YAM magazine Mar/Apr 2024

2230 Chelsea Place, Nanoose Bay

BED: 3.5 BATH: 4 5,515 SQ.FT.

0.80 ACRES PARKING: 2

D’Arcy Harris** 250.686.2375

0.81

1

SUBDIVISION

19.30

305-707 Courtney Street, Victoria

BED: 1 BATH: 1 882 SQ.FT.

PARKING: 1 jgarrettproperties.com

Jacob Garrett* 236.562.7047

Lot

1245 Starlight Grove, Sooke

BED: 4 BATH: 4 2,466

2.02

702-640 Montreal Street, Victoria

BED: 2 BATH: 2 1,780

PARKING: 1 thewildmangroup.com

The Wildman Group 250.818.8522

BED:

9927

BED:

1-4355 Viewmont Avenue, Saanich

BED: 3 BATH: 3 1,736 SQ.FT.

PARKING: 1 bradmaclaren.com

Brad MaclarenA 250.727.5448

201-400 Dupplin Road, Saanich

BED: 2 BATH: 2 992 SQ.FT.

PARKING: 1 thewildmangroup.com

The Wildman Group 250.893.9976

1044

0.19

2.19

1135

503-940 Boulderwood Rise, Saanich

BED: 2 BATH: 2 1,674

22-4630 Lochside Drive, Saanich

BED: 3 BATH: 3 2,069 SQ.FT.

PARKING: 4 YEAR BUILT: 1984

Jon Baker** 250.701.1814

2115 Wren Place, Nanaimo

BED: 6 BATH: 4 3,560 SQ.FT. 0.18 ACRES PARKING: 4

Anna Sterloff * * 250.514.7214

Terry Calveley

Anna Sterloff

Michael Tourigny

Lisa Williams Logan Wilson

Samantha Jensson

Sean Farrell Shaelyn Mattix Spencer Cao

Jon Baker

Robyn Wildman

Sandy Berry

Peter Crichton

Kirsten MacLeod

Harley Shim

Don St Germain

Dean Innes

Glynis MacLeod

D’Arcy Harris Brayden Klein Brad Maclaren

Andrew Maxwell Andrew Hobbs

Grace Shin

Brian Danyliw

Myrtha

Beth Hayhurst

Andy Stephenson

Jacob Garrett

Greetings from the dock!

I’ve had so many people asking about what I’m wearing in this photo! It’s an amazing 2-piece travel suit from Stenstroms, made of a high-performance technical fabric. It looks and feels great, and it really comes into its own when travelling — super comfy and virtually no wrinkles! Very easy care, too. Stenstroms is our fabulous Swedish shirt maker, so you know the quality is top notch.

Don’t forget about our Outlet store on Broad Street. Up to 60% off on lots of great pieces from our stores in Victoria and Sidney. Please pop in for a visit whenever you’re downtown. We’d love to see you!

38 Ever-Blooming Garden

How smart planning and planting help your flowers blossom all year round.

By Wendy McLellan

50 A Pretty Penny

Everything you need to know about the loafer, the classic kick of the moment.

By Liam Razzell

54 Magical Mystery Tourism

At Shetland Noir, our writer follows the clues to investigate the lure of the crime-writing festival.

By Don Genova

CONTENTS

HOME ISSUE

24 Making an Entrance

There’s more to designing a great entryway than just putting out the welcome mat.

By Joanne Sasvari

27

Mouse in the House

Outsmart the crafty critters before they make themselves at home. cover story p.30

10

EDITOR’S LETTER

13 HERE + NOW

Everything you need to know for your spring refresh, from luscious wallpaper to the latest in petiquette.

18 IN PERSON

Hairstylist Jag Moussa brings the drama to Victoria’s altculture scene.

By David Lennam

30 LIFE AT HOME

One family trades in their small rancher for a new build that fits everyone’s needs.

By Danielle Pope

42 STYLE WATCH

What’s the most modern way to wear denim? Almost any way you want to.

Styled by Janine

Metcalfe

59 FOOD+DRINK

Sweet, sour, salty, savoury and very purple: Discover everything you need to know about Filipino food, the fusion cuisine of the moment. Plus: Spring flavours, the latest food trends, a beer festival you’ll want to raise a pint to and global culinary hotspots.

By Cinda Chavich, Liam Razzell, Joanne Sasvari

76 SCENE

In praise of the arts at James Bay United Church. Plus: Culture Calendar.

By David Lennam

78 PERSPECTIVE

Peeking into a hummingbird’s teeny-tiny home.

By Joanne Sasvari

250.590.5849 audivictoria.com

250.585.2834 audinanaimo.com

Audi Victoria

Audi Nanaimo

Robyn Wildman

Robyn Wildman

Make Yourself at Home

Top rated in Customer Service

Top rated in Customer Service

Robyn Wildman

Robyn Wildman

Multiple MLS® Award Winner

Multiple MLS ® Award Winner

Why work with Robyn?

Why work with Robyn?

“I can honestly say, having purchased & sold many homes, this sale & purchase was the smoothest transaction I ever had. Robyn’s knowledge of the market, expertise, & customer service skills are readily apparent. Her customer service approach cannot be surpassed. In the future, she will be the only agent we would use. An absolute pleasure to deal with.”

Top rated in Customer Service

“Robyn and her team are top notch! She was a true partner in helping us find and then purchase the home we wanted. Her deep expertise, sharp eye for detail, high advocacy and thorough approach made sure we got the best deal. I highly recommend [The Wildman Group] if you want a strong, responsive partner for your real estate needs.” - K.W.

All my adult life I lived in apartments, but wanted a little old house to fix up and make my own. Now I finally have one and every day I wake up and go: What was I thinking?

Top rated in Customer Service Multiple MLS® Award Winner

Multiple MLS® Award Winner

Why work with Robyn?

Why work with Robyn?

“I can honestly say, having purchased & sold many homes, this sale & purchase was the smoothest transaction I ever had. Robyn’s knowledge of the market, expertise, & customer service skills are readily apparent. Her customer service approach cannot be surpassed. In the future, she will be the only agent we would use. An absolute pleasure to deal with.”

- J.V.

“I can honestly say, having purchased & sold many homes, this sale & purchase was the smoothest transaction I ever had. Robyn’s knowledge of the market, expertise, & customer service skills are readily apparent. Her customer service approach cannot be surpassed. In the future, she will be the only agent we would use. An absolute pleasure to deal with.”

BUYING OR SELLING

BUYING OR SELLING

REAL ESTATE CALL

REAL ESTATE CALL

Don’t get me wrong. I love our little 1940s cottage and its sprawling, overgrown yard. But every day brings a new surprise and not all of them are delightful. I mean, where DO those giant spiders come from? Why did some previous owner think it a good idea to glue shelves to the baseboards and put outlets here but not there and paint the bedroom bright red? (My eyes!) And how did 80-plus years of owners survive with only one tiny closet and no cable, Wi-Fi, dishwasher or hood vent in the kitchen?

Then there was the morning of our housewarming garden party when we woke to find a dying rat on the back deck, the day I came home from work to learn that a tree had blown down and fallen onto the neighbour’s fence, the time we pulled down the rickety front porch only to discover it was hiding a giant slab of concrete and a big tree stump that would cost a small fortune to remove.

Those are the days I miss being able to hand the problem over to the landlord or strata management company. But then I look at the work we’ve done in the year and a bit since we moved in — and we’ve done a lot, with more to come — and I feel strong and proud and accomplished in a way I never did in my old apartments.

It is, after all, really and truly home now.

All of that brings me to this Home Issue, and to your own home. We know how important it is to you. It’s safety, security and comfort, the place where you gather the people you love, where you express your style and creativity, where you can truly be yourself. So we’ve compiled an issue full of stories and ideas and tips and advice that we hope will be both useful and inspiring. Welcome home!

Joanne Sasvari, Editor-in-Chief editor@yammagazine.com

250.818.8522

rwildman@sothebysrealty.ca

Delicious by Design

Sure, you could swing by the new Duo Cafe Bakery at the Inn at Laurel Point for the pretty pâtisserie, seasonally inspired sandwiches or the luxuriously buttery croissants and pains au chocolat. But us, we’re also there for the décor. Renowned Victoria interior designer Iván Meade has created a sleek, airy space that is somehow also rich with texture, detail and warm honey and chocolate hues. Don’t tell anyone, but we love it so much, we might even steal that floor design for our own space at home.

“A true artist is one who inspires others.”

— Salvador Dali

Only

heart_and_sole_shoes

1023 Fort Street, Victoria 250.920.7653

Mon-Sat 10-5 | Sun 11-4 heartandsoleshoes.ca

contact@heartandsoleshoes.ca

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joanne Sasvari

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Janice Hildybrant

ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER Caroline Segonnes

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Deana Brown, Will Gillis, Cynthia Hanischuk, Brenda Knapik

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten

MARKETING CONSULTANT Amanda Wilson

DIGITAL MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR Claire Villaraza

MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR Lauren Ingle

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Liam Razzell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cinda Chavich, Don Genova, David Lennam, Wendy McLellan, Danielle Pope

PROOFREADER Lionel Wild

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dasha Armstrong, Jody Beck, Joshua Lawrence, Mary McNeill Knowles

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Getty Images p. 15, 17, 27, 38, 40, 54, 58, 62, 67, 72, 74; Shutterstock p. 78

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ON THE COVER Life at Home: From Shoebox to Showcase, page 30.

Published by PAGE ONE PUBLISHING

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Photo by Mary McNeill Knowles

BACK TO THE GARDEN

The days of grey are over. What we crave now is colour, pattern, warmth and the abundance of nature. Enter — or rather, re-enter — William Morris. One of the founders of the Arts and Crafts movement in late 19th-century Britain, he revered the humble beauty of fruits and flowers, and his lush designs are having a moment right now. Kitchen retailer William Sonoma recently released a tableware collection based on Morris & Co. designs, but what we really love is his wallpaper. The “Fruit” pattern from 1864 is perfect for small spaces like this bathroom by Jenny Martin Design, and fulfills Morris’s mantra: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

DASHA ARMSTRONG

Spring Refresh

GET YOUR BODY, MIND AND SOUL READY FOR THE NEW SEASON.

Read up on Design

Find the inspiration you’re seeking in these beautiful pages.

The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home by Shea McGee (Harper Horizon)

The designer behind the Netflix show Dream Home Makeover provides step-by-step guides for applying sophisticated design principles to any room in any home while transforming your life and living space.

Sense of Place: Design

Inspired by Where We Live by Caitlin Flemming and Julie Goebel (Abrams)

When your home fits in the place where it is set, it becomes restful, grounded and comforting. From England’s gentle green countryside to New Mexico’s warm desertscape, the 20 gorgeous homes in this book do just that.

Reside: Contemporary West Coast Houses by Dr. Michael J. Prokopow (Figure 1 Publishing)

Enjoy gorgeous photos (shot by frequent YAM contributor Ema Peter) of nearly three dozen homes around B.C. that capture the lightinfused, nature-inspired esthetic of West Coast Modernism, as the author explores this evolving style. Forthcoming in May.

WEAR A SNUGGLY SHIRT

The layering piece you need right now.

It can seem almost impossible to dress for these early spring days, when the weather is so changeable. One minute you’re freezing, the next you’re sweltering. It’s all about layers, sure, but which layers, exactly?

Luckily for you, Victoria-based Anián has a solution. Its new Studio Shirt is soft and cozy, but not too cozy. It’s tailored, yet designed to give you room to move; dressy enough for work, but comfy enough for hanging out on the weekend; lightweight enough to layer, but structured enough to wear on its own.

The Studio Shirt is made mostly from breathable, postconsumer recycled cotton with a dye-free process designed to make the lowest possible impact on the environment. (Anián’s philosophy is that the clothes we enjoy should not harm the planet, which sounds like a good idea to us.)

And if you’re still feeling a little chilly, you can always toss one of Anián’s recycled wool overshirts on top. anianmfg.com

BE A LITTLE CHEEKY!

Make some room in your makeup bag — blush is back this season in a way it hasn’t been for a long, long time.

The look of the moment is the girlish “coquette”: a rosy-peach flush on the apples of your cheeks, paired with glossy lips, feathery brows and doll-like lashed-and-lined eyes.

To make this look cool, not clownish, opt for newer formulations of blush that are silkier, airier and easier to apply, and then blend, blend, blend. And consider layering cream, powder and cheek balm for a dewy, ultra-flushed “glazed” glow.

Just a few brands to consider include: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow, Makeup Forever Artist Blush, Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm, Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double-Take Crème and Powder Blush Duo, and Kylie Lip and Cheek Glow Balm.

For a radiant, long-lasting blush, try products like the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow.

Banish Bad Vibes

As you go through your spring-cleaning checklist, don’t forget the windows, walls, closets, floors and — oh, yes, the energy.

“After you clean out the physical space it’s great to go in and clean out the energetic space,” says Amy Joy Mistal, owner of SOUL EASE Professional Organizing. Just as cleaning out clutter makes you feel lighter and less stressed, she adds, so does refreshing a room’s energy.

An herbalist, postpartum doula and professional organizer and declutterer, Mistal got into energy cleaning when she started smudging her own space after difficult meetings. “I would notice how it would shift my mood and my energy. It made such a difference for me, I started offering it to my clients as well,” she says.

She recommends doing an energy cleanse once or twice a year, and definitely if you’ve moved into a new home or gone through a major life transition, or if someone was sick or died in your space, or if there was a lot of conflict in it.

To do this she follows three steps:

• Break up any lingering bad energy.

• Freshen the air. Open windows to let the bad energy out, and add fragrance with either a bundle of smouldering herbs or a spritz of essential oils. “Scent can uplift and change your mood. It can improve your sleep and it can reduce stress and anxiety,” she says.

• Change the tune — literally — with chimes, bells, hand drums or even song.

“I love bringing this other aspect in after we’ve done the physical declutter,” Mistal adds. amyjoymistal.com

Take a Sound Bath

Dip into repetitive, meditative sounds of soothing calm.

Take a sound bath and let waves of calming sound wash over you and rinse away the cares of the day. The idea of healing through sound is both ancient and universal, practised by cultures around the world to soothe stress, anxiety, insomnia and the lingering effects of trauma — and even reduce pain.

A sound bath is a meditative experience accompanied by repetitive sounds produced by singing bowls (typically made of bronze or crystal), gongs, chimes, rattles, tuning forks or the human voice (think chants, mantras or rolling “oms”). The sound doesn’t have a catchy melody or beat; instead, the idea is to create a sense of harmony through frequency and vibration and clear away any sense of discordance.

Taking a sound bath is something you can do on your own or with the help of a dedicated practitioner, often in conjunction with yoga or other forms of meditation. (Check out the Vancouver Island Sound Therapy Alliance or yoga studios like One Yoga or MA Wellness and Yoga for local practitioners.) There’s even an app, called, fittingly, The Sound Bath. Welcoming spring with a sense of harmony? Now that’s a sound idea.

Grill

Meet the outdoor cooking solution your balcony has

Now that the days are longer and the weather is warmer, we can’t wait to get outside and fire up the grill. But gas, propane and charcoal aren’t always convenient or, in the case of some apartments and townhouses, allowed by building managers and strata rules. Electric grills, though, have always been a bit of a letdown, never quite able to produce that authentic “hot off the grill” flavour.

Weber recently introduced the Lumin, a versatile, multi-functional electric grill that actually gets hot enough to sear a steak (with perfect char marks!), but can also steam a delicate piece of fish and keep your veggies warm. It’s cute, compact enough for the smallest balcony and comes in several décor-friendly colours including retro-chic seafoam green, ice blue and golden yellow. Just plug it in and get grilling.

The Weber Lumin is so easy to use and so pretty to look at, you may not even miss

old

The Perks of Petiquette

The region wants your dog to be better behaved — and you, too.

We know your dog is a good boy who would never, ever chase a duck or knock over a toddler or put his muddy paws all over a perfect stranger’s brand-new jacket. But not everyone’s dog is as well behaved. It’s those dogs that Sannich’s new off-leash rules are hoping to bring to heel.

Until last November, dogs could roam in the municipality’s parks pretty much anywhere, any time they liked, which was great until they ran into conflict with other park users or with wildlife. And that seemed to be happening more and more often.

Now council has adopted new rules that limit off-leash areas to 99 of Saanich’s 172 parks (although 43 of those are only open to off-leash dogs between 6 and 9 a.m.) and explain exactly what a “leash” is. (Hint: It’s not a 25-foot-long retractable cord that can garrotte an unwary passerby.) At press time, the date for enacting the new rules had not been set, but the fine for breaking them had: Expect to cough up $150 if your pooch gets caught in a prohibited area without a leash and collar.

Meanwhile, the Capital Regional District is also trying to encourage better “petiquette.” When you purchase or renew your CRD dog licence you will receive a “Petiquette Perks” reward card for discounts on products and services at more than three dozen local businesses, including pet-friendly hotels, pet photographers, grooming services and dog food retailers. crd.bc.ca/petperks

High-quality

woodburning stoves from Stûv produce a cozy, efficient, environmentally friendly heat. Their refined, modern design complements any décor style.

Bringing the Drama

After dazzling the world with his exuberant flair, award-winning hair stylist Jag Moussa finds a home amid Victoria’s alt culture.

By David Lennam | Photos by Jeffrey Bosdet

Few things announce one’s arrival on the scene like a national award.

But it’s not like Jag Moussa needed to be named B.C.’s Hairstylist of the Year to make his mark in Victoria. By the time he opened his JagHed Couture Salon & Studio in Waddington Alley last year, the 43-year-old had already established himself in town — and was known not just for his photo-spread-ready haircuts, his sartorial daring, his line of sold-in-Hollywood couture wigs, the headpiece he created for Paris Hilton or the costumes he’s designed for local celebrities like the drag queen Jimbo.

Moussa announced his arrival more discreetly by taking a deep dive into the city’s alt culture — the arts, the fashion and all that sparkles just below the surface — and finding himself to be someone everyone wants to be around.

“Victoria, firstly, it’s absolutely gorgeous here,” he says. “I love the architecture. I love being by the water. I love being on an island. The arts scene here is underground, which is cool. And I walk tall here. I always knew I’d find my home when I walked tall.”

The son of two hairdressers, Moussa may have been born into the profession, but only really discovered it after first dabbling in design and advertising. He recalls packing up his red Mazda RX-7 two days after writing his last high school final and bailing on small-town Alberta for Edmonton, Toronto, Banff, Calgary and London, U.K.

scissor-and-foil work has been noticed. He won the same award as Alberta’s top stylist in 2017.

For Moussa, who describes himself as “a cut and colour specialist in salon and an avant-garde artist with wigs and imagery,” competition isn’t as much a side gig as it’s been a 15-year commitment.

Moussa even represented Canada at the 2014 OMC World Hair Championships. (“Nothing will blow your mind like being on the world stage beside China and Germany and other countries and you’re Canada and they start a stopwatch and they’re like, ‘Go!’ and we’re all battling.”)

In fact, Moussa’s been winning awards since 2008, when he was doing hair in Banff.

That’s where his friend and client Maureen Kelly-Matyczuk first met him. Now living in Victoria, at the time she was, like Moussa, working in the Alberta mountain town. She immediately recognized what a warm-hearted soul he is, someone who’ll always acknowledge passersby from behind the chair at JagHed.

“[Jag is] very compassionate and incredibly passionate about his art and community. He’s collaborative and strives to honour and recognize other artists.”

Then, three years ago, he landed in Victoria and two years after that opened his salon, a trajectory that comprises 20 years of hairstyling, even though it wasn’t a profession he gave much thought to as a young man.

“The energy came from opening up my own shop. That was the big ‘TSN Turning Point’ for me,” he says. “In terms of feeling in control to do what you do as a hairstylist and be working for people when you’ve got so much experience — just go work for yourself, free yourself.”

JagHed Couture is The Full Monty Moussa, if you will.

“This shop is my full expression here. When I created it, I wanted it to feel like a fashion living room. I wanted people to feel very comfortable and very at home, but I still wanted to make a strong statement with the design.”

ON THE COMPETITION STAGE

Last fall in Toronto, Salon magazine named Moussa the 2024 British Columbia Hairstylist of the Year at its annual Contessa Awards, the largest and most prestigious professional beauty competition in Canada. It’s not the first time his

Moussa has a way of making people feel seen because he sees people, explains Kelly-Matyczuk. Further, he has this desire to be part of something. Part of the community. And he feels he’s found it here.

“He’s very compassionate and incredibly passionate about his art and community. He’s collaborative and strives to honour and recognize other artists,” she adds. “It’s the first time in a very long time he feels at home.”

ON ANOTHER STAGE

In 2021, Moussa was tipped off that the folks at Atomic Vaudeville, Victoria’s hip, long-running comedy cabaret, were looking for some help doing performer hair on a film side project, The Batshits On director Britt Small’s suggestion, Moussa auditioned for the cabaret and has now been a mainstay performer on the last four episodes, inventing his own outrageously garbed clown character.

“I am so grateful for Atomic Vaudeville,” he says. “They brought out more of me than I knew. I knew it was inside of me, a lot of expression that needed to come out through that avenue, but I was kinda scared to do it.”

For Small, Moussa displayed the heart of a true artist and one generously committed to the role of bringing people together, which, she says, makes him a great addition to the city.

“He’s into it for community and for just what art can really be for. And his style —” Small starts laughing — “he’ll show up here and I’ll just go, ‘What the hell are you wearing?’ Victoria needs more of that energy. It makes it feel like a bigger city and just a bit more cultured.”

Showroom

6 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR JAG MOUSSA

How often do you change your own hairstyle?

Not very much anymore. I used to change it almost every three weeks. I like this hair. I don’t want to change it. It’s quite carefree. You wake up looking good.

What’s the secret to a good hairstyle?

I think you can feel it in [the client’s] energy. You’ll know it’s a good hairstyle when the client feels lighter. Nothing feels quite as good as getting your hair cut — if you like your haircut. And I really believe that a really good hairstyle just makes people look in your eyes.

Any advice for getting into the industry?

Do things that scare you in the industry. Don’t back down.

Is there a haircut or style you refuse to do?

[Laughs.] Wow. [Long pause.] Nope, not really.

Is there an explanation for the enduring popularity of the mullet?

I like them because they’re three haircuts in one. And kind of fun to cut.

What informs your style?

Just feeling. How it feels on your body, you know. I just like buying cool things, then all of a sudden you look at your closet and you can pretty much put anything together. It all works in tandem.

CARTER NOTARY

Your trusted partner in real estate transactions

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Carter Notary specializes in a range of residential real estate transactions. Services include: legal support for the sale and purchase of homes; mortgage transactions; ownership changes; real estate contract drafting; and out-of-town property transactions. The complement of their services reflects their dedication to being a comprehensive resource for individuals navigating the complexities of residential real estate.

Beverly and her team are committed to making the real estate process efficient and smooth for all parties involved. In fact, real estate agents should know that notaries conduct about 70 per cent of all the residential real estate transactions in British Columbia. “We’re a tremendous asset to any real estate agent because we become a part of their team,” says Beverly, “We become a part of the trusted professionals they can refer to for help. At Carter Notary, we find

our strength in our professionalism and attention to details.”

Recognizing the importance of meeting strict timelines in real estate transactions, Beverly has meticulously designed the Carter Notary processes to ensure a seamless experience for sellers, buyers and real estate agents. Carter Notary successfully breaks down complex real estate documents and processes into practical terms, ensuring that clients not only complete their transactions, but also understand them thoroughly. From initial communication to the finalization of paperwork, they are there with you every step of the way, providing invaluable support and clarity.

For a warm, educational and dependable partner in your real estate journey, turn to Carter Notary — where experience meets empathy, and every transaction is a smooth success.

Making an Entrance

WHEN YOU’RE PLANNING YOUR HOME’S ENTRYWAY, A DOOR IS NOT JUST A DOOR.

IT’S A WHOLE LOT MORE.

By Joanne Sasvari

When we moved into our house, we knew we’d have to do something about the front entrance — and fast.

The “porch” was a weirdly shaped vinyl box that was slick as ice when it got wet or cold. The front step was a slab of concrete balanced precariously on two bricks. There were no handrails, but lots of spiny plants to fall into (ask me how I know). A curving gravel path meandered through overgrown shrubbery, bisected by a giant root perfectly positioned to trip anyone walking along it (ask me how I know that, too). Giant spiders dangled from thorny climbing roses around the front door, which had locks so flimsy, it would blow open in a stiff breeze. Need I add that there were no functioning outdoor lights, doorbell or legible house numbers?

From the sidewalk, our house looked romantic, with its red door and wild garden; close up, it was a nightmare of tripping hazards, dysfunctional design and overgrown weeds. But as we started looking into fixing up the porch, we discovered that there’s a lot more to making an entrance than you might think.

Outside THE DOOR

“I would start at the curb, at your sidewalk. Everything is a transition, right?” says Wendy Taylor, the interior designer at Green Island Builders, who — full disclosure — helped us with our house. “What story are you trying to tell? Every client demands something specific, and every home demands something specific. And you have to scale it to the house itself.”

Your home’s entrance needs to be attractive, but more than that, it needs to be functional, which means you need to think about “safety, accessibility, curb appeal, all of that.”

For instance, Taylor says, “If it’s going to be accessible to someone in a wheelchair, that means a ramp at a certain angle, with handrails and a five-foot turning radius at the top. At the entryway, you can’t have a lip. You have to assume it’s your grandma who has to get in by herself.”

If you are installing steps rather than a ramp, they should be the right width and height for safety and comfort. It’s a good idea if they are slip-proof, too. And, Taylor says, “Handrails are key. It’s part of code. People who aren’t necessarily athletic or able-bodied will want handrails, but you will want them yourself for comfort.”

“Code” refers to the BC Building Code, which governs new builds. Older homes don’t need to meet some code requirements, like installing levers instead of door knobs. But if you are considering a renovation, you may want to build to code anyway for both safety and resale.

Functionality aside, the front bit of your home should look attractive to guests, passersby and, perhaps, potential buyers. But what else is it telling them?

If your style is contemporary, your entrance should convey that with clean lines, modern materials and sleek decorative elements; if your style is more vintage, rustic, traditional or romantic, it could lean to more ornate, rugged, natural and/or free-form features.

In any case, if you are trying to make it welcoming, a straight, wide walkway will say, “Come on in,” Taylor notes, while a curved path might suggest a space that is a little more private, as will a hedge or tall fence with a gate. Fragrant plants and a seating area with a bench or a pair of Adirondack chairs will also set a welcoming scene, perhaps with a low fence or hedge to indicate that it is not a public area.

“Now you’re welcoming people passing by,” Taylor says. “It really is an extension of your home.”

At THE DOOR

Left: What was once a small 1960s bungalow is now a low-maintenance contemporary home designed by MDRN Built. Its entrance fits the scale and style of the structure, with easy-to-climb stairs, easy-to-read house numbers and the warm welcome of a cozy seating area.

principal of Julia Wakely Interiors, adding that the choice of door, mailbox, hardware and so on should “all depend on the style of your home and the age of your home.”

TREND WATCH: Go Natural

“Natural plantings in the front yard is the biggest trend,” says Wendy Taylor, designer with Green Island Builders. “Everyone is forgoing the lawn. Lawns are definitely on the out, out, out.”

Once you climb those stairs you reach the threshold of your home, the liminal space between indoors and out, private and public, security and uncertainty.

“You want a welcoming, tidy front porch with a nod to what you are expecting to see inside,” says interior designer Julia Wakely,

On the landing, make guests feel welcome with seating, a small table and somewhere to leave muddy boots and/ or umbrellas, as well as a nice mat, potted plants and other decorative elements. “And consider how you’re lighting it as well. You want to be able to see the house numbers,” Taylor says. Wakely agrees, noting: “You should have house numbers that match the style of your house, at least four inches high so you can see them clearly from the street.”

Another thing to consider: your mailbox. Wakely is a fan of quirky vessels for your mail. “You can use anything,” she says. “My parents used an antique crock. You don’t have to use a traditional mailbox.” However, Taylor notes that code stipulates lockable mailboxes for new builds, and also suggests adding a secure place where delivery people can leave parcels.

As for the door itself, there are wood

Above: In designing this front entrance, Wendy Taylor of Green Island Builders created a seating arrangement where the neighbours would feel welcome dropping by for a cup of coffee, but fenced it off so it’s clearly a private space.

GREEN ISLAND BUILDERS

doors, metal doors and vinyl doors, custom-designed or mass-produced doors, sleek contemporary doors or more traditional designs, half-doors that allow people to see into your house or doors with peepholes for privacy, extralarge doors operated by “smart” controls or the petite vintage styles that are the only kind that will fit Victoria’s many smaller, older homes.

“You also want to consider shade and some comfort when visitors come to your front door. You want a reprieve from the rain and shelter from the sun,” Taylor says.

TREND WATCH: Banish the Grey

For the last decade, design has been all about subtle greys and pale wood. Now rich, dark wood is in, as is colour, whether bold and bright or soft and earthy, on walls, trim, décor, details, even ceilings. “No more grey at all,” interior designer Julia Wakely says firmly.

“And then,” she adds, “you want to consider colour. Front doors are a free-for-all. You can do whatever colour you like. It does not have to translate to any colour inside. There are no rules for it. You can do complementary colours and most people do. But I’ve done a grey house with a lime green door and there’s no lime green anywhere in the house.”

Whatever you choose, it should be “a wellmaintained, good-quality, clean front door,” Wakely says. And don’t neglect the display opportunity a door offers, whether it’s a vintage door knocker, ornamental house numbers, a piece of art, basket of flowers or a pretty seasonal wreath. That’s especially true if you live in a rental or strata property that doesn’t allow you to make any other changes.

Inside THE DOOR

Once you step indoors, although you are now in a private space, it is one that sees a lot of traffic, where the biggest challenge is finding room for everything you (and your guests) need on the way in and out.

“Inside, you need a ‘spot to drop,’ ” Wakely says. “Keep clutter under control and tucked away, in a sideboard or a dresser. You need somewhere for the dog leashes, somewhere to tuck away the coats.”

She suggests having a coat tree or wall hooks in the foyer, especially for guests’ coats (family outerwear can be put away in the hall closet when guests arrive) as well as a stool or bench for putting on shoes, and someplace to put all those hats, gloves, keys and

bags. Built-ins are great for a contemporary look, but she loves the vintage vibe of an old dresser or antique sideboard.

“I always suggest a mirror in the foyer to check your hair and makeup before you leave,” she adds. “And the biggest thing is a statement light fixture, small or big, depending on the size of the space.” That lighting could include pendants, flushmounts or portable cordless lamps that create a cozy glow, with smart features that let you control brightness and timing.

“You can also go crazy with colour in a front entry because it’s a pass-through space,” Wakely says. She loves the idea of putting wallpaper up in a foyer, then using one of the colours from the pattern on the ceiling or the trim. But whatever you do, she notes, “Don’t paint your entry hall white thinking you are going to lighten it up. Embrace the darkness and make it cozy.”

Finally, don’t forget to add a rug, such as a runner, which will not only keep people from tracking debris through your home, but will create a natural area for service, trade and delivery people to conduct their business. “It’s about creating little boundaries and private spaces,” Taylor says.

BACK TO OUR DOOR

Back at our place, the entrance is still a work in progress. We now have a wide, straight welcoming path of easy-to-navigate pavers, a safe-to-climb set of stairs (yes, with handrails) and a lovely, wide porch where the spider-infested climbing roses have been replaced by pots of fragrant rosemary. Our new blue door is on order, along with sturdy hardware and a lockable mailbox. We also sourced a vintage knocker in a Paris flea market and ordered French-style house numbers from Etsy. This spring we’ll be working on the landscaping.

What we naively thought would be a quick fix has taken months to do, with still more work ahead. But one thing we learned: If you’re going to make an entrance, might as well make it a grand one.

JODY BECK

A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

Victoria has a vermin situation. Here’s what you can do about it.

There are signs. A scritching behind the wall. A telltale greasy line along the baseboard. Mysterious mounds of shredded paper. Poop. So much poop.

Canada has a growing rodent problem, and Victoria is not immune. In fact, Orkin Canada’s annual list of the country’s “rattiest” cities put Victoria at No. 7 for the second year in a row (Toronto was first and Vancouver second), based on the number of rat and mouse

infestations they treated. Meanwhile, Abell Pest Control, in conducting a study for the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, has noted a significant rise in rat and mouse infestations nationwide. Here in Victoria, your unwelcome tenant is most likely to be the house mouse, a cute little critter with a voracious appetite. Teeny though it is, the house mouse can cause epic damage to structures, eat its way through your pantry, spread disease

ALSO FOLLOW THESE TIPS:

Fix any gaps or cracks in walls and foundations, including around pipes.

and bring fleas and other parasites into your home. In a safe, cozy space like, say, your kitchen, it can live happily for up to three years and reproduce enthusiastically. If you have one mouse, you can quickly have 100 or more.

Since 2021, B.C. has banned rodenticides because of the harm they pose to wildlife, so your best move is to keep rodents out by removing entry points, hiding places and food sources.

Trim trees, shrubs, weeds and other vegetation away from the house.

Clear clutter from your yard; store firewood and other materials away from walls and off the ground.

After cooking and eating, immediately put leftovers away, and clean up any crumbs, food scraps or spills.

Keep food sealed in airtight containers designed to resist sharp little teeth.

Clean grease out of barbecues.

If you do see signs of mice, call the pest control people pronto.

thoughtful is

a trusted guide

LISA DAVIES – RENNIE ADVISOR - VICTORIA

From Shoebox to Showcase

ONE FAMILY TRADES IN THEIR SMALL SAANICH RANCHER FOR A NEW BUILD DESIGNED FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO GROW INTO.

Jessica Card and her family of five had been living in their 1950s-style rancher for 17 years before realizing they desperately needed more space.

With a teen, a tween and a now sevenyear-old, someone was always sharing a room, someone was always leaving the house to take a call and the two parents were always trying to find ways to make life fit into their 1,200-squarefoot Saanich home. At one point, they even renovated the unfinished garage into a rec room, office and laundry area to win an extra 400 square feet.

“We always loved our house, even though it was just a little shoebox,” says Card. “When we moved in, it was me, my partner and his twoyear-old, and since adding our third child we realized we all just need more space.”

It wasn’t so much a single moment that marked the change as the realization that someone in her circle could help Card take the plunge.

ROOM FOR EVERYONE

Card had known interior designer Kyla Bidgood since Grade 5, and the two were close friends in high school. While they had drifted from each other’s daily orbits due to life, families and careers, social media played the perfect matchmaker. The one thing Card knew for sure was who she wanted on her team.

“When Jess reached out she didn’t know exactly what she wanted, but she was looking to me to help them figure out what they needed,” says Bidgood, founder and creative director of the Victoria-based design studio Bidgood.

At the time, Bidgood had recently welcomed a baby girl and wasn’t taking on clients, but she was happy to make an exception for an old friend. One thing led to another, and suddenly Card’s request for a reno consult turned into a brand-new build.

After her small rancher was rebuilt, homeowner Jessica Card was at first worried that she had too much space. But she soon realized that it’s perfect for her family of five.

With the support of Ryan Hoyt of Hoyt Design Co. and GT Mann Contracting, the new house would become a 3,900-square-foot, multilevel home with wide hallways, oversized doors, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a private office and plenty of family areas to gather in or catch a little privacy.

“At first, everything seemed so big, especially in comparison to our old house. I was worried we were going too big — are we building a home for a giant?” says Card. “But the house is so functional and has this luxurious feel. There are all these little touches that just make it exceptional — yet still somehow us.”

Card’s primary wish was for each kid to have their own room. She also wanted a dedicated office where she could host clients in person for her counselling practice — something she’d had to do virtually, due to space. They managed all that, and more.

Bidgood helped Card trade in the tiny bedroom closets for expansive storage spaces. Cheerful, sophisticated colours were chosen to punctuate the home, and materials were selected on the basis of durability and being easy to clean. The team had an initial plan of repurposing fir joists from the original home, but salvaging the materials turned out to be impractical. Still, fir became a theme throughout the build, adding to a casual West Coast vibe that blended well with the terra cottas and greens throughout the home.

“There are all these little touches that just make it exceptional — yet still somehow us.”

Left: Homeowner Jessica Card (left) and interior designer Kyla Bidgood were friends in grade school, but reconnected when Card needed a home renovation for her family of five.

Above: The chief gathering place in this home is the great room, which is warmed with oak wood floors and modernized with Dekko concrete panels on the fireplace surround. Red oak bookcases and fir panelling flank the fire, for a unique take on a feature wall.

Above: The soft grey-green of Benjamin Moore’s October Mist on the kitchen cabinet doors complements the fir panelling. Centura tiles by Magma in Grey Stone accent the backsplash, and style is taken up a notch up with the Urban Electric Company Double Arm Beldi hanging pendant lamp. The Caesarstone Cloudburst Concrete counters add durability to this high-use area.

Left: An office niche makes this area particularly functional, with built-in fir shelving tying its look in with the kitchen and surrounding wood features.

Right: A Sundays Field dining table and Form bench, paired with Gerrit dining chairs from The Bay, create a welcoming eating zone for this busy family. The Avery Natural Linen double drum pendant light from Crate & Barrel adds softness to the room.

“When you live somewhere, you stop seeing things. You learn how to live with it, even if it’s not really working.” Interior designer Kyla Bidgood

A LONG HISTORY

“There’s a [Charles] Eames quote that says success in design is when you can anticipate the needs of the client,” says Bidgood. “When you live somewhere, you stop seeing things. You learn how to live with it, even if it’s not really working. We look at what is truly needed and turn that into a reality.”

One element that surprised Bidgood — and others who worked on the project — was that the original concept remained almost untouched through to completion: a rare phenomenon in the design world. Bidgood says it speaks to the “dating process” between client and designer, and the fact that she and Card have such a long history.

“Jess and I have known each other for so long — even if we haven’t spent that much time together recently — it was very easy to picture what they’d need,” says Bidgood. “Their house has a lot of action, and nothing was too precious. It had to be livable, like a perfectly broken-in pair of jeans: comfortable, but still looks great.”

From the beloved kitchen island (where everyone congregates) to the cozy fireplace in the great room, the spa-like ensuite off the primary bedroom and the idyllic office, Card says the home is more than they ever could have asked for.

“People always exclaim how comfortable and welcoming the space is, and I really can’t take credit — that’s all Kyla,” says Card. “But then, Kyla will say, ‘This is all you. You chose the final pieces.’ It’s better than what we ever could have expected, and it’s exactly what we needed.”

Custom red oak cabinets with custom pulls by Trestle Millwork give this room an elevated, grown-up feel, while bringing in moments of colour that harken back to this family’s days of vibrant red posters and artwork.

The Lorca free-standing tub by MAAX is the feature move of this ensuite, with Olympia Tile’s The Room porcelain tile in invisible white on the wall and floor.

Below:

PROJECT SUPPORT

Architect: Hoyt Design Co.

Interior design: Bidgood

Builders: GT Mann Contracting

Plumbing and mechanical: Specialized

Plumbing & Gas Works

Heating: RedBlue Heating & Refrigeration

Electrician: Alliance Electric

Millwork and cabinetry: Trestle Millwork

Doors and hardware: Karmanah Wood

Design / Slegg Building Materials

Millwork: Trestle Millwork

Tile: JY Shinwoo Construction

Kitchen appliances: Trail Appliances

Countertops: Colonial Countertops / FloForm Countertops

Plumbing fixtures: EMCO Corporation

Stairs: Ground Up Custom Carpentry

Fireplace: Inflame Heating

Flooring: Hourigan’s Flooring / Percy John

Flooring

Windows: Ply Gem Canada

Roofing: Ironclad Installations

Landscaping: Chi Earth and Waterscape

Ever-Blooming Garden

HOW

TO ENSURE

THAT YOU HAVE FLOWERS (ALMOST) EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.

By Wendy McLellan

victoria is, famously, a gardener’s paradise where flowers bloom at least 10 months of the year. But it takes work to make sure your garden is blooming consistently. You may have crocuses and cherry blossoms right now, but what about next month or the month after that? The answer is to plant strategically, layering shrubs, trees, perennials, bulbs and annuals so as one flower fades another bursts into blossom. Here’s how.

FIRST, TAKE STOCK

Before you dash to the nursery and grab every pretty blossom in sight, take stock of what’s already growing in your garden. Just be aware that this is something you need to do over a full year to get a true picture of what you have and what you don’t.

“Keep a garden diary,” advises Jane Tice, an instructor at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific and a long-time private gardener. In her clients’ gardens, she marks empty spaces with chopsticks and photographs those spots so she remembers where she can add plants. She also suggests, perhaps a little ambitiously: “Take a photo every week for a year — we forget how much room things take up.”

In your own garden, map out where the perennials are located and note when they bloom. Note where and when you have gaps — for instance, in early June the spring bulbs are done and the summer heat seekers have yet to bloom, so your garden may be looking a little sad. Take special note of what you can see from your favourite seating areas, and note what needs a little attention.

“It can be really difficult for people to look hard at their garden,” says Theresa Balak, owner of Victoria-based Tutti Flora landscape design. “Some plants have been there too long, and it’s time to plant something new. Be a bit ruthless; if a plant isn’t performing well, or it’s looking sad, maybe it’s outgrown its use. Or maybe it needs a severe cut back in early spring.”

She adds: “Take stock of what you have, what to keep and what to let go of.”

LAYERS OF BLOSSOMS

It is easier to add layers of plants with different blooming times to a large garden, but for smaller gardens Tice suggests looking for plants that don’t mind sharing space, such as columbine and primula.

Pruning the lower limbs off shrubs to turn them into small trees will also open up planting space underneath, she says, and offer more room for new colour.

Containers are another good way to add bright spots to the garden. Place them in an area that seems dull and fill them with plants that have colourful foliage, or stuff them with annuals in spring. “Make the pots look full right from the start,” Tice says. “After a couple of years, if the pot is looking crowded, you can pull out the plants. Put them in the garden or let them go. They don’t owe you anything.”

tip!

A fast and easy way to add colour to your garden (especially if you forgot to plant bulbs last fall) is to pick up pots of already planted and blooming bulbs. Pop a whole pot into a decorative container or tuck it in the garden for a burst of bright colour. When the bulbs are finished blooming, let them go dormant, then pull them out of the soil and store until fall when they can be planted properly.

Also: Add a reminder to your calendar to get bulbs this fall.

Together, we are stronger than cancer.

Annuals can also act as place holders for the areas you intend to plant later in the season. “If you’re short on space, you can’t beat annuals,” Tice says.

Just resist the temptation to plant annuals as soon as they arrive in the stores — wait until the threat of a late cold spell has passed, and spread your shopping over the spring and summer months. “I find that most people go into garden centres and they see all the plants in bloom. They don’t think about what that plant will be doing in a few months,” Balak says. “I suggest visiting garden centres every one or two months, see what’s in flower and buy at that time. You see plants at their peak.”

LAZY COLOUR

Another good way to add colour — and maintain it with relatively little effort — is to plant long-flowering shrubs, such as hydrangeas, roses, hardy fuchsias and lavatera. Some will do well in containers as well as in the garden — and they will bloom for weeks and weeks.

Look for perennials with longer-lasting flowers. Instead of Shasta daisies that don’t have a long blooming time, Tice suggests planting echinacea “White Swan,” which flowers right into fall. She adds that plants that have flowers along their stems, such as pollinator-attracting gaura, tend to last longer than those with single flowers.

Two other plants she recommends are dahlias, whose dramatic, colourful and long-lasting flowers make them worth the maintenance they require, and the violet-blue geranium “Rozanne,” which will fill spaces and bloom late into fall. Cut it back in summer, and it will flower again. “There is a reason it was named perennial of the century by the Royal Horticultural Society,” Tice says.

Of course, flowers aren’t the only way to add more zest to the garden. Adding texture and colour with foliage can make a big impact. A grouping of bronze grasses, such as pheasant’s tail grass or the chartreuse Carex “Everillo” can instantly brighten sections that don’t look lively. In a shady area, the autumn fern “Brilliance” adds coppery red to a space that needs something other than green.

It is more challenging to find long-flowering plants for shade gardens, so look for colourful foliage to add to the display. Heuchera (coral bells), for example, is available in so many colours that it doesn’t need flowers to lighten a garden. From almost black to lime green, these plants can grow in light shade and full sun.

“Heuchera is my No. 1 choice for colourful foliage,” Tice said. “And grasses. And purple fountain grass — it’s an annual, but looks great forever. Even when it’s dead in the winter, it looks good.”

Echinacea “White Swan”

“Rozanne” geranium

Pheasant’s tail grass

Heuchera

BC Cancer chief PET/CT technologist Jenn Forer

What Blooms When

… AND HOW TO PLAN YOUR GARDEN AROUND IT.

If you plan your garden well, you can have blossoms almost every month of the year. Here are just a few blooms to add to the bunch.

January and February

In bloom: hellebores, snowdrops; in February, the first plum and cherry trees

Plant: fruit, flowering and other trees; evergreens

Of note: Hellebores are evergreen, able to handle sun and shade, and flower from late winter right into spring. They are also available in many colours, from white to green to pink to deep purple. Every garden should have a place for them.

March

In bloom: crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, narcissi, mini irises, primula

(primrose); plum and cherry trees

Plant: flower seeds indoors

Of note: This is when you can thank past you for thinking ahead and planting bulbs last fall. The first to bloom are the crocuses, followed swiftly by the rest.

April and May

In bloom: tulips, grape hyacinths, ranunculus (Persian buttercups), primula (primrose), azaleas, rhododendrons; by late May, iris, columbine, hydrangea, lilies; cherry trees

Plant: perennials

Of note: Spring is in full bloom, so enjoy every fragrant floral moment. If you’re worried about frost, Victoria Day is the day traditionally considered safe for delicate plants.

June

In bloom: irises, hydrangea; later in June, roses, phlox, geraniums, fuchsias, lilies

Plant: annuals, frostsensitive perennials

Of note: June can be a tricky month for flowers in Victoria. The bulbs and tree blossoms are done, except perhaps for some irises, and the heat seekers are yet to bloom. This is a good month to pop a few annuals around the garden to fill in any transitional gaps.

July and August

In bloom: lilies, alliums, roses, geraniums, fuchsias, phlox, echinacea, dahlias, lavatera

Plant: maybe some annuals

Of note: The sultry peak of summer is rarely the best time to plant anything,

so relax and enjoy your garden, but stay on top of the weeding and watering.

September and October

In bloom: the last of the long-flowering summer blossoms

— roses, geraniums, fuchsias, phlox (into September) plus echinacea, dahlias, lavatera (through October); as well as rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) and salvia (sage)

Plant: bulbs for spring, some perennials

Of note: As the last of the flowers goes out in a blaze of colourful glory, start putting your garden to bed for the winter. Weed, mulch, trim, tidy.

November and December

In bloom: not much, if anything

Plant: Nothing, but add plenty of mulch

Of note: By November, few plants flower around Victoria, but this is a good time to put out your autumnal displays (gourds, hay bales, baskets) followed soon after by holiday decorations (containers, wreaths, light displays, ornaments). Aside from that, make sure your garden is prepared for winter and has a variety of evergreens in hues that range from bright chartreuse to dark teal or purple. Also consider adding a few plants with bright berries, like holly.

Fashion Stylist: Janine Metcalfe

Photographer: Jeffrey Bosdet

THE DOUBLE DOUBLE

TAILORED OR TATTERED, DARK WASH OR LIGHT, SLIM OR SUPERWIDE, TOPS AND/OR BOTTOMS, DENIM IS THE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME LOOK YOU’LL WANT TO WEAR THIS SPRING. PAIR IT WITH A CHUNKY SHOE AND FEMININE DETAILS TO MAKE IT OH-SO-2024.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Denim shirt and jeans available at Moden Boutique; black-and-white oxfords by Dr. Martens available at Baggins Shoes Store.

DESIGNER DUNGAREES

This page: Louis baggy overalls by Afends, the Jane turtleneck in cream by Eliza Faulkner and Florence bow by A Bronze Age, all available at Still Life for Her. Jadon cow-print boots by Dr. Martens, available at Baggins Shoes Store.

ESSENTIAL JACKET

Opposite: Medium-blue denim jean jacket by Part Two, available at Bagheera Boutique. Beaded necklace by ELK, available at Moden Boutique.

CHAMBRAY ALL DAY

This page: Denim jeans by AG and chambray button-down shirt by Eileen Fisher, both available at Tulipe Noire. Black boots by Dr. Martens, available at Baggins Shoes Store.

PRETTY PATCHWORK

Opposite: Patchwork jeans by Replay, crisp white button-down blouse by Luisa Cerano, gold belt by B.Belt, all available at Bagheera Boutique. Adrian white loafers by Dr. Martens, available at Baggins Shoes Store.

Sunglasses by Matsuda, available at Maycock Eyecare.

Model: Kenzie Owen/Key Model Management

| Hair and makeup: Anya Ellis/Lizbell Agency

thoughtful is

a lasting partnership

BRETT JONES & FLORA STANLEY

RENNIE ADVISORS - VICTORIA

A PRETTY PENNY

By Liam Razzell

The

The loafer is the shoe you want to wear right now. Here’s how to do it right.

As people, places and things age, the murkier their origin stories get. And that’s true for penny loafers — a century-old shoe that’s both a classic and the trendy footwear of the moment. But where, and with whom, did they originate?

Some argue the shoes date back to rural Norway. In the 1800s, British travellers visited small Norwegian towns to fish for salmon. There they were exposed to leather slip-ons called “tesers” worn by the locals. Some of these anglers took the shoes back home, and therefore spread the style internationally.

Others say that moccasins — leather slipons worn by Indigenous people in Canada and the United States — inspired the first penny-loafer designs. Traditionally made from animal skin, the low-top versions of these shoes look similar to penny loafers, though they don’t have a heel or an instep strap.

Then there are those who claim London shoemaker Raymond Lewis Wildsmith made a slip-on shoe similar to penny loafers for King George IV, Britain’s monarch from 1820 until his death in 1830.

There are also examples of leather slipons from around the world that existed long before penny loafers did.

Whatever its origin, shoemaker Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger is cited as the father of the modern-day penny loafer. Born in Norway in 1874, Tveranger studied shoemaking in the U.S. until he returned to Norway, where he patented a shoe he’d been working on called the Aurland moccasin. Inspired by Indigenous moccasins and Norwegian tesers, these shoes were soon available for purchase across Europe.

Enter Esquire. In the 1930s, the men’s magazine partnered with retailer Rogers, Pete & Co. and Maine-based manufacturer G.H. Bass to produce their take on the Aurland moccasin. These shoes, called Weejuns (short for “Norwegians”) introduced Americans to the style, which soon became popular with young trendsetters — many of whom wore loafers casually — and others looking for fresh, versatile dress shoes.

But why “penny” loafers? Some say it’s because people used to keep a penny in each shoe’s instep strap to make pay-phone calls, but it’s unclear whether that’s true or how the trend started — it may have just begun as a simple way to accessorize the shoes.

1) G.H. Bass Weejuns; 2) Solovair Hi Shine Tassel Loafer; 3) MR P. Scott Low-Cut Leather Loafers; 4) Hand-painted Wilde Orange penny loafer from Duke + Dexter; 5) Dr. Martens Penton Floral Jacquard Loafer

transforming spaces, inspiring lives

A TIMELESS OUTFIT

Penny loafers have only grown in popularity since their rise in the 1930s. Today, they come in a variety of materials, designs and styles, and are worn around the world by men and women alike. (Three super-popular loafers right now are the Dr. Martens Penton, Solovair Hi Shine and G.H. Bass Logan Flat Strap Weejuns.)

As Janine Metcalfe, YAM’s fashion editor, says, “Fashion is cyclical, but loafers never really go out of style.”

For a timeless outfit, pair the shoes with nice socks, a belt, a T-shirt and jeans in black, dark blue or light wash. Perfect for a night at the bar, casual work functions and running errands, for both men and women. This is the easiest, least expensive way to style penny loafers. Because the combination is so simple, it’s great for incorporating accessories and layers — overshirts, sweaters, jackets, scarves, tuques — in winter months.

But there are a few things to keep in mind.

Socks matter. Contrary to the views of suiting aficionados, white socks pair with penny loafers. White sports socks will do in a pinch, but only if the grey soles that many have don’t show. Solid-colour dress socks will catch the eye, make loafers and jeans pop and add a sense of fun to the outfit. Or go sock-free — ideal for casual looks and hot summer days. When wearing dresses and skirts with loafers, women can sport thicker, textural socks.

Jeans are important, too. Dark jeans help create a streamlined look, especially when paired with a similar-coloured T-shirt. Patched, stained, paint-splotched and fraying vintage jeans nicely contrast the loafer’s sleek, polished look.

Also, wide-legged pants look better with chunkier loafers, and vice versa. For example, a pair of bulky, platform penny loafers with uber-slim jeans can make feet look clown-ish, but sleek, traditional ones with baggy, wide-legged jeans can make feet look small. Where pants fall is also important. Long, baggy jeans look great with lug-sole loafers, but to make the shoes the outfit’s centrepiece, show them off by cuffing jeans or wearing a cropped or anklelength pair.

When wearing accessories, think about how they’ll complement loafers. “If your loafers have a bold pattern or are heavily embellished, avoid wearing too many attention-grabbing accessories,” writes Sarah D’Arcey, a Vancouver-based stylist who has dressed actors for Netflix and Warner Bros., in an email. “I recommend creating a harmonious look, not a competing one.”

That advice applies to T-shirts, too. Big graphics compete with flashy loafers. As a rule of thumb, plain T-shirts are best. And when tucking a T-shirt into jeans, complement loafers with a matching belt — black loafers, black belt; textured loafers, textured belt — to add continuity.

STEP UP YOUR LOAFER STYLE

Jeans + T-shirt + loafers (with or without socks) is a classic combination, but it’s not the only way to style this classic footwear. Here are six other outfits to pair with standard black penny loafers:

Monochrome suit or skirt suit; colourful socks.

White T-shirt; black V-neck sweater or sweater vest; black pleated trousers; white socks.

Oxford-cloth button down; shorts; no socks.

Skirt or colourful, flowy dress; chunky white socks.

Chunky sweater; highwaisted, wide-legged, pleated chinos; socks optional.

Magical Mystery TourISM

By Don Genova

The lines of broad white tape corresponding to the shape of a human corpse left no doubt as to where the victim met their fate. What was unusual were the several “Wanted” posters already pinned up on the wall next to where the dastardly deed had been committed. All the suspects had two things in common: They were all mystery writers, and none of them had yet left town.

That town was Lerwick, the largest settlement on the far-flung Shetland Islands, an archipelago in Scotland between Orkney and Norway. The scene of the crime was the local library, which had set up the faux grisly display to welcome everyone to Shetland Noir, a murder mystery festival featuring some of the world’s best crime

writers. The lineup was heavy on some of my U.K. favourites: Elly Griffiths, Val McDermid, Richard Osman and, of course, Ann Cleeves, creator of the Shetland series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez, which led to the popular BBC television series that recently aired its eighth season.

Travelling to Shetland to see, listen to and even meet these authors was a bucket list trip for me and my wife, Ramona Montagne, a.k.a. “The Queen of Mystery” at Victoria’s Russell Books, where she doles out recommendations from the store’s thousands of mysteries. But why do readers like us love mysteries so much we’d be willing to travel nearly 7,000 kilometres over 20 hours just to meet the people who write them?

Let’s follow the clues and investigate.

CRIME STORY TIME

Since humans first swapped tales around a fire, our stories have featured classic mystery motifs like puzzles, mistaken identities, dastardly villains and murder most foul. But crime as a genre only appeared in the late 19th century. Why then?

The Victorian era was a time of high anxiety, rapid social, economic and technological change, and booming urban centres where violent robberies and gruesome murders filled broadsheet pages. Detective novels and their lurid counterpart, the penny dreadful, allowed readers to explore socially taboo topics, experience the dangerous thrill of crime without the consequence and enjoy the sort of neat resolution that so seldom happens in real life.

IN WHICH OUR WRITER VISITS THE SHETLAND ISLANDS TO FOLLOW THE CLUES AND DISCOVER WHAT

In 1841, Edgar Allan Poe published the first detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” It was followed in 1860 by the first mystery novel, Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White and, in 1887, by the first appearance of the world’s most famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. One year later, the real-life Jack the Ripper left five bodies in Whitechapel and and in 1891 another Holmes, Dr. Henry Howard, began luring dozens of victims to his “murder castle” in Chicago.

By the 1920s, the world emerged from the bloodbath of the First World War to enter what is now considered the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, when Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and G.K. Chesterton reigned. Their cozy British puzzle stories were soon followed by hardboiled American pulp fiction by the likes of Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

Today crime is the most popular of fiction genres. According to at least one study, 45 per cent of female and 28 per cent of male readers read at least one mystery or crime novel in 2023. And the genre now comprises everything from domestic noir and romantic thrillers to historical crime, police procedurals, paranormal mysteries, vigilante revenge stories and true crime, with detectives including crime-solving cats, cupcake bakers, aristocratic flappers, autistic cops, eccentric pensioners and nosy podcasters.

“SHETLANDERS WILL TELL YOU WE HAVE BEEN ON SEAMEN’S CHARTS FOR MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE ANY OF THIS HAPPENED.”

Is it any wonder, then, that the readers of those stories would eventually want to meet the people who created them and share their passion with other like-minded aficionados?

Enter the mystery writers’ festival.

In 2003, the Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate hosted what is likely the first of them: Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. (Mystery fans will recognize Harrogate as the place where Agatha Christie emerged after her mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926.)

There are now more than 30 significant crime-writing festivals around the world, from Reykjavík to Rotorua to Toronto, where Canada’s third annual Motive Crime & Mystery Festival is scheduled for June, to, of course, the Shetland Islands.

WHODUNIT AND WHY?

The first Shetland Noir was held in 2015. Today the festival’s curator, Marsali Taylor, credits the success of the Ann Cleeves books and TV show for putting the islands on the tourist map. “Shetlanders will tell you we have been on seamen’s charts for many thousands of years before any of this happened,” says Taylor, who is the author of her own Shetland-based mystery series. “But absolutely, Ann has made the islands popular, a tourist go-to destination, instead of people saying ‘Where? You really want to go there?’ ”

We did want to go there. Once we arrived in Shetland, we visited The Lodberrie, the rustic and much-photographed seaside stone house where the show’s DI Perez lived, as well as the police station and even the famous full-size “cake fridge” with its honour box and five-star Tripadvisor rating. At one point we were thrilled to stumble upon Shetland’s stars (Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder and Alison O’Donnell as Temporary DI Alison “Tosh” McIntosh) rehearsing a

Right: In 1860, Wilkie Collins published what is considered the first mystery novel, The Woman in White; this 1889 edition is from Victoria’s Abe Books.

Above: Lerwick, Shetland Islands, is the scenic setting for Ann Cleeves’s Jimmy Perez novels and the Shetland Noir mystery writers’ festival.

In the Saloon Bar of the Grand Hotel, we were surprised when our motives for being on Shetland underwent a close questioning by a stern yet friendly local named Hamish Angus. We explained that we were there for Shetland Noir, and big fans of both the novels and the TV show. While he admitted to reading the novels, he scoffed, “They wanted to use my truck as the one the murderer drove in the first season. I said, ‘No way.’ ” Why not? We’ll never know — without giving us time for a cross-examination of our own, Angus downed the rest of his pint and snuck out the side door of the bar for a smoke.

Later that evening, the festival kicked off with rousing traditional music from a quartet of young fiddlers and a buffet meal featuring Shetlandsourced ingredients like lamb, scallops and honey, as well as the curious sweets called “puffin poo,” little balls of sweet dough dusted

Mystery How-To

There’s been a murder mystery burbling in me for some time now, so one very useful panel I attended at Shetland Noir was called “Keeping It Real.” I learned:

• Get the details right.

• Motive and narrative drive your story, not the “procedures.”

• Police are people first and foremost, officers of the law second.

• Authors want to create characters their readers will like, and inclusivity is important.

• Hard-drinking loners get boring; they need more facets to their lives.

street scene in Lerwick for the new season. (Perez, played by Douglas Henshall, left after the seventh season.)

The most recent season of Shetland sees the departure of DI Jimmy Perez and features Ashley Jensen (left) as DI Ruth Calder and Alison O’Donnell as Temporary DI Alison “Tosh” McIntosh.

liberally with icing sugar and named for the iconic Shetland bird.

As the festival’s patron, Cleeves welcomed everyone to Shetland Noir and promised us an insightful three days of elbow-rubbing with some amazing writers.

The promise was fulfilled. I did get to rub elbows with Cleeves and ask her why she brought her Shetland series of novels to an end. “There are only 21,000 people who live on all the Islands, you know. There’s only so much I wanted to say about them. I didn’t want to become ridiculous,” she said. “And I didn’t want to get bored by writing about the same place. It’s lovely to come and visit now and be on holiday and not think about having to plan a book.”

Writers do get tired of characters and places after a while. Richard Osman of the Thursday Murder Club series, for instance, told his audience he is retiring his cast of senior citizen crime solvers for now. His next series will feature an ex-cop whose daughter-in-law does security for rich people. And Elly Griffiths refused to give spoilers about her purported-to-be-final Ruth Galloway novel except to say that all the loose ends will be tied up and, in the Victorian novel tradition, readers will get “a proposal, an emigration and a death.”

PLACE AS CHARACTER

Narrative, motive and character aside, one of the reasons readers love mysteries is because they offer an opportunity to armchair-travel to places that might not otherwise be on their itinerary. A festival set in one of those destinations offers an opportunity to explore it in real life — minus the dead bodies, of course.

Vancouver Island, with its many bookstores packed with mystery novels and the readers who love them, might seem to be an ideal place for a mystery festival of its own. But so far, there hasn’t been that marquee mystery writer that has crowds flocking here to see where the bodies are buried, unlike, say, Louise Penny’s Eastern Townships, Griffiths’s Norfolk or Cleeves’s Shetland.

Jean Paetkau is out to change that.

After writing three adventure stories for children, in 2023 the Victoria-based broadcaster self-published Blood on the Breakwater, her first mystery novel for adults, with a followup due this year. Sales have been brisk, and she credits the local settings in her book as a major factor in its success. “I started doing daily walks on the breakwater, and it’s just such a monumental edifice, this presence, and it just seemed like such a good place for a murder mystery,” she says. “It’s a real touchstone for the community. It means something to a lot of people, and it becomes a character in the novel.”

Paetkau maintains writing about the place where you live instantly gives you a community of readers. “They’re invested in reading prosaic passages about sunsets on the breakwater and the bad parking lots in James Bay.”

She’s not the only crime writer here on the Island; there is also Tara Moss, Stanley Evans, Chevy Stevens and Nanaimo-based Susan Juby, whose second mystery novel, A Meditation on Murder, was just published in February.

“In small-town B.C. we have some of the most phenomenal landscapes in the world,” says Juby. “Mysteries turn place into character, and we have a lot of characters in this province.”

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She set her first murder mystery, Mindful of Murder, at the fictional Yatra Institute on equally fictional, sparsely populated Sutil Island. (Published in 2022, and featuring a Buddhist nun turned butler as her detective, it was shortlisted for the Leacock Medal for Humour.) The location reflects Juby’s time spent on the real-life Cortes Island, home to the Hollyhock retreat centre. It, her new book (which is set on the mainland) and a planned third in the series have all been optioned for possible screen treatments, and Juby believes a large part of their appeal comes from where the books are set.

Still, Juby believes there is a resistance in Canadian literature to genre work. “I think there’s still a little bit of a sense of, ‘Oh, this is not what we do, we do serious, literary works,’ whereas the U.K., they really especially embrace their mystery writers,” she says, and notes that the British do many adaptations of mystery literature and don’t shy away at all from featuring small places.

“When I started publishing, people would not set things ‘locally’ if they were from small towns,” she adds. “But that’s changing. Publishers are acknowledging that there can be ‘regional’

 Bloody Scotland, September 13 to 15, Stirling, Scotland. The international crime writing festival where you are most likely to find yourself enjoying a dram alongside Denise Mina and Ian Rankin. bloodyscotland.com

 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, August 28 to September 1, Nashville. This massive annual convention features the biggest names in the biz; highlight is the prestigious Anthony Awards. (Note: “Boucher” is pronounced to rhyme with “voucher.”) bouchercon2024.com

 Capital Crime Festival, May 30 to June 1, London. More than 100 crime writers and specialists gather in the British capital for this snazzy fest. capitalcrime.org

Iceland Noir, November 20 to 23, Reykjavík. Brave the dark, the cold and errant volcanoes to join a truly international gathering of crime writers in a stunning location. icelandnoir.weebly.com

International Agatha Christie Festival, September 7 to 15, Celebrate the Queen of Crime with a number of events in her hometown on the sunny English Riviera. iacf-uk.org

hits. So sure, in time, we should be able to do something like a Shetland Noir festival.”

CLIFFHANGER

Back on Shetland, I discovered friendly people, fantastic local seafood, sheep contentedly grazing green fields and a community of mystery writers and their fans. I may also have solved the mystery of why we love mysteries so much.

Primarily, it’s escapism into intriguing tales. But mystery aficionados also like figuring out puzzles and finding fulfilling resolutions. We thrill to end-of-chapter surprises and cliffhangers. And we like getting to know the details of our favourite detectives’ lives, their foibles, their demons, their relationships, even what they like to eat.

Will I ever return to Shetland? Not likely. But I will attend more crime writing festivals, especially if they give me the chance to meet more of the creators and the new worlds they give me to explore.

For info on Shetland Noir, visit shetlandarts.org (dates for 2024 were not available at press time); catch episodes of Shetland on BritBox.

CRAVING CRIME?

No red herrings — if you love a good detective story, here are 10 other mystery festivals to check out around the world.

 Left Coast Crime, April 11 to 14, Seattle. Well-established annual convention held in different locations on the U.S. West Coast; this year’s fest is especially accessible to Victorians. leftcoastcrime.org/2024

 Malice Domestic, April 26 to 28, Washington, D.C. For fans of cozies, traditional sleuths and books with food puns in the title. malicedomestic.net

 Motive Crime & Mystery Festival, June 7 to 9, Toronto. This is the third year for the Canadian fest, which draws top national and international authors to Hogtown. festivalofauthors.ca

 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, July 18 to 21, Harrogate. Just one of several arts festivals in this lovely Yorkshire spa town, famous from the Agatha Christie disappearance of 1926, this is THE event for serious mystery fans, with bestselling “it girl” Ruth Ware as this year’s festival chair. harrogateinternational festivals. com/crime-writing-festival

 ThrillerFest, May 28 to June 1, New York City. If you prefer your crime action packed, hard boiled and, well, thrilling, then this is the fest for you. thrillerfest.com

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Food + Drink

IN SEASON

The Morel of the Story

59

IN SEASON

The Morel of the Story

60

TASTES + TRENDS Off the Menu

63

THE MAIN COURSE Filipino Flavour Fusion

68 DINING OUT A Pinoy Primer

70

SIPS Cheers to Beer

71

DESTINATIONS Taste the World

RECIPES

64 Ube White Chocolate Cheesecake

66 Chicken Lugaw

67 Filipino Pork or Chicken Adobo

Should you be wandering in the woods this spring, look closely at the forest floor and there, tucked among the needles, roots and dead leaves, you may find one of the world’s great culinary treasures: the crinkly-skinned, pointy-capped morel mushroom. But before you pick one, pick up a copy of Bill Jones’s newly updated and revised book, The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook (TouchWood Editions, to be published April 23). The Cowichan chef has assembled decades of experience hosting foraging workshops and dinners at his farm, so you will not only find terrific recipes, but tips on what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what not to. Even if the only place you’re foraging is at the grocery store, you can still enjoy morels in soups, stews, pasta dishes, omelettes and quiches, or whatever your imagination can cook up.

BILL JONES

Food + Drink

OFF THE MENU

What’s new in Victoria’s restaurant scene.

By Cinda Chavich

5 Year-Round Patios to Love

It’s a happy hangover from the worst days of the pandemic — we now have more places to sit and eat in cozy comfort outside, no matter the weather. Snuggle up!

LURE

The view from the patio at LURE restaurant at the Delta Hotel is arguably one of the best in the city, with the legislature outlined in twinkling lights across the harbour. And in cooler weather you can enjoy the chef’s seven-course tasting menu ensconced in your own cozy “dining dome.”

10 Acres Commons

Bowls, burgers, sushi rolls, tacos, ribs, pasta — everything goes at Mike Murphy’s farmto-table 10 Acres. Whether you choose The Commons or The Bistro side of this popular downtown restaurant, there are toasty heaters on the covered patios where you can gather with friends right in the city centre.

Fireside Grill

A vintage Tudor-style manor house set in a grove of wild Garry oaks, the Fireside Grill is known for its garden patio and outdoor fireplace, always a cozy spot to gather. Its menu ranges from pizza to Sunday prime rib dinners, but the big weekend brunch is a family tradition here.

Fathom

One of the newest — and nicest — spots for sharing an al fresco nosh with friends is Fathom in the Hotel Grand Pacific. Gathered around the dancing flames of your own fire table, wrapped in a cozy blanket, with views across the Inner Harbour — it’s the place to enjoy custom cocktails and executive chef Peter Kim’s creative share plates, from cheesy pull-apart rolls to Humboldt squid calamari with Brussels sprouts.

FARO/The Snug Pub

Whether you’re seated next to the outdoor fireplace at FARO or overlooking the Salish Sea in The Snug Pub, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel is a great place for patio dining. We especially like to stop in at FARO on a sunny afternoon for cocktails and appies during their aperitivo hour.

A TRANSITION WITH BRIO

After decades as creative leaders in the city’s restaurant industry, the owners of Café Brio, Greg Hays and Silvia Marcolini, are passing the torch to new owners — chef Sam Harris and bartender Vincent Vanderheide — both with years of experience in top city establishments.

Harris has led the kitchen team at Café Brio’s kitchen since 2022, after opening a string of award-winning restaurants in Victoria, including The Courtney Room, Agrius and Boom + Batten. His menus are inspired by fresh and seasonal Island ingredients, building on the traditions Hays and Marcolini established.

Although the owners of Café Brio are retiring, the popular restaurant remains in very capable new hands. And it’s just the latest to undergo a major transition in a year of change for local restaurants.

After Shane Devereaux closed Sherwood, a stylish all-day café and bar across from City Hall, the owners of Wind Cries Mary reopened the restaurant as Rudi, with chef David Healey’s Euro-inspired family meals and moreish house specialties including duck confit, hand-rolled gnocchi and

Enjoy views of the Inner Harbour from the LURE patio.

Cafe Brio’s new owners, bartender Vincent Vanderheide (left) and chef SamHarris, plan to continue the beloved restaurant’s legacy.

FARO patio

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

layered potato rosti with creamy raclette sauce. There’s a great bar program, too, and a cozy new design with a vintage rail travel vibe.

Meanwhile, when La Taqueria closed on Fort Street, Scott Burley reimagined the space as Serena’s Pizzeria & Hoagies, his ode to big American-style sandwiches and pizza (the kind that includes add-ons such as meatballs, buffalo chicken, steak and roast beef).

Tom Moore of Crust Bakery is opening his eponymous bakery café, Tombo, in the former Agrius space with former chef Grant Gard and charcuterie expert Paul van Trigt in the kitchen.

And we wait to hear more about the new operating partners at Sooke Harbour House — chef Melissa Craig and Andre Saint-Jacques — when they reopen the inn later this year.

We’ve lost some favourite places, but these spaces live on with new owners and energy. When one door closes, another opens.

A TALE OF TWO HANKS

Two cities, two new Hanks eateries for food lovers to enjoy.

In Victoria, the tiny but beloved Hanks *A Restaurant has moved into new, larger digs next door to its original space on Douglas Street. Opening Ate in the original Hanks location, and with Nowhere *A Restaurant located behind Hanks, restaurateur Clark Deutscher has something for everyone at this downtown corner. (For more on Ate, see story on page 68.)

The new Hanks still celebrates local meats in all of their glory with an ever-changing daily menu — think beef tartare, beef jerky and beef grillades, plus burgers and fried chicken nights — but now with additional seats and a larger open kitchen where you can engage with the creative cooks.

Meanwhile, in Duncan, there’s a new bakery café called Hank’s Cowichan (no connection), a collab between terrine queen chef Louise Pickles, her chef husband Aaron Walsh and Peaks Coffee’s Dana Meiner, along with a team of talented bakers. This is a one-stop shop for crusty loaves of sourdough bread, croissants, cookies and beautiful fresh sandwiches to take away or eat-in at the counter. Plus, there’s an array of Pickles’ Pantry terrines and pâtés, house-made soups, seedy Norwegian crackers and other local provisions to fill the pantry or the cooler when you’re heading up Island or wine touring in the region.

Or just stop in for great coffee and a pastry. It’s right on the highway as you arrive in town, so super easy to find — and divine!

BEAUTIFUL BUCKWHEAT

According to the food trendspotters, whole and ancient grains remain popular with consumers. And at the top of the list is buckwheat.

OFFICE CATERING

The right fuel can transform a meeting into a brainstorming session and a simple lunch into a catalyst for innovation.

Alibi Catering offers catered office breakfasts and lunches. Promote sustained energy and creativity with our vibrant salads and other delicious, protein-packed delights.

Despite its name, buckwheat is not a variety of wheat at all. Buckwheat is in the knotweed family — related to sorrel and rhubarb — and produces a seed that can be ground into flour or eaten whole in porridges and pilafs. It’s native to China and Tibet, and one of the most popular modern uses for buckwheat is in soba noodles, the kind you might find in a bowl of Japanese soup.

But buckwheat flour is also the base for blini, the little pancakes served with caviar, and a staple in Ukrainian cuisine. Kasha, made with roasted or smoky whole buckwheat groats that are cooked with broth just like rice, is tossed with pasta or used to fill cabbage rolls and knishes. You can even use whole toasted buckwheat groats, uncooked, as a crunchy salad topping, or in a stuffing for vegetables.

Buckwheat is a good source of protein, fibre and B vitamins. Recent studies show it can reduce blood sugar levels to manage diabetes. Buckwheat has no gluten, so it’s popular for making a variety of products, including gluten-free beer.

Buckwheat is a short-season crop that grows well without additional fertilizer, in both hot and cool climates. With demand for this ancient grain growing, there’s more being planted across Western Canada. Look for raw or toasted whole buckwheat groats, buckwheat flours and pancake mixes, including B.C.-made products such as GluteNull Buckwheat Bread and cookies or whole groats from Fieldstone Organics.

+ Drink

FILIPINO FLAVOUR FUSION

SWEET, SOUR, SALTY AND PURPLE — THE COMPLEX FARE OF THIS SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATION IS WHAT WE’RE HUNGRY FOR RIGHT NOW.

By Cinda Chavich

At Ate * A Restaurant, the chicken lugaw (a savoury rice porridge similar to congee) comes topped with crispy fried chicken skin and a fried egg.

W+ Drink

THE MAIN COURSE

hether it’s crispy-skinned pork lechon from a small mom-and-pop shop, glamorous purple-ice-creamtopped halo-halo pictured on Instagram or the sophisticated modern fare at a Michelin-starred restaurant like Kasama in Chicago, Filipino food is having a major moment worldwide, its popularity travelling well beyond the borders of this islands nation. After all, Filipino food is masarap — the Tagalog word for “tasty” — and just the kind of globally flavoured fare we’re craving these days.

A CULTURAL MELTING POT

A scattering of some 7,000-plus islands stretching across the South China Sea, the Philippines is a maritime country with a melting pot of culinary influences from Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican and American cultures.

Some say Filipino cuisine is the ultimate fusion food. Typical sauces combine tomatoes with soy sauce and chilies. Rice dishes are made with saffron and spicy cured sausages similar to chorizo. Fast food leans toward fried chicken and burgers, served with fruity banana ketchup. There’s even a popular take on spaghetti and meat sauce, made with ground pork and hot dogs.

Add tropical ingredients such as purple yam (ube), fermented fish paste, tamarind and

coconut or sugarcane vinegar, and you have a decidedly distinct cuisine that goes far beyond the familiar chicken adobo and crispy spring rolls known as lumpia.

Filipino cuisine also features a proud tradition of street food, fast food and what’s known as the “boodle fight” or kamayan, a communal feast where guests enjoy grilled and roasted bites spread out on a banana-leaflined table.

It’s these portable, eaten-by-hand foods that inspire the menu at the new Ate (AH-tay) * A Restaurant on Douglas Street, where coowner Jonna Deutscher fuses her memories of the street food she enjoyed as a child in the Philippines with her mother’s home-style recipes and the nose-to-tail philosophy of Hanks and Nowhere, the other restaurants she co-owns with her husband Clark.

One section of the menu is devoted entirely to the “Purple Sandwich,” ube burger buns topped with crispy fried fish, roasted “lechon” (pig) or a lumpia patty inspired by the ground pork filling usually found in spring rolls.

And, because so many Filipino stews and sauces include offal, Ate can make the most of the Island-raised animals the Deutschers break down in their other restaurant kitchens for a modern, zero-waste approach to this traditional cuisine.

Ube White Chocolate Cheesecake

For the base of this colourful cheesecake, Gerald Tan, the executive pastry chef at the Fairmont Empress, creates his own version of the unbaked shortbread-like Filipino cookies known as polvorón.

Polvorón Crust:

• 1½ cups (180 g) flour

• 1 cup (184 g) powdered milk (whole milk powder)

• ½ cup (100 g) sugar

• 1 cup (222 g) butter, melted

Place the flour into a large sauté pan or wok and stir over medium heat until the flour is lightly browned and toasted. Place into a bowl to cool.

Add the powdered milk and sugar and stir to combine. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir to form a crumbly mixture.

Pat polvorón mixture firmly into a buttered 9-inch springform pan in an even layer and set aside.

Ube Cheesecake:

• 500 g cream cheese (2 packages), at room temperature

• ½ cup (100 g) sugar

• 4 tsp (13 g) cornstarch

• ½ cup (100 g) sour cream

• 2 large eggs (106 g)

• 2 Tbsp (33 g) heavy cream

• cup (50 g) ube halaya (purple yam jam)

• 1 tsp ube flavour

• ¼ tsp (1 g) purple food colour

• 2 ½ oz (66 g) white chocolate, chopped

• Whipped cream to garnish

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Place cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch into the bowl of a stand mixer. (If you don’t have one, use a large bowl and electric hand mixer instead.) Mix well on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl every so often, until you reach a nice, smooth consistency.

Add in sour cream and eggs, and continue beating until well combined. This is the cheesecake base; set it aside while you make the white chocolate ganache.

Pour the heavy cream, ube halaya, ube flavour and purple food colour into a small pot over medium heat and cook until warm, about 180°F.

Place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the warm ube mixture over top, stirring until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well blended, to create a ganache.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the white chocolate ganache, a bit at a time, into the cheesecake base. Continue mixing until smooth.

Pour cheesecake batter over the polvorón base. Place in the oven and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until centre is set.

Cool the cheesecake completely before serving it; refrigerate it for several hours or overnight, then unmould and cut it into wedges to serve. Garnish with whipped cream.

Makes one 9-inch round cake.

The Ube White Chocolate Cheesecake by Fairmont Empress pastry chef Gerald Tan wows with its bright purple hue and delicate flavour.

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

THE PINOY PANTRY

Filipino food is rich and savoury, but not generally too spicy. (That’s why dishes are typically served with “sawsawan,” small dishes of dipping sauce that let you make it as salty or spicy as you like.) Sweet, sour and salty notes dominate many dishes, including chicken adobo, kare kare (a stew of meats and vegetables in a creamy peanut sauce), sinigang (seafood soup made with tart tamarind juice) and pinakbet (vegetable stew seasoned with fermented shrimp paste).

Souring agents include calamansi (a tropical citrus fruit), atchara (green papaya pickle) and, most of all, vinegar, which is used as a marinade, dip, seasoning and — importantly in this hot, tropical climate — as a preservative.

For instance, like Spanish adobo, Filipino adobo starts with a vinegar-based marinade, but soy sauce and fish sauce are also part of the recipe. Escabeche is another dish that traces its roots to Spanish and Portuguese colonists, featuring fish that’s quickly seared then topped with a sweet-and-sour sauce of slivered sweet peppers, carrots and vinegar.

Beyond these tangy specialties are savoury dishes inspired by Chinese cooking, such as lumpia or pancit, a noodle dish similar to chow mein, with many regional variations.

Pork is king in the Philippines. The famous Filipino lechon may be a roasted suckling pig or a rolled pork belly stuffed with lemongrass and slow-cooked until tender, then deep-fried to create a bubbly crisp skin. Pork is also used in lumpia and the oddly sweet meat sauce for pasta. Longanisa, a pork sausage that may be sweet or salty and garlicky, turns up in many dishes, too, such as silog, the typical breakfast dish of crispy garlic rice (or sinangag) with fried eggs.

And nothing is wasted, especially when it comes to meat: crispy sisig is made with chopped pork and chicken liver; beef or pork heart are minced and sautéed in fiery bopis; stews and sauces are thickened with ground liver; and popular Manila street snacks include skewered heart, tripe or other offal grilled over charcoal.

THE SWEET KITCHEN

Gerald Tan, the executive pastry chef at the Fairmont Empress, grew up in the Philippines and says desserts and pastries there are often inspired by Spanish sweets. Among them: creamy leche flan (similar to crème caramel), almond cakes, creamfilled pastries and even halo-halo, the exuberant, Instagram-friendly sundae cup featuring layers of ice cream, flan, tapioca pearls and fruit.

Ube is a popular ingredient for bakers, and adds a distinctively vivid violet hue to breads, cakes, cookies, pies and frostings. Tan even uses it in a luscious white chocolate cheesecake (see recipe on the opposite page).

Tan suggests making a sweet purple “yam jam” (halaya) to incorporate into desserts by cooking fresh ube with sweetened condensed milk and cream. You can also use dried, powdered or frozen purple yam to make halaya, or find halaya ready-

made in jars at Filipino groceries. Meanwhile, purple yam concentrate (an artificial colouring) is a good way to boost the amethyst colour in ice cream, bread and baked goods.

At Benjamin’s Café in Esquimalt, chef Ervin Maliwanag makes his own creamy purple halaya, and layers it with ube pancakes and French toast for a sweet and decadent breakfast dish. It’s also folded into the custard fillings for his tender Brazo de Mercedes meringue rolls and pastries.

At Friends & Family Bakery in Chinatown a

variety of sweet pastries feature ube, too, whether the deep purple crinkle cookies, buns topped with creamy ube jam, warm ube-filled rolls, or colourful frosted cupcakes and layer cakes.

ALL-DAY DINING

A little sweet, a little sour, a little salty and always savoury, Filipino foods offer a comfortable melting pot of flavours. Go for the crispy pork belly and stunning purple ube desserts, but dig deeper and discover a world of delicious dining.

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Arabian Splendor Voyage with Cathy Scott

November

Join Cathy on an exhilarating journey with a round-trip voyage from Dubai and explore extravagant feats, from palm-shaped islands to the world’s largest shopping mall. Immerse yourself in the captivating blend of local culture and global influences as you visit Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Al Manamah in Bahrain, and Doha in Qatar, each port offering its own unique charm and allure, creating a tapestry of experiences. 8

Chicken Lugaw

Lugaw (also known as arroz caldo) is a comforting rice porridge made with chicken and similar to Chinese congee. Serve it for breakfast, lunch or as a first course. Shortgrain rice and bone-in chicken thighs are best for this dish. If you have skin-on thighs, remove the skin, chop it and fry until crisp to garnish the porridge.

Recipe by Cinda Chavich.

• 1 cup short or medium-grain white rice

• 8 cups water, divided

• 2 Tbsp concentrated chicken stock base

• ½ tsp salt

• 3 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

• 1 Tbsp minced ginger

• 3 dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms (optional)

• Fish sauce to taste

• White pepper to taste

• 2 Tbsp neutral oil or chicken fat

• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced thin

• 2 green onions, finely chopped

• Juice of ½ lemon or lime

•

Optional: an egg, fried or hard-boiled, peeled and halved

In a large pot, combine rice with 7 cups cold water, concentrated chicken base and salt, then bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add the skinless chicken thighs to the pot, along with the ginger and optional dried mushrooms. Simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes, until chicken is very tender. Remove the chicken, discard bones, shred the meat and return to the pot. Slice the mushrooms, discarding the tough stems, and return to the pot.

Season porridge with a splash of fish sauce and white pepper to taste. Add all or part of the remaining 1 cup of water to thin to desired consistency. Continue to simmer to break the rice down more, if desired.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat and add the sliced garlic. Sauté garlic until just starting to colour, then remove to a paper towel to drain. If you have chicken skin, cut it into shreds, add to the hot oil and cook until crisp, draining on the paper with the garlic. Set aside.

To serve, ladle the rice porridge into individual bowls, and top each serving with fried garlic chips and/or crispy chicken skin, chopped green onions, optional boiled or fried egg and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings as a starter, 4 as a main.

Filipino Pork or Chicken Adobo

Adobo has its roots in Spain and Portugal, where proteins are marinated with sweet paprika, chilies, red wine and vinegar. In the Philippines’ tropical climate, vinegar helps preserve meats and the marinade includes Asian ingredients as well as coconut oil and coconut milk (instead of canola oil and chicken broth) for a creamier sauce.

Recipe

by

Cinda Chavich.

• 2 lb pork shoulder (butt) or boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 3 Tbsp Asian fish sauce

• ½ tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed

• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp canola oil

• 4 to 5 large cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 cups good quality chicken stock

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 to 2 tsp Asian chili garlic paste (such as sambal oelek), to taste

• 1/3 cup vinegar (rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar)

Combine the pork (or chicken) with soy sauce, fish sauce and peppercorns in a bowl and stir to coat the meat well. Place into a zippered plastic bag and refrigerate 3 hours (or overnight) to marinate the meat.

The next day, in a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and sauté the chopped garlic and onion over medium heat until starting to brown. Add the meat and marinade to the pot with the chicken stock, bay leaves and chili paste.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30 to 45 minutes (shorter for chicken, longer for pork), then uncover, add the vinegar, and continue to simmer on medium low until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about an hour longer.

Adjust the flavour of the sauce with vinegar, sugar or chili paste. Serve adobo over rice. Serves 4.

A PINOY PRIMER

WHERE TO FIND FILIPINO FOOD IN VICTORIA.

By Cinda Chavich

According to global restaurant industry watchers, Filipino food is “the next big thing” — and there are several spots right here in Victoria where you can explore the flavours of this archipelago in Southeast Asia. They range from simple street food to exciting new restaurants, traditional family fare and local grocers offering imported Filipino products and takeaway specialities.

The Bayanihan Community Centre downtown, run by the non-profit Victoria Filipino Canadian Association, is a social and cultural hub for the Filipino community. Look for their food cart at outdoor events and occasional homestyle takeout meals, especially during Filipino Heritage Month events in June.

LOCAL DINING SPOTS

Downtown diners can take a seat at the small bar at Ate (AH-tay) *A Restaurant to learn about Filipino food from chefs Jonna Deutscher and Keem Herrera, who serve up a modern fusion of Filipino flavours — think nose-to-tail street food with a local twist.

Beyond the purple ube buns for sandwiches and lumpia (spring roll) burgers, there’s kinilaw, a Filipino ceviche made with smoked sablefish, and pancit ramen, homemade alkaline noodles tossed with sidestripe shrimp, summer squash and chives. Ate also celebrates the Filipino love of all-day dining with breakfast and brunch dishes featuring ube pancakes and eggs with pork patties, longanisa sausage, fried rice and atchara, the pickled green papaya served with many meals.

For authentic, all-day Filipino fare, friendly Benjamin’s Café in Esquimalt is the place to go. Chef Ervin Maliwanag and his wife Lorian opened Benjamin’s (named for their son) in 2023, building on a business catering to the local Filipino community and Maliwanag’s experience as a chef in Singapore. Now it’s the largest Filipino restaurant on the Island and attracts diners from as far away as the Prairies, he says.

Benjamin’s serves silog breakfasts featuring garlic rice with eggs and beef,

Benjamin’s Café halo halo royale dessert

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

pork or chicken, and purple ube pancakes topped with their own rich purple yam jam and strings of tender coconut macapuno. Don’t miss their perfectly crispy pork lechon, served on its own or in their kare kare peanut curry sauce, with bok choy, green beans and eggplant, and their signature dish, chopped pork or tuna sisig with onions and spicy aioli. Chicken adobo and beef kaldereta stew are other traditional faves and, as Lorian reminds me, their crispy lumpia appetizer goes with everything.

take away with traditional gravy, vinegar sauce and green papaya pickle on the side.

Tinapay Atbp.

offering Spanish bread, tender pandesal bread rolls (some made with the addition of ube or cheese filling), ensaymada (sweet buns topped with cheese), purple egg custard pies or nutty

You’ll find a similar selection of Filipino pastries and desserts at

To finish your meal, there are airy Brazo de Mercedes meringues, filled with plain or ube-infused custard, and sweet halo-halo royale dessert — a kind of OTT Filipino sundae — made with layers of purple ube ice cream, banana, jackfruit, tapioca pearls, jellies and crispy cereal. Maliwanag is a baker of lovely Filipino cakes, egg custard pies and leche flan, too, and you’ll find their freezers filled with housemade atchara, lumpia ready to fry at home, Pinoy lasagna, soups and other familystyle takeaway dishes.

GROCERIES, BAKERIES AND MORE

Several Filipino food stores combine groceries with takeout food, so a tour of these small shops is a great way to try some imported Filipino products and homestyle specialties.

in Chinatown, including kababayan muffins, twisted bicho doughnuts, brioche-like ube ensaymada buns frosted with purple ube cream

The ABR Store downtown on Blanshard Street offers an array of groceries from fresh fruits and vegetables to breads, frozen meats, canned goods, sweets and snack foods. You might find fresh malunggay (moringa) and taro leaves, fresh purple yam tubers (ube) or powdered ube and artificial ube extract for baking vivid purple pastries. The aisles are packed with other imports, too, whether jars of sweet purple yam jam (halaya), boxes of ube polovrón (a Filipino shortbread cookie) or the rather addictive vegetarian “chichcaron” chips made from dehydrated green peas and flavoured, Filipino style, with palm vinegar.

On Douglas Street at Pandora, you’ll find Casa Philippine Cuisine and Grocery takeaway and convenience store with a few tables among the grocery shelves offering a menu that ranges from bopis of minced beef heart and BBQ pork skewers to fried smelt with calamari.

A little farther north on Douglas, Mart is another popular grocer for dry and frozen goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other Filipino fare. Or try Inasal House, small grocery and takeout spot in Saanich, for char-grilled chicken inasal with yellow rice, beef caldereta stew or rice noodle pancit to go.

Serves 2

• 2 x 150g portions Wild BC Halibut, skin removed

• 200g Salt Spring mussels

Filipino ice cream flavours (purple ube, durian, Madagascar vanilla). Find tubs at city grocers or

• 1 bunch swiss chard, largest leaves possible

• 3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced (approx. 3/4 cup)

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp crushed garlic

• 3 tsp kosher salt

• 2 cups sliced mushrooms

• 3 cups Finest At Sea fish stock

• 150g pappardelle

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1/3 cup chopped parsley

There’s a small selection of imported Filipino products at Jempoy’s Lechon Quadra Street, but the real draw here is the tender Cebu-style pork belly, marinated, rolled with lemongrass and roasted with crispy crackling, sold by the piece or the pound to

• Pepper to taste 4 x 25cm lengths of butcher’s twine

Too busy to cook? Just sail on down to Finest At Sea — we have a delicious selection of ready-made, “Heat It & Eat It” meals waiting for you.

Cheers to Beer

AT THE 10TH ANNUAL VICTORIA BEER WEEK, RAISE A PINT TO THE CITY’S HISTORY OF LOCAL CRAFT BREWING.

By Liam Razzell

For the last four decades, Victoria and craft beer have gone hand in hand. Spinnakers, Canada’s original brew pub, drew its first pint here in 1984; that same year, one of the country’s first craft breweries, Vancouver Island Brewing, opened its doors nearby. Ever since, Victoria has been a haven for barleyand-hops enthusiasts.

It’s this legacy that the beer-swilling extravaganza known as the 10th annual Victoria Beer Week celebrates from March 1 to 9.

Joe Wiebe is the festival’s “beer director” and co-founder of the Victoria Beer Society, the non-profit that organizes Victoria Beer Week. YAM sat down with him recently to discuss all things beer, and what we are drinking now.

In general, Wiebe says, since Victoria Beer Week began hosting events a decade ago, our appetite for caskconditioned beers has waned, while hazy IPAs and traditional styles have risen in popularity.

Making beer in smaller-scale casks allows breweries to showcase playful, experimental and interesting brews. But Wiebe says consumers have lost interest in cask beers because of the diversity of beer on the market today. “There is simply so much variety in the beer landscape now,” he says. “Maybe consumers don’t have as much of a need to seek out [variety] in a cask event as they used to.”

That variety has led enthusiasts to discover new styles of beer, which in turn has influenced trends. As people get interested in niche beers like milkchocolate stouts or intricately flavoured sours, Wiebe says, they also develop a better understanding of, and an interest in, more traditional styles. “As you learn more about beer, you start learning more about the origins of these craft beer experiments,” he adds. That’s why classic beers like German- and Czech-style lagers are more popular now than they were a decade ago.

Also popular: hazy IPA, the rebellious cousin to traditional India Pale Ale. Strong, hoppy and often bitter, IPAs were first produced in England in the 1700s and have always been popular here in Victoria. But this beer isn’t to everyone’s taste. The hazy IPA, on the other hand, is usually less bitter and more fruity. “[Hazy IPAs] brought a whole new group of people to beer that previously didn’t get it,” says Wiebe. “[These people] didn’t like classic IPAs, they didn’t like lagers, but hazy IPAs really caught their attention.” The style has only grown in popularity over the last decade.

Whatever style of beer you prefer — or have yet to discover — it is sure to be on tap at Victoria Beer Week, which features beer launches, food pairings, cask nights, tastings and much more, many events held at the city’s best breweries themselves. As Wiebe notes, “We’ve helped educate people and we’ve given people the opportunity to taste different things.” For more info, visit victoriabeersociety.com.

5 to Try

IF YOU’RE TIRED OF DRINKING THE SAME STYLE OR BRAND OF BEER, TRY SOMETHING NEW FROM THIS LIST OF LOCAL BREWS.

Sour

Want to give mouth-puckering beers a try? Look no further than Moon Under Water’s Moon Juice Raspberry Sour, a vibrant sour ale made using B.C.-grown raspberries. Though sours can be quite acidic; this one is a well-balanced version and a great place to start.

Lager

Craving a light, icy beer that will teleport you to those summer days you spent hanging at the beach? Whistle Buoy’s Ice Cold Lager is for you. What the brewery calls a “summer crusher,” this lager is crisp, light and refreshing.

Stout

Looking for a hearty, fireside beer? Head to Category 12 for a can — or six — of its Tiramisu Pastry Stout. With its coffee, cinnamon and vanilla notes, this beer is a decadent dessert in a can.

Pilsner

Miss those light, crisp beers you tasted while on vacation in Europe? Hoyne has you covered. Its new pilsner is a balanced, subtle take on the Eastern European classic with a mild hoppy flavour.

Zero proof

Want to imbibe buzz-free? Grab a six-pack of Phillips Brewing’s iOTA Hazy IPA. This juicy, smooth, nonalcoholic beer has a beautiful haze and is bursting with refreshing fruit and citrus notes.

Beer lovers gather to sample new tastes at Victoria Beer Week.

Taste the World

FIVE GOURMET GETAWAYS FOR TRAVELLERS CRAVING DELICIOUS NEW EXPERIENCES.

By Joanne Sasvari

Whether you order bucatini amatriciana in Rome, tuna nigiri in Tokyo, chicken causa in Lima or a hot dog “dragged through the garden” in Chicago, nothing captures the essence of a place — its geography, climate, history and traditions — better than its food and drink. Little wonder, then, that culinary travel is booming.

But we’re not interested in run-of-the-mill restaurant experiences. We want to taste traditional dishes and ingredients in the places they come from, take cooking classes from people whose families have been making those dishes for centuries, explore historic wine regions alongside the people who grow the grapes and taste what famous chefs are cooking up in Patagonia and Portland and Provence. We care about wellness (hence the rise in vegan restaurants and nonalcoholic cocktails) and sustainability. Mostly, though, we are hungry for immersive experiences, from chef-led river cruises to the kind of meandering “no-menu menu” meals where we put ourselves in the chefs’ hands and trust that whatever they prepare will be, simply, delightful.

But where, exactly, are we going to find these experiences? Let’s start with these five delicious destinations.

1Lima, Peru

Serious foodies know that if you want to sample the best food in the world, you go to Lima. It’s not just the tangy ceviche, the luxe mashed potato terrine known as causa or even the citrusy-floral Pisco Sour cocktail. This country produces some of the planet’s most incredible ingredients — among them, ancient grains, 4,000 varieties of potatoes and tropical fruits you’ve never even heard of — which are transformed in a sublime fusion of the country’s Indigenous traditions plus Spanish, French, Italian, African, Chinese and Japanese influences. Still in doubt? Lima is home to Central, No. 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, plus three more in the top 50. No other city can match that.

At top-rated Central in Lima, indigenous ingredients are transformed into ambitiously creative dishes.

Barcelona, Spain

Time to book

After 140 years under construction, Antoni Gaudí’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica is almost finished — its fifth central tower was completed in 2023 and its sixth and final one is expected to be done in 2026. Seems to us like a good excuse to pop over to Barcelona for a tapas feast. The bars along the famous La Rambla and throughout the city offer endless varieties of savoury small bites to nibble on, but the food scene here goes much deeper than that. The Catalan capital is home to 30 Michelin-starred restaurants and one of the world’s greatest food markets (La Boqueria), which is just part of Europe’s biggest network of fresh produce markets. Add to that a terrific wine and cocktail culture, and a tasty experience is guaranteed.

Barcelona’s La Rambla is one of Europe’s most delicious streets to, well, ramble along. 2

2023 VANCOUVER ISLAND WEDDING INDUSTRY AWARD WINNER and VANCOUVER ISLAND Small Business of the Year 2023

La Boqueria market

Southeast Asia

This big, sprawling region is home to some 676 million people in 11 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Each has its own unique cuisine, but one thing they share is a fascinating fusion of culinary culture with influence from India (all those curries), China (noodles and wok-fried dishes) and the various maritime nations that have traded here (think Frenchinspired crêpes in Vietnam or Spanishstyle rice dishes in the Philippines). Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, was chosen the world’s top culinary destination for 2024 by Tripadvisor’s millions of users, and yes, we love our pho and banh mi. But we also love a fragrant Malaysian laksa or a sweetsalty-sour-hot phad Thai or a perfectly purple Filipino ube dessert, so the hardest decision is: Which country to visit first?

We invite you to attend...

Celebrating CureMPS A NIGHT OF HOPE

Saturday, April 27 • 7-11pm

The Atrium, 800 Yates Street, Victoria Casual chic attire

Fundraiser & Silent Auction

Join us for an evening of celebration, fundraising and dancing. This magical night will bring together the CureMPS community and raise funds to find a cure for mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS).

• Appetizers by Beaumont Catering

• Cocktails by Twist of Fate Cocktail Co.

• Live music by Adam Kittredge and his band Cities

SPONSOR

Tickets $150 each (includes a partial charitable tax receipt) For more info and to purchase tickets, visit curemps.ca

Vibrant Vietnamese flavours

HANOI

GARDEN

Some 22 million people live in the vast sprawl that is CDMX, which can make it a bit intimidating for a first-time visitor. But you will almost certainly spend most of your time in a few relatively small, historic and utterly charming neighbourhoods that are bursting with incredible food and drink. A new generation of chefs and mixologists has returned home from working in Michelinstarred restaurants in Europe, bringing with them a newfound zeal for Mexican ingredients and traditions to create some of the most thoughtful and exciting food on the planet. Now Mexico City has three restaurants on the World’s 50 Best list, including

three-Michelin-starred Pujol, where chef Enrique Olvera’s 2,500-day-old mole madre is one of the world’s iconic dishes. But you can dine exquisitely on street food like tacos, tamales and barbacoa, too.

Toronto, Ontario

They used to say that Toronto was “a kind of New York run by the Swiss,” in other words: safe, clean, a little boring, a little bland. Clearly whoever said that hasn’t been dining there recently. There are just so many places to eat now and so many different cuisines to devour in a city where more than 100 languages are spoken. You can literally taste your way around the world, and at every price point, too, from the famous peameal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market to Michelin-starred fine dining at Alo or Edulis. We especially love the city’s terrific Middle Eastern restaurants, vibrant cocktail scene and its deep, longstanding tradition of nonnaapproved Italian cuisine.

Forget the beach resorts. For truly epic dining, head to Mexico City.

5

Alo

The Ministry of Music

James Bay United Church has become a hub for performers and artists … and audiences, too.

By David Lennam

Achurch not only brings people together, it enlivens their spirituality. For James Bay United Church, that means creating a new, alternate congregation by catering to those whose worship might be inclined as much toward the arts as it is to divinity.

Local jazz drummer and composer Kelby MacNayr is in charge of the church’s arts ministry — co-ordinating concerts, workshops and classes appealing to a wide variety of interests as well as providing artists with a space to do their thing.

The church has played host to regular Tuesday night jazz concerts and Monday night guitar jams with Aaron Watson of Cold Cut Combo, as well as numerous one-off gigs (an Afro-Cuban jazz afternoon on New Year’s Eve, for instance). There are also classes in movement with one of the nation’s premier modern dancers, Grace Miyagawa; sound healing with fado vocalist Sara Marreiros; and swing-dance lessons and performances featuring live musicians such as Lloyd Arntzen, Daniel Lapp, Al Pease, Toni Blodgett and Tony Genge. There’s even ongoing tai chi.

This spring MacNayr hopes to bring in

the vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger Louise Rose for a jazz vocals master class, and is organizing author readings, visual and performing arts talks and songwriter-in-theround evenings.

Anne Schaefer returns with her Awakening the Spirit Through Music encounters. The Victoria singer-songwriter understands the symmetry between building community through arts or through faith.

“That energy and intention of people who go there to worship in some sort of service are bringing out that kind of communitymindedness,” she says. “There are many ways to pray, celebrate life and create community. The arts, to me, are a really high form of spiritually. Deep from the heart and the soul.”

While these events are neither religious nor secular gatherings, they speak to a place somewhere in between. It might be fair to say playing music, learning to dance or practising tai chi taps into a spirituality that doesn’t need to be defined by any particular theology.

“The end result of the arts,” MacNayr says, “is a

spiritual endeavour for the practitioner. When it’s really beautiful there’s something that’s uplifting to your spirit.”

The approach MacNayr is taking was initially developed by Gordon Miller six years ago. A musician, Miller understood that intentional programming — the arts, for example — would ignite interest from the community and provide a deeper connection of sorts.

“Our focus was not on generating new energy or putting new people in the building,” he says. “Our job was to create a space to nurture people’s spirits.”

Miller had the full support of then-minister Rev. Karen Dickey, who retired last summer.

“It turned out to also be a way of people coming inside these [church] walls who had never got in the door,” says Dickey. “The church, as a home for the arts, I don’t think is anything new. Maybe we’re just reimagining the ways that could happen.”

All events at James Bay United are priced by donation or inexpensive enough that no one should be excluded.

At James Bay United Church, acts like High Standards Quintet play to a captivated congregation.

GORDON MILLER

CULTURE CALENDAR

These March and April events will help put a spring into your step.

Ocie Elliott

March 1 to 2, Royal Theatre

The Victoria-based folk duo of Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy — a.k.a. Ocie Elliott — tell stories through graceful harmonies and acoustic guitar. Since they emerged in 2017, their sweet sounds have featured in the TV shows Grey’s Anatomy, New Amsterdam and Sweet Magnolias, but their greatest claim to fame (so far) is being nominated as Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards. rmts.bc.ca

Chelsea Handler: Little Big Bitch Tour

March 8, Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre

The Grammy-nominated comedian, television host, best-selling author and advocate for equality extends her North American tour into 2024. Expect a hilarious retrospective of what made her the award-winning star she is today. sofmc.com

Dracula

March 15 to 17, Royal Theatre

Ballet Victoria sinks its teeth into the original vampire’s legend of immortal love. This suspenseful Gothic tale is told to an incredible score with sensuous dancing, powerful theatre, haunting projections and sultry costumes. rmts.bc.ca

The Legendary Life of Tom Petty

March 15, McPherson Playhouse

Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Clayton Bellamy and an all-star band of musicians bring to life the stories and songs of one of the true greats of rock ‘n’ roll history. Bellamy, the four-time CCMA Award-winning member of the platinum-selling country group the Road Hammers and Tom Petty superfan, is just the person to tell his story. rmts.bc.ca

The Wonderheads presents The Wilds

March 21, McPherson Playhouse

There are no words … literally. But this captivating show doesn’t need them. This extraordinary production unravels a tale that will touch your heart and ignite your imagination, told via the Wonderheads’ signature masks and puppets, and set to enchanting music. Whimsical, funny, profoundly moving. rmts.bc.ca

La Nef — Sea Songs & Shanties

March 23 and 24, Royal Theatre

Fresh off their exhilarating performance at the 2022 Splash, La Nef returns to press the Victoria Symphony into service in a rousing new program of shanties and maritime music. After all, there’s nothing like a sea shanty to have you ranting and roaring across the salt seas, not to mention stomping your feet and singing along. rmts.bc.ca

Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival

April 2 to May 11, various locations

For six weeks, more than 9,000 Victoria-area performers and students of music, dance and dramatic arts appear on stage throughout the city to receive adjudications from renowned experts in the arts. Dozens of significant awards and trophies will be presented, including the Rose Bowl (for classical voice), the City of Victoria Medallion Tray (piano) and the Roberto and Mary Wood Scholarship, the largest of its type in Canada. The public is invited to all adjudicated sessions and Highlights Concerts, so come on out and enjoy the show. gvpaf.org

The Marriage of Figaro

April 3 to 9, Royal Theatre

It’s one of the all-time classics of opera, luxurious, opulent and satisfying for both newcomers and long-time aficionados alike. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a commedia per musica that tells the love story of servants Figaro and Susanna as they outwit their masters to marry. Pacific Opera Victoria’s performance features lush orchestration, delightful melodies, intricate vocal harmonies and rapid-fire dialogue, sung in Italian with English surtitles, with a preperformance talk each night. rmts.bc.ca

Ron James: Not Nearly Done Yet!

April 7, McPherson Playhouse

The award-winning Canadian comedian and bestselling author — called “a man of a million words and a million laughs” by the Globe and Mail — takes on our politically polarized world, aiming at everything from the dating woes of Baby Boomers to food fads, information overload, New Age divas, climate change, gambling ads in hockey and the rise of AI’s robot revolution. rmts.bc.ca

Incoming Festival

April 10 to 21, various locations

This is the second year of this wide-ranging festival from the folks at Intrepid Theatre, and features an eclectic program of brand new works

from artists from across the country and right here at home. Enjoy global and local premieres of theatre, dance and cabaret performances, as well as audio installations and free workshops at venues across downtown. intrepidtheatre.com

Anne of Green Gables

April 19 to 27, McPherson Playhouse

From East Coast to West and one island to another: The Canadian College of Performing Arts brings Canada’s best-loved redhead to Victoria in a musical production sure to charm and delight. There’s a good reason why this play adapted from the novel by L. M. Montgomery holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running annual musical theatre production. rmts.bc.ca

The Lehman Trilogy

April 23 to May 19, The Belfry Theatre

This epic story of global capitalism follows the Lehman brothers, Heyam, Mendel and Mayer, as they journey from 1844 Bavaria to follow the American dream, rising from shopkeepers to bankers, from obscurity to prominence, travelling through historic events and generations of ethical dilemmas. Winner of the 2022 Tony Award for best play. belfry.bc.ca

Ballets Jazz Montréal

April 26 to 27, Royal Theatre

The celebrated contemporary dance ensemble returns to Victoria with an entire program by female choreographers: Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue by Victoria’s own Crystal Pite; We Can’t Forget What’s His Name, a new creation by Ausia Jones; and Les Chambres des Jacques by Aszure Barton. rmts.bc.ca

Ballets Jazz Montréal in We Can’t Forget What’s His Name.

SASHA ONYSHCHENKO

It’s Small, but for a Hummingbird, It’s Home

By Joanne Sasvari

Look closely — really closely — at that tree. Do you see what looks like a knot, a small, strangely fluffy one, in a branch several metres above the ground? Congratulations — you may have found a hummingbird’s nest, and that’s no easy feat.

If you did, it’s likely home to an Anna’s hummingbird, recognizable by its emerald and/or ruby feathers. We love these tiny birds, and not just because they are so much fun to watch. As they sip nectar from one flower after another — they can visit 1,000 or more in a single day — they distribute pollen throughout our parks and gardens.

Even better, they love to snack on spiders. Please, can we have more hummingbirds?

Well, yes, we can. We can create hummingbird-friendly gardens abundant with the flowers they love (especially colourful blooms like bee balm, fuchsia, honeysuckle and sage), accessible water sources (preferably misters, drippers and bubbles) and plenty of trees and shrubs for shelter. We can hang hummingbird feeders on our balconies, filling them with a simple sugar solution of one part white sugar to four parts water. And we can discourage predators like cats,

wasps and hornets, and avoid using pesticides or insecticides.

But we should also take care not to disturb them as they nest. In a few weeks, Anna’s hummingbirds will be laying tiny eggs about the size of a navy bean. Their nests are equally minuscule, only about 1 ½ inches, or about four centimetres, in diameter, woven from moss, lichen, fuzzy leaves and spider silk.

They are almost invisible to the human eye, so as you undertake your spring garden cleanup, be kind, gentle and careful of our tiny and industrious neighbours.

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Essence

APRIL 26 + 27 • 7:30 PM

ROYAL THEATRE

TICKETS: 250-386-6121

DANCEVICTORIA.COM

From $31!

MONTRÉAL // CONTEMPORARY

Ballets Jazz Montréal in Les Chambres de Jacques

Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko