East Coast Living Summer 2022

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LIVING Inspiring home life in Atlantic Canada

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with a view NEWFOUNDLAND RENO MAXIMIZES SPACE AND LANDSCAPE

BEEKEEPING 101 NEW SPARKLING WINES THE DIY QUEEN OF GEORGESTOWN

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contents

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Sparkling wines of summer Check out some of the local wineries' newest flavours

PHOTO: JOHN CULLEN

LAST LOOK

46 THE LIST

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Décor: Perfectly Imperfect

19 Beachy vintage

5

For artist Elise Dufour, ceramics parallel life with lessons on the ‘art of the accident’

12 Décor: Makers of Muir

Art, culture and nods to the East Coast are highlights of Halifax’s Muir hotel

16 Trends: The DIY Queen

of Georgestown

Krista Wells chronicles her styling journey as she creates something unique in every room of her St. John’s home

18 Projects: A sound experience

Nova Scotia reno embraces and preserves local history

22 Living the salt+sea lifestyle on

26 Small home, big charm

of summer

A tour of the East Coast’s newest bubblies

39 Eating in: Life is sweet

(and savoury)

Twillingate homeowners get creative with their space

30 In depth: To bee or not to bee

Why you want honeybees in your yard

Wired or wireless, create a plan that will bring music to your ears

Inspiration: Starring the East Coast

34 Libations: Sparkling wines

and off the water

Home renovation celebrates East Coast charm

Editor's message

Tatamagouche Ice Creamery offers flavours beyond traditional

45 Buying Guide 46 Last Look: Look, observe

and understand

Whimsical watercolours reflect P.E.I. and Nova Scotia architecture

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Industrial Revolution.

Bring the revolutionary power and industrial-style beauty of a Bosch industrial style rangetop home, and experience the freedom of six flexible burners and record-breaking boil times thanks to a powerful Dual Flame Ring Power Burner.

And the daringly different Bosch design? That’s just icing on your tahini panna cotta.

© 2020 BSH Home Appliances Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visit bosch-home.ca for details

PHOTO: SHAWNA NORTHOVER

Inspiration: Starring the East Coast

Who doesn’t love a new addition?

Especially one that comes with custom built-in editorial experience, loads of storage for great story telling and a floor plan that is ready for expansion.

I can’t think of a better fit than Lori McKay who has joined the team at East Coast Living and Advocate Media as our newest senior editor. I’m thrilled to collaborate with Lori as we raise the roof on the best of Atlantic Canadian design, architecture and lifestyle content, continuing to tell the story that there is nothing better than East Coast living.

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

Crystal Murray Editor-in-chief

M

PHOTO: STUDIO UMLAH

WE’RE ADDING ON

y favourite articles to read and to write are about homes and food, even though I’m not a DIYer or much of a cook.

To be honest, I’d struggle to prepare a full meal if my life depended on it. Still, these topics inspire me. I’m forever thinking about home décor and what I’d like to change about my house. When it comes to food, I’m lucky my husband enjoys cooking. I constantly send him recipes from local chefs and pictures of dishes I think he should try, and he’s typically up for the task.

As the new editor of East Coast Living magazine, I hope to provide stories that inspire — whether it’s with recipes, home trends, local art or, as you’ll see in this issue, taking on new hobbies such as beekeeping.

One theme throughout many of our articles is the inspirational power of the local landscape and the laidback lifestyle we have here in Atlantic Canada.

In this issue, we look at several home reno projects that feature life on the East Coast as a theme. One home maximizes the amazing ocean and mountain view through its many windows. Another family welcomes the concept of the sea into their home with colours reflecting Nova Scotia’s soothing coastal landscape; think greys, blues, sand and white. A third house was once an historic lodge and has been renovated with a modern beachy style that honours its rich past.

Our story about Halifax’s popular new waterfront hotel, Muir — which showcases Atlantic art and culture throughout — embraces this same theme of life by the sea. And in our article about Nova Scotian artist Janna Wilton, we see her inspiration comes from unique architectural structures and notable landmarks in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. Even some of the flavours at the popular Tatamagouche Ice Creamery, which we also feature in this issue, have a local theme. Salted Caramel ice cream, anyone?

I hope you have a wonderful summer and make time to enjoy the sun, beaches, local seafood and everything else that makes our little area of the world inspirational.

Lori McKay, Editor ecl@metroguide.ca EastCoastLiving East Coast Living Magazine

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On our cover: The Elliott family home in Twillingate, Nfld., blends the charms of its original structure with a modern design.

Photo: Alyssa Gillingham

Nancy Regan takes readers behind the scenes with tips for living a more authentic life.

Publisher Fred Fiander Editor-in-Chief Crystal Murray Senior Editors Trevor J. Adams Lori McKay Contributing Editors Jodi DeLong Janet Whitman Senior Director Creative Design and Production Shawn Dalton Graphic Designers Roxanna Boers Rachel Lloyd Andrezza Nascimento Production Coordinator Nicole McNeil Production & Design Assistant Kathleen Hoang Printing Advocate Printing & Publishing

“Nancy Regan has charted an illuminating, intimate, and unceasingly courageous course through the challenging landscape of the soul. A revelatory, accessible, and searingly honest memoir of one woman’s journey to self-awareness.”

—Ron James, comedian and author of All Over the Map

$26.95 | 978-1-77471-031-9

PRODUCED BY METRO GUIDE PUBLISHING For editorial and advertising inquiries: 2882 Gottingen St., Halifax, N.S. B3K 3E2 Tel. 902-420-9943 Fax 902-422-4728 Email: publishers@metroguide.ca metroguide.ca eastcoastliving.ca To subscribe, call: 1-833-600-2870 email: circulation@metroguide.ca or subscribe online: eastcoastliving.ca Canada: one year (four issues), $17.99+HST; U.S.A.: one year, $25.00 (Canadian Funds).

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Volume 25, Number 2, Summer 2022 ISSN 1714-1834 Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064799 East Coast Living is a Metro Guide publication.

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Online eastcoastliving.ca

Find additional images from our stories and more on eastcoastliving.ca.

Missed an issue? Discover back issues of East Coast Living on our website, plus recipes, stories and sneak peeks into upcoming issues of our magazine.

Available at many fine independant stores in Atlantic Canada and

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902-499-1323 Jarrett@reddoorrealty.ca reddoorrealty.ca

Meet our contributors

ELIZABETH WHITTEN “The DIY Queen of Georgestown” and “Small home, big charm” Elizabeth Whitten is a freelance journalist based in St. John’s, where she writes about health care, municipal politics and the tech sector.

She’s currently writing a book about how a local doctor named Cluny Macpherson invented the first gas mask in the First World War.

COLLEEN THOMPSON “Sparkling wines of summer” Colleen Thompson is an award-winning writer and photographer. She favours writing about food and drink, which often involves wild edibles and foraging. She loves the art of a crafted cocktail and the storytelling that accompanies it.

A qualified wine sommelier, she loves wine without pomp and ceremony. If there’s a wild beach she’s in her happy place and she’s always in search of new ones.

JANET WHITMAN “To bee or not to bee” Janet Whitman is a city-andnature-loving journalist who divides her time between Halifax and her cottage on the Northumberland Shore.

She's happiest digging in the dirt, picking up a hammer or messing around in the kitchen.

LUKE ADAMS “Beachy vintage” Luke works out of Sackville, N.B., alongside his wife Megan at Beach Glass Photography.

They specialize in bride and groom portraiture, and on occasion take on unique projects that happen to catch their eye.

SHELLEY CAMERONMcCARRON “Perfectly imperfect,” and “Makers of Muir” Shelley Cameron-McCarron is a travel and lifestyle journalist with over 25 years experience.

Along with East Coast Living, her freelance work appears in Saltscapes, Travel + Leisure, the Globe and Mail and more. A proud Cape Breton Island native, she is now based near Antigonish, N.S.

MELISSA CHERRY “Living the salt+sea lifestyle on and off the water” Melissa Cherry is a Nova Scotia-based lifestyle and travel photographer. Her photography journey was initially inspired by a deep connection to nature and admiration for expansive landscapes. She aims to evoke the same expansive emotions felt in nature, through her camera and client work.

ALYSSA GILLINGHAM “Small home, big charm” Alyssa Gillingham is the owner of Alyssa Denise Photography in Central Newfoundland.

Specializing in capturing the in-between moments, the love and the joy of sharing life together and creating memories you’ll cherish.

STEVE SMITH “Makers of Muir,” “Living the salt+sea lifestyle on and off the water,” “To bee or not to bee” and “Life is sweet (and savoury)” Steve Smith is a commercial photographer at VisionFire Studios in Pictou, N.S., shooting for clients throughout Atlantic Canada.

AMEETA VOHRA “Look, observe and understand” Ameeta Vohra is a journalist with work published throughout North America and internationally.

Her Halifax Magazine story "Thunderstruck" was a 2020 Atlantic Journalism Awards silver medallist.

PHILIP MOSCOVITCH “A sound experience” Philip Moscovitch is a frequent contributor to East Coast Living and Saltscapes, and the author of Adventures in Bubbles and Brine — a book about Nova Scotian fermentation stories and traditions.

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For artist Elise Dufour, ceramics parallel life with lessons on the ‘art of the accident’

BY SHELLEY CAMERON-McCARRON

O

pening oneself to the universe can have a domino effect, in art and in life. Just ask Elise Dufour, a ceramic artist who recently moved to old town Lunenburg, N.S., where she practices her craft from a 150-yearold sea captain’s house.

Dufour follows the practice of wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy embracing the celebration of perfect imperfections, where the “art of the accident” is seen as a creative opportunity.

All her pieces are white and functional.

“Ceramics has taught me the most precious lesson of life: to be open,” says Dufour, who came to ceramics less than three years ago,

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after retiring as vice-president of L’Oreal Canada and three decades in the corporate world.

She trusted the universe as she followed a new career path — a long dormant passion — that saw her build a business and move from one Canadian coast to the other.

Dufour and her husband Sidney Edelbroek, a screenwriter, moved from Montreal after her retirement to settle in White Rock, B.C. Forest fires there led them to think about relocating.

They’d wintered previously in California, but COVID-19 changed that. They decided they wanted to be by the ocean, with fresher air, and moved to Lunenburg in January.

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Dufour saw Lunenburg’s famed harbour on a Nova Scotia Instagram advertisement.

“I was mesmerized,” she recalls. “It was like Scandinavia in Canada. I’m just loving it here.”

She says people have been open, gracious and welcoming, and from a creative standpoint, it’s a perfect environment. “There’s so much inspiration.”

Dufour’s entry into ceramics started a few years ago while attending a pottery show in B.C. There, she met someone who became her ceramic mentor. Dufour set out to make a dining set and started posting her work and a snapshot of her life on Instagram.

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

Perfectly Imperfect

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DÉCOR

Artist Elise Dufour follows the practice of wabi-sabi, a philosophy that embraces the celebration of perfect imperfections, where the “art of the accident” is seen as a creative opportunity.

“Right from the get-go, I started getting interest.”

People and shops began contacting her.

With her background in marketing, she knew she wanted to organize herself better and develop her brand.

About a year in, she introduced a website, attracting more interest from retail and others wanting to collaborate. She’s had several collaborations in western Canada, and more recently in the east, working with P.E.I.’s Fleece and Harmony to develop a knitting bowl.

In April, she began selling her work at her first Lunenburg retailer, Jenny Jib. “When I first saw Elise’s work, I knew immediately I wanted to represent it at Jenny Jib,” says owner Jenny Burwell. “Her ceramics are fresh and authentically classic, and I am so very pleased to carry Elise’s talent here in Lunenburg.”

Dufour says the power of social media has been unbelievable. Not only did it help build her business, but it connected her with other artists as well. “It was really organic the way it happened.”

She believes people are drawn to her work because it's unique.

“In the world we’re living in, so many things are done in large quantity that have no personality. For me, it’s more about the inspiration …

There’s a story behind it that’s appealing to people.”

Everything Dufour makes is handmade and crafted one piece at a time.

And in her craft, she embraces perfect imperfections.

Her own reinvention has been somewhat outside her control as well.

The pandemic gave her a chance to reinvent herself; moving into an environment she never thought she’d revisit. After high school, she had studied fine art for a year before switching to law and then pursuing a career in the corporate world. She sees this as a second chance to fulfill her desire to be an artist.

“It’s exciting to see that in life, possibilities are not endless,” she says.

“I was probably a frustrated artist all my life without even knowing it.”

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Makers of

Muir

Art, culture and nods to the East Coast are highlights of Halifax’s Muir hotel

BY SHELLEY CAMERON-McCARRON

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

A

hotel? Making me feel proud to be Nova Scotian?

Just hours into my stay at Muir, I feel a strange, but welcome, sensation of pride. It washes over me as I start to understand the story the artists are telling.

Muir — the province’s first Autograph Collection property — opened on the Halifax waterfront in December 2021. From the handcrafted tapestry by Allison Pinsent Baker in the lobby to the striking ship hull ceiling in Drift (the excellent in-house restaurant), the hotel is studded with local undertones.

“Muir is intended to be an experience born of this place,” says developer Scott Armour McCrea, Armour Group CEO, adding there’s no better reflection of who we are than incorporating art and culture.

“People want to feel they are part of a place when they visit. They want to immerse themselves in that experience. When people go to Paris, they want that Parisien feeling.”

The same goes for Nova Scotia. And the hospitality industry is leaning into this belief more and more. Muir did.

Each of Muir’s 109 rooms has an original, unique landscape painting.

Move through hallways and you see photography by Maritime artists.

The hotel’s art gallery, True Colours (which is exclusive to guests) features rotating work by Maritime artists. Pivotable pieces by Pinsent Baker, Peter Powning and John Greer fill the lobby.

Each room has a bespoke tartan blanket (Muir — the name is Scottish Gaelic for "sea" — even has its own tartan). There’s a modernized hooked rug under each bed. The rooms, designed by Studio Munge, feature customized furniture and lighting that is designed and crafted

Convergence

by Peter Powning.

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

DÉCOR Allison Pinsent Baker's tapestry captures the Nova Scotia landscape.

in Canada, and inspired by a modern East Coast aesthetic. The walls are a bleached white oak, and the corners are rounded, creating the feeling of being in a grand stateroom on an ocean liner. McCrea says he couldn’t be prouder to have Nova Scotian Brian MacKay-Lyons as lead architect.

“Until it’s experienced, it’s difficult to fully appreciate,” says McCrea. “It’s kind of like a complex movie. You have to watch it a few times to understand all the details … and to understand all the elements.”

As a lifelong Nova Scotian, McCrea says it’s important to represent the area and what is possible. “It’s where my family lives and where I hope my grandchildren will live. I have a deep and resounding pride and appreciation for this place.”

“Until it’s experienced, it’s difficult to fully appreciate.”

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— Scott Armour McCrea

Each room at Muir — the province’s first Autograph Collection hotel — has an original, unique landscape painting and a bespoke tartan blanket. The hotel's public spaces also feature work by local artists.

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

“It’s wonderful to see a business like this looking locally to enhance their guest experience.”

— Leigh McFarlane

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

“It just means so much to me,” says Leigh McFarlane, founder and CEO of the Sherbrooke, N.S.-based The Soap Company of Nova Scotia.

McFarlane worked with Muir to develop signature in-room bath salts. She was struck with how aligned her business values were with that of the hotel’s, both wishing to incorporate local producers in meaningful ways.

“When you work to get the exact perfect solution and you’re willing to put in the time and patience, it’s just such a delight,” says McFarlane. “That was the experience of developing this. It was just a great big honour.”

McFarlane says she loved creating something special that told a story about the province.

“We have so much to offer in Nova Scotia.

It’s wonderful to see a business like this looking locally to enhance their guest experience.”

After a back and forth process, they opted for a single portion bath salt in an amber jar with a dark lid. McFarlane created a signature scent:

Sheri White of Urn Song Pottery made 120 ceramic vases for the rooms at Muir.

The “Muir Vase” uses her “Bay of Fundy” pattern, a motif she developed after whale watching around Digby.

SHOWING CHARACTER THROUGH ARTISANS

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a combination of her honey soak with honey from Cornect Family Farm in Guysborough County. She dehydrated the honey and ground it up into little flecks of gold, which offered a wonderful visual display when the jar was opened. Pine essential oil gives it a woodsy forest smell.

“It’s important to note that every single one of those jars is filled by hand,” says McFarlane. “The soak is made and stirred by hand, and the cap and label are installed by hand.” That’s special, she says, as it enables an energetic connection with people who will use the product. “They will enjoy a tiny piece of something made here on the Eastern Shore. I think that’s magical.”

Sheri White of Urn Song Pottery in Halifax appreciates how Muir is showcasing the character of the province by working with local artists. White made 120 ceramic vases for the rooms at Muir.

In collaboratively crafting the “Muir Vase,” she suggested they use her “Bay of Fundy” pattern, a motif she developed after whale watching around Digby. Looking back at Brier Island, she says the scene’s contrast and colours struck her.

“I felt really honoured to be selected,” says White, who noted not only was it a large project, but it was inspiring to know her work was going into a room where someone might be visiting Halifax or Nova Scotia for the first time. “I really felt pleased Muir was so supportive of so many artisans and shining a light on many arts and crafts in Nova Scotia. It’s pretty important.”

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

PRODUCTS TELL STORIES

Leigh McFarlane, founder and CEO of The Soap Company of Nova Scotia, worked with Muir to develop signature in-room bath salts.

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DÉCOR

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Richard Thomas Davis, a Canadian high realist painter, has four pieces in True Colours.

Davis is a self-taught artist whose work is “grounded in reality.”

INCREDIBLE PRIDE “I feel incredible pride being able to display my work in a venue that’s trying to capture the uniqueness of Nova Scotia,” says artist Sharon Wadsworth-Smith, who completed 32 acrylic paintings that now hang in individual rooms

— Sharon Wadsworth-Smith

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

“To see original artwork by the local people, it’s so much more powerful.”

Sharon WadsworthSmith completed 32 acrylic paintings to hang in individual rooms and suites at Muir.

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and suites. Each features a sandy ocean theme inspired by Nova Scotia landscapes.

“To see original artwork by the local people, it’s so much more powerful. It’s impactful,” says Wadsworth-Smith, an artist who lives by a lake on the South Shore.

For her, the project began in 2020 and to find inspiration she started visiting Nova Scotia beaches, taking photos, collecting information and returning to her studio to paint.

Design firm GZ Art — contracted by Muir to find local artisans — connected with her for the project, which she says at first felt almost too good to be true. “For somebody to ask you to do 20 paintings, which was the initial number, it’s hard to believe.

“It was a big process, but a lot of fun.”

CULTURE RIGHT IN THE ROOMS Richard Thomas Davis, a Canadian high realist painter based in LaHave, N.S., has four pieces in True Colours.

“People want to see local culture. It’s nice the hotel is adding to that,” he says. “To have the culture brought into the hotel — right into the rooms — that’s fantastic.”

Davis, a self-taught artist who is into detail and work that is “grounded in reality,” says he appreciates the respect for art shown at Muir.

“You really feel like the art belongs there. It looks like it is very thoughtfully done.

“It’s nice to be presented in such a thoughtful way, and it’s nice to know it’s being seen by a new audience. The hotel brings in a whole new group of people.”

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The DI

e s g t o r wn o e G f Y Queen o

Krista Wells chronicles her styling journey as she creates something unique in every room of her St. John’s home

BY ELIZABETH WHITTEN

W

hen you set foot into the porch of Krista Wells’s home, you immediately get a sense of her unique style.

She believes it’s the rich colour she painted the room that makes it one of her favourite DIY projects to date.

“I took a risk, and I went with a really deep burgundy on the vertical shiplap,” says Wells from her turn-of-the-century home. “There’s a rug with some burgundy and some blue in it and we had chevron tile installed. And everything in that room just came together perfectly.

Exactly the way I envisioned it … So, it’s the first impression you get when you walk in.”

Wells and her family live in a neighbourhood known as Georgestown in St. John’s, N.L. It was previously her husband’s childhood home and when her in-laws were moving out in 2018, they decided to scoop it up. Since then, she’s made her mark on the space with creative flair.

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Wells also documents her work on her Instagram channel Georgestownonmymind, which has more than 10,000 followers.

Her house is filled with projects she’s taken on: old furniture turned new, walls splashed with deep colours, fixtures made to her exact specifications.

“I love the satisfaction of creating something and seeing that vision come to life with my very own hands,” she says.

Wells also takes on design jobs for others and says it’s satisfying to see people’s faces when you’ve helped them make a home more enjoyable to be in.

One of her first handy projects, with some enlisted help from her husband, was a coffee table made from pallets. It sparked a passion for DIY. She picked up some tools, started watching YouTube videos and asked people for their tips and tricks.

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Over the past few years, Wells has accumulated several skills. For instance, she says she’s better at math now. There’s also a myriad of tools under her belt and she’s no longer afraid of the miter saw. She’s also working on her confidence to wield the table saw.

“I have no problem using a nail gun at all,” she says. “I can hang anything and everything at this point. I’ve become friends with most of the folks who work at Kent, because I spend so much time there.”

She’s also learned some design skills and computer programs for rendering.

One of her favourite home projects was creating a passageway from the master bedroom into a spare bedroom to make a dressing room.

“Knocking down that wall was the most liberating thing at a very difficult time,” says Wells, who is a teacher. Last year she and her Grade 1 class had to switch to online learning,

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TRENDS

and she was feeling anxious about the change and needed an outlet. “I channeled all of those feelings into that project.”

The dressing room makeover also marked several firsts; the first time she got to take down a wall, as well as install gyprock and plaster, which she vows to never do again. “There’s a reason people pay to have that done.”

The dressing room also has one of the trickier elements she’s ever taken on: wallpapering the ceiling. It took two extra hands to get it done. The wallpaper is from Texas-based Dizzy

with Excitement, and Wells has since done video tutorials for that company on how to install wallpaper.

Her bedroom also has another fine feature: a mirror that hangs over the fireplace. Wells says she initially had her eye on a West Elm mirror, but it was pricey and couldn’t be shipped to her. Instead, she made her own.

It was easy, she says. All she needed was some plywood, a bunch of smaller square mirrors, spray paint and wood strapping to create the ideal sized, and priced, mirror.

Krista Wells’s DIY skills extend to her outdoor space, which she has set up beautifully for the summer months.

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All but one room has at least one of her flipped pieces of furniture. In her office loft, that piece is her desk. She got it for $40 on Facebook Marketplace from a man in Trinity, a threehour-drive from St. John’s. At the time, the desk wasn’t exactly office-worthy.

“It was too short,” she recalls. “It was like midway between a desk and a coffee table.

So, I added legs on the bottom of it and then gave it a good sand and paint. I love it because every time I look at it, I’m like ‘I made it!’ It’s pretty awesome to be able to upcycle furniture and things like that.”

Wells records her projects on Instagram, which has led to partnerships. Back in the summer of 2020, she was approached by Kent Building Supplies to document her crafting journey through video tutorials. She says it’s a dream collaboration because she already does so much of her shopping there.

She’s also thankful for the opportunities that have arisen since she began publicly showing her work, including the chance to team up with the Candlelighters Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and style the bedroom of a teenage girl with leukemia.

While her account is filled with beautiful rooms, Wells understands social media often only shows the most glamorous and curated projects. For instance, redoing her bedroom was a six-month project, but social media can make things seem like they happen in a blink of an eye.

“I always say to people, homes take time.

Many hours go into each of those projects.”

Wells says she’s not a professional and she’s still learning. She had wanted to create a plaid paint pattern in her office closet but it didn’t go well, so she showed that to her audience, as well as when she got it right by wallpapering the space instead.

“I think it’s important to share the highs and the lows,” says Wells. “Things don’t always go as planned.”

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PROJECTS

A sound experience PHOTO: SUBMITTED

Wired or wireless, create a plan that will bring music to your ears

BY PHILIP MOSCOVITCH

K

evin Sawler is explaining the advantages of wired-in sound systems when my cellphone drops the call. I phone him back and apologize.

“See?” Sawler says. “Wireless.”

According to Sawler, who owns Glubes Audio Video in Dartmouth, N.S., “There are brands that do a great job of bringing wireless streaming into your house, but if you want a theatre-like performance, you’re not going to do it with a wireless speaker.”

For years, convenience — streaming services, smartphones and cheap Bluetooth speakers — has tended to trump quality when it comes to home audio. But Mike Merrigan, owner of Halifax’s Peak Audio, says that’s changing. “It’s starting to come full circle. With wireless speakers and streaming music throughout a home, all of the conveniences are starting to merge with quality now.”

Wireless speakers can be great, but if you want sound in multiple rooms, their costs can quickly add up, says Barry Hirtle of Hirtles Sound Solutions in Charlottetown.

“Say we’re doing a house with sound in six rooms,” says Hirtle. “The cost to put in Sonos would far exceed the cost to hardwire, and hardwired is always more reliable.” Hirtle is a fan of in-ceiling speakers, which can be relatively inexpensive, visually unobtrusive and create a better sound environment. “When we deal with interior designers, they don’t like speaker boxes sitting around on shelves or on walls. If we can make the system as invisible as possible, that makes the designers happy.”

He adds, “If we can’t do wired, then we’ll go wireless. But if we can do wired, we would do it every time, because your sound distribution is better.”

David Smith, who works in wealth management for RBC Dominion Securities, is a client of Hirtle’s, and in the process of renovating an older Charlottetown home.

“A gut job,” says Smith.

He built a house eight years ago and wired it with “ceiling speakers everywhere.” Despite the huge advances in wireless audio since then, he’s still sticking with wired for the reno. “I won’t consider wireless, because it’s not as good as wired.

Why have something that can fail, when you can wire instead while the walls are down?”

If you are building a new home or undertaking a major renovation, audio experts say you should start thinking about sound at the design stage — and certainly before the electrical work is done.

“In some cases, the architects or designers don’t want these speakers seen, but they still have to perform,” says Merrigan. “So, there are considerations we’ll have to make in order to have speakers concealed. It’s very important to come see us during the overall design phase...

Aesthetics are so, so important nowadays.”

Good planning means realistic budgeting.

Residential designer Faye Cowie and her partner built a house 20 years ago and “put in all the [audio] wiring, but by the time the house was built, there wasn’t any money left for the sound system. And then wireless came along,” she says. She adds it’s important not only to think about design early on, but also “how you’re

Sound technician Matthew Victor from Hirtles Sound Solutions in Charlottetown installs a system during a basement renovation at a private home in Fox Harb'r, N.S.

going to implement it. We planned ahead but had no follow-through.”

It’s worth spending money on good components, but Hirtle says “there’s a law of diminishing returns” as the price goes up.

“The difference between an $80 speaker and $150 speaker is striking. But the difference between a $150 speaker and a $400 speaker is significantly less.”

For more find an extended version of this story on our website eastcoastliving.ca

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FEATURE

Beachy vintage Nova Scotia reno embraces and preserves local history

BY LORI McKAY PHOTOS BY LUKE ADAMS, BEACH GLASS PHOTOGRAPHY

W

hen you walk in the front door of Kara Gourley’s renovated, two-unit lodge in Malagash, N.S., you’re met with yet another door. This one was once a ticket booth with a small peep hole at its centre.

“It was used to screen people before they entered,” says Gourley. “They wanted to make sure the people trying to get in were actually members, and they were also probably checking to make sure they hadn’t been drinking.”

Built in 1929, the Lodge, as Gourley calls it, was once home to the Malagash chapter of Odd Fellows. The group is one of the world’s oldest international fraternities, dating back to the 1730s in London. It was also where the local group

of Rebekahs (a worldwide service-oriented organization for women) gathered.

Without knowing anything about its interesting past, Gourley was drawn to the property.

“I own a cottage nearby and would drive by it almost daily for years,” she recalls. “I was always curious. I never saw anyone going in or out.”

She even went as far as to search the address on a real estate website and found old interior photos. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ I saw the 12-foot ceilings and all the original Douglas fir mouldings, trim and doors. It was obviously a very nice building at one point in time.”

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Then one day in October 2016, she noticed a for sale sign on the front yard.

“I called the realtor immediately and I went in the next morning and made an offer.”

The former owner was an American painter who visited only occasionally, which was why it looked vacant. (The Odd Fellows and Rebekhas had moved to a new location in nearby Tatamagouche back in the 1980s).

The place was a blank canvas when Gourley took possession.

She had a vision to turn it into two living spaces, one up and one down, and thought it would make a great Airbnb rental, given its proximity to Jost Vineyards, Tatamagouche Brewing Co., golf courses and local beaches.

Having never tackled a renovation project like this before, she began buying repurposed items at thrift stores and on Kijiji, including a large kitchen island for the upstairs space, which she calls the Loft.

“It all came together over the course of two years,” she says. “I was always picking up stuff here and there and I painted everything.”

Throughout the process of turning the lodge into a modern living space, Gourley was cautious to maintain the original character. There was a little stage upstairs, which she kept, but partitioned it off into a bedroom. There was also a narrow stage running around the perimeter of the large room. Although she removed some of it, she used older repurposed flooring to match the age of the building.

“I didn’t stain it to look exactly like the existing floor,” says Gourley. “I left it a different tone of wood so you could see exactly where the old stage would have been.”

She also kept all 3,000 square feet of baseboards, which she painted white to brighten the place up. All the original Douglas fir double doors and window mouldings were left as is, as well as most of the lights. There are other unique details, such as the high hooks the Odd Fellows used to hang their long elaborate robes.

“The hooks are still in the closets, in what would have been their office (now a bedroom),” says Gourley.

The only major changes she made were adding an 11-foot wall and a propane fireplace to the middle of the Loft space. For the wall, she used wood she found in the basement.

“It looks like it belongs there,” says Gourley.

“It can be hard to decorate an older place because you want it to look interesting, but you don’t want it to look like it doesn’t have significance.”

For her, the real fun of the project was the decorating. She says people have described the style of the lodge as “beachy vintage,” which she thinks is fitting. It has a colour scheme of white and blue tones. She chose historical colours from Benjamin Moore, as she didn’t want colours that were not around in the 1900s.

“I wanted something that looked authentic,” says Gourley.

The lodge has a colour scheme of white and blue tones, which lend to its “beachy vintage” style.

“There needs to be more people in Nova Scotia preserving older places and turning them into something interesting.”

— Kara Gourley

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FEATURE The homeowner found several old Rebekah grave markers in the basement of the lodge.

Most of the furniture and décor is repurposed items from thrift stores and Kijiji, including a large kitchen island for the upstairs space.

The Rebekahs had their own china pattern, as seen on this teacup.

WHAT’S NEXT? INTERESTING FINDS & SYMBOLS The Rebekahs have several symbols to represent their organization. One of these is the honeybee hive. Gourley says this symbol represents one of her strangest discoveries at the house.

“At the lodge, the men would meet downstairs and the women, the Rebekahs, met upstairs. When I bought the place, I didn’t know it at the time, but the back wall of the building was full of honeybees and the nest was on the top floor, not on the bottom.

“Unfortunately, the bees died off last year,” she adds, noting it happened naturally. “It was just neat that there were all these interesting coincidences.”

Another coincidence happened six months before she bought the lodge. Gourley was thrift-shopping and picked up a little sugar bowl. She liked the symbol on it, and it was

fine china, so she took it home and added it to her cupboard.

“I thought it was cute,” she says. “Then, after I bought the lodge, I started doing research and it dawned on me that the Rebekahs had their own china pattern. So, I picked up the sugar bowl, flipped it over and sure enough, it said ‘Rebekah.’” She has since also found a teacup in the same pattern.

While doing renovations in the basement, she came across a few old grave markers with a similar symbol. “I found out they belonged to the Rebekahs. If you were a member, you would be buried with one of these metal markers near the headstone.”

The markers have a Rebekahs symbol at the top: a dove, the letter R, and a lily intertwined; the flower’s stem forms three rings that represent friendship, love and truth. One also has a moon and seven stars.

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Initially, Gourley had a lot of plans for the exterior of the building as well, but due to multiple other renovation projects she has on the go, that’s on hold for the time being.

After her successful lodge renovation, she realized her passion for this type of work.

“I’m from a family of people who love to decorate, and we do it on a shoestring and love being creative,” she says. “My one wish now is that I learned more practical skills in high school, like plumbing and electrical, so I didn’t have to outsource it all.”

Gourley and her business partner recently finished fixing up an old lobster pound near the Wallace Wharf, which they’re calling the Lobster Trap. They also purchased a 100-plus-year-old farmhouse with a loft above the garage that they’re renovating.

“There needs to be more people in Nova Scotia preserving older places and turning them into something interesting.”

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

Living the

‘salt + sea lifestyle’ on and off the water

BY LORI McKAY

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

FEATURE

Home renovation celebrates East Coast charm

E

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

leven years ago, Amanda and Adam Langley bought a home in their dream location in Halifax. The street had beautiful mature trees and was close to great schools and amenities. Although the house was almost 100 years old and in need of updates, it had just the kind of charm they were looking for. They made a long-term plan to renovate to make it their “forever home.”

After many years of planning, the couple started the reno process in early 2020, just before COVID-19 hit. But aside from the constant chaos and inconvenience of living and working in a home under construction with two children — a process slowed by the pandemic — the family is thrilled with the overall result.

“There’s just so much light now,” says Amanda. “The house was dark before. We were looking for an East Coast cottage feel, with natural light, fresh open spaces, and an old-meetsmodern décor. That’s what we have now, and we love it.”

She adds that if the pandemic taught them anything, it’s that their home should be somewhere “we are happily anchored.”

They started the renovation with the idea of respecting the home’s character, but also reflecting the easy-going coastal vibe the East Coast offers.

“Our kids grew up on our Boston Whaler boat, which takes us beach hopping most of the summer … The beach is our happy place,” says Amanda.

The couple owns Superyacht East Coast, a marketing and communications business that helps clients find elevated destinations and experiences on the East Coast. They also have a renovated beach RV parked in a sand dune on the Northumberland Strait. The ocean is a theme they wanted to promote throughout their home.

Their living room mantle, for example, was actually a piece of an old fishing wharf that washed up on the beach near their RV, and their custom marine-inspired stair is similar to what you might find on a ship.

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

This living room shares its footprint with the home’s sun porch, so it has a casual and lived-in feel to it. A coastal palate of neutrals, slip-covered sofas, natural materials such as concrete (fireplace surround and coffee table) and warm reclaimed wood from an old fishing wharf (mantle and picture ledge), all give instant East Coast charm.

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PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

An inviting entry into this character home, the sun-drenched sun porch opens to the family living room. With an exposed beam, peaked wood ceiling and original wood floors and radiator, it sets the tone for this home’s thoughtful renovation.

This sunken garden room offers a subtle nod to mid-century modern design; the caramel leather furniture pops against the herringbone tile floors.

“We love incorporating little pieces that tell a bigger story,” says Adam.

The home’s colour palette reflects Nova Scotia’s soothing coastal landscape: greys, blues, sand and white.

“We wanted a ‘laid back living by the water’ feel, without being actually on the water,” says Amanda.

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The other key design theme for their home was to keep the original “feel” of the century-old house. For example, even though they switched their mode of home heating from oil to propane, they kept the original radiators. “You only see those radiators in old homes. We actually added more of them,” says Amanda.

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They also kept all the baseboards and the hutch in their dining room is one of the home’s original kitchen cupboards.

“We found it in the basement,” says Amanda.

“The previous owners were storing paint cans in it. Now it has a whole new life.”

The Langleys replaced most of their furniture, splurged on quality blinds, painted everything white and updated the lighting. It has a clean and uncluttered look that incorporates natural elements and textures — think rock, stone, shell, wood and plants.

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

FEATURE

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

Inspired by clothing retailers, this walk-in closet shows that storage and display go hand in hand. Ikea drawers are finished with custom birch fronts with cutout handles for a streamlined look. His and her sides with closed and open storage options keep things ultra organized.

His and her vanities are separated with a white metal and glass pharmacy cabinet, providing a pretty and airy storage solution for towels and toiletries.

“We wanted a ‘laid back living by the water’ feel.”

— Amanda Langley

PHOTO: MEL CHERRY

This utility space is visible from the home’s kitchen, so it was important that it functioned and looked pretty. Custom off-white cabinets, glossy white penny tile, and a deep-set wash tub with arched faucet all set the tone for this modern farmhouse laundry.

“Two things that can dramatically transform a room are paint and lighting,” says Amanda, noting they found most of their lights at Ikea.

“Not everything has to be crazy expensive to look great.”

They also added a two-storey addition to the back of the house that includes a sunken garden room (down) and a master bedroom (up).

Amanda has always had a keen eye for design and décor, and documents their projects on Instagram @saltandseahome and @superyachteastcoast.

“It’s all about lifestyle and living in this part of the world. You can create a fresh, bright look with East Coast charm in any home.”

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Twillingate homeowners get creative with their space

Small home,

big charm

BY ELIZABETH WHITTEN PHOTOS BY ALYSSA GILLINGHAM

O

n the northeastern shore of Newfoundland, in a small town called Twillingate, Nina Elliott is relaxing and enjoying her newly renovated home. The house blends the charms of the original structure with a modern design, plus some ingenious storage spaces for her young family’s needs.

The first thing that strikes people about the home is the epic view of the ocean, which Elliott says was the reason she and her husband, Matthew, were drawn to it. They couple moved there in 2018 and it’s where they’re raising their two young children, Ambrose (3.5) and Lulu (18 months).

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“Obviously it’s a small space,” says Elliott, an occupational therapist and textile artist known for her elaborate knitted and crochet creations.

“There’s four of us in here. We’re trying to use the space as well as we can, so we’ve got books and nooks and crannies everywhere.”

She recently gave East Coast Living a tour of her 1.5-storey house, pointing out all the work and careful thought that went into it.

During their first year in the house, they did a few improvement projects, including installing a back door and new front windows, which bring in additional light and offer great views of the ocean.

FEATURE

Nina and Matthew Elliott and their two young children, Ambrose (3.5) and Lulu (18 months).

“It’s a small space but now that we’ve let the natural light in, it feels like we’re outside,” says Elliott. “I can stand in the kitchen and see the ocean through Lulu’s bedroom or through the front door. And if I come into the living room, it’s more ocean. So, it’s pretty.”

One year ago, they launched a full renovation from top to bottom.

At the back of the 1,110-square-foot-home, they put in a mudroom, installed a closet, as well as a laundry area, and in the kitchen is one of her favourite upgrades.

“Something that was super exciting was that our contractor moved the staircase forward a couple feet, which then allowed us to put in a pantry,” she explains. “It’s been awesome because again, where it’s a small house, it’s kind of a small kitchen. So, the pantry has been very exciting and possibly my favourite part of it all.”

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In the dining room area, just off the kitchen, was one fixture Elliott wasn’t excited about: the out-in-the-open fuse box. So, they had an accent wall built to hide it. It looks like a wall made of wood panels. When Elliott pulls on a corner, a section seamlessly swings open to reveal the fuse box.

“It essentially disappears … that was a fun thing that we did.”

In the kitchen they had a similar hidden door built with the same wood pattern to create a backdoor to the cupboard.

Initially, when they were planning for the renovation, they hadn’t intended to do much with the kitchen area.

“Renovating can be a little bit intense because you go in with a plan, but it’s like a runaway train,” says Elliott. “We didn’t intend to do the kitchen, but then it was like, ‘Well, the rest of

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the place is looking really nice, and the kitchen is not looking that great … And it’s such a pain to renovate.’” So, they decided to go for it.

The floors and ceilings were done with pine wood, which complements the light paint pallet they chose throughout the house.

Moving onto the first-floor bathroom, which is the only full bathroom in the home, she recalls it was a “horrible” space. They ditched the huge tub and removed the laundry machines. They installed a big shower and a new window to bring in light; wisely, it’s the side of the house that faces a mountain.

“I would much rather have a large space to enjoy a shower than space to enjoy folding laundry,” Elliott laughs.

The stairs have a wall of drawers underneath offering more storage space, which was created when they brought the stairs forward for the kitchen pantry. Pulling out the drawers, she points out they’re filled with art supplies, yarn and children’s toys. Nearby is a skylight they had punctured through the slanted roof as well as a desk space perfectly positioned under it.

Because there’s a slanted roof, their contractor had to get creative to make the most of the available space, she says. The two bedrooms have storage shelves built into the walls. Elliott

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FEATURE A skylight was added to the slanted roof with a desk space perfectly positioned under it.

Left: The stairs have a wall of drawers underneath offering more storage space.

pointed out that her son’s bedroom also has a small little cave made against the curved wall. Behind the salvaged door, the inside is like a well-padded fort filled with blankies and soft toys like his moose and bear, as well as a collection of books and a racetrack.

When the contractor took out the chimney, it revealed a space that might have once been a closet. The vacant spot is now a half bathroom, something that’s a relief for Elliott because they don’t have to trek downstairs as much.

For now, Elliott says they’re happy with the progress they’ve made on their little bay home.

With the interior in shape, she can now turn her attention to the great outdoors.

“Where we live on a hill on the side of a mountain, we now have to figure out landscaping and outdoor comfortable spaces.”

They’re also considering a wraparound porch, a fire pit seating area and a garden.

“And I want a sauna. We’re trying to decide between a sauna or a hot tub. But maybe we’ll get lucky and get both!”

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To bee or not to bee Why you want honeybees in your yard

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ike many backyard beekeepers, Catherine Dempsey got the bug from another honey farmer.

She was running a series of heritage shops in Newfoundland and Labrador and started selling honey, lip balms, beeswax candles and other honeybee by-products from a family-run bee business on the island’s East Coast.

“When I retired from fulltime work, I thought, ‘I’d like to try it,’” recalls Dempsey.

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BY JANET WHITMAN

“I’d always really liked bees and I have a big garden and a lot of fruit trees. I thought maybe some beehives wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

That was June 2011. Dempsey soon learned it was too late to get everything ready to start that year but ended up glad for the delay.

“Everybody thinks this is going to be just as easy as putting a birdfeeder in the backyard,” she says. “I realized it was a lot more work than that, but also a lot more rewarding.”

PHOTO: GREG LOCKE

Catherine Dempsey tends to one of her honeybee hives in Newfoundland.

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the grand store-opening he was hoping for, but with people looking for new hobbies to ride out the pandemic, business has been busy.

“We’re definitely seeing way more hobbyists,” he says. When he first came to Nova Scotia and registered as a beekeeper 16 or 17 years ago, the province hovered around 215 registered keepers. Now, there are nearly 900.

Commercial-scale beekeeping is backbreaking work. “It’s tremendously physical,” says Purdy. “The hives themselves are the better part of 125 pounds. You’re moving the bees at night so the bees are in the hive, and you can take (all the bees) with you. It’s usually down a lonesome, dusty road with no cellphone signal.

It’s not a lot of fun.”

His retail business is now successful enough that he’s able to contract that work out.

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She spent a year reading up on beekeeping, putting together equipment for the hives, getting her husband onside and making sure her neighbours knew about her plan.

The next July, she bought two nucleus colonies. Each “nuc” as they’re known in the bee-farming world is a partially developed colony with frames of comb, worker bees and an established queen.

“I settled them in, and they did really well,” she says. “Then one of them died and I started to learn.”

By 2015, beekeeping was catching on in the province and the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association was launched, with Dempsey as a founding member and later president.

“It became very fashionable,” says Dempsey.

“People suddenly caught on to the whole idea of ‘Save the Bees,’ and for some reason, they think that honeybees are it.”

But honeybees are more like a farmed animal.

“We protect them in the winter,” she says.

“We put then in good spots. We plant special crops for them. We treat them if they get diseases.”

While not in danger like wild bees, honeybees do play an important role. In addition to producing honey, they’re a vital pollinator of crops like wild blueberry fields and orchards.

Atlantic Canada now has about 40,000 beehives, and the number is growing.

Tim Purdy first started dabbling with honeybees to pollinate his family’s wild blueberry fields in the Portapique area of Nova Scotia.

“I really got serious about it when I took over the small blueberry operation and looked at the bottom line of where I might be able to make a difference, without buying a quarter million dollars’ worth of tractors or something of that nature,” he says.

One hive per acre can generate an extra thousand pounds of blueberries. Purdy added hives with limited success until he enrolled in Dalhousie University’s first Modern Beekeeper extended-learning program.

He was buying bees from the only bee store in Atlantic Canada at the time, Country Fields Beekeeping Supplies outside of Moncton.

He noticed that the owners were at an age that they might be looking to retire. “One thing led to another, and I bought them out and decided to move the business here to Nova Scotia.”

He operated Country Fields out of his garage for five years before opening his storefront in Fall River just as COVID-19 hit. He didn’t get

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He keeps bees in his backyard in Waverly and has carted them to his kids’ classrooms in observation hives. “Beekeeping for a hobbyist is tremendously fun,” he says. “I love it. They can keep you mesmerized for a long time.”

The average hive in the Maritimes produces around 55 or 60 pounds of honey a year, a small amount compared to more than 300 pounds per hive in Saskatchewan and Alberta, where bees feast on fields of seed-oil crops like canola and sunflowers.

“There’s not a huge amount of forage in certain areas for bees,” says Purdy. “If you put bees in a pine forest, don’t expect a lot of honey.”

Petr Kopet of Randolf Island, near Saint John, N.B., was going to give up his beekeeping hobby after his backyard bees didn’t make it through the winter.

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

“Beekeeping for a hobbyist is tremendously fun ... They can keep you mesmerized for a long time.”

Country Fields Beekeeping Supplies owner Tim Purdy and manager Mark MacKay.

— Tim Purdy “I thought I’d just take a break. It can be fairly time consuming,” he says. He put the empty hives up for sale. He was getting lots of interest when he noticed heavy bee traffic around the hives. “When you have frames with leftover pollen and wax, other bees can use it. It’s easier for them to collect instead of hopping from flower to flower.”

He thought the bees were just coming and going. “When I found a free moment, I opened up the hive and saw I had a really healthy colony living in there. I started observing them and it brought back the reason that I got into it.”

A FORCE TO BEE RECKONED WITH While fascinating to observe, anthropomorphizing them doesn’t provide much insight, Kopet says.

He recalls coming across a book by a new-age beekeeper who concluded humans could find world peace if they’d only learn from bees.

“The world of bees is interesting, but it’s far from a fairy tale,” he says.

Unlike other bees, honeybees are social insects that live in highly organized colonies with a single queen, hundreds of male drones and tens of thousands of female worker bees.

The environment isn’t exactly hospitable.

Honeybees “rob” weaker colonies to take their honey. The workers can turn on their own queen and kill her if she’s not up to snuff. The only purpose of the drones is to mate with the queen. The roughly one in a thousand that manage the feat dies immediately after, their abdomens and “mating equipment” are ripped away as they fall from the queen. The remaining drones are pushed out of the hive to die as winter approaches. With flowers scarce for foraging, they are hungry mouths to feed with no purpose.

PHOTO: GREG LOCKE

NOT ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BEE

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Thinking of getting into beekeeping? “It’s not like getting a goldfish,” says Purdy.

Doing research is key. Visiting a beekeeping operation before taking the plunge is also recommended. It’s not an inexpensive hobby.

Setting up the first hive can cost about $1,000.

Troy Fraser, president of the Prince Edward Island Beekeepers Association, started an introductory course for beekeepers this year and had 60 people enrolled. The Zoom course also includes four field trips for some hands-on learning.

“You can read until you're blue in the face.

You can watch videos all day long. But just like drivers ed, you don’t really learn how to drive until you get behind the wheel and do it yourself,” says Fraser.

A hobby beekeeper with a dozen or so colonies can expect to spend a morning a week inspecting the hives, he says. “There’s not a lot you need to do during the honey flow, which is in July and early August. You want to let the bees work.”

In the spring and fall, there’s much more work, including adding treatments to guard against varroa mites, which attack and

IN DEPTH

Facts worth buzzing about HONEYBEES ARE NOT NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA Thought to have originated in Africa, honeybees were originally imported to North America by European colonists in the early 1600s to provide a sweetener for early settlers.

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feed on the bees, weakening entire colonies.

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the few places in the world free from the pest.

The off-season, December through March, is a good time for reading up on bees, learning from other beekeepers and building more equipment for the next year. “As a beekeeper, you’re always one season ahead,” says Fraser.

“Time commitment really comes down to how much you want to invest in the bees yourself. Is it just going to be a hobby or are you going to get into pollination or bottling and selling honey, so you need more of a honey crop?”

Fraser, who started beekeeping in 2018 after a life-long fascination with bees, went into winter with 77 hives and is aiming to have 200 or more by next winter.

“I’m a diabetic; I never got into it for the honey,” he says. “It’s a way to keep myself busy.

Why do people do quilting? Why do people make model airplanes? It’s something that they enjoy … The sound of buzzing in the air is actually quite soothing.”

Catherine Dempsey wrote a children’s book featuring some of the drama involved in beekeeping.

BUSY BEES In addition to producing pots of honey, honeybees are now the main pollinator for flowering crops such as wild blueberries and orchards. The critters are responsible for one in every three bites of food we take.

EFFICIENCY They’re a lot less efficient than native bees, however. It takes six visits by a honeybee to pollinate a blueberry bush. A bumble bee can take care of business in just one trip. The problem, though, is there aren’t enough native species around to pollinate for the expanded agricultural industry.

It’s also a chance to connect with his three daughters, ages eight, 10 and 13. “Each one of them has their own bee suit,” says Fraser.

A BEE-AUTIFUL STORY When Dempsey saw a growing number of younger people getting interested in honeybees, she decided to write a children’s book. “All of the Brownie troops wanted us to come and talk and it got me thinking,” she says.

Daphne’s Bees tells the story of a 10-year-old who learns beekeeping from her grandmother.

“When I first wrote the book, it was very straightforward,” says Dempsey, a former elementary school teacher. “I realized it needed a little bit of drama. There is lots of drama with beekeeping. So, she had to get stung. Then robber wasps came and tried to steal the honey.”

Dempsey says her own honeybee hives are in “a silly place” in her backyard only 15 metres from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Flatrock, a small community near St. John’s.

“It’s not a good place to keep bees because they don’t eat salt water,” she says. “But it’s good enough for my garden.”

Beyond the honey she collects, she likes the feeling of being in touch with nature.

“On a really nice warm day (in early spring), a little plant called Rock Cress comes out in my neighbour’s yard. She comes running over and says, ‘Catherine, the bees are at my Rock Cress.’

Then I’ll sit up by the hive and watch ‘the girls’ coming and going,” she says. “They’ve got their little pollen packs on the side of their legs. It looks like they’re wearing little yellow socks.

The queen is in there, laying 1,000 to 1,500 eggs a day and that hive is starting to grow.”

SUMMER 2022

INDEFINITE SHELF LIFE Honey is one of the only foods that doesn’t spoil. Acidic enzymes from the honeybees’ stomachs and a fanning action from their wings that brings moisture down to 17 per cent creates a liquid that’s inhospitable for bacterial growth.

PRODUCTION One worker bee will produce around 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

It requires 556 worker bees to gather a pound of honey, the equivalent of flying once around the world. Two million flowers must be tapped to make a pound of honey.

BEARS A CONCERN Those cartoons of Winnie the Pooh with a pot of honey are no joke. Honey attracts bears. They’ll also gobble up the bees and larvae, which are good sources of protein.

Raccoons and skunks also raid hives and cause damage.

NOT VEGAN As an animal-derived food, honey is not vegan. Some vegans are also concerned about the treatment of honeybees, which are managed like livestock.

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Sparkling wines of summer

PHOTO: JOHN CULLEN

BY COLLEEN THOMPSON

A

ccording to Salvador Dalí, great wine requires a mad man to grow the vine, a wise man to watch over it, a lucid poet to make it, and a lover to drink it. In Atlantic Canada, we have it all. And if "struggling vines make great wines," we have that too.

Unlike warmer wine-growing regions, where grapes need to be picked by midsummer, the East Coast, particularly Nova Scotia, has an exceptionally long growing season. Winemakers can pick grapes in October and November, allowing for the maturity and acidity needed to produce great sparkling wine.

For this issue of East Coast Living, we've rounded up nine of our favourite bubblies.

We recommend pairing a glass — or two — with some great East Coast cuisine and your favourite tunes. Find out more in our Q&A with local winemakers.

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PHOTO: JESSICA EMIN

A tour of the East Coast’s newest bubblies

LIBATIONS

1 Benjamin Bridge, 2014 Brut Reserve

Q&A WITH JEAN-BENOIT DESLAURIERS, WINEMAKER ABOUT THE WINE The Brut Reserve is made from the best parcels of Benjamin Bridge’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards.

The grapes are carefully hand-harvested and pressed. During blending, the final wine is selected from the highest quality barrels before being aged for a minimum of five years on lees before final disgorgement and ultimate release. As a result, it’s a captivating and expansive wine.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? Hands down, the best pairing for Brut Reserve is Nova Scotia seafood. Digby scallops in a savoury saffron cream sauce on corn tacos with fresh veggies and pickles.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? Around a driftwood bonfire on the Bay of Fundy with great company.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “Seasons” by Future Islands.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER An expansion of the open-air wine terrace will enable Benjamin Bridge to extend its season. Last year, the winery offered sparkling wine by the glass to go, which meant you could order your wine and then stroll the vineyards down to the river. An excellent option for busy weekends, particularly when all of the seating is occupied. It's also a perfect option for families wanting a quiet picnic, guests with dogs and people simply wishing to connect with the farm.

2 Blomidon, 2016 Extra Brut Blancs de Noirs

3 Domaine de Grand Pré, Champlain Q&A WITH BEATRICE STUTZ, CEO AND VICE PRESIDENT OF GRAND PRE WINES

Q&A WITH SIMON RAFUSE, WINEMAKER

ABOUT THE WINE Our cooler climate, combined with the unique soil composition rich in clay, leads to incredible wines. This wine is named after Samuel de Champlain, who mapped Nova Scotia during the earliest French and Acadian settlements in what was then known as L'Acadie. After spending a minimum of 12 months on the lees, bottles are hand-riddled and disgorged before receiving their final dosage. This nonvintage traditional method of sparkling wine is made from hand-harvested hybrid grapes; L'Acadie Blanc and Seyval Blanc are grown on our estate vineyard in Grand Pré. It shows beautiful sparkling wine characteristics with bubbles and refreshing notes of baked bread and green apples with a crisp, clean finish.

ABOUT THE WINE The 2016 Extra Brut Blancs de Noirs is made from Blomidon Estate vineyards of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The wine is aged in bottles for four years before disgorging. It's quite dry but very rich and ripe and one of my favourites. All of our sparkling wines at Blomidon are made using the traditional method, where a second fermentation takes place inside the bottle (the same method as Champagne). This method is perfectly suited to our cool climate, where our grapes typically have lower sugars and higher acidity, giving us the perfect tools to craft this style of wine.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? I drink quite a lot of sparkling wine; it's one of my favourite styles. I certainly don't think it needs to be saved for a special occasion. My favourite time to drink it is Sunday afternoon while hanging out in the kitchen with the family and getting dinner ready. I don't overthink food pairings. I just enjoy it with whatever.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? One of the best pairings with sparkling wine is potato chips. But Champlain’s clean and crisp characteristics paired with fresh and local oysters are a “match made in heaven.”

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? Sitting around a bonfire by the lake or at one of Nova Scotia’s many beaches.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? I love getting a glass of sparkling wine while I look through the dinner menu at a nice restaurant. It helps whet the appetite.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “When My Angel Gets the Blues” by Matt Andersen.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “Move on Up” by Curtis Mayfield.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER We added our inn last year, so you can sip Grand Pré Wine, dine at Le Caveau, and now you can stay at our working farm winery inn. We are also looking forward to hosting our popular music nights under the vines in July and August.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER We're expanding our outdoor areas at Blomidon to give everyone more space to enjoy the fresh air. People have been telling us how much they enjoy the summer weather at the winery, so we will be adding new seating, shaded areas and a fire pit.

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5 Luckett Vineyards, Traditional Method NV

Q&A WITH GEENA LUCKETT, OWNER AND GENERAL MANAGER PHOTO: SUBMITTED

ABOUT THE WINE Luckett Vineyards is releasing a multi-vintage cuvée of L'Acadie, ranging between 2012 and 2017. There are steel and neutral oak combinations on the base wines, with a long aging process on the lees with zero dosage, which gives rise to a good structure and mouthfeel. There is a multi-year tirage (the amount of time after bottling that it sits on the lees), with the first disgorge at 18 months, the second at 32 months, and the most recent disgorge was at 3.5 years.

4 L’Acadie Vineyards, 2020 Joie de Vivre Q&A WITH BRUCE EWERT, OWNER AND WINEMAKER

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? It might sound strange, but chips. Specifically, salted kettle-cooked … or some fresh super briny oysters on the half shell.

ABOUT THE WINE Joie de Vivre is a new sparkling style made with a process called the Charmat method.

With this style, the second fermentation occurs in specialized pressure tanks instead of the traditional method bottles to produce natural bubbles, the same way Prosecco is made. It complements our diverse traditional method sparkling portfolio and offers a new sparkling that is fresh, vibrant, fruity and dry. The Charmat method has a relatively brief time in the tank to complete the second fermentation and keep the wine fresh and fruity. The result is a creamy mouthfeel with persistent natural bubbles and is certified organic.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? There’s nothing better than a local wine and local music pairing. So, it’s a tie between “Maritime” by Pretty Archie or “Trouble” by Dave Sampson.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER We are in the middle of a big renovation right now to enclose a portion of our patio. It will allow for a multi-season bistro space at Luckett.

PHOTO: JESSIE MCCALL

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? All our wines are suitable for vegan diets, and our family favourite is vegan carbonara. Our winemaking has been vegan since 2010 and viticulture since 2017. We have recently been certified to the European Biocyclic Vegan Standard, the first in North America, and the 2021 vintage will have the certification mark on labels. “Vegan from the soil to the glass.”

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? Anywhere with a view of the ocean.

PHOTO: REBECCA FRANK

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? At L'Acadie Winery while enjoying the views of Gaspereau Valley.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER Sparkling tastings at L'Acadie all summer long.

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LIBATIONS

6 Lightfoot & Wolfville, 2016 Brut Q&A WITH RACHEL LIGHTFOOT

7 Mercator Vineyards, Traditional Method Sparkling Cuvee

ABOUT THE WINE The 2016 Brut was sourced from a single block of estate-grown Chardonnay certified organic by Ecocert Canada and biodynamic

by Demeter. (To date, Lightfoot & Wolfville is the only winery in Nova Scotia to achieve biodynamic certification and is one of only five certified biodynamic wineries in Canada.) Nova Scotia’s coastal growing environment is incredibly unique. Our microclimate is strongly influenced by proximity to the Minas Basin. An inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the cool breezes help extend our fruit’s “hang times” and provides the perfect conditions for distinctive sparkling wines. The 2016 Brut was made in the traditional method and aged on the lees for 46 months, providing layers of depth and nuance.

Q&A WITH GINA HAVERSTOCK, WINEMAKER

ABOUT THE WINE This Traditional Method Sparkling Cuvee is only the second traditional method sparkling released from Mercator Vineyards.

Like the first 2011 Cabernet Franc, this is a small lot sparkling unique to our winery and style. Notes of lemon, brioche and hints of vanilla and spice with a distinct note of minerality evolve from the glass, with the gentle rise of carbonation from the mousse.

True to the Mercator style, the wines that form the base of this wine are aged, providing the reserved yet complex profile of the wine and the dry and somewhat lean style that Mercator is also known for.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? Fresh seafood is a classic. “What grows together goes together.” We love pairing this with Sober Island oysters and verjus.

The mousse and acidity also work well with fried or rich foods such as fried chicken, lobster salad on brioche with green apple slaw or creamed mushrooms on toast.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? The classic traditional method of sparkling pairing is oysters on the half shell; the minerality and the refreshing acidity of the wine pair perfectly with the delicate flavour of oysters.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? The Lightfoot & Wolfville Wine garden patio in the summer.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? In a quiet setting with someone who enjoys sparkling. Mercator’s Cuvee is a wine that evolves after you open it, so if you can take the time to enjoy it you will be rewarded with subtle complexities intensifying as time passes.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? Live music by one of our incredibly talented East Coast musicians such as Daniel James McFadyen, Joel Plaskett, Mo Kenney, Rose Cousins, Terra Spencer or Matt Andersen.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER The Deep Dive into Sparkling tasting experience. This is a by-appointment sparkling wine-themed private tasting experience with food pairings.

SUMMER 2022

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “Under the Sun” by David Myles.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER We will be starting new tours at Mercator and releasing our traditional method sparkling, so keep an eye on our social media and website for details.

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8 DOMAINE LATITUDE 46 ESTATE WINERY

Q&A WITH BILL FITCH, CO-OWNER ABOUT THE WINE Sea Spray is made with hand-harvested grapes from our vineyards. It’s composed of several hybrid grapes: Frontenac Blanc, Louise Swenson and Prairie Star. The wine has an aromatic nose with hints of oak and green apple, a palate of pear and apple flavours, and toasted oak. We partner with Belliveau Orchards in Pre d’en Haut to produce the carbonation and bottle it.

9 Planters Ridge, 2021 Elevation Q&A WITH WENDY COLLINS, RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY MANAGER

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? Great for Sunday morning mimosas and New Brunswick oysters.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? The patio with cheese and crackers on a hot afternoon.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? Anything by the Hay Babies from Memramcook and Lise LeBlanc of Rosaireville, N.B. THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER Our plaza, gazebo and tasting room will be open for tastings and tours, and our party tent is ready to host celebrations.

ABOUT THE WINE The 2021 Elevation is made with three grapes, L'Acadie Blanc, Frontenac Blanc and Muscat Ottonel. All are grown at our Basalt Ridge Vineyard on the southern slope of North Mountain. The name Elevation comes from the grapes being grown at a higher elevation. It’s very Prosecco-like, with easy, casual, delicate bubbles that are great for all occasion drinking. Crisp and refreshing, it gets beautiful floral notes from the Muscat Ottonel, fun tropical notes from the Frontenac Blanc, and acidity and citrusy flavours from the L'Acadie Blanc.

FAVOURITE FOOD PAIRING? Anything salty with a good dose of fat.

Cheese plates, fish and chips, potato chips ... the options are endless.

PHOTO: JOHN CULLEN

FAVOURITE PLACE TO SIP? On the back deck of the Planters Ridge tasting room at sunset, with our favourite people.

FAVOURITE SONG TO SIP TO? “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER We're very excited about many changes happening to the winery this summer.

We've expanded our beautiful patio and will increase and enhance our food offerings.

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SUMMER 2022

EATING IN

Life is

sweet

(and savoury)

Tatamagouche Ice Creamery offers flavours beyond traditional

BY LORI McKAY

W

hen Daniel Curren thinks of ice cream, he sees a blank canvas, imagining potential flavours far beyond the traditional chocolate, vanilla and strawberry of his youth. Want to try a scoop of Ocean Playground Sea Salted Caramel? Or perhaps a Bourbon Coffee ice cream? What about something spicy, savoury or even beer flavoured?

“Your imagination is the limit on what we can do,” says Curren, owner of the Tatamagouche Ice Creamery.

The Nova Scotia business first opened in the summer of 2020, in the heart of the pandemic. Having worked in investments for 20 years in Toronto and Halifax, Curren was ready for a change.

He says moving to Tatamagouche and opening an ice cream shop was obviously a big change, but not as “out of the blue” as it sounds. It was something he had been thinking about for a very long time.

“When I graduated high school, I was a little bit torn as to whether I should go to

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

Daniel Curren and his team at the scoop shop in Tatamagouche.

SUMMER 2022

culinary school or business school,” he recalls.

“Obviously, I went to university, but I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to have some sort of food business.”

Curren often cooked for family and friends and loved hosting dinner parties. His favourite items to serve always tended to lean toward more savoury cooking and baking.

Ten years ago, he started to get into modernist cuisine, AKA “molecular gastronomy.”

“I liked looking at the science of cooking,” said Curren. “One of the things I ended up doing was buying a jug of liquid nitrogen to play around with and I made a batch of ice cream at home. It turned out great. I made sort of an unusual flavour and it opened my eyes to see that ice cream is really interesting.”

He got better and better at it and even auditioned for MasterChef Canada, making it to the regional finals.

Curren grew up in Cole Harbour, N.S., but spent his summers at their family cottage in Malagash, near Tatamagouche.

“Tatamagouche was always just a really cool, unique place,” says Curren. “A lot of rural Nova Scotian towns have a tough time keeping

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PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

— Daniel Curren residents and businesses, but Tatamagouche had the secret figured out from the beginning.

To sustain a small town, you have to support the local small businesses.”

So, when Curren decided to open his ice cream shop, he felt Tatamagouche was the perfect fit. Not only would it offer support for his new company, but it also had the historic local Creamery, which had been part of the town’s identity for many years. (The Creamery was open from 1925 to 1992 and produced the popular Tatamagouche butter.)

“I thought it was a cool throwback,” he says.

“We even incorporated the old Creamery in our logo. It pays homage to the place and the importance of the dairy industry to the town.”

Producing quality, handcrafted solid wood furniture for over 40 years

CULT FAVOURITES Curren is constantly changing the menu, keeping the classics and favourites while rolling out new flavours.

“We’ve never had a flavour we haven’t sold out of,” says Curren. “People are really open to trying something new.”

One of the biggest surprises for him was the fact that their basil ice cream became a cult favourite. “People love it, or they hate it,” he laughs. “The people who love it really do. If we go more than a couple weeks without it on our menu, I’m getting messages on our social media

386 Windmill Rd., Dartmouth For more information, contact: (902) 465-5000 retail@lakcityworks.ca www.shop.lakecityworks.ca

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SUMMER 2022

According to Daniel Curren, owner of the Tatamagouche Ice Creamery, they’ve never had a flavour they haven’t sold out of.

from people asking when it’s coming back.

I would never have predicted that one.

“It’s nice because it keeps the business interesting and fun. I’m able to constantly experiment and come up with new flavours and exercise that creativity.”

Curren says they have a list of about 300 flavour recipes they want to try. So far, they’ve made about 100 of those.

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

“I’m able to constantly experiment and come up with new flavours and exercise that creativity.”

PHOTO: TASTE OF NOVA SCOTIA

The perfect campfire treat MELTED ICE CREAM HOT CHOCOLATE Makes 2 large servings

Ingredients 1 500-ml container Tatamagouche Ice Creamery ice cream (We recommend Very Vanilla*) 2 cups milk 1 cup good quality cocoa powder 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp espresso or strong coffee Pinch of sea salt Marshmallows (bonus points for homemade) Chocolate shavings to garnish Preparation 1. Remove ice cream from freezer and let soften at room temperature for 10–15 mins.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk, sugar and salt until fully dissolved (approximately three minutes). Whisk in cocoa powder until fully incorporated.

3. Add ice cream and continue cooking over medium heat, continuing to whisk, until the mixture is hot.

4. Add a tablespoon of espresso or strong coffee.

This will be enough to amplify the chocolate flavours without tasting like coffee.

5. Ladle into mugs and garnish with marshmallows and shavings of good quality chocolate (white, milk, dark or a combination).

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH / VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

*Very Vanilla helps the chocolate flavour pop while also rounding it out. Try going full-blown chocolaholic by substituting with Tatamagouche Ice Creamery's Chocolate Moose ice cream or add a touch of Canadiana with their Salted Maple.

HERE’S THE SCOOP

You can pick up ice cream at the scoop shop in Tatamagouche, plus at various markets around the province. A new scoop shop is opening in Alderney Landing, Dartmouth, this summer and plans for other locations are in the works.

SUMMER 2022

Despite the issues that came with starting a business in the middle of the pandemic, life is good for the ice cream company. Busy and constantly trying to keep up with growing demand, the business was also the recipient of the 2021 Taste of Nova Scotia Product of the Year award.

According to Sacha Smith, manager of membership services and marketing at Taste of Nova Scotia, Tatamagouche Ice Creamery received numerous nominations from consumers for this award.

“They highlighted not only their use of exceptional local ingredients in their ice cream, but also the joy that this product brings to those who try it,” says Smith. “It’s a truly memorable, local product.”

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41

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2022

Gift ideas

for everyone on your list

1

2

NOSY PARKER

by Lesley Crewe $24.95 Globe and Mail bestselling Lesley Crewe’s new novel brings readers to 1960s Montreal and features a nosy would-be child detective searching for the truth about her mother. nimbus.ca

3

QUILTS BY THE BAY

THE LITTLE SHOP BOX from $87.50 Don’t snooze on Summer – the last two seasons sold out fast!

Treat yourself to little luxuries from Canadian small businesses. thelittleshopbox.com

In stock items include: over 40 completed handmade quilts, 2000 bolts of fabric, as well as notions and sewing accessories. Shop in person, by phone, or join us on Facebook for our “Friday Night Frenzy” on Debra Howard-Quilts by the Bay-One Square at a Time page.

8779 Highway 101, Digby, NS 902-245-6343

4

RAFAEL HAS PRETTY EYES

by Elaine McCluskey Paperback, $22.95 A collection of short stories set in the Maritimes.

McCluskey’s smart, compassionate storytelling and her unforgettable cast of oddball characters will make you laugh, cry, and surprise you at every turn.

Goose Lane Editions gooselane.com

5 SEA WITCH COLLECTABLES Sea Witch Collectables offers ocean inspired and other custom designed art using stained glass and other art mediums.

9383 Hwy. 3, Maders Cove, NS 902-220-4447 seawitchcollectables.com

6

LOTTIE DOLLS Lottie is a wonderful role model for girls! With a realistic body shape, inspiring hobbies, different hair colors and ethnic diversity, Lottie dolls empower children to be themselves, embrace individuality and have meaningful and inspirational adventures. Shop in-person or online.

The Toy Factory 5607 Rte. 13, New Glasgow, PEI 902-964-2299 toy-factory.ca/lottie

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2022

7

8

BRIT HAPPENS: OR LIVING THE CANADIAN DREAM

by James Mullinger Paperback, $24.95 James Mullinger’s gut-busting stories of success and failure, beginning anew in Atlantic Canada, and the unpredictable grind of stand-up comedy.

Goose Lane Editions gooselane.com

ESMÉ ORIGINAL JACKET Soft and muted with lots of stretch $199 The Esmé Original Jackets are very comfortable. Very, very comfortable.

The Esmé Blouses, Crop Tops, Pullovers, Ponchos and Shorty Jackets are fabulous, too. Designed for comfort, they all have a unique personality – a little edgy and original.

9846 Main Street, Canning, NS 902-582-7555 esmejacket.com

9

OCEAN BOARDS

BY EVELINE Bring the ocean to your home.

One of a kind resined charcuterie boards.

Handcrafted in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, NB. Visit online: oceanboard.ca

11

TOUCH OF GOLD

10

FOPE 18k White Gold Solo Bracelet Visit us on Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS 902-423-5600 touchofgold.ca

TINYLY Set off on summer adventures with adorable Tinyly dolls! These imaginative creations from French artist Virginie Brachet all have delightful pets. There are Tinyshops too: a bakery, a flower shop and a vet clinic! Shop in-person or online.

The Toy Factory 5607 Rte. 13, New Glasgow, PEI 902-964-2299 toy-factory.ca/tinyly

13

ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA

The Gallery Shop features a delightful selection of work by local artists and makers including pottery, jewellery, hobby kits and books, as well as enjoyable keepsakes inspired by the iconic work of Maud Lewis.

Open daily until November 1.

902-424-4303 shop.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca

ARTISAN BARS

12

Chef and Co-Founder Julien Rousseau combines premium sustainable chocolate and unique flavors in these elegantly packaged bars.

5151 South St., Halifax, NS rousseauchocolatier.ca

14

PAINTED WORLDS: THE ART OF MAUD LEWIS, A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE

by Laurie Dalton $34.95 A gorgeous new book that explores the paintings of Maud Lewis as serious works of art to be carefully examined. nimbus.ca

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2022

15 CHOCOLATE GIFT BOXES Each decadent piece is handmade from premium sustainable chocolate, real fruits, wholesome ingredients and is free of any artificial preservatives.

5151 South St., Halifax, NS rousseauchocolatier.ca

17

THE VAULT

16

Shop Canadian designer Dean Davidson at The Vault.

Visit us on Spring Garden Road or at The Halifax Shopping Centre.

Halifax, NS thevaultjewelry.ca

GENIUS SQUARE & GENIUS STAR GAMES Fantastic family games for summer! The Genius Square & Genius Star are engaging and addictive fun for 1 or 2 players from ages 6 to 99.

It’s a different puzzle with every new game! Shop in-person or online.

The Toy Factory 5607 Rte. 13, New Glasgow, PEI 902-964-2299 toy-factory.ca/familygames

18 SMOKIN JON'S BBQ & COMPANY We’re shamelessly saucy, and that’s the way we like it!

Handcrafted BBQ sauces and spices.

Unique and rich flavours, only natural ingredients smokinjonsbbq.ca

20 AMOS PEWTER

19

Celebrate the summer season with our Butterfly Jewelry.

Mahone Bay, Halifax, Peggy's Cove NS & Charlottetown PEI amospewter.com

A NATURAL BALANCE Hardcover (illustrated), $45 Located at Acadia University, the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens offer a one-of-a-kind encounter with indigenous plants in a natural setting. This book tells its incredible story.

Goose Lane Editions gooselane.com

BUYING GUIDE

Buying guide Now that you’ve seen all the quality products and services available in Atlantic Canada, here’s a guide to help you find them for your own home.

Amos Pewter (p. 44) amospewter.com

Glubes Sound Studio (p. 47) glubes.ca

POSH! (p. 7) poshhalifax.com

The Little Shop Box (p. 42) thelittleshopbox.com

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (p. 43) shop.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca

Goose Lane (p. 42, 43, 44) gooselane.com

Quilts by the Bay (p. 42) novascotiaquilts.ca

The Toy Factory (p. 42, 43, 44) toy-factory.ca

Attica (p. 6) attica.ca

Interhabs Homes Ltd. (p. 11) interhabs.ns.ca

Red Door Realty (JM) (p. 8) reddoorrealty.ca

Thornbloom/Hammock (p. 48) thornbloom.com

Bosch/BSH Home Appliances Inc. (p. 4) bosch-home.ca/en

Lakecity Woodworks (p. 40) lakecityworks.ca

Rousseau Chocolatier (p. 43, 44) rousseauchocolatier.ca

Touch of Gold (p. 43, 44) touchofgold.ca thevaultjewelry.ca

ECL Subscription (p. 45) eastcoastliving.ca/subscribe

Metro Building Supplies (p. 7) metropei.com

Scotia Stone Ltd. (p. 6) scotiastone.ca

ESME Original Jacket (p. 43) esmejacket.com

Nimbus Publishing (p. 7, 42, 43) nimbus.ca

Sea Witch Collectables (p. 42) seawitchcollectables.com

Fresh Start Fauxmage (p. 8) freshstartfauxmage.com

Ocean Boards by Eveline (p. 43) oceanboard.ca

Smokin Jon’s BBQ & Company (p. 44) smokinjonsbbq.ca

Town of Kentville (p. 2) kentville.ca

get inspired

with a uniquely Atlantic Canadian twist

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eastcoastliving.ca | 833.600.2870 OFFER CODE: ECLAD2022-ECL

SUMMER 2022

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LAST LOOK

Look, observe and

understand

Whimsical watercolours reflect P.E.I. and Nova Scotia architecture

D

uring the COVID-19 pandemic, Janna Wilton needed an outlet to destress from the everyday world, including her career as a registered nurse. Born on P.E.I., the long-time Nova Scotia resident found her passion in painting.

When she began working with watercolours, she felt a connection: a way of understanding things that were more than meets the eye.

“It became a way I could process my data and interpret the beauty I see around me,” says Wilton. “When I paint, I have to look, observe and understand. It’s important in the world right now to see what things are like through other people’s eyes; the beauty people see and how they interpret things.”

Wilton’s watercolour and ink paintings reflect unique, but popular, architectural structures in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. — places

like the Anne of Green Gables House and Public Gardens in Halifax, as well as a number of popular bars, restaurants and landmarks. Her artwork has small details and brings out her whimsical, creative side.

“I’m kind of logical, and something about well-defined lines and borders is comforting to me,” she says. “That’s something I gravitate towards. I love local architecture and have always been interested in our buildings and the history of the buildings, including the different textures and angles that you see around the city. I like bright colours and using my whole palette.”

She finds watercolours unpredictable.

“I love that it almost has a life of its own,” she says.

“You never quite know what’s going to happen when you’re painting with watercolour because it’s based on how the water moves and the paint in your painting. I like

Wilton’s watercolour and ink paintings reflect unique architectural structures in Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

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SUMMER 2022

PHOTOS: SUBMITTED

BY AMEETA VOHRA

Janna Wilton, watercolour artist

that it challenges me. I’m anxious by nature, and I like someone to have control in my life.

When I started watercolour, it felt as if it was teaching me lessons … Things aren’t always going to be as you predicted and there’s beauty in letting things flow.”

When it comes to creating her art, Wilton’s process includes visiting architectural structures for an up-close and personal look. She usually finds more intricate details, such as the right colour and saturation hues.

Wilton creates sketches and collages on her phone to get the different angles of a structure she is working on and chooses colour palettes.

Then, she draws with a fountain ink pen.

“I love it because it’s wobbly,” she says.

“It’s not perfect; so, when I draw with it, I, by nature, can’t get clean lines all the time. After I sketch with ink, I then watercolour right over the ink. It’s the best of both worlds. I get nice lines and then free-flowing watercolour over it.”

Ultimately, Wilton hopes her creations bring a sense of light and brightness to people’s lives.

“I hope people are inspired to create whatever is within them and feel like the world is a bit more beautiful than they thought.”

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