Beaumont Boutique, a thrift shop located inside The Beaumont Studios, which is home to over 40 artist studios and 100 artists, is re-opening as an outdoor thrift store for the summer.
When: Thursdays (starting May 13) to Saturdays in May & June, 12:00pm to 7:00pm Where: 316 W 5th Ave, Vancouver
Beaumont Boutique is currently seeking donations that will help their re-opening be a success. When its doors were shut last winter, it was full of seasonal items, which were given to a local shelter upon closing. Items they are currently hoping to acquire for the new outdoor season include: Summer clothing, accessories, shoes, and home décor.
To show their appreciation, for every two approved items you donate, they’ll give you a store credit for one item that you can use any time this year. They are looking for high quality items, and would like to limit “fast fashion” pieces or articles in disrepair.
Beaumont Studios was established in 2004 by artist Jude Kusnierz, as an open and supportive environment for a wide variety of creative professionals. The Beaumont Studios Artist Society is a not for profit organization which relies on community support. They currently have a Patreon running to support artists and you can shop the Beaumont Boutique’s collection of artwork and apparel designed by resident artists online anytime.
The Brand Battle for Good – Canada’s first zero waste competition between brands – concluded on May 5th when team Talent Pool won for its ‘EcoMeter’ concept, incentivizing restaurants to adopt environmentally conscious actions. From a field of 18 teams, Vancity and the joint Hootsuite-Swany team earned the runner up trophies for their concepts, targeting fashion and plastics respectively.
Winner of the Brand Battle for Good
Inspired by New York City restaurants’ health rating scores, EcoMeter will grade a restaurant’s sustainability practices. Its core idea is a window decal reading A, B or C that would inform and influence behavioural change among customers and restaurant operators. Judges commended Talent Pool for targeting the surge in single-use food container waste caused by 4.2 million more Canadians ordering takeout weekly compared to before the pandemic.
“An idea formed around the opportunity to rally the restaurant community in a collective push towards zero waste,” said Dan Marrett of Ciele Athletics. “We can leverage under-utilized and start-up resources to support them.” Marrett hopes to pilot EcoMeter in late 2021. Additional industry and government support will be sought for a wider rollout next year.
“The win is slowly sinking in but I think our team is just really excited to work alongside Brands for Better to bring the idea to life and help our planet,” said Jill Robinson of UBC who, along with Marrett, represented the team on the pitch stage. Ashley Moore of Clio, Rick Bezuidenhout of 10Fold Eventware, Jennah Dohms of Enchant Christmas, freelancer Alex Cronje, marketing consultant Joel Hansen and UBC Sauder business student Sue Lee completed the team’s roster.
1st place team Talent Pool, photo by Maxine Bulloch, Brands for Better Foundation
“We saw ourselves as the singles table at a wedding; in most cases meeting for the first time at our first team workshop,” joked Marrett about the unique makeup of Talent Pool. “A common passion and desire to impact change in our city helped bring us together instantly.”
“We heard a lot of great ideas from teams that really care about our city,” said Karla Peckett, Creative Director at SOLE/ReCORK and founder of Brands for Better Foundation, the not-for-profit that hosted the contest. “Ultimately, the idea that was most implementable and offered the biggest impact captured the support of the crowd.”
Next year’s Brand Battle for Good will focus on sparking positive social impact in the community. A youth career development initiative called The Spark Factor and a collaboration with Habitat for Humanity are the next projects for Brands for Better.
The following has been contributed by Steffani Cameron, who lives and works in Victoria. Just before the pandemic she completed a 4-year worldwide adventure that she has chronicled at FullNomad.com.
Old Grist Mill Preserves photo by Steffani Cameron
Playing with Old Grist Mill Preserves
When I took possession of a small pantry share from Old Grist Mill & Garden in Keremeos, it included a few things I’ve got a good idea on how and when to use them, like the Lemon Jelly or Quince Jelly, which will be delicious as anything from the sweetener in homemade dressings to using for the glaze on home-baked pastries.
But then it came with fun stuff like “Cowboy Candy” and “Roasted Garlic Scape Powder”.
As a share buyer, you’d have your own choices for the products you’re given, but us writerly types get what we’re given. Luckily, it’s been a fun exploration with Old Grist Mill Preserves!
When I chatted with Chris Mathieson, proprietor and chief food nerd, we got talking about kitchen essentials and recipes. The one recipe packing on the pounds at his house these days is listed on their website, a Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, perfect for seasonal baking. Don’t forget to support BC Dairy Farmers by getting some whipped cream or ice cream on that plate too.
For us writers, budget-watching is natural, so splurging on food is something I think twice about doing – except with preserves and vinegars, because they’ll literally last years.
Chili Lime Jelly Marinade by Steffani Cameron
In my pantry share, I had Chili Lime Jelly. Sure, you can smear that on a bagel and cream cheese, but it’s also sensational in a marinade, like I did. I pureed several cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of Chili Lime Jelly, some peppercorns, olive oil, and a little white wine vinegar, then marinated a flank steak in that. It turned out delicious on the barbecue.
As for the Lemon and Quince jellies I mentioned earlier, they’ll be ideal in salad dressings or marinades too. Making dressings is simple – you need a whisk and a bowl, so it’s not high-tech science going on here.
Three parts oil to one part vinegar is the typical ratio, which Mathieson subscribes to, but I like more acid so I’m more a 3:2 kinda gal. Then you add your flavours – like a jelly that’ll be the flavour profile and bring sweetness. Next, use a subtle hand with a dash of mustard powder, or a bolder hand with a mustard you love. Me, I collect mustards and can choose from over a dozen – another great thing to invest in, since they’ll keep for years. Mustards will also help emulsify the dressing, so it coats your salad better.
Here’s an example:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons vinegar of your choice (raspberry, champagne, white wine, you name it!)
2-3 teaspoons of your chosen jelly
1-2 teaspoons of mustard
salt & pepper to taste
Essentially, any vinaigrette recipe you use that calls for sugar or honey, you can simply replace that with your Old Grist Mill jams or jellies. I’m hatching a plan to make a lemon-herb vinaigrette for my arugula and chicken salad, using the Lemon Jelly.
Cowboy Candy Hamburger Buns by Steffani Cameron
As someone who’s always ordered nachos with a “hold the jalapenos” caveat, you can imagine my surprise when it was the Pantry Share’s Cowboy Candy that I really fell hard for. It’s candied jalapenos, and they’re gold. Unlike some more mass-produced varieties of candied jalapenos I’ve seen in stores, Mathieson uses a drier process, resulting in a definitively more “candied” texture to the jalapenos. He tells me he loves making cheese breads with the jalapenos in them.
So, naturally, I got it in my head to make some sourdough hamburger buns with them. After I delivered a couple to my grill-fiend hunky Air Force pilot next door, he reported back that they were the best hamburger buns he’d ever had. Part of it is because the Cowboy Candy’s made with sugars and apple cider vinegar, both of which act as a “dough enhancer.”
But not everyone’s a bread baker. So, here’s the other thing that will now be a staple in my fridge – Cowboy Candy Mayo. Simply take a cup of your favourite commercial mayonnaise and add 2-3 tablespoons of the Cowboy Candy, blitz that up, and bam – the best burger spread you’ll ever have. Sriracha mayo ain’t got nothing on the complexity of Cowboy Candy mayo. I also use it for my breakfast sandwiches with an egg, two slices of bacon, and a slice of cheddar. (It’ll keep for as long as the mayo is good for, according to the jar’s best before date).
Breakfast sandwich first — my first-ever quail’s eggs of any kind. Plus bacon, cheddar, avocado and candied jalapeño mayonnaise. On a candied jalapeño homemade bun. pic.twitter.com/ceEz3iRScR
— Steffani Cameron, Deep State Operative (@SnarkySteff) May 3, 2021
Another couple items to wow me are the two powders I received – “Roasted Garlic Scape” powder and “Mushr-umami” powder. They’re basically like dropkicking your food with flavour. The Roasted Garlic Scape powder, for instance, is amazing on anything with potatoes, for starters. Breakfast hash? Throw it in! Grilling a foil bag of potatoes? You need some powder! For those who don’t know, garlic scapes are part of the garlic plant, it tastes just like the head of garlic but a little mellower. These are roasted until dried, then turned into a boring-looking powder, but you’ll need far less of it for oomph than you think, and it brings way more to the party for complexity than regular garlic powder.
Ditto with the Mushr-umami powder. Use it to fortify sauces or add kick to mushroom risotto. Mix it in cream cheese for a nice sandwich spread.
What does the Chief Nerd and Food Geek at the Old Grist Mill consider as his must-have kitchen staples from their products? Why, the Cowboy Candy and their assortment of mustards, of course! Turns out that great geeks think alike. Mm, mustard.
This summer SHINE Experiences presents Wings and Wizards at BC Place. It’s an immersive entertainment experience that promises to bring back a little magic into the lives of the young and young-at-heart.
A Wizard’s Academy and an Enchanted Forest are just some of the features that will take up over 7,000 square feet inside the stadium.
Wings and Wizards at BC Place
When: Proposed June 8 start date may be subject to revision due to PHO orders during the COVID-19 pandemic
Tickets will be available online only via credit card purchase, with address verification built into that process. Should inter-provincial health restrictions on travel continue past the June 8 opening date, guests may rebook their tickets at no extra charge.
Where: BC Place
Tickets: On sale starting Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 10:00am via Ticketmaster
Wings and Wizards is an interactive exhibit that merges world-building, art, tech, storytelling, and design to create a magical adventure. The key to the entire adventure is a trusted magic wand, which will be used by your wizarding group to cast spells, solve riddles, and complete your quest. The wand is then yours to keep!
Self-guided and touch-free, the exhibition showcases the meeting point between technology and magic, making use of cutting-edge interactivity, such as motion tracking, proximity-based devices, lights, projections, props, and soundscapes — all to weave a truly spellbinding narrative experience.
This exhibit is produced by SHINE Experiences, a non-profit dedicated to bringing pass-through, audio-visual art experiences to the public. Wings and Wizards will showcase the talents of three of Canada’s top locally based production companies: Go2 Productions, Innovation Lighting and Spectra Event Group.
Onsite rules and procedures for this contactless experience will include a mask requirement, hygiene stations, a definitive audience flow, and physically distanced, timed, and staggered entry for pods of up to 6 people within the same social bubble.
The Anvil Centre Theatre is set to host The May Long Festival, an on-demand, online festival featuring New Westminster-based or affiliated performers. This festival features four unique performances from a diverse group of talented local creators. Each will share their talents through the lens of our times and our community with stories for us here and now.
The May Long Festival
When: May 21-24, 2021
Where: Online
Tickets: Available now for $10 per device for each show. Festival passes $30 for all four shows.
Each show is filmed entirely at the Anvil Centre Theatre with its newly installed recording equipment. It is offered for on demand viewing in the safety and comfort of your home. With the breadth and depth of the performances available, there is certainly something for everyone.
Show Lineup
Janice Bannister: The Weirdest Year of My Life
Janice Bannister is excited to bring her “Weirdest Year” show to the stage. Her one-woman show includes stand-up, storytelling, laughter wellness, and a heart to heart chat. Janice shares her life experiences from Kootenay Girl with a Belgium warbride Mom, becoming a psychiatric nurse, single mom challenges, to the excitement of being a Boomer grandma. She welcomes you to laugh at her adventures, because laughter and joy are the best ways to get through these weird times.
Krystle Dos Santos and Friends: BLAK | Canadian Women in Music & Arts
Krystle Dos Santos takes the audience on a musical journey celebrating notable Black Canadian women in music. She shares historically important stories about the underground railroad, civil rights movement and key events in black history while weaving in iconic songs from the eras in which these women lived and performed. Featuring artists like Measha Brueggergosman; Canada’s First Lady of the Blues Salome Bey; Vancouver’s First Lady of Jazz Eleanor Collins and many more. With special guest performers Dawn Pemberton and Marisa Gold.
Devon More: Devon More or Less
Devon says “Live art is too dangerous, but how about TV dinner – and a show?” Devon More was a regular performer at the Heritage Grill for years. She is mixing music and insightful musings, as usual and serving up select favourite earworms from her one-woman cabarets (Berlin Waltz, Flute Loops, Hits Like a Girl) – along with a brand new surprise or two… Devon more or less just wants you to know that New West IS still the best, and she misses you.
Jaylene Tyme, Allan Morgan & Friends: Reflections Iconic Vancouver drag queen Jaylene Tyme and legendary actor Allan Morgan have created a conversational performance filled with laughter, song, tears and most of all…heart. Featuring stories from the Massey Theatre’s Gay Seniors Storytelling group, the program reflects on their pandemic experiences and offers some fierce drag that you don’t want to miss.
