I Love East Van Pins are currently available at Safeway’s Commercial Drive & Broadway location (1780 Broadway) for $2.00. All proceeds from the sale of the pin benefit Easter Seals and the Special Olympics. For sale while quantities last. Support two great causes and show your East Van pride. I’ve got mine. Do you have yours?
If you missed the first Eastside Flea in March, well you are in luck. The Flea will be back this Saturday, April 20th at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street. The rafters will be filled with vintage items once again, but as before there well be new items available including handmade leather goods by Hannah Newton and Dominic Tweed. New vendors on board this time around include Eastside Re-Rides with leather goods and Jordan River Soap Works with handmade products. The Flea runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Organizers lucked out with a perfect sunny day the first go around in March, here’s hoping for the same the second time around.
Seriously good ice cream is quite a statement and I can assure you that they don’t exaggerate when they use that phrase. Who is they you might ask? That would be Ben Ernst and Erica Bernardi, the master minds behind Earnest Ice Cream. These East Vancouver residents launched their business less than a year ago. So far, seriously good ice cream.
Ben and Erica make their ice cream from scratch emphasizing fresh local ingredients, translation no chemical stabilizers, artificial colours or flavours. The ice cream is then packaged in reusable pint sized mason jars which sell for $10 each at the Farmers Market with $1.00 returned when you return the jar. Their passion for ice cream is obvious by the creative array of flavours. Some of their seasonal choices include Strawberry Basil, Blackberry Pepper and Pumpkin Pie. Readily available now is my personal favourite Whiskey Hazelnut. This is the flavour that got me hooked, although I am currently working my way through a jar of Salted Caramel ice cream which is delicious in its own right.
This weekend you will find Ben and Erica at the Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium, 30th & Ontario, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. They will have on hand some of the favourites including Salted Caramel, Whiskey Hazelnut, Oatmeal Brown Sugar, Milk Chocolate, Cardamom and Lavender along with a few others. They will also have on hand their now famous ice cream sandwiches. Ben and Erica are at the Farmers Market about every 2nd weekend and do post on their Facebook Page when they will be at the market next. If you aren’t able to make it to the market, Earnest Ice Cream is available at Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary, 485 Commercial Street, (just South of East Hastings Street) and about a dozen other retail locations. To learn more about Earnest Ice Cream and the retail locations where their ice cream is available, check out their website at www.earnesticecream.com. Bon appetit! You won’t be disappointed.
Vaisakhi is a festival celebrated every April by millions of Sikhs around the world. It is a day that marks the New Year and is also the anniversary of one of the most important events in Sikhisim, that being Khalsa. It also marks the beginning of the Harvest Season. This Saturday, April 13th, come celebrate Vaisakhi. A parade will start its procession at 11:00 a.m. from the Ross Street Temple, 8000 Ross Street (at 64th Avenue) in SE Vancouver and will travel south on Ross Street to SE Marine Drive, then west on Main Street, North to 49th Avenue and east to Fraser Street, south to 57th Avenue, east to Ross Street before returning to the Ross Street Temple. In addition to the parade, there will be Nagar Kirtan hymns, floats, live music, rides and free food prepared by local residents and businesses. The event runs until 4:00 p.m.
If you are passionate about supporting local designers, then this is the place to be next weekend. The 6th Annual Nifty for Fifty Sale takes place on Sunday, April 14th at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street. This blowout sale features over 30 Vancouver designers including Adhesif Clothing, Daub & Design and MeiKu Designs. It is way for local designers to give back to their loyal customers, as all items are priced $50 or less. You will find clothing, shoes, hats and women’s accessories as well as a few vintage items. The sale runs from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is $1.00 at the door. As many of the vendors are cash only, you may wish to make a stop at the ATM first so you don’t miss out on that great find. There will be many, here is a sample of a few of them.
For many, the heart of East Vancouver is ‘The Drive’ as it is fondly known. It is the stretch of Commercial Drive that runs 21 blocks from Venables at the north end to 13th Avenue at the south end. It is one of my favourite destinations in East Vancouver. A few stops I love to make are the First Ravioli Store, 1900 Commercial Drive, for the City’s best fresh pasta. Or for a vast selection of cheese, not to mention hearty sandwhiches made to order at the La Grotta del Formaggio, 1791 Commercial Drive. Every birthday I only ever request one cake and that’s the Saint Honore cake from Fratelli’s Authentic Italian Bakery, 1795 Commercial Drive. If you take a left at Venables and walk a block east to Uprising Breads, 1697 Venables Street, you will find some of the best gingersnap cookies in town. As always, there is a lot of hustle and bustle on The Drive on a beautiful sunny day. This is what it looked like today in photos.
Photo Credit: CreatEveInVan
It was a busy day in the beautiful sunshine at yesterday’s Winter Farmers Market. In case you missed it, here is a sample of what will be in store when they do it all again next weekend, March 30th. Same time 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., same place adjacent to Nat Bailey Stadium at 30th & Ontario. For more information as to which vendors are at the market next week, checkout their website www.eatlocal.org.
I recently had the pleasure of attending an artisan bread making class presented by local artisan bread maker, Chris Brown, of Rise Artisan Bakery. Chris sells his delicious artisan breads at the Winter Farmers Market held at Nat Bailey Stadium. He will be there in good form this Saturday, March 23rd along with his hot cross buns just in time for Easter. What is notable is that Chris also makes world class orange Seville marmalade and I do mean world class. Chris recently entered his marmalade “The Bitter End” in the World’s Original Marmalade Awards held in Penrith, England. There were over 1,500 entrants from around the world. Chris made away with the Silver Medal in the Artisan Category. I can attest that the marmalade is really that good, in my humble opinion. The award winning marmalade will also be available at this weekend’s Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. To learn more about Rise Artisan Bakery, check out their Facebook page. Congratulations Chris!
If you have a sweet tooth, the Baker’s Market in SE Vancouver is the place for you. This concept was inspired by the local farmers markets, but you won’t find any veggies here. Although you may find some vegan baked goods. The range of products is quite diverse including exquisite French macarons by J’adore les Macarons, gluten free products by We Against The Grain and Sweet Lily Bakery specializing in puff pastry, cookies, cakes, pastry, and cupcakes. That is only the beginning. You will also find organic muffins, brownies, handmade chocolates, Belgian waffles, scones, preserves, tarts, granola and much more. This market is a community based event that brings out the professional and amateur baker as well as student and Mommy bakers. The Baker’s Market starts up again Saturday, March 30th at the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street (60th & Fraser). It will run each consecutive Saturday until May 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. As the event is held indoors, it is a go rain or shine. Add to that, there is free admission, free parking and free samples! So come out and support your local talented creative bakers.
If you would like to make your community a better place, consider applying for a Neighbourhood Small Grant. If you have not heard about this program, it is worth looking into. You can apply for grants from $50 to $500 for projects in your neighbourhood. The aim of the program, which is funded by the Vancouver Foundation, is to connect and engage people within the community in which they live. Neighbours can get together and make an application for a variety of events. Some examples of past events include neighbourhood block parties, clean up campaigns, ethnic cooking classes, emergency preparedness plans, community gardens and an outdoor movie night. The ideas are only limited by your imagination. Once your application is submitted, it is reviewed by a Resident Advisory Committee made up of residents in your neighbourhood. Applicants are advised by May 1st if they receive funding and are asked to have their projects completed by November 30th. In East Vancouver, the program is available in the following 4 areas:
Carnegie, Strathcona, Ray-Cam
Cedar Cottage, Kensington, Hastings-Sunrise
Mount Pleasant, Little Mountain
South Vancouver, Collingwood
Deadline for applications is March 31st. Applications can be made on on-line at the Neighbourhood Grants Program.
