the job everything that it demands. It's a privilege [to be mayor] and it makes you energized, but you have to give it your all. You could never float in a job like this.”

That said, Savage seems to have a knack for being mayor, and he’s having fun. “I enjoy being mayor very much, and it's very possible I would run again,” says Savage. “It's very likely.” █

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FOOD & DRINK

Battery Park Article: Laura Oakley · Photos: Riley Smith

The food renaissance in Downtown

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couple weeks prior to Battery Park Beer Bar and Eatery opening in downtown Dartmouth, I asked owner George Christakos what he thought the energy would be like inside once they launched.

“You build a space, you build an environment, but the customers build the atmosphere,” he said. Battery Park has done just that — let the community in, invited them to be a part of it, allowed them to shape what it is. The idea of a craft beer bar alone was enough for the community to rejoice. People have followed the project closely and waited patiently for it to come to fruition. Those who have contributed to the crowdfunding campaign have invested money — and confidence — in Battery Park. And for that, Battery Park has been welcomed with open arms in the community of downtown Dartmouth.

Battery Park is truly the accumulative efforts of four highly talented individuals listening to the feedback from their community and their peers. The journey started with Peter Burbridge, owner of North Brewing, approaching George, the younger half of the father-son team behind Brooklyn Warehouse and Ace Burger, with his idea of creating some kind of craft beer experience with a food component in downtown Dartmouth.

George and his father, Leo Christakos, brought in Mark Gray, the chef from Brooklyn Warehouse, giving him what George describes as “creative buy-in,” meaning veritable free reign on menu development.

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Dartmouth continues

When I pull the door open on a chilly December evening, one week after Battery Park opens to the public, the first thing I notice is Peter with his toque on, ready to head home to his family nearby. The second thing I notice is the noise of the crowd from upstairs. The place is packed, and it’s barely 5 pm.

Since launching on December 10 to the public, locals have been streaming in. Mark had suggested I arrive at this time, before it was “too busy,” so we could chat about the food and concept and what had evolved within the first week.

As I cozy into an amazing corner seat at the bar with my pint, Mark comes over to greet me. “We’ve changed up a few things,” he explains. “As you can see, the tasting menu concept would have never worked. We really have turned into a bar.” He gestures at the u-shaped high-top table in the middle of room, packed full of happy and loud customers — sitting, standing, talking and drinking — really enjoying the space. This conversation with Mark is a follow-up to one we had a week prior, before opening the doors to the public.

“I want it to be a little bit more refined food. Smaller plates.

Contrasts of textures. Things like that. It’s all one menu — no courses. You’re encouraged to order a few things,” says Mark.

The 55-seat space is perfectly set up to share plates, drink beer and socialize. The original hope was to offer a five-course tasting menu during dinner service, but that idea quickly fizzled once the clientele came in and helped shape the atmosphere and pace.

Mark added — last minute — a burger, fried chicken, and his take on fish and chips to round out the offering and match the concept. About 80 per cent of the food at Battery Park is sourced locally. The menu has bar snacks like oysters, house-made potato chips and roasted mixed nuts. There are two desserts plus ten plates in the $10 to $14 range. Some dishes are great for sharing, like the beef tartare; some are not, like the soul-warming venison broth, or the confit pork belly that’s accompanied by a dainty square of potato pavé and smear of celery root purée. Either way, the price point and portion sizes are meant to encourage diners to order a few things. “I want you to try the smorgasbord, the nuts and the chips,” says Mark on this particular night.

A few moments later, Mark emerges from the kitchen. I try my best to finish the smorgasbord that is typically meant for two people. All the charcuterie is made in-house by Mark and his team, and on my board this evening there is beef carpaccio, chicken rillette, head cheese, rabbit and pickled cranberry pâté, as well as a confit duck wing coated in a sriracha-honey hot sauce. I am blown away by this duck wing; it is essentially a giant hot wing, but the fatty-salty confit treatment paired with the sweet-hot combination of the sauce is over-the-top indulgent and delicious. The head cheese is unbelievable, fatty and rich — it just melts in your mouth. There is Urban Blue cheese and applewood smoked cheddar. The creative accoutrements (like fermented spruce tips and fried reindeer moss) plus artful presentation elevate the smorgasbord far above your run-

of-the-mill cheese and charcuterie plate. Mark has a serious fermentation program going at Battery Park. The fermented cauliflower stems are delicious, my favourite, and the pickled cranberries are mellow and sweet. The fried reindeer moss is a pleasant surprise; it’s crispy but then quickly dissolves on your tongue, offering a mild earthy flavour. My favourite bite is a comforting combination of chicken rillette, pumpkin jam and pickled cranberry on a house-made rye crisp — like a bite-sized Christmas dinner. The potato chips are wonderfully salty and have an umami punch from a porcini mushroom powder with curry and red pepper. Just greasy enough to make you want to drink more beer.

Two weeks before Battery Park opened, I stopped by to talk beer with Peter. “[North Brewing] started super small, with the idea of bringing Belgian beers to the mainstream in Halifax,” he

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said of the business he launched three years ago. “We were super tiny when we started, brewing about 300 litres at a time.” Now, they’re brewing between 2,400 and 3,600 litres per week at their north end Halifax location, where Peter’s business partner, Josh Herbin, is the head brewmaster. (The equipment at Battery Park has added 600 more litres to capacity; out of that location Peter hopes to do creative, small batch brews.) “Things have been going really well, and we were considering how we were going to grow, what the next move for us was,” said Peter. With no interest in buying a bottling machine and trying to get into the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation stores, Peter started thinking about a way to replicate his successful retail concept in the north end, but in a new community — his new neighbourhood of downtown Dartmouth. “When we moved here is when I really saw the community here is growing quickly and is really under served with amenities.”

“I’d known George for a long time from my previous job at Java Blend. He was our first customer, he put [North Brewing] on tap before we were even open.” Peter approached George in August of 2014 and they spoke about the idea. “He was immediately super pumped about it, super excited about it, said [he and his father Leo] had been thinking about doing a beer bar in downtown Dartmouth for years.” The planning stages came together quickly. They started looking for a location and settled on 62 Ochterloney Street, the former home of Nectar Social House, and took over that space in June 2015 — less than a year after he floated the idea with George. Then, they needed some help.

“We knew that the next project we were going to do, we were going to use a crowd-funding component with it,” says George.

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“We’re not a faceless restaurant group that has oodles of money to throw around. We need the average person’s help to get this place opened up.” Donating to Battery Park’s crowd-funding campaign doesn’t come without its advantages. It was important for the operators of Battery Park to give something back, first by holding exclusive opening receptions just for the crowd-funders prior to the launch. “It brings that end user to a more personal level with us. We need help doing this. It makes it a little more relatable,” says George. They plan on offering ongoing perks to their crowd-funders, like having first dibs on special events.

At North Brewing’s beer store, just inside the entrance on the lower level of Battery Park, you can fill growlers with your choice of four beers on tap. Typically there will be a saison (a changing seasonal beer), Belgian IPA, Farmhouse Ale and sometimes the Strong Dark Belgian. Other North Brewing beers will rotate through. “We’re going to bring back our Belgian Milk Stout. We’ve got a one-off we’re going to do here; it’s a dark lager infused with cold brew from Anchored Coffee,” says Peter.

There will also be a refrigerator stocked with full 750-millilitre refillable bottles.

Beyond North Brewing operating a retail space, Peter personally installed Battery Park’s entire draft system using state-of-the-art, highly engineered stainless steel tubing with a mirror finish, which affects the taste of the beer: “It’s super clean, and the beer that you get in the glass will be exactly as it left the brewery,” says Peter. His involvement also extends into the development of the bar’s tap list. “It’s going to be a regular beer bar in terms of rotating a whole bunch of different taps.

It’s going to be mostly Nova Scotia craft beers on tap here, and then the bottle list will be a little more of the imported stuff.”

With the overarching goal of supporting the Nova Scotia craft beer industry, it is a priority for Peter to showcase beers from our province.

Battery Park is open six days a week, closing on Tuesdays.

They open at 2 pm and close at midnight on weekdays, 1 am on Friday and Saturday nights. While North Brewing will be testing out what hours work best for their customers, they’ll be starting off with Sunday through Thursday noon to 9 pm, and Friday and Saturday noon to midnight. Downtown Dartmouth — you’ve got beer. █

Year of the BEER BAR

Beer Bars in the North End Around the same time as the opening of Battery Park, the North End of Halifax saw two local breweries open the doors to their new beer bar/ tasting rooms, both within blocks of each other.

Can you say beer bar hopping? Regardless, it's a pretty exciting addition to the neighbourhood for local craft beer lovers and the beer curious alike, and while neither place features a full-sized kitchen, there are some pretty impressive snacks on hand to go with those tasty brews.

MAY 6 + 7

beer & beethoven Wear your jeans and come on out for the Nova Scotia Craft Beer kick off event!

Hear great music,sample local craft beer, and try out an instrument at Long & McQuade’s Fun Zone – all in a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere with plenty of pints and loads of fun. Featuring orchestral music from classical to Celtic, special guest performers, and a delightful selection of the Nova Scotia Craft Brewers’ Tinest, it’s sure to be a rollicking good time for all. Come thirsty!

MAY 6

Cape Breton Kitchen Party Hosted by Cape Breton’s own Breton Brewing and Big Spruce Brewing. Join us at Centre 200 in Sydney for local live music, Nova Scotia Craft Beer, with Cape Breton restaurants creating some awesome food. Over 10 breweries, food vendors and four musical acts.

MAY 7

Open Brewery Day Visit your local brewery for tours, tastings and to meet your brewer! See how NS craft beer is made fresh and delicious. Check in with your local brewery for time and what’s on tap during Open Brewery Day.

MAY 7

sugar Moon Field Guide Restaurant will present a seasonally themed three course meal, thoughtfully paired with the North Shore’s delicious craft beer, including Tatamagouche Brewing and Uncle Leo’s - taking place at the ever charming Sugar Moon Farm. $55 per ticket.

MAY 8

MAY 12

MAY 13

Stillwell Open has issued a double challenge this year. The afternoon event will crown the “Best Session Beer” and in the evening the “Best Imperial Beer” will be named. This event will feature 24 beers brewed by home brewers and craft brewers. Every beer will be launched exclusively at this event.

The Science of Beer is back for year two!

This year our participating breweries will cover some new beer-science related subjects, so if you bought tickets last year, you’ll definitely enjoy this year’s event as well. Angeline MacLennan (Certified Cicerone) and friend of the magazine and craft beer expert Chris McDonald will again host the main theatre presentation. Burritos and beer ice cream will be supplied by our friends at Dee Dee’s Ice Cream, and there will be vegetarian options too.

Guests will also get 2 beer samples from each presenting brewer, which equates to 4 glasses of beer.

Sailing and beer: the ultimate Nova Scotia pairing. Nova Scotia’s beer enthusiasts will be in and out of bars all week to celebrate Craft Beer Week. It’s time to treat yourself to something a little different! Murphy’s The Cable Wharf is excited to be hosting the ultimate beer experience – by bringing you out on the water aboard Tall Ship Silva to tipple some of Nova Scotia’s best craft brews.

Tickets $27 (incl. HST) and include sail and your first beer. Boarding at 6:45pm.

Stillwell Open

MAY 8

Race the Kegs Join the arrival party for collaboration brews from the North and South of Nova Scotia. Craft breweries from across the province have teamed up to face off for this challenge, which includes racing the kegs of their collaboration brews to Halifax Harbour by sail.

MAY 10

A Walk in the Park This is a new Craft Beer Week Signature Event hosted by the newly opened Battery Park in Downtown Dartmouth.

The event begins with an oyster and beer reception, followed by a 5 course dinner where chef, brewer and farmer work together to pair each dish. This event will feature new and unique brews.

MAY 11

Beer Cocktail Face-off NS Craft Brewers and some of the province’s best mixologists converge on The Auction House for a night of revelry that will expand your beer boundaries.

Representatives from several cocktail bars will be randomly paired with NS Craft Breweries and challenged to come up with the ultimate craft concoction.

Attendees will vote on their favourites and a winner will be crowned!

The Science of Beer

MAY 12

NS CRAFT BEER Royal Rumble A wrestling themed blind showdown of Nova Scotia’s Tinest Craft Breweries hosted by the Stubborn Goat in Halifax.

Breweries will bring their best one-off creations to battle it out in an all out vote with your throat showdown. The Tirst keg emptied will win the title of being Nova Scotia’s Craft Beer Heavyweight Champion. In this challenge, if you ain’t 1st, you’re last. This event will run from 8pm - Close.

Brews Cruise

MAY 14

Full House Craft Beer Fest Join the Craft Brewer’s Association of Nova Scotia on Saturday, May 14, 2015 at the Cunard Centre for the Nova Scotia FULL HOUSE Craft Beer Fest. This event will showcase all members of the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, so basically it’s pretty much all the beers in Nova Scotia in one spot at one time (or two times if you do both sessions). Your ticket purchase includes access to the event, a Belgian-style take-home glass, and 12 beer samples of your choosing.

Additonal beer, and food will be available for purchase at the event.

Studio East Article: Lia Rinaldo · Photos: Riley Smith

Asian fusion resto pops up in Halifax's West End

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hen I was assigned this article, Studio East Food + Drink had only been open a few weeks and our editor had already been six times. Hmmm, I thought, a bit overkill, perhaps? No sooner had I darkened the door myself than I was there three times within one week. Simply uncanny. It’s not that I am not this thorough usually, but I have to admit that I’ve been working my way through this menu with a fervor — a fervor for flavour.

“I think it’s about the right plate at the right time,” says chef-owner Saronn Pov. When Saronn first moved to Halifax and opened her stand at the Halifax Brewery Market, she wasn’t sure people were ready for flavours from Southeast Asia.

Halifax didn’t have the same multicultural feel as her native Toronto. But within a month, her opinion changed. Not only were Haligonians well-travelled and enthusiastic for her Cambodian fare — they loved their curries so much they even rallied around a public poll naming Cambodian cuisine the one thing missing from our culinary scene.

This place is comfortable. A print of Bill Murray lords over a corner of the bar like he’s saving himself a future seat; the walls are adorned with artwork, including folksy scenes of

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Halifax; and chalkboards are scrawled with fortune-cookie wisdom and funny little doodles that have to be vetted through at least three people to determine if they’re wall-worthy.

There’s a map of Nova Scotia with local producers being filled in over time. I feel like I am somewhere else and not quite in Halifax. And with many visits in a short span of time, I have seen it bathed in a hungover morning haze at brunch, with sunshine streaming in, tracing long shadows across the floors in late afternoon as the kitchen staff prep for the evening’s meal, and I’ve seen it with steamed windows from the collective breath of a lively, packed restaurant late at night.

Saronn wanted to open a restaurant for years, and with encouragement from friends and family, she finally took the leap this past October along with partner and chef Ray Bear. They’re a dynamic pair, that’s for certain. She is a self-taught home cook with an unquenchable enthusiasm to learn and hone the cuisines that continue to inspire her, and he is classically trained chef with a primary focus on large-scale fine dining throughout his career.

Saronn started cooking when she first left home about 20 years ago. She was on a fast track at Ryerson University, majoring in graphics and communications with an eye on

management of large-scale printing houses. But she soon found herself spending more time cooking at home than going to school. In a period when there was no Food Network or the myriad of online culinary resources that we have access to today, she simply cooked by instinct. She spent her hardearned extra funds on eating at restaurants, would often follow an evening out with a robust market visit, and then would work steadily to replicate and perfect a particular dish she’d had the night before.

Born in Thailand, she grew up in the infamous Toronto neighbourhood at Jane and Finch, which is often described as one of the most dangerous communities with the largest concentration of criminal gangs in any area of Canada. It was also home to a large group of immigrants and refugees with many nationalities represented, such as Jamaican, Mexican, East Indian and Sri Lankan. It made up a rich fusion backdrop, so it’s no wonder she’s found herself here in this place with a palette of flavours to play with. In spite of the odds, her single mother managed to get three Cambodian meals on the table a day for seven kids with a full-time job. Saronn was inspired by her mother’s cooking, which used no appliances and no recipes. Everything was made from scratch, cooked by feeling — touch, texture and taste.

As she recounts these stories to me on this particular afternoon, her life roles out like a tapestry; a melding of many influences and cultures — from her humble beginnings, to her experiences travelling the world, to her moments back at home making meals for friends. Cooking in her own kitchen was therapeutic and fun. At first, she never cooked Asian food, but she did cook just about everything else — Italian, French, American comfort food. In 2008, she left a job to pursue the first phase of her culinary dreams: starting up Saronn’s Kitchen. There she cooked every day, developed recipes for a Cambodian cookbook, blogged, did restaurant reviews, held cooking classes and did small-scale catering, which led to market stands in a few cities like Vancouver, Calgary and eventually Halifax.

Saronn and Ray met on Twitter via mutual friends and found themselves embroiled in many intensive food conversations over social media. In 2010, they finally had the opportunity to meet in person when she came to Halifax to judge a seafood competition. One thing led to another and the two of them ended up travelling the world together in search of culinary experiences — Arizona, Russia, Korea, China, across the U.S. and Canada — always excited to be in places where ingredients they loved to cook with grew plentifully. They both feel these travels shaped them as a couple. They eventually made their way back to Halifax when Ray was asked to return to Scanway to support a business he was very attached to, thus giving the two of them the opportunity to explore Nova Scotia with the same appetite as they did globally. And over 10 stormy winter days early last year, they wrote their business plan, secured a space in mid-June and entered four months of renovations before opening in mid-October.

YOUR WATERFRONT DESTINATION FOR HAPPIER HOURS. With Executive Chef Trevor Simms’ expertly crafted coastal cuisine, a warm environment and welcoming staff, harbourstone sea grill & pour house is your premier waterfront destination for catching up with good friends.

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It’s time to address the Bear in the room. Ray is no stranger to the Halifax culinary scene. In fact, he’s nothing short of notorious. No one has ever disputed his talent; the man can cook. But there is that perception out there that he has left a few restaurants and people in his wake.

Growing up in Sackville with rather humble means, he came from a family of hard workers within the restaurant world.

His mother was a restaurant manager and his grandmother was a waitress at The Armview for 28 years. He knew he wanted to cook from a very early age, and started working at Scanway when he was just 15 years old; thus beginning a life-long relationship with Scanway founder Unni Simensen and her family. She gave him his start in the pastry kitchen and continued to inspire him throughout his career. From there, he went to culinary school, had his first official chef gig opening Sweet Basil Bistro, then moved on to many other roles, including opening Gio at The Prince George Hotel and, of course, his own place, Bear.

Fine dining was about celebrating and elevating the plate one ingredient at a time, making the food be the best it could be. But it was also about big money, big restaurants, high stress, staff fallout, tight margins, and pleasing customers and owners alike. The industry has completely changed in the last 20 years, he comments. When the rug was pulled out on fine dining after the economy crash, he hit the road, travelling and consulting in places like Dubai, South America and South

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Africa. He felt both fortunate and humbled to travel and work with chefs around the world at all stages of their careers.

They are both hesitant to label what they’re doing as Asian fusion, mostly so they can continue to introduce new flavours from their travels (you may see Moroccan or Spanish dishes soon). I dare say its Cambodian forward, Asian fusion. It’s certainly more Cambodian food than I have ever had in a condensed period of time. This cuisine is heavily influenced by the borders Cambodia shares with Thailand and Vietnam, along with significant periods of Cambodia’s own history, such as French colonization, which left behind legacies like the baguette, evidenced in the num pang sandwich (similar to a Vietnamese banh mi). Traditionally, meals are made up of three or four dishes, where each dish will be sweet, sour, salty or bitter in taste to ensure that you’re getting every flavour to satisfy your palate.

For Saronn, it’s all about how to bring unknown flavours forward, like David Chang did for steam buns and ramen. What could she do to make Cambodian food more accessible? She laughs as she references her fermented Cambodian sausage, which, on their menu, is wrapped in bacon and served on a stick or in a sandwich. For Ray, it’s the opportunity to cook with full flavour, no holding back. Together they have to pick their battles. They both agree they are each other’s harshest critics but that their different outlooks support the same overarching goal: good food. He moves fast and furious, she takes the time

Taste the difference honest makes.

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to taste and tweak — a self-described flavour fixer.

It’s not a huge menu. It features approximately six small plates for sharing with an optional side of rice. There’s a nod to street food and Asian night markets with four meat-on-a-stickcombos: Cambodian sausage ’n bacon, two kinds of chicken (Thai citrus and sumac chicken), and the Night Market Lamb, which was fall-apart-sublime in a beet glaze, garlic lemon aioli, cilantro, mint and crispy bits. Any time something is described on a menu as “crispy bits,” it’s a damn good thing. The mains are reasonably priced given the portion sizes. For example, the Ultimate Pork Ramen Bowl is about as big as your head and features pork prepared three ways ($16). There’s also the glorious Chang-esque steam buns stuffed with braised pork bellies and all the fixings. All sauces and curries are from scratch and nothing is deep fried. There’s a punchy and acidic slaw with cilantro and lime that dances its way across a number of dishes, along with kimchi nicely balancing out the plates.

It was brunch, however, that blew my mind with the minor dim sum focus, playfully called “Sum Sum.” There’s a runny, sunny-side-up egg on every dish. A few of the dinner dishes masquerade as breakfast (perhaps still up from the night before) like the steam buns, the num pang sandwich, along with an official brunch burger and omelet. But it’s the bao buns that steal the show: delicious little steamed buns packed with Chinese barbecue minced pork and green onions topped with that egg. And when the yolk hits the pork and the hoisin sauce, it’s magic. A combination so good that the only thing you can think about while eating it is: How long is it to your next plate?

What was otherwise a rowdy little block of late-night donair revelers may very well become another bright spot in Halifax’s growing network of destination neighbourhoods. With memories of Jane’s on the Common imprinted on the brain and a new wine bar close on the Studio’s heels right next door, now all this community needs is a name. For now Saronn and Ray seem content to create a culture that keeps the customers and staff happy. As Saronn says, the business is going to let us know what it needs; without people in these seats, it’s nothing.

And with any luck, they’ll achieve a work-life balance down the road that still fits in travel so that they can keep bringing unique flavours home. █

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6 DELICIOUS THINGS YOU JUST GOTTA TRY

We've all been there before. You know, that moment when you’re overcome with a powerful lust for sugary sustenance. In no time at all, that WANT quickly becomes NEED, and at that point there's simply no denying you of your sweet desires. We've been down this road ourselves many times, and luckily, when the moment arises, we at the magazine have some go-to spots to hit up in these deperate times. For this issue, we've picked six of the very best spots in town, along with some very honourable mentions. Try one, try em' all.

Don't deprive yourself of some pleasure!

HEAVENLY ICE CREAM Dee Dee's Ice Cream

Most readers already know about our obsession with Dee Dee's. It's a magical place where ice cream is made by hand and the recipes are from heaven above.

Flavours like Mexican Chocolate, Haskap Berry, Caramel Swirl, Blueberry Lemon, Dreamsicle, Banana Cardamon and many, many others.

5668 Cornwallis Street

CHEESCAKES GALORE Sweet Hereafter

If cheesecake is your game and you've yet to visit Sweet Hereafter, stop what you're doing and head over right now!

This is, after all, THE PLACE for cheesecakes in town. With over 100 different variations in rotation, there's always something new to try, including options for gluten-free folks. Dine in, take out, it's your choice.

6148 Quinpool Road 40

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DONUT MADNESS

ROOM FOR DESSERT

Scanway bakery may rock out a lot of

It's sometimes hard to find room for

tasty baked goods, but it's the donuts

dessert, but whenever we're at Agricola

that have us going crazy. Every time

Street Brasserie, we always find a way.

you pop in, six or more different

Like every entrée, a lot of love goes into

flavours are there waiting for you.

the making of the desserts, and the

Combinations like Maple Bacon, Black

portions are pretty much spot on for

5440 Spring Garden Road

Currant, Cappuccino and Peanut Butter

an after-dinner treat. So don't cheat

995 Herring Cove Road

Chocolate, to name but a few. This is

yourself, order that dessert!

AGNS - 1723 Hollis Street

how donuts should be made.

2540 Agricola Street

VIVA ITALIA! Pavia Espresso Bar

Some might be surprised not to see one of favourites, the Pavia Biscuit, mentioned here, but it's a shame to ignore Pavia’s Italian cookie. What looks like a dry, boring cookie is pretty far from it. Once you've had one, you’ll understand. Also, they’re gluten-free!

Agricola Street Brasserie

Scanway Bakery

1567 Grafton Street

Honourable Mentions FUDGE, FUDGE AND MORE FUDGE Pete's Fine Foods

DECADENT CHOCOLATES Rousseau Chocolatier

Chocolate just doesn't get better than this. It's pretty easy to lose control at Rousseau. So many great flavours, all beautifully made. Buy yourself a few, or get a box and play the office hero. There's really no way you can go wrong.

1277 Hollis Street

THE CITY'S BEST HOT CHOCOLATE Choco Café

MARVELOUS MACARONS Le French Fixe

CRAZY CUPCAKES Layers Cupcakes

DELIGHTFUL SORBET Humani T Café

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Sunken Ledge Porter Boxing Rock Brewing Co.

Nova Scotia

The type of malt used for this ale gives it an especially sweet nuttiness that flatters the chocolate and coffee notes nicely, creating a really nice authentic porter.

Dark brown with a mocha head of foam, this beer has flavour highlights of molasses and graham cracker.

With medium body and low carbonation, this beer is very easy drinking and seems like it could even appeal to your “non beer drinker” friends. Grab some and convert your friends to the dark side!

5% ABV, 21 IBUs

Porters and Stouts As is often the case when researching history, it can be hard differentiate fact from folklore. The histories of British beer styles porter and stout are no different, sometimes seeming as muddy as the ales themselves.

We do know, however, that porter was the original style of dark British beer. It was beloved by many working class folk during the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s, and was the first beer to be produced on a mass scale for distribution. “Stout porter” was originally used to describe porters that were stronger with more flavour, though over time the “porter” part was dropped and these beers were known simply as stouts. By and large, porters will often boast a more complex malt profile of nuttiness, chocolate, and caramel or toffee, and are typically lighter brown than stouts are with some ruby highlights. Stouts, on the other hand can use a portion of unmalted, roasted barley resulting espresso, dark chocolate, and coffee notes, sometimes verging on burnt flavours and are dark brown to black in colour.

Food Pairings

Try using flavours in the beer to base your pairing, such as caramel with pan-seared scallops, roastiness with charbroiled steak, or chocolate with, well, chocolate! If you can find a dish to match multiple flavours, you’re golden; try bold stout alongside a Mexican beef mole chili.

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Russian Imperial Stout Propeller Brewing Company

In the dead of winter, when frigid days have you searching for something to warm up with, this big beer is a must. The moment you pour this thick, black beer the robust aromas hit you; espresso and dark, dried cherries. This heavy bodied beer was the most bitter of all the beers reviewed, but that makes it all the more ready to stand up against any rich, chocolaty desserts you can throw at it. This is a storm beer if there ever was one.

8% ABV, 60 IBUs

Port of the Storm Sea Level Brewing

This porter pours dark brown in your glass, with bright ruby highlights. The malts used definitely impart the milk chocolate and toffee flavours that are expected in this style of beer, while the yeast that Sea Level uses here gives the beer some stonefruit aromas and flavours, like cherries or plums. A moderate bitterness and medium light body makes this beer very sessionable, and would be a perfect thirst quencher after your favourite winter activity, like a skate around the oval or some snowshoeing.

5% ABV, 46 IBUs

THE NEXT BIG THING: FULL HOUSE CRAFT BEER FEST Saturday, May 14, 2016 localconnections.ca/events

Cream Stout

Uncle Leo's Brewery Cream stouts, or milk stouts, are sweeter than other stouts due to the lactose added to them. Lactose is a type of sugar that can’t be fermented by yeast, so it only serves to sweeten the beer. These stouts are creamy and sweet without being syrupy, and almost give the impression of coffee and cream. This no-fuss stout has all the elements you could want in a stout; coffee and chocolate, some molasses and light fruit notes, with the bonus of a lingering sweet aftertaste.

5% AB V, 23 IBUs

Martello Stout

Garrison Brewing Co. Oats were originally added to stouts to give a more healthful impression to the consumer. As it turned out, the oats added a silky creaminess to the beer, and a light nutty flavour, so brewers have continued to use them in certain styles. This beer pours dark brown, with some nice copper tones. It tastes of dark chocolate and coffee, black strap molasses and licorice with a dry finish. The oats are evident in a grainy, hazelnut flavour. Good health has never tasted so good!

5% ABV, 25 IBUs

'Smorter' Smores Porter Tatamagouche Brewing Co.

If you’re looking for a fun beer that would be a great accompaniment to desserts, or even enjoyed as a dessert on its own, then give this Smorter a try! Brewed using graham crackers, molasses, cinnamon and honey, and then conditioned with vanilla beans, it’s like a campfire in a glass. Toasty chocolate notes and malt sweetness are nicely balanced by the hop bitterness present. I really enjoyed the hints of cinnamon in this beer; it’s warming without overpowering the other flavours of brown sugar and molasses.

5% ABV, 21 IBUs

Nova Scotia

Coming Next Issue

ENGLISH ALES

Wine & Travel Issue - May 9, 2016

NOW AVAILABLE IN SELECT NSLC STORES / T A T A B R E W • T A T A B R E W. C O M

2014 Vidal Icewine Domaine de Grand Pré

Nova Scotia

Grape growers are a very important part of Nova Scotia wine. Without farmers growing the grapes the industry wouldn’t be where it is today. All the grapes used to make this delectable wine is from Nova Scotia’s guru of growing and producing Icewine grapes, John Warner. The wine shines brilliant golden yellow in the glass and is erupting with honey, lemon curd, and dried mango aromas. An explosion of flavours follows on the palate of ripe juicy apricot and candied lemon rind. A rich, intense and exotic wine crafted with vibrant Nova Scotia acidity.

Alcohol: 10.5% STYLE: Sweet & Vibrant

Enjoying Nova Scotia Icewine Every wine enthusiasts will agree that great wines are made in the vineyard. It is the environment that the grapes are grown that influence and shape the wine that is in the glass. Nova Scotia Icewine is a perfect example of great wine that is crafted in the vineyard. It is a real cold climate gem, that can only be made in select regions of the world and I would argue that Nova Scotia produces some of the world’s best. In fact, it was an Icewine back in 2000 that really put Nova Scotia on the Canadian wine map and quite possibly was a catalyst for the growth of the industry since then. It was the 1999 Jost Vidal Icewine that beat out 593 wines at the 2000 All-Canadian Wine Championship to take top honours as “Wine of the Year”. This was the first and only time to date that a Nova Scotia winery, in fact a winery from a region other than Ontario or British Columbia, to take the best wine in Canada honours. It was a game changer for the Nova Scotia wine industry and just one more reason to celebrate and enjoy this complex style of wine.

Food Pairings

Time to have fun with pairing Nova Scotia Icewine and go beyond the sweet wine with sweet food rule. Try these wines with full- flavoured rich foods, the bright Nova Scotia acidity is a good contrast to rich dishes. Or use the intense fruit and balanced sweetness of Nova Scotia Icewine to soften salty or spicy foods.

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2011 Vidal Icewine Blomidon Estate

Another offering made from Vidal grapes grown at the Warner vineyard nestled on the gentle slopes of the North Mountain. Beautiful packaged in a clear bottle to truly appreciate the golden amber hues of the wine. Equally appealing on the nose with complex aromas of sponge toffee, marmalade and caramelized grapefruit. The complexity of this wine continues on the palate, lifting the intense fruit notes is underlying spice of gingersnap cookies, pecan butter tart and hint of salted caramel. Long, lingering and wonderfully balanced.

Alcohol: 11% STYLE: Sweet & Complex

Vidal Icewine

Devonian Coast Wineries You guessed it, the impeccably cared for and perfectly frozen grapes of John Warner strikes again. This Vidal Icewine is an elegant and concentrated wine with aromas of molasses, butterscotch and warm apple pie. Sweet and luscious while bursting with flavours of caramel apple and honeyed figs. This Icewine is rich and sweet with a subtle hint of acidity.

It is a real crowd pleasing wine, perfect to sip on its own at the end of a meal.

Alcohol: 10% STYLE: Sweet & Rich

THE NEXT BIG THING WINE & SPIRITS GALA Wednesday, May 25, 2016 localconnections.ca/events

2013 Pinnacle Hill Avondale Sky

It was a wonderful growing season in 2013, warm Fall days allowed for superb fruit development in the grapes while perfect cool Fall evenings left plenty of acidity. By mid-December it dipped below -14 C, cold enough to harvest the frozen grapes. The resulting wine, Pinnacle Hill, exemplifies these ideal growing conditions. It is an intense Icewine with concentrated fruit and lifting acidity mingling in perfect harmony. Pineapple, dried apricot and papaya on the nose carries through in flavour. Layers of fruit cocktail, honey roasted almonds and allspice complete this complex and harmonious wine.

Alcohol: 10.2% STYLE: Sweet & Harmonious

2014 Estate Icewine Benjamin Bridge

This wine is just one of the many reasons to join the exclusive BB Club. Currently accepting members this is a wine allocation program like no other. Quarterly trio of small lot wines hand selected from the Benjamin Bridge team are the benefits of membership. This estate grown Icewine is one of the past selections. Elegant golden amber hues immediately draws you to this wine, and the aromas wafting from the glass hold your attention. Chamomile, honey, ripe melon and blood orange notes are intoxicating. Concentrated fruit on the palate integrates perfectly with the subtle fresh acidity.

NOVA SCOTIA

ICEWINE FESTIVAL Winter in NS Wine Country

Alcohol: 9% STYLE: Sweet & Elegant

Isolde Vidal Icewine Luckett Vineyards

The back label of this wine tempts you to fall in love with Icewine and once the wine is in the glass I think you will do just that. Liquid gold in colour with exotic aromas of lychee fruit and honey drizzled melon.

Despite the intense fruit aromatics, this wine is light, pleasantly sweet with just the right acidity. Silky, lush and balanced…what’s not to love?

Alcohol: 11% STYLE: Sweet & Lush

Feb. 27 ‐ March 6, 2016 Tickets: $30 HST incl.

Purchase tickets online Nova Scotia

Coming Next Issue

Tidal Bay Wines

Wine & Travel Issue - May 9, 2016

www.nsicewinefest.com

Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration On Thursday, January 14, over 700 ticket holding guests gathered at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront for this magazine's Third Annual Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration.

On hand were 19 of Nova Scotia's best local craft brewers and cider makers, an eclectic mix of 14 local restaurants and food producers, plus live music courtesy of the Mike Cowie Quartet, Ocean Avenue, and John Shadow.

A super BIG thanks to our friends at Downtown Halifax for helping make this event a reality.

Looking ahead, we've already picked a date for next year's event (January 12). and Super Early Bird tickets are already

Photos: Scott Thieu

available online at: localconnections.ca/events

Special thanks to our generous guests who helped us raise $1181.50 for Feed Nova Scotia, making it one of their most succesful coat checks ever!

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People's Choice Winners Every year our guests vote for the best of show for both the food and the drink, and while this year's final count was the closest ever, two winners emerged victorious.

Congratulations to both winners, and all of this year's participants who truly raised the bar this year!

Best of Show (food) Relish Gourmet Burger

Best of Show (drink) Big Spruce Brewing

GLASSWARE AND LIVE MUSIC SPONSOR

Our next big food and drink event is coming to The Lord Nelson on May 25!

WE DN ESD AY, MAY 25, 201 6

WE DN ES DAY, MAY 25

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FOOD & DRINK EVENTS - WINTER / SPRING 2016

FEBRUARY 26

MARCH 3

MAY 6

Craft beer lovers rejoice! Propeller's Prop'r Cask Nights have returned to the Gottingen Street location and will continue to be hosted on the last Friday of every month. Tickets are only $30, and include access to the featured one-off cask beer, Propeller beer on tap, as well as delicious eats from whichever local eatery Propeller has partnered with for that month's event. For the February edition, the event features a tag team effort from The Other Bean and Rinaldo's Italian American Specialities.

Garrison's annual Home Brew-Off is back for another year and, as always, non-participants are welcome to join in the fun. The 2016 Home Brew-Off Gala and Awards Ceremony is open to the public and tickets are just $15! This gets you into the event, a souvenir glass, and a complimentary Growlito fill with a Garrison beer of your choice. It's a must-attend event for any serious craft beer lover. As a side note, this year's style for the competition is: Experimental American IPA.

Discover Nova Scotia’s premiere white wine, Tidal Bay. For the first time, taste the new 2015 vintages of Tidal Bay side by side. Challenge your palate at the blind tasting bar, enjoy award-winning Nova Scotia seafood and and other tasty morsels that will pair nicely with your wine. Each winery will be pouring their 2015 Tidal Bay along with two other exciting new wines. See why Nova Scotia is blazing the appellation trail and unveil your senses.

facebook.com/propellerbeer

garrisonbrewing.com

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 6

MARCH 10

Hosted at the beautiful Domaine de Grand Pré winery, the Nova Scotia Icewine Festival is a collaborative annual event highlighting local wine, Icewine, and cuisine produced in Nova Scotia. Would be participants simply buy their tickets (which are only $30), take a lovely drive up the valley, and spend the afternoon enjoying local wine, delicious eats, and a mix of winter activities.

The Savour Food & Wine Show is Atlantic Canada's premier food and wine event, showcasing Nova Scotia's finest restaurants, wines and beverages. Operating now for ten years, it has attracted a wide and dedicated audience to make it 'the' food and wine event of the year! Over 70 restaurants, wine and beverage merchants create delectable samples allowing you to taste the night away.

nsicewinefest.com

savourfoodandwine.com

PROP'R CASK NIGHT

NOVA SCOTIA ICEWINE FESTIVAL

GARRISON'S HOME BREW-OFF

SAVOUR FOOD & WINE SHOW

12 TIDES

winesofnovascotia.ca/events

MAY 6 - 15

NOVA SCOTIA CRAFT BEER WEEK Beer lovers be prepared to lose your minds.

The Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, along with an impressive roster of event partners is set to go big this year with its second annual Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week.

We're talking 10 action packed days loaded with craft beer events hosted throughout the province. In total, there will be an astounding 11 signature events as well as other events and activities throughout the province.

nscraftbeer.ca/nscbw

F O R A C O M P L E T E A N D U P D AT E D L I S T O F F O O D & D R I N K E V E N T S , V I S I T: L O C A L C O N N E C T I O N S . C A / E V E N T S

$2.50 DRAFT BEER AT QUINPOOL LOCATION (Mondays thru Wednesdays)

6024 Quinpool Road · 507B Larry Uteck Boulevard

LIF

MAY 12

THE SCIENCE OF BEER The Science of Beer is back for year two! This year, Local Connections Halifax's very own Angeline MacLennan (Certified Cicerone) and friend of the magazine and craft beer expert Chris McDonald will again host the main theatre presentation, to go with sim more beerscience presentation from Boxing Rock, Garrison, Propeller, Sea Level, Spindrift, and Tatamagouche. Burritos and beer ice cream will be supplied by our friends at Dee Dee's Ice Cream, and there will be vegetarian options too. Tickets in very limited supply.

localconnections.ca/events

MAY 14

FULL HOUSE CRAFT BEER FEST Two sessions available! Join the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia on Saturday, May 14 at the Full House Craft Beer Fest, as they celebrate Nova Scotia Craft Beer during the Second Annual Craft Beer Week. Guests will have access to many of the very best beers made right here in Nova Scotia. Your $30 ticket gets you in the doors along with a very nice 16oz. Belgian-style take-home glass, and your first 12 4oz. beer samples (4 glasses). They’ll also have a number of guests speakers throughout the day, and a whole lot more.

localconnections.ca/events

MAY 25

WINE & SPIRITS GALA After a one year hiatus, Local Connections Halifax, host of the Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration back on January 14, is bringing back its flagship wine and spirits event, and this year's event is going to be bigger and better than ever. The venue for this year's event is The Lord Nelson Hotel, where ticket holding guests will have access to the very best Nova Scotian wine, spirits, cocktails, local food, and live entertainment available, all in a four room event format. As always, tickets are all-inclusive, and you even get to take home your glass at the end of the night. If you're planning on attending, which you should be, now is time to snap up those early bird tickets!

localconnections.ca/events

May 22 - June 5 scotiafestival.com

James Ehnes Giora Schmidt PÄ“teris Vasks Johannes Debus Suzanne Lemieux Denise Djokic Scott St. John Reinis Zarins Peter Allen Dominic Desautels Sharon Wei Elissa Lee Blair Lofgren Marc Djokic Simon Docking & many more!

A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

Mike Campbell, owner of one of Halifax's top music venues, The Carleton, breathes music. Campbell has played an integral role in Halifax's music scene from the start. With decades of experience working as a VJ and TV host for the popular Much Music, he knows what to look for, and his passion for bringing smaller East Coast indie bands to the local scene is evident. Local Connections sits down at The Carlton and chats with Campbell about Joel Plaskett’s start, great records and who to look out for in 2016.

Your popular show on Much during the nineties, “Mike & Mike’s Excellent Cross-Canada Adventures,” aired its last episode in Halifax. Did you know back then that you would end up living here?

Q&A: Tiffany Thornton · Photo: Michelle Doucette

I was doing the show and was involved with a woman from here.

I knew in the back of my mind that the show was probably going to wrap up and there was talk of a Much East show, so I thought, “If I am already in Halifax and they kill the Mike & Mike show and the new show happens, it will work out.” And it did.

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How did you find out about this amazing historic space which is now The Carleton and how did you come to own it?

I knew about the space before, but I had also heard the landlord did not want a restaurant or a bar in it again because it had such a long history of being a bar in the 70s. It was called the Jury Room, so named because one-time Governor Richard Bulkeley resided and held the British naval courts here; General Wolfe had even been in here. Then in the 80s it became Rosa’s Cantina.

You have worked with so many different bands and groups. Do you generally source them to play or do they come to you?

It's a mix. I am not crawling around every small club trying to find the next big thing in Halifax, but I am out all the time, though. My life and my work — the lines there are so blurred.

I can't tell you the difference. Music has always been a part of my life. I was one of those people who saw the Beatles on TV and went WOW and started buying records when I was nine years old. I figured out early on you could get 10 songs for like $3 instead of two songs for 50 cents. I am on the board of Music Nova Scotia. I think I am the longest serving board member.

Through them I see, hear and meet all the new bands, and when people think they are ready to play this room, they get in touch.

You must have had an amazing collection of records?

I was the kid who had the best record collection of everybody.

That lasted all the way through university. I went to Acadia and the radio station there started the station library with half my records. I have always been involved in the music side of things and liked it.

HAIR FACE BODY You deserve it.

You used to manage Joel Plaskett and were around at the start of his career. How did that come to be?

I did that first TV interview for Much Music with Thrush Hermit. I think Joel was in grade 10; I met him and knew everybody in the band. They could pack the Marquee, and they were still kids. Then they put out “Clayton Park” and the songwriting had improved a lot. I went to see them play and thought they finally figured out that Plaskett is the front guy. The songs he was writing for the records I liked the most.

When “Down at the Khyber” was coming out, I thought it was the best record I had heard coming out of Halifax. I wanted to make sure it was played on Q104 in Toronto. So I told the guys I knew there, “You have to play this record.” They were resistant but they actually started playing it, and it was the first time they had ever played Plaskett.

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Where is the buzz now on the scene? Who should people look out for in 2016?

Hillsburn. I don't know if I have ever seen a band go from “never heard of them” to that good in a year! They played the folk festival I hold in August. “This is so weird,” they said during their performance, “because this time last year the band had just formed, and within a year we want to be able to approach Mike Campbell to see if he would let us play on the sidewalk in front of the club.” Also, Adam Baldwin, of course. He plays with Matt Mays and the Saturday night band here, The Carletones.

Ria Mae is making waves. She closed for Classified, and Sarah McLachlan’s manager just signed her to Sony. She is not around that much; she travels a lot — she's really taken off! █

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Article: Jordan Whitehouse · Photos: Symphony Nova Scotia

A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

L

ast year Symphony Nova Scotia had record-breaking tickets sales, no doubt boosted by a lineup that ranged from Bach, to Jill Barber, to Video Games Live. For the 2015/16 season, the diversity is no different. From February to May alone, Queen (the band) will blast from the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, two of the finest Canadian pianists will play, and the Irish Descendants will cheers the 25th Beer and Beethoven event.

The point of those diverse lineups is to hopefully welcome a diverse crowd, and according to CEO Chris Wilkinson it seems to be working. “It’s what I love when I stand in the lobby after a concert and see the different audiences,” he says. “We might do a retro pops concert with music from the 40s, and it’s an older audience. And then we do one with video games music, and it’s younger. So that really shows me we’re reaching a wide range of people.”

We’ll learn soon if it leads to another record-breaker at the box office, but for now keep reading for the lowdown on what’s on for the end of the 2015/16 season.

Pop

The big ticket for February on the more pop-friendly side is The Music of Queen, which features the symphony teaming up with the Jeans ’n Classics band and the Soundtrax choir in an attempt to blow the roof off the Rebecca Cohn with “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You.” (Feb 12, 13, 14; $30) In March, The Celtic Tenors will have their first-ever performance with Symphony Nova Scotia. Since 2000, these three Irish lads who never seem to stop touring the world have sold more than a million albums of music that blends classical, opera, folk, Celtic and pop. (March 11, 12, 13; $30) For April, Chris Wilkinson says the Maritime Fusion show 52

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with Halifax singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith shouldn’t be missed. This is the same showcase that has included Rich Aucoin, Buck 65 and Ben Caplan, so Smith — who, according to CBC’s Tom Power, “has the warmth of Doris Day with the sizzle of Katy Perry” — is in good company. (April 22; $30) And for May, it’s Beer and Beethoven’s 25th anniversary that tops the list. “When we started this, it was a way for people to come and hear the symphony and have a beer in a nonpretentious environment,” says Wilkinson. This year it’s in the Halifax Forum, where popular 90s Newfoundland folk group The Descendants will play both nights. “Think Irish music, fiddle tunes and local craft beer.” (May 6, 7; $40)

Classical

On the more classical-heavy side, two of the best Canadian pianists alive today will be visiting. The first, André Laplante, an Officer of the Order of Canada, will play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no. 1 (Feb 18; $30). Then Marc-André Hamelin, an “international treasure” according to the New York Times, will play Brahms’ Piano Concerto no. 2, which is one intense, juggernaut of a piece (March 31, April 1; $30).

The symphony is also putting baroque music front and centre over the next couple of months. First up, Symphony Nova Scotia’s former concertmaster Robert Ushida makes his return to lead the orchestra through Vivaldi’s most famous creation, The Four Seasons (Feb 27, 28; $49-$59). Later, Jeanne Lamon, the music director of Canadian baroque orchestra Tafelmusik, will honour the Court of Dresden, a leader in baroque art and technology and home of Europe’s finest 18th-century orchestra (March 20; $49-$59).

The English Festival rounds out the list of notable classical

shows for the season. This four-day fest all about England’s classical past, kicks off with a learn-and-listen performance at The Carleton (April 27; $30), then moves on to an Edward Elgar tribute featuring Enigma Variations (April 28, $30), and ends with Holst’s The Planets, including a special video appearance from Chris Hadfield (April 30, May 1; $30).

Hand Made.

Heart Felt. by the goldsmiths at FireWorks Gallery

Community Outreach

Every year, the symphony also gets out of the concert hall and into the community, offering interactive programs for schools, families, kids, under-30s and adults across the province.

New outreach programs introduced last year included free Symphony 101 classes at local libraries, a participatory Link Up program for elementary students, and the popular free Family Series at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic — all programs that continue this year.

In total, about 15,000 young people across Nova Scotia participate in these programs annually. “We’re not just about playing concerts,” says Wilkinson. “We’re partially publiclyfunded, so it’s important that they are out there doing things that profit the community, building future audiences, educating, all that good stuff.”

The most anticipated outreach performance for the end of the 2015/16 season is Carnival of the Animals, a free family-friendly concert at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Two pianos, a full orchestra and a zoo of musical sounds — need I write more?

(Feb 21). █

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For more info, including details about the 2016/17 seasonLocal Connections-Feb 20.indd launch on March 16 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, head to symphonynovascotia.ca.

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BERMUDA IS CAL ust a few hours away from Halifax lies the enchanting island of Bermuda, a British overseas territory renowned for its warm turquoise blue waters. Sink your feet into the fine white sand as you explore the numerous pristine beaches that make up the shoreline of this distinctive fishhook-shaped island. Bermuda may be small in size at a mere 22 miles long and approximately a mile across, yet it boasts fabulous snorkeling surrounded by coral reefs, which are contrasted by a superb culinary and nightlife scene.

A little known fact is that Bermuda also shares strong historic links to Halifax.

Bermuda had a cultural and trading relationship with the Maritimes for centuries, with Halifax supplying food

and lumber to the burgeoning colony.

Even the island’s first currency and the street lamps that lit up the capital of Hamilton during the 18th century came via Nova Scotia. Bermuda evokes a longing to bask in the sultry sun, breathe in the salt-water air and stare longingly at the divine vistas that greet you at every turn.

The seaside town of St. George’s is steeped in 400 years of history and is recognized as a Unesco World Heritage site. It is home to St. Peter’s church, the oldest Anglican Church in the Western Hemisphere, which was appointed “Their Majesties’ Chappell “ by Queen Elizabeth The Second.

The picturesque town of St. George’s is the oldest continually inhabited English settlement in the new world.

What once was the former capital of Bermuda is now a place of sheer magic.

You feel like you are stepping back in time as you amble through town.

Several heritage homes line the side streets, and vivid hibiscus and oleander cascade down the stone walls.

Atop the hill just a few minutes walk from the town centre is the esteemed St. George’s Club - a classy breath of fresh air, resonating old-world charm.

St. George’s Club offers quaint selfcontained villa style cottages, with spacious one and two bedroom options, all with full kitchens that are perfect for families. The cottages feature all the amenities of home and come with large Jacuzzi style bathtubs.

There are three pools on site, a tennis court and Griffin’s Restaurant, which

“You can go to heaven if you want, I’d rather stay in Bermuda.” - Mark Twain.

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LLING YOU. offers fine Italian inspired dining that utilizes fresh local fish and ingredients like Wahoo, Mahi-Mahi and the exceptional spiny lobster.

For a completely different dining experience, try The Beach House, just a short jaunt off the property. This stellar restaurant is adjacent to16th century Fort St. Catherine on secluded Achilles’ Bay. The laid-back vibe feels almost like you are hanging out on the set of the Tom Cruise movie “Cocktail”. Getting there just before dusk and ordering a Bacardi ruminfused Sunset Cocktail is the thing to do, as this part of the island offers flawless, unobstructed views of an unforgettable Bermudian sunset that casts hues of purple and red across the sky. St. George’s club offers free shuttle service to and from The Beach House everyday from April until October.

For more information, visit www.stgeorgesclub.bm Getting there: WestJet flies to Bermuda from Halifax all year round, offering exceptional airfare.

CITY & BUSINESS

who's selling OUR CITY?

Article: Brenden Sommerhalder

We need to double down on our efforts to attract people to come live in our city

I

would like to offer two statements that in my mind are backed by enough evidence previously reported in the pages of this magazine and elsewhere to trust as facts: Halifax is a wonderful place to live, and Halifax is in need of more people. It would seem that taken together there is an obvious path forward: let’s tell the world (or at least a handful of strategic markets) that Halifax is a great place to live, work and play.

Surely, you say, that must be happening.

It isn’t.

Let’s look to the organizations that would conceivably be responsible for marketing Halifax as a place for people to live.

Perhaps the one that comes to mind first is Destination Halifax.

However, Destination Halifax’s specific mandate is to “promote Halifax as a year-round destination of choice for business and leisure travelers.” Its sole focus is to attract a non-permanent flow of people to the city, primarily through promoting Halifax as a destination for conferences and conventions, and to a lesser degree by promoting Halifax as a tourism destination.

This mandate makes sense for Destination Halifax, as the vast majority of its funding comes from a marketing levy charged to anyone who books a hotel room in Halifax, and the organization is partnered with the Hotel Association of Nova Scotia. Once people move to Halifax, they don’t book many hotel room nights

here, so it’s all about booking large groups from away for multinight stays.

The Halifax Partnership, our city’s economic development organization, could be another candidate with a mandate for attracting new residents. The organization counts population growth among its desired outcomes, but its focus in achieving this is local: help make Halifax a place where people want to live. The Partnership helms our city’s economic strategy, and it has operationalized the strategy through private and public partnerships and attracting private sector investment to our city. Its marketing efforts focus on generating and responding to investment leads, not people and families who are looking for a place to live with the quality of life that Halifax can offer. The Halifax Partnership does important work, but attracting new residential immigration is not currently part of that work to any meaningful degree.

The city itself outsources its destination marketing and economic development files to these two organizations and therefore plays no direct role in communicating our city to outside markets. As for Tourism Nova Scotia, not only does it not focus on getting people to move here, it also actively tries to move visitors outside of the city to other parts of the province as part of its strategy. There is no one left hitting for Halifax.

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Halifax has been improving, and will continue to improve, in part because of the work of organizations like those discussed above, but the “build it and they will come” approach doesn’t seem to be working. Tourism numbers and hotel bookings in Halifax have been steadily improving in recent years, but population growth has been stagnant, and the little population growth we have seen has primarily come at the expense of smaller population centres in Nova Scotia and almost exclusively in the older age brackets. An outflow of young people who were born here, and our failure to attract new young people and families from elsewhere, are threatening to turn Halifax into a city with no children with an uncertain economic future.

What’s more is that there is evidence that a strategy premised on a theory that “people go where the jobs are,” is backwards. An annual study conducted by Area Development magazine has consistently found in recent years that the availability of skilled labour is a top consideration for modern day, skilled labourbased companies looking where to expand. Common sense would also seem to suggest that it is easier for businesses to try to hire talent from the local workforce than it is for them to try to scoop talent from an outside market. Attracting people to live in a city is a job for the city, not businesses that are considering locating there. Clearly it is important to have jobs and an attractive city for people when they get here, but focusing on city building at the exclusion of direct efforts to attract immigration is only half of the equation.

It isn’t that marketing a city as a place to live is a novel idea.

Other communities have been doing it, and doing it well, for years. In 2007, the city of Lyon, France, launched its “Only Lyon” initiative. Still active today, the initiative that includes several out-of-market marketing programs with a mandate to “make Lyon better known, generate appreciation for Lyon and bring people to Lyon,” was created as a partnership between government, private and institutional sectors in the region. It has been credited with boosting Lyon’s international recognition and its immigration numbers. Canadian cities have also engaged in this type of messaging, attempting to lure people from other parts of the country — and farther — by touting the livability and opportunities those cities can provide.

With Halifax currently in the midst of a development boom, there will soon be a large availability of both residential and commercial space for people and companies to fill. The time has come for all sectors of our community — from government to private — to develop a sharp focus on attracting people from other markets to consider Halifax as a place to live, raise a family and invest. Attracting people to live here is the most pressing challenge for our city right now, and with so much good to say about Halifax, it makes no sense to remain silent. █

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CITY & BUSINESS

CATCHING UP WITH DAVID GRAHAM

Article: Lola Augustine Brown · Photo: Michelle Doucette

One man's mission to build communities, in more way than one

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A

s regular readers will know, we’ve covered Atlantic Developments’ David Graham — and two of his projects, Theatre Lofts and Harris East — in previous issues of Local Connections. Graham’s landscapechanging developments are of course always of interest to those concerned about the evolution of Halifax, but there’s much more to Graham than his work, not that he’d ever tell you — blowing his own horn just isn’t something that he does.

Born in Nova Scotia, Graham comes from a politically active and engaged family that has always strived to improve the lives of Nova Scotians. Happily, Graham has carried on this legacy and is likewise actively involved politically and in a number of community projects. Graham was one of the founders (also the former director, and now active board member) of the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning in Dartmouth, a very worthy project that has changed the lives of more than 500 children and young people in the community.

The MacPhee Centre is an arts based program that helps kids find their potential in learning. As Graham explains, “There

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are a ton of children who don’t respond to the linear education system in a classroom of 35 people, and we think there’s a very large cohort of talented kids that respond to art.” There are two predominant goals at the centre. “The first is to give these kids between the ages of 12 and 19 a safe place to learn, and the second to inspire them to finish their grade 12,” he says.

When kids go through a program like those offered at the MacPhee Centre, it has a huge impact on their lives. “We know that by completing grade 12, they have a much greater chance of succeeding in life than kids who don’t,” says Graham. “And those who don’t, have a much greater chance of having problems with the law and social issues, and become dependent on social welfare.”

Graham was inspired to start the centre seven years ago after attending a lunchtime lecture here in Halifax with Bill Strickland, who started the Manchester Bidwell Center in Pittsburgh to help disadvantaged youth succeed with school (and life). Graham realized that youth in Halifax faced similar challenges, and set out to create a similar centre here. “A couple

of us went to Pittsburgh, met with Bill, and were inspired to get a wonderful group of volunteers together and create the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning in Dartmouth,” says Graham.

The centre has been hugely successful, and this makes Graham very happy. “Life isn’t fair for some people, and this evens the playing field for many kids. It’s heartwarming to see kids respond in a safe environment,” he says.

Instructors at the centre recognize and draw out the innate artistic talents of the children and young people in their programs, whether that’s through writing, poetry, drawing or music. There are two Nova Scotia College of Art and Design residents who have studio space at the centre, and they actively teach and inspire the kids. It is a fantastic program that is loved by kids, parents and the community.

Talking to Graham, it is obvious that he cares deeply about making positive change in the community, and feels that as a successful businessman here it is vitally important to engage oneself. He feels disconnected from those who complain about public policy but aren’t actively involved in doing something to help change the way things are. At the same time, he is excited by the change in government and courageous policy decisions that are being made.

Although there has been some resistance to Graham’s urban developments, mostly based on fears of gentrification, these projects are helping to recharge Halifax and enable more young people to live here. Creating positive change is something that Graham seeks to do both in business and in his outside interests. He gets a kick out of doing something right, and when you ask about Harris East (now finished and 75 per cent sold, with occupation starting in January and February) his first comments are about how thrilled he is with everyone that worked on that project.

Graham is endearingly humble about his achievements, and in conversation wants to give credit to others whenever he can.

He is one of those wonderful Nova Scotians who gets what we need to thrive here on an individual, provincial and national level. We’re lucky that he chooses to work here in his home province and bring so much to the table. █

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A TRUE HALIFAX LOVE STORY

JONATHAN TORRENS

A True Halifax Love Story: Johnathan Torrens · Photo: Riley Smith

M

62

y family moved to Halifax from PEI when I was 12 to be closer to my ailing grandmother, who lived in Pictou County. It was equal parts daunting and exciting, so many possibilities but so many people.

There were a lot of firsts for me here. First time seeing someone who lived on the street. First time seeing a man in skirt and heels. First kiss.

First time taking a city bus, which I did every day of junior high from downtown, where we lived, out to Fairview Junior High (the only one in the city to offer French immersion back then).

Before long it started to feel like home, and soon I was roaming around to all the Halifax teen haunts of the time, from “The Hill” at Gorsebrook in the south end to “The Pit” in the north end.

Work and curiosity took me away in my 20s, to even bigger, stranger places. Halifax felt a bit small for a while back then.

I remember the very day the things I used to find suffocating and limiting about Halifax suddenly becoming comforting and familiar again. When that gear kicked in, there was nowhere else I wanted to be.

As the cliché goes, it took going away to fully appreciate what we have here. In my particular case, I was living in Los Angeles, auditioning for Tori Spelling movies of the week and hosting shows like “House Busters,” in which a team of psychics, feng shui experts and interior designers gave your home a facelift after a devastating atrocity occurred in your home. Not kidding. That was a real show.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was my audition for a reality show called “America’s Cutest Puppy.” I’d driven the hour and a half in traffic from Venice to the Valley in the hopes of working on some reality show that sounded like a joke. Hard to decide which scenario would be more painful: actually booking it and having to show up for work, or not getting it because the puppy people went with someone else. It’s a strange mindset — wishing for the phone to ring and dreading it at the same time.

Luckily, I didn’t get that one. And many, many others.

What I did get was a phone call from my mom on the long, frustrating drive home. Through casual conversation, she mentioned she had a dentist appointment the next day and didn’t much like the thought of going alone.

In that moment I realized that “Guy Who Took His Mom to the Dentist” was a far more important role than any I could ever play in Hollywood.

Seeing as I was also in a transition relationship-wise, the choice was easy. So I moved back and bought a row house on Church Street with otherwise no real plan.

It felt so good to be back, hiking at York Redoubt and

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swimming at Tea Lake. Taking the ferry on a nice summer’s day. Going to a patio on Argyle Street.

My friend Mike is a gifted photographer and carpenter who helped me renovate my new place. It had essentially been a rooming house for students and needed some TLC. It turns out I might have needed some at the time, too. We spent months fixing it up, and I loved every minute of it.

Every week or two my manager would call from L.A. to say I needed to have new headshots taken. Seeing as I didn’t know what my long-term goal was, I kept putting it off. The timing just didn’t feel right. Plus, I wasn’t sure I was ever going back. At that point I was seriously entertaining the thought of being a realtor.

Finally, as the house was getting close to finished and both Mike and I were proud of our work, he suggested we should take some headshots in this beautiful new space we’d created.

His friend Carole had even taken a makeup course recently, and he could ask her if she’d help out. I reluctantly agreed.

The day arrived. Carole knocked on the door, and the moment I opened it and met her gaze all I could think was, “There you are … I have so much to tell you.”

That timing felt exactly right.

We’ve been married for seven years and have two sweet little girls. Every second of every day has been total joy.

I’ll always love you, Halifax, for bringing me up, letting me go, welcoming me back and for leading me to the love of my life. █

THURSDAY, MAY 12 @ An evening for beer geeks and beer-curious.

Tickets are available online at: localconnections.ca/events

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