TOQUE 20 - The Changemakers Issue

illustration: Cai Sepulis

@caisepulis

DESIGNED

SIGNATURE DESIGN FEATURES

METAL ACCENT ROOF

MODERN EXTERIOR LIGHTS

WOOD ACCENTS

BLACK EXTERIOR WINDOWS

BOARD + BATTEN SIDING

WOOD GRAIN FRONT DOOR

CLASSIC. COZY. CHARMING.

Introducing our all-new Modern Farmhouse elevations! Seamlessly blending traditional and contemporary aesthetics, each home exudes a sense of rustic warmth and modern sophistication. With upgraded exterior and interior finishes, these beautiful designs are now available in Activa’s newest community, HARVEST PARK.

Scan the QR code below or visit activa.ca/toque to learn more about our Modern Farmhouse elevations!

activa.ca/toque

Renderings are artist concepts and may not be an accurate representation of the project or project surroundings. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. E. & O. E. MARCH. 2023. TOQUE.

FALL IN LOVE WITH ACTIVA’s NEW MODERN FARMHOUSE

ELEVATIONS

DREAM. EXPLORE. DISCOVER.

Your winter getaway awaits in Stratford

cai@toque.ltd

chris@toque.ltd

This global pandemic continues to affect almost all industries – including the paper industry. Just weeks before going to print with this issue of TOQUE, we were once again informed (for the fifth issue in a row) that, as a result of difficulties in this industry, our regular paper stock was no longer available. Like many businesses during these challenging times, we were forced to pivot – compelled to choose a new paper stock. Please bear with us as we – like so many of you – find ourselves doing our best to adapt to this new 'normal'.

Made possible with the support of

Contributors: Mike Byers, Dani Kuepfer, Christina Mann, Monica Mazun, Abby Nowakowski, Stephanie Scott, Katie Shewen & Jay Stephens

CAi SEPULIS, partner art director. design & illustration

CHRIS TIESSEN, partner editor. writing & photography

‘NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED, IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS.’

- MARGARET MEAD

WE’VE NEVER DONE ONE OF THESE BEFORE: AN ISSUE DEVOTED TO OUR REGION’S 'CHANGEMAKERS'. FRANKLY, WE’VE NEVER REALLY FELT THE NEED. AFTER ALL, THE TOQUE TEAM HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT THE FOLKS FEATURED IN EACH ISSUE OF THIS MAGAZINE ARE CHANGEMAKERS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT: PATHFINDING RESTAURANTEURS WHO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLY-SOURCED INGREDIENTS; TRAILBLAZING BUSINESS OWNERS WHO PRIORITIZE PEOPLE AT LEAST AS MUCH AS PROFIT; PURPOSEFUL CRAFTSFOLK WHO EMPHASIZE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY; ACTIVIST VISIONARIES WHO DEVOTE THEIR LIVES TO RESOLVING OUR COMMUNITIES’ COMPLEX CHALLENGES.

AND YET HERE WE ARE – COMMITTING AN ENTIRE ISSUE OF TOQUE TO A RELATIVELY SMALL GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO, IN OUR EYES, DESERVE THE HALLOWED TITLE ‘CHANGEMAKER’. SOME ARE PATHFINDERS. OTHERS ARE DISRUPTERS. MANY ARE ADVOCATES. YET ALL SHARE A COMMON VISION TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES BETTER PLACES TO LIVE, WORK, PLAY. ULTIMATELY, THEY ADVANCE JOY IN THIS FAR-FROM-PERFECT WORLD.

IN ‘THE JOY EXPERIMENTS', A BOOK ONE OF OUR CHOSEN CHANGEMAKERS, SCOTT HIGGINS, RECENTLY CO-WROTE WITH PAUL KALBFLEISCH, THE AUTHORS POSIT THAT 'THE FIRST CRITICAL STEP TO A BETTER WORLD’ MIGHT WELL BE OUR ABILITY TO FEEL 'A SENSE OF JOY WITH OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WHOM WE MAY NOT EVEN KNOW.' WE TEND TO AGREE. CHANGEMAKING AT ITS BEST, TO BE SURE, IS AN ACT OF ‘JOY-MAKING’. AND, WE WOULD VENTURE, VICE VERSA. BOTH TASKS TAKE PASSION, DETERMINATION, AND GRIT. AND YET BOTH ARE WORTH THE RIDE – LEAVING US ALL, TO PARAPHRASE 'THE JOY EXPERIMENTS', CONNECTED TO THE PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT FILL OUR LIVES WITH PURPOSE AND MAKE OUR WORLD BIGGER.

IT'S BEEN A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE, THIS – RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH SO MANY INCREDIBLE FOLKS WHILE WE’VE PIECED THIS ISSUE TOGETHER. IT’S BEEN INSPIRING, TOO. TO BE SURE, SPENDING ANY AMOUNT OF TIME WITH FOLKS LIKE AMIT MEHTA (OF GOOD CO PRODUCTIONS), KARYN BOSCARIOL (QUEEN OF CRAFT), CHRISTINA MANN (TASTE REAL), JULIA GRADY (10C), THE AFOREMENTIONED SCOTT HIGGINS (HIP DEVELOPMENTS) AND EVERYONE ELSE YOU’RE ABOUT TO MEET TENDS TO MOVE A PERSON TOWARD POSITIVE ACTION OF SOME SORT.

SO CRACK THE SPINE. GET INVIGORATED. BE INSPIRED.

MAKE SOME CHANGE. .ca

CONTENTS

9. EDITOR’S LETTER: THE CHANGEMAKERS ISSUE

14. JULIA GRADY & 10C SHARED SPACE: BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER

22. DAYTRIPPIN’ WITH COLLEEN JAMES

24. #CHANGEMAKERS 1: CHRISTINA MANN

28. GOOD COMPANY PRODUCTIONS: MUSIC TO FOLKS’ EARS

36. UNCOVERING WELLINGTON COUNTY: SILVER FOX DISTILLERY

38. #CHANGEMAKERS 2: KW FAMOUS

40. EXPERT OPINION (INVESTMENT): MONICA MAZUN

42. COMICS: A COLLECTION OF CREATIVE SPACES IN OUR REGION

50. #CHANGEMAKERS 3: COURT DESAUTELS

52. #PHOTOESSAY: MEMORIES OF HOME: DISCOVERING THE ‘DUMPLING TRAIL’ IN LONDON’S OLD EAST VILLAGE

62. #CHANGEMAKERS 4: SARAH NICOLE LANDRY

64. #PHOTOSPREAD: MARKET RUN

68. EPITOME GENETICS: A PREVAILING VISION FOR INNOVATIVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS

74. #CHANGEMAKERS 5: BANGISHIMO

76. #PHOTOSPREAD: CHANGEMAKING 101

78. IN GOOD COMPANY: LEARNING BUSINESS AT THE ST JACOBS FARMERS’ MARKET

86. #CHANGEMAKERS 6: MARVA WISDOM

88. THE NEW GUARD: TASTING WHAT STRATFORD HAS ON OFFER

96. #CHANGEMAKERS 7: SCOTT HIGGINS

98. #PHOTOSPREAD: PLACEMAKING AS CHANGEMAKING: SHINING A LIGHT ON QUEBEC STREET IN DOWNTOWN GUELPH

106. IT TAKES A VILLAGE: HOW AJOA MINTAH IS BUILDING AN ICE CREAM EMPIRE

114. #CHANGEMAKERS 8: KARYN BOSCARIOL

120. A SPRINGBOARD TO THE WORLD: THE REGION OF WATERLOO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

128. COMIC: GOOSE

130. COCKTAIL HOUR WITH KATIE SHEWEN

Conversations about homelessness

Conversations about homelessness are hard and uncomfortable. They are also essential. Thanks to The Oak Tree Project we are pleased to share video conversations about homelessness in our community. They connect people with lived experience, business owners, and some of the agencies in the community that support individuals experiencing homelessness.

Learn more and join the conversation.

HomeForGoodGW.ca

JULIA GRADY & 10C SHARED SPACE: BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER

WORDS BY DANI KUEPFER; PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘So what’s your role in all of this?’, I ask Julia –motioning towards the glorious open concept second-storey space in which we’re seated. On one side of us sunshine floods in through floor-to-ceiling windows – beautifully framing the front of Guelph City Hall below, where several ice skaters are gliding around the rink. On the other side, up a couple steps, shelves of LGBTQ2IA+-themed books line brightlycoloured orange and yellow walls. All around us lush green plants fill the place with vibrancy and warmth. Exposed stone walls – reminders of this building’s storied past – punctuate the place. As Julia mulls over my question, I decide to reframe it. ‘What do you do on a normal day?’, I ask.

‘I worry a lot,’ Julia tells me, and we sit for a moment pondering the weight of her remark. She laughs gently. ‘I carry the vision,' she

continues, 'so that this talented team can implement the programs and the tangible work we do here.’ I hold that thought.

It’s a sunny morning in January and I’m at 10C Shared Space in downtown Guelph, chatting with the co-founder and executive director: the legendary, the ethereal, the humble Julia Grady. 10C is – to be absurdly reductive – a not-for-profit community hub. It’s a gathering space, a network of professionals with differing backgrounds and shared values, a small business and community project accelerator.

10C is a big idea, with a big impact. And it all began in 2008.

Back then Julia and co-founder Annie O’Donoghue decided to develop ‘a physical space for creating change.' Julia, a designer by

trade, envisioned a distinct, multifunctional space 'that felt like it could be everyone’s.’ Their original site of activity was on a single floor of 10 Carden Street (hence the moniker 10C), now home to the uber-hip Spring Fever Tattoo and other local businesses. This original place served as a coworking and community setting until, after a few years of steady growth, Julia and Annie came to the realization that they needed more space, different types of space, and accessible space. And so they decided to look for something new.

What came next was transformational. Put simply (though these sorts of things are never simple), one day Julia walked a few doors down the street and had a conversation with Sid Acker, then owner of the Acker’s Furniture building. (You know the one. Four storeys. Lots of glass. A Royal City landmark for decades.) Their conversation led to an opportunity: to buy the building. And that opportunity led to an invitation to the community to help finance the purchase and renovation of the building, via community bonds.

The prospect of a small not-for-profit (operating in less than 3,000 sq ft of rented space) buying and, in Julia’s words, ‘rebuilding from the inside out’ an historic four-storey, fifteen thousand square-foot building in the urban core of the city – and doing so in massive part through community funding and financing – is unfathomable. But that’s what they did.

The space they now occupy – this building in which Julia and I are chatting – has come to reflect the energy of Julia's vision: a labyrinthian fulcrum of activity and creativity and, above all else, good work. The welcoming front entrance on the first floor features an open lobby and a gallery offering a rotation of local art. The stairs or the elevator up to the second floor lead to the aptly named ‘sunroom’ (where we are seated now) as well as Out on the Shelf (Guelph’s queer library), a substantial boardroom, a kitchenette, and several permanent offices. Up another floor are a variety of bookable rooms, each designed and equipped for a specific purpose like brainstorming sessions or video recording,

10C's Julia Grady

plus a pod of coworking desks. And, finally, the fourth floor features a massive event space with a moveable stage and inimitable views of Guelph landmarks like the Petrie Building – plus a shared commercial community kitchen filled with talented local food creators.

Purchasing this four-storey property became a transformative chapter in 10C’s history. The ability to grow equity and resist gentrification gave the organization something to rest on, something to leverage. And then, like a spark, something else became possible: social finance.

Through grant funding and, soon, community bonds (think GICs), 10C created the Harvest Impact Fund in 2020, that strives to create circular economy solutions while providing ‘micro loans’ to sociallyand environmentally-oriented small businesses that don’t qualify for traditionally larger business loans. Julia tells me that social finance is just one of the ‘themes of activation’ that structure 10C’s offerings. The dynamics that drive local fave Beck’s Broth, for example – an innovative line of beverages that use bone broth as their base – provide a shining example of these themes in action: placemaking, first of all (the product is prepared in 10C’s

kitchen); then social finance and community engagement (the business receives funding as well as mentorship and networking). The remaining themes, such as social enterprise, sustainable food systems, and sustainable development goals, are realized in Beck's Broth, a circular economy product that gives new life to locally-sourced beef bones and is delivered in reusable jars.

Meanwhile, the ‘what we do’ of the Harvest Impact Fund continues to evolve.

You know that exercise where you fill a jar with golf balls and call it full, then pour marbles into it, filling the gaps and making it really full, and then beans, and then sand, until you discover the jar’s true capacity? That’s sort of what Julia and the 10C team have been doing since they moved into their new home, where they offer coworking desks and rented offices, social enterprise coaching, workshops, and products from the Nourish kitchen. They engage in partnerships with projects like COIL business accelerator, The SEED, and Indigenous Food Security / Sovereignty Collective. They offer training for SDG Cities and practitioners of

the circular economy. They are providers of rentable gallery and community space (notable events like Queen of Craft, Guelph Comedy Festival, and municipal election forums come to life here). They also offer competitive local investment opportunities via community bonds (and they mentor similar projects, like Habitat for Humanity’s fund). The MacDonnell side of the property is home to Chalmers Community Services Centre, and more. And more to come.

The folks at 10C never cease to find ways to make the jar fuller. And, to extend the metaphor, I'll observe that it's Julia Grady who minds that jar.

In 2021, 10C partnered with the City of Guelph to become the activator of the Guelph Farmers’ Market, made effective in 2022. 10C’s plans for a substantial renovation of the historic space will be underway by the time this issue goes to print. Julia’s eyes twinkle as we pour over the Market blueprints: a new entrance, permanent vendor stalls (like the ones you’ll find at St Jacobs Farmers’ Market), an outdoor patio, a brand new kitchen and café space (allowing 10C members like Kulsoom and Rodolfo's and Clay Pot Catering to prep and sell their products under one roof). The Market will be open through the renovations (with refreshed hours: 8am ‘til 1pm) until completion late this summer. Come see this city landmark change before your eyes and watch the extraordinary thing that is 10C in action.

Julia Grady is known in these parts as a sort of spark, an igniter of possibility. ‘I love design, problem solving – I love working with people to find solutions,’ she tells me as we watch a family tie up their skates and head gingerly out onto the ice. And that’s essentially where you’ll find her: working with others, in conversation, occupying that liminal space between a problem and a possibility. With her boots solidly on the ground.

DAYTRIPPIN’

A REGIONAL COUNCILLOR AND HER FAMILY SHARE A FANTASTIC WINTER SATURDAY DAYTRIPPING IN (AND AROUND) THE REGION SHE REPRESENTS.

COLLEEN JAMES (REGIONAL COUNCILLOR), WITH HER HUSBAND DAREN AND DAUGHTER MALEIGHA

In October 2022, Colleen James made history by becoming the first black woman elected to Region of Waterloo Council. As a Kitchener native, Colleen is familiar with our region’s strengths and challenges – along with some of its best eats, most charming boutiques, and greatest natural treasures. Come along with Colleen and her family as they guide us on their version of a fantastic daytrip in our communities.

SMILE TIGER COFFEE ROASTERS

100 AHRENS ST W, KITCHENER SMILETIGERCOFFEE.COM +

KYPREOS RESTAURANT

305 LANCASTER ST W, KITCHENER KYPREOSRESTAURANT.CA

HARMONY

42 KING ST S, WATERLOO HARMONYONLINE.CA

1. A great Saturday begins over coffee with friends or breakfast out with family. If it’s coffee with friends, my pals and I usually meet up at Smile Tiger where we pair in-house roasted coffees with whatever looks tastiest in the pastry display. The place’s hip warehouse vibes and cozy green leather couches never get old. If it’s breakfast with family, we almost always land at Kypreos (a Kitchener institution since 1994) where I order a Breakfast Classic, my hubby Daren enjoys a Western Omelette and our daughter Maleigha digs into buttermilk Pancakes with fresh fruit. On this particular Saturday, I’m hanging with my fam so it’s Kypreos for breakfast – a wonderful start to the day.

2. No matter how a great Saturday begins, I love to keep it going with a stop at harmony in Uptown Waterloo. With locations in Waterloo, Stratford, and two in Guelph, harmony is a regional success – and I’m a sucker for the place’s handmade jewelry, small batch apparel, and fair-trade philosophy. While perusing the Uptown location, I add a delicate Sedona rose quartz ring to my mental wish list. I’ll probably go back for it.

75 KING ST S UNIT 56, WATERLOO FOURALL.CA

3. When the family’s Uptown, no matter the time of day, we make sure to drop in at Four All’s scoop shop. Ajoa has done such a fantastic job building a strong local brand that’s rooted in local, allnatural ingredients. And the ice cream’s so good that it takes no effort at all to support her business. (Full disclosure: throughout the pandemic, my family’s dependency on Four All home deliveries got a bit out of hand.) On this Saturday, we’re in the mood for soft serve: sugar cones topped with vanilla (Daren), chocolate (Maleigha), and raspberry sorbet (me). Four All gets me every time.

FOUR ALL ICE CREAM SCOOP SHOP

SHERMAN FALLS

917 ARTABAN RD, HAMILTON TOURISMHAMILTON.COM

4. After our Uptown adventures, it’s time to get active. A favourite family hike: Sherman Falls in Hamilton. This seventeen-metre-tall curtain waterfall – positioned between Tiffany and Canterbury Falls – is a sight to behold and maintains year-round flow. To get to the falls, you can walk about half a kilometre from the paid parking lot off Artaban Rd, or park at Tiffany Falls and hike twenty minutes along the Bruce Trail from the lot on Wilson St E. As soon as you arrive you'll see why the site also goes by the romantic nicknames of Angel Falls and Fairy Falls.

5. After working up an appetite, it’s time for a late lunch at HAMBRGR. Of the three locations (two in Hamilton and one in St Catharines), we opt for the original downtown Hamilton spot on King William and grab seats by the large front window – perfect for people-watching. If there’s one thing to say about HAMBRGR it’s that the burgers are on point and the shakes are too. I grab a Nashville Chicken sandwich and Strawberry Shortcake shake; Daren dives into a Biggie Mac with Vanilla shake; and we order Maleigha a shake, too: Strawberry, which she enjoys with The OG Poutine.

6. With bellies stuffed and joy in the air, we drive a scenic route from Hamilton back to Kitchener-Waterloo and land at Huron Natural Area – Kitchener’s largest natural space. While we usually hit up this 250acre natural oasis – replete with lookout areas, a natural playground, and over 7kms of trails – during warmer months, it’s a fun spot for exploration and adventure year-round. It's special, too, because it’s a place with evidence of Indigenous settlement dating back hundreds of years, and the City of Kitchener is making it a safe and welcome space where community – especially Indigenous communities – can gather for ceremonies and to celebrate cultural traditions.

7. Nothing’s better than take-out to cap off a long, active day around the region (especially when you’ve got a young kid with a fastapproaching bedtime). So we place a take-out order with Hong Kong Seafood in Kitchener’s Country Hills neighbourhood and beeline there to grab our food. Here’s a fun fact: I’ve been going to this restaurant with family since I was a child. A solid order: Chicken Fried Rice, General Tao’s Chicken, Beef Black Bean, Vegetable Chow Mein and, of course, Egg Rolls. There’s nostalgia in every bite.

CHRISTINA MANN

LOCAL FOOD CHAMPION

TASTEREAL.CA

PROFILE &

BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Christina Mann loves getting up close and personal with the food she eats – and, for well over a decade now, she’s been helping others do the same. As Coordinator of Taste Real, a Wellington County program that promotes local food and facilitates invaluable connections among food businesses, consumers, craftspeople, and farmers alike, Christina devotes her life to providing folks around the region with a better understanding of where good food comes from: how it’s grown and processed, and how it gets from local farms to local markets and restaurants, and finally onto our plates.

Growing up in rural southern Germany provided Christina with a strong appreciation for locallyproduced food grown in a sustainable manner. After graduating from studies in Hospitality, she worked in Germany, Spain, and the UK before settling in Guelph, where her eclectic experience proved invaluable for her pacesetting work in our region.

At Taste Real Christina manages a handful of innovative food initiatives that offer local folks consequential experiences poised to open their eyes to the hard work and sacrifice that goes into growing, nurturing, and harvesting food. Along with her colleagues at the County, she co-ordinates the wildly popular Rural Romps, for example, held each spring and fall: self-

guided farm and food tours that allow folks intimate access to Wellington County farms, markets, nurseries, and more. Christina also oversees the biennial (and inestimable) Taste Real Guelph-Wellington Local Food Map – a good ol’ fashioned paper map detailing farms, markets, retailers, restaurants, breweries, and other businesses that feature food grown in Wellington County. The Taste Real Food Experience Guide – a pocketable print guide that lists farm and food experiences local to Guelph and Wellington County – also bears her stamp.

And when Christina – along with her small team of local food heroes – isn’t planning public-facing local food initiatives, she’s working behind the scenes: organizing business-to-business networking and workshops, advocating for farmers and markets at governmental levels, and making sure Taste Real’s over-two hundred members have their voices heard. Voices like Dana Thatcher's (of Thatcher Farms), for example, who embraces Christina as both ‘an active advocate,' and 'a vibrant, beautiful friend' whose love for people and good food ‘is reflected in her relentless efforts to create awareness about all that is good in the local food economy.’ Amen to that.

PORTRAIT

GOOD COMPANY PRODUCTIONS: MUSIC

TO FOLKS’ EARS

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘Do you have a record player at home?,’ Amit asks while I stuff the last bits of camera gear into my frayed green Domke bag. I secure the front clasp, zip up my shell, push down my toque, and look up. Amit is busy flipping through vinyl – ‘digging in the crates’ – looking for a particular record. ‘I don’t,’ I tell him, a tinge of embarrassment in my voice, ‘but I know someone who does.’ He pulls a sleeved record from the stack and hands it to me. Con Todo El Mundo, by Khruangbin. ‘Give this a listen,’ he tells me, ‘and next time we see each other, bring it back and lend me something you think I might like.’ I smile – realizing that everything Amit does, even his leave-takings, is about bringing music to folks’ ears.

It’s Tuesday, early February, the end of the workday, and I’m at Good Company Productions – a multi-faceted music studio that Amit (along with his co-founding partners, Adrian and Rob, and an ever-changing team of staff and volunteers) runs out of the 44 Gaukel co-working building in downtown Kitchener. We have just spent the past two hours chatting about Good Co – where it came from, what it does, where it’s going – and I’m still not certain that either one of us knows the answers. I do know one thing, though. To make some sense of the flourishing creative enterprise that Amit and Adrian have realized, it’s best that we begin at the beginning. It’s time to rewind.

Good Co Productions’ co-founder Amit Mehta in ‘The Orange Room’

‘This whole thing began back in 2015,’ Amit tells me once he’s ushered me to a cushy couch near the back of Good Co’s production room, ‘when Adrian and I met as Nanotechnology Engineering classmates at Waterloo. We wanted something to do outside of class,’ he continues, ‘so we decided to start throwing pop-up music shows across KitchenerWaterloo.' While Amit talks, I scan the space. The production room, one of three units that Good Co occupies at 44 Gaukel, is dark and moody. Like a music venue. Strings of LED lights hang against black-painted walls that hold dozens of past Good Co show posters and framed art pieces. (I recognize prints by local artists Trish Abe and Luke Swinson.) A sound system – located somewhere in the unit – pumps ethereal tunes into the space. Shelves of mic stands and headphones and hard cases containing music gear of all sorts fill much of the room.

When I push Amit to explain what drove him to put on those first shows, he responds modestly: ‘Actually, we put them on for

somewhat selfish reasons.’ I’m intrigued. He continues: ‘In those days, I was traveling back and forth from Toronto up to four times a week to jam [on drums and keyboard] with other musicians. I was tired of the commute –and really just wanted to find local spaces and a scene around here where I could play.’

And while finding local musicians wasn’t that difficult (given the rich Kitchener-Waterloo scene), local venues proved to be more elusive. ‘We found out quickly that there aren’t many music venues locally that can accommodate between sixty to one hundred and fifty patrons,’ Amit remarks, ‘so we decided to look for less conventional sites.’ The result: Amit, Adrian and Rob began organizing popup shows at juiceries, salons, museums, tech offices, and more: spaces that could be transformed for a night into unique venues before being re-converted to their regular state.

The formula for those earliest Good Co pop-up shows was – and remains – simple enough.

Billy Raffoul plays ‘DTK Live at THEMUSEUM!’, Feb 2023. Photo by Habila Sani

‘We always announced the date and time of the shows ahead of time,’ Amit tells me, ‘but nothing more. When the day of the show arrived, we’d announce the location – but the booked artists remained a surprise until they took to the stage.’ (I reminisce nostalgically about my wanton teenage years as a drum ‘n bass fan, when the location of those midnineties raves would be announced only the day of the party. Big up all junglist massive. But I digress.)

Amit recalls an especially memorable early pop-up: a December 2017 affair at One King North in Uptown Waterloo. He reminisces: ‘Richard Garvey, a local legend who has since moved out west, started things off by sharing his feel-good folk music with the fiftyor-so people packed into the space. Singersongwriter Poesy followed with beautifullyhaunting vocals. Two months later, Poesy’s ‘Soldier of Love’ hit the Billboard Top 40 charts.’ Amit pauses, re-playing the show in his mind, and then continues: ‘It was so special to experience talent like that in such an intimate space. The folks that filled the venue that night experienced a bill they will probably never see again – those artists vibing off each other. And that’s what makes our pop-up shows so special: you just never know what you'll end up being a part of.’

It wasn’t long before these pre-pandemic Good Co pop-ups (then presented with Sofar Sounds – a partnership that has since dissolved) gained real traction. The element of mystery surrounding the shows enticed people across the region to purchase tickets – and, perhaps not surprisingly, also built a unique sort of community among showgoers. Indeed, the shared experience of anticipation, surprise, and ephemeral pleasure brought audience members closer together. More recent Good Co pop-ups continue this tradition. ‘It’s not uncommon for folks to meet new friends at our shows,' Amit remarks, 'and to attend the next show together.’ Community through music – a Good Co recipe.

And then, in 2020, the pandemic hit. And, like so many things, Good Co’s pop-up shows ground to a halt. But what could have shuttered the emergent company altogether actually turned out to be a blessing of sorts, since the company now had to look for a means of survival that did not depend on live events. And so, in May 2020, Good Co’s ‘Concert In A Box’ was born – essentially a livestreamed virtual pop-up concert where, on the day of the show, ‘guests’ received a ‘Concert Box’ dropped at their front door containing snacks, games, vouchers from local businesses – plus a show poster. Amit, cool and enthusiastic, elaborates: ‘Artists performed virtually in a remote broadcast concert that was live-streamed to our YouTube channel.’ He continues: ‘This ‘Concert In A Box’ concept eventually grew to the point where we began broadcasting from our studios at 44 Gaukel –scaling from forty boxes to two hundred boxes a show. We were even hired by Google to produce a unique ‘Concert In A Box’ experience for all their employees across North America.’

So the pandemic, it turned out, became the catalyst for an effective pivot – one that had Good Co evolve into what it is today: a multi-faceted initiative that remains hard to define – in all the best ways. In a world without lockdowns, today’s Good Co has gone back to producing live pop-up shows. It’s also continued to use the video production skills the team perfected during its ‘Concert In A Box’ series to produce videos and other content for clients like CBC Music, and for artists including Ramsay Almighty, Joules the Fox, Rachel Hickey, Jaguar Sun, Marshall Veroni, Bonnie Trash, and I, the Mountain, and others. Good Co offers a full range of artist and event services, from release party promotions and strategic consulting to audio technician services and talent buying. It’s currently collaborating with Downtown Kitchener to present free monthly shows, ‘DTK Live at THEMUSEUM!’, that feature such artists as Danny Michel, Dom Vallie, Begonia, and more each Thursday from February through April.

The Good Co Productions space at 44 Gaukel, Downtown Kitchener

And it’s managed to develop – room by room –the space Amit and I are seated in now: Good Co’s headquarters at 44 Gaukel.

What began as a single storage unit back in 2019 has today evolved into a three-unit mecca. There’s the (aforementioned) moody production space with its black-painted walls. Next to it, there’s ‘The Orange Room’ (which is, appropriately enough, completely orange) – used for everything from artist video recordings to music lessons. It’s in these spaces where Good Co has produced live offthe-floor video projects for artists including the likes of JJ Wilde, Justin Nozuka, Jaguar Sun, Lyle Kam, and Sarah Thawer. A third unit, added in 2022, functions as a standalone rehearsal space where Amit et al can collaborate with artists in a sort of developmental workflow.

We’ve reached the end of our meeting and I’m already thinking about which album I’ll bring for Amit the next time we see each other. I’m not sure that I fully grasp what Good Company Productions is all about, but this meeting has left me inspired with the knowledge that it’s about building community, creating culture, and sharing good times in all the best ways. And it's about bringing music to folks’ ears. How lucky for us that Amit likes to jam, and that he and Adrian and Rob had the creativity and tenacity to uncover the people and means that would allow him to do it from here.

Cassidy Mann at a Good Co pop-up show, Dec 2018. Photo by Cam Wind

Creation

with purpose, creation with soul.

SILVER FOX DISTILLERY

40

When Lisa and Mark Townsend opened Silver Fox Distillery in the small town of Arthur just over three years ago, they had two goals in mind: to develop a truly diverse lineup of great tasting spirits, and to craft them using local ingredients and sustainable practices. (Actually, there might be a third goal: to be the first Ontario distillery that doubles as a Doctor Who museum of sorts. But you’ll have to visit the place to see what I mean.)

At last count, Silver Fox has released forty gin- and vodka-based products (with whiskies and rums on the way), incorporating everything from local grains and maple syrups to area lavender and goat’s milk whey. And they’ve made it all happen in the most environmentally-friendly way: by donating their spent grains to an area pork farmer, for example, and developing their own water recycling system for cooling during the distilling process.

And they've done more than just 'make it happen,' as Mark makes clear. 'So far we’ve won twenty-six awards across North America

– including the 2022 US Open Spirits' Grand National Championship,' he says. ‘We’re the first Canadian distillery to receive this prestigious award.’ Not too shabby for a threeyear-old, two-person operation.

Like so many other remarkable farms and food businesses that dot Guelph and Wellington County, Silver Fox Distillery is a partner of Taste Real – a County of Wellington program that promotes local food and facilitates valuable connections among food businesses, consumers, craftspeople, farmers, and distillers alike. That includes champion distillers like Mark and Lisa.

Learn more at silverfoxdistillery.ca

ARTHUR

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

RECIPE

THE ‘SASSY VLAD’ COCKTAIL BY SILVER

FOX DISTILLERY

METHOD:

Shake & strain

GLASS: Cocktail tumbler

INGREDIENTS:

.75oz fresh lemon juice

.75oz Silver Fox Distilling Dracula’s Flower liqueur

.25oz Silver Fox Root Beer Moonshine

1oz Silver Fox White Rye

DIRECTIONS:

Mix ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass. And voila – the ‘Sassy Vlad’.

TOP TEN LATE WINTER ADVENTURES

Enjoy the tail end of winter with these unique experiences in Wellington County.

To note: pre-booking is required for some experiences listed below.

1. Get up close and personal with alpacas at Harmony Meadows Alpaca Farm, Belwood

2. Sip cider or wine around a roaring wood fire at Cox Creek Winery, Guelph/Eramosa

3. Book a maple syrup experience at Elliot Tree Farm or Heartwood Farm, Erin

4. Hike the Saugeen Trail and warm up with a hot chocolate at Coffee Culture, Mount Forest

5. Pick up a Gin Trail passport and visit up to six craft distilleries across the region

6. Grab some maple syrup and maple candy at Yungblut Maples, Palmerston

7. Go on a horseback trail ride at JohnMel Stables, Puslinch

Pick up your Taste Real FARMERS’ MARKET TRAIL

8. Try your hand at glass blowing at Blown Away Glass, Elora

9. Visit maple syrup farms on Ontario Maple Weekend (April 1st and 2nd)

passport and discover Wellington County’s eight outstanding farmers’ markets. Stamp your passport along the way for a

Go on a late winter hike at the Little Tract, Puslinch

10. FALL RURAL ROMP

Saturday, September 24th 10am – 4pm

For more winter experiences and delicious hot chocolate destinations in Wellington County, check out the Winter Adventures Map at: wellington.ca/winter

A free, self-guided tour to farms and food businesses across Southern Wellington County and Guelph. Meet our taste makers, learn about local food and agriculture, and discover local food

Sam, Elaine & Robin

KWFAMOUS AMPLIFYING ARTS, ANIMATING COMMUNITY

KWFAMOUS.COM

PROFILE & PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

I can recall the first time I spotted someone in downtown Kitchener wearing a striking teeshirt emblazoned with the names ‘ethel’, ‘jane’, ‘morty’, and ‘phil’ – one stacked above the other in a pleasing retro font. While this seemingly random word soup won’t mean much to those who haven’t lived in Kitchener-Waterloo, to those of us who enjoyed our formative teens and early twenties rabblerousing along King Street in Uptown Waterloo, they meant – and mean – the world. Ethel’s Lounge. The Jane Bond Café. Morty’s Pub. Phil’s Grandson’s Place: four fantastic Uptown watering holes where nights were spent and memories were made. And the tee: a brilliant homage to a hometown scene.

The garment is the brainchild of KWFamous: a Kitchener-Waterloo-based non-profit that’s all about, in their words, ‘celebrating people, places, and things in KW (and sometimes even Cambridge) through merch, events, and shenanigans.’ Run by the wonderfully-ambitious team of Robin, Sam, and (until recently) Elaine, KWFamous is, in the simplest of terms, an initiative that works hard to put the KW creative scene on the map – and to inspire community while they’re at it. And they’re doing one helluva job – one unique celebration at a time.

There’s the KWFamous Roller Disco: an overthe-top event held weekly over a one-month

span. Featuring deejays, skate rentals, lessons, food trucks, themed days and, of course, maker vendors, it’s a party. There’s also the Art Hop: an annual two-day celebration over Labour Day weekend that includes a live music festival, outdoor gallery walking tours, garden parties, breakdancing, a skateboard battle, local artistcurated experiences, and vendors galore. Then the Winter Patio Party: an annual outdoor experience that transforms Kitchener-Waterloo into a giant gameboard. The more patio parties you visit, the more points you get. Fire dancing, snow pong, curling, tarot reading and more –what better way to support the local restaurant scene and meet new friends? And, of course, there’s the KWFamous Pop-Up Shop. Run each year through December, the shop features products from over eighty local artists, makers, and other creatives.

And, of course, there’s merch. Tee-shirts. Hoodies. Sticker packs. All about KitchenerWaterloo. All beautifully designed. 'The KWFamous team does so much to hype up Waterloo Region,' Kitchener resident (and all around advocate) Hilary Abel tells me. 'Elaine, Robin, and Sam are an endless pool of energy and creativity. Their events are incredible, they’re always innovating.’ I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

BY MONICA MAZUN

Well, 2022 was an interesting year to say the least, especially when it came to the markets. The bond market had one of its worst years on record, while the S&P 500 was down -18% and the TSX was down -5.6%. Inflation and interest rates dominated the headlines. I know, it’s a downer, right? But there’s no point in tiptoeing around it. I even shared a laugh with a client recently when we both used the same word to describe the past year – I’ll let you use your imagination.

However, being in this industry has made me well aware that there are always highs and lows – and that there are strategic ways to navigate them. As my client and I chatted, we acknowledged that the markets weren’t great, but they’re not the only relevant indicator when it comes to building wealth. Seeing the full picture is important.

In a year where markets were down, we were able to help our client take advantage of tax loss selling to capitalize on losses and offset previous or future gains. We discussed life insurance to further diversify their investment portfolio and create all-encompassing financial plans. We assisted others interested in exploring philanthropy as a way to support community in difficult times while honouring their values and minimizing their tax burden.

I’ll say it again: It's not all about the markets. This past year we’ve explored declining house prices and the

potential of real estate investment, referring clients to trusted mortgage brokers to help guide them through the uncertain interest rates. Expected this April, eligible Canadians will be able to open a Tax Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA). If approved, this new registered plan will allow first time home buyers to save up to $40,000 tax-free. Contributions to the account are tax deductible (like an RRSP) while withdrawals are nontaxable (like a TFSA). The annual contribution limit is $8,000 and withdrawals do not need to be repaid. This account is a great way to save for a first home in a tax efficient way, and we’re making sure that our eligible clients hear about this account from us first, and fold it into their overall financial plan.

There are so many pieces that make up wealth management. It’s almost like a puzzle. At first it’s just a bunch of pieces but, with persistence and focus, it starts to come together. Whether it’s investing, estate planning, philanthropy, or any other number of things that are important to you, financial advisors are here to make sure the pieces fall into place.

All material has been prepared by Monica Mazun, who is an Associate Investment Advisor with the Mactaggart Hryn Team at Richardson Wealth Limited. The opinions expressed in this report are the opinions of the author and readers should not assume they reflect the opinions or recommendations of Richardson Wealth Limited or its affiliates. Richardson Wealth Limited, Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Richardson Wealth is a trademark of James Richardson & Sons Limited, used under license.

COMICS: A COLLECTION OF CREATIVE SPACES IN OUR REGION

PREAMBLE BY CAI SEPULIS

‘SPACE IS THE BREATH OF ART.’ – FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

BEYOND THE COFFEE SHOPS AND PUBS WHERE I SO OFTEN FIND MYSELF PORING OVER MY SKETCHBOOK, FULL OF IDEAS, ARE OUR REGION'S INTENTIONAL CREATIVE HUBS – PLACES TO LEARN AND GROW, FIND NEW SKILLS, OR EVEN TAKE A MOMENT TO REVEL IN THE CREATIVE ENERGY BEAMING ALL AROUND. CHANGEMAKERS SEEK OUT INNOVATIVE SPACES TO BASK IN CALM SURROUNDINGS, TO GAIN ACCESS TO TOOLS, AND TO COMMUNE WITH LIKE-MINDED FOLKS EAGER TO COLLABORATE ON PROBLEM-SOLVING.

HERE ARE A FEW OF TOQUE'S FAVOURITE CREATIVE SPACES IN THE REGION, AS INTERPRETED BY A HANDFUL OF OUR REGION’S BEST ILLUSTRATORS.

THE COTTON FACTORY (HAMILTON): The Cotton Factory is lower Hamilton’s hub for creative community. Nestled in an adapted reuse factory, it features spaces for workshops, galleries, and studios, as well as office space – and hot desks if you want to pop in to be a part of the buzz and crank out a few pages.

10C SHARED SPACE (GUELPH): 10C Shared Space is the hub for community changemakers in Guelph. With meeting rooms and co-working spaces, 10C is the place to meet, eat, create, discover, brainstorm together – or even launch a new food business in the space’s community kitchen.

IDEAEXCHANGE’S OLD POST OFFICE (GALT): The Old Post Office in Downtown Galt – part of the IdeaExchange's expansive, city-wide library network – features an attic maker space complete with all sorts of tools for members’ DIY projects, including sewing machines, laser cutters, 3D printer, and circuit makers.

THE PERIMETER INSTITUTE (WATERLOO): The Perimeter Institute is a renowned independent research centre in Waterloo featuring research and training, and poised to 'solve the universe's greatest mysteries' from 'deep inside the atom' to 'far across the universe.' Its outreach programs aim to bring physics to life through teacher workshops, public lectures, and more.

SILENCE (GUELPH): Silence is an incubator of sound for both practitioners and listeners. Through hosting accessible concerts, workshops, and improv sessions, Silence empowers folks to produce diverse and innovative music and sound.

THE COTTON FACTORY (HAMILTON) COTTONFACTORY.CA

MICHAEL BYERS MICHAELCBYERS.COM, @MICHAELBYERS

THE PERIMETER INSTITUTE (WATERLOO)

STEPHANIE SCOTT

STEPHANIESCOTT.DESIGN, @SSTEPHANIESSCOTT

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COURT DESAUTELS

INDUSTRY TRAILBLAZER

NEIGHBOURHOODGROUP.COM

PROFILE & PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Shortly before meeting Court Desautels at one of his restaurants, The Wooly in downtown Guelph, to interview and photograph him for this profile, I get a text: ‘I’m stuck putting out fires at Borealis,’ he writes – referring to his more upscale south end joint. ‘Can we meet here instead?’ Of course. When I arrive, Court’s dealing with a number of issues, from fixing a heating problem in the basement to resurrecting an uncooperative point-of-sale (or POS) system to putting out an actual fire in the restaurant’s sound system. All before the place opens. All in a day’s work.

As President of The Neighbourhood Group of Companies – a restaurant conglomerate whose stable includes the aforementioned Wooly and Borealis (with locations in Guelph and Kitchener) as well as Miijidaa and Park Eatery – Court’s certainly got his hands full. And while the minutiae of the everyday (heating issues, POS systems, fires) keep him busy, it’s The Neighbourhood Group’s more ambitious endeavours that have resulted in Court's gaining a reputation as a trailblazer in the industry. Consider these fun facts. All of The Neighbourhood Group restaurants are carbon neutral. More than eighty percent of the restaurants’ food and drinks are sourced locally. All of the restaurants’ seafood is sustainably sourced. And, over the past three decades, the restaurant group has raised over a quarter million dollars for various conservation

organizations. While it’s certainly taken a large team many years to implement these successes, today it is Court who drives them forward.

A true believer in the principle of people and planet first, Court doesn't let either fade from view. His commitment to the well-being of people is revealed in the fact that The Neighbourhood Group is one of the only restaurant consortiums in the world to be certified as a B Corporation. As such, team members have access to health insurance, an education fund, and health and wellness programs – benefits that continued through COVID lockdowns.

‘It was important for us to support our staff through the pandemic,' Court observes. 'One of the ways we did this was by putting in place an Employee Relief Fund, which we underwrote by selling restaurant gift certificates with one hundred percent of sales supporting the fund.’ The result? Sixty thousand dollars made available to restaurant staff, who were invited to apply for grants to help them through the slow times.

Robert Swan, a writer and adventurer whose sensibilities and commitments mirror Court's, has observed that 'the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.' It's the truth of statements like this that would drive Court Desautels to become, as much as possible, that 'someone else.'

MEMORIES OF HOME: DISCOVERING THE ‘DUMPLING TRAIL’ IN LONDON’S OLD EAST VILLAGE

PREAMBLE & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘The pierogies are my mom’s recipe,’ Barb tells me as I bite into the potato- and meat-stuffed Polish culinary staple. Covered in fried onions and served with a side of sour cream, the savoury treat is wildly flavourful – and instantly familiar. While I relish the mouthful, my head fills with memories of my late Oma’s vereniki (Mennonite ‘pierogies’ stuffed with cottage cheese or stone fruit and served with white sauce), which she would spend entire afternoons making from scratch for dinner whenever she and my Opa visited from Winnipeg back in the eighties.

‘These remind me of my childhood,’ I tell Barb as I shake a dollop of sour cream off my spoon and onto another of these wonderful Polish dumplings – this one stuffed with sauerkraut –before popping it into my mouth. ‘They remind me of mine, too,’ Barb responds. Reminders of childhood, memories of home: common themes, I’m finding out, on this fourth of seven foodie stops along the ‘Dumpling Trail’ in London’s Old East Village – or ‘OEV’ for short.

It's early afternoon on a Wednesday in January and my TOQUE partner Cai and I are enjoying a late lunch at chef-owner Barb Czyz’s Unique Food Attitudes – an authentic Polish restaurant she opened in OEV just over ten years ago. The place is filled with regulars, and conversation and laughter, in both English and Polish, punctuate the bright and cheery space. ‘How many dumplings are too many, do you think?’, I mumble to Cai between bites. Before she can answer, I proclaim: ‘It’s a trick question – you can never have too many.’ On this day, it certainly seems that way. Who would have thought these small masses of

dough – alternately boiled, baked, steamed, or fried – could provide so rich and varied and affecting a culinary escapade.

Our dumpling adventure began mid-morning at The Market at Western Fair District – a fantastic fiftythousand-square-foot market featuring over one hundred permanent vendors – where Cai and I primed our appetites on Latin American empanadas (at True Taco) and Nepalese momos (at Momos at the Market). Family recipes, the lot of them. It continued a few blocks further down Dundas at Bella’s Acacia Catering – a plant-based Korean joint – where we dug into a plate of kimchi dumplings served with house-made soy sauce. ‘My mom’s recipes from our hometown on the outskirts of Seoul,’ Bella told us as we savoured the texture and flavour. Then it was off to Barb’s place for pierogies, followed by So Inviting – a Chinese dumpling take-out place where chef-owner Yamei told us that she modeled her recipes after those of her grandfather.

And the ‘Dumpling Trail’ didn’t stop there. After taking a bit of a break – during which we ducked into OEV’s Illbury & Goose, clothier, and then Powerhouse Brewing for a pint, and then our terrific suites at Delta London Armouries Hotel – Cai and I were back on the case. First for wonton soup at Vietnam Restaurant. And then for panzerottis (Italian ‘dumplings’) at Tony’s Pizza. Both places are institutions in Old East Village. And both places are run by second-generation family members – with family recipes in place.

All along the ‘Dumpling Trail’ that day we encountered and shared so many warm recollections of childhood, so many affecting memories of home. Come along with us for the ride.

DUMPLING TRAIL, DUNDAS STREET, LONDON

11:12AM – MOMO’S AT THE MARKET (INSIDE THE MARKET AT WESTERN FAIR DISTRICT)

At our first stop along the Dumpling Trail, Momo’s chef-owner Yam Gurung indulges us with four types of Nepalese momos – stuffed with pork, chicken, veggies, and water buffalo. Momo’s has been a staple at The Market since 2008 and is London’s only Nepalese restaurant. Pro tip: order Yam’s house-made hot sauce on the side. It’s fiery – with a wonderfully-complex taste profile.

11:42AM – TRUE TACO (INSIDE THE MARKET AT WESTERN FAIR DISTRICT)

For our second stop along the Trail, True Taco chef-owner Jo Rivas and her kitchen partner Elsa serve us chicken, chorizo, and bean empanadas crafted with the freshest ingredients sourced straight from The Market. Jo and Elsa draw richly from their families’ Mexican and Salvadoran recipes. Pro tip: don’t sleep on the tacos (ours filled with pork, pineapple, and beef tongue) and pupusas (stuffed with beans, pork, and cheese). You’ll thank us.

12:47PM

– BELLA’S ACACIA CATERING (630 DUNDAS ST)

At Bella’s – our third stop along the Trail – chef-owner Bella Kim crafts a batch of handmade Korean vegan kimchi dumplings. Inspired by her mom’s recipes from the family’s hometown on the outskirts of Seoul, the dumplings are a taste explosion.

Pro tip: don’t forget the flavourful soy sauce – it’s made in-house.

Bella is perhaps most famous for her line of bottled vegan kimchi – including an armful of mild and spicy varieties

Check out the mural outside Bella’s –created by Amsa

Yaro & Rain

Bloodworth

1:55PM – UNIQUE FOOD ATTITUDES

(697 DUNDAS ST)

Our fourth stop takes us to Barb Czyz’s Polish joint for pierogies and cabbage rolls. (See preamble for deets.) Pro tip: check out the daily specials – which include combo plates that allow for sampling.

3:46PM – POWERHOUSE BREWING CO

(100 KELLOGG LN)

After scarfing down our terrific pierogies and cabbage rolls, we make the short jaunt to Powerhouse to wash down all the dumpling deliciousness with a cold one. The brewery – located in a former industrial park – is the perfect destination for a midday break.

5:12PM – VIETNAM RESTAURANT (1074 DUNDAS ST E)

Our next stop for dumplings is Vietnam Restaurant, which has been a staple in Old East Village since 1994. Now run by Lam (who took over from his father a few years back), the place is a family affair – featuring a menu based on Lam’s mom’s recipes. Our dumpling dish: the fantastic wonton soup. Pro tip: Whatever you do, order the Spring Rolls (wrapped in lettuce and mint) and Crispy Chow Mein.

This mural, by Pamela Scharback & Andre Garzon, graces the side of Vietnam Restaurant

We make our sixth stop at So Inviting for Chinese dumplings. Yamei Min’s place is unique – a selfserve take-out dumpling bar highlighting Yamei’s grandfather’s recipes. While we were there, we met a Western student who told us he’d traveled forty minutes by transit just to stock up on these dumplings. Pro tip: every item costs the same – price is by weight.

Our seventh and final stop along the Trail is Tony’s Pizza. Founded in 1970 (and so reminiscent of its era), the place is an exercise in glorious time travel. Tony’s ‘dumpling’ dish? Panzerottis, of course. Second generation's affable owner, Vince, is always ready for chats and laughter. Pro tip: order the Caesar salad. Trust us.

6:47PM – SO INVITING

(876 DUNDAS ST)

8:14PM – TONY’S PIZZA

(980 DUNDAS ST)

9:49PM – DELTA HOTELS LONDON

ARMOURIES (325 DUNDAS ST)

If you’re looking for a unique place to stay when you’re visiting for dumplings (or more), this hotel should be high on your list. Built into the former armouries building, the place is teeming with history – and maybe even a couple ghosts. Pro tip: visit the bar for a night cap. The layout is charmingly eccentric, and the smoked negronis the perfect way to end any day.

Joyce Wieland: A Clutter of Love

21 January to 21 May 2023

Upcoming Adult Workshops

Portrait

Painting Thursdays, 6-27 April $250+HST

Encaustic Painting

Saturday, 22 April $75+HST

Artwork: Joyce Wieland, Nursery , 1988. Oil on canvas. 206.2 x 246.6 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery: Gift of Mr. Irving Zucker, 1992. © National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

SARAH NICOLE LANDRY FACILITATING CONVERSATION

@THEBIRDSPAPAYA

PROFILE BY DANI KUEPFER; PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Sarah Nicole Landry created her blog, ‘The Birds Papaya’, as a mom of three young kids in an effort to connect with people who shared her experiences. Fifteen years later that little blog has transformed into a community of millions anchored by her various social accounts as well as her weekly podcast.

‘I’m journaling my life online,’ Sarah tells me. ‘It’s what I’ve been doing this whole time – and the showing up is still the hardest part.’

Sarah uses her signature reflective writing style to unpack conversations around body confidence and self-love, and invites her readers, followers, and listeners into her own world of raising kids, divorce and remarriage, and blended families. ‘I can only speak to my own experiences and create space for other people to see a bit of themselves through that,’ she explains. And they certainly do: every day, thousands of people are engaging in the online conversations she initiates.

I’m surprised to hear that Sarah is solely responsible for running her social accounts. ‘It’s me!’, she exclaims. ‘When I went full time with ‘The Birds Papaya’, I decided it always has to be me behind my profiles. It can be really difficult to trust what’s real online, and I knew I had to be on the right side of that.’

So, yes, she reads all of her messages. And she answers them, too – even the ones that are less than adoring. For Sarah, interacting with her community is at the core of her work, and much of that interaction happens in her DMs. ‘I get to hear so many beautiful, impactful stories, and that’s such a huge contribution to me. Being present with the hurtful things, offering that person an opportunity to have a conversation, is something I also feel compelled to do.’

There’s a refreshing tone of responsibility when Sarah speaks of the online world much of her work lives in. ‘I’ve always believed that there is good in everything,' she offers. 'When it comes to social media, we have to remind ourselves that we determine our own experiences. There will be good, bad, and everything in between. We need to be accountable for what we’re producing, of course, but also for what we're consuming.’

It’s easy to discount the world inside our screens as ‘not real,’ but there’s undeniable power in an online community such as this one. The metrics and the partnerships offer structure, but Sarah’s real work is in creating an accessible public space – one where people are invited to find new ways to express themselves, and encouraged to show up, to make meaningful connections.

book special multi-day events

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Beapart ofrevitalizing theGuelph Farmers’Market!

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EPITOME GENETICS: A PREVAILING VISION FOR INNOVATIVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS

WORDS BY DANI KUEPFER; PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Whole worlds can shift when someone is in the right place at the right time: the discovery of life-saving penicillin made possible by a serendipitous development during Fleming’s vacation from the lab; the love of your life delivered to you by the universe via an unfortunate fender-bender meet-cute; a decades-long dream of proactive healthcare access catalyzed by a global emergency. Of course, ‘right place, right time’ doesn’t always look like a gift in the moment – but in retrospect we see that it might very well have lit the fuse of an incredible vision already underway.

Kitchener-Waterloo native Jamie Yantzi’s ‘right place, right time’ happened to be his Kitchener home, in March 2020, when Jamie’s career in medical diagnostics encountered the incoming virus we now refer to simply as

COVID. By mid-March, he tells me, he had used the AI technology of his company, Seegene Canada (a subsidiary of Seegene Inc, a global pioneer in molecular diagnostics), to make available a test for the COVID-19 virus – what we now know as a PCR test. But despite this opportune readiness of a working COVID test, there was no infrastructure in our region to process the tests – outside of Jamie’s own equipment. Before long (while the rest of us were just beginning to clue into the gravity of the emerging pandemic) Jamie and his friend Dave Erb (who met decades ago as campers at Silver Lake Mennonite Camp – a meet-cute story for another day) conducted kitchen table conversations with friends and family in the healthcare field, and came to the realization that Jamie’s twenty-year dream of opening a genetics lab had arrived at a ‘now or never’ moment. The decision was made, and on

Teri-Lynn & Dave in the EpiTOme boardroom

EpiTOme founder Jamie Yantzi

March 21st, 2020 Jamie launched that dream, and gave his new enterprise a richly evocative name: EpiTOme.

‘COVID sort of forced the issue,’ Jamie says.

Did it ever. By May 2020 EpiTOme Genetics had opened its lab in the heart of Kitchener’s Belmont Village. Operating as a private lab outside of Ontario’s Public Health system, it began offering testing directly to industries identified as ‘most essential’: long-term care facilities, construction, universities, as well as overnight testing (via the Region of Waterloo International Airport) for Public Health units in other provinces like Newfoundland. When industries began shifting away from the higher quality PCR tests to rapid testing, EpiTOme (whose PCR tests were, relative to other labs, very affordable) pivoted and built partnerships with airlines and pharmacies nationwide in anticipation of reopened international travel.

Before long, EpiTOme Partner and VP Operations Teri-Lynn Steeves assembled a small group of experienced medical lab technologists, along with a team of biology and biochem undergrads from the local universities, to take on the various tasks demanded by the new operation – including the handling of up to seventeen hundred samples a day. Led by Steeves, previously the Lab Supervisor / Director Designate of the Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Lab at the Hamilton Regional Lab Program, this cohesive team was poised to contribute essential tasks and services required of the start-up. And then things began to shift, and COVID testing slowed down.

But Jamie's vision prevailed. With COVID PCR tests being used less frequently, EpiTOme shifted its focus to preventative healthcare via DNA analysis. Its aim, fully consistent with Jamie's long-range vision, was to use state-ofthe-art technology and innovative strategies to provide high quality analytical laboratory services to patients, healthcare providers, and businesses. ‘Canada’s healthcare system

already offers fantastic treatment for diseases like cancer,’ Jamie tells me, ‘but what we’re interested in is early detection. In fact,' he adds, 'we envision a future where – through innovative personal diagnostic screening – individuals can take far greater control of their health and medical information.'

Canadians are well aware of how tightly squeezed our healthcare system is, and most folks would agree it’s ripe for innovation. Jamie’s vision for EpiTOme is to enable Canadians to take more of their health into their own hands by expanded access to earlier diagnoses. We all know that months can go by between wait times to see a doctor, getting booked for tests, scheduling follow-up appointments and referrals to specialists, and, finally, accessing treatment. EpiTOme’s goal is to make an immediate difference in the lives of Canadians who have a health concern by overcoming some of these time barriers. The solution? Direct to consumer medical diagnostics.

When I ask Jamie what he and EpiTOme are up to next, he tells me that he's interested in leveraging the anonymized medical data made available by the programs already underway. He hopes that, over time, this data will reveal 'new genetic signatures for cancer that will allow for even earlier detection.’ It's sobering to think that fifty percent of Canadians develop cancer during their lifetimes. Jamie believes that he and EpiTOme have the technology and the tests to confront a range of present and future medical challenges, including the most urgent and serious. With the emerging data sciences scene in Kitchener-Waterloo, there’s no better place for brave and pioneering start-ups like EpiTOme to proceed to address innovative possibilities in healthcare and medical diagnostics.

And no better time than now.

Dave Erb

Artwork behind Bangishimo: ‘Release' by Roshan James, 2022

BANGISHIMO

ARTIST & ACTIVIST

BANGISHIMO.CA

PROFILE BY DANI KUEPFER; PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Bangishimo is an IndigiQueer Anishinaabe community leader and artist committed to creating spaces for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ folks to connect with each other and the land and create powerful futures together. Originally from Couchiching First Nation on Treaty 3 territory, Bangishimo currently resides, creates, and advocates in Kitchener, on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples. Mentorship, art, and activism – these things in large measure define their multidimensional reach within the region. 'We often receive invitations to speak at events and celebrations within the region,' they tell me, 'and it has become an opportunity for us to pass the torch to the young Indigenous folks in our community. We’re doing the work of creating leaders that create leaders.'

Drawing on a fifteen-year background in social work, Bangishimo co-founded O:se Kenhionhata:tie (also known as Land Back Camp) with collaborator Amy Smoke in 2020. The camp is a gathering space for queer young folks to cultivate their Indigenous cultural heritages – and demand land back. A film on the camp’s formation, titled 'Stories from Land Back Camp', was recently released by Bangishimo and co-founder Amy Smoke.

A noteworthy photographer and filmmaker, Bangishimo is also the City of Kitchener’s current (and first Indigenous) Artist in Residence. Central to their project is 'The Medicines We Carry', a fantastical portrait series that blends

traditional botanical medicines with futuristic imagery and which will debut at the artist’s gallery show in KWAG in February of 2024. Other photographs – a mix of vivid landscapes and intimate portraits – can also be found in the Ken Seiling Museum, and Bangishimo's studio at 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace. ‘This isn’t a story of martyrdom or victimhood,’ Bangishimo observes of the work; ‘these portraits cast Indigenous folks in the future tense.’

Bangishimo’s photography functions as a tool for advocacy, as a way of telling stories in a language that can be understood across cultures. Bangishimo’s craft takes them around the world, but they are persuaded that it is the stories they are making visible, so to speak, at home – the ones that may have been forgotten, ignored, or perhaps never told – that are causing real change in real time.

Bangishimo has been instrumental in Truth and Reconciliation accountability on city and regional levels and has ignited a conversation between the City and the community about the repurposing of the old Charles Street Bus Terminal. Their vision is an Indigenous community hub – gathering spaces, affordable housing, daycare, urban gardens, land for sacred fires, and more. 'It’s by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people,' Bangishimo remarks, while calling, with their partners, for a permanent and expanded home for the growing Indigenous and allied community.

IN GOOD COMPANY: LEARNING BUSINESS AT THE ST JACOBS FARMERS’ MARKET

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘All I do is eat, sleep, and crochet,’ Angela remarks with a laugh while I check out her arrangement of handcrafted market wares – all neatly organized in front of her on a wooden vendor table. I crack a smile (imagining her catchy statement dubbed onto some club track or other) and focus on what’s on display. There’s a canvas basket of fist-sized crocheted kittens – some violet, others yellow, all cute. Another that’s filled with crocheted chicks – in various shades of pastel. Next to the baskets there’s a tidy white shelving unit neatly arranged with more crocheted creatures of all sorts: whales in pinks and purples; sharks in blues and greys; octopi in pastel hues. My eyes fix on a blue crocheted whale. I pick it up and give it a squish. So soft and smooshy – a perfect gift idea for my nine-year-old daughter, who’s all about the softest and smooshiest stuffies.

Not that I’m on a deliberate hunt for stuffies, mind you. Instead, I’m here – at the St Jacobs Farmers’ Market on this blustery winter morning in early February – to suss out a very cool Market program: its Young Entrepreneur Pop-Up initiative.* Developed by visionary Market Manager Megan Malcolmson for young folks (aged twelve to twenty-four) looking to dip a toe into the vendor experience, the program aims to remove as many barriers to entry and to offer as much support as possible for vendor novices looking to start something new.

‘We got the Pop-Up initiative running in 2021, when we noticed how many people had started side hustles during the pandemic, ’ Megan tells me. 'At the time everything felt so unpredictable – and for the first time in years, we found ourselves needing to recruit vendors versus having a healthy waiting list of

The ‘LivLush’ permanent Market booth

potential vendors.The program was designed to give individuals with aspiring business ideas an opportunity to test their product, and it provided us – and continues to do so – with a crop of energized new vendors.’ And how does it work, exactly? ‘Every Saturday morning,’ Megan tells me, ‘the Market provides vendor space for a rotating number of young entrepreneurs to sell their wares – making the whole process as easy as possible for them.’ Indeed, the Pop-Up initiative is all about accessibility and ease of use. The Market takes care of insurance, for instance. It also provides vendor tables and looks after any set-up and tear-down processes at the beginning and end of each Market Saturday. The support is comprehensive and real.

What’s more, during the Market’s indoor months Megan ensures that the young entrepreneurs’ booths are given prime space in the most central location – smack dab in the middle of the Main Market Building. Not only does this mean that these young vendors get as much traffic as possible, but they are also essentially enveloped within the Market grounds – surrounded by more permanent vendors who are readily available to help, advise, mentor.

On this particular Saturday morning, four Pop-Up vendors are blissfully installed – and successfully selling. There’s (the aforementioned) twenty-two-year-old Angela Cortes’ ‘So Craftful’, with its crocheted stuffies. And nineteen-year-old Amanda Kleinikkink’s ‘AK Cards’, which sells hand-made scrapbooked cards for almost every special occasion. There’s also sixteen-year-old Teaira Garcia’s ‘BitsAndBobs’, featuring resin and laser acrylic jewelry. And twenty-two-year-old Melissa De Sa’s ‘melissas.handmades’, which offers a line of nickel-free polymer clay jewelry and more.

I move from Angela’s table (my mind still transfixed by that blue whale) to Melissa’s strikingly minimalist booth, meticulously laid out with a nude wooden display ‘case’ featuring colourful polymer clay earrings of all sorts. I ask about her trajectory from aspiring entrepreneur to Pop-Up vendor. ‘I actually

worked my first booth as a one-time vendor at a Winter Market here back in 2021,’ she tells me – referring to one (of many) of the Market’s inventive special events. ‘From there’, she continues, ‘I applied to the Pop-Up program.’ And how’s it been going? ‘This is my fifteenth Saturday,’ she tells me with a laugh. ‘I’m a huge fan – of the program, and of Megan.’ When I ask Melissa what she likes best about being a Pop-Up vendor, she answers straightaway: ‘The people – and especially my new and returning customers.’ Customers that, as we chat, are always around – some just to say hi, others to check out the goods and, of course, those who leave with a handmade treasure.

While Melissa now qualifies as an OG Pop-Up vendor, others are just beginning their journey at the Market. For Amanda, for instance, this is just her second Market Saturday. And yet she’s clearly emerging as a pro – chatting with Market visitors, inviting them to take a closer look at some of her wonderful handmade cards. I ask her what she thinks of the program so far. ‘I think the whole thing is fantastic,’ she says, without hesitation. ‘The application process was super easy, and Megan and the Market team are so flexible with scheduling.’ The best part about the whole thing, she says, is that it encourages young people 'to leave their comfort zone and gain important experience.'

I visit the youngest of the Pop-Up vendors next. Sixteen-year-old Teaira's ‘BitsAndBobs’ jewelry business is emerging as a going concern. A past recipient of a Guelph Startup Company grant and an experienced Etsy vendor, Teaira appreciates the Market as another means of reaching a wider audience with her resin and laser acrylic jewelry. She tells me that she chose this market because a lot of people she knew pointed her towards it. She's been selling here for a year now, and this is her eighth Saturday Market. Like the other young entrepreneurs, Teaira is a huge fan of the Pop-Up initiative initiative.

Perhaps the coolest component of the program is the opportunity it provides for PopUp vendors to advance to become permanent

Melissa De Sa & Amanda Kleinikkink at Melissa’s Pop-Up table

Liv Kelly of ‘LivLush’

Market vendors. Case in point – twenty fouryear-old Liv Kelly of ‘Liv Lush’, a business that specializes in mulberry silk scrunchies and dog scruffies (adorable scrunchies for your dog). Her trajectory at the Market is undoubtedly unique. ‘While I was recovering from surgery In 2021,’ she tells me, ‘I was looking for a pastime, and began crafting scrunchies and scruffies.' By the beginning of 2022, she had been accepted as a Pop-Up vendor. And why did she choose the Market to sell her products?

‘I’ve been coming here my whole life,’ she remarks, ‘and have always loved the energy and community here.’

Liv’s products have been flying off the shelves. In fact, she's been selling so many scrunchies and scruffies that she has had to hire staff. ‘Currently,’ she tells me, ‘I employ two seamstresses locally, and another two overseas.’ Wow. What a stellar example of how the Young Entrepreneur Pop-Up initiative is succeeding in its goals: to help mentor and

develop aspiring business owners, and to feed a series of new, exciting enterprises into the Market funnel.

‘The Pop-Up program is all about encouraging and endorsing what these young entrepreneurs are trying to achieve with their emergent businesses,’ Megan tells me when I get back to her. ‘I’m happy that we can be an incubator for their ideas – and their dreams.’

An incubator, for sure. Enabling. Encouraging. Cradling. Validating.

A win-win, if you ask me.

*The Young Entrepreneurs Pop-Up initiative runs year-round and is always accepting new applications. Visit stjacobsmarket.com/young-entrepreneur-pop-up for details.

Teaira Garcia of ‘BitsAndBobs’

Melissa (of ‘melissas.handmades’) with perennial support, Matthew

MARVA WISDOM

POSITIVE THINKER

PROFILE BY DANI KUEPFER; PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘The work that I do is who I am,’ Marva tells me, and those who know Marva would surely agree: that short phrase beautifully encapsulates her, a woman whose constructive reach in the community is so palpable. Marva Wisdom is not a new face in the Royal City – you’ve likely crossed her path in some capacity. Perhaps you’ve served alongside her on a committee (YM-YWCA, the Guelph Citizenship Committee, the Canadian Centre for Diversity, etc.) or rubbed shoulders with her at iconic Guelph events like the ArtsEverywhere Festival and Rotary’s Canada Day celebrations. In fact, the list of her contributions to our communities seems unending. She is an effortless collaborator and a powerful leader driven by an abiding belief in belonging, healing, empowerment, love.

When, as a young Jamaican immigrant, Marva moved with her family to small-town Ontario, she was overwhelmed by the discrimination she came up against from peers and adults alike. Equally distressing was the academic streaming she encountered in high school, which forced her off the path she had been working her entire life towards: attending university. (She would later earn a Master’s degree in Leadership from the University of Guelph and is now a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.) But it was in her own adolescent search for belonging and safety that her legacy began to unfold. Even while people and circumstances failed her, she was sustained by an innate wisdom and the support of mentors and allies that allowed her relentlessly to seek out opportunity and move her own positive vision forward.

‘I just want to be – in any way that helps make a difference – the person I would have wanted others to be when I was growing up,’ Marva reflects decades later.

Co-author of 'Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love', Marva is a public speaker and media performer, a facilitator, a mentor, an advocate, an activist. Her work with the Environics Institute,t on the Black Experience Research Project (GTA), has been widely cited for its ‘lived-experience’ and focus in the Black communities. She has served as Lead Advisor for the City of Guelph’s award-winning Community Plan, with the goal of setting a community standard toward the elimination of systemic racism. She was the founding president of the Guelph Black Heritage Society and was instrumental in the acquisition of the historic BME Church Building, now Heritage Hall. She has led a number of successful fundraisers (notably, United Way GuelphWellington’s $5M campaign) and has received several highly regarded awards, including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award, and was cited as Volunteer of the Year for her leadership with a major provincial political campaign.

‘There has been no linear path for my life,’ Marva shares, ‘I think of our lives as a fullness to be discovered, rather than an emptiness to be filled.’ Now that's powerful – and inspiring –positive thinking.

THE NEW GUARD:

TASTING WHAT STRATFORD HAS ON OFFER

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘The last time we saw you was when you were in for pizza,’ Abra, our server, tells Cai and me as she guides us to our table – a cozy four-seater tucked under an expansive window right up at the front of the restaurant, overlooking a blustery, wintery Wellington Street. Cai nods with a grin (apparently playing that meal back in her head) and lets Abra know how much we loved that visit. I, on the other hand, am utterly confused. ‘We were here for pizza?’, I ask – looking around the joint for some hint of familiarity. I take in the exposed red brick walls, tidy open concept kitchen, lovely wainscoted pass, and bistro vibe. And recognize none of it. ‘This place was Pretty Good Pizza back then,’ Cai reminds me – a bemused look on her face. ‘We were here a couple summers ago.’

Things are coming back to me. Of course I remember Pretty Good Pizza: a Stratford popup opened by acclaimed Chef Jamie Crosby back in the summer of 2021. Among the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Right up there with Willibald.* Cai and I had eaten out back on the rear patio – shared a ‘Pep’ pie, fought over the accompanying creamy garlic and chili dipping sauce, and slugged back a few negronis. I remember being devastated when we heard it had closed just a year later. But closing was always the plan, as it turns out. To create space for this place: Lovage. Chef Jamie’s new – and, I might add, already legendary – project.

It’s a Wednesday early evening in late January and Cai and I are here in Stratford on assignment, to scope out a trio of new-ish restaurants that have popped up over the

‘Hamachi Crudo’ with winter citrus, golden beets & olive oil at Lovage

Vignettes from Lovage

past year or so. A tasty mission, indeed. After all, we’ve always loved this city’s culinary scene. To be sure, we’ve enjoyed some of our best meals ever here – at such foodie meccas as the South Africaninspired Braai House, the elegant Bruce Hotel, and, of course, the celebrated AO Pasta (which, since our last visit, has evolved into more of an Italian grocer with hot counter specializing in house-made sauces, lasagna, focaccia. and other Italian treats).

As a culinary port of call during festival season (and, perhaps even more critically, off-season too), Stratford is known for hosting a good number of world-class restaurants. The dishes that Abra begins delivering to our table demonstrate that Lovage (and, as we will find out, the other restaurants on our list) qualifies as one of these outstanding venues. Delightful ‘Tonnato Deviled Eggs’ with tuna and white anchovy. Whimsical ‘Chicken Meatball Yakitori’ with tare and egg yolk. The most photogenic

‘Hamachi Crudo’ with winter citrus, golden beets, and olive oil. Cozy ‘Squash Agro Dolce’ with stracciatella, raisin, caper, and sage. Every dish an unforgettable encounter, outdoing the last. It’s no surprise that my friend Dave Lobe, globetrotting sommelier, has embraced Lovage as one of Canada’s great dining venues.

When I walk up to the pass and ask Chef Jamie how he’d describe the restaurant, he’s quick to answer. ‘It’s all about seasonality,’ he begins. ‘The menu’s ever-changing – always reflecting what’s available locally.’ Market cuisine, then. And what of the great vibe? ‘I’ve modeled this place after traditional European eating and drinking spots,' he tells me, ‘like Italian trattorias, French bistros, British pubs. Here in North America we seem to have lost the concept of eating and drinking out as a pleasurable, drawn out experience – a full evening out where the food’s the destination. I want to bring this back.’ I return to our table, persuaded that Chef Jamie has accomplished what he’s set out to achieve.

More Lovage

.

WHY NOT STAY FOR LUNCH – AND THE NIGHT?

We’ve told you about what’s new for dinner in Stratford. Here’s two new-ish options for lunch the same (or next) day – plus a place to rest your head:

BOWL BAR

(145 Ontario St Unit 1)

@bowlbarstratford

When Keystone Hospitality (Braai House, Bru Garden, BRCH & WYN, more) looked to offer quick ‘n healthy nomnoms in 2022, they opened Bowl Bar. Salad & quinoa bowls, chili, wraps, cauliflower bites & more –crafted from local, organic & wholesome ingredients. The bright & cheery space even grows its own microgreens.

EL CACTUS TACO SHOP

(2 ONTARIO ST)

@tacoshopgrrrl

Opened in 2021, this spot is a must-visit for its fun & colourful décor alone. While the cozy space encourages take-out, El Cactus has a few seats at the front windows and (in warmer weather) a front ‘porch’ too. And the food? Sublime. With tacos, burritos & burrito bowls on the menupacked with house-made chorizo, spicy walnut meat & more - you’ll love it

PERTH COUNTY INN

(4 HURON ST)

@perthcountyinn

Looking for more than a hotel room? Then rest your head at the Perth County Inn – it’s our go-to whenever we’re in Festival City. With whimsical themed rooms on the main floor, larger suites above, and a central location that’s mere steps from all the action, PCI makes for the ideal jump-off spot.

Bluebird

Because downtown Stratford is so walkable, once Cai and I bid Abra and Chef Jamie adieu it’s not long before we reach our next stop on this culinary journey: Blue Bird. (A good thing, too, as a winter storm – perhaps the only one this year – is in full swing.) Opened in late 2022 by Aaron and Bronwyn Linley, Ontario Street's Bluebird is evocative of some cozy spot you might find in Paris’ hip ninth arrondissement. Vintage chandeliers. Long curtains. A substantive bar featuring gothic ecclesiastical details. Candlelit tables – including our lovely perch at the very back, overlooking, through thick waves of snow, the shimmering banks of the Avon. The only things missing in the packed space, it seems, are French chatter and the evocative voice of Édith Piaf. And the food? Delightful.

Cai and I share the ‘Roasted Bone Marrow’ (with lettuce wraps, herb salad, crispy rice

paper, and fermented chili vinaigrette) and ‘Steamed Mussels’ (with parsley garlic butter and fries). Chef Aaron sends out an order of ‘Ham & Cheese Croquettes’ (with mustard seeds and sharp cheddar). I quench my thirst with a fantastic Old Fashioned, while Cai pairs her food with a brew. Near the end of the meal, restaurant co-owner Bronwyn comes over for a quick chat – making sure that our visit has been a pleasurable one. I dip a remaining french fry into rich mussel broth, wolf it down, and let her know we couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Cai and I settle up, bundle up, and brave the storm along Ontario until we arrive at our last stop of the evening: Elizabeth. And what a perfect last stop it is. When we arrive, chef Brian Clarke – who owns the restaurant with his partner, Sarah Sylvester (Sarah also runs The Little Shed Flower Co: a favourite Stratford

More from Bluebird

stop) – is quick to greet us. He invites us to sit up at the bar, which overlooks the open concept kitchen. Behind us, wraparound windows offer clear views of folks traipsing past through the snow. On our side of the windows, patrons enjoy their meals in this elevated diner-like space. It’s not long before our server, Nikita – a perfect balance of knowledge and good cheer – brings out what Chef Brian’s been cooking: ‘Crispy Deviled Eggs’ (with panko, everything bagel seasoning, old bay, dijon & scallion), ‘Tuna Carpaccio’ (with avocado crema, pomegranate, lime & olive oil), ‘Salt Roasted Beets’ (with whipped ricotta, wilted greens & harissa), and ‘Maple Glazed Pork Belly’ (with fried sprouts, marrow aioli and pickled cabbage).

Each dish bursts with complex flavours and unbridled playfulness – and every bite brings a smile to my face. As we near the end of our

meal, Brian pours out a few examples of fernet he’s got behind the bar. A swig of the bitter, aromatic Italian spirit makes me feel as though I could be starring in an episode of Munchie’s ‘Chef’s Night Out’ – a favourite YouTube show of mine. ‘More like ‘TOQUE Night Out’,’ laughs Cai when I share my thought.

And what a perfect night out it has been –scoping out this trio of utterly-memorable culinary destinations. Lovage and Blue Bird. And Elizabeth too. Each one offering so very much more than shelter on a stormy winter night.

*Rumour has it that when Pretty Good Pizza closed, the place’s pizza ovens found a new home at Willibald – a lucky coincidence indeed.

Scenes from Elizabeth.

SCOTT HIGGINS CITY BUILDER HIPDEVELOPMENTS.COM

PROFILE & PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Scott Higgins is a developer of a different sort. Yes, he builds cities – as developers are prone to do. But he’s also a city builder; this is, someone committed to positive change to the cultural, social, environmental, physical, and economic components of cities. Herein lies the difference. For Scott, President of Waterloo-based HIP Developments, cities are 'the true habitat of the human spirit' and building out community is as important as building up condos. In Scott’s mind, any great building project should include public art, civic squares, vibrant spaces where folks can connect with each other and the environment around them. For it is in these public spaces –free spaces – where, Scott argues, community is born, creativity is nurtured, and, perhaps most importantly, collaboration and joy are realized and enhanced.

And, luckily for all of us, Scott’s vision has been –and continues to be – implemented across our region.

Case in point: HIP’s Gaslight District multiuse project in downtown Galt. Developed on the former Southworks foundry site, Gaslight combines condominium towers with a plethora of public-facing amenities – including, at its core, an expansive urban park that features stages (for free live performances in warmer months), Canada’s largest jumbotron (to broadcast live sporting events), and unique interactive installations and attractions (including inground sensors that enable visitors to ‘play’ the jumbotron with their feet while they travel through the space). All public-facing. All free of charge. Because, as Scott sees it, you can judge

how livable a city is by gauging how much the citizens can do without spending any money.

For those with a few dollars in their pockets, Gaslight’s urban park is lined with wonderful opportunities for engagement and delight: an elevated tavern, craft brewery, oyster bar, event venue (with the region’s most dazzling public art installation: Philip Beesley’s ‘Meander’), and more.

Because he’s a vehement supporter of creators who share his passion for city building, Scott’s good work certainly doesn’t begin and end with HIP’s building projects. It’s no coincidence that HIP has been a proud supporter of a plethora of local creative initiatives: from Digital Sabbath’s ‘Business Unusual’ video documentary series to Chef Nick Benninger and Taylor Jackson’s ‘Nick And Taylor Make A Food Show’; from the Waterloo-based ‘LAUNCH’ STEAM program for kids to the magazine you’re holding in your hands. (Indeed, Scott’s support of TOQUE has always been seen by Cai and me as a sort of ‘waymarker’ – that is, as evidence that we’re on the right track in our own attempts at building community, at city building.)

And as if this isn’t enough, during the pandemic Scott also became an author. Working alongside long-time collaborator (and fellow city builder) Paul Kalbfleisch, Scott co-authored ‘The Joy Experiments’, a sort of how-to guide for aspiring city builders looking to make change in their own hometowns. So, yes, Scott Higgins is a developer. And so much more.

PLACEMAKING AS CHANGEMAKING: SHINING A LIGHT ON QUEBEC STREET IN DOWNTOWN GUELPH

PREAMBLE & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘CULTURES AND CLIMATES DIFFER ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT PEOPLE ARE THE SAME. THEY’LL GATHER IN PUBLIC IF YOU GIVE THEM A GOOD PLACE TO DO IT.’

– JAN GEHL

A few years back the TOQUE team was invited by Guelph Tourism and Regional Tourism Organization 4 Inc (or RTO4) to help brand Quebec Street – a marvelous one-block strip in the heart of the Royal City that’s packed with stylish boutiques, quaint cafés, fave foodie joints, a tattoo parlour, and even a shoe repair shop. (Don’t sleep on Dimar.)

While we weren’t (and aren’t) strangers to branding sweet businesses, the idea of branding a street piqued our curiosity. What was it all about? Placemaking, as it turned out. And, more specifically, the intentional exercise of creating a ‘micro-tourism destination’ – that is, a destination within a destination – for folks looking to get out and stretch their legs in our region. The theory then was that if we were able to attract people to a particular downtown area, the surrounding areas would also benefit from inevitable ‘spill-over’ exploration. A rising tide lifts all boats, after all.

A few years have passed since TOQUE was involved in this placemaking exercise. And while we can’t tell you how the genial logo

we designed for the street was ultimately implemented in the branding process, we can certainly let you know that the Quebec Street strip remains a thriving artery in the heart of the Royal City. Indeed, visitors and locals alike invariably end up here: to enjoy lunch at Miijidaa, or donuts at Lady Glaze, or a good pampering at Acqua, or shopping at Grey Rock Clothing. And they almost always meander into other areas of the downtown core, too, for shopping and eating at other downtown Guelph hot spots.

For this spread, the TOQUE team visited five distinct Quebec Street businesses that represent what Quebec Street is all about. On The Verge. IF.. Footwear. Kennedy Park. Knar Jewelry. And Dimar Shoe Repair.

So enjoy these products laid flat for your perusal. And then swing on by Quebec Street for the full three-dimensional tour. It’s a microtourism experience you won’t soon forget. And a manifest illustration of how placemaking is changemaking.

Mushroom mug, by Jabco (Quebec)

Earrings, by FRUG (Ottawa)

Candles, by Nostalgia (Quebec)

Novelty socks, by Blue Q

Venis, by Lodi

Bianca, by Angel Alarcon

Sorayas, by Lodi

Rabisainot, by Lodi

Tome hoops, by Jenny Bird

Dual action jade roller

Socks, by Hansel From Basel

Nailpolish, by Sundays

Rodin chain. by Jenny Bird

Heritage 1973, by Tissot

Yacht Timer GMT, by Frederique Constant

Flex it Eka bracelet, by FOPE Visodate, by Tissot

Platinum Helix silkmatte ring, by Henrich & Denzel

Shoe oil, by Huberd's

Leather balm, by Saphir

Horse hair buffing brush

Leather boot tongue replacement

Vibram sole replacement on Goodyear welted Red Wing boots

GATHER at the GALLERY

A monthly program for the 55+ community

Lectures, demonstrations, tours of exhibitions or workshops to express your own creativity.

Registration for each event is required as space is limited.

Register at: www.theclayandglass.ca/programs-and-events/gather/

Come for the art, stay to mingle.

Gallery Hours

Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm , Sunday 1 to 5 pm

25 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, ON, N2L 2Y5

519-746-1882

theclayandglass.ca

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: HOW AJOA MINTAH IS BUILDING AN ICE CREAM EMPIRE

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

‘Ice cream for breakfast is a good thing, right?’, I ask to no one in particular as Ajoa tops the waffle cone with a spiralled mix of creamy vanilla and chocolate soft serve and hands it to me. I check my wrist – it’s 10:36am – and take a lavish lick. Happiness in a mouthful. ‘Who am I kidding,’ I continue, ‘everyone knows that ice cream any time is a great thing.’ Especially this stuff: Ajoa’s ice cream. Four All – the stuff of legends around these parts. A regional craft product that’s right up there with the likes of Sauer & Steiner hand planes, Bartlett guitars, True North bikes, and Willibald IPAs. But I might be getting ahead of myself. I take another lick. No, I’m not – it’s really that good.

And good for you, too. Listen up. ‘When I started Four All,’ Ajoa tells me on this blustery Wednesday morning in December at her bright and beautiful Uptown Waterloo scoop shop, ‘I wanted to craft ice cream that would

be accessible for everyone. People tend to stop eating ice cream because they’re told that it’s bad for them,’ she continues, ‘so I created something that’s made from pure, simple, local ingredients.’ Like milk from the Guernsey herd at Waterloo’s Eby Manor farm, for instance –cattle that produce A2 milk which has been shown (in papers by Purdue University, the University of Auckland and beyond) to be more digestible than the regular stuff, even for folks with lactose intolerances. Folks like Ajoa, in fact, who is lactose intolerant herself – and has no problem scarfing down her product.

‘Our partnership with Eby Manor is longstanding,’ Ajoa tells me as we settle into a two-seater in the scoop shop – near the cozy spot’s floor-to-ceiling front windows. In fact, before Ajoa even founded Four All (in a fivehundred-square-foot unit along Kitchener’s wonderful Whitney Place industrial strip back

Ajoa Mintah

in May 2017), she visited Jim Eby at his farm to talk all things milk. ‘Ice cream is milk, and milk is ice cream,’ Ajoa tells me, ‘so when I decided to start an ice cream business I knew that the milk I chose would, in the long run, be one of the most important decisions I’d make.’ At the time, Eby Manor was about to introduce a line of yogurts and open its own farm store. ‘I visited Jim at the farm with my kids,’ Ajoa tells me, ‘and he was so kind and helpful. We ate fresh yogurt and talked about working together once I got my business off the ground.’ A partnership from the start. And close friendship too.

A piece of advice Jim gave Ajoa all those years back: ‘He told me that milk always tastes better in glass bottles,’ she says (which is so true), ‘so I should package my ice cream in glass, too.’ Which is what Ajoa eventually did after launching Four All in 2017. A fantastic, distinctive gesture, I’ve always thought – one of many great components of Four All’s inspired brand, which begins and ends with the everplayful, almost-awkward cursive font of the

logo that spells out the business’ name on all Four All packaging and materials.

When I tell Ajoa how much I’ve always loved the Four All logo, she laughs. ‘I know,’ she exclaims, ‘you tell me this every time we run into each other.’ I don’t doubt it. Designed by Waterloo-based Him & Her Inc creative agency, run by my pals Erin and Justin, the logo just screams exuberance and joie de vivre. Indeed, it screams ice cream (as we all do). And the colour palette, all muted reds and peaches and pinks and pastel hues with bits of pure blacks and whites for impact – simply delicious. I take another lick of soft serve. The sun, which had been behind thick December clouds, shines through.

‘My first big investment was with Him & Her,’ Ajoa tells me when I ask about her relationship with Erin and Justin’s firm. ‘Quite honestly, I was never worried about how to make ice cream – after all, there are lots of recipe books out there. My concern was always how to get people to buy the stuff.’ Succinctly stated –

and, as someone who helps run a branding and marketing agency myself, I can relate to that. Products don’t sell themselves, after all. Great branding and marketing does. She continues: ‘When I hired Erin and Justin to brand Four All, I already had general ideas about the colours I wanted used, and the feel or vibe I wanted communicated. I don’t approach anything in life without a point of view. The magic of Him & Her is about how they took my broad vision and translated it into something tangible, evocative, splendid.’

Ajoa’s relationship with the hometown creative agency continues to this day. Case in point: when she decided to open this scoop shop as a brick and mortar expression – and extension – of the Four All brand, one of the first phone calls she made was to Erin for her advice. ‘She immediately made herself available for me,’ Ajoa says of the Him & Her co-founder, ‘and has been involved with the design of this space since the get-go.’ As have other local creatives. The brightly-painted murals in the space, for instance, were designed by famed regional muralist Steph Boutari. And much of the wood craftsmanship was executed by Adam Schwartzentruber and his team at New Hamburg-based boko. A group of local

creatives doing great things together. My kind of (ice cream) party.

‘I actually never intended to open a scoop shop at all,’ Ajoa remarks, ‘but I wanted a place where the people who have supported me for all these years could call their own.’ Like Jim. And Erin. And Jordan from Legacy Greens. And Dana Shortt of Dana Shortt Gourmet and Gifts, the first local business to stock Four All. And Trevor Herrle of Herrle’s Country Farm Market, also one of Four All’s first stockists. Trevor, Ajoa is quick to tell me, is always just a phone call away for advice or to connect Ajoa with local growers who might want to collaborate on a new flavour of ice cream. ‘My mom always told me to get into business only with people you like or respect,’ Ajoa adds. These are her people.

And while March 2020 didn’t prove to be the most fortuitous date for opening a scoop shop, the place – in the heart of Uptown Waterloo – is thriving today. I look around the cheerful space. Beyond the glass front door (flanked by large glass front windows) are a cute ice cream counter, a couple of tables, a row of stools, and a large freezer unit housing all sorts of frozen Four All product. The shop expresses a single-mindedness – much like

Ajoa. And it's welcoming too – with Steph’s murals and Adam’s woodwork and a scattering of green plants warming the space. Behind the counter there’s the ice cream bar (of course). But there are also some newer Four All contraptions – like the aforementioned soft serve machine and also a commercial mixer and soda machine. ‘For shakes and floats,’ Ajoa announces proudly when I ask about the shiny appliances.

It’s past noon now, and one of Ajoa’s team has opened the scoop shop for the day. Folks begin to come and go – some for soft serve in a cone (like me). Others for traditional ice cream scooped in cups. Some folks skip the bar altogether and head straight for the freezer unit – and grab tubs of their favourite flavours of ice cream to stock their freezers at home. And then, serendipitously, Jim from Eby Manor comes in – looking for an ice cream cake for a birthday celebration. The Four All community is real, high-spirited, and always supportive.

While Jim and Ajoa chat I meander over to the large freezer to check out some of the flavours to-go. Five-hundred-mil jars of Chocolate Mud Puddle, Cinnamon Oat & Raisin Maple Crème Brûlée. Two-litre tubs of Funky Monkey, Coconut Cream Pie, Cranberry Sorbet. Onetwenty-five-mil minis of Chocolate Truffle, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean. Vegan options too. Those are just examples; I could add 'and more' to every list. And, not to be missed: eight flavours of luscious ice cream bars. And that's not taking into account many drool-inducing ice cream cakes. Banana Toffee. Confetti. Strawberries & Cream. I can’t wait until one of my kids celebrates a birthday next because I sure know where I'll be getting the cake.

Today’s Four All is so much different than the business Ajoa decided to launch back in 2017. What began as a fledgling enterprise run out of a single commercial unit in Kitchener has evolved into a true regional success story. Four

All’s Whitney Place location is still operating – but has expanded across four units (for packaging, storage, manufacturing, and more). A staff of just Ajoa (and sometimes her hubby and mom) has expanded to a team of fifteen – which doubles in the warmer months. An ice cream cart and tricycle (which you’ll still spot selling Four All products at area businesses like Eby Street Bodega and at events throughout the summer) has been supplanted by this wonderful shop. Plans for a second scoop shop that will land inside Galt’s mesmerizing Gaslight District development some time this year are in the works. ‘Scott Higgins has been wonderful to work with,’ Ajoa tells me, referring to the visionary President of HIP Developments. Another great connection.

Indeed, if there’s a common thread that’s woven its way into Ajoa’s ice cream journey, it’s the network she’s made of fabulous, generous, like-minded folks who have helped her along the way. This isn’t lost on Ajoa. ‘Our region has a helping mentality,’ she says with urgency and conviction, ‘especially when it comes to building a business.’ And while Ajoa is so grateful for the help she’s received, she’s quick to pass it on. ‘In my spare time, I’m a Venture Coach for the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region’s [or CCAWR] Lift-Off Program,’ she tells me, ‘where I mentor aspiring area founders who identify as black.’ She continues: ‘Lenore [of Kitchener’s Lenjo Bakes] put me onto it – and I even have my mom, a retired lawyer, volunteering for the association.’ It doesn’t stop. Neither for Ajoa nor for the friends she keeps. They create opportunity and space for each other – always, of course, leaving room, too, for ice cream.

After all, it takes a village. And ice cream any time is a great thing.

FOURALL ICE CREAM SCOOP SHOP 75 KING ST S UNIT 56, WATERLOO fourall.ca

KARYN BOSCARIOL QUEEN OF CHARITY

@QUEENOFCRAFTBEER

PROFILE BY DANI KUEPFER; PORTRAIT BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Karyn Boscariol, best known as Bosco, has been a champion for diversity in our local beer scene for over a decade. Inspired to create a more inclusive (and, frankly, more interesting) space in the traditionally male-dominated craft beer industry while also raising money for charity, she founded Queen of Craft (QoC) through Wellington Brewery in 2013: a lineup of pleasurable, accessible beer education events aimed at women and non-binary folks. These annual events became the means by which a thriving, diverse community has flourished, with Karyn at the wheel, charting new territory with each passing year. ‘Queen of Craft is about community and beer and fun,’ Karyn declares, ‘but it’s also a platform to elevate the work and voices of the organizations fighting for diversity and dignity in our community.’

Under Karyn’s leadership, QoC’s events, merch and, of course, beer have raised over $65,000 in support of their long-time partner GuelphWellington Women in Crisis, an organization that provides vital services to domestic violence survivors in our own neighbourhoods. Thousands more have been raised through beer collabs and satellite events in neighbouring cities, the beneficiaries including Black Women in Motion, Habitat for Humanity, and the sexual assault centres of Hamilton and KW. The everevolving events feature talks by industry experts from a variety of backgrounds: from farmers

to lab techs, owners to engineers. The visions expressed in these events mirror contemporary cultural conversations concerning, for example, things like workplace allyship and sobercuriosity. In the off-season, the QoC Brew Team invites non-industry folks to get hands-on with the brewing process, releasing several unique beers throughout the year, each label featuring a local artist’s design. This year’s headline brew (an IPA by Wellington Brewery) sports a killer label by Stephanie Cheng – and you can find it in LCBOs this March, with twenty five cents per can to be donated to Women in Crisis.

Queen of Craft celebrates its ‘Ten Year Reunion’ this March with its fan-favourite beer and cheese pairing event, and a prom-themed blowout in the Guelph Farmers’ Market space. The events are sure to be savoured for what they include – tasty, locally-brewed pints; artfully-curated food pairings; and stimulating conversations about industry trends and beer theory. What’s more, they’re an opportunity to revel in an environment that didn’t exist ten years ago. Through a tenacious shared vision and evolving conversations, Bosco and the folks around her have carved out a beautiful space where women and non-binary individuals who have a desire to make and drink beer are celebrated and supported, empowered and inspired.

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A SPRINGBOARD TO THE WORLD: THE REGION OF WATERLOO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN

Early last spring, on a bluebird morning in April, I found myself perched apprehensively alongside my older brother Matt and our friend Tom Enns on Whistler’s infamous ‘Peak Express’ chair – slowly ascending to the highest skiable point on the mountain. As someone who’s so afraid of heights that I once refused to re-shingle my backyard shed for fear of falling off, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. And yet I was also exactly where I wanted to be – facing fears head on and intentionally ‘getting after it,’ as they say. Just a month later, on a balmy morning in May, I found myself clambering over massive boulders along the coast at Nova Scotia's Peggy’s Cove, with my TOQUE partner Cai –feeling the ocean spray on my face as I made my way to the base of the place’s picturesque

white- and red-painted lighthouse. (You know the one.) As someone who could spend all day staring out at ocean waves, I was a happy clam indeed.

The fact that I managed to bridge two coasts, span over 7000 feet of altitude, and register a range of about 30 degrees Celsius in just over thirty days is not lost on me. These two adventures were a study in contrasts. In fact, there was really only one striking similarity shared between them – the place where each trip began. I'm referring to our backyard springboard to the world: the Region of Waterloo International Airport.

‘I’m happy to hear that our Airport could serve as a jump-off point for your travels,’

The author’s friend Tom near the top of Whistler

Rod Regier, Commissioner of Planning, Development, and Legislative Services with the Region of Waterloo (and avid hang glider) remarks when I regale him with tales of my coast-hopping adventures. ‘We’ve worked hard to position our Airport as the most attractive option for folks embarking on trips just like this.’ It’s an afternoon in January, and Rod and I are chatting on zoom about the Region of Waterloo International Airport and the integral role it plays in – and for – our communities: as an enabler of connectivity, driver of economy, and facilitator of adventure.

It wasn’t always this way. As a kid growing up in Kitchener-Waterloo, the ‘Breslau airport’ (as we called it back then) was where we went to watch the annual airshow, and that was it. If our family wanted to travel by plane, it was off to Pearson we’d go. Not anymore, though. Especially since the Airport managed to secure

Flair Airlines as a regular carrier – which included granting them route exclusivity for two years so Flair could focus on customers, not competition. Rod recalls the details for me: ‘In 2017, Regional Council approved a three hundred and seventy five million dollar, twenty-year Airport Master Plan to enable it to meet the travel needs of our growing community, while also responding to the capacity challenges at Pearson.' He continues, ‘we’ve worked hard to transform our Airport into a real option for travellers who might not want to drive into the GTA to fly.’ And it’s worked. What was once a regional airport designed around fifty- to seventy-seater jets is now a national and international going concern – with regular Flair flights leaving to everywhere from Vancouver and Halifax (such as the flights I took last year) to Calgary, Winnipeg, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, and beyond.

Halifax (top, l-r)

Whistler (bottom, l-r)

Region of Waterloo International Airport

To deal with the increased capacity (including more travellers and much larger two-hundred seat 737 jets) the Airport has been expanding its terminals – and doing so in a unique, responsible way. ‘No shovels were put in the ground before funds were secured,’ Rod tells me – a tinge of pride in his voice. ‘In fact, the Airport expansion [which includes new arrivals and departure lounges, multiple parking stands, and an impressive baggage handling system] has been entirely financed by the ongoing attraction and retention of new businesses – including Flair.’ The result of this strategic approach is that the cost per regional household to sustain the Airport is actually lower today than it was in 2017 – at the beginning of the implementation of the Master Plan.

Today’s Airport is a different beast, indeed.

‘The Airport now serves a core population of about one million,’ Rod notes when I ask him about the hub’s primary catchment, ‘including upwards of ninety thousand university and college students from Laurier, Waterloo, Guelph, and Conestoga.’ Indeed, the Airport has been a lifesaver of sorts for students who use it to travel home for the holidays, or to attend academic conferences, or to vacation

with friends. And students aren’t the only ones enjoying the fruits of Rod’s (and others’) labour. The airport is also an important tool for the region’s business sector. ‘Many of our region’s business leaders use the Airport as a convenient way to connect with their national or international offices,' Rod tells me. 'It’s not uncommon for c-suite executives to fly from our Airport to locations across the country to check on their teams.’ And not always on Flair, either. Indeed, there are around two hundred and fifty private and chartered aircraft based in the Airport’s fifty-some hangars. And while current business leaders employ the Airport as a means to connect with the world (and, thus, compete globally), they also use the Airport as a tool for employee attraction and retention –just as the region uses the Airport as a tool for business attraction and retention.

And the Airport moves more than people. It's also a mover of freight. 'While airports in Hamilton and Toronto move more cargo than ours does,’ notes Rod, ‘the fact that our Airport has the capacity to receive freight is invaluable for our manufacturing communities.’ Indeed, our region is home to an incredible number of ‘just-in-time’ (JIT) manufacturers: companies that produce items on-demand in order to increase efficiency, reduce cost, and speed up product delivery. (Think of our region’s

auto parts manufacturers.) ‘When one of our region’s ‘just-in-time’ manufacturers needs a special part or piece of equipment delivered quickly,' Rod observes, 'the Airport is able to receive these bits in a highly-efficient manner – thus serving as an integral component of the region’s complex supply chains.’ Fantastic.

Nowadays more than five hundred people work at the Airport. And while many of them are employed inside the terminal, or by the airlines, others work at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre – one of Canada’s largest professional flight training schools. With a fleet of thirty-two aircraft and staff of over one hundred, the Flight Centre last year alone saw over one hundred thousand take-offs and landings and granted almost four hundred licenses. The Airport is also a resource to the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), of which Rod is a board member. Billed as the world’s leading hub for sustainable aviation and aerospace research, technology, and education, WISA fosters interdisciplinary

inquiry, cross-sector partnerships, and experiential learning primed to build a sustainable future. ‘It’s like a living lab to test clean tech in the industry,' Rod explains, 'like the new electric aircraft that’s recently been added to the Flight Centre fleet.’ And to think I assumed that the Region of Waterloo International Airport was built only for adventure.

Before we leave our conversation, I tell Rod one last thing. ‘I’m going back to Whistler this April,’ I tell him, ‘to keep dealing with that fear of heights.’ He doesn’t need to ask what airport I’ll be flying out of. We both already know.

Dusty’s Bar & BBQ, Whistler

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COCKTAIL HOUR

FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE KEEN TO GRAB A DRINK BUT CAN DO WITHOUT THE ALCOHOL, MASTER MIXOLOGIST KATIE SHEWEN HAS CONCOCTED A TROPICAL- AND SAGEFLAVOURED MOCKTAIL THAT WILL BRING JOY TO YOUR SPIRIT – WITHOUT THE SPIRITS. FEATURING WELLINGTON BREWERY’S VISTA HOP WATER, THIS BUBBLY LATE-WINTER REMEDY IS BOUND TO REFRESH. CHIN CHIN.

VISTA FIZZ

Method: Dry shake, dump, top

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Fresh sage (lemon wheel optional)

.5oz sage syrup

1oz pineapple juice

.5oz lemon juice

0.5oz egg white

Wellington Brewery Vista Hop Water

Directions: In the glass part of a shaker, add all ingredients except hop water. Dry shake ingredients. Add ice to shaker and hard shake. Add Vista Hop Water to shaker. Strain shaker into highball glass. Enjoy.

RECIPE BY THE BADLEY BAR MANAGER KATIE SHEWEN @COUNTYCOCKTAILS