Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre invites you to their Italian Market starting Friday, May 15th at the Italian Cultural Centre located at 3075 Slocan Street (at Grandview Highway) in East Vancouver. The Night Market will run every 3rd Friday of the month from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm until Friday, November 2oth. Specifically: June 15th, July 17th, August 21st, September 18th, October 16th and November 20th. The Italian Market aims to bring together the tastes of Italy with produce grown locally including Fresh Roots and Glen Valley Artichoke Farms with artichokes, fresh greens, beans, tomatoes and herbs. Also lined up for the market is Farmhouse Natural Cheeses, Sweet Thea Cakes with fresh pies and baking and Stepping Stone Bakery will have biscotti, cookies and squares. You can also expect to find fresh fruit, vegetables, handmade products by local artisans as well as food prepared by Il Centro’s Chef including house baked breads which will be available for purchase. The Italian Market will also be hosting two local wineries, Kalala Organic Estate Winery and Township 7 Vineyards. And if that isn’t enough to make you come out, they are welcoming back Bella Gelataria who will be selling their gelato and Demiani Fine foods will be on hand with an assortment of pasta sauces, olive oils and balsamic vinegar and Orazio’s Olive Oil will be sampling their products. There will again be an outdoor ‘bistro’ set up where you can sit down and enjoy the food and live Italian music featuring Luigi Tallarico. Have you always wanted to learn a bit of Italian? If so, the first 50 shoppers on Friday, May 15th will receive a coupon for a 10% discount on Italian Language Classes offered at Il Centro. After the Night Market concludes, people are invited to stay for their ‘Serata in Piazza’ where you can dance the night away to live Italian music and enjoy food & refreshments during the summer markets in July and August. Ci vediamo là!
Italian Market At The Italian Cultural Centre Starting May 15
12 May
Vancouver Mini Maker Faire June 6 & 7 At The PNE Forum
11 May
Vancouver Mini Maker Faire takes place June 6 and 7 at the PNE Forum. What is the Mini Maker Faire? Organizers will tell you it’s the Greatest Show and Tell on Earth. This is a two day family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. You will get to see, touch, feel, learn, invent and experience it all first hand. There will be more than 100 exhibits and an amazing selection of workshops and presentations. There truly is something for every age and every interest. What exactly can you expect to find at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire? Well for starters there will be a Dark Matter Zone, a Textile Village, robotic dogs, homegrown drones, interactive art installations and chance to take a spin on an art t-shirt making bike. This event brings together Makers of every type including the City’s tech enthusiasts, crafters, librarians, science clubs, hobbyists, artists and imaginative kids all under one roof for two days. You know those neat creative people that tinker away in their studios or garages for hours at a time, well now you will find them all in one place and you get to pick their brains about they do and why. Pretty neat if you ask us. So what do you make? We all make something whether it’s our food, sewing, growing a garden, those cards that you made as a kid for Mother’s Day or that special Valentine. For this year’s Mini Maker Faire, you are invited to come build, craft, teach, hack, invent and learn. The Vancouver Mini Maker Faire encourages you to roll up your sleeve and take part in making something. Advance tickets for this event are now on sale at Mini Maker Faire. There are rates for youth, students, adults, seniors and family rates, children 4 and younger get in free. At the door tickets will be also available at the Front Gate on June 6 & 7, 2015.
Would you like the opportunity to win 2 free two day passes to the Vancouver Mini Maker Faire on June 6 & 7? If so, tell us what you are most interested in seeing at the Mini Maker Faire by:
1. Emailing us at ILiveInEastVan@gmail.com; OR
2. Emailing our Facebook Page @ ILiveInEastVan.com
Contest deadline is Monday, May 25th at midnight. One winner will be able to pick up their weekend passes at the VIP/Media Line Up at the PNE Forum.
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Main Street Vinyl Record Fair May 10 At Heritage Hall
8 May
The very popular Main Street Vinyl Record Fair is back this Sunday, May 10th at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, for a ONE DAY SALE. If you are looking to buy, sell or trade new and/or used vinyl records, this is the place to be. You can expect to find LPs, 45s, 78s, turntables, vintage audio gear, record storage and so much more with over 50 independent vendors. That translates to over 50,000 vinyl records on sale. This is the place to discover rare records and stock up on bargain classics. The Main Street Vinyl Record Fair gets under way at 11:00 am and goes till 5:00 pm. Admission is $4.00 for adults, kids are free.
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Colony Bar Launches Main Street Location With Great Bar Eats
6 May
We had the pleasure of attending the opening of a new spot in town, Colony Main Street. This is a 130 seat neighbourhood bar located at 2904 Main Street (at 13th Avenue) former space of Mr. Brownstone. This 2,000 square foot space has an unfinished design which includes cinderblock walls and an original exposed beam ceiling and some very unique lighting fixtures. We quite like the beer board, which had a Pizza Farina feel to it with handwritten offerings on a roll of brown Kraft paper.
Speaking of beer, there is a great selection which includes local craft beer makers Red Truck Beer and Parallel 49 Brewing. You can expect deals on beer on Tapped Out Tuesday where most beers are $3.00 as well as daily $4.00 beer specials. Mind you, if get a chance to try the Bourbon Sour, we highly recommend this tasty cocktail. On the food front, there are some serious burgers on the menu including the BBQ onion ring burger, but we opted for the Crispy Chicken Burger which hit the spot. What was impressive and not one to rave about fries, but their Stadium Fries, these were not ordinary fries. They were extra crispy with lemon, pepper and garlic, hands down the best fries we’ve tried. The Wok Fried Squid with potato flour, garlic, chilies and pea shoots had some serious kick. Although not gluten free, for those that have a sensitivity to wheat/gluten it may be an option.
The Colony On Main is a definite spot for sports viewing, but will also be home to live music, comedy and trivia nights. The trivia nights will happen every Monday starting Monday, May 11th. There will be prizes to giveaway, so bring your team. You can’t miss this spot, it’s situated nicely next to Parallel 49 Coffee/Lucky’s Doughnuts. They are open 7 days week from 11:30 am to 2:00 am.
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The Magic of Collaborative Public Art – Monday May 11 at John Oliver Secondary School
5 May
You are invited to take part in a visual presentation hosted by Shary Bartlett at John Oliver Secondary School, 530 East 41st Avenue (at Fraser Street) on May 11th. Witness the power of the arts to create beauty and foster neighbourhood transformation. Come and be inspired by local artist Shary Bartlett who will highlight over a decade of multigenerational and multicultural collaborative community arts projects. For this presentation, residents of South Hill and various artists have come together to create interactive web stories, huge photographic murals, colourful painted walls, street mosaics, sand collages, hand-cranked prints, a fruit and vegetable mandala as well as many other projects. On May 11th, you are invited to come see the amazing public art that has been created in South Hill. At the same time, a focus of this presentation is to inspire a new generation of leaders to dream about the art projects that they could lead.
The evening will begin at 7:15 pm with refreshments and an opportunity to connect with other liked minded attendees. Then Shary will lead the presentation into a guided discussion, during which you can share your ideas about future collaborative art projects. What do you envision for public art in the community? How can you help support public art in the community?
The event is scheduled for 7:15 pm – 9:00 pm at John Oliver Secondary School, Room 209.
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Gourmet Warehouse Cooking Classes Heading Into BBQ Season
4 May
The Gourmet Warehouse has a great line up of cooking classes leading up to the summer months including the very popular Flavours of Vietnam. This cooking class sold out in a heart beat when first offered earlier this year. So if you missed it then, now’s your chance to sign up. Some of the other classes coming up include a Sushi Workshop, Thai Summer and Summer Grilling. 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 visit Cooking Classes. We have set out a sampling of some of the delicious classes they have lined up:
Sushi Workshop – Saturday, June 6th 11:00 am ($69)
Chef Cindy Low will take you through this hands on workshop and teach you how to make the vinegared sushi rice, mix wasabi, prepare a variety of fillings. You will also learn how to master sushi rolls, cones and other styles and shapes. Cindy will also pass on some tips on a hosting a do-it-yourself sushi party. The items that Cindy will be making include:
• California rolls (crab, avocado, cucumber, rolled “inside out”)
• Futomaki (thick roll with vegetables, omelet, pickled vegetables)
• Hoso maki (thin rolls with various fillings)
• Inari sushi (stuffed tofu pouches)
• Temaki (cones with various fillings)
• Onigiri (rice triangles)
• Miso soup with tofu
Summer Grilling & Fresh Summer Salads – Sunday, June 28th ($59)
Now for something on the wild side, we hear that wild meat and game is the fastest growing segment of protein in the supermarkets in North America. For this cooking class, national cooking show host, Chef Garry Steel, of “Wild for the Weekend,” will introduce you to some wild meat and game dishes. Some of the dishes that Chef Garry Steel will be introducing you to include:
• Wild Boar Chops – make your own grilling rub and seasoning for grilling
• Ostrich Burgers – stuffed with stone fruit chutney
• Alligator Tagine – give your BBQ a special zing with a Moroccan flavor
• Watermelon Pepper Salad – a savoury spicy fresh summer salad
• Coconut Tomato Pepper Salad
Flavours of Vietnam – Saturday, July 11th 11:00 am ($59)
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
Thai Summer – Saturday, July 18th 11:00 am ($59)
Love Thai food? Well Chef Cindy Low will introduce you to the perfect Thai summer menu. You will learn why Thai cookery is one of Asia’s most diverse and complex cuisines. Some of the Thai dishes she will help you add to your repertoire this summer include:
• Thai salad with tree-ripened papaya, organic greens, toasted coconut, cashews, chili-lime dressing
• Thai pork sliders – Thai-seasoned mini-burgers with sweet chili aioli
• Chiang Mai noodles, prawns and Asian greens in a light coconut broth
• Stir-fried chicken with Thai basil, bell peppers, chili
• Thai red cargo rice
• Lychee ice cream
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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French Made Baking in Mt. Pleasant Launches French High Tea on Mother’s Day
1 May
French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, run by the lovely husband and wife team, Catherine and David Introligator, are launching a new menu Goûters Gourmets on Mother’s Day. It will be French afternoon tea with two options. They tell us, Goûter in France is the traditional after school snack between lunch and dinner. So they are now offering you the full Parisian experience here in Vancouver just in time for Mother’s Day. You are invited to bring your Mom for an “Après-Midi à Paris” (Afternoon in Paris). This will include in a 1 ½ hour full service high tea with Kusmi Tea imported from Paris, sweet and savoury mini-croissants, French macarons, madeleines and other tea time favourites including mini-desserts, a bread basket including brioche, whole wheat campagne bread, baguette served with locally sourced artisan pâtés, butter, jams and Nuciola (French Made Baking’s own chocolate-hazelnut spread). All sounds pretty amazing to us. Please note that reservations are required. Afternon tea will take place from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The cost is $31.50 per person. Gluten free menu available with some advance notice.
For those seeking a lighter fare, you can also treat Mom to the Café-Gourmand much like it is served in French bistros. That being a long plate with a cup of Mogiana coffee or Kusmi tea and an assortment of bite-sized pastries (macarons, madeleines, canelés, mini-crêpes and other delectable goodies) all from French Made Baking along with the largest selection of Kusmi Teas in Vancouver. Goûter Gourmet “Café Gourmand” is $15 per person and available every day whereas Goûter Gourmet “Après-Midi à Paris” (the Afternoon in Paris) is available only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
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New In Town: East Van Light
30 Apr
Today we would like to introduce to someone doing creative work here in East Van, Dan Emery and his creation East Van Light. Dan designs and builds vintage industrial lamps with a beautiful and simple modern design. Dan comes from the film and television industry, but over the last 10 years, he also kept busy buying and renovating homes with his girlfriend. They worked together stripping homes to their frames and redesigning, rebuilding and revitalizing them into beautiful new spaces. After one particular renovation, they were left with some nice scraps of birch. They also had a nice antique reproduction Edison light bulb kicking around at home. A light went off in Dan’s head and an idea of designing vintage industrial lamps was born. His first pair of prototype lamps were developed.
A year and a half ago, Dan and his girlfriend moved from Montreal to Vancouver and settled in East Van, in the heart of Commercial Drive. Dan said he was impressed with the “wonderful culture that embraces and supports a ‘Buy Local’ philosophy”. This support of local and artisanal businesses inspired him to get East Van Light ramped into gear.
As you can see from the photos, Dan likes producing clean, minimal, designs that allow each component of the lamp to be showcased and enjoyed. He combines premium local salvaged wood bases with high quality reproduction hardware so that each lamp delivers a warm functional light. At the same time, his goal is that each lamp has a “refined old world aesthetic that inspires the work, repose, curiosity and conversation of those around it.” Dan says that he “strives for his lamps to be subtle in their support of the spaces they inhabit, while simultaneously engaging the audience that surrounds them.”
Dan will premiere East Van Light at the 2015 Spring edition of Got Craft? this weekend at the Maritime Labour Centre. Got Craft? is Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair and for this event he teamed up with a local East Vancouver carpenter, Brad Seiber, of ReForm + Design Woodworking, who is responsible all of the amazing woodwork that goes into the lamp bases. Together they purchased the entire trunk of an old slow growth BC Black Walnut tree, sourced from an old Scandinavian tree salvager who saved it from being torn down, and slowly and carefully dried these giant cuts of lumber in his barn out in the Fraser Valley for the last 7 years. Dan worked with the raw slabs to ensure the beautiful features, grain patterns and characteristics of this exceptional wood is showcased in each and every handcrafted lamp that he designs. Dan is passionate about providing high quality handcrafted lamps and is excited about launching East Van Light at Got Craft this weekend. You can expect to find Dan and 75 of his lamps at the Maritime Labour Centre this weekend from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. If you are not able to attend Got Craft? in person, you can also view a selection of Dan’s lamps on his Facebook page.
Photo Credit: Jenny Lyseng
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Spring Studio Sale – East Van Artist June Hunter May 1 & 2
29 Apr
East Van artist June Hunter, is having a Spring Studio Sale this coming weekend May 1st and 2nd. If you don’t know her work, June 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.
At June’s Spring Studio Sale, you can expect to find sale prices on art, jewellery, tiles, magnets, one of a kind mixed media miniatures and a small number of the highly sought after crow and Vancouver medallions as well as charm bracelets. You can also expect to find new large prints on plexiglass in limited editions. 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 Friday, May 1st from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm and on Saturday, May 2nd from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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.
Photos Courtesy of June Hunter Images
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Got Craft? Spring Edition Maritime Labour Centre May 2 & 3
27 Apr
Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair, Got Craft?, returns this Spring to the Maritime Labour Centre on May 2 & 3, 2015. This event showcases some 75 local vendors with a wide variety of curated handmade goods. As well, they will be bringing back some of their most popular workshops to this event such as hand lettering with legendary sign painter, John Lennig of Big Top Sign Arts. What we were pleased to learn is some of the new East Van vendors that will be taking part in this upcoming event. They include:
East Van Light
Emilie Crewe
Five Corners Creative
Graveley & Sons
Kate Barazzuol Jewelry
Owl & Windsor
The Nine O’Clock Gun Company
Fable Naturals
For those doing a little Mother’s Day shopping, the timing of this show is just right, being Mother’s Day is May 10th. The first 50 people through the door each day will receive a swag bag full of goodies from vendors and sponsors. Got Craft? takes place on May 2 and 3, 2015 between 10:00 am-5:00 pm at the Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph Street. Admission is $3 at the door, and children (10 and under) get in free.
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