The Georgia Straight - Golden Plates - May 26, 2022

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022 | FREE

Volume 56 | Number 2832

CREDIT CRUNCH

Mortgage debt approaches $2 trillion

CIRCLE OF EAGLES

Documenting Indigenous comebacks

25th Annual

GOLDEN PLATES Chambar cofounder Karri Green-Schuermans explains why restaurants feed the human need for connection; plus, readers’ picks in 114 categories ORCA FAMILIES • PAUL PLIMLEY • SIKH STUDIES • PAINTINGS AND POETRY

CONTENTS

May 26-June 2 / 2022

12

COVER

Karri Green-Schuermans, cofounder of Chambar, offers a historical take on the importance of restaurants for the 25th annual edition of the Golden Plates.

By Carlito Pablo Cover photo by Makito Inomata

6

FEATURE

In the Merv Thomas–directed Circle of Eagles documentary, Indigenous ex-inmates describe how they turned their lives around.

By Charlie Smith

33 MUSIC

A Vancouver jazz legend who cofounded the New Orchestra Workshop Society, pianist Paul Plimley, has died at age 69.

By Mike Usinger

e Start Here 29 ARTS 26 CONFESSIONS 30 DANCE 10 DELIS 8 EDUCATION 9 INDIGENOUS CUISINE 15 INDIAN FOOD 17 MEXICAN FOOD 4 REAL ESTATE 33 SAVAGE LOVE 30 VISUAL ARTS 28 WINE e Listings 32 ARTS

Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 56 | Number 2832 #300 - 1375 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 0B1 T: 604.730.7000 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING: T: 604.730.7020 E: sales@straight.com

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EDITOR Charlie Smith GENERAL MANAGER Sandra Oswald SECTION EDITORS Mike Usinger (Liquor/Music) Steve Newton SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy STAFF WRITERS Carlito Pablo (Real Estate) SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT Jeff Li ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER Janet McDonald

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

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3

REAL ESTATE

Canadian mortgage debt approaches $2 trillion

A

by Carlito Pablo

new Statistics Canada report shows how much debt Canadian households owe.

Overall, households are on the hook for $2.694 trillion as of March 2022.

That’s 0.5 percent, or $14.4 billion, more debt compared to February of this year.

Statistics Canada reported that realestate secured debt, which is composed of mortgage debt and home-equity lines of credit, increased to $2.156 trillion in March this year.

This represents a 0.6 percent monthover-month increase of $13.2 billion compared to February 2022.

In particular, household mortgage debt increased 0.6 percent in March to reach $1.989 trillion. That level marks a $12.7 billion increase from February 2022.

Mortgage debt increased 10.5 percent on a year-over-year basis, Statistics Canada noted.

The May 20 report noted that the Bank of Canada raised its interest-setting rate in March 2022 to 0.5 percent, and again in April to one percent.

The hikes have “impact on borrowing costs, especially those tied to variablerate loan products”. The central bank is

…housing markets in many parts of Canada have cooled off pretty sharply…

– CREA chair Jill Oudil

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expected to continue increasing its rate through the remainder of 2022 and into 2023 in order to tame inflation.

Statistics Canada explained that household borrowing takes two forms: nonmortgage loans, which are “funds principally for consumption”, and mortgage loans, which represent “debt acquired to finance the purchase of a property”.

Speaking of non-mortgage loan, this particular debt grew $1.7 billion, or 0.2 percent, month-over-month in March 2022, to $704.5 billion.

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Home equity lines of credit rose 0.3 percent, or $510 million, to reach $167.3 billion.

Meanwhile, credit card debt with chartered banks increased 0.9 percent, or $727 million, in March.

The information about ballooning debt levels came after the Canadian Real Estate Association reported recently that home sales in April 2022 had dropped by 12.6 percent compared to March.

More importantly, CREA noted that the “decline placed monthly activity at the lowest level since the summer of 2020”.

Real estate prices are also trending down.

The home price index for all types of homes fell 0.6 percent month-overmonth in April. CREA stated that the drop was the “first month-over-month decline since April 2020”.

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“Following a record-breaking couple of years, housing markets in many parts of Canada have cooled off pretty sharply over the last two months, in line with a jump in interest rates and buyer fatigue,” association chair Jill Oudil stated in the May 16 report.

The sales decline follows the increase in mortgage rates.

The drop in both sales and prices indicates that the Canadian housing market is settling down to its traditional level. The market set new records in 2021 and 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic made housing a priority for many.

In its new report, CREA noted that the number of transactions in April 2022 “came in 25.7% below the record for that month set last year”.

“That said, as has been the case since last summer, it was still the third-highest April sales figure ever, behind 2021 and 2016,” the association noted.

The same trend can be said about of the home price index, a measure that is different from either average or median price.

CREA reported that although the index dropped 0.6 percent month-overmonth in April 2022, the gauge was “still up 23.8% year-over-year”. g

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

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5

FEATURE

Circle of Eagles celebrates Indigenous comebacks

I

by Charlie Smith

n the documentary Circle of Eagles, Ron Laprise speaks bluntly about the impact of Indian residential school on his life.

He reveals that as a result of his horrific experiences, he came to see everyone as a predator. His anger at the world led directly to a long list of criminal convictions.

Laprise, an articulate Vancouver artist, acknowledges in the film that he was locked up for years in some of the toughest jails in Canada. But then he offers a startling disclosure.

“I still have not found one institution that is comparable to what I have experienced in residential school,” Laprise declares. “In residential school, it was very personal.”

Laprise’s reflections on his pain,

suffering, and ultimate path to redemption and service to the community is one of many inspiring stores in the film, which was directed by Circle of Eagles Lodge Society CEO Merv Thomas.

Over the phone, Thomas tells the Straight that the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools last year was tough on the men who appear in the film.

They had already endured so much trauma and hurt. Like Laprise, several felt a great deal of anger toward society as young men.

“A lot of them ended up in Canada’s prisons,” Thomas says. “So there’s a direct correlation between what happened to them, historically.

“That’s what I really wanted to point out,”

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We, as Indigenous people, have experienced a lot of stigma and discrimination.

– Circle of Eagles director Merv Thomas

Artist Ron Laprise urges Indigenous people to never give up in a film called Circle of Eagles.

he continues. “Yes, they’ve made some horrific choices in terms of what they’ve done.

But you can’t raise children in the way that they were raised and expect a great outcome.”

The Vancouver-based Circle of Eagles Lodge Society operates healing lodges for Indigenous male and female ex-inmates as well as a sweat lodge in the inner city. In addition, the society runs the Circle of Eagles Trading Post retail and online store and a pre-employment program, offers free food to homeless Indigenous people, and takes former inmates on the Tsetsusem healing journey at Camp Potlatch overlooking Howe Sound.

The film shows how these ex-inmates have transformed their outlook on the world and self-esteem while gaining empathy for others by reconnecting to the land, water, and their Indigenous traditions.

Laprise is one of several Indigenous Circle of Eagles Lodge “brothers” and “elders” in the film who are eager to help others heal. Others include Anthony Milton, Rob Bain, Terrance Machiskinic, Joe Fossella, Tony Niles, Michael Chief, Giuseppe Centis, and Stephan McKay. “You get very close to them and you try to steer them in the right way,” Thomas says. “One of the main foundation of Circle of Eagles is we treat the brothers with respect. All of us treat each other with respect and we expect that throughout all our organization from the board, the staff, and those that we serve.”

At one point in the documentary, Laprise beseeches anyone who’s watching to never give up, no matter how awful their situation might be.

Thomas is keen to reinforce this idea.

“Our main message is there’s hope,” the director says. “You never give up hope no matter what you’re going through.”

Thomas says that the society initially planned to launch Circle of Eagles to coincide with the organization’s 50th anniversary, in

May of 2020. But the pandemic delayed the release. This offered more time for the team to craft a more polished film, which was filmed and edited by Darko Sikman and features an original soundtrack to go with gorgeous imagery.

The film pays homage to the society’s founder and long-time executive director, Marge White, whose vision set the stage for all that followed. It began with a house at Clark Drive and East 12th Avenue, which was opened to three Indigenous men who had been released into the community.

“We, as Indigenous people, have experienced a lot of stigma and discrimination,” Thomas says. “The system is still very racist and very stigmatizing. It’s very difficult for Indigenous people when they get in the system to get out.”

As an example, he cites Section 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. It states that if inmates express an interest in being released into an Indigenous community, Corrections Canada shall give an Indigenous governing body adequate notice of an upcoming parole review or statutory-release date. It also states that these Indigenous governing bodies should receive an opportunity to propose a plan for the inmates release and integration into the community.

In reality, Thomas, says, there aren’t sufficient services in many Indigenous communities to do this. As a result, he points out that many Indigenous ex-inmates can’t visit their home communities, despite the society’s long-standing advocacy for this.

“It seems like sometimes you’re pushing that big old boulder up the hill,” Thomas says.

Others who appear in the film include the vice president of the society’s board, Rick Lavallee, a veteran Vancouver police officer of Cree Métis heritage; the society’s director of operations, Barb Ellis; and parole officer Jessica Baird.

According to Thomas, Lavallee hopes that the film will eventually be seen by members of all police departments.

“He wants to turn this into an educational forum,” Thomas added. g The Circle of Eagles Lodge Society will screen Circle of Eagles on Friday (May 27) as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday (May 27) at the York Theatre. Circle of Eagles will also be available online at that time.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

7

EDUCATION

Guru Nanak Institute charts new educational path

T

by Charlie Smith

he founder of Sikhi (also known as Sikhism) was hundreds of years ahead of his time.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Guru Nanak travelled widely, preaching about the unity of humankind and the value of selfless service to others, social justice, honest conduct, and equality.

He contributed 974 hymns to the Guru Granth Sahib, which encapsulates the holy scriptures of the faith.

On May 17, the first educational postsecondary school focusing on Sikh philosophy, history, literature, culture, and devotional music was launched in Canada.

And it is named after Sikhi’s first Guru.

It came as a result of the Private Train-

ing Institution Branch of British Columbia approving the Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies as a nonprofit educational and research institute.

The faculty includes experts from Canadian postsecondary institutions as well as educators and researchers in the U.S., U.K., and India. It’s beginning by offering online courses.

The Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies welcomes students from all communities, regardless of their background or religious beliefs. It is offering scholarships and bursaries to deserving students, including those with a record of community involvement and sports activities, and it promises an “incredibly accessible pricing model

Five centuries ago, the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, placed great emphasis on the equality of people—long before these ideas were expressed in the constitutions of western democracies.

compared to similar private institutes”.

“We are committed to promoting our values of service to humanity, cross-cultural understanding, the lifelong pursuit of learning, critical thinking, and diversity in all its forms,” board chair Gian Singh Sandhu said in a news release.

“We will ensure equal and open access to all prospective students by alleviating funding and other financial barriers,” he continued. “We firmly believe that no student should be denied education due to a lack of financial means, and to support this philosophy we have a very liberal scholarship and bursary policy.”

Sandhu is an Order of B.C. recipient, author, management consultant, and was founding president of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

Student Paramvir Singh appreciates the institute’s emphasis on sharing the ethos of Sikhi rather than focusing on any one religious bias.

“This is incredibly meaningful for me, as I want to study the faith from an academic standpoint,” Singh declared in the news release. “I also really appreciate that they will be discussing issues facing the diaspora, instead of limiting the discussion to the home country of Sikhism.”

The institute offers a Sikh Studies diploma, which enables students to gain an understanding of Sikh ethos and how it connects to social justice.

Students must complete a minimum of five of the seven courses to graduate. The courses are: Introduction to Sikhi (Sikh 101); Theories of Religion and Critical Religion (RELG 101); Introduction to Punjabi (Punj 101); Punjabi Reading and Writing (Punj 201); Intermediate Punjabi (Punj 202); Punjabi Advanced (Punj 301); and Sikh Ethos and Social Justice in Canada (SESJ 301).

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

Students in SESJ 301 will look at issues such as colonialism, Indigenous land dispossession, immigration, national belonging, and security and surveillance through the lens of the Sikh ethos, which embraces equality for everyone.

In addition, this course will examine anti-Black racism and Black Lives Matter, labour and race, gender differentials and sexual identity, multiculturalism, religious accommodations, caste inequalities, and building community across differences.

Many Canadians are unaware that the World Sikh Organization supported samesex marriage back at a time when many other religious organizations opposed this in Canada. It’s another manifestation of how many Canadian Sikhs support and embrace equality and are willing to stand up for persecuted minorities.

The Guru Nanak Institute for Global Studies also offers a Punjabi Studies certificate. Students must complete a minimum of three of the four courses in the program.

In addition, there’s a Gurmat (music) diploma, which can be pursued on a part-time basis in a two-year program. Students must take a minimum of five of the six courses.

It’s the first music diploma of its kind in Canada, helping to prepare students for a career path in Shabad Keertan (spiritual hymn singing). There are opportunities to learn about vocals as well as stringed instruments and percussion, including tabla jodi.

Former deputy education minister David Byng is among those who have expressed support for the Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies.

“As our province becomes a more diverse and inclusive society, GNI will be a tremendous resource to both local and global learners and is a fantastic addition to the post-secondary landscape,” Byng said in the news release. g

GOLDEN PLATES

Indigenous restaurant reclaims culinary heritage

O

by Carlito Pablo

ne of the few Indigenous restaurants in Vancouver history is poised to take flight.

Inez Cook, owner of Salmon n’ Bannock (7–1128 West Broadway), has revealed plans to open a second location at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

The new spot at the international departures area will be called Salmon n’ Bannock on the Fly. “Once you go through the duty free, your holiday has started and you’re ready to enjoy your holidays,” Cook told the Straight in a phone interview.

“You can have a nice glass of wine and a delicious meal before you get on your flight,” she added.

Cook also said that travellers can also take meals with them on their flights.

The Nuxalk Nation woman cofounded Salmon n’ Bannock in 2010, just in time for the Winter Olympics hosted by the City of Vancouver that year.

Cook said that she’s retiring soon as a flight attendant with Air Canada, and that presents a good time to open a second location at the airport. “I’ve been in the airline industry for 31 years,” she said.

Salmon n’ Bannock is part of an ongoing movement among Indigenous peoples to reclaim and celebrate their culinary heritage.

The loss of traditional foods and diet is one of the legacies of the residential school system, which represents a dark spot in Canadian history. More than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken away from their

Salmon n’ Bannock, owned by the Nuxalk Nation’s Inez Cook, is opening a second location at YVR as part of an ongoing movement among Indigenous peoples to reclaim their culinary past.

families over a period of 150 years. They were brought to boarding schools, where they were stripped of their cultural heritage.

The federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission reviewed the history of this policy, concluding in 2015 that it constituted “cultural genocide”. A report rendered by the TRC from survivor testimonies detailed stories about food deprivation and loss of heritage.

“In their home communities, many students had been raised on food that their parents had hunted, fished, or harvested. Strange and unfamiliar meals at the schools added to their sense of disorientation,” the commission reported.

One of the survivors who testified at the TRC proceedings was Daisy Diamond, who attended a residential school in Ontario. “When I was going to Shingwauk, the food didn’t taste very good, because we didn’t have our traditional food there, our moose meat, our bannock, and our berries.

Those were the things that we had back home, and we were very lonely without those berries,” Diamond said.

Ellen Smith from the Northwest Territories testified that “schooling made it impossible for her to fit back into her home community”.

“I can’t sew; I can’t cut up caribou meat.

I can’t cut up moose meat, work with fish,

and speak my language. So I was starting to become alienated from my parents and my grandparents, everything,” Smith testified.

In 2017, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a peer-reviewed article titled “ ‘Hunger was never absent’: How residential school diets shaped current patterns of diabetes among Indigenous peoples in Canada”.

“Hunger has always been central to survivors’ accounts of their residential school experiences, and we strongly believe that this testimony must be taken more seriously by researchers and medical practitioners,” the article stated.

Salmon n’ Bannock’s Cook said in the interview that the offerings at the airport location will be based on her restaurant’s Uber Eats menu.

The Vancouver business came up with the food delivery menu in response to dining restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cook said that the list includes, among others, smoked-salmon burger, open-faced bison sandwich, bannock bread and jam, and breakfast sandwiches like elk salami, egg, and cheese.

Cook has launched a fundraising campaign called “Feed Your Spirit” to both help complete the construction of Salmon n’ Bannock on the Fly and to train staff.

“This is one way that people can help bring Salmon n’ Bannock to new heights and give it wings at the airport,” Cook said. g

READERS’ f CHOICES CHINATOWN/STRATHCONA

GASTOWN

MAIN STREET

WEST END

1. Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie 163 Keefer Street 2. Kissa Tanto, 263 East Pender Street 3. Phnom Penh Restaurant (tie) 244 East Georgia Street 3. Irish Heather & Shebeen (tie) 248 East Georgia Street 3. Chinatown BBQ (tie) 130 East Pender Street

1. L’Abattoir 217 Carrall Street 604-568-1701 2. Chambar Restaurant (tie) 568 Beatty Street 2. Water St. Cafe (tie) 300 Water Street 3. Di Beppe Ristorante 8 West Cordova Street

1. Published on Main 3593 Main Street 2. Anh and Chi, 3388 Main Street 3. East Is East, 4433 Main Street

COMMERCIAL DRIVE

KITSILANO

1. España 1118 Denman Street 2. Robba da Matti 1906 Haro Street 3. Forage (tie) 1300 Robson Street 3. Nook (tie) 781 Denman Street 3. Tavola (tie) 1829 Robson Street

1. Bombay Kitchen + Bar 1018 Commercial Drive 2. Lunch Lady, 1046 Commercial Drive 3. DownLow Chicken Shack (tie) 905 Commercial Drive 3. Livia (tie), 1399 Commercial Drive

1. Au Comptoir (tie) 2278 West 4th Avenue 1. Nook (tie) 1525 Yew Street 1. The Vancouver Fish Company Bar & Restaurant (tie) 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 2. Jackson’s Meats and Deli 2214 West 4th Avenue 3. Las Margaritas Restaurante y Cantina 1999 West 4th Avenue

FRASERHOOD 1. Savio Volpe, 615 Kingsway 2. Ubuntu Canteen 4194 Fraser Street 3. Nammos Estiatorio, 3980 Fraser Street

SOUTH GRANVILLE 1. Bombay Kitchen + Bar 1480 West 11th Avenue 2. Heirloom 1509 West 12th Avenue 3. The Stable House Bistro (tie) 1520 West 13th Avenue 3. Small Victory (tie), 3070 Granville Street

VIEW 1. Tap & Barrel 75 Athletes Way 2. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. Seasons in the Park Queen Elizabeth Park (West 33rd at Cambie)

YALETOWN 1. Minami (tie) 1118 Mainland Street 1. OEB Breakfast Co. (tie) 1137 Marinaside Crescent 2. Elisa 1109 Hamilton Street 3. Robba da Matti 1127 Mainland Street

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MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

9

GOLDEN PLATES

Italy leads the pack with the Drive’s delicatessens

V

by Martin Dunphy

ancouver’s Commercial Drive seems to have always had “Little Italy” as an alternative moniker to most people’s go-to handle: the Drive.

The fact that the annual Italian Day celebrations are back in the old East End neighbourhood cements that continental identification on a regular basis now, but the name Little Italy, historically, has been applied to a few other city locales within the past century.

Strathcona, then Chinatown, were enclaves of Italian culture, food, and community in Vancouver in the pre–world war years, according to local civic historian John Atkin, who researched a paper on the subject for the city in 2016.

Between 1896 and 1911, the number of Italian immigrants who had moved to Vancouver jumped from 100 to more than 2,500, with most of them living and conducting business between Main Street and Clark Drive, along Union, Prior, East Georgia, and Atlantic streets. That number increased to around 3,500 by 1931, and the post–Second World War immigration influx took that number up from roughly 5,000 to about 19,000 by the early 1970s.

Bosa Foods’ antipasti platters contain such Italian staples as marinated artichoke hearts, olives, eggplant, gherkins, roasted peppers, borettane onions, and mushrooms. Photo by Bosa.

Those numbers caused the Italian population to spread out, mainly along East Hastings as far as North Burnaby, but with the largest cluster remaining between Commercial and Renfrew Street and 1st Avenue and Adanac Street. East Hastings

and Commercial became the business hubs of the community, and they both retain a strong Italian presence today, though greatly augmented and strengthened by the city’s present multicultural mix.

The Drive’s traditional Italian (and Portuguese) coffee shops, restaurants, delicatessens, and businesses may be fewer in number today—cheek by jowl along Commercial with strong numbers of Asian and Latin American eateries, among other ethnic representations—but they are still top of mind for most Vancouverites when they think of the neighbourhood.

And though Metro Vancouver’s present 75,000 or so residents of Italian heritage are widely scattered, about 15 percent of them are still grouped in a broad band along Hastings west of Renfrew.

So it’s probably no coincidence that two of our Golden Plates’ three winners in the deli category are either on the Drive itself or close by and were founded by Italian immigrants, with the third’s family being of European origin.

What follows is a brief introduction to the top three—Bosa Foods, La Grotta Del Formaggio, and Santa Barbara Market—in celebration of the East Van district’s “Little Italy” legacy.

BOSA FOODS

In the 1940s, Augusto Bosa started importing Italian specialty items for immigrant mining and forestry workers in Powell River before moving to Vancouver and a small store on the corner of Victoria Drive and Turner Street in 1957.

Despite its size, Bosa was known for its wide assortment of authentic and often hard-to-find Italian food products, especially olive oils, vinegars, canned and jarred vegetables, meats, pastas, and cheeses.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

The family’s third generation opened an immensely larger flagship retail outlet on nearby Kootenay Street in 2006, one that shares space with a food-distribution centre for its expanding import/distribution/wholesale operations. If you can’t find that Italian specialty item you’re looking for in those 54,000 square feet, odds are that you will probably not find it anywhere else in B.C. Meanwhile, the entire Victoria Drive block that contained the original Bosa Foods has been redeveloped with Bosa as its anchor tenant. Though all product stocks are expanded, the biggest growth is in the formerly tiny meats and cheeses deli counter. Sleek and capacious glass and stainless-steel showcases full of olives, cheeses, hams, sausages, salads, and other ready-to-eat (or heat) Italian food items now stretch down almost the large store’s whole east wall and half the north one.

Best of all, most of Bosa’s meats, cheeses, olives, and antipasti can be combined in deli platters, available for preorder and pickup, that serve up to 25 people each.

Summer saviours.

LA GROTTA DEL FORMAGGIO

Fortunato Bruzzese immigrated to Canada from Italy’s Mammola, in Reggio Calabria, in 1963 and opened La Grotta Del Formaggio in 1977.

This 45-year-old destination for specialty cheeses and authentic Italian products (especially balsamic reductions, olive oils, and pasta) is presently undergoing renovations but should be open and serving it’s in-demand Italian sandwiches again by the end of June.

It’s location, snug between two of the Drive’s popular businesses—Fratelli Bakery and the Murdocco family’s Calabria Cafe— makes that street’s 1700 block a must-visit for any East Van expedition.

As with Bosa, the family has expanded from its Drive presence over the years (starting in 2005 by supplying its products to local hotels and restaurants) to embrace the specialty-imports and distribution side of things.

SANTA BARBARA MARKET

Francisco “Paco” Celador Triguero founded Commercial Drive’s Santa Barbara Market in 1981, and he added the locally famous deli to its extensive produce (indoors and outside), pasta, and other grocery selections in 1989. (Paco died in 201, at age 76.)

The high deli counter runs the entire length of the store’s north wall, and its numerous cheeses, sausages, salamis, and other cured meats are the cause of the establishment’s well-known deli traffic jam on weekends and other busy times. g

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EATOEB.COM MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

11

GOLDEN PLATES

Chambar cofounders aim to provide connections

R

by Carlito Pablo

estaurants have been around for so long that they’re usually taken for granted.

Most customers probably take just enough time to check out the menu and absorb the atmosphere but not sufficient to ponder why these institutions matter.

As Vancouver restaurateur Karri GreenSchuermans points out, restaurants do more than simply serve food to nourish the body.

They also feed a human need for connection.

“Who do you trust that you’ve never shared a meal with?” Green-Schuermans asked to illustrate her point during a phone interview with the Straight. “It’s rare that you haven’t first shared a meal with someone before you invite them to be part of your life.”

This is where restaurants, typically, come in. “What restaurants offer,” the cofounder of celebrated Vancouver dining establishment Chambar (568 Beatty Street) explained, “is an intermediary place for people to connect before they become comfortable letting somebody into their home.

“And for people that have small apartments, or for safety issues, a restaurant is the first place that you have a date, celebrate, do deals, and pitch ideas,” GreenSchuermans continued.

Chambar owners Karri Green-Schuermans and Nico Schuermans have mentored employees who later launched their own successful culinary businesses in Vancouver. Photo by Tracey Kusiewicz.

She went on to recall that restaurants started in history as places where travellers stopped before carrying on their journey.

“You would be with other strangers and you would be able to have conversations with strangers, and it’s a safe place where

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12

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

you could share a meal and build trust between people.”

As a restaurateur, Green-Schuermans believes that being able to provide a space like Chambar—“where really interesting conversations and relationships can be formed”—can be very rewarding.

She said that she and Chambar cofounder Nico Schuermans have met a lot of people who came in first as customers and eventually became their personal friends.

Also, the two of them gained an extended family courtesy of people who worked for them at Chambar and later opened their own restaurants.

As an example, she mentioned that they became business partners with former server Robert Kane at Café Medina, when it opened next door to Chambar on Beatty Street. Kane now owns the business, which has relocated to 780 Richards Street.

Green-Schuermans also cited David Robertson. The former Chambar sous chef owns the Dirty Apron Cooking School, Delicatessen & Catering (540 Beatty Street), which started as a joint venture with the Chambar principals. There are others, like ex–Chambar bartender Tannis Ling, who founded Bao Bei (163 Keefer Street).

Karri and Nico have had quite a journey themselves since opening Chambar in 2004.

It was the first restaurant for Karri—who brought a marketing background—and Nico, a chef. Their story has been hailed by media as a legendary success for a couple who started with a $5,000 credit card.

“Nico and I are still business partners and parents, but we haven’t been married since 2016,” Green-Schuermans told the Straight.

They have three boys, with two of them working at Chambar. “One of them does dishwashing and prep, and the other one used to be a dishwasher and he’s on the line

now, so he’s working his way up the line,” Green-Schuermans said.

“We’ve encouraged our oldest to be able to work and get enough skills so that he can go and get a job anywhere, but we don’t feel that we’re going to expect our kids to take over,” she added.

Chambar is coming up to its 20th anniversary in 2024, and Karri and Nico are reflecting on what’s next.

“I think [that] at this stage of life,” Green-Schuermans said, “we’re looking at and having conversations around, you know, eventually, we’ll be too old to run this place, so what do we do? What’s important to us? What does legacy mean?”

In addition to helping former staff members open their own restaurants, GreenSchuermans said Chambar was a pioneer in sustainability initiatives.

“We’re the first restaurant to become carbon-neutral in Vancouver. We were the first restaurant to separate food waste and go into composting,” she said.

Outside the restaurant, Green-Schuermans is involved in efforts related to the environment. As an example, she is a project director with Greater Vancouver Innovation Capital. “We work with the cities, Metro Vancouver, the Port [of Vancouver], and universities, and we’re working towards creating a regional infrastructure master plan so that we could regionally make a transition to renewable energy.”

Reflecting on the success of Chambar, Green-Schuermans said people return for many things, like quality of food and service.

The dishes at Chambar reflect Nico’s “deep respect for the process of French cooking” yet bring his own passion for North African and Middle Eastern flavours, she noted. The Congolaise Moules Frites—mussels with tomato-coconut cream, smoked chili, lime, and cilantro— exemplifies this devotion.

The wine list is a product of many sommeliers who have been given latitude to enhance seasonal and signature dishes while seeking out “vanguards” of the industry. The bar team, led by Brendan Wooldridge, creates an array of elixirs with seasonal ingredients.

People also come just for the feeling they get inside. “I spent a lot of time really contemplating how do people want to feel when they come into a restaurant,” Green-Schuermans said. “They want to leave their day at the door. They want to escape and have a new experience, potentially every time.

“It’s wanting to have a moment in life, where you pause and have this beautiful experience and connect with people,” Green-Schuermans continued. “I think human connection is what we need next to our basic needs more than anything, and by creating a space to be true and for that to happen, people come back.” g

READERS’ f CHOICES CONTINENTAL

LATIN AMERICAN

1. Chambar Restaurant 568 Beatty Street 2. Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant 555 West Hastings Street 3. The Ellis (tie) 2204 York Avenue 3. Hawksworth Restaurant (tie) 801 West Georgia Street

1. Cuchillo 261 Powell Street 2. El Barrio Restaurante Latino 2270 East Hastings Street 3. El Camino’s (tie) 3250 Main Street 3. Havana Vancouver (tie) 1212 Commercial Drive 3. Sal y Limón (tie) Various locations

FRENCH 1. Les Faux Bourgeois 663 East 15th Avenue 2. Le Crocodile 100–909 Burrard Street 3. Au Comptoir 2278 West 4th Avenue

INDIGENOUS 1. Salmon n’ Bannock 7–1128 West Broadway 2. Salmon House on the Hill 2229 Folkestone Way, West Vancouver 3. Mr. Bannock Food Truck 433 West 1st Street, North Vancouver

CARIBBEAN 1. Calabash Bistro 428 Carrall Street 2. Riddim & Spice 1945 Commercial Drive 3. Baby Dhal Roti Shop (tie) 2707 Commercial Drive 3. Havana Vancouver (tie) 1212 Commercial Drive

INDIAN 1. Vij’s 3106 Cambie Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar (tie) Various locations 2. Sula Indian Restaurant (tie) Various locations 3. Tasty Indian Bistro Various locations

GREEK

LEBANESE 1. Nuba, Various locations 2. Jamjar Canteen Various locations 3. Superbaba , 2419 Main Street

MEDITERRANEAN 1. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca 1133 Hamilton Street 604-688-7466 2. Branas Mediterranean Grill 617 Stamps Landing 3. Nuba Various locations

MEXICAN 1. Sal y Limón, Various locations 2. La Mezcaleria, 1622 Commercial Drive 3. Las Margaritas Restaurante y Cantina 1999 West 4th Avenue

MIDDLE EASTERN 1. Nuba Various locations 2. Afghan Horsemen Restaurant 202–1833 Anderson Street 3. East Is East Various locations

PERSIAN 1. Persian Gulf Restaurant 114 A West 15th Street, North Vancouver 2. Cazba Restaurant Various locations 3. Delara Restaurant 2272 West 4th Avenue

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

1. The Greek by Anatoli Various locations 2. Nammos Estiatorio 3980 Fraser Street 3. Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna 1124 Davie Street

1. Branas Mediterranean Grill 617 Stamps Landing 2. Published on Main, 3593 Main Street 3. Blue Water Cafe, 1095 Hamilton Street

ITALIAN

HIDDEN GEM

1. Ask for Luigi 305 Alexander Street 2. Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway 3. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca (tie) 1133 Hamilton Street 3. Pepino’s Spaghetti House (tie) 631 Commercial Drive

1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine (tie) 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond 1. Nightingale (tie) 1017 West Hastings Street 2. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. The Red Accordion, 1616 Alberni Street

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

13

GOLDEN PLATES

The Straight celebrates 25 years of culinary excellence

T

by Charlie Smith

his marks the 25th year that the Georgia Straight has been publishing its annual Golden Plates issue celebrating the local food and beverage scene. Every year, the Straight asks readers to vote for their favourites in a wide range of categories. The results are compiled and presented in different boxes sprinkled throughout the issue.

Over the past quarter century, there’s been a stunning transformation in Metro Vancouver with the rise of an unprecedented array of cuisines from around the world.

This year, the readers’ choice for chef of the year, Nutcha Phanthoupheng, hails from the countryside of Isan in northeastern Thailand. Her food carvings, which are served at Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine in Steveston, were unheard of in this region when the first Golden Plates awards were announced. This marks the second consecutive year that she has been voted the top chef.

In recent years, we’ve also been able to experience an astonishing variety of cuisines from South Asia, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.

READERS’ f CHOICES NEW RESTAURANT

ROMANTIC

1. Bombay Kitchen + Bar 1480 West 11th Avenue 2. Collective Goods Bistro & Grocer 3532 Commercial Street 3. Bruno Restaurant & Bar (tie) 8499 Bridgeport Road, Richmond 3. Nightshade (tie) 1079 Mainland Street 3. Zarak by Afghan Kitchen (tie) 2102 Main Street

1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island

FINE DINING 1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond 2. Hawksworth Restaurant 801 West Georgia Street 3. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations Nutcha Phanthoupheng of Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine was voted chef of the year by readers.

Tatta Chulha, the first Rajasthani restaurant in Vancouver, opened last year. It’s possible to find authentic Uyghur cuisine in Vancouver and Burnaby. We’re incredibly blessed.

To us, all of this is evidence of cluster theory in action. The Okanagan may have a cluster of wineries. Toronto has its cluster of banks. And we, in Vancouver, have a cluster of internationally oriented restaurants, all trying to outdo one another. In the process, they’ve created a world-class culinary industry. g

LEGENDARY RESTAURANT 1. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House 777 Thurlow Street 2. White Spot Various locations 3. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island

HOTEL RESTAURANT 1. Hawksworth Restaurant 801 West Georgia Street 2. Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge 845 Hornby Street 3. Botanist 1038 Canada Place

BISTRO

THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANY YEARS OF SUPPORT!

1. Au Comptoir 2278 West 4th Avenue 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. Maxine’s Café & Bar 1325 Burrard Street

OVERALL 1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond 2. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. Tap & Barrel Various locations

RESTAURANT GROUP

2022 GOLDEN PLATES AWARDS

1.

2.

3.

3.

Tap & Barrel Bombay Kitchen + Bar Glowbal Restaurant Group (tie) Toptable Group (tie)

RESTAURANT PATIO (LOCATION) #1 Best Japanese Restaurant

#1 Best Neighbourhood Restaurant

#1 Best Sushi Restaurant

#3 Best Japanese Restaurant

ABURI RESTAURANTS CANADA | ABURIRESTAURANTS.COM

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

1. Tap & Barrel 75 Athletes Way 2. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. Cactus Club Cafe 1790 Beach Avenue

CASINO RESTAURANT 1. The Victor (Parq Vancouver) 39 Smithe Street 2. Honey Salt (Parq Vancouver) (tie) 39 Smithe Street 2. Atlas Steak + Fish (Grand Villa) (tie) Various locations 3. The Buffet (River Rock Casino Resort) (tie) 8811 River Road, Richmond 3. Tramonto (River Rock Casino Resort) (tie) 8811 River Road, Richmond

RESTAURANT PATIO (SERVICE) 1. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 2. Tap & Barrel 75 Athletes Way 3. Bombay Kitchen + Bar 1411 West 11th Avenue

RESTAURANT FOR SEAFOOD 1. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 2. Blue Water Cafe 1095 Hamilton Street 3. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House 777 Thurlow Street

GLUTEN-FREE FRIENDLY 1. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. Tap & Barrel (tie) Various locations 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar (tie) Various locations 3. OEB Breakfast Co. (tie) Various locations 3. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar (tie) 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island

VEGAN-FRIENDLY 1. MeeT Restaurants Various locations 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. MILA 185 Keefer Street

VEGETARIAN 1. The Acorn 3995 Main Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. The Naam Restaurant 2724 West 4th Avenue

GOLDEN PLATES

Bombay Kitchen + Bar wins big with tasty good karma

WE LOVE YOU TOO!

by Charlie Smith

Thank you for voting Westcoast PokE the #1 poke in Vancouver!

The mostly traditional fare at South Granville’s Bombay Kitchen + Bar, like the butter chicken (above), won it the prestigious best new restaurant prize in this year’s Golden Plates Awards.

I

t took a lot of nerve for anyone to open a restaurant in the pandemic when so many other eateries were struggling to survive. Harsh (“Ron”) Sharma, the friendly and extroverted CEO of the Bombay Kitchen + Bar group, actually opened two in Vancouver as the city was in the grips of COVID-19.

The first, called Bombay Masala (4473 West 10th Avenue), began serving customers in its chic and clean dining room on July 1, 2000, in Point Grey Village. His company’s second funky Bombay Kitchen + Bar was launched in the former Vij’s location (1480 West 11th Avenue) in the South Granville neighbourhood in early 2021. (The first Bombay Kitchen + Bar opened on Commercial Drive in 2018.)

When the Straight reached Sharma by phone, he attributed his company’s success to good karma.

“We did some charity,” Sharma said.

“We gave free food to people who were positive for COVID. We fed the first responders really nicely.”

After opening both of his newer locations, he said that they experienced a booming takeout business. That set the stage for these restaurants to thrive as more customers felt comfortable dining inside.

Bombay Kitchen + Bar enjoyed spectacular success in the 25th annual Golden Plates awards, which are chosen in an online ballot by readers of the Georgia Straight.

The South Granville location was voted best new restaurant. The chain’s eateries also won as the best on Commercial Drive and in South Granville.

Sharma credited his staff for “just nailing it” night after night. “We offer a full package deal,” he said.

That includes an extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Plus, Sharma

family recipes are used in the Kuku Paka (coconut chicken), Prawn Zanzibar, spicy Lamb Kalya, and various vindaloo dishes, among other selections.

The South Granville and Commercial Drive locations remain open until 2 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, where diners can enjoy drinks made with Indian spices. This helps explain why Bombay Kitchen + Bar’s Parul Duggal was voted best bartender in the Golden Plates. It’s a point of pride for Sharma in a city with so many accomplished mixologists.

The chain also received scads of secondand third-place finishes, including a tie for second in best Indian behind the perennial winner in this category, Vij’s.

The atmosphere in the dimly lit Bombay Kitchen + Bar is ultramodern, yet the food is very traditional, unlike some of the unusual offerings at Vij’s. Sharma also noted that his customers like the prices, where all of the entrées are priced below $20.

“The Stanley Theatre is nearby,” he said. “We welcome everyone in the neighbourhood.”

Sharma has been in the restaurant industry since the mid-1990s, opening the company’s first restaurant, Bombay Masala, on North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Avenue in 1999. It has since moved to the Park & Tilford shopping centre.

Since those days, the number of Indian dining establishments has increased astronomically. Broadcaster Shushma Datt recently did a count and determined that there are 518 Indian eateries in Metro Vancouver.

Indian food is clearly a hit with the masses— and it’s why the Bombay Kitchen + Bar group CEO is thinking about expanding his chain.

“We’re looking for locations,” Sharma revealed. “We are working on getting into New West and Abbotsford.” g

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15

READERS’ f CHOICES TEAHOUSE

GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY

1. Secret Garden Tea Company 2138 West 40th Avenue 2. Neverland Tea Salon 3066 West Broadway 3. Teahouse in Stanley Park 7501 Stanley Park Drive

1. Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery 3385 Cambie Street 2. Gluten Free Epicurean 633 East 15th Avenue 3. A Bread Affair 1680 Johnston Street, Granville Island

INDEPENDENT COFFEE SHOP

GELATO

1. JJ Bean Coffee Roasters Various locations 2. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Various locations 3. Revolver Coffee 325 Cambie Street

1. Bella Gelateria Various locations 2. La Casa Gelato 1033 Venables Street 3. Passione Gelato Artigianale 55 Smithe Street

COFFEE CHAIN

ICE CREAM

1. JJ Bean Coffee Roasters Various locations 2. Starbucks Various Locations 3. Blenz Various locations

1. Earnest Ice Cream Various locations 2. Rain or Shine Homemade Ice Cream Various locations 3. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations

CHOCOLATIER 1. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie Various locations 2. Purdys Chocolatier Various locations 3. BETA5 Chocolates 409 Industrial Avenue

DESSERTS

A toast to YOU, Vancouver.

We really like you too.

Thanks for voting JJ Bean as #1 for best coffee chain and best independent coffee shop in the 25th Reader’s Choice awards.

DOUGHNUT

MEAL-KIT DELIVERY SERVICE

1. Cartems Donuts Various locations 2. Lee’s Donuts Various Locations 3. Lucky’s Doughnuts Various locations

1. Fresh Prep 2. Chefs Plate 3. HelloFresh

BREAD BAKERY 1. Terra Breads Various locations 2. Cobs Bread Bakery Various locations 3. purebread Various locations

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

TAKEOUT/DELIVERY 1. Uber Eats 2. DoorDash 3. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations

1. Thierry Various locations 2. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie Various locations 3. Beaucoup Bakery & Café 2150 Fir Street

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

1. Glory Juice Co. Various locations 2. The Juice Truck Various locations 3. Jugo Juice Various locations

1. Thierry Various locations 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. Breka Bakery & Cafe Various locations

PATISSERIE

16

JUICE BAR

FOOD TRUCK 1. Chickpea Food Truck 2. Tacofino 3. The Frying Pan

CATERING COMPANY 1. Savoury Chef Foods 1175 Union Street 2. The Lazy Gourmet 1545 West 3rd Avenue 3. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations

VISIT GOLDEN PLATES ONLINE AT STRAIGHT.COM

GOLDEN PLATES

Sal y Limón’s success reflects importance of family

I

by Mike Usinger

n what will come as zero surprise to those who love not only the tacos and tortas of Sal y Limón, but the very spirit of the place, right from the start it’s been about family.

The roots of the restaurant that started in a gentrifying Fraserview and has since spread to the Drive, Surrey, and Vancouver International Airport, can be traced back to a community centre in Vancouver.

Originally from Manzanillo in Colima, Mexico, Sal y Limón co-owner Carolina Rivera moved to the West Coast after a stint in Montreal, where she got an e-commerce masters, met her husband, Sebastien Jutras, and had her first child.

When a job opportunity landed her husband in Vancouver, a second child followed.

On maternity leave with two little ones, Rivera spent plenty of time at the local community centre where she met and became friends with Adriana Cedeno, the wife of Sal y Limón cofounder and chef Pepe Cedeno.

“My son was young, and my daughter was three-and-a-half,” Rivera recalls in a phone conversation with the Straight. “I found that there were no restaurant to actually go and bring your kids to and feel welcome. At the time it was just McDonald’s. What I felt was missing was a place where you could go eat good food, and if your kid cries nobody cares. That was top of mind for me, so when we met and started talking about food and restaurants I knew that I had found the right people with the right passion.”

Along with her husband, Rivera had helped run a sushi-restaurant chain in Montreal while attending school. Cedeno, meanwhile, knew how to run a kitchen. The initial goal was to build the kind of space—casual and colourful, family-friendly but funky— that would appeal to those who not only love Mexican food, but also the spirit of Mexico.

“It was all about ‘What can we afford to do ourselves?’” Rivera recalls of Sal y Limón’s first location, a 24-seat space on Kingsway. “So we got the rollers out and painted it ourselves. We took things that were authentic to us and created a little tiny space where kids could play and where there was good food in a place that reminded me of home.”

The original Sal y Limón—which expanded into the space next door a couple of years after opening—indeed channels the glorious colour-splashed chaos that is Mexico. Not the Americanized resorts or gated communities, but instead the feeling of being ringside at the gloriously chaotic Lucha Libre wrestling in Mexico City, marvelling at the folk art at Mercado de Artesanias in Oaxaca City, or standing at a street-stall while a boom box blares Juan Reynoso and Mariachi Reyes del Aserradero El Terreque.

Adding to the infectious bustle, there’s a kids’ play area.

Sal y Limón cofounders (left to right) Pepe Cedeno, Adriana Cedeno, Carolina Rivera, and Sebastien Jutras made it a mission to start a restaurant authentic to the spirit of Mexico.

But ultimately, it’s about the food, with the tacos, burritos, and tortas coming in a myriad of options. Start with favourites like al pastor (marinated pork and pineapple), chorizo con papa (Mexican sausage and potatoes), carnitas (pulled pork belly), and barbacoa de cordero (roasted lamb).

Get adventurous with pollo pabil (chicken marinated in sweet and spicy achiote paste) and lengua (beef tongue).

“We’ve tried to do things that are a little bit challenging for people, but within reason,” Rivera says with a laugh. “I don’t like the tongue, but lots of people love it.”

For the adults, Sal y Limón offers Margaritas (spicy or regular in mango, lime, and strawberry), traditional Palomas, and rum-infused housemade horchata. For the kids, Mexican Jarritos.

The best part of a visit to Sal y Limón was the pre-pandemic salsa bar, which offered Mexico’s most famous condiment in nine different varieties, including avocado, arbol, chipotle, peanut, and eye-watering diabla. (You can now order them in small containers that come with your meal).

While careful to note that Cedeno is the engine that drives the kitchen at Sal y Limón, Rivera notes that she helped shape the menu, drawing on traditions and recipes from her family.

“My mom used to have a restaurant,” she says. “When I went to university I lived with my older sister, and she and her husband owned a Mexican restaurant. I worked with them every weekend—that’s how I paid for my university. So some of the recipes at Sal y Limón are from my sister. Some of the salsas are ones we had at home.

“I cooked with my mom a lot,” Rivera continues. “I have seven sisters and a brother, so cooking was a big part of my

culture at home. I was the one always asking my mom, ‘What did you put in there, and why?’ A lot of the things on the menu are things I cooked when we decided to open the restaurant with Pepe.”

From the day it opened, folks were lining up for Sal y Limón, which this year placed first in the Golden Plates for Best Mexican, and third in the Best Latin American and Best Tacos categories.

“We were still painting, and people were already trying to come in to buy tacos,” Rivera says with another laugh. “ I think they just wanted something different, so we were very blessed right from the start.”

That immediate success has made expanding to Commercial, Surrey, and YVR seem a little less daunting.

The attraction of the Mexican-themed mini-empire?

“We tried to do something that we could be proud of,” Rivera says. “My Mexican family is actually coming over in a month.

I know that when they come to the restaurant, they will enjoy the food and say ‘This is really good.’ You even get double tortillas so you get full without having to pay that much. It’s good and cheap—that’s what reminds me of home.” g

BEST DONUT SHOP 7 YEARS IN A ROW!

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

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2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

17

READERS’ f CHOICES BREAKFAST

BARBECUE

1. Yolks Various locations 2. OEB Breakfast Co. Various locations 3. Jam Cafe Various locations

1. Memphis Blues BBQ Various locations 2. Rosie’s BBQ and Smokehouse Various locations 3. Hog Shack Cookhouse 160–3900 Bayview Street, Richmond

BRUNCH 1. OEB Breakfast Co. Various locations 2. Yolks Various locations 3. Medina Cafe 780 Richards Street

BURGER 1. Pourhouse 162 Water Street 2. White Spot Various locations 3. Vera’s Burger Shack Various Locations

VEGGIE BURGER 1. Heirloom 1509 West 12th Avenue 2. MeeT Restaurants Various locations 3. White Spot Various locations

CHICKEN WINGS 1. The Marquis Grill 2666 Granville Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. Phnom Penh Restaurant 244 East Georgia Street

POKE 1. Westcoast Poké Various locations 2. Pacific Poke Various locations 3. Pokérrito Various locations

FISH AND CHIPS 1. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 2. Pajo’s Various locations 3. Go Fish 1505 West 1st Avenue

RAMEN 1. Ramen Danbo Various locations 2. JINYA Ramen Bar 541 Robson Street 3. Marutama Ra-men Various locations

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PASTA 1. Ask for Luigi 305 Alexander Street 2. Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway 3. Oca Pastificio 1260 Commercial Drive

POUTINE 1. La Belle Patate 1215 Davie Street 2. Fritz European Fry House 718 Davie Street 3. A & W Restaurants Various locations

PIZZERIA 1. Pizzeria Farina 915 Main Street 2. Via Tevere 1190 Victoria Drive 3. Nook Various locations

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA 1. Virtuous Pie Various locations 2. Tap & Barrel Various locations 3. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue

TAKE-OUT PIZZA 1. Pizza Garden Various locations 2. Panago Various locations 3. Pizzeria Farina 915 Main Street

TACOS 1. Tacofino Various locations 2. La Taqueria Various locations 3. Sal y Limón Various locations

COMFORT FOOD 1. Burgoo Various locations 2. Tap & Barrel Various locations 3. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue

GOLDEN PLATES

Italian Cultural Centre aids Ukraine with dinner

W

by Charlie Smith

hen COVID-19 clobbered the Vancouver economy in the spring of 2020, many organizations leaped into action.

One of them was the Italian Cultural Centre.

According to executive director Mario Miceli, the organization was able to provide 5,500 meals to families per week with the help of its partners and suppliers, including Growing Chefs! and Fresh Roots.

“Our commercial kitchen was used to prepare the food,” Miceli told the Straight by phone. “Our ballroom was used to package the food. And then we used our parking lot to distribute the food. That’s how we assisted during the pandemic.”

Then when COVID-19 vaccinations became available, the Italian Cultural Centre stepped up again. In partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, it became a major immunization centre, providing hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses to the community.

“We were the last standing mass-vaccination site in the city, closing down just at the end of March,” Miceli said.

Now, the Italian Cultural Centre is eagerly planning a major fundraiser for the Ukrainian community in the wake of

There’s always an extra chair at an Italian dinner table.

– Mario Miceli

The Italian Cultural Centre’s Mario Miceli says that his organization is all about community.

Russia’s war of aggression. It’s working with several organizations—including the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Columbus Meat Market, Holy Eucharist Cathedral, and the Kozak Ukrainian restaurant chain—on the Friday (May 27) event. The sponsors are contributing food.

“We’ll be having an authentic Ukrainian dinner, which will be featured by our chefs here at the Italian Cultural Centre,” Miceli

said. “But a lot of this is handmade by volunteers from the Ukrainian community.”

Tickets for the three-course meal go for $75, with all proceeds going to providing relief for people from Ukraine.

“We’ll have a keynote speaker, entertainment, and a display,” Miceli said.

“We’re trying to raise money for the community, especially those who are repatriating or are just coming to Canada as displaced people so that they have the support that they need to stay as long as they like here in Canada—or as required.”

It comes just as the Italian Cultural Centre is also preparing to celebrate Italian Heritage Month in June.

One of the free events on the calendar is Festa della Repubblica (Italian National Day) at the Italian Cultural Centre on June 3. It will

take place at 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom.

There, the City of Vancouver will issue a formal apology to Italian Canadians for its role in the internment of 33 residents of Italian descent in the Second World War and for forcing another 1,800 residents of Italian heritage to register with the police.

Father’s Day (June 19) is when the Italian Cultural Centre will be the site of Classica Auto Italiana—a display of Italian automobiles, motorcycles, and scooters.

Miceli noted that Italian bicycles will also be shown in the piazza.

Then, on June 25, the centre will host the Italian Food Festival and Mercato from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Food is central to Italian culture, Miceli emphasized, and one of the values of this culture is ensuring that if somebody is hungry, they get fed.

“There’s always an extra chair at an Italian dinner table,” Miceli said. “It’s about recognizing that community is community.

It’s not just about your Italian community; it’s the community around you.” g The Ukraine Relief Event will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Italian Cultural Centre on Friday (May 27).

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GOLDEN PLATES

OEB Breakfast Co. is all about great ingredients

C

by Steve Newton

hef Mauro Martina learned at a very young age to appreciate the farm-to-table movement.

For the first five years of his life, he was raised by his grandmother in the small town of Copertino in Southern Italy, where the local food culture became, as he describes it, part of his DNA. “We went shopping every day,” he recalls on the phone from Calgary. “There wasn’t one day that I remember that we didn’t go shopping. Whether it was for cheese or fish or just vegetables, fruit, whatever—every day we went. So I got brought to every market, to every fishmonger, to every butcher, and that really stuck with me throughout my young life.”

When he was five, Martina moved to Germany to be with his parents, eventually enrolling in culinary school and taking a three-year apprenticeship program followed by one year studying baking and pastry. That training and his early childhood education in where food comes from helped him greatly when, after working as an executive chef in Toronto and Calgary, he founded OEB Breakfast Co., setting up shop with a small Cowtown restaurant in 2009.

I learned that you can’t make great out of mediocre, so I go for the very best.

– chef Mauro Martina

OEB Breakfast Co. founder and chef Mauro Martina embraces the farm-to-table creed.

“I learned that you can’t make great out of mediocre,” he explains, “so I go for the very best. I do let the ingredients

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speak for themselves, and when you have greatness on your hands, then you only need a little bit, right. And so when I create a menu, or I create dishes at OEB, you can count the ingredients which are in there. It’s usually five or six, that’s it. I wanted simplicity.

“An heirloom tomato is a god-given product,” he continues. “It’s already at 99-percent there. A little bit of extra-virgin olive oil and good sea salt and we’re good to go. What more does it need? Why do I have to remove the pulp and do this and do that, or make a tomato in the shape of a strawberry? That’s too far out. For me, simplicity seals success, and so that’s what I would say my cooking is all about. Do the hard work of searching for those ingredients yourself, but let the purveyors and farmers and ranchers shine.”

As of today, OEB Breakfast Co. has several locations across Canada, including three in the Metro Vancouver area: in Burnaby, North Van, and Yaletown, with a fourth set to open in West Van’s Ambleside neighbourhood very soon. The franchise offers a wide variety of delectable meals that target the morning crowd, including such menu items as “Pierogies & Duck” (hand-pinched perogies, hardwood-smoked bacon, duck confit, green onions, raspberry vinaigrette, two sunnyside eggs, and microgreens) and “Gold Digga” (poached eggs, duck fat–fried herb potatoes, Saint-Cyrille cheese curds, Berkshire roast pork, black truffles, and brown-butter hollandaise).

“We are definitely known for our breakfast bowls,” Martina says. “So, breakfast poutines, you know? I created a breakfast poutine back in early 2010, our ‘Soul in a Bowl’. All our potatoes are cooked in duck fat, so it started off with duck fat–fried potatoes, and then our signature brown-butter hollandaise and our cage-free eggs and Quebec cheese curds, obviously. And ‘Soul in a Bowl’ was the first one which had the doublesmoked bacon, the European-style bacon where we pressed the bacon by extracting all the moisture. So when we render the bacon, it’s pure bacon and smoke and deliciousness, right?

“And we have some pretty cool desserts,” he adds. “We have our French

Toast Trif le [brioche, lemon curd, market berries, pistachios, and torched pavlova], which was featured on one of the magazine covers here in Calgary.

Something that people have never seen before.”

Another mouth-watering item on the OEB menu for those with a sweet tooth is “Do Not Even Go There”, which features a French-style crêpe, vanilla custard, berries, banana, fresh whipped cream, pistachios, and almonds. It’s all topped with Quebec maple syrup—so who wouldn’t want to go there?

When it comes to his own favourite OEB dish, Martina says that it depends on the day and the mood he’s in.

“My definite go-to is, like, the twoegg breakfast,” he says. “It’s one of those things where, you know, it’s the duck fat– fried potatoes, the artisanal bread that we have—we have our own baker. So that would be something that I would choose on a day when it’s raining outside. I would probably go for that—comfort food on a plate, right?”

As well as its locations in Vancouver, Calgary (four), Edmonton (two), Toronto, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Kelowna, OEB Breakfast Co. has a franchise in Scottsdale, Arizona, and just last week, Martina was down in Newport Beach, California, cutting the ribbon on a new restaurant there. He has no plans to slow down the expansion.

“I would be thrilled to be an international company,” he says. “I mean, we’re already international, counting in the U.S., but we do have right now interest out of Switzerland; we have interest out of Beijing. Obviously, there’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but those are [just] interests, right? Those are people talking to us and saying, ‘Hey, I can see you there, and I can see you here.’ Will it happen? I don’t know.”

Whether or not Martina’s duck fat– fried herb potatoes ever knock ’em dead in Dubai remains to be seen, but the company’s cuisine has definitely made an impression on Vancouver diners. At this year’s Golden Plate Awards, OEB won in the best Yaletown and best brunch categories, came in second for best breakfast, and was third for best gluten-free.

“I could sit here and take all the credit,” Martina says, “which I won’t, because at the end of the day, we have phenomenal chefs in this company that truly believe in what we do and how we do it. And they’ve chosen a lifestyle over their personal sort of egos to say, ‘I work as a chef; I love it, it inspires me, and I want to keep going.’

And so the awards are really for them; it’s the Vancouver stores and the drive that they have for this.” g

GOLDEN PLATES

Krave Kulture takes frozen yogurt to new heights

I

by Rachel Moore

f we’re being perfectly honest, mainstream brands like Activia and Dannon have really sucked the thrill out of yogurt. Now we look at the dairy product merely as a vehicle for a sprinkle of granola and half of a bruised banana.

Although our lacklustre morning bowl of yogurt already had us questioning things, a visit to Krave Kulture Yogurt Shop confirmed that our stance needs to change. Its yogurt is delicious and alluring, and it sure gives ice cream a run for its money.

Situated on a corner in North Van’s Edgemont Village, Krave Kulture (3151 Edgemont Boulevard) creates and serves organic yogurts that are hand-crafted at the shop. Every tasty variation is made with Canadian dairy and natural sweeteners. And after a brief chat with the owner, it’s clear that their passion for healthy treats and fresh ingredients inspired the business venture.

With summer only a couple months away, we couldn’t have discovered Krave Kulture at a better time. Devouring a cup or cone of frozen yogurt is the easiest way to cool down when the weather gets

North Vancouver’s Krave Kulture offers froyo treats that give ice cream some competition.

unbearably warm.

However, we did consume our creation—a bowl of Chocolate and Vanilla

Swirl with fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce—in the pouring rain, and we would still give it a perfect score.

Customers are welcome to order organic-yogurt bowls, frozen yogurt, or yogurt smoothies off the Krave Kulture menu or come up with their own concoction that will satiate their unique craving. Flavours can vary on a day-to-day basis, but vanilla, passion fruit, chocolate, strawberry, mango, and vegan raspberry are the shop’s heaviest hitters.

Depending on the size of cup or cone purchased for frozen yogurt, toppings are either included or offered at an additional charge. Instead of the candy toppings that will send you straight into a sugar coma—the ones provided at most froyo joints—Krave Kulture prefers to stick with healthier options.

Hungry guests can choose from darkchocolate chips, granola, slivered almonds, pecans, hemp hearts, coconut, peanut butter, and house-made syrups.

One can also choose to add fresh mango, pineapple, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, and other seasonal fruits to their creation.

One of the most popular sweet menu

items is the Coffee Krave—suitable for adults only (nobody wants a wired child).

This bowl has a passion-fruit yogurt base and is topped with berries, granola, slivered almonds, pecans, dark-chocolate chips, coconut, coffee, and maple syrup.

Every variation of the organic frozen yogurt can also be blended into a smoothie.

If your sweet tooth never fully developed, the shop offers three Savoury Krave Bowls with plain-yogurt bases. The Mediterranean Krave features marinated grape tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, fresh basil, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, and rice vinegar, and is finished with a pinch of garlic salt.

Folks who can’t get enough of Mexican food should most definitely try the Tulum Krave, which is topped with mango, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil, lime, and crispy tortilla chips.

Before paying for your order, it’s wise to check out the stocked refrigerator on the left side of Krave Kulture. Inside, you’ll find jars of organic yogurts mixed with colourful fruit compotes. On looks alone, they are one-upping grocery store yogurt like you wouldn’t believe. g

READERS’ f CHOICES GROCERY STORE

GROCERY DELIVERY

1. Fresh St. Market Various locations 2. Choices Markets Various locations 3. Donald’s Market, 2342 East Hastings Street

1.

2.

2.

3.

DELI 1. Bosa Foods Various locations 2. La Grotta Del Formaggio 1791 Commercial Drive 3. Santa Barbara Market 1322 Commercial Drive

Save-On-Foods SPUD (tie) Legends Haul (tie) Tiggy

PROFESSIONAL CULINARY SCHOOL 1. Vancouver Community College 250 West Pender Street 2. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) 101–1505 West 2nd Avenue 3. The Dirty Apron Cooking School & Delicatessen, 540 Beatty Street

PRODUCE STORE

PLACE FOR ONLINE COOKING CLASSES

1. Kin’s Farm Market, Various locations 2. Fresh St. Market, Various locations 3. Donald’s Market (tie) 2342 East Hastings Street 3. Choices Markets (tie) Various locations

1. The Dirty Apron Cooking School & Delicatessen 540 Beatty Street 2. The Lazy Gourmet, 1545 West 3rd Avenue 3. True Nosh, 1450 West 7th Avenue

SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

COOKING STORE

1. Bosa Foods (tie), Various locations 1. The Gourmet Warehouse (tie) 1340 East Hastings Street 2. Meinhardt Fine Foods Various locations 3. Whole Foods Market, Various locations

1. The Gourmet Warehouse 1340 East Hastings Street 2. Ming Wo Various locations 3. Meinhardt Fine Foods Various locations

T STORE! THE BEST PRODUCE & BES GROCERY

WAYS

FRES

H

freshstmarket.com MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

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GOLDEN PLATES

Tasty Asian desserts get diners across the finish line

by Charlie Smith and Carlito Pablo

Thank you for voting Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine Best Chef – Nutcha Phanthoupheng Best Restaurant Overall Best Fine Dining Restaurant Best New Restaurant Most Romantic Restaurant Best Local Hidden Gem

Golden Plates chef of the year Nutcha Phanthoupheng has a carving certificate from Bussaracum Royal Thai Cuisine, which explains how she can turn watermelon into a work of art at Baan Lao.

W

ho doesn’t love dessert?

Here are picks from some of the city’s top Asian restaurants as chosen by Georgia Straight readers in the 25th annual Golden Plates edition.

KULINARYA FILIPINO EATERY

Coming Soon!

Our new Signature Dinner Experience menu will be launching in June 4100 Bayview Street in Steveston (Richmond) reservations@baanlao.ca • baanlao.ca

22

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MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

Cassava cake Cassava cake is a hearty Filipino dessert that is also a popular snack item. Soft and chewy, this confection goes well with coffee, hot chocolate, and even pop.

In its basic form, the cake is made of grated cassava root, coconut milk, shredded young coconut, and sugar.

It is traditionally cooked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves—with hot charcoal at the bottom as well as on top—until golden brown and slightly toasted. Nowadays, though, many households both in and outside of the Philippines have the convenience of using stoves to do the job.

As well, depending on a favourite recipe, other ingredients are added to the pudding, like eggs and condensed milk.

And to make it even more heavenly, cassava cake can be topped with either grated cheese or leche f lan, which is egg custard, a dessert on its own.

Check it out at Kulinarya Filipino Eatery on Commercial Drive, one of this year’s Golden Plates winners.

MINAMI

Green Tea Opera cake With its many different layers, opera cake is a French treat that offers multiple f lavours in each slice.

It’s known to be time-consuming to prepare. This applies to Minami’s version, the Green Tea Opera cake, its signature dessert. Pastry chefs take three days to put together this seven-layered cake. Its f lavours are green tea, hazelnut, and chocolate.

This long process has proven to be rewarding: diners at Minami swear by the decadent dessert, which surprises at every bite.

Green Tea Opera cake can be ordered whole or by the half in the restaurant, and it is also available for takeout.

Straight readers voted Minami as best Yaletown restaurant and third-best Japanese eatery.

BANANA LEAF

Fresh Mango Sticky Rice Rice is life to many people of Asian heritage across the world. The staple is typically consumed with meat, fish, or vegetable dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There are several varieties of rice, and one of these is glutinous rice, a versatile type that is used for both savoury dishes see next page

and dessert. Glutinous rice is sometimes called sticky rice or sweet rice. Compared to varieties typically consumed daily, this kind is considered special and is more expensive.

For dessert, glutinous rice is often cooked in coconut milk, which gives it a more sticky consistency. It can also be ground into flour and used for pastries.

Banana Leaf, which is the Golden Plates winner for best Malaysian/Indonesian, offers glutinous rice as a traditional Thai dessert, bathed in coconut milk and topped with fresh mango.

BAAN LAO FINE THAI CUISINE

Khaao Niaao Ma Muaang, Ice Cream Gathi, and Woon Gathi This year, one of the big winners in the Golden Plates Awards was Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine in Steveston. Not only did readers vote for its executive chef, Nutcha Phanthoupheng, as chef of the year for the

second consecutive year, it also won as best overall, best fine dining, best Thai, most romantic, and best hidden gem.

This month, Phanthoupheng created a new set menu with nine courses for a feast that lasts up to two hours. It’s entitled “A Journey from Pasture to Plate”. Like her first signature dinner experience, “A Journey Throughout the Kingdom of Thailand”, it features fresh hand-carved fruit as part of its finishing touch. It’s combined with luuk choop, which is similar to marzipan, though it’s made with agar-coated mung-bean paste.

This follows the Khaao Niaao Ma Muaang, Ice Cream Gathi, and Woon Gathi dessert. “Sticky rice is a staple in Thai cooking, especially when making desserts,” the menu states. “Our coconut glutinous rice is made with fresh coconut, pressed on site at Baan Lao, and served with mango, coconut milk ice cream, and ‘woon gathi’, a coconut milk jelly.” g

1134 Commercial Dr, Vancouver 604.255.4155 2922 Glen Drive, Coquitlam 778.285.6577

kulinarya.ca kulinaryafilipinoeatery @kulinaryaonthedrive

BEST

FILIPINO CUISINE

READERS’ f CHOICES CHEF

MALAYSIAN/INDONESIAN

1. Nutcha Phanthoupheng Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine 4100 Bayview Sreet, Richmond 2. Summer Stuart Formerly with Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. David Hawksworth Hawksworth Restaurant 801 West Georgia Street

1. Banana Leaf Various locations 2. John 3:16 Malaysian Delights Various locations 3. Mamalee 3144 West Broadway

THAI 1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond 2. Maenam 1938 West 4th Avenue 3. Sala Thai 102–888 Burrard Street

CHINESE 1. Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie 163 Keefer Street 2. Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant 1132 East Hastings Street 3. Kirin Restaurants Various locations

JAPANESE 1. Miku Vancouver 70–200 Granville Street 2. Tojo’s Restaurant 1133 West Broadway 3. Minami 1118 Mainland Street

KOREAN 1. Hanwoori Korean Restaurant (tie) 5740 Imperial Street, Burnaby 1. Sura Korean (tie) Various locations 2. Celadon Korean Cuisine 300–4293 Mountain Square, Whistler 3. So Hyang Korean Cuisine 6345 Fraser Street

FILIPINO 1. Kulinarya Filipino Eatery Various locations 2. Pinpin Restaurant 6113 Fraser Street 3. Plato Filipino 5175 Joyce Street

VIETNAMESE 1. Anh and Chi 3388 Main Street 2. Green Lemongrass Various locations 3. A Taste of Vietnam 1016 West Broadway

DUMPLINGS 1. Dinesty Dumpling House Various locations 2. Peaceful Restaurant Various locations 3. Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie 163 Keefer Street

SUSHI 1. Miku Vancouver 70–200 Granville Street 2. Tojo’s Restaurant 1133 West Broadway 3. Hitoe Sushi 3347 West 4th Avenue

VISIT GOLDEN PLATES ONLINE AT STRAIGHT.COM

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

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23

GOLDEN PLATES

Rocky Mountain Flatbread will close Kits outlet

R

H appy Singh shakes

by Martin Dunphy

ocky Mountain Flatbread Co, has announced that it is closing its original Vancouver location, at 1876 West 1st Avenue.

In a May 20 open letter, co-owners Suzanne and Dominic Fielden said the Kitsilano closure will not affect any of its other operations, including its restaurant at 4186 Main Street in Vancouver.

The pizza, pasta, salad, and soup restaurant also has two Alberta restaurants, in Calgary and Canmore (its first, in 2003).

The Kitsilano shuttering, after 16 years, will take place on May 29, according to the letter.

The notice did not give a specific reason for closing the doors for good on West 1st Avenue, but it did offer the following: “We are also going to further pursue opportunities and interests in community food security such as Suzanne’s EarthBites school garden program and Chef Oliver’s hydroponic farming. That can only be done by freeing up time in our lives and downsizing a bit.”

The community-minded chain—with its “farm to pizza” philosophy, its use of homegrown greens, and its many vegan and vegetarian options—sold an enormous number of pizzas in Kitsilano, the letter said. “During those 16 years we have literally made

Staff made more than a million pizzas at this eatery. Photo by Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.

and served over a million pizzas from ingredients sourced from over 50 local farmers, donated thousands of meals to worthy causes, launched a brilliant frozen pizza brand and taught over 75,000 kids how to make their favourite pizza.

“And do not forget the 30 000 students in VSB schools we have worked with to create their own productive school gardens,” the letter continued, “where they work with our urban farmers and nutritionists to grow their own food through EarthBites.”

Until May 29, the restaurant will sell about 1,000 frozen pizzas for pickup at a suggested price of $5 each. The fundraiser is for its nonprofit EarthBites school garden program. g

Family-Owned Since 1985

d ANYONE WHO’S been to northwestern India will be aware of the wide range of beverages there.

In Punjab, for example, it’s possible to enjoy mango lassi, mango milkshakes, sattu, and juices made from a variety of fruits and vegetables.

But Metro Vancouver residents don’t have to fly halfway around the world to get a sense of what’s available. That’s because North Delta’s Happy Singh Street Eats has added more than 60 new dessert shakes to its menu this month.

These milkshakes are sometimes served in mason jars and milk bottles and can come with cheesecake, candy, cotton candy, chia seeds, gulab jamun, ras malai, and many other goodies.

That’s on top of the more than 100 dessert items already available at its location at 8821 120 Street in the Kennedy Heights Shopping Centre near the large Tandoori Flame restaurant.

Happy Singh Street Eats was one of many Metro Vancouver locations featured in the 2021 Punjabi-language rom-com Honsla Rakh. It starred actor-singerproducer Diljit Dosanjh as a divorced dad, Sonam Bajwa as a yoga teacher, and Shehnaaz Gill as the ex-wife. g

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MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

ROCKY POINT

604.469.228

Winner - Best Latin American 261 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A2Z1

www.cuchillo.ca

by Charlie Smith

GOLDEN PLATES

Southern barbecue now on menu at Canadians games

V

by Mike Usinger

1ST

BEST CONTINENTAL

2nd 3rd 3rd

Best Gastown Best Beer Selection Best Wine Selection

Vancouver baseball fans can now enjoy a brisket-and-pulled-pork Nat Stack Burger.

Look for the latter to also be available at Nat Bailey Stadium this Canadians season, although not at the concession stand. This Saturday, Rosie’s will roll Hank into the Nat Bailey parking lot for a tailgate party. And as sure as baseball is the national game of our neighbours, nothing says America like tailgating and a smoker the size of Houston. g

ILL

#1 Best Pacific Northwest Restaurant #2 Best Mediterranean Restaurant

GR

2022

Thank you for voting for us!

EA N

25 TH Annual

A N

ancouver Canadians baseball games are about to get a distinctly American South flair at the concession stands this season.

Rosie’s BBQ & Smokehouse has teamed up with the Cs and its food-services team at Nat Bailey Stadium to offer three new menu items.

The Third Base Burger and the Brisket Nachos will both be based around Rosie’s signature 4AM brisket. The Nat Stack Burger, meanwhile, will combine both brisket and pulled pork.

The barbecue comes from Hank, a 19foot, 500-gallon smoker muled up from Texas. For those who like to know where their meat comes from, Rosie’s head chef, Karl Gregg, has partnered with 63 Acres Beef to create custom butchering specs.

Started by Gregg as a food truck after the dissolution of his Big Lou’s Butcher Shop in Railtown, Rosie’s has become a city favourite for not only its brisket and pork but ribs, jalapeño-cheddar sausages, and southern-style sides like slaw, smoked beans, and cornbread.

B RA N AS

RR TE I D ME

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www.branasgrill.ca MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

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25

GOLDEN PLATES

Mushrooms make Bearface Matsutake marvellous

A

by Mike Usinger

s a valuable public service, we crack open spirits from B.C. to Bahrain and beyond, and then give you a highly opinionated, pocket-flask-sized review.

TODAY’S FREE POUR

Bearface Matsutake Wilderness Series Canadian Whisky THEIR WORDS

“Our first limited-edition batch captures the wild flavours of foraged matsutake. Uniquely rare, the fresh mushrooms are infused into Bearface to create a one-of-a-kind whisky.

The matsutake release is bold yet complex, with spiced layers of nutmeg followed by a

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leafy earthiness and umami finish.”

TASTING NOTES

In the unlikely event that you’re still unclear on what makes this Bearface Wilderness Series offering special, start with the wildly coveted matsutake mushroom.

Because they are highly sought after by the Japanese, most mushrooms picked on Canada’s West Coast—including in the Monashee Mountains just past Kamloops—are quickly loaded onto planes and shipped overseas, where they can retail for $800 a pound.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Japanese fungi fanatics describe the flavour of the matsutake as a mixture of fruity, The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed. www.straight.com/confessions

Cloister I haven’t left my apartment in two weeks. And I don’t feel sad about it at all. I consider how amazing it all is living in the world today. Groceries delivered to my door that I ordered online. Fruit from South America, medication from across the continent, vegetables from down the coast, books from around the globe. Technology connects me to the world and I can even wash my clothes and cook food with the press of a button.

It’s incredible. And yet I turn the blinds on my window to temper the sun.

I feel like an addict telling myself that I can go outside any time, to quit sequestering, but I seem to lack the inspiration or need to leave. I feel like an emperor in an unknown forbidden realm where no one comes in or out.

Cheaters I dump partners if they cheat, which is pretty common. But I also dump friends who cheat on their partners. If you’re willing to screw over the person you’re supposed to love the most and treat the best, you’re willing to screw me over too. These people are always so shocked and claim it’s “not fair to judge them” but good riddance to bad company.

Craving Real It’s so rare. Finding the real people who you can talk to about anything.

Real feelings, real emotions, genuine opinions about world events, philosophy, science. Everything is open for discussion. You can say anything without having to worry about whether you’re being PC enough or whether they’re going to judge you. I’ve got two precious people in my life like this and I cling to them tightly, because everyone else is much too worried about being popular, or they just don’t have the depth or intelligence to dive beneath the surface of things. The problem is that I almost never see my two special friends because one of them... ...(con’t @straight.com)

Visit 26

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

to post a Confession MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

Bearface Matsutake Wilderness Series whisky makes use of the Canadian elements, sherry casks, and mushrooms that are wildly coveted in Japan for being fruity, spicy, and pungent.

spicy, and overpoweringly pungent. (The scientific name for the ’shroom, which typically grows under pine trees, is Tricholoma nauseosum, which translates into “smelly mushroom”. Europeans favour the more evocative description of “sock odour”.)

Now you can see why one of the mottos of Bearface is “we believe no idea is too wild and no ingredient is too adventurous.”

Speaking of wild, Bearface takes a decidedly unorthodox attitude to the aging process. Wilderness Series whisky goes into sherry casks, which are then rolled into refurbished shipping containers left outdoors in the British Columbia wilderness. From there fluctating elements— driving rain, freezing snow, pelting rain, two weeks of sun, and more black sheets of rain—factor into the aging. The final “Elemental Aging” step sees the amber liquid gold added to a cask with matsutake mushrooms for finishing.

To answer the big question you’ll have, “No, Bearface’s Matsutake isn’t redolent of smelly mushrooms—or ‘sock odour’— when uncorked.” Instead, expect burnt butterscotch, toasted almonds, a kiss of maple syrup, and fresh damp straw (the latter being far more pleasing than it sounds.)

When sipping, Matsutake goes down smooth despite its 42.5 percent ABV. Taste-wise you get a gentle tug-of war between sweet caramel and dry sherry, with the kicker being something winningly, and fascinatingly, vegetal. Hello matsutake mushrooms, which are designed to give this relentlessly interesting whisky a kick that’s subtle but unique.

The ever-indescribable umami? Yes that will definitely work, not so much as a starting point, but more as something to inspire you on the adventure front.

Imagine spending a week in the wild Monashee Mountains foraging for mushrooms under towering pines in the morning, and then sitting around a campfire at midnight with a bottle of Bearface Matsutake,

the stars shining in a clear sky overhead.

As the Japanese say about the West Coast fungi that’s right up there with the Himalayan Yartsa Gunbu and European White Truffle on the coveted scale, that sounds like one thing: heaven.

COCKTAIL TIME

On paper, it makes about as much sense as a Margarita where gin is the primary spirit, or a Rum Punch where the American bourbon fills in the Caribbean rhyme “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.”

We’ll likely never know who exactly invented the Mai Tai—Trader Vic Bergeron or Donn “Don the Beachcomber” Beach— but what’s not debatable is that it calls for two kinds of rum, as well as fresh lime.

Evidently all-in on the idea that rules were made to be broken—remember the motto “we believe no idea is too wild and no ingredient is too adventurous”?—Bearface has decided to break with tradition for its Matsutake Wilderness Series whisky.

Instead of Jamaican and Martinique rums and lime, Bearface’s Mai Tai subs in Matsutake Whisky and lemon juice, and goes the stirred rather than shaken route.

Not to disappoint you or your discerning Japanese houseguests, but sorry, it doesn’t call for mushrooms that cost more than you make in a week. Which doesn’t make it any less fantastic.

MATSUTAKE MAI TAI

2 oz Bearface Matsutake Whisky ¼ oz orgeat syrup ¼ oz sugar syrup ½ oz Cointreau ¾ oz lemon juice three dashes Angostura bitters Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for a minute. Strain into a new glass with fresh ice. Garnish with fresh pine, squeezing the pine for aroma. g

READERS’ f CHOICES BEER STORE

PUB FOOD

1. Legacy Liquor Store 1633 Manitoba Street 2. Brewery Creek Liquor Store 3045 Main Street 3. Darby’s Public House 2001 Macdonald Street

1. Tap & Barrel Various locations 2. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 3. Sawbuck’s Neighbourhood Pub 1626 152 Street, Surrey

LIQUOR STORE 1. Legacy Liquor Store 1633 Manitoba Street 2. B.C. Liquor Stores 5555 Cambie Street 3. Darby’s Liquor Store 2001 Macdonald

LOCALLY BREWED BEER 1. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. 33 Acres Brewing Company 15 West 8th Avenue 3. Parallel 49 Brewing 1950 Triumph Street

CANADIAN BEER 1. 33 Acres of Sunshine (33 Acres Brewing Company) 2. Neon Lights Pale Ale (Brewhall) 3. Molson Canadian (Molson Coors)

B.C. CIDERY 1. Sunday Cider 1632 Sunshine Coast Hwy, Gibsons 2. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse 2487 Mt. St. Michael Road, Saanichton 3. The Bricker Cider Company (tie) 6642 Norwest Bay Road, Sechelt 3. Geo Cider Co. (tie) 318–1201 Commercial Way, Squamish 3. Windfall Cider & Co. (tie) 101–250 Esplanade East #101, North Vancouver

B.C. CIDER 1. Twice is Nice (Sunday Cider) 2. Cherry Lane (Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse) 3. Old World Apple (Geo Cider Co.)

BARTENDER 1. Parul Duggal Bombay Bar + Bistro Various locations 2. Sabrine Dhaliwal Chickadee Room in Juke 182 Keefer Street 3. Amber Bruce Keefer Bar 135 Keefer Street

PUB 1. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. Tap & Barrel Various locations 3. The Wicklow 610 Stamps Landing

Thank you! for voting us #1 cider in your mouth

r BC Cide t s e #1 B

#1 Best BC Cid ery

BEER SELECTION 1. Tap & Barrel Various locations 2. CRAFT Beer Market 85 West 1st Avenue 3. Chambar Restaurant (tie) 568 Beatty Street 3. Alibi Room (tie) 157 Alexander Street

NEW BREWERY 1. Superflux Beer Company 505 Clark Drive 2. House of Funk 350 Esplanade East #101, North Vancouver 3. Studio Brewing 5792 Beresford Street, Burnaby

LOCAL BREWERY 1. 33 Acres Brewing Company 15 West 8th Avenue 2. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 3. Parallel 49 Brewing (tie) 1950 Triumph Street 3. Superflux Beer Company (tie) 505 Clark Drive

LOCAL DISTILLERY

come visit us on the sunshine COASt!

THANK YOU VANCOUVER!

1. Long Table Distillery 1451 Hornby Street 2. Odd Society Spirits 1725 Powell Street 3. The Liberty Distillery 1494 Old Bridge Road, Granville Island

BEST

BEER STORE

BREWPUB RESTAURANT 1. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. 33 Acres Brewing Company (tie) 15 West 8th Avenue 2. CRAFT Beer Market (tie) 85 West 1st Avenue 3. Yaletown Brewing Co. 1111 Mainland Street

LOCAL BREWERY FLIGHT 1. Tap & Barrel Various locations 2. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 3. 33 Acres Brewing Company 15 West 8th Avenue

VISIT GOLDEN PLATES ONLINE AT STRAIGHT.COM

OPEN 11 - 11 EVERY DAY ( F R E E PA R K I N G A R O U N D B A C K )

14 & MAIN - VANCOUVER, BC th

WWW.BREWCREEK.CA • 604-872-3373 Find us on @brewerycreek

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

27

GOLDEN PLATES

Sunshine and geology add some zip to B.C. wines

S

by Charlie Smith

everal years ago, veteran winemaker Michael Bartier of Bartier Bros. Vineyard and Winery explained why the Okanagan region produced such exceptional vintages. He pointed to such factors as latitude and geology, among others.

The Okanagan enjoys almost two more hours of sunlight per day during the growing season than is available in any other wine-growing region in the world. In addition, Bartier stated, the area around Oliver has relatively young soils as a result of the retreat of the glaciers and the melting of an ice dam about 10,000 years ago.

“We’re farming on quartz. We’re farming on gneiss. We’re farming on granite.

We’re farming on limestone. We have this incredible suite of soils,” Bartier said.

These minerals enhance the complexity of wines in the so-called Golden Mile Bench subregion of the Okanagan Valley.

The Okanagan wine industry is also benefiting from some top-flight scientific research at UBC Okanagan. Its wine and grapes “cluster” of researchers, headed by biochemistry and molecular-biology assistant professor Wesley Zandberg, is proving biochemical and genetic analyses

Kalala Organic Winery is one stop along the Westside Wine Trail. Photo by Joanna Bell.

to support the wine industry’s efforts to adapt to climate change and respond to changing consumer preferences.

There was once a time when people in B.C. feared for the future of the province’s wine industry as free-trade talks were underway between the U.S. and Canada in the 1980s.

That was back when many British Columbians were buying their plonk by the box.

Nowadays, the Okanagan Valley is a premier wine-growing region with 86 percent of the province’s vineyard acreage, according to the Wine Growers of British Columbia. The

association points out that the industry contributes $2.8 billion to the B.C. economy and there are more than 370 licensed wineries in nine different growing regions.

Basically, it’s become a huge industry with some sprawling estates that rival those in California. Busloads of tourists are among the more than one million people who visit B.C. wineries every year. But there’s also something endearing about this sector. Even if you show up in grubby camping gear, you’re likely to receive just as warm a welcome as those who arrive with their Gucci bags. Just tell them what you like, whether it’s a Syrah or Pinot Noir, and obliging staff will do their best to accommodate your wishes.

Here’s a tip. If you’re planning a winetourism trip to the Okanagan, check out #BCWineChat on Twitter every Wednesday night from 8 to 9 p.m. Wine aficionados from across the province participate in a group

READERS’ f CHOICES B.C. WINE/WINERY (WHITE)

RESTAURANT WINE SELECTION

1. Poplar Grove Winery 425 Middle Bench Road North, Penticton 2. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery (tie) 500 Burrowing Owl Place, Oliver 2. CheckMate Artisanal Winery (tie) 4799 Wild Rose Street, Oliver 3. La Frenz Winery (tie) 740 Naramata Road, Penticton 3. Quails’ Gate (tie) 3303 Boucherie Road, West Kelowna

1. Tap & Barrel Various locations 2. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island 3. Chambar Restaurant 568 Beatty Street

B.C. WINE/WINERY (RED)

For Voting Us... #1 BC Winery for White Wine

1. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 500 Burrowing Owl Place, Oliver 2. Sandhill Wines 1125 Richter Street, Kelowna 3. Mission Hill Family Estate (tie) 1730 Mission Hill Road, West Kelowna 3. Road 13 Vineyards (tie) 799 Ponderosa Road, Oliver

WINE STORE 1. Liberty Wine Merchants Various locations 2. Everything Wine (tie) Various locations 2. Legacy Liquor Store (tie) 1633 Manitoba Street 3. Marquis Wine Cellars 1034 Davie Street

HOTEL LOUNGE

www.poplargrove.ca 28

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MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

conversation using that hashtag. There, you’ll learn about everything from the newest high-end winery to limited-production wines worth sampling.

Here’s another tip. You might want to look at the wineries listed below in our annual Golden Plates survey of readers.

The family-owned Poplar Grove, one of the original five wineries on the Naramata Bench, received the most votes this year as the best B.C. winery for white wines. It was followed by Burrowing Owl and CheckMate Artisanal Winery in Oliver, which tied for second place. La Frenz in Penticton and Quails’ Gate in West Kelowna tied for third in this category.

As far as reds go, Burrowing Owl came out on top, followed by Sandhill Wines in Kelowna. Tied for third were Mission Hill in West Kelowna and Road 13 in Oliver.

We’ll drink to that! g

1. The Lobby Lounge at the Fairmont Pacific Rim 1038 Canada Place 2. UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar 900 Seymour Street 3. Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge 845 Hornby Street

WINE BAR 1. UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar 900 Seymour Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. Juice Bar 54 Alexander Street

INDEPENDENT BAR LOUNGE 1. The Keefer Bar 135 Keefer Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar 900 Seymour Street

RESTAURANT FOR A STIFF DRINK 1. Pourhouse 162 Water Street 2. Bombay Kitchen + Bar Various locations 3. The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant & Bar 1517 Anderson Street, Granville Island

TO CURE A HANGOVER 1. Tap & Barrel Various locations 2. McDonald’s, Various locations 3. Denny’s Restaurant Various locations

ARTS

Abramson reconnects with her roots via a Lost Pod

T

by Charlie Smith

he Holocaust is an incredibly heavy burden for survivors and their descendants. Knowing that the state was intent on murdering members of their families simply because of their identity isn’t something that most people like to discuss. Add in the dynamic of intergenerational trauma and there can be a lot to unpack by the time the third generation rolls around.

Vancouver singer-songwriter Leah Abramson is one of many residents who have had to live with this burden her entire life. As is the case in other families, her grandmother never talked about it.

“We had to sort of figure out what had happened and what was going on—and why we were the way we were,” Abramson tells the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “A lot of that was a process of discovery and kind of peeling back the layers.”

Her sister, Claire Sicherman, addressed this directly. She wrote a book, Imprint: A Memoir of Trauma in the Third Generation, which was released in 2017.

“She thought a lot about how it was affecting her son and about that whole relationship—and about her body,” Abramson says. “And I can relate to those things as well.”

Abramson, on the other hand, chose a more indirect route to greater selfunderstanding, one that took several years. The result will finally come to fruition in her interdisciplinary stage show, Songs for a Lost Pod, which will have its world premiere this weekend in a Music on Main presentation.

In her childhood, Abramson was far more preoccupied with other pursuits.

She grew up in Vancouver, where beluga whales were kept in the local aquarium, and she had a recurring dream of about one of these creatures in a swimming pool.

This phase eventually passed, but in adulthood, she started having repeated dreams of orcas. That sparked a curiosity that led her to read more about orcas in science journals and listen to northern resident orcas’ vocalizations on the Internet’s Orchive archive.

“I learned about how they came into captivity and all these things about whale families and about their structures and how similar they are to humans in some ways,” she says. “I started feeling these sort of parallels between orcas and my family history.”

Abramson mentions that she was blown away that researchers at Orca Lab on B.C.’s Hanson Island could recognize families of whales by differences in their dialects.

She visited Hanson’s neighbouring Malcolm Island several times before she was finally able to watch an orca perform a rubbing ritual on the pebbles near a beach

I never liked talking about my family’s Holocaust history.

– Singer-songwriter Leah Abramson

Drummer Kyle Cashen, narrator Barbara Adler, violinist Meredith Bates, singer Emily M. Cheung, and singer Emily Millard are among the performers in Songs for a Lost Pod. Photo by Lise Oakley.

in 2016. She followed that up in 2017 by releasing the album Songs for a Lost Pod, which includes whale vocalizations.

Abramson emphasizes that she doesn’t want to anthropomorphize orcas. But she also recognizes similarities between human and orca brains, though orcas “are more developed in terms of limbic loads”. And that might explain their tight family ties.

By talking about those similarities, she believes that it offers people a way to empathize with nonhuman creatures.

“There’s an ‘us and them’ when it comes to animals,” Abramson says. “We think of humans and animals as so different and so separate. I do not think that is the case.

We forget that we have animal bodies. It’s really not so different.”

She says that she did some processing of her family history on the album, but not in a head-on way.

“I never liked talking about my family’s Holocaust history,” she states. “I just found it too painful. But then, I was never able to fully process it when I kept it hidden.”

Abramson finally decided to tackle it by writing a companion script for the album.

This way, she says, the family history could be “present in the project in a way that was a lot more truthful than when it was just the music”.

The interdisciplinary project features visuals from Mind of a Snail, narration by Barbara Adler, a six-member choir, and a five-piece band.

“There’s music underneath some of the narration,” Abramson says. “These musicians can do anything. So I’m very, very happy to be working with them right now.”

Abramson does not appear in the production, which is directed by Megan Stewart. According to Abramson, people

who attend won’t recognize the orca vocalizations because they’re embedded into the fabric of the music and a lot of the beats.

While she acknowledges that it’s a “bit

of a heavy show” with serious and painful content, but there’s also beautiful music and visuals to help audiences get through this.

Abramson says that most people already know the horrifying facts about the Holocaust, so Songs for a Lost Pod doesn’t get into those details.

“I think what’s helpful is trying to figure out how to process the emotions that come from that,” she says. g Music on Main will present the world premiere of Leah Abramson’s interdisciplinary stage show Songs for a Lost Pod at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts from Friday to Sunday (May 27 to 29).

Title and Founding Partner

Public Partners

CONCORD PACIFIC PLACE, CREEKSIDE PARK, AND FALSE CREEK FREE ADMISSION! CONCORDDRAGONBOATFESTIVAL.CA MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

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ARTS

Painting meets poetry in ParkerArtSalon project

T

by Charlie Smith

here’s a long relationship between poetry and painting. The great Italian artist Michelangelo also wrote verses. In a 1509 poem, he shared his feelings about the “torture” of painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Another legend of Italian art, Leonardo da Vinci, is credited with this quote: “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”

In the 20th century, American poet Sylvia Plath often examined paintings in search of inspiration. According to a paper written by New York University graduate student Molly Doomchin, Plath would examine the works of artists like Paul Klee, Paul Gauguin, and Henri Rousseau in great detail.

“Despite her apparent fondness of works of art and her poems they inspired, critics typically do not discuss Plath’s art poetry, nor her affinity for particular pieces and artists,” Doomchin stated.

“Instead, the focus of both scholars and the general public is overwhelmingly centered around Plath’s personal life and the works that highlight her mental state and experiences.”

A painting of the Hollywood Theatre by David Wilson is part of the Poetry Project Exhibition.

In June, Vancouver art lovers can also contemplate the relationship between poetry and painting as a result of a partnership between the Beedie Luminaries scholarship program and ParkerArtSalon.

The second Poetry Project Exhibition and Book Launch will take place at Gallery George’s new location (1502 East Hastings Street), featuring the works of experienced Parker artists alongside poetry

by students on the verge of entering young adulthood.

One pairing features painter Tannis Hopkins’s Red River Flood, which depicts two women lugging heavy sandbags. Alongside it, student Andy Nguyen’s poem, “My Red”, explores how it feels after a relationship goes sour.

Another pairing includes David Wilson’s painting of the exterior of Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre, entitled What You Wanted. Beside it, student Katelynn Dang’s melancholy poem with the same title points out how dreams of Hollywood don’t always come true. Other Beedie Luminaries students’ poems appear beside works of 20 other artists.

The poetry project books will be on sale at Gallery George, which was created by painter Niina Chebry in response to the pandemic. She worried that artists like herself needed more exhibition spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows so that passersby, who might be reluctant to enter galleries, could still see the work.

Since its inception in 2018, Beedie Luminaries has awarded more than $12.5 million in scholarships to 330 students, including single mothers. In the book’s

introduction, Beedie Luminaries founder Ryan Beedie declares that there’s no doubt that the world has changed greatly since the pandemic began.

“It is reasonable to contemplate how the art and poetry might resonate with this current state,” Beedie writes. “Perhaps the poem unravels the mystery of the art; perhaps it provides a sharp departure from the original artist’s intent. While the poem and the artwork may not match in direction, the meeting of the two generates another interpretation.”

For his part, Leonardo didn’t hide his preference for painting over poetry and music in his 16th-century notebooks. He, of course, was far more interested in the visual arts.

“I only wish for a good painter to figure the fury of a battle, and for the poet to write something about it, and for both to be put before the public,” Leonardo stated in one essay.

Were he alive today, Leonardo would get his wish in East Vancouver. g The ParkerArtSalon presents the Poetry Project Exhibition and Book Launch from June 1 to June 26 at Gallery George.

Ballet BC’s season of endless possibilities

B

by Steve Newton

allet BC has announced the program for its 2022/2023 season, which includes five world premieres.

“Following a successful and meaningful return to live performance, we are proud to share what we have in store for audiences next season,” Ballet BC artistic director Medhi Walerski said in a news release. “It feels in some ways as if a blank canvas is in front of us, the possibilities endless.

“I invite you to discover a wide-ranging collection of work by talents I deeply admire,” he added, “from emerging voices in dance to artists with long-standing partnerships with the company. I have never been more sure of the importance of what we do to uplift and inspire.”

Opening the season, November 3 to 5, is Overture/s, which features Walerski’s Silent Tides, the world premiere of a new creation by siblings Imre and Marne van Opstal, and Israeli choreographers Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s Bedroom Folk.

Up next, December 9 to 11, is the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of timeless holiday classic Nutcracker, danced to Tchaikovsky’s score.

March 16 to 18, 2023, brings Horizon/s,

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MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

Ballet BC’s 2022/2023 season runs from November 3 to May 13 and opens with a program that boasts artistic director Medhi Walerski’s Silent Rides. Photo of Kiana Jung by Marcus Eriksson.

which includes world premieres by Vancouver-based Shay Kuebler and Czech choreographer Jiri Pokorny, and Which/ One by Adi Salant, former co–artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company.

And closing out the season, May 11 to 13, 2023, will be Wave/s, featuring world premieres by Tel Aviv–based Roy Assaf

and Sweden’s Johan Inger, who will collaborate with Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella on a large-scale ensemble piece.

All performances take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Single tickets will be available June 22, but subscriptions are on sale now at balletbc.com. g

This May & June at the Orpheum Mahler’s 5th JUNE

MAY

THIS WEEKEND! 27/28 Fri & Sat, 8pm | Orpheum

10/11 7:30pm | Orpheum JULY

A gorgeous meditation from English composer Anna Clyne sets the stage for Mahler’s magnificent 5th. From the first trumpet call, to delicate Adagietto, to massive horn anthem, each moment is filled with emotion.

6/7

PRESENTATION LICENSED BY

Otto Tausk

JUNE

2

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi In Concert

Experience the spectacular Return of the Jedi on the big screen, with the full score played live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

In association with 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm and Warner / Chappell Music. © 2021 & TM LUCASFILM LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Disney

La Dolce Vita

James Ehnes Plays Beethoven

JUNE

25

Thurs, 7:30pm | Orpheum The VSO’s dear friend James Ehnes joins to celebrate the close of an extraordinary season, playing Beethoven’s majestic Violin Concerto.

Plus, the VSO plays Mozart’s beloved Symphony No. 40, the Great G minor Symphony. One night only and not to be missed!

Sat, 8pm | Chan Centre Beloved VSO Concertmaster Nicholas Wright performs triple-duty as curator, leader, and soloist for an exciting concert showcasing the beautiful sounds of the VSO’s string section. Featuring Italian and Italianinspired works by three musical giants: Sammartini, Haydn and Tchaikovsky.

Nicholas Wright

James Ehnes

Classical Kids Live!

Classical Kids Live!

JUNE

5

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Sun, 2pm | Orpheum The classic tale of a young boy learning about the strange noises and the moody man living upstairs.

PLUS

22/23 Season

Let’s Play

SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES ON SALE NOW

VancouverSymphony.ca 604.876.3434 MAY 27, 28 MASTERWORKS DIAMOND SERIES SPONSOR

JUNE 5 KIDS CONCERTS SERIES SPONSOR

JUNE 10, 11, JULY 6, 7 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI IN CONCERT PART OF

JUNE 10 CONCERT SPONSOR

JUNE 25 CONCERT SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

BROADCAST MEDIA PARTNERS

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

MEDIA SPONSOR

Concert programs are subject to change at any time.

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

31

ARTS LISTINGS

ONGOING

JUST FOR LAUGHS VANCOUVER Comedy festival features performances by Dana Gould, Nicole Byer, Andrew Santino, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Bob the Drag Queen, Roy Wood Jr., Natasha Leggero, Moshe Kasher, and Chris Redd. To May 29, various Vancouver venues.

THE IMITATION GAME: VISUAL CULTURE IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Exhibition surveys the extraordinary uses (and abuses) of AI in the production of modern and contemporary visual culture around the world. To Oct 23, Vancouver Art Gallery.

XICANX: DREAMERS + CHANGEMAKERS / SOÑADORES + CREADORES DEL CAMBIO Exhibition showcases, for the first time in Canada, the rich traditions of 33 Xicanx artists. To Jan 1, Museum of Anthropology at UBC. ALEXANDER GLYADYELOV: GATHERING DARKNESS Photographs of Russia’s war on Ukraine by Alexander Glyadvelov. To Jul 3, Polygon Gallery.

CANOE CULTURES :: HO'-KU-MELH Work of 20 Indigenous artists and carvers curated by Indigenous artist and cultural historian Roxanne Charles. To Jul 3, Vancouver Maritime Museum.

SHO ESQUIRO: DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY Solo exhibition by designer, artist, and activist showcases meticulously crafted couture gowns, textiles, paintings, and photographs. To Jun 5, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. SPRING 2022: COLLECTED WORKS Group exhibition on the potency of photography featuring the work of Larry Clark, Katy Grannan, and Andres Serrano. To May 28, Rennie Museum. Free.

THE MOUNTAINTOP Katori Hall's intimate fantasia of the final night of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. To Jun 11, Pacific Theatre. $15-$35.

COASTAL REFLECTIONS Photographers Sanam Khani and Trevor Schmidt explore new ways of looking at the world through experimental techniques.

May 24–Jul 3, Kay Meek Arts Centre. Free.

REVOLVER FESTIVAL Twelve-day theatre festival featuring new works by emerging to early mid-career artists. May 25–Jun 5, The Cultch. $22.

VANCOUVER SPECIAL AT JFL VANCOUVER Showcase of Vancouver comedians features performances by Julie Kim, Marito Lopez, Ross Dauk, and Savannah Erasmus. May 25, 7:30 am, Fox Cabaret.

S'EFFONDRENT LES VIDÉOCLUBS Four marginal and whimsical characters intersect at a video club in the village of St-François-Xavier de Brompton. May

25–Jun 4, 8-10 pm, Studio 16. $26-30.

THE TYLER SISTERS New play by British playwright Alexandra Wood that follows three sisters over 40 years. May 26-28, 8 pm, Shop Theatre. $25.

THURSDAY, MAY 26 STAGE, SCREEN & STRINGS Concert by the VSO School of Music's six string ensembles. May 26, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. $19/$10.

FRIDAY, MAY 27 MY NAME IS NOT MOM Comedians, moms, and social-media stars Tiffany Jenkins, Meredith Masony, and Dena Blizzard perform their new comedy show.

May 27, 7 pm, Harbour Event Centre.

NAGAMO Musica intima presents a new program by composer of Cree descent, Andrew Balfour. May 27, 7:30 pm, St James Anglican Church. $30.

VSO SEASON FINALE: MAHLER'S FIFTH The Vancouver Symphony performs Mahler's Symphony No. 5. May 27, 28, 8 pm, Orpheum.

SATURDAY, MAY 28 MUSIC ON MAIN: SONGS FOR A LOST POD World premiere of a work based on singer-songwriter/ composer Leah Abramson’s fourth album of original songs. May 28-29, 7:30-9 pm, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. $15/32.

MID MAIN ART FAIR 2022 Works for sale in a variety of styles and mediums, including watercolours, acrylic, photography, printmaking, and oil. Jun 5, 11 am–6 pm, Heritage Hall.

VSO/BEETHOVEN LIVES UPSTAIRS The Vancouver Symphony performs its final Kids Concert of the season. Jun 5, 2 pm, Orpheum Theatre. $16.90-$28.33.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 HOW THE WEST WAS ONE An original queer comedy set in a Wild West saloon in 1860. Jun 7-11, 8 pm, Vancity Culture Lab.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9

TUESDAY, MAY 31

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL Annual kids' festival features music, theatre, dance, puppetry, acrobatics, and storytelling. May 31–Jun 12, Granville Island. $12-22.

DAVID KAPLAN Music on Main presents classical and improvisational pianist David Kaplan. May 31, 7:30 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15-32.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

STUDIO SHOWING: CORPOREAL IMAGO Join Ci in the studio to discover the floor-to-air research for their new aerial dance project, Throe. Jun 1, 5 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. Free.

BEST HIKES AND NATURE WALKS WITH KIDS Author Stephen Hui presents his new book of 55 family hikes near Vancouver. Jun 1, 7-8:30 pm, Lynn Valley Library Square. Free.

TERMINUS A blackly comic vision of Dublin infested with demons, from the author of Howie the Rookie.

Jun 1-12, 7:30 pm, Pal Studio Theatre. $30.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 THIS IS THE STORY OF THE CHILD RULED BY FEAR Pi Theatre presents a story about worry and wonder, loneliness and community, beauty and fear. Jun 2-4, KW Studios. $25.

EXIT LAUGHING North Vancouver Community Players present a comedy written by Paul Elliott. Jun 2-18, The Theatre at Hendry Hall. $20/$18.

VSO/JAMES EHNES PLAYS BEETHOVEN The Vancouver Symphony and James Ehnes perform Beethoven. Jun 2, 7:30 pm, Orpheum Theatre. Various.

KILL THE RIPPER Fairlith Harvey's darkly comic, female-led, Victorian revenge fantasy. Jun 2-4, 7:30 pm, Presentation House Theatre. $30/$25/$18 ($15 preview).

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 GHOSTS OF THE MACHINE An exhibition about humans, technology, and ecology, curated by Elliott Ramsey. Jun 3–Aug 14, Polygon Gallery.

C/4: CANADIAN CHORAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION Go behind the scenes with Chor Leoni and three Canadian composers in an interactive evening of exploration and connection. Jun 3, 7:30 pm, St. Andrew's–Wesley United Church. $35.

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

SUNDAY, JUNE 5

A NEW BEGINNING An evening of Chinese music performed by the B.C. Chinese Orchestra, B.C. Chinese Music Ensemble, and B.C. Chinese Youth Orchestra. May 30, 7 pm, Michael J. Fox Theatre. $30.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

VSO DAY OF MUSIC A day-long celebration of music, with free live in-person concerts, open rehearsals, and family-friendly activities. Jun 4, 10 am–10 pm, Vancouver Downtown. Free.

CARRY ME HOME: A LIVE & VIRTUAL JOURNEY Live show combines the virtual worlds of dreams, storytelling, acrobatics, dance, and music. Jun 4, 1 pm, 6 pm, Animatrik Film Design. $10-$25.

GLOBAL SOUNDSCAPES FESTIVAL 2022 The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra presents four nights of inter-cultural artistry, including performances by Montreal’s Ensemble Paramirabo and Azerbaijani tar virtuoso Ramiz Guliyev. Jun 9-12, The Cultch. $30-$50.

KINKY BOOTS Tony Award–winning musical that celebrates compassion and acceptance. Jun 9–Jul 31, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. From $43.

MONDAY, MAY 30

32

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

SOUND OF DRAGON MUSIC FESTIVAL 2022 Various cross-cultural music events, in-person and online, including Inuit and Mongolian throat singing and Taiwanese folk music fused with jazz. Jun 23-26, Orpheum Annex.

TD VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL The Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents performances by top-name musicians from across the globe. Featured performers include Buddy Guy and Lucinda Williams. Jun 24–Jul 3, various Metro Vancouver venues.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 LA DOLCE VITA WITH NICHOLAS WRIGHT An exploration of Italy with VSO Concertmaster Nicholas Wright. Jun 25, 7:50 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

SATURDAY, JULY 2 THEATRE UNDER THE STARS TUTS presents performances of the musicals Something Rotten! and We Will Rock You, running alternate evenings.

Jul 2–Aug 27, Malkin Bowl.

SYMPHONY AT SUNSET Music director Otto Tausk leads the Vancouver Symphony in an open-air concert. Jul 2, 7 pm, Sunset Beach Park. Free.

TUESDAY, JULY 26 RONDEAU Fundraiser for Early Music Vancouver features emcee Bill Richardson, poet Fiona Tinwei Lam, and musicians David Greenberg, David McGuinness, and Lucas Harris. Jul 26, Sage Bistro. $225.

EBB AND FLOW Opening concert of the 2022 Vancouver Bach Festival is a musical celebration of water, featuring the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver poet Fiona T. Lam, and artists-in-residence David McGuinness and David Greenberg. Jul 26, 7:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts..

ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events online using the eventsubmission form at straight.com/AddEvent.

Events that don't make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

MUSIC / SAVAGE LOVE

Vancouver jazz legend Paul Plimley dies at 69

T

by Mike Usinger

he Vancouver jazz scene is mourning the passing of pianist Paul Plimley. Friends, fans, and musical collaborators are reporting that Plimley passed away from cancer at the age of 69.

One of the city’s most gifted improvisors, the pianist was a founder of Vancouver’s New Orchestra Workshop Society in 1977, as well as a mainstay of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Over the course of a career that spanned six decades he recorded albums as a bandleader with the likes of bassists Lisle Ellis and Barry Guy, and percussionist Trichy Sankaran.

As a respected collaborator, he also made records with American sax player Joe McPhee, guzheng innovator Mei Han, and California composer Anthony Davis.

First enamoured with rock giants such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin, Plimley’s world was rocked in his mid-teens when he discovered improvised American jazz. That set him down a path which established his as one of the greats of the Canadian jazz scene.

While technically gifted, Plimley was noted for understanding that playing music should also be joyful and fun. In a review of the 2012 collaboration Hexentrio (which featured the pianist with Guy, and Swiss

Pianist Paul Plimley—widely respected as a boundary-pushing collaborator, scene builder, and a giving friend with a sharp sense of humour—leaves a rich legacy. Photo by Brian Nation.

drummer Lucas Niggli) long-time Straight jazz critic Alexander Varty wrote, “But there’s more than mere technique going on in this music, which ranges from hushed, impressionistic meditations to scarifying blasts of noise to fleeting passages of sweetness and light. What most animates the band is its giddy physicality, likely stemming from the curious corporeal rapport between the drummer and the pianist.”

That joy was also a hallmark of Plimley offstage. On Facebook, friend Jhayne Faust wrote. “It feels impossible that we’ve been robbed so soon of his goofy laughter and kind heart, his iconoclastic, arty jokes and his frankly adorable everything else. He was a soft, gentle man, who did his best and was, quite often, successful at it. I was blessed to know him. We were all blessed.

May his memory always be a celebration.”

Jazz writer Mark Miller weighed in with, “I am stunned by word tonight from Vancouver of the passing of Paul Plimley, one the Canadian jazz scene’s true originals, at the age of 69. I once described him as ‘an impulsive improviser whose considerable expressivity and physicality at the keyboard, post-Cecil Taylor, was leavened by a lyricism born—he would say—of Debussy and a twinkling sense of humour, if not mischief, entirely of his own.’”

Vancouver composer Lan Tung remembered Plimley as someone who was above all willing to share his knowledge with his peers, whether they were established or just starting out.

“To Paul Plimley, a great friend and mentor!,” Tung wrote on Facebook. “Paul was willing to spend the time to play with me when I was just at the beginning stage of improvising. He taught me so much.

He was a great influence and inspiration to so many. He named his commission for the Orchid Ensemble ‘Proliferasian’, and later allowed me to call my new ensemble in that name. When Paul came to Orchid Ensemble’s rehearsals of the piece, we had a 4th part to the trio—that’s his dance.

He demonstrated with his body how we would all play in different tempo at the same time...” g

Savage Love fans step up after Dan’s tech disasters

M

by Dan Savage

y laptop died last week. My laptop couldn’t die when I was in the office, with capable techsupport people close by. Oh, no. My laptop lost its will to live when I was thousands of miles away, in a country where I don’t speak the language. So I wasn’t able to access my Savage Love email—which is a problem, since no questions means no column. So, I put out an SOS on Instagram, asking my followers there to send me their quick-and-dirty questions. I wrote my responses on my phone… which I dropped at one point, shattering the screen, because of course I did. So, my laptop is dead, my phone is broken, and my thumbs are bloodied. But I got this week’s column done with the help of my followers on Instagram. Thanks, gang.

- Dan

b IN THE MOUNTAIN-climbing community there is a backlash against a route at a particular climbing site that’s named Gangbang.

Critics say it refers to a nonconsensual sex act. Your thoughts?

Missionary position in the absence of consent

is not sex; it’s rape. A gangbang with consent is not rape; it’s sex.

That said, most representations of gangbangs in film, porn, literature, et cetera, portray nonconsensual scenarios with women as the victims, and it’s understandable why some would want the name of that route changed. So change it. b WHAT DO YOU do when you’ve told someone who is supposed to be a friend to stop making sexual comments but they keep saying sexually charged things? person isn’t a friend and hang out with your actual friends instead.

You realize this

b BRITISH FAG HERE. (I mean, cis gay guy in his mid-30s in the U.K.) I am living in Germany. My question: you had a British caller living in the USA on the Savage Lovecast a few episodes back and he said his accent alone unbuckled belts there. Is it true? German guys do not find my accent sexy. But if I moved to the States, would I be drowning in cock? solid (ideally), not a liquid (although with a powerful enough blender, anything is possible), so you would be choking on cock over here, not drowning

Cock is a

in it. And, yes, a British accent is a plus in the USA—because unlike Europeans, Americans don’t have to put up with mobs of English tourists hopping on cheap flights, terrorizing our city centres with their drunken bachelor/bachelorette parties, and puking on our doorsteps. b HOW DO I tell my friends and family that I’m poly now?

Use your words.

b BEST WAY TO tell your hubby his armpits have started to smell? (He’s never needed deodorant before!)

Use your words!

b HOW DO I tell my boyfriend nicely that he needs to brush his teeth more often? He’s very sensitive to this kind of feedback, but I don’t want him to have stinky breath in a work meeting!

When my breath stinks or I need to take a shower or use some deodorant, I’m grateful when my partner says something to me—because I’m a grownup.

Use your words!

If your partner can’t handle this kind of feedback, you need to ask yourself why you’re wasting your time on someone who isn’t a grownup. b I’M A 40-YEAR-OLD woman. I was sexting with a guy (29) who started sending me nude/sex pics (including face shots) of another woman he had been with, without her consent. He thought it was sexy, but I was repulsed. Teachable moment or trash him?

If you ghost him, he’s likely to assume the photos he shared (and the massive consent violation they represent) weren’t the issue or even an issue. He needs to know.

So teach, then trash.

b CAN YOU PLEASE explain the difference between transgender and transsexual? A lot of arguments happen online about the semantics of these foundational definitions, so some clarity would be appreciated. Thank you! come at us so fast these days—to say nothing of

Definitions and redefinitions

MAY 26 – JUNE 2 / 2022

see next page

THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

33

from previous page

redefining old definitions as hate speech— that there’s no point attempting to answer this question. Because by the time this column is published, odds are that whatever I write today will be out of date and/or a cancellable offence.

But so far as I know right now, all transsexual people are transgender but not all transgender people are transsexual. b DO YOU THINK we will keep seeing significant changes in sexual-orientation self-labelling in the future?

In the future everyone will have their own niche sexual orientation for 15 minutes— and their own neo-pronoun and their own pride f lag.

And it’s going to be even more confusing than it is now, and everybody is going to get everybody else’s orientations, pronouns, and f lags wrong all the time, and absolutely everybody is going to be upset with absolutely everyone else, all the time.

The oceans will rise and the planet will bake and we will be arguing about whether “cake” can be a pronoun as

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Mind EMPLOYMENT Body & Soul Support Groups Parkinson Society BC offers over 50 volunteer-led support groups throughout BC. These provide people with Parkinson's, their carepartners & families an opportunity to meet in a friendly, supportive setting with others who are experiencing similar difficulties. Some groups may offer exercise support.

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Volunteer with My Sister’s Closet

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Make a difference while working with some fine eco-fashion.

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Sara, I’ve had your ‘Bunnykins’ for 40 years!!!

Gwen, Sara and Curt, we were neighbours in an apt. building on Comox St. in the early 1980’s !

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Keep telling yourself that being friends with

exes is a good sign about your SO, and then carry that thought to its logical conclusion: being jealous and paranoid about your current being friends with his exes is a bad sign about you—not a fatal sign for this

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Every time this subject comes up, someone recommends low-dose SSRIs. Ask your doctor if they’re right for you.g Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. Email: questions@savagelove.net. Listen to Dan on the Savage Lovecast. Columns, podcasts, books, merch, and more at savage.love.

^WZ/E' ^W / >

IATSE Local 891 Teamsters Local Union No. 155 International Cinematographers Guild, Local 669

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Permittees of the above Unions who have worked 20 days in the last 6 months (the period September 9, 2017 to March 8, 2018) are entitled to vote on the proposed BC Council of Film Unions Master Agreement 2018-2021.

Per the Labour Relations Board decision BCLRB No. B448/95: All non-members of a trade union (sometimes referred to as permittees) who have sufficient attachment to the film industry will be entitled to vote. A permittee must have worked at least 20 days in the past six months within the specific trade union. This notification applies to non-members only who fulfill the above criteria. To confirm your eligibility to vote on this agreement, contact the applicable.

Union to confirm your day count and receive a ballot.

Please provide details regarding your employment to the applicable Union. Documentation confirming your employment may be required.

be willing to travel, Candidate must be reliable, personable and a good communicator, Attention to detail & Candidate must be fi t and able to lift up to 50lbs and be able to follow all safety protocols.

lindsay@dominionproperties.ca

b MY S.O. IS good friends with a number of their exes. I know it’s probably a good sign that they are mature, but it makes me jealous and paranoid. How to get over that?

Non-Members (permittees) of: IATSE 891, Teamsters 155, ICG 669

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relationship, but definitely something you should work through with a shrink.

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THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

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