James Johnstone is back with a new historical walking tour in East Van’s Cedar Cottage. This area is rich with history. If you missed our writer Al Tee’s previous post on this area, you may wish to check out A Little East Van History – The Lakeview Disaster and The Wild West. If you wish to listen to a first hand account that delves in the rich history of this area, we encourage you to attend James Johnstone’s walking tour on Sunday, April 2nd. The tour will include learning about the Thomas Bell House which has an interesting history and Clark Park which is Vancouver’s second oldest civic park and home to a notorious gang, Clark Park Gang. To learn more about them, you can check out Aaron Chapman’s book The Last Gang In Town. This area also has an infamous connection to the Chicken Coop Murders that took place in California in 1928 and was the basis of a movie Changeling staring Angelina Jolie. The historial walking tour runs for 2 ½ to 3 hours and starts at 10:00 am at SW corner of Commercial Street and East 18th Avenue. Cost is $25 per person. To reserve your spot, email historywalks@gmail.com.
Winter isn’t quite done with us just yet, but with an exploding interest in gardening during the pandemic, many novice and experienced gardeners are planning ahead for Spring. If you wish to try and grow some food or flowers in your backyard or in a container, be sure to check out the next Seed Library Pop Up happening Saturday, February 25th at the Britannia Library. This weekend’s event is hosted by the Grandview Woodland Community Seed Library. This is a volunteer run community group that offers free access to seeds as well as opportunities to learn more about growing food and flowers. If you wish to check out their upcoming event it happens at the Britannia Library, 1661 Napier Street from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. If you can’t make this weekend’s event, next one happens March 25th at the same location. A Seed Library Pop Up will also take place at Spartacus Books, 1983 Commercial Drive on March 11th from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. To learn more, visit www.gwcseedlibrary.wordpress.com.
Gourmet Warehouse has some great new cooking classes lined up this Spring. If you haven’t already experienced one of their classes, it is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening with some like-minded food lovers. If you have participated, you know it’s a great way to pick up some knowledge and some great tips in the kitchen. Added bonus is after each cooking class all the participants are offered a 10% discount for purchases made the day of your class. We have set a few of their upcoming classes that caught our eye. For a full line up of all the classes Gourmet Warehouse is offering visit Cooking Classes.
Pleats & Eats: Dicky’s Dumpling Workshop – April 5, 2023
You are invited to join Pearl and Dickson, the creators of Dicky’s Dumps, as they show you how to effortlessly make your new favourite dumplings. You will learn various different dumpling folds and pinches to create beautiful and authentic treats that are perfect for sharing. This class will focus on three unique fillings and different cooking styles to expand your dumpling mastery. The menu for this class hasn’t been announced yet, but we’re pretty sure that it will be delicious! We also hear each class participant will be leaving the evening with a gift.
Date Night – Dreaming Of Amalfi Coast – April 20, 2023
If you have never been to the Amalfi Coast, we recommend putting it on your Bucket List. If you have been, you know how magical this part of Italy is. We encourage you to treat yourself and that special someone in your life with “Dreams of the Amalfi Coast” and discover the beautiful fresh flavours of one of the most famous coastlines in the world. Amalfi cuisine is encapsulated by fresh seafood, sparkling lemon, and perfectly ripened vegetables to fill your stomach and your soul. The menu for this class is set out below. Note: tickets for this class are being sold in pairs.
MENU
• Huacatay Vinaigrette Quinoa Salad with Mango, Avocado, Roasted Pepper, and Rocota Chili • Verduras Causa – Whipped Beetroot and Potato, Lima Bean Puree, Aji Salsa, Pickled Beet, Huacatay, and Yam Chips • Nikkei Ceviche – Wild Sockeye Salmon, Ginger, Avocado with Passion Fruit Ponzu, Wasabi Aioli, and Nori • Lomo Saltado – Skirt Steak with Onion, Tomatoes, and Peppers with Kennebec Fries
Pasta Like A Pro – Spring In The South – April 27, 2023
Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu invites to join him to explore the regions of Southern Italy dish-by-dish, making each course yourself with expert guidance from our chefs. Roasted vegetables, classical pasta shapes, and delectable sauces will take you along the Mediterranean coastline of one of Italy’s historic regional cuisines. The menu for this class is set out below.
MENU
• Roasted Local Asparagus with Vin Cotto, Mortadella and Pecorino Romano, Fine Olive Oil • Hand Shaped Orecchiette with Fresh Herbs, Olive Oil, Zucchini and Bottarga • Maccheroni al Ferretto with Fennel Sausage Ragu, Spring Peas and Sheep’s Cheese • Lemon Cream with Preserved Berries
To see all the classes being offered and or to register, we invite you to visit GourmetWarehouse.ca.
The Cultch, Urban Ink & Raven Theatre present the world premiere of Corey Payette’s Starwalker, which comes to the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations February 16 until March 5, 2023, at the York Theatre.
The story follows Starwalker, an Indigi-Queer Two-Spirit drag queen learning the ropes of the East Van Drag community. When Starwalker is introduced to Drag at the House of Borealis, their whole world changes, introducing them to a home they never knew they needed, creating a new persona that blends their grounded Indigenous cultural spirit with drag performance, resulting in an empowering and celebratory experience that only tearing down the patriarchy can provide.
Award-winning interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, composer, and director Corey Payette has gained acclaim for his large-scale contemporary musicals, which bring his Indigenous perspective to mainstream spaces—including Children of God, and Les Filles du Roi (which Payette co-wrote with Julie McIsaac). Both powerful musicals had their premieres at The Cultch’s York Theatre, and have toured extensively, receiving accolades wherever they go.
In 2021, Payette received the inaugural BC Reconciliation Award for his work and commitment to inspiring and making lasting change to reconciliation through the arts. His highly acclaimed musical production, Children of God, has brought conversations on truth and reconciliation to audiences throughout Canada.
Starwalker was commissioned and developed by The Musical Stage Company (Toronto). Their blank canvas offer gave Payette the freedom to explore a side of himself that he hasn’t spent as much time within his other work. It allowed him to express the joy he finds in his Two-Spirit and queer identity.
Starwalker will share a familiarity of style and scope with Payette’s past work, but brings to life a more modern story, presented with a contemporary score combining pop/rock music, with pulsing drums, and powerful vocals from some of Vancouver’s most talented.
The cast includes Dillan Chiblow (known as Tommy/Tom in Children of God), Stewart Adam McKensy (known for his portrayal of Lola in Kinky Boots), and Jeffrey Follis (Drag Queen Urupa)—bring Starwalker’s story to life with choreography from Ralph Escamillan, and musical direction from Sean Bayntun. “I really wanted to look at uplifting some of these voices in a way that was joyous and wasn’t tied to their trauma,” says Payette. “While the characters have experienced hardship, the show is actually about how they are working their way through those issues to find joy, to find love, and to find family and home.”
Tickets for Starwalker are now on sale starting from $25. Note, for self-identifying Indigenous patrons, there $15 tickets available. For tickets, visit The Cultch.
“Starwalker is a brilliant and unique piece that expertly and unexpectedly blends musical styles to tell moving stories in innovative ways.” Playwrights Guild of Canada, Tom Hendry Awards Jury
Liberty Merchant Company presents the 9th Annual East Side Beer Fest tasting event on Wednesday, March 15th at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street. After 3 long years the East Side Beer Fest is back to feature craft beers from local BC producers as well as producers from around the world. This event is a fundraiser for the Great Vancouver Food Bank Society which helps provides some 25,000 people in need each week. All ticket sales and draw prizes directly support the Great Vancouver Food Bank Society. Early bird tickets are $24.99 until February 15th after which they are $29.99. Tickets are available at all Liberty Wine Merchant locations. In East Vancouver, visit them at 1622 Commercial Drive or call them at 604.633.1922. The event gets under way at 7:00 pm and goes till 9:00 pm.
If you love finding that perfect vintage piece, you’ll want to mark your calendar for the Eastside Flea’s Vintage Pop Ups happening this month. They will be hosting a vintage pop up for two weekends February 11th and 12th and February 18th and 19th at 1739 Venables Street (at Commercial Drive). You can expect to find over 30 vendors along with all things vintage and food trucks. Event happens from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm each day of the event.
It may be cool outside, but if you’ve got the gardening bug, you will already be thinking about what plants you’d like to grow this Spring. There is no better time than now to start planning. Whether you are a novice or experienced gardener, you may wish to check out the upcoming Seedy Saturday hosted by the Grandview Woodland Community Seed Library. Their first event of the year happens Saturday, February 11th at the Britannia Teen Centre, 1661 Napier Street, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. There will be free seeds available to pick up or swap along with prizes and a draw. To learn more about this event and future events, visit www.gwcseedlibrary.wordpress.com.
If you are a star at karaoke and love your 80s tunes, we’ve got a fun night out for you. On February 25th the Firehall Arts Centre is hosting Stayin’ Alive which is an 80s themed fundraiser. You are invited to bring you best 80s attire, learn your favourite 80s tune and get on stage for a lip sync contest. Are you ready for your 5 minutes of fame? Maybe dressed like some memorable 80s musical icons namely Madonna, Prince, Cindy Lauper or Billy Idol just to name a few. There will be prizes, dance demonstrations and a DJ along with good eats and a specially crafted Firehall 1906 Martini from the good folks at Odd Society Spirits. Tickets for this fundraising event are $75 ($50 tax receipt). To grab your tickets, or get more information, visit Firehall Arts Centre.
This weekend we had the pleasure of checking out the newly opened To Live For Bakery located at 1508 Nanaimo Street at Grant Street. This is the brain child of Vancouver based vegan food blogger and business owner, Erin Ireland. Erin has had a passion for plant based cooking and baking for some time. You may have seen her vegan banana bread, then named To Die For Banana Bread, which was a part of her ongoing business evolution. Erin operated her bakery business from a commissary kitchen and supplied over 150 cafes. Erin has taken the next logical leap and embarked on a bricks and mortar vegan bakery which opened last November in East Van. We’ve been hearing good things, so we stopped by this weekend to check it out. We had the added pleasure of chatting with Erin herself who was handing out samples of carrot cake to those waiting in line. We can attest that the carrot cake was light, flavourful and oh so delicious. We also sampled the hazelnut mousse cake, only available to the end of the month, croissant and cinnamon bun.
To Live For Bakery has lots to offer including coffee, sweet and savoury treats, bread and beautiful cakes. Erin has chosen a bright white modern décor accented by natural wood. There is seating inside, but fair warning this is a busy spot, so be prepared for a short wait. The line moves fairly quickly and the samples certainly help, but the short wait allows you to view all that’s on offer. In good news, more seating is planned for the outdoor space in the summer. We love seeing these community spaces pop up in East Van neighbourhoods and wish Erin nothing but success and look forward to our next visit. To Live For Bakery is open 7 days a week from 7:00 to 5:00 pm. Stop by and check out this great new local spot.
It’s very easy to see why Fado was such a big hit at the Firehall in 2019 and why they decided to bring it back as part of getting into the swing of things with live theatre again.
This play attempts to blend an ambitious number of themes into a typical runtime of 90 minutes or so and not only succeeds but makes it look easy.
I went in not knowing much about it besides that I like Fado music even if I don’t listen to it very often. I expected to be impressed with Fado as a musical and a story of artistic ambition and development, and that’s 100% true. We get not just one but 3 incredibly talented singers showing us how an entire country could be in love with “the saddest music in the world” and the way it turns pain into beauty.
We get an appealing and sympathetic main character who wants to learn to sing Fado with true Portuguese passion even if she was born in Canada and some people think that makes her too happy and too lucky to pull it off. We get a cantankerous yet charming mentor figure. We get singing that shows strong yet unrealized potential – which is quite something to pull off when a lot of the audience isn’t very familiar with what the fullest expression of the form would sound like.
At the same time, we also get an interesting examination of Portugal’s 20th Century history and politics as seen from contrasting points of view – with a couple of questions that you may have never considered before such as, “can a song be fascist?” We get a conversation about whether emigrants can ever really leave the home country behind and whether they can ever really return to it, as well as what the imagined homeland means to the second generation. We get two love stories with some surprising twists and turns. And Fado fits all of this in with a script that feels like natural conversation, never forcing large chunks of backstory or introspection into anyone’s lines.
Performances are very strong across the board but for me the standout is Natércia Napoleao’s Luisa, the main character’s mother. She seems at first meeting like she’s going to be an Old-World Mum cliché, a bit of comic relief that we return to occasionally, wielding her precious iron to make everything fancy. However, she quickly blossoms into a complex character, although not always a likable one. She’s a woman who actively resists being stereotyped and complicates the narrative or speaks volumes by simply walking away when others try to dismiss her too easily.
If I have any quibbles it would be that the play introduces a gay character whose story feels like it doesn’t quite have time enough to breathe or resolve properly. That said the character and his storyline are every bit as strong as the rest of this tale in the moments he does get – and it’s possible that too neat a resolution would be a dishonest way of presenting what it’s like to be gay in a very Catholic country.
ILiveInEastVan.com 