In case it slipped your mind, April Fool’s Day is Wednesday, April 1st. For this ‘fun’ day on the calendar, the Rio Theatre, 1660 East Broadway, will be showing the ultimate cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show not once but twice. If you haven’t seen the film, it has a newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet, who encounter a few monsters, a sweet transvestite in a castle and there is, of course, lots to sing and dance about, in particular the “Time Warp”. This is a great opportunity to dress up and have some fun with your favourite character. Those with costumes get to see the show for $8.00 and those without costumes $10. The movie will show first at 7:00 pm which will be open to all ages. Then a second showing takes place at 9:45 pm for 19+ crowd which will include an exclusive April Fool’s cut of the movie featuring some Geekenders performers. Advance tickets are available online at Rio Theatre.
Double Bill Of Rocky Horror Picture Show Rio Theatre April 1st
31 MarWorkshop On Small Space Vegetable Gardens At Figaro’s Garden April 11th
30 MarOur favourite garden shop, Figaro’s Garden, 1896 Victoria Drive is hosting a hands on workshop on Small Space Vegetable Gardens. The workshop will be led by Andrea Bellamy, author of the award winning blog Heavy Petal. Andrea will be sharing her tips on small space gardening. Whether you wish to create an edible garden in a small yard, an apartment balcony or a small plot in a community garden, she will provide lots of great advice to help your garden grow. The workshop will be held on Saturday, April 11th from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. Although there is no cost for the workshop, there is a $7 fee to cover the cost of supplies, being a post, soil and seeds. To register, contact Figaro’s Garden at T: 604.253.1696 or by email at info(at)figarosgarden.ca.
Tonight Is Earth Hour 8:30 to 9:30 pm
28 MarTonight you can join people from around the world by participating in Earth Hour. To participate, you only need to turn off the lights for one hour between 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time. This event started in Australia in 2007 to bring awareness to environmental issues and climate change and now involves 162 countries. This is one of those events where individually it may not seem like you are making a big difference, but collectively it does. BC Hydro states that for Earth Hour last year the provincial electrical load was reduced by 1%. That meant 1.4 million lights were turned off in this province alone. It’s a great excuse to bring out the candles, turn out the lights and get cozy.
Photo Credit: David Cowan
Must See: What It Is! At The Cottage Bistro April 8th
27 MarYou are invited to the Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, on Wednesday, April 8th to listen to What It Is! This is a group of four amazing East Van ladies, being Mebrat “Mimi” Beyene, Cass King, Patti Powell and Carol Wiedemann. Together they are a powerhouse of a cappella soul. Their sound is steeped in the soulful sounds of such greats as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Etta James. They are without a doubt engaging performers and will be sure to have you singing and clapping along with them. These ladies bring heart to their East Van Soul. If you get the chance, be sure to stop by the Cottage Bistro on April 8th. The ladies take the stage at 8:30 pm. The event is pay what you can.
Photo Credit: What It Is!
Baker’s Market Returns This Spring To SE Vancouver
25 MarThe Baker’s Market is back this Spring! If you haven’t attended the Baker’s Market, it is a great community based event that brings together local baking enthusiasts, pastry students, mommy bakers as well as budding entrepreneurs. Some of the delicious things you will find include exquisite French macarons by J’adore les Macarons, delicious lemons squares from The Lemon Square and honestly, these are a little piece of heaven if you haven’t already tried them. Other vendors lined up include Mama’s Bake Shop with gluten free cake and cookie mixes, Chicka Bites Baked Goods, Le Mardi Cake Studio with some works of art that you can eat and Yellow Basket Baking to name just a few. Each week you will find a different group of bakers, so the offerings will vary each week, but some of the goodies you can expect to find include organic muffins, brownies, handmade chocolates, Belgian waffles, scones, preserves, breads, tarts and much more. If you have something specific in mind that you would like, we do recommend you arrive early.
The Baker’s Market will be held at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street (60th & Fraser). Admission to the market is free, there is ample parking and our favourite part, lots of samples! So come out and support your local talented creative bakers. The market kicks off Sunday, April 12th, but if you miss the first weekend, there will be 8 more markets on April 19th, April 26th, May 3rd, May 10th, May 17th, May 24th and June 7th and June 14th. The market runs each Sunday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. This is one sweet market you should not miss.
Photo Credit (Above): J’adore les Macarons
Photo Credit (Below): The Lemon Square
1st Annual Beer League BASH April 4th Britannia Community Rink
23 MarYou are invited to the First Annual Beer League BASH being presented by Bomber Brewing. The event is a fundraiser with all proceeds going to BASH, Britannia After School Hockey. The event will take place at the Britannia Community Rink, 1661 Napier Street. On hand during this event, will be 11 local craft breweries pouring tasters on the rink concourse. At the same time, 4 craft brewery teams, Bomber, Red Truck, Parallel 49 and the ‘Craft Beer All-Stars’ will be having a show down on the ice in a round-robin tournament. Some of the breweries on site pouring tasters for this fabulous event include Bomber, Red Truck, Parallel 49, Main Street, Strange Fellows, Off the Rail, Bridge, Central City, Storm, Yaletown and Moody Ales. Tickets for this event are $25 and are available online at Eventbrite. Each ticket will include 3 taster tokens. Although you can and we encourage you to earn extra tokens by donating gently used hockey equipment to the BASH program. Some items they welcome receiving for the BASH program include elbow pads, helmets, hockey sticks particularly composite sticks and socks. The First Annual Beer League BASH gets under way at 4:00 pm and goes till 10:00 pm. Note, this is a 19+ event. Come out and support this great community event!
Proud Returns To Firehall Arts Centre April 7 – 25
18 MarProud makes a return to the Firehall Arts Centre on April 7th. If you missed it last year, you missed one wickedly entertaining show. Proud is a play written by Michael Healey about the Right Honourable Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister is played by Andrew Wheeler who provides an amazing performance of the man himself. It really is quite something to see. But the rest of the cast shines as well including his Chief of Staff and his new sassy MP Jisbella Lyth played by Emmelia Gordon. You will be drawn in from the very first line. The show is hilarious, sexy and witty. No matter what your politics, there is something to entertain everyone here. Proud starts at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova Street, on April 7th and runs till April 25th. Tickets start at $22.
Gourmet Warehouse Cooking Classes This Spring
16 MarThe Gourmet Warehouse has a great line up of cooking classes coming up in April including Flavours of Vietnam, Greek Night, Cake Basics and Prawn Festival to name a few. Attending one of these classes, is certainly a fun way to spend an afternoon. Of course, there is always shopping after the cooking class as participants are offered a 10% discount for purchases made the day of your class. For a full line up of all the classes Gourmet Warehouse is offering this Spring visit Cooking Classes. We have set out a sampling of some of the delicious classes they have lined up:
Flavours of Vietnam – Saturday, April 18th 11:00 am ($59) SOLD OUT
Chef Cindy Low will introduce you to Vietnamese cuisine which is one of Southeast Asia’s best kept secrets. The emphasis will be on fresh Asian herbs and vegetables as well as bright seasonings that translate into refreshing, healthy and light cuisine. The dishes she will be making include:
•Vietnamese salad rolls with prawns, served with a spicy mango dipping sauce
•Shaking beef with arugula, served banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) style
•Chicken pho
•Stir-fried seasonal Asian greens
•Homemade Vietnamese carrot and daikon pickles
•Vietnamese coffee ice cream
NOTE: April 18th SOLD OUT so an extra date has been added Sunday, April 19th
Greek Night – Saturday, April 25th 11:00 am ($59)
Join Chef Cindy Low on another culinary journey to the beloved Greek islands with classic and traditional Greek dishes on the menu. Greek cuisine is highlighted by its distinctive, pure flavors and is satisfying in its simplicity. Not to mention, the Mediterrean diet is regarded by many as one of the healthiest in the world. Some of the delicious dishes Cindy will be preparing include:
•Horiatiki salata (Greek salad) – tomatoes, cucumber, feta, olives, green pepper, oregano,
extra virgin olive oil
•Prawns saganaki – prawns baked with tomatoes and feta
•Chicken souvlaki – tender cubes of chicken breast, marinated and grilled to perfection
•Roasted lemon potatoes
•Tzatziki – yogurt and cucumber dip
•Baklava “bites” – classic Greek dessert of nuts, honey, filo pastry
Cake Basics – Sunday, April 26th 11:00 am ($59)
You are invited to join instructor Rick Gaspard for this hands-on class. You can expect to learn the basic techniques required to decorate beautiful cakes for any occasion. You will also learn the basics of filling and frosting a cake, handling a piping bag and creating beautifully piped borders. As this is a hands-on class, registration is limited to 8 participants so early registration along with an apron is recommended.
Prawn Festival – Saturday, May 9th 11:00 am ($69) SOLD OUT
Well if you love prawns, this is the class for you. This cooking class coincides with the International Prawn Festival and to celebrate Chef Cindy Low will demonstrate how to cook prawns perfectly. Some of the dishes she will be showing you include:
•Prawn and mango amuse bouche
•Prawn and lobster bisque
•Prawns with chorizo and garlic, Spanish tapas-style
•Prawns and smoked salmon pasta in a cream sauce with herbs
•Wok-fried crystal tiger prawns with snow peas and asparagus
•Dark chocolate-dipped strawberries
If you are interested in any of the cooking classes, be sure to register early to avoid disappointment, classes do sell out. Bon Appetit!
2nd Annual Cider and Gluten Free Beer Tasting Event At Wise Hall March 21st
13 MarYou are invited to CiderWise taking place at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Saturday, March 21st. This delicious tasting event is brought to you by CAMRA Vancouver. As many know, there are a number of people that are gluten-intolerant, sensitive, allergic or choose to omit gluten for health reasons. Whatever the reason it makes drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages a little challenging. Even more so with the growing craft beer industry right here under our noses in East Vancouver. So we are pleased to see this event back at the Wise Hall to showcase gluten-free beers and ciders. Some of the participants lined up for this event include Txotx Basque Imports, Merridale Cider, Sea Cider, Left Field Cider Co. and Howling Moon Craft Cider. Want a bite of something to eat in between tastings? Food trucks will be set up outside the Wise Hall for your snacking pleasure with gluten free options of course. Tickets for CiderWISE are available at Eventbrite for $20 for CAMRA, WISE and Vanbrewers Members and $25 for non-members. Event kicks off at 1:00 and goes till 5:00 pm.