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New In Town – Olive & Wild A Beautiful New Store At 4391 Main Street

4 Oct

olivewild1We stopped in to check out a beautiful new store on Main Street this past weekend called Olive & Wild. It is located at 4391 Main Street and situated across the street from the Little Mountain Shop and just doors down from the YWCA Thrift Shop at 28th Avenue.  When you walk into this store, you will find an array of beautiful home décor and gift items. The mix is local as well as international. You can expect to find beautiful throw pillows by Eight Mood as well as award winning unique metal ware by Michael Aram. Some local artisans include beautiful ceramics by Laura van der Linde and work by Christina Hillborne and Claire Olivier.  The store has barely been open 2 weeks, but word is certainly out. We hear people are flocking in locally as well as from White Rock, Surrey and the North Shore.  The store has its official opening October 23rd by which time their website will be up and running with a small e-commerce component.  A nice added touch is that Olive & Wild offers gift wrapping with their signature black paper and white & black ribbon. Olive & Wild is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, Sundays 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and closed Mondays. We invite you to stop by and check out this great addition to the many great stores along this stretch of Main Street. Or you can check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

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Great Line Up of Delish Pop Up Shops at Former Pie Shoppe Gore Street Location

19 Sep

heydumplingsThe French sisters, proprietors of The Pie Shoppe, who are known for making fabulous pie have moved their pie making expertise to their new larger location at 1875 Powell Street. This means their former location on Gore Street in Chinatown will be home to some food inspired Pop Up Shops over the coming months. We’ve learnt what some of those delish edibles will be and set them out below.  We invite you to stop by and support these budding entrepreneurs.

September 17 – 23, 2016

Hey, Dumplings! with Chef Heather Johnston. She will be making fresh handmade sweet and savoury dumplings from 11:00 am each day until they sell out. You are welcome to eat-in (although a very tiny space, or take out). Cost is $12 a bowl.  If you wish to follow Chef Heather, you can check her out on Instagram at @heydumplings. Or if you wish to learn how to make your own delicious dumplings, Chef Heather is offering workshops this week.  Check out her website at HeyDumplings! for dates and times.

September 24 – October 2, 2016

ULAM with Chef Josie Heyland. Chef Josie will be making French inspired Filipino meat and veggie bowls with local and fresh ingredients. Prices range from $5 – $15. 

October 11 – 31, 2016

Melt Confections with Pastry Chef Kate Mathewson. She will be making delicious chocolates and other confectionaries from $3 a piece.

November 2 –  April 30, 2016

Sweet Boy Cream Puffs with Chams. These we heard were being sold by way of tricycle and we hear are absolutely delicious. Chams will be making seasonally inspired cream puffs and confectionaries. He will be also be serving coffee and a selection of some of his favourite things. Prices will start at $4. You can follow him on Instagram at @sweetboycreampuffs to see what’s new or where you might find him before November.

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East Van Artist June Hunter End of Summer Studio Sale September 10 & 11

8 Sep

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One of our favourite East Van artists June Hunter is having her End of Summer Studio Sale this weekend. For those that aren’t familiar with June’s work, she has a way with nature that shows in all her pieces. Her work has been featured in Style at Home House and Home and Where Vancouver as well as on CBC’s Living Vancouver.

During this weekend’s End of Summer Studio Sale, you can expect to find sale prices on art, cards, jewellery, tiles, magnets and one of a kind mixed media miniatures. June has been working on many new designs including crowbars and jewellery featuring symbols of Vancouver which include some bold colourful pieces.  June Hunter’s Studio is located at 2785 Parker Street (one block west of Renfrew – between Hastings St. and First Avenue). The Studio Sale runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 10th and Sunday, September 11th.

If you are not able to make the Studio Sale, you can also visit her Shop Online or find some of her work at Doctor Vigari Gallery, 1816 Commercial Drive as well as Bird on A Wire Creations at 2535 Main Street.

Photos Courtesy of June Hunter Images

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Foto Friday – For The Love Of Pie

2 Sep

PieTheShoppeLast Sunday we checked out the new digs of The Pie Shoppe’s new Powell Street location at the foot of Victoria. They had a soft opening this past Saturday, August 27th. This is bright white beautiful space with reclaimed wood tables and dotted with plants and an amazing selection of records. It is situated in great company, with neighbours like Bistro Wagon Rogue right next door and Doan’s Craft Brewing across the street, not to mention Scandillious just around the corner. So one could easily do their own food and beer walking tour with a number of other breweries within easy walking distance such as Parallel 49 Brewing. Last Sunday though we came for the pie and the Pie Making Workshop which was a lot of fun. The Pie Shoppe is run by two sisters, Stephanie and Andrea French, who truly are the masters of pie, specifically the pie dough making it look well, easy as pie. Anyone that’s made pie dough knows there are some variations and it takes some practice to get that crust just right.  We left our workshop with a perfect pie which was filled with peaches, nectarines, a few cherries a bit of vanilla bean syrup, cinnamon and cardamom.  It was truly an amazing pie which earned us rave reviews from family and friends.  Whether you wish to learn how to make your own pie, sweet or savoury, or just stop by and taste a slice, do check out The Pie Shoppe on Powell Street.  The French sisters have a couple more workshops coming up this month and if you can’t make those, more are planned as they settle into their new space.  

 

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Gourmet Warehouse Offering Delish Cooking Classes This September

29 Aug

SushiWorkshopThe Gourmet Warehouse has another round of delicious cooking classes lined up for this Fall. These classes are a great way to spend an afternoon and meet some like-minded food lovers. Personally, we like the shopping after the cooking class as participants are offered a 10% discount for purchases made the day of your class. We have set out below some of the upcoming classes that caught our eye.  For a full line up of all the classes Gourmet Warehouse is offering visit Cooking Classes.

Sushi Workshop – Saturday, September 17th 11:00 am ($69) SOLD OUT

In this hands-on class, Chef Cindy Low is going to teach you how to make sushi.  You will learn to make vinegared sushi rice, how to mix wasabi, how to prepare a variety of fillings including seafood, vegetarian, tofu and eggs.  As well, Chef Low will teach how to make sushi rolls, cones and a variety of shapes as well as tips on how to host your own ‘do it yourself’ sushi party.  Some of the sushi you will learn to make include:

• California rolls (crab, avocado, cucumber, rolled “inside out”)
• Futomaki (thick roll with vegetables, omelet, Japanese pickled vegetables)
• Hoso maki (thin rolls, with various fillings, such as salmon, tuna, cucumber)
• Inari sushi (stuffed tofu pouches)
• Temaki (cones, with various fillings)
• Nigiri sushi (rice with a sliced topping)
• Gunkan sushi (rice wrapped with seaweed with various fillings)
• Onigiri (rice triangles)
• Miso soup with tofu

Taco Night– Saturday, September 24th 11:00 am ($65)

In this demonstration cooking class, Chef Cindy Low is going to teach you three different ways to make very tasty tacos. She will also teach you how to make homemade salsa and Mexican brownies. These really are simple the dishes to make, so for the novice wishing to learn a few skills, you won’t be disappointed.  Some of the delicious dishes you will learn to make include:

• Classic Tex-Mex tacos – crispy taco shell with ground beef, tomatoes,
cheese, lettuce, sour cream, avocado
• Chicken fajitas – marinated chicken breast with bell peppers and onions wrapped
in a wheat tortilla
• Salmon tacos with papaya salsa, soft corn tortilla
• Easiest ever homemade salsa, served with tortilla chips
• Mexican brownies

 Flavours of Vietnam – Sunday, September 25th 11:00 am ($65)

In this demonstration cooking class, Thompson Tran is going to teach you how to make classic Vietnamese dishes. He will focus on family budgets, what’s local and in season all in the pursuit of our favourite thing, delicious food  As always, you are encouraged to come hungry, you will be eating the items made in class. Thompson has chosen three Vietnamese dishes that are simple, inexpensive quick and healthy. What you will learn to make includes:

• Appetizer: “CHA GOI, NUOC MAM PHA” (Gluten free spring rolls & Nuoc Cham)
• Main: “Ca KHO TO, COM VA SU XAO TOI” (Caramelized tilapia with scented
jasmine rice and garlic chayote)
• Dessert: “CHE XOI NUOC” (Mochi dumplings in coconut ginger syrup).

If you are interested in any of the cooking classes, be sure to register early to avoid disappointment, classes do sell out. Bon Appetit!

 

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The Little Mountain Pop Up Shop Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary August 16-21

18 Aug

OneYearLittleMountainPopUpThe Little Mountain Pop Up Shop is a great space located at 4386 Main Street. If you haven’t already checked out this amazing space, we highly recommend you do. Outside of it being a beautiful space run by two fantastic ladies, it is an entrepreneurial hub. Right now, creators of this space, Natasha and Alice are celebrating 1 year in this space. They have created an amazing showcase of over 20 local makers for a special One Year Anniversary Pop Up Shop which includes:

Explorer’s Press
Bag Of Holding
Missy May Bags
SAXX Underwear
RVCA
Nine O’Clock Gun
MACCS
Smash + Tess
Tuck Shop Trading Co.
Feelin’ It Decals
Lisa Warren Pottery
Bloc
G Ceramic And Co
Agnes in August
Lover’s Tempo
Amara Blue Designs
Erinlaura
Wheat Kids Clothing
Mawdsleyloves
Glitter & Spice
Beauty In The Backcountry
Peregrine Supply Co.
West Coast & Co
KAITCREATIVE
Sarah Hammond Studio
Tuzla Interiors

One of many makers participating in this Pop Up Shop is East Van’s Amara Blue Designs. Creator, Kassandra Taylor, makes beautiful hand stamped jewellery which will be available for this Pop Up Shop.

On Thursday, August 18th, you are invited to a celebration night with treats from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm which will feature Salt Spring Coffee cold brews and beers from Postmark Brewing. All donations will go toward a friend’s Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser. The Pop Up Shop is open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily until Sunday, August 21st. 

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The Drive Coffee Bar (formerly Café Napoli) Featuring East Van Artists

15 Aug

Clint EastwoodWe recently sat down with Kenny Vannucci, co-owner of The Drive Coffee Bar (formerly Café Napoli) on Commercial Drive near 1st Avenue.  This coffee shop has been transformed from its former space with white walls, a unique coffee bar and some beautiful brick work. One feature wall in the back showcases all of Kenny’s photos taken around East Van. The rest of the space has been set aside to showcase East Van artists.  The Drive Coffee Bar doesn’t take commissions, but encourages the artists to host a gallery night during the month. The current artist featured caught our eye, Kathryn McPhee.  She has a great eye for colour and applies elements of graffiti and animation.  She uses oil pastels, acrylics and spray paint. Kathryn has been drawing and painting since she was a child and currently works out of The Arts Factory which is a mixed-use arts facility in a transformed warehouse at 281 Industrial Avenue.   Last year, Kathryn participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl for the first time and her work was showcased at the Firehall Culture Crawl Exhibition which featured the works of new artists. She currently keeps busy with commissioned works, but she will be hosting a Gallery Night at The Drive Coffee Bar on Wednesday, August 24th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Kathryn will be on hand to chat and has some local musicians lined up for the evening including Sadie Campbell and Cam Labelle doing an acoustic set. Stop by and check out this talented artist and this great new space on the Drive.

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KnifeWear Moves To Permanent Home At 4215 Main Street

11 Aug

KnifeWear1Knifewear moves from Pop Up Shop on East Hastings to their permanent home at 4215 Main Street. If you love to cook, then this is the store for you.  They have amazingly beautiful quality knives from Japan.  Their Grand Opening is now underway with some special events lined up for the opening.  August 11 – 16 they will be hosting a Knifewear Garage Sale.  Twice a year, owner, Kevin Kent, travels to Japan to meet with blacksmiths and sources out one-of-a-kind finds, some lightly used samples knives and a few unusual items thrown in for good measure. We understand prices start from $75 for the Garage Sale. On August 20th, they will have on hand a 27th generation Master Blacksmith, Moritaka Hamono from 9:00 am to 11:00 am who will be available to personalize your knife. As an added bonus, knives are currently 10% off at all locations and online at KnifeWear.com until the end of August. Stop by and check out their permanent home which is in the midst of many great shops on Main Street.

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New In Town: Gift-A-Green – The Greeting Card That Grows

4 Aug

Postcard-mini_2048x2048It’s been a little while since we’ve featured a new business in East Van and we recently came across something we loved.  It’s called Gift-A-Green and it’s another great thing to come out of the creative space that is the MakerLabs. Cam Auge and Bryan Kinney have based their business in Strathcona and are single handedly bringing “LIFE” back to the greeting card industry.  What is “Gift-A-Green”?  It’s much like a postcard, but it’s actually a pouch with seeds for micro-greens which grow in the pouch itself. And yes, it’s edible, that is the point. Once you’ve purchased the pouch, you just write your personal message to the recipient, their name and address, affix a stamp and pop in the mail.  For the receiver of the Gift-A-Green, you just tear along the dotted line, remove the small bag filled with seeds and add water to it, place the pouch in a sunny location and watch the microgreens grow.  They should be ready to eat in about 14 days time.  The greetings currently come in 5 themes including Thank You, Congratulations, I Love You, Thinking Of You and Happy Birthday. All the seeds are locally sourced and non GMO.  You can purchase their greeting cards online for $9.95 for a single Gift-A-Green or all 5 messages for $45.95. You can also find these unique greeting cards locally at KimPrints in Gastown, Benny’s Market at 598 Union Street, MakerLabs Store, also Vancouver Special at 3612 Main Street, Walrus, Vancouver Art Gallery, Indigo and Garden Works.  You can bet we will be watching this young company grow and we hear via the grapevine they will be featured on the upcoming season of Dragons’ Den that starts this September.  In the meantime, we invite you to check out their very cool informative website.

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Self-Guided Food & Culture Tour Around Mount Pleasant

21 Jul

MountPleasantWe recently organized a group walking tour in Mount Pleasant which included a bit of food, some libations as well as some local culture. We thought we’d share with you some of the spots we hit and in what order for those that wish to replicate some or all of the spots we hit in whatever order you see fit.  Geographically, we started South on Main Street and worked our way North down the hill.   We have listed out below all of our stops along the way with some alternate suggestions for those that wish to customize the list to their personal preferences. We had a blast on this tour and, of course, the local businesses, loved new faces being introduced to the products/services they offered. MPTourParallel49MPTourLuckys

So enough of the preliminaries, let’s get touring.  Our first stop was at 49th Parallel/Lucky’s Doughnuts at Main Street & 13th Avenue for great coffee and donuts. We were a group of 10, so lots of space on their outdoor patio for a larger group as well as inside.  After coffee, we headed to Bird On A Wire Creations which is packed with so much great stuff by BC artisans and local makers. If you need to find a gift for someone, there’s a good chance you will find something here. If you are at Bird On A Wire on a Saturday, you may find Bouquets by Mary which is a floral pop up within Bird On A Wire Creations. While at Bird On A Wire, we encourage you to pop into another great store literally next door, Much & Little. Much & Little has some very cool items including MPTourSipsclothing and accessories. Our find, coveted pens that write on glass and plates aptly named Wine Glass Writer.  Next stop took us to Sips Cocktail Emporium where one of the owners Darcy is always on hand with advice and suggestions on how to make the prefect cocktail.   Next up we headed for lunch and libations at Chicha Restaurant which features deliciousMPTourChichaPiscoSour Peruvian food and delicious pisco sours which was a perfect spot for a late lunch/brunch before carrying on.  For dessert, we headed over to French Made Baking where you can find an amazing array of macarons, flaky croissants and a variety of sweet treats.  Next stop was Dandelion Emporium which again if you are looking for gifts, this is another spot with unique gift ideas. Then of course, right next door was Pulp Fiction Books which had a great selection of books.  Next up was some stops across the street to check out a couple of the vintage shops on or near Main Street, F as In Frank and Scout Boutique (MOVED) whilst another group stopped into  RX Comics.  After that everyone got thirsty, so we made our way to Brassneck Brewery which was a great spot, but as a larger group, we did have to wait for a bit which we were fine with, but it’s a popular spot for those not wishing to wait.  As many may know, there is quite a hub of craft breweries in this area, so there are a number of other great options including 33 Acres Brewing, Main Street Brewing & R&B Brewing which will soon also be an ale and pizza house.  Our next intended stop was Beta 5 Chocolates which if you didn’t know makes world class chocolates and hosts Ice Cream Socials on the weekends in the summer months. We apparently spent some time hanging out in the brewery, so they were closed by the time we were ready to go. So we carried on to other two sweet spots. Firstly, Cartems Donuts which was literally a few feet from Brassneck Brewery and then down to Earnest Ice Cream at Quebec & 2nd to finish things off.  Of course, if you prefer gelato, Mario’s Gelati isn’t far at 1st and Quebec.    For those trying to figure out timing, we started our day about 11:30 am and finished up about 6:00 pm, but it was a leisurely day of wandering and catching up with friends and introducing them to some of the things I love about East Van. We invite you to do your own self-guided tour and visit as many of the spots noted above, they are all worth stopping in to see. 

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