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.
PushOFF comes to the Russian Hall January 30 to February 4, 2023. PushOFF is an independently produced artist-run curated platform featuring tour-ready work and projects in development. This hyper-local event fosters the artistic practices of a community of artists and allows them to share bold new work with Canadian and international audiences. Now in its 13th season PUSHoff will present live in-person shows at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue, between January 30 to February 4, 2023. If you prefer to take in a performance from the comfort of home, you can check out their digital offerings at pushoff.org. Tickets range from $15 to $20 for in person and on-line shows. For more information, visit pushoff.org.
Something different has landed in the space of the Vancouver Alpen Club (Victoria Ave & 33rd Avenue) this January. Beauty and The Beast Cocktail Experience is now running until January 15th. This is billed as an escape room, theatre show and adventure all blended into one.
The event is based on the Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont fairytale. You are invited on a 90-minute journey that steps into the enchanted and cursed world of Beauty & The Beast. The theme is an elegant Victorian cocktail party (dress-up is encouraged). You’ll be invited to dance, sample from the Castle’s finest delights (of the alcoholic and edible variety), but they say to be careful not to overstay your welcome to take anything that’s not yours – or you may not get home at all. The event is bill as theatrical, alternate reality experience that dives into some magic and fantasy along with fabulous cocktails. The event is brought to you by the interactive team behind The Wizard’s Den, Beyond Cinema and The Alice. Tickets are $45 and available now at Explore Hidden.
Looking for something fun and different to do for Valentine’s Day this year? Check out this Make A Glass Heart workshop being offered by Terminal City Glass on February 11th? In this workshop, two people will work with a professional glass artist to make a colourful glass heart-shaped paperweight that will be a keepsake for years to come. No experience is required, but you must be a least 16 years of age. There are a number of time slots throughout the day, but note each time slot has a limit of 4 spaces. To register or for more information, visit Terminal City Glass Co-Op.
Gourmet Warehouse has some great new cooking classes lined up for 2023, but fair warning many of the upcoming classes are already sold out. So if something piques your interest, we recommend registering. 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.
Pasta Like A Pro: Southern Italia – February 23, 2023
If you love fresh pasta, this class is for you. You are invited to roll up your sleeves and learn how to make some Italian staples from scratch. This is a hands-on class in which Chef Deniz while guide you through each step. You’ll leave this class with the working knowledge of how to make your own dough, form authentic Italian pasta shapes, create a timeless ragu, plus garnishing the Mediterranean way. We’ve set out the menu for this class below:
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• Winter Salad with Caramelized Squash, Goat’s Cheese Truffles, Winter Greens, and Fine Balsamic, Crostini • Hand Shaped Orecchiette with Light Sausage Ragu, and Roasted Rapini, Parmesan Reggiano • Fresh Maccheroni Cacio Pepe with Pecorino Romano and Burnt Hazelnuts • Vanilla Gelato with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Maldon Salt
Modern Peruvian – March 7, 2023
Acclaimed local chef Shelome Bouvette invites you on a journey of flavours through Peru. You will be introduced to classic Peruvian comfort food with a contemporary twist. We’ve set out the menu below:
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• 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
Cheesemaking 101: Mozzarella, Bocconcini & Burrata – March 5, 2023
You are invited to learn how to create your own mozzarella, burrata and bocconcini using store bought milk. This class is led by Paula Nelson-Maddison who will teach you the science behind cheese in this 2 hour taste, touch and feel demonstration class. Paula will also show you unique and creative ways of serving these cheeses. For this demonstration class, each student will take home a kit so you can make 4 pounds of cheese at home along with online support.
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• Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes, Artisanal Crackers and Bread
To see all the classes being offered and or to register, we invite you to visit GourmetWarehouse.ca.
Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) is a wonderful volunteer driven non-profit organization based in East Vancouver. This non-profit was founded by two amazing women Karen Duncan and Maria Soroski. VOKRA is run by an army of passionate volunteers who do amazing work in the community with lost, stray and feral cats and kittens. We’ve learnt that in 2022, they have rescued 1,100 kittens/cats and the year isn’t even done. VOKRA incurs $60,000 a month in vet bills which does not include the cost of cat food or litter. If you are able to assist VOKRA with their work by way of a donation, you can make a donation online. All financial donations go directly to funding the supplies, equipment, and veterinary and operational costs required to ensure the cats in their care are warm, safe and healthy. If you have items that can be donated that would assist them in their work, visit their Wish List to see what items are needed. Lastly, you can also support them by purchasing items in their online Shop.
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