Our Foodies of the Year!
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Meet Today’s Top Tastemakers
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J U LY/AU G U S T 2 016 A L B E R TA // V O LU M E 42 // N U M B E R 6
INSIDE OUT 22 // Fortune Smiles
One fateful dinner leads a Calgary couple to the modernist architect (and the bright and airy home) of their dreams.
STYLE 15 // Ones to Watch
Autonomous Furniture Collective practises farm-to-table furniture.
16 // Shopping
A chic and angular planter, colourful seating options and more hot picks for summer.
22
18 // Openings
Sweet sheets in Vancouver, artisanal wares in Calgary and jewellery with a local edge.
31 16
Welcome to our annual celebration of the chefs, sommeliers, producers, designers, owners, activists and bartenders that make the West the best place to be a food lover.
TRAVEL 48 // My Neighbourhood
Alessi’s Paolo Cravedi travels to New Orleans twice a year—here’s why.
PLUS 49 // Sources
Get the looks you see in these pages.
50 // Trade Secrets
Kyla Bidgood shares her trick for rocking a custom kitchen look on a budget. 6 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
Cover: Martin Tessler. This page: patio: Martin Tessler; Torafuku: Evaan Kheraj.
FOOD 31 // 2016 Foodies of the Year
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WL // EDITOR’S NOTE
ANICK A QUIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANICK A.QUIN@WESTERNLIVING.CA 1 2 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
Q& A This month we asked our contributors, what was the most memorable meal you had in the past year?
J n G st “T‍ה‏Re g pâ€? 42 The Mission in Scottsdale. Lunch on pozole, tableside guacamole and torta Cubano, a braised pork belly sandwich. So good I had to go back a month later and have it again.
v  rÂ?r “T‍ה‏IÂ? Âtsâ€? 40 The luxuriously casual dining that defines the Okanagan is joyously and authentically shared at JoieFarm’s Picnique, where wood-fired pizzas made with beautiful ingredients are served to your picnic blanket by some of my favourite folks in this valley.
Behind the Scenes Ever the social media queen, stylist Nicole SjĂśstedt (@nicolesjostedt) snaps a sneak peek of this month’s ever-so-sparkly Trending feature (“Back in Brass,â€? westernliving.ca) as photographer Kyoko Fierro lines up the next shot.
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Anicka Quin portrait: Carlo Ricci; styling by Luisa Rino, makeup by Melanie Neufeld; clothing courtesy Holt Renfrew. Photographed in a home designed by Kelly Deck Design.
FOR THE LOVE OF GREAT FOOD
I spent last weekend in Calgary, where I managed to pack in a pretty excellent range of food-related experiences. At the second annual Dinner by Design Calgary, about a dozen local designers created fantastic “rooms� within the cafeteria at the Alberta College of Art and Design, transforming the space and transporting all of us to other worlds within each set of walls: Amanda Hamilton’s Moroccan-style souk, complete with rich spices and fresh-baked Middle Eastern treats, or Sarah Ward’s Pee-wee Herman-influenced ’80s extravaganza of a dining room. Another evening I spent with an old friend at the lovely Notable restaurant in Bowness, where we caught up over smoked chicken wings and a charcuterie platter stacked with house-cured meats and cheese (I’m still thinking about those bread-and-butter pickles). And not to be downplayed, there was one gorgeous sunny evening spent dining on hot dogs and cotton candy at the Family Fun Day at my seven-yearold nephew’s school. I mention the latter not because any of the 10 winners of our ninth annual Foodies of the Year (page 31) are working in the hot-dogsand-cotton-candy game, but as an example of how broad (and still joyful) our food experiences can be, and how important the trendsetters we’ve highlighted here can be in shaping our cultural experiences. From the Vancouverite who has taken lunchtime takeout from dull to revelatory, to the 81-year-old Calgarian who created the bible of Ismaili cooking, to a designer whose creative restaurant interiors changed the Vancouver landscape for the better, the people we’ve highlighted here build the space that we all need and love—the room for sharing inventive and inspiring food as the kickoff to a great night out. Of course, there are many more people in your own communities doing what these folks are—just take a look at the incredible 40 that made our shortlist at westernliving.ca. Did we miss anyone? I’d love to hear from you— and to visit their restaurant, kitchen, winery, brewery or simply great foodie space for yet another amazing weekend.
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S H O P P I N G // T R E N D S // P E O P L E // S PA C E S // O P E N I N G S // I N T E L
ONES TO WATCH
Rooted in B.C.
Lillie Louise Major
Jodie Webb and Kirk Van Ludwig, Autonomous Furniture Collective, Victoria Think of Autonomous as the farm-to-table of...well, tables. The woods they use for their rustic-modern pieces are rooted in B.C. and selected with a sense of place in mind—and designers and co-founders Jodie Webb and Kirk Van Ludwig keep much of their inspiration local, too. Memories of Stanley Park and the ’70s modernism movement in Vancouver make appearances in their work, via concrete wood and hot-rolled steel (just look at the CB1 table, which mixes clean-lined acrylic and natural Western maple with modern angles). “Our customers are looking for a piece of West Coast lifestyle,” says Van Ludwig. —Ames Bourdeau
All Together Now Webb and Van Ludwig look right at home among their designs: the Kai dining table and bench, and Klee side table.
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 15
WLSTYLE // SHOPPING
A a’s Pi Ora by Alessi
$135, available at the Artworks, Calgary and Edmonton, theartworks.ca; Five Small Rooms, Winnipeg, fivesmallrooms.com There’s something satisfying about a piece that fits just so—and designer Giulio Iacchetti’s new “corner clocks” for design powerhouse Alessi take the tidy home office up a notch. Ora In (which tucks into a corner) and Ora Out (which wraps around one) don’t sacrifice precious wall space that could otherwise be displaying great art, though their simple, striking design certainly makes them beautiful. Available in white or (my favourite) orange, the Ora line makes time management a more pleasant task. Want one of your own? Head to our Contests page at westernliving.ca to win!
Win
this clock!
Angle Management
The angular, multi-tiered Vondom Faz planter ($1,248) provides an edgy contrast against lush greenery (and if you can’t keep a shrub alive, it’s just as pretty without). Dwell Modern, Edmonton, dwellmodern.ca
For more of Anicka’s picks, visit westernliving.ca
Colour Story
Arper’s classic Catifa 46 chair (from $360) has a fresh new look for summer, in a new palette of pastels and brights that pairs beautifully with equally colourful leg options. Housebrand, Calgary, housebrand.ca; Dwell Modern, Edmonton, dwellmodern.ca
Against the Grain
NOTEWORTHY New in stores across the West
Though it’s a simple rectangular form, the dynamic mix of grains on the top of Gus Modern’s Tobias coffee table ($750) adds a subtle layer of warmth and interest. Crave Furniture, Calgary, cravefurniture.com; Inspired Home Interiors, Edmonton, inspiredhomes.ca; Kesay, Winnipeg, kesay.ca
Night Light
The sleek Alf Italia Tivoli bed (from $1,500) integrates a built-in, softly glowing backlight between two layers of grey oak headboard: perfect for when you want to finish just one more chapter while your partner gets some shut-eye. F2 Furnishings, Edmonton, f2furnishings.ca
1 6 j u ly / a u g u s t 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
WLSTYLE // SHOPPING
Simply Sophisticated A minimalist design by Jens Fager belies the innovation behind the Muuto Grain lamp ($215)—the pendant light is made from bamboo fibres and polypropylene. Kit, Calgary, kitinteriorobjects.com; Hut K, Winnipeg, hutk.ca
OPENINGS Hot new rooms we love
VANCOUVER Bedface The Vancouver-based online bedding brand keeps things highquality but simple: mix and match 24 colours (that go far beyond your hotel whites, with vibrant hues like electric pink and alarmclock orange on the menu) of 100-percent cotton pillowcases, duvet covers and sheets to create the bedding set of your dreams. bedface.ca
Pillow Talk
O N E - Q U E S T I O N I N T E R V I E W WITH LYNNFIELD MITCHELL Brand Director, Bedface
What a Dish
Get Connected
The Jetsons wish they had it so good. The ultra-futuristic JennAir Connected wall oven (from $4,850) has its own app to preheat, turn off or check cooking status from afar. Trail Appliances, across the West, trailappliances.com
If you were redesigning your bedroom, where would you start? We spend a third of our lives in our bedroom, so why not make it a space that’s comfortable but also aesthetically beautiful? The bed is the focal point: start there when you’re redesigning, and work outward. We’re seeing a movement in certain markets like Vancouver and San Francisco toward crazy, colourful bedding. They’re tired of white and grey and navy, and they’re buying mint duvet covers and all-nighter citron sheets.
MORE NEW ROOMS
CALGARY Guildhall Inglewood’s newest decor shop stocks established brands (think Iittala, Menu and Normann Copenhagen) alongside up-and-coming designers from across the world. guildhallhome.com
1 8 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
EDMONTON Milliwatts Lighting Marnie Watts’s handmade tabletop light fixtures turn traditional materials (brass, gold, copper) into angular, sculptural conversation pieces that truly light up a room. milliwattslighting.com
EDMONTON So Pretty Cara Cotter Shop for a signature piece from a mix of delicate, layerable bangles and necklaces in the Edmonton designer’s new 124 Street boutique, a space as pretty and gracefully designed as the jewellery itself. soprettycaracotter.com
VICTORIA Chocolats Favoris The Québecois chocolatier will open its first West Coast shop right by the Inner Harbour, stocking beautiful truffles in decadent flavours like dulce de leche and crispy cherry. chocolatsfavoris.com
Bedface: Mike Savage
Though Alessi is often known for its clever or intricate designs (we’re looking at you, Anna G. corkscrew), the pretty, muted Tonale dishware collection (from $20) shows that the Italian design company can do simplicity with just as much skill. The Artworks, Calgary and Edmonton, theart works.ca; Five Small Rooms, Winnipeg, fivesmallrooms.com
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HOMES I N T E R I O R S // A R C H I T E C T U R E // D E S I G N // L I V I N G
Romancing the Stone
Martin Tessler
The stone on the face of this outdoor fireplace—designed by architect Rachael Gray—might surprise you: it’s actually rundle rock. Locally mined in the Rockies, it’s typically left with a natural edge—but here, cut straight on all six sides, it’s become a totally modern material. Framed by vintage chairs discovered in Palm Springs and reupholstered in Calgary, this hot fireplace makes for a very cool hangout. Story, page 22.
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 21
WL HOMES // calgary
Grand Opening With its poured-resin floor, the main living space—the family room, paired with the kitchen off to the right of this image—is both beautiful and, in the warmer months, when the walls open up, offers a seamless transition from indoors to out.
See more of this gorgeous home at westernliving.ca
FORTUNE SMILES One fateful dinner leads a Calgary couple to the architect, and the home, of their dreams. by JACQUIE MOORE // photographs by MARTIN TESSLER // styling by DAVID KEELER
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 2 3
In and Out Two 20-foot glass walls open on either side of the family room, leading to the outdoor living space (opposite, top). Homeowner Tracy LucaHuger hung the mirrors on the back fence, which architect Rachael Gray “just loves. They look like portholes through the fence,” says Tracy. She and husband Alfred Huger hang out in their bold and
beautiful kitchen with their daughter Milana, (opposite, bottom). The glass wall by the stairs features the work of photographer Amanda Weil (left). Because the home has essentially three front yards facing the street, it had to be set back more than is typical. To compensate, Gray cantilevered the upper floor to create more square footage (bottom).
T
he origin story of this southwest Calgary home— the serendipitous result of being in the right powder room at the right time—is reminiscent of a Hollywood romance. Ten years ago, on a dog walk along Calgary’s Riverdale Avenue, Alfred Huger and Tracy Luca-Huger were stopped in their tracks by an under-construction house. “It was so striking—very architectural, clean lines, strong dimension and details,” says Tracy, whose head was turned despite the fact they were already building their own home in nearby Mount Royal. “We were so impressed with what we saw, we vowed to find out who the architect was if we built again.” One year went by with occasional, wistful thought given to the house they’d admired. One evening at the Fleur de Sel brasserie, however, Tracy spotted a business card tacked to a bulletin board in the washroom. “I immediately recognized the house on the card—it was that house.” She asked the restaurant owner if he knew the architect who’d put the card up. “He told me she was his friend who lived in New York,” she says, “but that this was her favourite restaurant in Calgary.” As it turned out, the architect, Rachael Gray, had connections to Calgary and had built more than one house in the city she had lived in back in junior-high school. While the couple hadn’t been planning to rebuild at that point, when a corner lot they loved became available on a Parkhill street, they nabbed it. “What’s unique about the location,” says Gray, “is that it’s on a cul-de-sac on a ridge with no houses in front of it, and it has both westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 2 5
Great Heights The formal living room is on the side of the home that faces downtown, so Gray included double-storey glass windows to capture the view— the same reason she included a balcony off the master bedroom (right and below). The library was at the request of homeowner
Alfred Huger, who collects antique books (opposite, top). “This was our modern interpretation of what a wood-panelled library looks like,” says Gray. In the master bedroom, the headboard is lacquered, while the walls have a natural hide wallcovering (opposite, bottom).
a wide-open view of downtown and a south-facing backyard. It was everything they wanted.” Already confident that Gray could deliver, the couple offered only a few pieces of major guidance for the design of their home: to make it modern, flat-roofed and a model of indoor-outdoor living, and for it to contain a library. Gray’s intention, meanwhile, was to give the family a house that— unlike their Mount Royal split-level, which contained too many unused spaces—would be wholly useful and completely lived in. Indeed, there isn’t a wasted line or furnishing in the home, right down to the well-loved window seat in the spare room, which doubles as a playroom. Interestingly, on first entrance, the Luca-Huger home—with its strikingly high ceilings and vast, open plan—feels formal, almost museumlike. That feeling, however, quickly becomes a warm invitation: the kitchen, which opens into the family room and connects the backyard via two 20-foot-long glass accordion walls, is clearly the heart of the home. Little wonder Tracy’s sister opted to hold her wedding reception—a lighthearted cocktail party for nearly a hundred people—in the space. For Gray, the kitchen posed a particularly welcome challenge. “New York kitchens tend to be much smaller and are often not used at all,” she says. “But this kitchen is the anchor of the less formal rear of the house, and the couple are avid cooks who entertain often. Alfred has even started making his own charcuterie.” Everything the couple needs for cooking is stored in an oversized pantry behind lacquered doors and, hidden on either side of the range, two tiny cabinets are configured so that each appliance remains plugged in and in position to use. The flooring throughout the main level adds to the seamlessness of transition from indoor to outdoor living. It’s poured resin—a choice that, the homeowners admit, was both finicky and expensive (they had to pour it twice to get it right), but durable and in harmony with the poured concrete outside, making it ideally suited to the personality of the house and its breezy, often barefoot occupants. The life-sized birch trees, featured on a transparent divider that sections off the staircase in the middle of the room, were another visually stunning way to fulfill the couple’s desire to bring the outdoors in. As much as the Luca-Hugers value the airy spaciousness of their main floor (the upper level comprises four bedrooms, a laundry room and two small, frequently occupied north-facing terraces), the couple and their young daughter are regularly drawn into the home’s relatively private library, separated from the living room by an oversized pocket door. “We love this room,” says Tracy. “It’s warm and intimate and a great place to play board games together.” To be sure, family game night in the library doesn’t have the dramatic payoff of a typical Hollywood ending, but it’s a happy conclusion for the Luca-Hugers’ nearly unrequited romance with their dream home. 2 6 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
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2016
FOODIES of the
YEAR Local Hero Chef Chris Whittaker works wonders with foraged greens and local bison. See recipe on page 32.
WELCOME TO OUR ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE CHEFS, SOMMELIERS, PRODUCERS, DESIGNERS, OWNERS, ACTIVISTS AND BARTENDERS THAT MAKE THE WEST THE BEST PLACE TO BE A FOOD LOVER. For the list of the 40 finalists for our 2016 Foodies of the Year, go to westernliving.ca
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 31
F O R AG E R E C I P E
Foraged Greens Quiche with Bison Bresaola Pastry dough for a 9-inch pan ½ cup chopped weeds (dandelion, wood sorrel, nettles, bittercress, wild watercress or whatever is available) 16 slices bison bresaola, sliced very thin 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese ⅓ cup minced onion 4 eggs 2 cups whipping cream ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp sugar ⅛ tsp Tabasco
Blanch weeds for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water and wring out in a dry dishtowel. Sprinkle cheese, blanched greens and onion into a pastry-lined pie pan. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs slightly, then beat in whipping cream, salt, sugar and Tabasco.
Chef, Forage, Timber, Vancouver
Pour egg mixture into pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F, then reduce heat to 300°F and bake an additional 30 minutes. Quiche is done when a knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean.
The Quiet Champion
Everybody’s a green crusader these days, every new kitchen farm-to-table to the core. And while it’s admirable that you reclaimed the floors in your new Main Street hot spot from the old gymnasium in Powell River, and while you actually drove out to Merritt to meet an actual cattle rancher, we want to tell you the story of Chris Whittaker. Who, instead of travelling around Europe doing stages in boldname restaurants, rolled up his sleeves and got to working long hours in the oftenanonymous world of hotel restaurants. 3 2 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
And who, eight years ago, took control of another hotel restaurant—the generically named O’Doul’s Restaurant and Bar at the Listel Hotel—and, by sheer determination, turned it into Forage and the newly opened Timber—the West’s twin paragons of sustainability. All of which would be merely admirable if the low-key Whittaker weren’t churning out some of the city’s most imaginative dishes. The fact that he does both hammers home the point that there’s no excuse for not being green in 2016. —Neal McLennan
It’s important to let quiche stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Top with bresaola and additional wild greens to finish. Serves 4.
Q&A What's your guilty food pleasure? I sometimes crave really bad cereal… think Froot Loops.
Evaan Kheraj
Heat oven to 450°F.
CHRIS WHITTAKER
DAVID NICOLAY
David Nicolay: Evaan Kheraj; beer: Eydís Einarsdóttir
The Designer
Designer and Brewery Owner, Vancouver
Back in 2006, Vancouver magazine touted designer David Nicolay and his firm, Evoke International, as bringing a much-needed sea change to the then-bleak Granville Street strip in the city. They’d just designed Sanafir for a client—a Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant lush with rich fabrics, lanterns and, most memorably, dining beds on the upper floor. “There’s so much good design happening now, but it wasn’t there 15 years ago,”
says Nicolay. “Restaurants were nice, but they were safe.” Over the last decade and a half, Nicolay’s firm has played a leading role in drawing the masses to some of the most talked-about rooms in the city. From the farm-to-table-inspired, white and bright Heirloom restaurant to the warm and woodsy Irish Heather, Evoke's designs have created transporting moments for guests when they walk through the doors. And Nicolay’s team has entered the game, too: with their Cascade Company, they’ve created buzzy boîtes that they both design and run themselves. The spots include the
modern pub Cascade Room and, most recently, Main Street Brewing Company, a soaring century-old former factory, remarkably low-key, but perfectly suited to its intention: drinking beer. So can a thoughtful design make or break a place? Nicolay is characteristically modest. “I used to think it was a third food, a third service and a third design that made for success,” he says, “but I don’t think that anymore. Design gets people there, but it doesn’t keep them—it’s the old standards of food and service that bring them back.” —Anicka Quin westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 33
WLFOOD // 2016 FOODIES OF THE YEAR
WITH RYAN SPONG
What’s your guilty food pleasure? Babybel.
What cookbook do you use more than any other? Francis Mallman's On Fire. For my 40th birthday, my wife fabricated a "chapa" for fire-cooking at our farm in the Nicola Valley. Cooking with fire connects people around two ancient and mesmerizing things, which is great for families. This year we're planting lavender—to make lavender honey for mead—so I've been reading The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm.
One restaurant dish/meal that you’ll remember on your deathbed? Ray Choi's short-rib blackjack quesadilla. In 2009 we waited for an hour for the Kogi Truck in downtown L.A. and then ate it on the hood of a parked car. It sparked a conversation on whether it was better than the Tacofino fish taco that basically led me to partner with Jay and Kaeli (from Tacofino) as soon as I got back to Canada. Jury is still out, but it changed the course of things for me…
What’s the most underrated food pairing? Food-wise: basil and watermelon. We ran watermelon-basil freshies off the trucks (drink-wise: I add vodka for summer cocktails). Also, my current go-to salad is halving a watermelon, carving it out and mixing with basil and feta.
3 4 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
RYAN SPONG
The Disrupter CEO, Food.ee, Vancouver
Steamed pork belly buns from Bao Down, sausages and homemade pretzels from Bestie, Japanese tapas from Guu—though it sounds like what food-crawl dreams are made of, it’s actually just the menu for your next office lunch-and-learn. And you’ve got Ryan Spong to thank for it. As CEO of Food.ee, Spong and his team aggregate lunch options from Vancouver hot spots both mobile and not—think Meat and Bread, Torafuku (see page 60) and Vij’s Railway Express— so teams can order up a mid-meeting meal with some culinary cred instead of the usual tired catering fare standard. (“Oh good, a veggie wrap!” said no one ever.) Thirsty? Add a six-pack from microbrewer 33 Acres. It’s a premise that benefits hungry groups and restaurants alike—purveyors can turn slow hours into profitable ones by prepping these advance orders, and poor saps stuck in lunch-option-barren wastelands (ahem, South Granville) have access to a world of delicious eats with just a few clicks. Win-win. It’s not Spong’s only foray into the food world: in 2010, the entrepreneur invested and partnered in a little business named Tacofino and helped it grow from a humble beachside truck in Tofino to a critically and commercially beloved multi-locale West-Coast-Mexican mecca—a fourth bricks-and-mortar restaurant opens in Vancouver’s Yaletown this summer. Though both Spong and Food.ee were born and bred in Vancouver, the concept has already proven to have broader appeal. It’s expanded across Canada (Toronto) and beyond (Austin, Philly, Atlanta), giving us hope that Spong will keep us well fed, wherever in the world we’re having a meeting. —Stacey McLachlan
John Sinal
Q&A
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WLFOOD // 2016 FOODIES OF THE YEAR
Q&A
WITH CLEMENT CHAN
What’s the most overrated food trend? Macarons.
What’s the most underrated food pairing? Anchovies/lemons/buttermilk.
What’s always in your fridge? Sriracha.
STEVE KUAN & CLEMENT CHAN
The Postmodernists In food, as in music, comedy is rarely a positive. Show us a singing chef and we’ll show you someone who’s bad at both. So when Steve Kuan and Clement Chan came on the scene in 2012 with their Le Tigre food truck, wearing funny framed glasses and shouting orders and cracking jokes with glee, we were suspect. For about five minutes. . .or until we had our first bite of Kick-Ass Rice—a mélange of sake, Thai chilies, butter and dashi that seemed to be the one dish that summed up what a food cart should be. But four wheels is one thing and a fullblown restaurant is quite another—so the arrival of Torafuku was viewed with some healthy skepticism. . .for about five minutes. It’s Vancouver’s first postmodern restaurant—pared down, ridiculously affordable, with a light and airy vibe that emanates from a kitchen where everyone seems to be having a blast with dishes like Rye So Messy chicken wings and Miso Fantastic clams.—N.M. 3 6 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
Evaan Kheraj
Chefs/Owners, Torafuku, Vancouver
TO R A FU KU R E C I P E
Lucky Tiger Ramen 2 cans coconut milk 3 tbsp miso paste 2 litres water 1-2 lbs of clams 11-12 oz of ramen noodles (or any type of noodles you prefer) 4 oz bean sprouts 5 eggs (optional) 2 corn on the cob (shucked) 2 tsp honey In a large pot, pour in coconut milk, honey and water, then bring to a simmer. Whisk in miso paste until it’s dissolved. Then reduce for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick you would like the broth to be.
Jon and Melissa Perkins: Lillie Louise Major
Add clams and shucked corn, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until the clams open. Then set aside. In another large pot, add about 4 litres of water and wait until it comes to a rapid boil. Add bean sprouts and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove and place aside. In the same pot, cook ramen for about 2-4 minutes. Remove the ramen and place evenly in your serving bowls. Then place bean sprouts on top. If you want the egg, place the eggs in boiling water for at least 4-12 minutes depending on what doneness you prefer (for example, 4 minutes for soft and 12 minutes for well-done). Peel and cut in half. Add the soup with the clams and corn to your ramen and bean sprouts. Place the egg on top. It’s ready to serve. Enjoy!
MELISSA PERKINS & JON PERKINS
The Interpreters
Owners, Picnic, Picnic Too, Dak Rotisserie, Victoria
Put 2015 in the win column for Victoria restaurateurs Melissa and Jon Perkins. First came the expansion and redesign of their café, Picnic Too (the sequel to Picnic, their first venture); then in October came Dak, a breakfast and lunch spot devoted to Korean rotisserie—an idea inspired by their years teaching English in Busan, South Korea. “We wanted to bring the flavours of traditional Korean marinades to the rotisserie concept,” says Melissa, who develops the menus for each of their establishments. Jon oversees the business side and provides an affable front-of-house presence. There was a time one might have referred to their fare as “fusion,” the late-’80s trend that forced together ingredients from disparate cultures (see: wasabi mashed potatoes), but for the Perkinses, it’s simply good food gleaned from their life experiences and extensive travel to places like Mongolia, Southeast Asia and Mexico, among many others. “I might take the idea of a peanut satay and work that into a sandwich,” says Melissa. “I won’t take a full Thai recipe, that’s not my specialty, but I’ll take the concept and add flavours and a bread complement that I think would work well.” Local suppliers feature prominently, too: the all-important chicken is sourced from Farmhouse Chicken in the Cowichan Valley Choux Choux Charcuterie next door provides the beer-braised brats; 2% Jazz Coffee supplies the beans. “Fusion” isn’t dead. It has evolved. —Rosemary Poole
Serves 5.
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 37
WLFOOD // 2016 FOODIES OF THE YEAR
Q&A
WITH JESSE McCLEERY
What cookbook do you use more than any other? Not sure I'd say I use it more than any other, but definitely read it front to back more than any other. The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller—when it was first printed back
in the day, I read it over and over. It's ingrained in my head.
What's your guilty food pleasure? Grilled cheese with lots of raw onion.
What’s the most overrated food trend? This whole taking pictures of avocados on toast. Love the two things, but do we really need to take so many photos? And how many avocados is North
America consuming in one day?
What’s the most underrated food pairing? Beer and food in general. Love wine, love beer more.
You can choose one restaurant and one dining companion anywhere in the world— who and where? Fäviken with Nick Cave (sorry, Leanne).
JESSE McCLEERY & LEANNE LALONDE
The True Believers
Owners, Pilgrimme, Galiano Island
Shelora Sheldon
Forest to table, shore to plate, foraging chef Jesse McCleery and his partner, Leanne Lalonde, are dedicated to doing things as they once were done. So isn’t it funny how a throwback to simpler times, when people ate exactly what the seasonal land provided, sans contemporary shortcuts, has landed them on the cutting edge of today’s local, sustainable harvesting trend? A chef who trolls the beaches for sea lettuce, sea asparagus and bull kelp to serve up on that evening’s menu—what might be the best ingredient-forward meal you’ll have all year—is the kind of foodie folklore that travels fast in these parts. More impressive still when you consider the remote location: their weather-aged, cabin-style restaurant in the woods is on the sparsely inhabited (1,000 and change) Galiano Island, and yet people are happy to brave the downtown traffic and the ferry and the wilderness just to see what Pilgrimme is doing differently than anyone else. —Julia Dilworth
3 8 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
N O O RB A N U N I M J I R E C I P E
Double Ginger Chai Log Ginger cookies, candied ginger and chai masala complement each other in this light and easy-to-prepare dessert. Tip: This needs at least 8 hours in the fridge prior to serving to give the cream a chance to soften the cookies. 2 cups whipping cream 2 tbsp icing sugar 1 tsp chai masala* 1 package (150 g) thin ginger cookies ½ cup finely diced candied ginger, divided equally 6 to 8 pieces whole candied ginger Beat whipping cream and add icing sugar and chai masala just as soft peaks are beginning to form. Continue beating until thick. Reserve ⅔ of the whipped mixture for later use. Line a baking tray with plastic wrap.
NOORBANU NIMJI
Q&A
Cookbook Author, Calgary
The most invaluable gadget is...?
Noorbanu: Jager and Kokemor; chai log: Pauli-Ann Carriere. Recipe: excerpted from A Spicy Touch: Family Favourites from Noorbanu Nimji’s Kitchen by Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson
The Reluctant Icon With roots in Kenya and India, 80-something cookbook author Noorbanu Nimji has been feeding her own family for 60 years and teaching cooking to youth in her community since the 1970s. After moving to Calgary, she began compiling her East African-Indian recipes for U of C students who asked her to teach them how to cook in her home kitchen after class. In 1986 she decided to self-publish her first cookbook, A Spicy Touch, which quickly became a staple on kitchen shelves in Canada and around the world. She has since self-published three more cookbooks in the A Spicy Touch series, which have collectively sold well over a quarter-million copies. Her latest, co-authored by Calgary Food Tours’ Karen Anderson, has been in the works for nine years—when the remaining copies of her first three books, stored in Mrs. Nimji’s Roxboro basement, were ruined in the 2013 flood, the pair were prompted to finish what she calls a treasury of her life’s work. It recently won a silver medal for best cookbook in the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards in Chicago. —Julie Van Rosendaal
My masala daba spice box. All Indian cooks have a "daba" with their most commonly used spices. Mine holds the 10 I use the most, and it's so practical. I get one thing out of the cupboard instead of 10.
Add half of the diced ginger to ⅓ of the whippedcream mixture. Coat 1 side of each cookie with the mixture, then stack them together to form a log on the plastic wrap. Wrap plastic around finished log, then wrap again in tinfoil. Refrigerate (along with the reserved whipped cream) overnight or for at least 8 hours. Place log on a serving dish, removing foil and wrap just before serving. Spread reserved whipped cream to coat the log and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of candied ginger. Cut in diagonal slices—so that each piece has multiple layers of cookies and cream showing—and decorate with a piece of whole ginger. *For Noorbanu's recipe, visit westernliving.ca
One meal that you’ll remember on your deathbed? One of my most cherished food memories is going to Mombasa in Kenya with my family, watching the fishermen come to shore with their catch, and then eating that beautiful, freshly caught fish at the little restaurants near the beach.
Every kitchen needs a...? Mini-chopper food processor. I love these time-saving devices. When I was young, I spent hours with a mortar and pestle.
What's your guilty food pleasure? I have a sweet tooth for sure, but I love potatoes in any way, shape or form —boiled, baked, fried, chips, hickory sticks—you name it.
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 39
ROSS HACKWORTH & MATT SHERLOCK
The Idealists
Owners/Winemakers, Lock & Worth, Okanagan
Tarynn Liv Parker/The Field Guide
Here’s the thing about natural wine— it’s a terrible idea from a business perspective. There’s a reason most vintners use commercial yeast, wine stabilizers, sulphur, Mega Purple and a slew of other additives—they’re all tried and tested hedges against the fact that fermenting something is by definition a risky endeavour. It’s nature and, when left unchecked, nature does whatever the hell it wants to. So when these two—using the sobriquet Lock & Worth—make their wine with as little intervention as possible in order to best express the character of wine from a single plot of land, they’re taking a chance that it will all work out. There are no fancy labels, very reasonable prices and the seeds of a coming wine revolution in every bottle. Not actual seeds, mind you. —N.M.
4 0 j u ly / a u g u s t 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
TE RE S A S PI N E LLI R E C I P E
La Ribollita (Twice-Boiled Soup) Italy doesn’t get winters as savage as ours, but this hearty soup is a classic warmer and it celebrates the year’s olive oil, which is usually pressed in early November. Called “twice-boiled,” this soup, like most others, improves by being left for a day and then re-boiled. The texture should be wet but not a broth. My mamma always serves it with lots of oil and traditional crusty country bread.
TERESA SPINELLI
The Ambassador
Teresa Spinelli: Daniel Wood; black garlic: Clinton Hussey
Co-owner, Italian Centres, Edmonton and Calgary
I thought something might be up when my mother, Scottish-born and Scottish married, decided that we needed panettone for Christmas. I knew something was up when we turned into the Italian Centre on Edmonton’s south side and discovered that finding the Ark of the Covenant would have been easier than finding parking. “You should see the West End store,” my mom said. “It’s really busy.” Frank Spinelli— patron saint of every Northern Albertan who ever wanted to make their own wine, find proper tomatoes for their sugo or eat a decent cannoli—may have started the Italian Centre in 1959, but it’s his daughter, Teresa, who has taken the idea of bringing a little slice of the old country to the Prairies and run with it. Three bustling stores in Edmonton and now one in Calgary—all of them transporting the customer back to the homeland, if only for a few minutes. Our guess is the padre would be proud. —N.M.
Q&A You can choose one restaurant and one dining companion anywhere in the world—who and where? Grotta Palazzese in Puglia, Italy. Never been; only seen pictures. With my husband Mike.
What’s always in your pantry?
1 cup dried cannellini beans 1 large onion 4 carrots 4 celery sticks 4 leeks 1 cup cavolo nero (black cabbage) 8 fresh tomatoes 4 tbsp olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 dried chili (peperoncino), crumbled Handful fresh herbs, chopped Sea salt and fresh-ground pepper To serve: Country-style bread New-season extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Pasta, Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, pickled vegetables.
Soak cannellini beans overnight.
One meal that you’ll remember on your deathbed?
Thinly slice onion, and chop carrots, celery, leeks and cavolo nero. Set aside. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, then drain, skin, quarter and set aside. Sweat onion in a large casserole in half the oil.
I will always remember and treasure Sunday mornings growing up. Italian music on the radio, my mom dancing with the broom and the smell of tomato sauce cooking on the stove.
What ingredient are you most inspired by right now? Black garlic.
Add veggies and tomatoes and mix. Add half the garlic and chili. Cook for 10 minutes. Add beans and stir. Cover with water. Simmer, covered, for 1.5 to 2 hours, until soft. Remove a third of the soup mixture and mash/liquidize to a purée. Return to casserole. In a separate pan, warm remaining oil and sauté remaining garlic and herbs until lightly browned. Add herbs to casserole and leave for 24 hours. To serve, warm the soup through, uncovered. Place a slice of country bread in each bowl, ladle the ribollita over and pour a very generous amount of extravirgin olive oil overtop, with salt and pepper and parsley to taste. Serves 20.
westernliving.ca / J U LY / A U G U S T
2016 41
WLFOOD // 2016 Foodies oF the year
Neil McCue
The Returning Champ Chef/Owner, Whitehall Lane, Calgary
4 2 j u ly / a u g u s t 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
Q&A
with Neil McCue
The all-time greatest kitchen hack is?
in right now? I love seasonal vegetables, so for summer—sea asparagus.
Throw fat on everything.
One restaurant dish that you’ll remember on your deathbed?
Most overrated food trend?
Smoked ice cream on a berry purée from Etxebarri in Spain.
Cheese. Any kind.
Foam on food.
What ingredient are you most inspired by/interested
What's your guilty food pleasure?
What’s your go-to breakfast? Soft-boiled egg and sausages, of course.
What’s always in your fridge? Cheese. Seriously.
Jager & Kokemor
The affable, Yorkshire-born Neil McCue first made his mark on Calgary a decade ago as head chef at the city’s iconic Catch before expanding his skills in Toronto and England (where he garnered a Michelin star at Curlew Restaurant). But when it came time to open his own restaurant, returning to Calgary was his first choice. Now, at Whitehall, he’s redefined modern British cuisine with dishes like roast lamb loin draped in a caper scrag chutney, mackerel torched and confitted, a kedgeree of smoked sablefish and crispy quail egg, and pork drippings mixed with butter for his house-baked bread. It’s what he calls “honest food that is seriously comfortable”; it’s what we call the finest British cuisine in the West. —John Gilchrist
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When Nancy Stibbard purchased Capilano Suspension Bridge from her father in 1983, it was a huge risk. “She had no business background and interest rates were high,” says Capilano Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sue Kaffka. “But she had a vision to create amazing guest experiences.” A social worker by trade, Stibbard put her psychology background to good use. “She interviewed guests and held focus groups to find out what they wanted,” explains Kaffka. Guest feedback inspired the park’s Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk additions. “Fifteen years ago guests were saying that once they crossed the suspension bridge, there wasn’t really anything to do on the other side,” shares Kaffka. Treetops Adventure features seven cleverly engineered, zero-impact suspension bridges with attachments that are designed to expand as the trees grow, giving guests much more to explore across the river without harming the rainforest.
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The masterful concept earned Capilano Suspension Bridge Park an “Innovator of the Year” title from the National Tourism Excellence Awards in 2004, and it isn’t the only expansion that has received recent accolades. “Guests wanted more unspoiled views of the Capilano River,” says Kaffka. The result, after four years of careful planning, was Cliffwalk: a minimally anchored walkway along the edge of a cliff face. Cliffwalk has received a long list of awards from engineers, environmentalists and others for its unique low-impact design. The park also added Canyon Lights 10 years ago, a hugely successful holiday lights display that draws crowds of all ages. Kaffka says that with all of these new features, Capilano Suspension Bridge has really become a year-round attraction for locals and visitors alike. “We offer a B.C. membership program that gives guests an annual pass for the cost of one day’s admission,” says Kaffka. “Between the Kids’ Rainforest Explorer Program, the new Raptors’ Ridge Birds of Prey exhibit, and Canyon Lights, locals have plenty of reason for return visits.”
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Stibbard’s terrain continues to grow beyond the North Shore. “Retail has always been a particular strength of Nancy’s,” explains Kaffka. “She expanded with gift shops in Victoria and Banff which eventually led her to the hospitality industry.” Her first venture was a boutique lodge at Moraine Lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. “This lodge is the only accommodation on what is really the most stunning lake in the Rockies,” says Kaffka. A second Rocky Mountain property, Cathedral Mountain Lodge, is based at an old mining camp in Field, B.C. It includes 31 quintessential Rocky Mountain cabins on the edge of the Kicking Horse River. “Nancy definitely has an eye for the diamonds in the rough,” says Kaffka.
STANLEY PARK, BUT BETTER
Stibbard, who was inducted into Canada’s Tourism Hall of Fame in 2007, has most recently set her sights on Vancouver’s greatest gem, Stanley Park, with acquisitions of the Prospect Point and Stanley Park Pavilion operations. “We’ve beautifully renovated the Pavilion and Prospect Point will be the next project,” says Kaffka. “It needs love, but we will return it to its former glory.” Capilano Group’s tourism reign may seem complete, but there’s no end in sight for the ambitious Vancouver company. “There will be a next; there’s always a next,” admits Kaffka. “And it will be another amazing and mindful project.” 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver, capbridge.com
Cathedral Mountain Lodge, Field, British Columbia
Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta
WLTRAVEL // MY NEIGHBOURHOOD
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Grab lunch from any of the 16 different vendors, or shop for gourmet goodies.
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BAYOU BLISS
Though Alessi’s Paolo Cravedi was born in Italy and is based in New York, New Orleans is his real happy place. Paolo Cravedi has a full schedule as managing director for Alessi USA (and as one of our esteemed Designers of the Year judges for 2016), but it’s no surprise that someone in charge of such a whimsical brand sees the value in breaking up work with some well-deserved play. It’s why Cravedi travels to New Orleans twice a year to soak up the art and culture—and get his fill of crawfish, of course. “So many influences have melted into the culture here: African, Native American, Spanish, French, English,” says Cravedi. “It’s an American city, but you have the feeling of not being in America at all.” 4 8 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
4 1 Rent a bike and explore Audubon Park and its beautiful oak trees. It’s hard to believe it was once a plantation. 2 You’ve got to try the boiled crawfish at the fairground during Jazz Fest. It is rare to find good food at a music festival, but, of course, New Orleans is an exception to the rule. Boiled crawfish are not only delicious but also a great way to socialize—expect to get your hands red! 3 St. Roch Market, an old seafood market from the late 1800s, has been converted into a food hall with great bites, wines, cocktails, beers, freshpressed juice and coffee. 4 I love grabbing a coffee at Press Street Station Café because it supports the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, one of the most important institutions in New Orleans (and anywhere else). 5 The Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art is the perfect place to think, relax and read a book surrounded by beautiful art, away from the madding crowd.
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Crawfish: Dave McLaughlin; Press Street Station: Elizabeth McMillan; Sculpture Garden: Morgan Paul
Pack a picnic and settle in for some serious people watching.
The café skews seriously local, with produce from the on-site garden and live performances by NOCAA students.
WL // sources For complete retailer listings, please visit the manufacturer’s website.
Fortune Smiles
Pages 22-27 Architect, Rachel Gray, Gray Partnership, New York, graypartnership.com. Pages 22 & 23 Living Room Bensen white sofa, House Brand, Calgary, housebrand.ca; Hutk, Winnipeg, hutk.ca. Teixidors charcoal cushions, Pacific Connections stationary box, Missoni Home throw blanket, Provide Home, Vancouver, providehome .com. Lindsey Adelman Chandelier Branching Bubble light fixture, homeowners' own. Side table, The Heather Company Design and Décor, Calgary, theheatherco.com. TV stand, custom design by Gray Partnership, graypartnership.com. Page 24 Patio White chairs with black trim, homeowners’ own. White coffee table, Crate and Barrel, Vancouver and Calgary, crateandbarrel.com. Gaetano Pesce green bowl, House Brand, Calgary, housebrand.ca. Knoll white dining table, Kit, Calgary, kitinteriorobjects.com. Vitra white curvy chair, Kit, Calgary, kitinteriorobjects.com; Dwell Modern, Edmonton, dwellmodern.ca; EQ3, Winnipeg, eq3 .com. Round mirrors, Ikea, across the West, ikea.com. Kitchen Knoll short white chairs, Kit, Calgary, kit interiorobjects.com. Table, Uniquities Architectural Antiques and Salvage, Calgary, uniquities.ca. La Maison Chi Brushed Gold Stainless Counter Stool, homeowners’ own. Miele oven, Trail Appliances, across the West, trail-appliances.com. Dornbracht faucet, Robinson Lighting and Bath, across the West, robinsonlightingandbath.com. Page 25 Stairwell Bench, Urban Tree Salvage, online, urbantreesalvage.com. Amanda Weil glass tree art, Weil Studio, Calgary, weilstudio.com. Page 26 Other Living Room Artwork, Carl White, Calgary, carlwhiteart.com. Yellow chair, David Weeks light fixture homeowners’ own. Moooi black sofa,
Robert Sweep Interiors, Calgary, robertsweep.com; Dwell Modern, Edmonton, dwellmodern.ca; Design Manitoba, Winnipeg, designmanitoba.com. Knoll round black tables, Kit, Calgary, kitinteriorobjects .com. Lori Harrison black cushions, Martha Sturdy platter, Martha Sturdy wire sphere, Provide Home, Vancouver, providehome.com. Black Sheepskin throw, Softline round side table, Kit, Calgary, kit interiorobjects.com. Antique lamp, Uniquities Architectural Antiques and Salvage, Calgary, uniquities.ca. Smaller table, Crate and Barrel, across the West, crateandbarrel.com. Page 27 Library Knoll red chairs, Knoll table, Kit, Calgary, kitinteriorobjects.com. Roll and Hill Anges Chandelier, Lightform, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, lightform.ca. Shelving, custom design by Gray Partnership, graypartnership.com. Martha Sturdy wire sphere, Provide Home, Vancouver, providehome.com. Bedroom Chair, Crate and Barrel, Calgary, crate andbarrel.com. Green throw pillow, custom design by Global Shades, Calgary, globalshades.ca. Bedframe, side table, custom design by Gray Partnership, graypartnership.com. Bed pillows, West Elm, Calgary, westelm.com. Michael Anastassiades lighting, Inform Interiors, Vancouver, informshop.com. Vase, Teixidors throw, Cire Trudon candle, Oscar Maschera leather box, Holmegaard bottle, Provide, Vancouver, providehome.com.
Trade Secrets
Page 50 Designer, Kyla Bidgood, Bidgood and Co., Victoria and Vancouver, bidgood.co. Cabinetry, Strong Construction Group, Victoria, strong construction.co. Eurofase Piquito pendant lamps, Lightform, Calgary and Edmonton, lightform.ca. Neolith Colorfeel countertop, Innovative Surfaces, Victoria, innovativesurfaces.com. Aquabrass Master Chef faucet, Robinson Lighting and Bath, across the West, robinsonlightingandbath.com. Kentwood Brushed Oak flooring, Jordans, across the West, jordans.ca
DIARY
Food cart: Lindsay Elliott.
The coolest events from across the West.
calgary Canadian International Fashion Film Festival July 22 and 23 The Glenbow Museum plays host to the first-ever CanIFFF, showcasing high-fashion media from 13 countries on the silver screen, with specific events highlighting ethical fashion. canifff.com
edmonton Symphony Under the Sky August 26 to 28 Soak up some culture in the great outdoors as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra accompanies summer sunsets with classical favourites, Hollwood scores and global compositions. edmontonsymphony.com
Visit
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to enter our latest contests for a chance to
1/3 WIN! Non Bleed The hottest shop picks.
VancouVer Food Cart Fest Sundays The city’s best mobile restos gather in False Creek each weekend for a one-stop source for snacks from purveyors like Yolks, Vij’s Railway Express and Tacofino. foodcartfest.com
WL // TRADE SECRETS
DESIGNED BY
T‍ ה‏L k
ONE-OF-A-KIND KITCHEN Get custom appeal without breaking the bank.
5 0 J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / westernliving.ca
“It’s all about the finishes,� says Victoria designer Kyla Bidgood. Rather than invest in pricey custom cabinetry sizes or high-end appliances for this builder kitchen, Bidgood mixed-and-matched white inset doors with a white-oak cabinet frame for a contrasting look that’s totally unique—and budget-friendly. She brought in more white via the countertop, which is actually porcelain, not quartz. “We wanted the space to feel tailored,� says Bidgood. “And that comes down to a simple pattern that’s carried through consistently.�
Sarah MacNeill
Ky Bid
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