YAM magazine Mar/Apr 2022

ISSUE 77 MAR/APR 2022

yammagazine.com

VICTORIA’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

TOP DECOR TRENDS How to add vintage vibes An artful renovation

FOOD FASHION PEOPLE CITY LIFE Condo project

by Victoria’s Bidgood + Co.

HOME ISSUE

Spring

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D E S I G N E R

O F

F I N E

K I T C H E N S

.

the heartbeat of your home URBANAKITCHENS.CA 1745 BLANSHARD ST, VICTORIA, BC MONDAY—SATURDAY 250.383.2635

FA S H I O N CHANGES, STYLE REMAINS.

menswear & accessories #110 -2506 beacon avenue, sidney 250.654.0534 dgb-sidney@shaw.ca

620 broughton street, victoria 778.265.5340 dgb-victoria@shaw.ca

home issue

CONTENTS

features

28 MARVELLOUS MUSHROOMS Funky, fabulous fungi.

Meet the people bringing mushrooms out of the dark.

By Cinda Chavich

34 TOP 10 DÉCOR TRENDS FOR 2022 This year, fill your home with cool curves, warm colours and inspiration from nature.

By Sandra Thomas

58 VINTAGE VA-VOOM Antiques are back in style.

Here’s how to work them into your modern décor.

By Sandra Thomas

64 FLORAL, PEACHY, SIPPABLE, EASY Why you should love Ortega, the Island’s patio-friendly signature white wine.

By Joanne Sasvari

68 BEAN CUISINE Beans are good for you, your budget and the planet.

Why aren’t you eating more?

By Cinda Chavich

76 HOME SCENTS How to infuse your space with delightful aromas and healing fragrances.

By Joanne Sasvari

departments

10 EDITOR’S NOTE 13 HERE + NOW YAM’s latest finds in home décor, fashion, lifestyle and food.

22 IN PERSON Raise a pint with beer writer and ambassador Joe Wiebe.

By David Lennam

42 HOME + LIFESTYLE Instilling warmth and art into a starkly modern home.

By Danielle Pope

52 STYLE WATCH Refresh with accessories inspired by nature.

Styled by Janine Metcalfe

80 SCENE For drummer Kelby MacNayr, the beat goes on.

By David Lennam

82 DO TELL A Proust-style interview with travel pro Cathy Scott.

By Joanne Sasvari

1 7 0 0 M T. N E W T O N C R O S S R O A D , V I C T O R I A

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES » SOL D

$7,900,000

$11,888,000

$15,500,000

$7,899,999

$4,990,000

3155 Beach Drive, Oak Bay

3275 Campion Road, Central Saanich

1700 Mt. Newton Cross Road, Victoria

Sear Island, Gulf Island

511 Soriel Road, Parksville

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 8 11,900 SQ.FT 1.67 ACRES Lisa Williams PREC 250.514.1966

BED: 5 BATH: 7 9,156 SQ.FT 8.39 ACRES Logan Wilson PREC 250.857.0609

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 10 17,576 SQ.FT 20 ACRES Glynis MacLeod PREC 250.661.7232

BEDS: 9 BATHS: 4 4,180 SQ.FT 27.00 ACRES Nico Grauer PREC 250.228.3858

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 8 9,844 SQ.FT 1.31 ACRES Brayden Klein 250.588.2466

C O N D O S & TOW N H O M E S »

« S I N G L E FA M I LY H O M E S »

RECENTLY SOLD

SOL D

$674,900

$799,000

RECENTLY SOLD

$400,000

$4,500,000

$8,880,000

206-330 Waterfront Crescent, Victoria

111-530 Michigan Street, Victoria

303-69 Gorge Road, Saanich

4035 Locarno Lane, Victoria

644 Beach Drive, Oak Bay

BEDS: 2 BATHS: 2 1,260 SQ.FT 0.03 ACRES Dave Hatt 250.888.0204

BEDS: 1 BATHS: 1 553 SQ.FT 0.02 ACRE Marnie Ross 250.514.4363

BEDS: 2 BATHS: 2 965 SQ.FT

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 6 6,044 SQ.FT 1.01 ACRES Kirsten MacLeod 250.686.3385 Shaelyn Mattix 250.908.0184

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 3 4,392 SQ.FT 0.29 ACRES Brett Cooper PREC 250.858.6524

SOL D

RECENTLY SO LD

Alenzo Winters

250.858.9395

S I N G L E FA M I LY H O M E S » SOLD

SOLD

$1,150,000

$1,099,000

$1,030,000

$1,099,000

174 Olive Street, Victoria

3755 Ascot Drive, Saanich

935 Garthland Road, Esquimalt

119 - 945 Bear Mountain Pkwy, Langford

BEDS: 4 BATHS: 3 1,627 SQ.FT 0.14 ACRES Don St Germain PREC 250.744.7136

BEDS: 4 BATHS: 3 2,715 SQ.FT 0.27 ACRES

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 3 2,384 SQ.FT 0.17 ACRES Peter Crichton 250.889.4000

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 3 2,233 SQ.FT 0.07 ACRES Andrew Maxwell 250.213.2104

Kersten St Germain

250.532.3869

Connect with your local experts.

Alenzo Winters

Andrew Maxwell

Victoria 250.380.3933

Andy Stephenson

Beth Hayhurst

Brad Maclaren

Salt Spring Island 250.537.1778

Brayden Klein

Brett Cooper

Vancouver 604.632.3300

Christine Ryan

D’Arcy Harris

West Vancouver 604.922.6995

Dave Hatt

Dean Innes

White Rock 604.385.1840

Don St Germain

Georgia Wiggins

Whistler 604.932.3388

Glynis MacLeod

Grace Shin

Harley Shim

Kelowna 250.469.9547

Jacob Garrett

John Shin

Sun Peaks 250.578.7773

Move Beyond Your Expectations S O T H E B Y S R E A L T Y. C A 3 275 CA M P I O N ROA D, C E N T RA L SA A N I C H

« UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES INT RODUCING

SOLD

INTRO DUCIN G

$3,595,000

$2,800,000

$2,750,000

$1,550,000

$1,900,000

5871 Old East Road, Saanich

6790 Bell Mckinnon Road, Duncan

5640 Batu Road, Saanich

DL 625 Head Bay, Tofino

826 Birch Road, North Saanich

BEDS: 8 BATHS: 5 6,159 SQ.FT 2.85 ACRES Georgia Wiggins PREC 250.415.2500 Tim Wiggins 250.415.2811

2.00 ACRE LOT

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 6 5,983 SQ.FT 4.99 ACRES Andy Stephenson PREC 250.532.0888

BEDS: 1 BATHS: 1 186 ACRE LOT

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 2 1,741 SQ.FT 0.71 ACRES Dean Innes 250.686.0279

D’Arcy Harris

250.686.2375

Harley Shim

250.881.3601

« S I N G L E FA M I LY H O M E S SOLD

INTRODUCING

$2,750,000

$2,999,000

$2,350,000

$1,644,000

$1,989,888

2024 Troon Court, Langford

9544 Ardmore Drive, North Saanich

320 Dallas Road, Victoria

5165 Duncan Bay Road, Campbell River

3951 Trailhead Drive, Sooke

BEDS: 4 BATHS: 4 4,280 SQ.FT 0.33 ACRES Brad Maclaren PREC 250.727.5448

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 3 2,900 SQ.FT 0.70 ACRES Christine Ryan 778.533.3205

BEDS: 2 BATHS: 3 2,000 SQ.FT DEN: 1 Robyn Wildman 250.818.8522

BEDS: 4 BATHS: 3 2,593 SQ.FT 5.00 ACRES Harley Shim 403.313.6683

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 3 2,779 SQ.FT 2.91 ACRES Samantha Jensson 250.818.2006

« S I N G L E FA M I LY H O M E S SOLD

IN TRO DUC IN G

R EC E N T LY SOL D

$750,000

$699,500

$690,000

SO L D

Price Upon Request

2-1900 Watkiss Way, View Royal

102-912 Jenkins Avenue, Langford

2956 Trestle Place, Langford

2060 Frederick Norris Road, Victoria

6920 East Sooke Road, Sooke

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 4 1,943 SQ.FT 0.04 ACRES Kris Ricci 778.966.7441

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 3 1,650 SQ.FT 0.04 ACRES Sean Farrell 250.588.2377

BEDS: 3 BATHS: 3 1,372 SQ.FT 0.05 ACRES Thomas Goodman 250.415.6675

BEDS: 5 BATHS: 3 2,650 SQ.FT 0.26 ACRES Sandy Berry 250-818-8736

BEDS: 1 BATHS: 1 732 SQ.FT 0.66 ACRES Tom de Cosson 250.858.5841

Kersten St Germain

Kirsten MacLeod

Toronto

Kris Ricci

Paris

Lisa Williams

Logan Wilson

New York

Marnie Ross

Marsha Graham

Tokyo

Nico Grauer

Peter Crichton

Hong Kong

Robyn Wildman

Samantha Jensson

Montréal

Sandy Berry

Sean Farrell

Shaelyn Mattix

Thomas Goodman

Tim Wiggins

Tom de Cosson

S OT H E B YS R E A LT Y.C A

Independently Owned and Operated. E.&O.E.: This information is from sources which we deem reliable, but must be verified by prospective Purchasers and may be subject to change or withdrawal. PREC is Personal Real Estate Corporation.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Refuge and Renovation

I

’s a funny thing, when you’ve spent as much time around the house as we have these past two years. You really begin to notice things that never really made much of a difference before.

The drip-drip-dripping tap. The ancient sofa so out of fashion it’s almost back in. The cupboard door that doesn’t quite close any more. The way sound carries from room to room when all of you are working and studying at home. Little irritations become big ones and then unbearable ones, and suddenly you have to do something about them, right this minute.

But all this time at home has also allowed us to discover unexpected joys. The hummingbirds that hover outside the window all day. The sunlight that shines through the kitchen window as you make your morning tea. The way that old sofa is still the most comfortable you’ve ever curled up on.

As we were putting together YAM’s Home Issue, we couldn’t help but think of all the things we love about our own homes, most of all, the way they’ve given us a sense of refuge when we needed it most. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to make them better, though.

So we’re taking our cues from some of the Victoria designers featured in this issue and their insights on the year’s décor trends. Maybe we’ll invest in a curvy piece of furniture or a new bar cart. Perhaps we’ll paint our walls green and add a few potted plants around the place. Almost certainly, we’ll pick up a vintage piece or two. And we’ll definitely update our home fragrance situation.

The stories in this issue have given me loads of ideas for my own place, but more than that, they’ve been a delight to work on. In fact, these last few months editing YAM have been an absolute pleasure — honestly, what could be more fun than telling the stories of this beautiful city?

Sadly, my time as guest editor is coming to a close, but I’m thrilled to introduce you to your new YAM editor, Jennifer Hartley.

Jennifer is relocating to Victoria from Ottawa, where she is a features writer for Fifty-Five Plus magazine and a senior features and travel writer and former copy editor of Ottawa Life Magazine. She’s also written magazine articles on arts, life and everything in between, and even worked on Parliament Hill. Jennifer already spends a lot of time in Victoria, and is excited to embrace all this city has to offer.

Please give her a warm welcome!

Meanwhile, I hope to keep seeing you in the pages of YAM, telling the stories of this great city and the wonderful people who call it home.

“All this time at home has allowed us to discover unexpected joys.”

BUYING OR SELLING? I am dedicated to providing my clients with exceptional service, sound negotiating techniques and constant communication throughout the real estate process.

Call Andrew Maxwell for a complimentary consultation.

250.213.2104 amaxwell@sothebysrealty.ca A N D R EW M AXWELL .CA SOT H E BYSR E A LT Y.CA Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, Independently Owned and Operated. E.&O.E

Joanne Sasvari, Guest Editor editor@ yammagazine.com

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

Be Bold. Do what the Ordinary Fear.

You are unique, your home is unique, and Luxe is not your typical furniture store. At Luxe Home Interiors, we believe in curating an inspiring shopping experience where customers can see, touch and feel great treasures that cannot be found anywhere else. We believe in shopping local, and relish the beautiful human connections that happen with in-person shopping. All of our sales people are skilled designers. Let us help you tell your unique story.

Visit us at our new home at 564 Yates Street, conveniently located across from the Bastion Square Parkade (first hour free)!

564 Yates St 250.386.7632 luxevictoria.ca

Pacifica matte dinnerware — for everyday or special gatherings

VICTORIA’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri GUEST EDITOR Joanne Sasvari DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet PRODUCTION MANAGER Jennifer Kühtz DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Amanda Wilson LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Janice Hildybrant ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jo-Ann Loro, Caroline Segonnes CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Carla Sorrell MARKETING COORDINATOR Claire Villaraza ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Deana Brown, Cynthia Hanischuk, Brenda Knapik FASHION EDITOR Janine Metcalfe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cinda Chavich, Jennifer Hartley, David Lennam, Danielle Pope, Sandra Thomas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS D asha Armstrong, Jody Beck, Joshua Lawrence, Michelle Proctor PROOFREADER Paula Marchese CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Getty Images p. 28, 30, 36, 53, 76, 79; Living4Media p. 60-62; StockFood p. 74; Stocksy p. 16, 38, 68, 78; Unsplash p. 10, 36-38, 40

523 Fisgard Street | 250-382-4424 | fantanvictoria.com

GENERAL INQUIRIES info@yammagazine.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@yammagazine.com TO SUBSCRIBE TO YAM subscriptions@yammagazine.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES sales@yammagazine.com ONLINE yammagazine.com FACEBOOK facebook.com/YAMmagazine TWITTER twitter.com/YAMmagazine INSTAGRAM @yam_magazine

ON THE COVER A residential project by Bidgood + Co. Painting in photo by Meghan Hildebrand Photo by Mary McNeil Knowles

1023 Fort Street | 250.920.7653 | heartandsoleshoes.ca

Published by PAGE ONE PUBLISHING 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, B.C. V8Z 1C7 T 250-595-7243 info@pageonepublishing.ca pageonepublishing.ca

Printed in British Columbia by Mitchell Press.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Page One Publishing Inc. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and any and all representations or warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not the publisher. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in all or part, in any form — printed or electronic — without the express permission of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #41295544

ADVERTISE IN YAM MAGAZINE YAM is Victoria’s lifestyle magazine, connecting readers to the distinctive lifestyle and authentic luxury of the West Coast.

For advertising info, please call 250-595-7243 or email sales@yammagazine.com.

SINCE

1850

BC 12

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

HERE + NOW

Make a splash “I believe that powder rooms are a space where you can have some fun,” says interior designer Brooke Hatfield.

JODY BECK

That’s just what she did in this renovated 1929 Victoria home. She painted the ceiling black and tiled the floor white, hung a 3D-light fixture that echoes the leaded glass window and introduced warmth and colour with a vintage Turkish rug.

But her biggest statement is this splashy blackand-white mural, which is actually wallpaper from Drop It Modern in the U.S. “Everyone who goes in there says, ‘Oh, this is so cool,’ ” Hatfield says.

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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BRIGHT LIGHTS With its curved, dome-like top and sturdy stem, today’s most stylish table lighting has a chill ’70s retro-futuristic vibe.

GETTING GROOVY Light up the night in upscale 21st century style with the Koepel table lamp. It features a brass-finished dome top, a hand-blown smoked glass base and a brass textile cord that’s so pretty you won’t want to hide it.

Available from Article.

DO I HEAR AN ECHO?

MINUSCULE BUT MIGHTY

The Echo lamp by Moe’s Home has a smoothly curved silhouette that will brighten any corner with a soft glow.

It has a sleek iron base and comes in hues of cream, black and an on-trend grey-green.

Available at Moe’s Home.

Rewild’s tiny homes redefine family living with beautifully bespoke style.

LIGHT THE WAY Designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby created the portable, rechargeable, wireless Bellhop lamp for the Design Museum in London, their idea being to evoke candles of old in a fresh new way. It comes in six different colours and holds a charge for 24 hours.

From Lightform.

J

PHOTOS: JESSICA WHELAN

essica and Patrick Whelan like to joke that “we’re half tiny home builders and half therapists.”

That’s because each of the petite houses they build is a custom job, designed to the last millimetre with their clients’ input. And, says Jessica, “Every single home is different for each person.”

For the past eight years, the Whelans have been partners in the Cobble Hill-based Rewild Homes, building transportable homes that are generally under 600 square feet in size.

“We were going to build one ourselves, and as we were doing our research, there was very little on tiny homes,” Jessica says. Luckily, Patrick worked in residential construction, she came from a design and business background, and “both of us had the spirit to do stuff.”

They never actually moved into that first home they built, but used it as a showcase to start their business.

It was even featured on HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters.

By the time it sold, they already had orders for more.

Now they build six to 12 tiny homes a year, and are fully booked for the next year and a half.

More and more people are seeking tiny homes, for recreational or rental properties, as starter houses or accommodation for elderly parents or adult children, investing in, as Jessica Whelan says, “a sense of caring for their family and caring for their community.”

Rewild Homes’ “Stellar Jay” project is a tiny home that feels big and airy thanks to its sleekly functional minimalist design.

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

GLOW ON THE GO The Setago lamp was created by Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon. Everything you need to know is in the name: “seta” is Spanish for mushroom, and “go” reflects its cordlessly portable nature.

Available from GR Shop.

ISLAND TIME The cone-shaped rattan shade of the Solana table lamp gives off relaxed island vibes, while its unlacquered brass bass is pure luxury in golden hues. Designed by Nicholas Obeid, the lamp’s patina will darken over time, becoming even more richly lustrous.

Find it at CB2.

Back to Nature

SPRING SIPPER

BOOMTOWN PATIO OPENS Beer, burritos and a sunny patio — could there be anything better on a spring day or, indeed, any time?

C

Boomtown co-owners, from left, Christian Barnard and Patrick Lynch, have opened up one of Victoria’s biggest patios.

Rhubarb is one of the earliest tastes of spring, but you can keep your pies and crumbles. We’ll take our rhubarb in liquid form.

“I always loved rhubarb as a chef,” says Jason MacIsaac, the co-owner and master distiller of Sheringham Distillery. Star-anise-flavoured gin is combined with fresh rhubarb juice to create Rhubarb Gin Liqueur, a versatile, low-proof spirit that is delicious lengthened with soda water or as a base for cocktails. “It’s not too sweet, it’s not too tart. It’s balanced, it’s pink, it’s ginny, it’s delicious.”

Big Rhubarb Energy Recipe created by bartender Michael Norbury for Sheringham Distillery.

• 1 1/2 oz Sheringham Rhubarb Gin Liqueur • 1/2 oz dry vermouth JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

hristian Barnard doesn’t think so. He’s one of the co-owners of the newly opened Boomtown beer garden in Harris Green, whose 2,000 or so square feet of patio space might just comprise Victoria’s largest. Boomtown was inspired by the beer gardens Barnard enjoyed in Europe when he was studying landscape architecture, as well as the dive bars and Mexican-influenced dishes of Southern California.

Opened in December, Boomtown serves beer, cocktails and snacks on three sprawling patios where he hopes people will spend the summer mingling and socializing.

“We love the neighbourhood, and we love this old building,” Barnard says. “We wanted to inject some life into this place. We wanted to create a really green place for people to enjoy the sun and burritos and beer.”

• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

ABBY WISEMAN

Stroll Pant

by Ace & Jig, available at Bernstein & Gold

Mien Painters Jacket in saddle brown, available at Luna Collective

JUSTIN CEFAI

A

s the days grow longer, brighter and warmer, let’s take our fashion cues from nature, with loose-fitting, easy-to-layer separates in relaxed textiles and earthy colours.

This chore jacket by Mien, for instance, is a perfect layering piece for those spring days that waver between warm and chilly and back again. Inspired by artists, it has handy oversized pockets, bold buttons and is made from a soft brushed cotton twill tinted a versatile saddle brown using non-toxic dyes.

Available in sizes up to 3X at Luna Collective.

Meanwhile, those of us struggling to get back into hard pants after two years of stretchies will love the wide-legged Stroll Pant by Ace & Jig. A lovely moss green cotton with natural woven stripes, it has an elastic waistband and an all-natural flow, perfect for the warmer weather to come. Available at Bernstein & Gold.

• 1/2 oz orgeat (almond syrup) • 1 dash orange bitters

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice.

Shake vigorously, then double strain into a coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Serves 1.

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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Get your green thumb on At the Gardener’s Kit, discover cool tools and groovy gear just in time for spring flowers.

By Jennifer Hartley

S

pillows | duvets | covers | sheets Great selection from Daniadown, Revelle, Cuddle Down, Brunelli, Pokoloko, Laundress and more!

sweetdreamsboutique.com 250 383 6133 636 Broughton St, Victoria

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

250 656 0510 2492 Beacon Ave, Sidney

aws, sickles, Barracuda clippers, silky Pocketboy blades or a Great Dixter Tickling Fork. To the uninitiated, they may sound like torture devices, but for the experienced gardener, they are magical instruments that help create the beauty around us.

As green thumbs everywhere come out of hibernation looking for new tools, the Gardener’s Kit on Langford Street has a wide selection of items that you can’t get anywhere else.

The shop, which opened in January 2020, is the dream of local professional gardener Susanne Osmond. She discovered highquality gardening and pruning tools made by the Dutch company Sneeboer on a work trip to England a Sneeboer greenhouse mini tools number of years ago and decided to import them, hoping other gardeners would appreciate them. They do.

“I really took a chance,” Osmond says. “I started off selling to the horticultural community in my backyard, then Daikon went to trade tool tote shows, and then the business took off and here we are today.”

JOVANA VUKOTIC/STOCKSY

Osmond is one of two retailers in Canada selling Sneeboer, and she has a wide inventory of other tools, including uniquely shaped Japanese hand instruments. She also carries all the goods you need to take care of them. Everything is available through her website or in the warehouse shop.

Another of her great finds were the light, no-wobble Hasegawa tripod ladders.

“The Japanese inventors are known for their stunning workmanship as well as their creative and distinctive shapes,” Osmond notes. She is the exclusive Western Canadian distributor for them.

With the long-range forecast looking beautiful for spring and summer, there will be a lot of happy gardening enthusiasts in our region.

YAM

Contest Alert!

Spring PRIZE PACKAGE Welcome the season and brighten your days with flowers and some stylish additions to your home décor.

O

ur lucky winner will take home two generous gift certificates — one for $300 from Poppies Floral Art and another for $200 from Fan Tan Home & Style. Enter to win at yammagazine.com. Contest ends April 29. Good luck!

Hasegawa tripod ladder

Feminine florals and bold stripes for Spring. Our latest arrivals from Part Two are now in-store and online.

Lighten things up with lingerie by Montelle. Fresh styles in a wide range of sizes available now.

MODEN & MODEN ESSENTIALS 2418 & 2416 Beacon Avenue, Sidney | 250.655.0774 | modenboutique.com YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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TASTES + TRENDS

By Cinda Chavich

Delicious new pivots from two of our favourite chefs

Sweets and snacks to savour from across the pond

S

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

eeking the perfect nosh for your next BritBox binge? Look no further than the new Limey, The British Shop on Store Street, a literal candy store of British delights.

This is the second Limey location for owner Jules Taschereau. In 2009, she moved from Hampshire in the U.K. to Kelowna, where she opened the first Limey store in 2020. Limey, Taschereau says, refers to the lime juice British sailors were once fed to ward off scurvy. But she’s playing up the pejorative for all it’s worth — the lime-green décor, complete with a portrait of Winston Churchill in a punkish chartreuse mohawk, sets the store’s cheeky style.

Food is the focus, with lots of U.K. candy and snacks (all things Cadbury along with Bird’s Custard trifle kits and Jaffa Cakes), a shelf of savoury stuff (think Heinz Salad Cream or canned mac and cheese), jars of clotted cream and a freezer stocked with meat pies, sausage rolls, British bangers and Sidney Scones.

The only conundrum is choosing the perfect pairing for your favourite show — after all, there are 800 items to consider. I’m thinking cheese-and-onion Tato crisps and Jaffa Cakes with The IT Crowd, a steak pie pub lunch for Coronation Street, an Escape to the Country with Bakewell tarts, Cornish pasties and a splash of Henderson’s Relish from Sheffield. And for a spot of Irish craic, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, there’s Batchelor’s canned Irish peas and Barry’s tea.

Blimey!

YAM’S BEST RESTAURANT AWARDS ARE BACK! We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate Victoria’s exceptional food scene with the return of the YAM’s Best Restaurant Awards in our July/August issue.

Just like all our favourite eateries, we’re pivoting, too, with a few exciting changes in the works, starting with a new awards process. Nominate your favourite restaurant, whether it’s a classic go-to or an exciting new discovery, small or large, high end or low. You have until March 25 to make your nomination. Visit yammagazine.com.

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

Past winner Part & Parcel

HOB Fine Foods is an Though the Fort Street expansion of the House of school has closed, there Boateng café down the street are plenty of options to in Langford. The new gourmet expand your cooking skills, market includes an event whether you join chef Hayes space with an open kitchen in person at a pop-up class where chef Boateng offers a at Sea Cider or virtually in series of interactive cooking a live class online. Private demonstrations for eight to 10 classes with the chef guests, whether scheduled are available, too, for a classes for the public special chef’s table or private classes experience in your for groups or home. team-building The new events. website lists You’ll have a variety of canapés to online classes, nibble while such as a you help the ginger beef chef prepare and broccoli your meal in a stir fry, Thai two- to- threecurry, West Coast hour interactive pan-seared Chef Castro Boateng class that concludes salmon or an (above) and Chef with dinner. That Italian dinner with Dan Hayes could mean his spicy Roman meatballs African-inspired and penne cooking class, arrabiata. beautiful For a canapés and monthly small bites, membership homemade of $20 ($150 soups and a year), stock to fill students your freezer, can join six or an elaborate online classes 12-course tasting each month and menu. Or come have access to The for a special dinner London Chef’s entire with guest chefs — think a video content library. chocolate dinner with beanOnline classes can be to-bar guru David Mincey or accessed from around the a traditional Japanese long world via Zoom — just pick table with chef Moto Nozawa. up the ingredients from the Get tickets for their shopping list provided to classes and long table cook alongside the chef in dinner events online at your own kitchen. hobfinefoods.ca.

“We’re keeping it Meanwhile, after years affordable and hoping to of teaching at his popular build a big community of London Chef cooking school, people,” says co-owner chef Dan Hayes has retooled Micayla Hayes, adding the business, serving up a their future plans include new online option for foodies classes with guest chefs and with a hunger for culinary another permanent location knowledge. for the popular school.

CASTRO BOATENG: JASON SCHULTZ / DAN HAYES: IZZY PULLEN

Blimey, Limey!

From left, Lee and Jules Taschereau offer all our favourite British treats at Limey.

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

For chef Castro Boateng, it’s a new space to share interactive dinners and cooking classes; meanwhile, the London Chef Dan Hayes grows his educational options online.

Bagels, Brisket and Blintzes, Oh My! The Jewish community celebrates Purim and Passover in March and April, respectively, this year, and there’s no better time to indulge in some traditional festive foods.

W

hether it’s a baker’s dozen of fresh Montreal-style bagels from Mount Royal Bagel (a fully Kosher-certified facility), an Israeli-inspired hummus platter from Yalla or the house-cured and smoked sockeye lox served with capers and dill for brunch at Sherwood, classic noshes await.

I love the homestyle cooking at Lox, Stock & Bagel, the little deli at the Jewish Community Centre on Shelbourne Street, where you can get a bowl of chicken soup with fluffy matzo balls, potato knishes, cheese blintzes and “lots of kibbitzing, no extra charge!”

Of course, the JCC serves pastrami on rye, too. But if you’re looking for a Jewish deli devoted to this specialty, a trip to Buzzy’s Luncheonette on Salt Spring Island is in order.

It’s the local hangout where ex-Montrealer Howard (Buzzy) Busgang dishes out the very best smoked brisket sandwiches, plus matzo ball soup, homemade latkes and cheesy latke poutine with brisket drippings.

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“Lots of kibbitzing, no extra charge!”

Montreal smoked meat from Buzzy’s Luncheonette.

Looking for something sweet? Nothing beats the kosher baked goods from The Bikery in the Victoria Public Market. Beyond Markus Spodzieja’s bagels, pretzels and challah, the honey spice cakes and rugelach, filled with his own chocolate hazelnut filling, are not to be missed!

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King of Beers BEER WRITER JOE WIEBE IS TRANSCRIBING THE CRAFT REVOLUTION.

By David Lennam | Photos by Jeffrey Bosdet

22

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

IN PERSON

J

oe Wiebe does not own a beer fridge.

Ok, maybe most of us don’t have a solely dedicated fridge. But most of us aren’t The Thirsty Writer, Wiebe’s alias as one of the country’s top beer writers, author of Craft Beer Revolution and a voice that has become soundtrack to beer events, seminars, awards, launches, on CBC Radio, as founder of Victoria Beer Week, co-founder of The BC Ale Trail or judge of the Canada Beer Cup™.

Wiebe and I are at The Drake, talking over two pints of La Maison, a Belgian-style ale known as saison, from Delta’s Four Winds Brewing. When it debuted four or five years ago, explains Wiebe, saison was a taste ahead of its time, just as B.C.’s craft beer industry has been cutting edge since the province’s first microbrewery popped up in Horseshoe Bay in 1982. Spinnakers opened two years later, and the rush was on. Now there are some 220 breweries in B.C., 16 to 18 of them in Greater Victoria.

BREWING A REVOLUTION In 2013, Wiebe published his seminal Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries. “When I wrote my book,” he says, “I was trying to educate people: Do you know what craft beer is?” He led us on a journey into an industry that has since begun to define the province and establish bragging rights about our beer-making prowess, as well as the culture that has germinated with it.

The reason Wiebe called it a revolution tapped into the huge change in the way we all drank, and looked at, beer. “You and I,” the 51-year-old says, “we grew up in an era when we were drinking Molson and Labatt and it all tasted the same … But I don’t think it’s a revolution any more because there’s an awareness of craft beer now, an understanding.” The sequel he’s pondering might well be called Craft Beer Evolution.

Revolutions, sometimes even evolutions, result in casualties. Could it be that hops is one of them? I’ve heard how an obsession with flavour may be dulling our beer palates with the bitterness of hops. Somewhat naively, I have to ask.

Me: “Have we reached peak hops yet?”

Wiebe (laughing): “What? You mean too many hops? Dude, for old school guys like you and me, we might think we’re there, but the average brewery, a third of their inventory is all these hazy IPAs and they’re probably selling them to people who don’t drink any

other kind of beer and don’t like lagers or the beer you and I grew up drinking. What got them into beer was all these juicy, fruity flavours in these big hazy IPAs, which are all about the hops.

He adds: “So there’s a whole subcategory of beer drinker now who is just drinking that stuff, just like there’s a whole category who is just drinking sours and doesn’t really drink stouts and lagers and all the rest of it.

And that’s why the market has continued to expand. They’ve found these new kinds of customers that they weren’t getting to before.”

CASTING A LONG SHADOW Wiebe’s knowledge of beer isn’t ciceronecertified, it isn’t academic, it doesn’t even come from a place where his hands smell like hops from home brewing. Wiebe might be described as an enthusiast — but he’s one who has educated himself on the subtleties of suds.

Ken Beattie, executive director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild, calls Wiebe a true ambassador for craft beer. He praised Craft Beer Revolution as shining a much-needed light on the emerging craft beer scene.

“Joe really uncovered the depth and the momentum of the craft beer community as it was exploding around the province,” Beattie says. “He travelled to give locally owned and operated breweries in communities and neighbourhoods exposure to an audience they may never have had access to.”

“Big Joe” as they used to call him back when he was box office manager at the Belfry Theatre, casts a long shadow across B.C.’s craft beer industry. He’s built on an XXL, six-foot-six frame, with (sometimes) Edgar Winter’s hair and (sometimes) the beard of a Norse god.

Though we might casually believe Wiebe is only about beer, he’s a family man, a master of board games, a rider of bikes (logging more than 4,000 kilometres last year) and borderline fanatical devotee of baseball. (“I’m definitely a bit of a nerd about statistics,” he says. “I enjoy that aspect of things with baseball.”)

Less publicized is his desire to write a novel. Or novels.

He wrote one for his MFA thesis in creative writing, Mudville, a baseball story about a long-in-the-tooth pitcher who’s going senile.

A book awaiting a publisher.

I suggest a screenplay, but he’s already ahead of me.

“Joe ... [gave] locally owned and operated breweries in communities and neighbourhoods exposure to an audience they may never have had access to.”

A little bit about...

Nancy Stratton

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Loves to cook • Always tries to find time to read a good book, or any book • You can find her walking the harbour and beaches with her golden retriever, Finlay “I come from a big family and my happiest times are spending it together over a meal! I learned to cook early in life and I love to cook for family and friends when I can. My husband of 30 years is a willing participant in being a taste tester! My dream is for us to go to a cooking school in Italy and really learn to how to master the art of Italian food!”

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

“I’ve pictured Clint Eastwood as the lead. I always imagined, what if I somehow get it in front of Clint Eastwood?”

I then suggest he write a novel about beer.

Again, the idea has already been pitched —

by Wiebe’s wife, Allison. “The one meal we went out for in 2020, on my 50th birthday, at Il Terrazzo, my wife said to me, ‘Why don’t you write a novel about the beer world? You know so much about it.’ And I was like, duh, why didn’t I ever think of that before? So I’ve been thinking about it.”

Has he also been thinking of investing in a beer fridge?

“I have a little bit of space in our communal fridge, but [my wife] complains I take it over too much,” laughs Wiebe. “Then she backed away and said, ‘Maybe it’s a good idea not to have a beer fridge. It’s just gonna be full all the time.’ ” Beer fridge or not, Wiebe’s gentle, guiding voice will continue tempting us to tipple. Even those who might be a tough sell.

“Those are usually the people who, unlike you and me, tasted a Molson or a Labatt product when they were young and dumped it out, rather than” — he laughs — “becoming addicted to it. So they associate beer flavour with something they don’t like. For people who say they don’t like beer, I’m very confident that I can always find them something that they’ll like that they haven’t experienced before.

“I can always find something new to try. I’ve been in this game for a long time now and I’m still not bored. I don’t go to the liquor store and think, ‘Oh, nothing new.’ ” Find Joe Wiebe at the eighth annual Victoria Beer Week, April 1 to 9.

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MARVELLOUS MUSHROOMS FUNGI ARE EVEN MORE FABULOUS THAN YOU MAY REALIZE.

By Cinda Chavich

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

T

he stout box that arrives from Foragers Galley is my kind of DIY project — one that guarantees gourmet results.

Right now, it’s just a block of moist, inoculated substrate, but with a little time and TLC, this box promises a delicious crop of home-grown black king pearl oyster mushrooms in less than a month.

And it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Not only will I have two (and up to four) “flushes” or crops from this grow-at-home kit, but the instructions also say that if I bury the spent growing medium (a mixture of sawdust and legume waste) in my garden, there’s a good chance I’ll have lovely oyster mushrooms popping up for years to come.

PHOTO: JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

MUSHROOM GROWING IS GROWING Foragers Galley is a small mushroom farm in West Saanich, the brainchild of keen foragers and fast friends Jonathan Wright, Janusz Urban and Brendan Harris.

They are hand-cultivating a variety of gourmet mushrooms in the temperature-controlled environment of a shipping container and selling their small crops of black king pearl (BKP), blue oyster, lion’s mane and chestnut mushrooms to chefs and small grocers around Victoria. They still get out into the woods to forage wild golden chanterelle, morel, porcini and lobster mushrooms in season, but this growing operation has added a whole new dimension to their business.

“It started as a passion project,” says Wright, who notes that he and his bearded buddies love to sail and hike around the region, hunting, fishing and foraging for wild foods of all kinds, from sea asparagus and gooseneck barnacles to salmon berries and wild

mushrooms. But the mushroom farm takes their fascination with fungi to the next level.

“We have a sterile lab where we grow the culture out and a fruiting chamber with controlled conditions,” he says. “We can grow 200 pounds of mushrooms a week. And now we have our mushrooms and grow kits in over 30 retailers and on more than a dozen restaurant menus.”

Foragers Galley plans to expand with a second facility in the Cowichan Valley this year and produce some value-added mushroom products, including pickled shiitakes and dried mushroom rubs.

It’s a similar story up island, where family-run Comox Valley Mushrooms produces a variety of colourful pink, blue, golden and black oyster mushrooms, plus lion’s mane, shiitake, matsutake and unusual varieties like elm and chestnut mushrooms for local chefs and markets.

You’ll find them selling fresh mushrooms at the Cumberland Farmers’ Market, and you can buy direct online or even sign up for one of their mushroom cultivation workshops.

Once you’ve honed your mushroomgrowing skills, you can create your own expanded set-up, complete with a domed grow box or indoor mushroom growing tent, from Myco, based in Duncan. They specialize in equipment and supplies for mycology enthusiasts, both hobbyist and commercial growers, with growing mediums and liquid cultures of medicinal reishi and turkey tail mushrooms, and edible oyster and lion’s mane, to get your fungi experiments started.

Myco also sells a mini Mushbox kit, complete with the colonized substrate and soil required to grow a variety of mushrooms. Or you can find blocks of red alder inoculated with ready-to-grow shiitake or oyster mushrooms, from Salt Spring Sprouts and Mushrooms at the Moss Street Market.

MARVELLOUS MUSHROOM MEALS Wild mushrooms are a special treat, but cultivated oyster and shiitake mushroom staples, whether from a farm or a grow-at-home kit, are also

At Foragers Galley, co-founder Jonathan Wright and his team produce the kind of mushrooms chefs love, like these golden enokis.

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

PINK OYSTER

BLUE OYSTER

BLACK KING PEARL

WHITE OYSTER

LION’S MANE

BLUE OYSTER AND BLACK KING PEARL: MOLLY JANE; LION’S MAIN: FORAGERS GALLEY; PINK AND WHITE OYSTER: GETTY IMAGES

a culinary revelation when compared to the usual supermarket varieties.

After a quick, hot sauté in a little butter, each oyster mushroom I tried had a distinct texture, flavour and character that was miles from the ubiquitous button. The blue oyster was mild and velvety, while the sweet king oyster cooked to dense, crispy perfection.

Wright recommends the pink oyster as a vegan ham substitute and says the large black king oyster can be simply seasoned and grilled. The chunky white lion’s mane, with its many hairy spikes, is large (reaching 1.5 pounds) and dense. It makes a meaty mushroom steak or offers a crab-like texture when cooked and pulled apart.

Chef Castro Boateng breads lion’s mane and serves it as a vegan “fried chicken” with curry and coconut-braised lentils. He also serves crispy oyster mushroom “wings” with fermented carrots and his harissa aioli for dipping.

“Vegan mushroom wings are on our snack menu, dipped in a tempura batter and fried until nice and crispy,” says Boateng, who buys 70-plus pounds of mushrooms from Foragers Galley each week. “These guys grow mushrooms and are really knowledgeable — they’re giving us top quality mushrooms.”

In fact, whether it’s seared sablefish with chanterelles; mushroom risotto with lion’s mane,

cauliflower and chestnut mushrooms; or braised short ribs with foraged mushrooms, Boateng features fungi in almost every dish.

“We slice the lion’s mane and batter and fry it or marinate it with olive oil and herbs and grill it like a steak,” he says. “The texture is almost like meat.”

These gourmet mushrooms are popping up on other menus, too. The chefs at Agrius pair oyster mushrooms with local fish, and you can order a mushroom quesadilla kit from MAiiZ Nixtamal, complete with handmade tortillas, local cheese curds and a grow-your-own kit from Foragers Galley for blue oyster mushrooms.

Mushrooms offer meaty texture and savoury umami flavour, whether simply sautéed in butter, enjoyed as an appetizer on crostini, in a creamy pasta sauce or soup, or fast-fried with garlic, shallots and white wine to dump over a grilled steak. Try raw enoki mushrooms in a salad or Asian noodle bowl, and shiitakes cooked with sesame oil and soy in stir fries or ramen.

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MUSHROOMS AS MEDICINE We all know how delicious wild mushrooms are, but the latest buzz around the fruiting bodies of our forest fungi is their medicinal qualities.

Many are prized for their culinary and functional properties. Oyster mushrooms are loaded with protein, fibre and all essential amino acids, plus B-vitamins like niacin and riboflavin. Shaggy lion’s mane mushrooms are both a delicacy and a brain booster. The savoury Japanese shiitake marries well with Asian ingredients and contains compounds to increase immunity and reduce cholesterol.

And medicinal mushrooms, from chaga to fan-shaped turkey tail mushrooms and reishi, are popping up in all kinds of powders and products, touted as potential miracles for people (and pets) suffering various health problems ranging from cancer to depression.

American mycologist and mushroom evangelist Paul Stamets uses his books and TED talks to spread the word about his mushroom discoveries. Stamets says oyster mushrooms can remove toxins from the environment, digesting plastics and other pollutants from oil spills and PCBs to nuclear waste.

Rare mushrooms, like the agarikon found only in the bits of old growth forests still standing on this coast, may protect us from future pandemics, he says. During a recent research trip to B.C., Stamets collected 80 strains of the ancient mushroom on Cortes Island, with plans to culture the fungus at his Fungi Perfecti farm in Olympia, Washington, to treat COVID-19 patients.

A mycelium extract from the polypore (bracket fungi) growing on trees on Cortes may also fight viruses that affect honeybees and lead to colony collapse, he says.

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It was the late James Barber (TV’s Urban Peasant) who made cultivated B.C. mushrooms “marvellous” for Canadian consumers, and he would no doubt concur that the new Island mushroom growers are onto something very good.

Here on the wet West Coast, wild mushrooms flourish in the old growth, whether the valuable matsutake (pine mushroom) or the dark, conical morel that blankets the spring forest after a burn. There are golden chanterelles in the fall, wild oyster mushrooms and woody medicinal turkey tails sprouting from tree trunks.

“Mushrooms are deeply embedded in the culture of the West Coast,” says grower and forager Wright.

We’re also just beginning to learn more about how the fungi and the forest are inextricably linked — a support system of underground mycelium, nourishing and sharing information among trees, and a blueprint for a healthier understanding of our own place in the natural world.

A new study found eating mushrooms lowers the risk of depression, and that’s not only the hallucinogenic “magic mushroom” with its psychedelic psilocybin. Apparently, eating almost any mushroom will improve your mental health because fungi contain the amino acid ergothioneine, which can reduce anxiety.

That may be why this box on my kitchen counter, promising a gorgeous cluster of velvety black oyster mushrooms, has me giddy with anticipation and joy.

“MUSHROOMS ARE DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE CULTURE OF THE WEST COAST.”

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According to Victoria’s interior designers, we’re filling our homes with calm spaces, natural colours and oh, so many plants.

By Sandra Thomas

On these two pages: This Victoria residential project by Bidgood + Co. captures many of the year’s top décor trends, from curved furnishings to verdant houseplants to earthy hues inspired by nature.

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

MARY MCNEIL KNOWLES

Décor Trends for 2022

K

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: MARY MCNEIL KNOWLES

eep calm, and place a few monsteras around your home.

YAM recently spoke with several Victoriabased designers about the year’s top décor trends, and they agreed — unanimously — that after another tumultuous year of world events, what we need most in our homes is a sense of calm.

They are gently promoting the benefits of soothing colour palettes, fresh greenery and sustainable materials as important home décor trends for 2022. That’s not to say personal expression and colour are no longer key when considering interior design.

In fact, with more of us working, studying and schooling at home, creating a functional space we also love has never been more important.

“For the time being, people seem more reflective and aware of the joys to be found at home,” says Darren Ausmus, co-owner of Luxe Home Interiors. “I predict people will continue to seek solace, comfort and joy in their homes, creating an oasis, a safe and calm space to nurture their own well-being and that of their families.”

And those safe, calm, welcoming spaces owe more than a little to the natural world.

“There is a tremendous demand for linens and natural woven textures. Part of this is driven by how these fabrics look and feel, creating warm and inviting interiors,” says Paula Grypma, the lead designer and specialist in custom window coverings, draperies and soft furnishings at Outlooks Design.

“In terms of colour, we’re leaning toward a warm and nourishing palette featuring clays, rusts and ochres that offer a relaxing and earthed appeal,” says Curtis Vertefeuille, the owner of Moe’s Home Collection Victoria. “Steady, rich and nourishing for a grounded sense of calm, authenticity and optimism, that is our aim.” He adds that this colour spectrum is intended to play backdrop to “balance

and lighten all other colour harmonies, enhance well-being and appeal to — and soothe — the senses.”

“Dark is the new light,” says Ben Brannen, principal designer and owner of Bespoke Design. “We want our spaces to be cozy, dark and moody.” While warm colours will replace the greys so popular in recent years, he adds, that doesn’t mean you need to immediately replace every piece in your home. Instead, start by changing up accessories, including pillows, art and decorative pieces.

Still, when it comes to trends, Brannen advises keeping an eye on what top designers are doing as a way to differentiate between what he describes as a temporary style “blip” or longer-lasting “movement.”

“When they throw purple or other odd colours out there, I just don’t think they’re going to be around for long,” says Brannen. “It’s like black stainless-steel appliances. Give some thought to that.”

But, he adds, there is one trend that never goes out of style: Hope.

“I’m throwing optimism in as a trend as well.”

Here are the top 10 trends to consider in home décor for 2022 and beyond.

1

Curve Appeal

After years of straight lines, sharp edges and angular symmetry, curves are back, especially when it comes to upholstered pieces. Look for curved sofa backs, rolled English arms on chairs and rounded cushions, in both traditional and contemporary designs.

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2

Inspired by Nature

Over the past two years, we have found solace in nature. It’s where we’ve socialized, exercised and felt the safest and most at peace. Is it any wonder, then, that we’re bringing the most soothing elements of the outdoors indoors?

Nature is inspiring everything in décor from colour to texture, shape and materials. For Vertefeuille, that means marble, stone, wood and sculptural silhouettes. “The materials, quality and construction of our latest and upcoming designs lend to the ongoing pleasure of crafting composition, atmosphere and ambience,” he says, adding that when it comes to wood, “Our new introductions focus on warmer walnuts and stained oaks that embrace inherent tactility, authentic graining and natural, expressive patterning.”

3

Plant Power

There is no better way to tap into nature than to surround yourself with green living things.

In the home, as in nature, plants can help lift moods and boost creativity, productivity and concentration, says Vertefeuille. They also reduce stress, mental fatigue and seasonal depression, and are therapeutic because you have to make an effort to care for them. So, place some potted plants around your home, and add a few hanging ones as well — yes, Brannen says, even those macramé hangers and glass bowls in fishnet that were so popular in the 1970s.

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4

Layered Textures

Look around your space and imagine how adding fabric could soften, welcome or offer a beautiful backdrop to a room, suggests Grypma.

That could mean lush upholstery, nubbly throws, woven cushions and rich window coverings — all layered to create a multi-dimensional feel.

Fabrics can offer a sense of nature, for instance, when natural fibres are woven into window coverings, transforming the light that filters through them from “harsh to soft energy,” Grypma says. And she notes, the latest upholstery fabrics look like organic fibres, but are actually synthetic so are extremely durable and practical for busy families.

Layered textures not only create visual interest, they add muchneeded warmth inside our homes, especially after the stressful events of the past two years, says Elaine Balkwill, a member of the Luxe Home design team. Besides, she adds, “We can’t travel, but we can bring the world to our homes in textiles and rugs.”

And, Brannen says, “Why not bring fun textures into the mix?” He suggests opting for big chunky, long-haired accessories, including pillows, but cautions that this trend might be considered a “blip.”

5

Roll in the Bar Cart

If there is one essential piece of furniture to invest in this year, it’s the bar cart. “Bar carts are very flexible in their use,” says Colleen Jamison, part of the design team at Luxe Home, who notes that the bar cart has played a bigger role in décor as people have gotten more creative in how they entertain at home. And bar carts are not just for liquor. Use them for high tea or to display family treasures, books and candles, creating a moveable feast of style.

Tiered bar console from West Elm.

6

Warm up to Colour Colour this season is warmer and more intense than it has been in recent years.

“When society is feeling under pressure, we want brighter and bolder colours,” says Brannen.

We are beginning to shift away from the cool whites, greys and pops of blue that have been so popular for so long and moving toward colours inspired by nature. That means all shades of green as well as the earthy red tones and mustard yellows that are already popular in the world of fashion and accessories. As Jamison says, “The ’70s are back.”

When it comes to neutrals, look for earth tones and lighter hues such as soft green, cream and taupe, which create “multi-dimensional, nourishing feelings, while rust, muted ochre and French navy offer a sense of warmth,” says Vertefeuille. Or think pink. “Everyone looks great in a pink room and I’m seeing it everywhere,” says Brannen.

JOE ST.PIERRE/STOCKSY

7

Sustainable Materials

With our renewed focus on health and awareness of environmental issues, sustainability has become an important aspect of décor. New builds are incorporating energy-efficient features, but even if you’re not able to install an EV charger, solar panels or a heat pump, you can make small but important changes to improve your environment (and the planet’s).

For instance, you can opt for natural and organic fibres, materials, paints and dyes over synthetic ones. “It’s good to limit the amount of chemicals that come into your house,” Brannen says. Moe’s Home, for instance, is introducing a new line of planters and decorative vessels that Vertefeuille describes as “true handmade artisanal wares from India and Peru,” some of which is made from COMIX and Global Recycling Standard-certified composite materials.

An interest in sustainability is also driving people to choose vintage, antique or other pre-loved furnishings instead of new ones, and working them into their more contemporary décor. (Read more about this trend on page 58.)

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8

Versatile Spaces Over the past two years, our homes have become our offices, our schoolrooms, our gyms, our spas and the places we entertain our friends and family. That means interiors need to multi-task just as we do. Vertefeuille anticipates “more in-tune home office setups,” as well as mood-boosting statements, modular configurations and multi-functional designs. That could mean kitchen islands that transform from work to play to dining or window coverings that combine stylish finishes with practical criteria such as light control, privacy filters and automation.

But all this multi-functionality also means we need our places of calm and refuge, so be sure to create serene spaces for the whole family, whether that means a spa-inspired bathroom, a quiet corner for meditation or a cozy reading nook with plush pillows and snuggly throws.

9

Group Think If you’re aching for a refresh but don’t have the time, budget and/or energy for a full makeover, consider investing in a few new accessories, then arrange them in an attractive tableau. Balkwill suggests choosing accessories in organic shapes and materials. “Look at the shapes in your home, colours, textures; play off these,” she says.

Grouping accessories such as coffee-table books, glassware, ceramics, vases, ornamental items and small art pieces can instantly update your home, Jamison says.

“They are readily available and budget friendly,” she adds. “Start by editing what you have. Consider scale and proportion as well.”

10

Take it Outside

Now that the days are getting warmer, it’s time to take our social lives outside, and that means updating our outdoor living spaces.

Look for long tables and benches for family-style gatherings, versatile configurations and clean silhouettes, Vertefeuille says, along with contrasting elements such as metal, concrete, rattan and more natural fibres.

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In this moment...

You need a team you can trust with the decisions that matter most.

HOME + LIFESTYLE

ELEGANCE ON HIGH An artful renovation transforms a stark Uplands home into an epicentre of creativity.

W

hen designer Ann Squires Ferguson walked onto the site of a renovation in a prestigious home in Victoria’s Uplands district, she knew it needed transformation. While it was beautiful, there was something off about it.

“The home didn’t represent the client’s appreciation of natural beauty. It was stark to the point of being austere,” she says. “The bones of the house were really like a skeleton; it was bare, and it needed flesh.”

The house was built in the 1990s by an architect firm from San Diego, but the iconic modern geometric structure was defined by sharp edges, triangular shapes and a sombre colour palette. High-gloss grey cabinets paired

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with vaulted windows, concrete flooring and minimalist touches.

“The homeowner said to me, ‘Why don’t we make changes so I can sell it?’ ” says Squires Ferguson, CEO of Western Design+Build and Design District. “I told her, ‘We’re going to make changes so you fall in love with it, and you’ll never want to leave.’ ” In an effort to reclaim the space, Squires Ferguson drew inspiration from an unexpected place: her client’s wardrobe. The woman loved the arts; she was inspired by creativity and championed it for many venues. She was also a respected professional and at the helm of a large family. Her personal style reflected elegant textiles and natural fabrics.

By Danielle Pope

This home’s cold sharp edges had the homeowner planning to resell — until designer Ann Squires Ferguson convinced her the right modifications could transform the space into one she’d love. Warm natural textures, curvaceous lines and colourful art were all used to breathe life into the home and turn it into an elegant oasis. Squires Ferguson made some tactical adjustments to achieve this, like shifting the Ingo Maurer Flying Flames chandelier from over the dining table to the entryway.

PHOTOS ON PAGES 42 AND 43: DASHA ARMSTRONG

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: DASHA ARMSTRONG

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“We can learn a lot about someone by what they choose to put closest to their body. A question I will sometimes ask is ‘What do you love to wear?’ ” says Squires Ferguson. “This client had a refined esthetic and knew what she liked. We wanted to bring in an organic sensuality to the space: curves, textures and natural movement.”

Art and texture were the anchor of this project, starting from a unique circular walnut table the homeowner acquired from Live Edge Design’s OneTree Exhibition — an event that celebrated the value of a single tree by creating as much beauty from its wood as possible. The owner was so moved by the design, she asked Live Edge to complete her kitchen with the same mission, using a single slab of walnut. Squires Ferguson and her team were drafted onto the project to assist in the design, and today the cabinetry displays the unique growth of a tree across the entire kitchen.

“Most cabinet makers would say there are a few things that make it impossible to make solid slab doors like that,” says John Lore, owner of Live Edge Design. “For one, it is virtually impossible to purchase wood long enough to have the grain match horizontally around the entire kitchen. As well, humidity changes cause too much wood movement to have large

expanses of wood in that orientation without having the doors shrink or warp. For these reasons, saner cabinet makers would use a thin veneer to achieve this look, but we like to create something that will last generations.”

To bring more natural movement into the space, Mike Randall, principal designer of Mike Randall Design, was brought in to create his sculptural lighting, with two custom 10-foot black walnut S-Lights installed over the island.

These paired with twin six-foot black walnut S-Lights over the couches in the living area to bring cohesion to the large space.

“The biggest challenge was making the custom 10-foot lights,” says Randall. “Every step of the process, from shaping the 12-foot blanks to the glue-up, balancing and wiring, was a challenge because of their size. However, in a space like this, where the added organic feel of the shape fits perfectly with the overall design, they are ideal.”

Natural textures were amplified by the use of three distinct stones — a tumbled white marble backsplash, granite on the perimeter cabinets and a single slab of stone on the oversized eightby-eight-foot island, which is subtly seamed with a raised bar top. Intricate touches, like the rough-hewn edge on the side table, bring the hint of a mountain range into the space.

“WE WANTED TO BRING IN AN ORGANIC SENSUALITY TO THE SPACE: CURVES, TEXTURES AND NATURAL MOVEMENT.”

Left: Custom 10-foot black walnut S-Lights, created by Mike Randall Design, were installed over the kitchen’s island and match the six-foot S-Lights in the living area.

The curves and connection to natural materials were chosen to bring shapely femininity to the area.

Below left: The rough-hewn edge of the granite countertop above the bar draws a rocky mountainous theme into the kitchen with the help of a piece from the homeowner’s personal art collection hanging in the nook.

JOSHUA LAWRENCE

Right: The walls of the home were redefined as a gallery space for the homeowner to hang her collected works. The hanging pendants throughout the space add visual interest to the room and help fill the open, vaulted environment.

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“It’s like you’re having a picnic every night, gathered around this epic stone in your home,” says Squires Ferguson. “It has this velvety, rich texture, which you don’t usually get to say about stone. It really speaks to the homeowner’s elegant sense of style.”

While much of the kitchen was re-visioned, some signature pieces stayed, like the preexisting gas range and wine cooler. For a large, close-knit family that loves to cook, Squires Ferguson says this area is the epicentre of the home. Kitchen projects often include at least two workstations, but this project required six work centres to accommodate grown children and their partners.

“THE DESIGN FOR THIS PROJECT WAS REALLY FUNCTIONAL, FEMININE AND SENSUAL WITHOUT BEING OSTENTATIOUS.”

The design also welcomed modern conveniences, such as a motorized lift cupboard for storing an out-of-sight mixer, integrated touch panels for the dishwasher and fridge drawers, pull-out wine glass storage and technology to keep items hidden but accessible.

“The design for this project was really functional, feminine and sensual without being ostentatious,” says Squires Ferguson, reflecting on the homeowner’s personal approach.

“Understated elegance is her in every way.”

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE: DASHA ARMSTRONG

When it came time to redo her kitchen, the homeowner asked John Lore of Live Edge Design to warm up the contemporary-styled concrete with walnut to match the centrepiece round table. To achieve this, Lore used solid walnut wood slabs, all made from the same tree, with its grain running horizontally to align from door to door.

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by Mt Maxwell Provincial Park’s hectaresRange. of old-growth.

This 7300sqft French Country Manor sits 350m above sea level, backed by Mt Maxwell Provincial Park’s 1100 hectares of old-growth. This 7300sqft French Country Manor 350mmeadows above sea backedand

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This serene landscape of over 300 treesits species, oflevel, wildflowers, statue-guarded trails isPark’s the ultimate in seclusion and immersion serene landscape of over 300 tree species, meadows of wildflowers, and statue-guarded trails is the ultimate in seclusion and immersion serene landscape of over 300 tree species, meadows of wildflowers, and statue-guarded trails is the ultimate in seclusion and immersion into nature. As a private residence or retreat, Zauberberg is superbly equipped. All bedrooms feature ensuite bathrooms, while the primary into nature. As a private residence or retreat, Zauberberg is superbly equipped. All bedrooms feature ensuite bathrooms, while the primary into As a private residence or retreat, superbly equipped.

Allentrance. bedroomsPower feature ensuite while primary suitenature. sits aboves a medical wing with office,Zauberberg 2 treatmentis rooms, and a private and waterbathrooms, are assured by athe new well/ suite sits aboves a medical wing with office, 2 treatment rooms, and a private entrance. Power and water are assured by a new well/ suite sits aboves a medical withas office, 2 treatment rooms, and a 5000L private propane entrance.tank.

Power and west, wateraare assured by a sauna new well/ UV system with 2,000 gallonwing cistern, well as a backup generator and To the pagoda-inspired sits UV system with 2,000 gallon cistern, as well as a backup generator and 5000L propane tank. To the west, a pagoda-inspired sauna sits UV system with 2,000 gallonone cistern, as wellponds. as a backup generator and 5000L including propane tank.

To the west, a pagoda-inspired sauna amongst the trees adjacent of 3 serene Gardens and horse facilities 3 paddocks, 2 horse stables and pasture to sits the amongst the trees adjacent one of 3 serene ponds. Gardens and horse facilities including 3 paddocks, 2 horse stables and pasture to the amongst trees adjacent of 3 serene barn ponds.

Gardens and horse facilities including 3 paddocks, 2 horse stables and pasture to the north are the complemented by one a timber-frame with RV hookup. north are complemented by a timber-frame barn with RV hookup. north are complemented by a timber-frame barn with RV hookup.

Dean Innes Dean Innes Dean Innes SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT REAL ESTATE ADVISOR OF SALES REAL ESTATE ADVISOR REAL ESTATE ADVISOR

c 250.686.0279 c 250.686.0279 250.686.0279 tc 250.380.3933 t 250.380.3933 tdinnes@sothebysrealty.ca 250.380.3933 dinnes@sothebysrealty.ca dinnes@sothebysrealty.ca

Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned And Operated.

Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned And Operated.

Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned And Operated.

JOSHUA LAWRENCE

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This page: Modern and angular, the original architecture of the home was eased with creative flourishes, including the hallway’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves created as a display case for the homeowner’s prized books and collectibles.

JOSHUA LAWRENCE

Opposite page: The single-tree walnut table, pictured here and created by Live Edge Design, was what first caught the eye of the homeowner and became the inspiration for her kitchen. The hand-blown glass Bocci pendant over the table draws the circular motif upwards to soften the home’s sharp triangular edges.

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JOSHUA LAWRENCE

Our storefront is moving...

We’re celebrating with weekly specials and giveaways to honour our loyal supporters.

Come see us in Victoria at Uptown this May. Pickups will still be available at our Duncan warehouse.

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126 STATION STREET, DOWNTOWN DUNCAN 50

YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: JOSHUA LAWRENCE

Above and left: What’s visible outside the home is as important to the homeowner as what is seen inside. Intentional landscaping brought a soft elegance to the environment, with choice vegetation creating Zen vantage points and infusing the formerly concrete environment with lush greens.

Below: Circular motifs were drawn throughout this home to cushion its pre-existing architecture. Rounded end tables and textile designs create a gentle and feminine atmosphere to achieve the look Squires Ferguson and the homeowner wanted.

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STYLE WATCH

natural beauty

Freshen your look for spring with jewelry and accessories inspired by nature. Think soft colours, floral patterns, organic shapes and gleaming metallics.

Fashion Stylist: Janine Metcalfe | Photographer: Michelle Proctor

Previous page: Starwatcher flower dress by Scotch & Soda, available at Frances Grey; long white earrings by Etereo, available at Hudson’s Bay, Mayfair Mall; gold bracelets by Jenny Bird, available at Tulipe Noire; 18-karat yellow gold and 19-karat white gold handmade ring from the Renaissance collection, and 18-karat yellow gold Crown ring, all by idar and available at idar.

This page: Purple cashmere sweater by Van Kukil, available at Tulipe Noire; handmade printed scarf by Avanta Design, available at Broadmead Pharmasave; Houston sunglasses by MYKITA, available at Maycock Eyecare; gold earrings by Little Gold, available at littlegold.com.

Opposite: Rossa ring, Janette ring and Janette earrings, all by Shannon Munro and available at shannonmunro.com.

This page: Winterice blouse by Molly Bracken, available at Amelia Lee Boutique. Jewelry by idar and available at idar: 18-karat yellow gold drops for hoops set with 56.94 TCW natural tourmaline slices, 18-karat yellow gold Crown ring.

Opposite: White turtleneck by Mus & Bombon, available at Amelia Lee Boutique; vintage scarf from Mintage; and Punkouture sunglasses by TAVAT, available at Maycock Eyecare. Gold necklace and earrings by Jenny Bird, available at Tulipe Noire.

Contents, page 6: Blue leopard print blouse

by Buffalo, available at Hudson’s Bay, Mayfair Mall; delicate stone necklaces and small gold earrings, all by Little Gold, available at littlegold.com.

Model: Taylor Reeves/Lizbell Agency Hair & makeup: Anya Ellis/Lizbell Agency Products: Sappho New Paradigm, Aveda, Indie Lee

V

After years of sleek modern minimalism, nothing soothes the eye like a few vintage pieces. This kitchen designed

by Green Island Builders gracefully blends new and old styling for something completely fresh.

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JODY BECK

intage Va-

-voom

What’s old is new again in home furnishings. But how do you mix your fabulous found pieces with contemporary styling? By Sandra Thomas

BETTER FOR THE PLANET For some people, shopping at thrift stores and antique and vintage shops is a much-loved hobby, but for others, the idea of buying used couches or dining tables had never been a consideration until two major cultural shifts occurred.

One is our year of environmental disasters, which has made the message “reduce, reuse, recycle” more important than ever. Buying preowned items is one excellent way of keeping larger pieces of furniture out of the landfill.

The other is the global pandemic, and the way it forced supply chains around the world to grind almost to a halt. Among other issues, factories in countries producing consumer goods, such as China, closed when the pandemic began in 2020. Meanwhile, consumers forced into lockdown turned their attention to their indoor and outdoor spaces — and online sales soared. Once factories began to reopen, the demand for home furnishings far outweighed production and shipping capabilities, driving prices up and slowing deliveries down.

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

N

ot so long ago, inheriting grandma’s mid-century teak dining table or tufted velvet sofa would have meant a quick click over to Kijiji or a guilty trip to the transfer station. But suddenly those vintage pieces are looking fresh, exciting and surprisingly fashionable — yes, even in the most contemporary of homes.

“More and more customers want the warmth that vintage and antiques can offer but also like the cleanliness of modern,” says Morgan Hass, owner of the Victoria-based virtual vintage shop What’s Lost and Found. “It’s what I’m seeing in magazines and in celebrity homes. People want rare items that aren’t oversaturated.”

In part, it’s because we’re craving something new after years of minimalist Scandi design. But there are also bigger cultural forces at play.

“Our lens has narrowed, and we’re not travelling as much, so people are looking at their homes with fresh eyes,” says Lorri McCrackin, owner and interior designer at Victoria-based Lorri McCrackin Designs. “They’re wondering, ‘How do I reuse the things I have?’ They’re also shopping more locally and at antique stores.”

With a little digging, it’s very possible to find quality pieces at affordable prices, especially given Victoria’s plethora of great antique and vintage stores. But then what?

Morgan Hass, owner of the online vintage store What’s Lost and Found, loves mixing old with new pieces.

Among them: thrift store finds like this unusual mid-century stamped and numbered six-armed vessel, possibly from South America.

Hass says people often feel overwhelmed trying to think of ways to reduce their carbon footprint. “But if for every item they buy new, they buy something used, they’ll realize that secondhand isn’t second best, and that holds a lot of truth,” she says. “Then they’ll start that journey of realization.”

MIX AND MATCH It’s all in how you mix the pieces. Designers agree that adding some vintage pieces to contemporary décor adds interest to a room.

“The whole modern/rustic and contemporarymeets-classic is in right now,” says Hass.

McCrackin notes the scarcity of readily available furniture is forcing consumers to consider purchasing “found” items, possibly for the first time. Many people have turned to sites like Facebook Marketplace or are

shopping at estate sales in search of furniture in good condition, which means they can shop locally and pick it up themselves to avoid shipping problems.

The problem is, even if someone falls in love with an antique or vintage piece of furniture, they try to imagine it in their contemporary home, and, because they’re not sure what to do with it, often don’t buy it. And that can lead to regret.

“That’s what I try and help them with,” says McCrackin. “I say, if you love it, let’s make it work so you can use it and surround yourself with things you love.”

Besides, says Hass, you really can’t make a mistake when buying vintage or antique pieces when those markets are so hot right now.

“If you don’t like it once you get it home,” she says, “you can always sell it.”

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VALENTINA SOCCI/LIVING4MEDIA

Mixing vintage and contemporary pieces allows you to express your unique personal style, especially when combining multiple eras of décor.

How to mix old and new Don’t buy a piece just for the sake of buying.

“I buy things when I need them and tend to take my time finding them,” says McCrackin. “If I go into an antique store, I want to have an emotional reaction to something.

Those are the things I purchase.”

Hass agrees and adds if you have a particular piece in mind, don’t give up if you can’t immediately find it. “That’s the thrill of the thrift,” she says. “Check out Facebook Marketplace, and go to antique and vintage stores, and if they don’t have it, ask the owners if they know where you might find it.”

To keep things interesting, consider mixing contemporary, antique and mid-century modern furniture and accessories, so long as it makes sense.

McCrackin suggests finding pieces with the same colour wood tones. For example, a mid-century chair with walnut arms in the living room will complement an antique teak table in the dining room.

Surround an older piece with contemporary accessories.

Using an antique dining table as an example, McCrackin says it’s important to surround a traditional

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RADOSLAW WOJNAR/LIVING4MEDIA

Don’t use too many pieces from the same time period.

piece with contemporary accessories so the style of the room flows with the rest of the home. She suggests pairing that antique table with clean lines, including upholstered or modern chairs, and a contemporary chandelier to create contrast, which, in turn, makes the room more interesting.

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Halibut Cheek Ceviche

Too many vintage pieces can make your home look like grandma’s attic. Limit yourself to just a few items — like a lounge chair or or a vintage painting — for the biggest impact.

SERVES 4-6 AS AN APPETIZER

Limit the number of vintage pieces in a room.

“You don’t want too much, but if you mix it properly, the result is high contrast and it’s awesome,” says Ben Brannen, principal designer and owner of Bespoke Design. And make sure to vary your art pieces: “You don’t want them to match,” he says.

Keep knick-knacks under control.

McCrackin says she recently worked with a client who had an emotional attachment to a collection of Hummel figurines passed down from her mom. “Who wants to look at a set of 15 Hummels?” says McCrackin, who instead created a display that incorporated just one of the porcelain figurines. “She still got the same emotional charge a group of them would give, but liked it a lot more than having a bunch of tchotchkes all over the place.”

• 300g wild B.C. halibut cheeks or fillets, chopped • 1 pink grapefruit, segmented & chopped • 1 blood orange, segmented & chopped • 1 shallot, minced • 2 Tbsp yuzu juice • 3 limes, juiced

• 2 green onions, sliced • 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped • 2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped • 1 jalapeno, chopped • 1 avocado, diced • 1-2 tsp kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge. Allow the fish to cure in the citrus juice for 30 to 45 minutes before serving. Fish should be opaque and firm to the touch. Serve with your favourite tortilla chips or as a filling for tacos!

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Find new uses for old items.

McCrackin notes if you find an item used in a kitchen years ago, consider placing it somewhere else in the home. She adds a recent client fell in love with an oversized copper cauldron but didn’t have the space in her kitchen to properly display it. McCrackin ended up placing it in her living room beside the sofa and filled it up with books and magazines, which the client loved.

Hass is also a fan of restoring found pieces and advises keeping an open mind when shopping for used furniture and accessories.

“With a little TLC, they’ll be rewarded with a budget-friendly, beautiful piece that’s esthetically pleasing,” says Hass. “It’s about trying to see the possibilities and looking beyond the imperfections.”

Keep things fresh by using old pieces in new and unexpected ways. Vintage kitchen crocks can become new planters, an Art Deco table your new desk or an old china cabinet your chic new bathroom storage.

CECILA MÖLLER/LIVING4MEDIA

I believe that every customer deserves the best care and service.

Know your finds Your found treasure is also a conversation piece, so you should know a little bit about it. Here are just some of the styles you are likely to find around Victoria.

✦ Antique

Anything more than 100 years old.

✦ Vintage

A piece between 20 and 100 years old.

✦ Thrift-store treasure

Basically, inexpensive pieces found in secondhand stores.

✦ Victorian

This refers to the jumble of overlapping revival styles — including Gothic, Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne — popular during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 to 1901). Ornate, highly decorative and occasionally eccentric.

✦ Art Deco

✦ Craftsman

✦ Mid-century modern

A North American architectural movement at the turn of the 20th century (sometimes called Mission or Arts and Crafts) that emphasizes simplicity of form, use of local materials and honesty in construction.

A design movement of the 1920s and ’30s (also called Style Moderne) of sleek, sophisticated and anti-traditional elegance. It features rich colours, bold geometry, richly embellished designs and gleaming metal accents.

An American design movement closely associated with the period between 1945 through 1969. It features optimistic, sometimes futuristic, pieces in teak, glass, metal or colourful plastics. Think Palm Springs.

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Our newly launched website mouatsclothing.ca offers an online presence in case you can’t make the ferry ride. Free shipping with order of $100 or more.

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Floral, Peachy, Sippable, Easy

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Why Ortega is the white wine you should be drinking right now.

By Joanne Sasvari

Left: At Vigneti Zanatta, winemaker Jim Moody strolls through the Ortega vines that grow outside his front door.

Above: Ortega grapes at Blue Grouse Estate Winery. At both wineries, Ortega was first planted in the 1980s as part of an experiment to see what grapes would grow in the Cowichan Valley.

O JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

rtega is not a noble grape. Nor is it fashionable among wine connoisseurs. But here on Vancouver Island, we love it anyway.

“Ortega is the signature white grape of the Cowichan Valley,” says Lorin Inglis, general manager of Enrico Winery, where Ortega is the best-selling variety they produce. “It talks about the Cowichan Valley. And each winemaker has their own twist on Ortega.”

“This is not a complex wine. This is an enjoyable-on-your-patio wine,” adds Bailey Williamson, winemaker at Blue Grouse Estate Winery. “It just doesn’t have the level of complexity of Viognier or Chardonnay. But wine doesn’t all have to be like that.”

WHAT GROWS HERE If you’re unfamiliar with Ortega, that’s because it is not one of the classic vitis vinifera grape varieties like, say, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. It is instead a cross between two other little-known grapes, MüllerThurgau and Siegerrebe, and was developed

in Germany in 1948. So-called “crosses” are designed to thrive in marginal climates and resist disease. That’s why you see Ortega planted in England and parts of Germany, places that are right on the edge of where wine can grow.

Ortega came to the Island as part of the Duncan Project, an experimental planting in the 1980s to see what, if any, wine grapes would thrive here. Many of the vines were planted at what is now Vigneti Zanatta in the Cowichan Valley.

“We started with the Duncan Project, and the Ortega came from the Becker Experiment in Summerland,” says Jim Moody, co-owner and head winemaker at Zanatta, who joined the winery in 1991. He recalls that they had a five-acre plot planted with “oodles of varieties,” and says, “Over time I pulled them out and planted it with Ortega. It was one of the varieties that my late father-in-law [Dennis Zanatta] really enjoyed.”

Blue Grouse’s Ortega was also part of the Duncan Project. “Hans was foresightful,” says Williamson, referring to Hans Kiltz, who

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Ortega has a delicately floral aroma of orange blossoms and jasmine, and the juicy flavour of melons, gooseberries and stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines. bought the test site in 1988 and selected vines he thought would succeed in the Cowichan. “He wasn’t growing Merlot in a region that wouldn’t grow it. He planted what grows here.”

Enrico Winery opened about two decades later and only planted its first vines around 2004.

Among them were Ortega and other reliable crosses like Petite Milo. “The importance of hybridized grapes in our region is the disease resistance,” Inglis says. “You’ve got a coolclimate, disease-resistant grape that tastes delicious? Why not do it?”

WHAT GOES TOGETHER

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

Wine snobs may be dismissive, but those who love Ortega love it a lot.

“For me, I like it because it speaks to that whole thing of what grows together, goes together,” says Williamson, who notes that Ortega pairs exceptionally well with local foods like halibut, spot prawns, oysters and Dungeness crab.

Adds Moody: “It’s quite aromatic. I like it for its food-pairing abilities, with seafood and Asian food.”

Ortega has a delicately floral aroma of orange

TASTING NOTES blossoms and jasmine, and the juicy flavour of melons, gooseberries and stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines. It is medium-bodied and low in acid, so you don’t get the mouthpuckering citrus notes you get in some coolclimate wines. Some years it develops savoury notes, even a hint of petrol or minerality.

Consumers love it for its easygoing flavour; winemakers love it because it grows well in a region that can be challenging for many grapes.

Although the Cowichan Valley has a warm climate and plenty of sunshine, it lacks the heat units that many grapes need to ripen fully.

“You have to be careful when you’re planting red and white grapes for that reason,” Inglis says. “Ortega is a proven grape for Ortega has always played the region.” a role in the lineup at Blue Its thin skin Grouse; winemaker Bailey Williamson has even used does make it to create an orange wine it prone to using a clay amphora. moulds and mildews. Even so, Williamson says, “It always worked here, and it seemed in the early days on the Island that everybody had some planted.”

“It’s a bit tricky to grow, but it’s reliable,” Moody says. “It’s what grows outside my front door. I love it. I prefer it to Pinot Gris. There’s more going on with the Ortega. There can be a bit more aromatics with it.”

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

WHAT WE LIKE TO DRINK Ortega can also be a lot more interesting and complex than its reputation suggests.

“It’s not a white Burgundy you have to chew

Ortega pairs beautifully with seafood and Asian dishes; its soft floral, fruity character and slight sweetness play well with spices, though may be overwhelmed by really rich, creamy dishes. Try it with grilled prawns, shucked oysters, fish ‘n’ chips, sushi, pad Thai, crab cakes and similar dishes.

Blue Grouse 2020 Estate Ortega Medium bodied, well-balanced, orange blossom, lychee, some savoury notes.

Vigneti Zanatta 2020 Ortega Fruity, floral, apricot, melon.

Refreshing and well-balanced.

Enrico Winery 2020 Ortega Fresh, light, juicy, floral with flavours of nectarine and melon.

over because you paid a ton of money for it. It’s not pretentious. It’s a wine you can sit down on your patio and enjoy. But saying that, Ortega can age really well for 10, 12 years,” says Moody, who has been using different yeasts and techniques to create a deeper, richer-textured Ortega.

At Blue Grouse, Williamson has made an orange Ortega wine using a clay amphora.

(Orange wines are white wines fermented on the skins and tend to have less fruit and more savoury flavours.) “It was really interesting,” he says. “I would equate it more with a fino sherry, lots of interesting aromas that don’t really translate to the palate. Bone dry.”

Enrico Winery, meanwhile, produces an oaked Ortega as well as the unoaked Tempest Ortega that won the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence in 2015 and a silver medal in 2020. With the oak, Inglis say, “You get more butter and vanilla — it becomes more delicate.”

At the end of the day, though, what we love about Ortega is its simplicity and easygoing drinkability. As Williamson says, “Friday afternoon I want something in my glass that’s not complicated because it’s been a long week.”

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he Bean Eater (Il Mangiafagioli) is a famous Italian painting, Annibale Carracci’s snapshot of a day in the life of a 16th century Tuscan peasant.

The image is simple — a man digging into a bowl of white beans, with a loaf of bread and jug of wine at his side. Though it’s a rustic dish, it’s still something you’ll find on every table among “the bean eaters” of Northern Italy.

Why we should all embrace the humble legume. By Cinda Chavich

Beans were once considered peasant food in many parts of the world, an inexpensive source of protein that formed the filling backbone of everyday meals, from Italian ribolitta soup, scented with garlic and rosemary, to French cassoulet, a hearty bean dish studded with bits of savoury sausage and duck confit, to Indian dal and chickpea curries. Wherever meat was expensive or scarce, inventive cooks used legumes in hearty dishes that rose above their simple parts.

We are still enjoying these delicious dishes today.

But there are more reasons than ever to embrace the humble bean.

Food prices in Canada jumped nearly five per cent in 2021 and may rise another seven per cent in 2022, adding nearly $1,000 to the annual family food bill. Choosing beans instead of animal proteins — at least part of the time — can save resources and stretch your food dollars.

BEAN THERE

A bounty of dried beans, clockwise from top left: kidney, black, anasazi, cannellini, mung, garbanzo and gigantes, also known as butter beans.

Canada is a world leader in legumes. We are a major producer of dried beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas, and the planet’s largest pulse exporter, with 80 per cent of the crop sent around the world. Despite prairie droughts, Canadian farmers produced a 325,000-tonne pulse crop this year, and though prices may be a bit higher, beans are a bargain by any measure.

Pulses are a healthy, high-fibre source of plant protein and are considered a sustainable, ecofriendly crop. The plants pull nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil, which means they don’t require the high levels of fertilizers that increase the carbon footprint of other food crops. Pulse crops are very efficient water users, and, when farmed using zerotill methods, can also sequester carbon.

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Most of these pulse crops are grown in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, so are an important piece of the Canadian food sovereignty story, too.

Look for Canadian-grown dried beans in bulk food sections and at Middle Eastern grocers or buy unique heirloom beans from specialty suppliers.

For Good Measure has a good selection of bulk organic beans. Vancouver’s Flourist (formerly Grain) buys grains and legumes, including pinto, black and navy beans, direct from prairie farmers, and literally puts these rural personalities on the packaging. If you can find heirloom or heritage bean varieties (like the ones grown by Rancho Gordo in Napa, California), cook them simply to taste the differences between varieties like black-and-white Orca beans, striped Tiger Eye, mottled red Jacob’s Cattle and pale green flageolets.

You can even try growing your own heirloom beans to dry them for storage. Plant heritage beans from Salt Spring Seeds, West Coast Seeds or the Canadian heirloom bean specialists, Heritage Harvest Seed in Manitoba.

Warm gigantes bean salad I discovered these giant white beans — as big as your thumb — while on a press trip to Greece. Look for them at Greek or Mediterranean grocers or substitute large cannellini or lima beans. You can also substitute canned white cannellini beans in this Mediterranean salad, but they won’t have the lovely bite of beans cooked from scratch.

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The bean’s cousin, the lentil, is not just delicious, but an important crop for Canada.

Saskatchewan’s Laird lentils, like the ones from Vancouver-based Flourist, kickstarted the country’s prosperous pulse industry.

A HEALTHY PULSE Beans, lentils and chickpeas are not only healthy for the planet, but they are also gaining popularity as health-conscious consumers move to plant-forward diets.

Whole pea, bean and chickpea flours can be incorporated into various food products, ranging from burgers to pasta, offering vegetarian and gluten-free options, or can replace at least part of the meat in everyday dishes, stretching the budget and boosting healthy fibre.

That’s another way to look at beans, even if you’re not a strict vegan. Combining ground meats with beans makes healthy, high-fibre burgers. A cassoulet or traditional bean soup may be seasoned with small amounts of ham or duck confit, but it’s the beans that do the heavy lifting, producing a rich, savoury, filling dish with far less animal protein.

Or you can choose a classic Indian lentil or chickpea curry that’s completely meat free.

Pulses have twice the protein levels of grains, and when combined with grains provide a complete protein, along with micronutrients and high levels of soluble and insoluble fibre. Eating pulses can decrease your cholesterol and blood

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• 1 cup dry gigantes beans (or other large white beans) • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped • 1 to 2 roasted red bell peppers, chopped (jarred is fine) • 1/3 cup air-cured black olives, pitted and chopped • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Greek) • Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 teaspoon of minced zest and 2 tablespoons juice) • 2 tablespoons basil pesto • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • Optional: Sturdy mixed greens like romaine, kale and/or arugula Cook the beans. Start by soaking the beans overnight in plenty of cold water or use the quick soak method. (Cover with water, boil and then set aside for 1 hour.) Drain the beans and place them in a saucepan or pressure cooker.

Add cold water to cover them by 2 to 3 inches.

Boil until tender (about 1 hour) or pressure cook at high pressure for 12 to 15 minutes, then allow the pressure to drop naturally. (This helps to keep the beans intact.) Drain beans well.

While the beans are cooking, combine the chopped tomatoes, roasted peppers, olives, olive oil, lemon zest and juice in a bowl. Stir in the warm beans and pesto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as a side dish alongside grilled meats or as a starter with mixed greens.

Serves 6.

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pressure, while high-fibre beans, with their slowly digestible starches, help manage blood glucose levels.

And because they’re low fat and filling, beans may even help with weight loss.

COOKING BEANS While it’s easy to make any bean dish with canned beans, if you cook them from scratch, you’ll be rewarded with flavourful beans that have firm skins and the kind of “bite” that creates a superior result.

I experimented with cooking many different types of beans from scratch while writing 225 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes, and found

pressure cooking speeds up the process considerably and results in lovely, toothsome beans that can be precooked and frozen for convenient use later.

Dry beans don’t need to be soaked overnight, but it will reduce their cooking time, especially if your beans are older, and will help to keep their skins intact. Try to buy beans from a grocer that has high turnover — you’ll be rewarded with fresher, tastier dried legumes.

To speed up the soaking process, cover beans with lots of water in a saucepan, bring them to a boil, then cover the pot and set it aside for an hour to soak. A similar trick can be done using a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

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Just bring the beans and water up to full pressure, then remove from heat and let them stand until the pressure drops.

Then you can cook your beans — usually for about an hour on the stovetop or 20 minutes in the pressure cooker — with aromatics such as garlic, onions and herbs, a ham bone or a classic mirepoix or sofrito, and have them ready to eat or add to any dishes you like. (The starchy cooking liquid is delicious, too.)

Season the cooked beans well with salt and pepper and let them cool in the cooking liquid to soak up the most flavour.

To season the cooked beans for a side dish, add a chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce and some cilantro for a Latin meal.

Or stir fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, or basil and parsley, with a little garlic and butter or cream, into a pot of tiny French flageolets.

Plain, precooked beans will keep in the refrigerator for a week or can be packaged and frozen, ready to use in salads, soups and other bean dishes. A pound of dried beans (about 2 cups) yields 6 cups of cooked beans, equivalent to three large 540 mL cans.

If you plan to purée your beans or chickpeas for a recipe, canned products are fine. Just make sure to rinse away the salty liquid in the can, then proceed with your recipe.

Old-fashioned chili, baked beans and pea soup are classic Canadian traditions, but there are so many different cuisines to explore when you start cooking with legumes.

Beans offer a blank slate for assertive herbs like rosemary and sage. Smoky bacon and ham add flavour and fat to many classic bean dishes and soups, while bits of other rich proteins (think duck, lamb shoulder or pork sausages) are perfect partners for beans and lentils.

Hummus may be the easiest way to serve chickpeas — simply puréed with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and tahini (sesame paste) to scoop up with pita chips.

In Greece, giant gigantes beans are cooked with olive oil, garlic, dill and tomatoes for a rich, satisfying, meat-free meal.

Chilies and spices are essential additions to curries, dal or Mexican bean dishes.

Black beans are combined with pork in feijoada, a classic Brazilian dish, and in the Caribbean, it’s red beans and rice with coconut milk, chilies and thyme.

Of course, baked beans on toast make a simple supper across the U.K. and, in Canada, white beans are traditionally baked with maple syrup.

As Deepak Chopra reminds us, eating less meat “offers us a path toward a more ecological, sustainable, humane and compassionate world.” And bean cuisine is a great place to start!

Spicy garbanzos with garlic shrimp

Shrimp: • 1 0 ounces large shrimp or prawns, shelled and deveined, if you prefer •2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika •2 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press Garbanzos (Chickpeas): •3 tablespoons olive oil •2 cloves garlic, chopped fine • 1 /2 teaspoon crushed dried chilies or Aleppo red pepper flakes (or more to taste) • 1 fresh bay leaf • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 1 (540 mL) tin chickpeas (or white beans), rinsed and drained • 1 /2 cup chicken broth •S alt and pepper, to taste • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil, smoked paprika and garlic and set aside.

In a small ovenproof sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. When it’s sizzling, add the garlic and chilies and cook for 30 seconds.

Add bay leaf and tomatoes to the pan and cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir until it starts to darken, then stir in the chickpeas.

Add the broth, bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is thickened. (Crush some of the beans slightly for a thicker sauce.)

Season with salt, pepper and more chilies, to taste.

Arrange the marinated shrimp in a single layer over the hot chickpeas. Place the pan under a preheated broiler and cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, until just pink.

Remove and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main dish.

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

This dish reminds me of traveling in Spain and the small, savoury dishes I enjoyed at the tapas bars in San Sebastian. I served this with roasted spaghetti squash and leeks for dinner, but crispy roasted potatoes or toasted baguette, brushed with olive oil, make classic sides, too. You can substitute a can of white beans for the garbanzos (a.k.a. chickpeas) for equally delicious results.

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This variation on the classic dish from France’s Languedoc region is made all-Canadian with back bacon, sausage, rye whisky and maple syrup.This version is not strictly authentic, but is similarly impressive.

Beans: • 1 1/2 cups dried flageolet, navy or other small white beans • 1/4 pound Canadian back bacon or smoky side bacon, chopped • 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled • 2 bay leaves • 2 thyme sprigs

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Sauce: • 1 lb boneless pork shoulder (or chicken thighs) • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1/2 pound fresh garlic pork sausage • 2 carrots, chopped fine • 1 large onion, chopped fine • 2 celery stalks, chopped fine • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1/4 cup rye whisky • 1 cup chicken stock • 1 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) • 1 tablespoon maple syrup • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Topping: • 1 cup dry breadcrumbs • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley • 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

SPORRER/SKOWRONEK/STOCKFOOD

Soak beans overnight in cold water or bring beans and water to a full boil, cover, remove from heat and let them quick soak for an hour before cooking.

Drain the soaked beans and return to the pot. Cover with 6 cups of water. Add the bacon, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, about 1 to 1.5 hours (or pressure cook 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, cut the pork into 1- to 2-inch pieces, removing any visible fat. In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over mediumhigh heat and brown the pork pieces.

Remove the pork and set aside. In the same pot, brown the sausages. Remove the sausages, slice, and set aside with the pork.

Add the carrots, onions, celery and minced garlic to the pot and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Pour in the whisky to deglaze, stirring up any browned bits and reduce by half, then add the stock, tomatoes, maple syrup, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, return the browned pork and sausage to the pot, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.

Drain the beans, retaining the cooking liquid and bacon. Discard the herbs and bay leaves.

Assemble the cassoulet in a deep earthenware casserole dish or heavy enameled roasting pan.

Layer the cooked beans and meat sauce, starting with 1/3 of the beans and 1 ⁄ 2 of the sauce, then repeat, ending with a layer of beans.

Add enough of the reserved bean liquid to the dish so you can just begin to see it through the top layer of beans. (If making ahead, the dish can be prepared to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to two days.)

To finish, combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the cassoulet. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour until bubbly and nicely browned. Serves 6.

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TIP: Any leftover cassoulet makes almost instant Pasta Fazool — just boil 1 to 2 cups of short pasta until tender, drain (reserve some of the salted cooking water), then stir in the beans and simmer with enough cooking water to make a sauce, and serve topped with shards of Parmesan.

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Home

Scents HOW TO FILL YOUR ROOMS WITH SIGNATURE FRAGRANCES THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE.

By Joanne Sasvari

T

here was that time, a few years back, when I came home from a trip, flung open the door and — dear God, what was that smell? I wish I could tell you it was the welcoming aroma of just-picked garden roses, but sadly, it was a noxious blend of wet dog, stinky running shoes and well-aged kitchen scraps. Welcome home!

Since then, I’ve been a little obsessed with home fragrance, especially since we’ve all been forced to spend so much more time within our own four walls. I mean, who doesn’t want their house to smell nice, or at least clean?

But creating a fragrant oasis isn’t as simple as just spraying some Febreze around the place.

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So we checked in with some local perfumers for their advice.

“Scent is a signalling system for our body,” says Karen Van Dyck, the creator of K Van Dyck Parfum and partner with fellow perfumer Stacey Moore in The Still Room Natural Perfumery in Oak Bay. Unpleasant aromas, she says, alert us to dangers. Pleasant ones, like the smell of baking bread, make us feel nurtured and safe. “For me it is very profound. Connecting through scent is a very powerful way to bring us back into harmony with ourselves, with others and with nature.”

“Scent is emotive,” adds Britt Buntain, founder of the lifestyle brand Picot Collective.

“It is important for people to come home and

have that scent that transfers them into a more relaxed state of being at ease.”

More than that, says Palma Cafolla, the perfumer and founder of Zingaro Floral Perfumery on Johnson Street, “Scent brings you to a memory. It either brings you to a memory, or it creates a memory. That’s the importance of what scent can do in your home. We create memories and moments.”

‘SPIRIT OF THE PLANT’ We’ve been adding fragrance to our homes since long before anyone thought to plug in a Glade air freshener.

In ancient Egypt and Greece, scents were

“Scent brings you to a memory.”

used to connect with the gods, and for millennia, fragrant oils and resins were some of the most valuable commodities traded along the ancient Spice Road between Europe and China. By the Elizabethan era, every goodwife had what was called a still room, where she (or her servants) used the science of distillation to craft household agents like soaps, simples and furniture polishes.

That tradition inspired the name of Van Dyck and Moore’s store. Moore, who also creates fragrances for her own brand, Flore Botanical Alchemy, uses her still to extract what she calls “spirit water” from local botanicals, many of which she wild crafts. “When you’re distilling a botanical, it’s the spirit of the plant because you use the condensation,” she says.

Pleasant fragrances hide unappealing ones, but more than that, they can trigger emotional responses. Van Dyck points out that it is the oldest part of the brain that reacts to smell, the limbic system, which is also the part of the brain that deals with emotion and memory. “We can pick out our babies and our mates blindfolded,” she adds.

So it was only a matter of time before someone put that power toward making us spend more money.

In the late 1970s, a company called AromaSys introduced the first commercial scent diffuser, which was used to cover the stench of cigarette smoke in Las Vegas casinos. By the 1990s, retailers were wafting fragrances around department stores, and hotel chains were sending them through their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Signature fragrances — like the Westin’s White Tea or W Hotels’ Signature Citron No. 5 — soon followed.

BEAUTY AND PURPOSE

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

Choosing a signature fragrance for your own place, though, is a little different. It should be an aroma you like, of course. But scent can also do much more than just smell nice.

“A lot of it is preferential, but I’d definitely introduce lemon, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, thyme and lavender, and the evergreens, because they are antibacterial,” says Van Dyck.

Adds Moore, “And the resins, like frankincense and myrrh.”

During the bubonic plagues of the Middle Ages, people fumigated their homes with incense, juniper, laurel and rosemary in an attempt to stave off disease; something to consider as we emerge from a global pandemic caused by an airborne virus. Indeed, Cafolla notes, the word “perfume” evolved from the Latin per From left: Perfumers Stacey Moore and Karen Van Dyck fumare, which means something offer custom fragrances for body and home at their Oak akin to “transported through air.”

Bay store, The Still Room Natural Perfumery.

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up your home’s scent over time.

“It’s always day to day and seasonally,” Moore says. “You don’t have to have one scent all the time.”

Cafolla, for instance, has created a signature winter scent called Solstice that is spicy with cloves, cinnamon and mandarin oranges. But summer demands something lighter and fresher. “[Scent] has to create an ambience, depending on the mood you want to create,” she says.

“You’re in control of the ambience in your home.”

CANDLES AND MORE

GILLIAN VANN/STOCKSY

Perhaps the easiest — and prettiest — way to introduce aromas into your home is by lighting some scented candles. “I will light a candle when I sit down to work. I think having a candle going at your desk creates a space for you,” says Buntain. “I also have a candle lit when I’m taking a bath or shower. It’s a place to decompress and lighting is a big part of that. And it smells lovely.”

She adds: “You’re setting an intention: I’m going to be here for a bit.”

7 TIPS FOR FILLING YOUR HOME WITH FRAGRANCE

fragrances. In fall and winter, introduce warming spice and pine notes.

Set the mood:

Create layers of aroma: Mix candles,

Follow the principles of aromatherapy with relaxing lavender, energizing citrus or the warm, cozy ambience of wood notes.

Pick a theme:

Choose multiple fragrances with a similar note. For instance, if you like wood scents, place sandalwood candles in different rooms.

Match your scent to your décor:

ALI HARPER/STOCKSY

“There are a lot of oils and resins that are medicinal,” she adds. “They don’t just have the beauty of scent. They have purposes as well.”

Eucalyptus, for instance, has anti-inflammatory properties that are good for the respiratory system. And the honeyed aroma of beeswax not only elevates mood, but when it burns, produces negative ions that clean the air of dust, mould, bacteria, viruses and pollutants.

Buntain uses honey in a scent called Honey Tobacco, one of three she uses in candles, mists, bath soaks and other products; the others are all-natural plantderived blends called Wildwood and Refresh. Each has its place in the home.

“You can definitely have more than one fragrance for your home,” she says. “The Honey Tobacco is warm and sweet and a little bit grounded. It’s calming and alluring.

I associate that with a bedroom. I want the bathroom to feel fresh and energizing, so I lean to Refresh or Wildwood. And I want a Refresh candle in my kitchen.”

You can — and should — also change

If your home is rustic in style, consider a fresh, natural scent like bergamot.

Modern? Try a bright floral. Bohemian? Try something spicy or earthy.

Go with the seasons: In summer, choose light, fresh

incense, spirit waters, etc., and vary them from room to room.

But remember: Too much fragrance can overwhelm a small space.

Take your cue from nature: Use

natural ingredients (like beeswax), natureinspired scents (like pine or lavender) and actual living things, such as potted herbs.

Scent each room:

In the kitchen, citrus or green herbals signify cleanliness.

Woody notes make a living room feel warm and welcoming.

Lavender is relaxing for the bedroom, while the seductive aroma of frankincense suggests something else entirely.

But not just any candle will do. She advises using only candles made from natural ingredients such as soy, coconut and beeswax, and avoiding those made with paraffin, parabens, phthalates and nitro musks.

There are plenty of other all-natural ways to perfume your home: • Use essential oils in a plug-in diffuser or, for a gentler introduction of aroma, a reed diffuser like the ones Moore has created for Flore.

• Spray spirit water around your room.

“They’re safe for everyone, from children to older people,” Moore says. “I wish you could use them in hospitals.” Also, spray your sheets with lavender water and hang sachets in your closet to repel moths.

• Try a “hand cologne” like the ones Van Dyck makes with all-natural, anti-bacterial hyrdosols distilled from flowers and herbs. “They’re used in Morocco a lot, in Egypt and North Africa,” she says.

• Soak lava or ceramic beads with essential oils and arrange them in a bowl by your bedside.

Or, Van Dyck suggests, put a few drops of essential oil on felt dryer balls and put them in your vacuum cleaner or dryer. She also advises adapting the antique tradition of “strewing herbs”: Mix dried rosemary and lavender with baking soda and a few drops of essential oil, then sprinkle them on your carpet before vacuuming.

• Use real plants.

Hang dried herbs in your kitchen and a branch of eucalyptus in your shower. Fill vases with fresh flowers.

“In the kitchen, add a little herb garden, or aromatic plants around the house. Try to add something that has an aromatic scent,” Van Dyck says.

• Keep a pot of water simmering with lemon peel, cloves, a cinnamon stick, rosemary or lavender. “That will clean the air in your house,” Van Dyck says.

THE POWER OF SCENT Scent, Cafolla says, “is just fantastic. It takes away stress. And for years it’s been no scent, no scent, no scent. Well, I hate to break it to you, but we live in a scented world.”

Indeed, so powerful is the sense of smell that when Van Dyck’s children were younger, she would infuse their pencils with rosemary while they were studying — and later, when they were writing their tests, the aroma would remind them of what they had learned.

“It’s one of our strongest senses,” Cafolla says. “It’s important to invest in good scents because that way you’re creating a ritual for yourself. You want to create a moment for yourself. It’s really about getting in touch with your senses again.”

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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SCENE

The Beat Drummer Kelby MacNayr lets the Zen of rhythm take him where he wants to go.

Goes On

By David Lennam | Photo by Jeffrey Bosdet

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

BALANCE AND FLOW If you’ve been a regular at a jazz club like Hermann’s (or even if you’ve been there only once), you’ve probably seen MacNayr telling those stories and being the bandleader, often on tunes of his own composition.

Asked about his drumming style, which Rose says is nuanced, sophisticated, complicated and with a variety of energies, the 42-yearold MacNayr says it’s most important when the drum set is a whole little orchestra. “I get interested when I get drawn into something that has surprise, story, drama and suspense,” he says.

MacNayr was studying violin at the same time he began drumming. The melody and beauty and lilt of the strings influenced his work as much as the rat-a-tat of the rhythm section.

“I also skateboarded a lot in those days, so that same sort of balance. I’m thinking of tai chi and this yin yang and understanding the natural flow. It’s the same with drumming — it has to have both elements present to balance.”

MacNayr started out on a Radio Shack digital drum set he got for Christmas when he was 11, jamming in the basement of the family’s Fairfield home with a punk rocker older brother. But maybe he really started when he discovered the Zen of the art of the skins. That would have been during his scholarship tenure studying jazz at the University of Toronto.

He had wandered into the music school basement and came across these “Zen monks of percussion,” who turned out to be one of Canada’s foremost percussion ensembles, Nexus.

“They were wild. They did tai chi,” recalls MacNayr. “And during my first snare drum lesson with them, they said, ‘I bet you think you play snare drum from your wrists,’ and I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ They went on, ‘Some people think you play from your elbow. Some people think you play from your shoulder or maybe your back.’ ”

Then the bombshell.

“They told me you actually play snare drum from your heels.”

FINDING HIS VOICE This Jedi moment lifted MacNayr onto a path of awareness that bolstered, maybe even regenerated, his performances. He began practising tai chi and incorporating it into his drumming, admitting that, for him, it all still exists somewhere in the realm of magic.

A place where he can get out of his own way and be free in the moment. A place where a tai chi-applied balance can give the drummer an ability to become innately more aware of the balance of the sticks, the balance of his physicality, his emotions and the busyness of his mind — which, he adds, are a few of the enemies drummers can encounter.

“Sometimes you have to practise your paradiddles and double paradiddles and the kind of form that you’re doing, and then sometimes you have to practise getting your mind out of the way.”

Influenced early by Art Blakey, then, as he worked across the continent, by other great musicians he watched or sat in with, a philosophical MacNayr has nurtured a fascination of the history and the culture of the music and how it all combines in the practice of his instrument.

He recorded an album of his own compositions, The Measure of Light, with his all-star quintet (mixed by one-time pop star Gino Vannelli). He appears on more than 50 recordings by others, including local singers Anne Schaefer and Sara Marreiros. His scope includes teaching and working with dance, opera and theatre companies. He scored a play for Theatre SKAM last fall.

He’ll tell you there’s no great jazz drummer who couldn’t sing you all the melodies they play. Without straying from behind the kit, MacNayr is moving into frontman territory as a vocalist. Typically, he’s approached singing almost clinically — studying timing, tuning, working his distinctive baritone for two or three weeks on perfecting just the first word of a song (wrestling with the diphthong of “smile”) — and presenting the results with two of his bands, Tiny Rhythm Kings and Swing Rhythm Kings.

Rose has been working with MacNayr on his voice for a number of years, watching how it has enhanced his musicality. “As a result of learning the text of tunes, his playing has changed,” she says. “It’s become more melodic, more musical, more than, quote, drumming.”

We talk for a couple of hours. Conversation bounces from tai chi to Chick Webb to Miles Davis to Sinatra’s alchemical ability to phrase a song so that it belonged to him. Someone interrupts to tell MacNayr how much she loves his drumming.

He smiles, leans close and almost whispers to me some Zen koan of drumming.

“You don’t have to create the wave, you just get up onto it and then balance. You do your thing, and the wave will take you where to go.”

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am in the audience at a memorable gig at Hermann’s Jazz Club. New York City pianist Misha Piatigorsky and our gone-to-NYC vocalist Emily Braden. Packed house, full of other musicians. In the middle of one of the numbers, drummer Kelby MacNayr begins a solo. From the crowd, Victoria’s first lady of jazz, Louise Rose, shouts out, “Tell the story, Kelby!”

I thought that was so cool but also odd that it was the drummer she was urging on.

And then MacNayr did tell the story, using the kit like it was full of notes and phrases, improvising a melody, not just beating the toms or whispering brushes.

That’s just essential jazz drumming, isn’t it?

Creating, rather than just keeping the time?

Rose, who has played with MacNayr more times than she can remember, has observed that drummers don’t necessarily know the tune. “So if it’s a 32-bar tune, what they do is play 32 bars, but they’re not playing text, they’re not doing colour, they’re just playing time. One of the joys for me is Kelby plays a tune. He plays tunes he knows, and sometimes when he’s playing a tune he doesn’t know, I watch him listen, and then I hear him play.”

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DO TELL

Globe Trotter For boutique travel agent Cathy Scott, the world is just waiting to be explored. |

C

athy Scott just got back from a trip of a lifetime to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands, and she can’t stop raving about it. “It was absolutely spectacular,” says the owner of Departures Travel.

“Just life changing.”

Departures Travel is Victoria’s oldest and only independent travel agency, one of three companies Scott owns and operates. (The other two are Niche Travel and Niche Women’s Tours.) It specializes in boutique travel, what Scott describes as bucket list experiences. Think: hiking up to the Tiger’s Eye Monastery in Bhutan, or hot air ballooning over Cappadocia.

Of course, the pandemic took its toll on her business.

More than half of all travel agents in North America closed permanently as a result of COVID-19, and she herself was in a negative revenue situation for months.

But now she’s busier than ever.

She works closely with clients, designing their travel plans for years at a time, and considers herself more of a travel concierge than someone who simply books flights and hotels. But ask Scott to choose her own favourite destination, and she’s stuck. “The last place I was is always my favourite destination,” she says with a laugh. “Antarctica gave me faith in our world. India has always been on top of my list. Bhutan was huge for me.

Myanmar. I like these untouched destinations.”

By Joanne Sasvari

What is your greatest fear?

Being disliked.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Owning my own home. Travelling the world, I see so very many people without even the basic necessities in life. It feels profoundly decadent to own my own home in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

When I interrupt people when they are talking! I really work on this but …

What is your current state of mind?

Chaos! Take a look at my hair. What you see on the outside is a reflection of the inside. Pure chaos!

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Being unkind.

On what occasion do you lie?

I learned very young it is NOT a good idea to lie. (There is a story there!) If I do lie, it is to protect someone’s feelings.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Being out in nature, preferably near the ocean, with friends or family.

Which living person do you most admire? Why? My mother. She is passionate about family and community, and even during difficult times she embraces life fully every day.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Moderation.

What do you most value in your friends?

Kindness and respect. Also being totally badass!

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

What: Travel.

Who: My three adult children, Danton, Lyndon and Kiara.

PHOTO: CATHY SCOTT

Cathy Scott shares a moment with some penguins on her recent trip to the Falkland Islands.

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YAM MAGAZINE MAR/APR 2022

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