Show hits stage: they’re off to see the wizard Cowichan Firsts fall to Velox, Thirds advance
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Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Eatery named Island’s best LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
Hudson’s on First — the stylish Duncan restaurant that’s been getting more and more buzz as its young owners spread their creative wings — won a top provincial prize last week. The eatery took gold as best Vancouver Island restaurant outside Victoria in the 25th annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards 2014. The award was handed out Tuesday, April 22 at a gala at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. It follows close on the heels of winning top Young Entrepreneurs at the recent Cowichan Valley Black Tie Awards. To say that owners Daniel and Andrea Hudson are stoked about this latest honour is a real understatement. Andrea took a few minutes out of their busy Saturday to talk about the award and what it means. Amazingly, despite only having been open for a year and a half, this is not the first time Hudson’s on First has been nominated for this glamorous award, she said. “We just snuck in last year. But, this year we were up against some big players and it was a huge honour to win gold. We were amazed we won it. This award has been ping-ponging back and forth between The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn and Sooke Harbour House in our category. We were so happy to be able to win it.” The Hudsons are part of a group of enterprising Cowichan business owners who are trying
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Cowichan Lake kids less ready for school LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
what makes this award really special.” Each award has its own uniqueness, according to Hudson. “The Black Tie is a nomination from your community and that’s a huge honour in itself. This one
Lake Cowichan’s health profile highlights one area of real concern, reported Island Health’s Paul Hasselback. Children at the Lake are not as ready to start school as kids on the rest of the Island and around the province, he said. He appeared at Lake Cowichan town council April 22 to give an update on the 2013 local health area profile data, including the Early Development Instrument that talks about school readiness, but warned councillors that many figures and graphs must be viewed carefully. “It’s because the sample numbers are so small,” he said. “However, I wish the trend here was reversed. Regrettably, Lake Cowichan children are more vulnerable,” he said. Mayor Ross Forrest said that he’d had the chance to view the entire report at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention and was disappointed to see Lake Cowichan’s preparedness for school standing. “We were at the bottom,” he said.
See AWARD, Page 4
See FIFTY-ONE, Page 5
Andrea and Daniel Hudson are thrilled that Hudson’s on First is a top pick with judges. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN] to build the reputation of the Valley as a food and wine mecca. “There’s been a lot of movement in the Valley. It’s really growing, and it’s all about the experience here. It’s been a good start. We were very surprised at winning this. We knew we could stand shoulder to shoulder with them
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but to take gold was huge,” Hudson said. To win this prize, Hudson’s on First was evaluated secretly by unknown judges. “We don’t know if they are coming. It’s anonymous. We just have to be on our game every day, no matter what service. That’s
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