Bust out your sandals, grab your cloth bag and head to your local farmers market because May is here! A new month also means that my extensive list of events and activities is ready thanks to everyone who submitted entries. As a reminder, this list is updated daily so you can still send in your events (including date and a link) at any time.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — Our meal was compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island. Views are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Situated in the bountiful Cowichan Valley (Cowichan Bay being North America’s first Cittaslow designated region) Duncan is at the epicentre of farm-to-table goods on Vancouver Island and Chef Daniel Hudson is definitely taking advantage with his new restaurant Hudson’s on First.
Fresh off an appearance on Top Chef Canada where he competed for five weeks, Chef Hudson is now back at Hudson’s on First, a charming fine-dining restaurant inside a restored heritage home in Duncan. Our group popped in on a Tuesday night to sample some his locally-inspired menu and to chat with the chef whose motto is: “I do what I know and what I know, I do well.”
Having started his career back home in England, Chef Hudson often infuses the lunch menu with British classics like bangers and mash, fish and chips, and other hearty dishes. Ingredients come from around the Cowichan Valley, which Chef Hudson calls “the best place on Earth”. Local producers send him lists of their freshest ingredients and he places an order with them delivering fresh seafood, organic greens, and whatever else is ripe and ready.
Our Dinner Tasting Menu
Tomato croquette with prosciutto, fennel mayo and
Dungeness crab salad with pink grapefruit, fennel mayonnaise, fennel seed cracker
Rabbit terrine with plum mustard, house-made pickles, toasted rye
Day Boat Halibut with cashew and coco nib crust, boulangere potato, wilted greens
Our main course was followed up with an apricot and earl grey gelato then a chocolate mouse (with caramel inside) and house-made sponge toffee.
Hudson’s on First prepares the best of the region for brunch, lunch, and dinner services. There’s a private dining room upstairs with WIFI, a lounge with hand-crafted cocktails and BC wines, and a patio that is just opening up for the season.
Driving along the highway in Duncan, at about the half-way point between Nanaimo and Victoria, the big box stores and fast food joints that flank the road act as decoys to the untrained eye. The next time you’re in the area I urge you to skip the drive-through window, slow things down, and enjoy the very best the region has to offer thanks to Chef Hudson.
Follow Hudson’s on First on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
It’s BC Mining Week and across the province communities are hosting luncheons and festivals to celebrate one of the province’s oldest and largest industries. In partnership with the Mining Association of BC, I still have an iPad Mini up for grabs (until May 7th) and this weekend one of the biggest local events is Family Fun Day, taking place at Britannia Mine.
Touring around the Britannia Mine Museum reminds me of some of the amazing places we used to explore while on family camping trips across southwestern BC. There is history, awesome machinery, spectacular scenery, hands-on opportunities (to get a bit dirty), and an environmental component especially at Britannia.
Family Fun Day (a part of BC Mining Week) takes place Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Britannia Mine, which is just along the Sea to Sky Highway before you reach Squamish — if you see the Stewamus Chief you’ve gone too far but it’s very hard to miss.
Activities will include gold panning races, chocolate chip cookie exploration, and all of the museum’s attractions like the famous guided underground experience. A blacksmith will also be on hand and you can check out the old mining town’s buildings, learn about the geology of the area and the science of mining, and how steps have been taken to clean up the water at Britannia Beach over the years.
“The Britannia Mine Museum represents a popular attraction for BC residents and tourists with a mission to educate the public about mining. In 2012, the Museum received several prestigious awards including BEST ATTRACTION in the Sea to Sky region as well as a CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE from TripAdvisor.”
Check out the Britannia Mine Museum website for your admission coupon for Family Fun Day and enter to win a 4-pack of passes to visit the mine any other time this year (that it’s open). Here’s how:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win passes to @BritanniaMine from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/kI3kL
I will draw 2 winners, who will each receive a 4-pack of passes, on Friday, May 10, 2013. Follow Britannia Mine Museum on Facebook and Twitter for more information about this iconic attraction just off Howe Sound.
The Vancouver Canucks are your Northwest Division champions for the fifth year in a row and they’re currently making their way through the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After coming up short in Game 1 against San Jose on Wednesday, the team is ready to blaze onto the ice for redemption in Game 2.
Throughout the shortened season (due to the NHL lockout) die-hard fans’ faith hasn’t been shaken. Through goalie change-ups, injuries, and some very glorious moments at home and on the road, fans have stuck with the team demonstrating their true This Is What We Life For spirit.
Tag your YouTube videos with #TIWWLF.
The Vancouver Canucks are rewarding one of these dedicated fans (and their guest) by having me give away a pair of Game 2 tickets for Friday, May 3, 2013. This is a quick 24-hour contest so we’re giving you many chances to win. Here’s how to enter:
Share a photo on Instagram showing “This Is What We Live For” and using the tags #TIWWLF @Miss604 @Canucks (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win Game 2 playoff tix from @VanCanucks + @Miss604 #TIWWLF http://ow.ly/kECLQ
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:30pm on Friday, May 3, 2013. Follow the Canucks on Twitter for all of your team’s updates this post-season and upload your photos and videos to social networks using #TIWWLF to have it show up on the This Is What We Live For mosaic.
The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards are an annual awards ceremony and party produced by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Vancouver Professional Theatre Community. The Awards have been presented since 1982, originally by the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, taken over in 1997 by the newly formed Society. Over 35 statues are awarded each year to outstanding theatre companies and artists.
These profiles contain basic information about each company, as supplied by their team, and a list of their upcoming productions that you can check out in the coming season. Today’s feature company is: Twenty Something Theatre:
Niko Koupantsis, Jameson Parker, David Kaye & Brian Cochrane. The Bomb-itty of Errors. Photography by Candace Albach.
Twenty Something Theatre
Date Established: 2006 First Play Produced: This is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan Total number of plays/events produced: 12 productions over 7 seasons Founder and Artistic Producer: Sabrina Evertt Artistic Director: Sabrina Evertt Associate Artistic Producer: Brian Cochrane
Mission Statement
Twenty Something Theatre is a Vancouver based award-winning, independent theatre company dedicated to producing contemporary theatre that is provocative, edgy and relevant to today’s young people.
Just Played
World Premiere of Us & Everything We Own by Sean Minogue
Special Moment for the Company
The company’s co-production of the Jessie award-winning The Bomb-itty of Errors will be re-mounted as part of the Arts Club Theatre’s upcoming 50th Anniversary.
