Special Features - Indulge Spring 2018

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COOKIN’

Growing up in Afghanistan, Hassib Sarwari always loved his mother’s cooking – and now, at Afghan Kitchen, others can get a taste of the culture for themselves

• LOCAL BREWERIES • JACOB TREMBLAY • PODCASTING • WINE

Vol. 12 • Issue 1 • Spring 2018

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INDULGE • Spring 2018 3

contents VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 1 • SPRING 2018

6

10

12

10 You’ll be seeing Langley actor Jacob

Tremblay on the big screen – whether in or out of elaborate makeup.

COVER STORY: Zohra Sarwari’s passion for cooking is behind her son Hassib’s drive to share the tastes of their home country locally, at Afghan Kitchen. (Cover photo: Rob Newell)

12 At Vinoscenti Vineyards, appreciation

of wine is part of a cultural and creative continuum that also embraces food, art, music and dance.

16

16 Local breweries are crafting a way to savour the flavours of the Peninsula.

25 Local podcasters – of all backgrounds – are finding an audience online.

30 Visits from a therapy dog are helping a handful of Langley seniors.

From the editor Nick Greenizan

I

t’s fitting, perhaps, that this magazine is called Indulge.

Sure, it’s filled – as it always has been in its decade-plus-long existence – with things worthy of indulging in, from travel to fashion to food and drink.

But for this issue it is a particularly apt title, because our managing editor, Lance Peverley – whose words normally fill this space – is away as the issue goes to press.

He was, of course, here for the planning of this edition – the story assigning, the writing, the editing – but on press day itself, was off on a short vacation, where he was no doubt indulging in the above-mentioned luxuries – or some of them, at least. (We know he likes Scotch and a good meal, though we’re doubtful he’s spending too much time off shopping for high-quality designer clothes. I mean, why start now, right?)

This isn’t to suggest, of course, that a few days of R&R aren’t deserved for our fearless leader.

He works hard and if he wants to head out of town before writing this edition’s column, well, who are we to judge?

Instead, leave it to us – his talented, hardworking staff – to introduce this spring edition of Indulge to you, our readers.

With winter now firmly in our rearview mirrors – we are now enjoying the first few weeks of spring – it’s as good a time as any to pack away those warm winter jackets and head out into the sunshine (and, let’s face it, probably a little rain, too – it is the Lower

4 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

Mainland, after all).

Whether you enjoy a pint of beer or a glass of vino, Aaron Hinks – who writes about three Semiahmoo Peninsula micro-breweries – and Alex Browne – who highlights Surrey’s own Vinoscenti Vineyards, among other Fraser Valley wineries – have you covered in the pages that follow.

And if you’re in the mood for food, why not try new South Surrey restaurant, Afghan Kitchen, where the only thing that rivals the food is the owners’ story, as described in an article by Tracy Holmes.

And hey, if you’d like to get out of town for a little adventure, contributor Vicki Brydon has the perfect spot, just a few hour’s drive south: Oregon. Whether it’s the state’s picturesque coastline or the eccentric vibe of downtown Portland, there’s a little something for everyone just a road trip away.

No trip, of course, is complete without some entertainment, and these days, podcasts are as popular as ever.

This issue highlights the stories of a handful of local podcasters – of varying backgrounds and experience – who are using to stillrelatively-new medium to carve out a unique voice on the worldwide web.

But whether you’re hitting the open road, or sticking around town this spring – perhaps you’re stuck at the office, filling in for a boss who has taken off for a few days – we hope you enjoy what this issue of Indulge has to offer.

Publisher Dwayne Weidendorf publisher@indulgemagazine.ca Sales Manager Steve Scott steve.scott@peacearchnews.com Managing Editor Lance Peverley managingeditor@indulgemagazine.ca Editors Nick Greenizan, Tracy Holmes Contributors Alex Browne • Rob Newell • Aaron Hinks • Vicki Brydon • Troy Landreville

Indulge is published twice times annually by Black Press Suite 200 2411 160 St. Surrey, BC V3Z 0C8 Tel: 604-542-7429 Fax: 604-531-7977 www.indulgemagazine.ca Distributed free to select households in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Paid subscriptions available. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

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INDULGE • Spring 2018 5

Flavours of

Afghanistan

by Tracy Holmes • photos by Rob Newell

T

he ingredients that are combined and presented as the fare at one of South Surrey’s newest restaurants are easy to list, and include everything one might expect to find in a commercial kitchen – or any kitchen, for that matter: flour, salt, onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers and more.

Narrowing down just how much of each goes into each recipe prepared at Afghan Kitchen, however, is another story.

In many cases, those behind the meals and appetizers couldn’t share the measurements 6 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

with any precision even if they wanted to – because putting them all together is something they just “do”, and have done for decades; a little of this, a sprinkle of that, to create the time-tested dishes of home, as passed down through generations.

In other cases, co-owner Hassib Sarwari says, the ingredients are – and will remain – a family secret.

He names the lamb kebabs as example.

“Common feedback has been, ‘it’s the best lamb we’ve ever had’,” he says, refusing to bend on sharing even one of the many tastes that

are combined to make the marinade that the carefully cut meat is infused with.

Afghan Kitchen opened in the Grandview Corners neighbourhood, tucked back from 24 Avenue – in the same complex as Real Canadian Superstore, Club 16 and Brown’s Social House – in mid-October.

Like the menu, its interior honours the Afghan culture. Ornate lanterns adorn each table, and a collage of colourful paintings brought to B.C. from Afghanistan by Sarwari early last year hang on the wall.

At the far end of the establishment, a red-

A lot of people will tell you the Afghan food might be the best food in the world. walled dining room offers opportunity to partake of the fare in a more traditional setting – seated on the floor, shoes left neatly at the entranceway.

“We wanted to showcase a bit of our roots,” Sarwari said, noting that the setting is close, but not exact – at home, “there were never any tables and chairs.”

It’s fair to say the roots of Afghan Kitchen run deep.

Sarwari, 31 has dreamed of opening such a restaurant since he was a young boy. The restaurant’s website describes it as “the manifestation of a young boy’s dream.”

“He roamed the streets of Kabul in his sandals and saw how hard his family worked to sustain himself,” the site elaborates. “In times of war, they moved to different countries until they finally came to Canada.

“Every corner of Afghan Kitchen is thoughtfully curated. Every dish uses mum’s recipe.”

Sarwari says it was his mother Zohra’s passion for cooking that motivated him to “have a restaurant where I could share all that.”

Growing up in the country’s capital, the family home was always full, and his mom’s cooking was at the heart of it all, he says.

“My dad used to have a very large business.

Her food, even back in the day, was known among all the people my dad used to be affiliated with.

“A lot of people will tell you the Afghan food might be the best food in the world.”

Zohra says the secret to her recipes is in how the food is cooked.

“The way we cook it, we bring out the flavour,” she says.

Many of the recipes were gleaned from her own mother and older sister, she adds – Zohra is one of seven children in her family and “everybody cooks” – and others she modifies through tips learned watching recipes prepared on YouTube.

Chef Shooja Hamidi (above) reviews orders; opposite page, Zohra and Hassib Sarwari.

Her first job in Canada was at a bakery in New Westminster, and Zohra admits the idea of working in a commercial kitchen was not one she immediately jumped at. In fact, she initially told her son she couldn’t do it.

Now, “I enjoy the cooking,” she says.

“Especially when we are busy.”

The journey for Zohra and her family was not an easy one. She moved to Canada with Sarwari and his three younger brothers from Pakistan in 2003, not long after her husband died of a heart attack.

Sarwari was the only one of the five to speak English, and was the family’s sole supporter for “the first couple of years” in the country, going to school in the morning and then working at Subway at night.

“He did lots,” says Zohra. “When we came, we didn’t have support. He did two jobs, school.

Always two jobs.”

But he never let go of his restaurant dream,

feeling it was an ideal way to share the richness and purity of the Afghan culture. The fact it remains not well-known here, “it bothers me,” he says.

Restaurant co-owner and marketing director Winnie Sun attributed that lack of understanding to the modern-day focus on the conflict in Afghanistan.

“I think it gets lost,” she says.

And while there is a distinct family element to Afghan Kitchen – in addition to Zohra, at least two of Sarwari’s brothers help out in the kitchen – he and Sun are adamant it is not a “family restaurant.”

“We’re trying to set a new standard for Afghan cuisine,” Sun says. “We want to give definition to Afghan cuisine.”

Sarwari adds the restaurant is “not just a place where people come and eat.”

“This is where they meet Afghan culture, hospitality and people.”

INDULGE • Spring 2018 7

Hummus ‘re-imagined’:

Naan:

This tasty dish uses a combination of chickpeas, red bell peppers, tahini, garlic, lime or lemon, and salt & pepper.

The recipe uses fairly standard ingredients: a mix of whole-wheat and all-purpose flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, water and white and black sesame seeds.

Afghan Kitchen owner Hassib Sarwari says it comes together by roasting the red peppers for about 20 minutes, then combining with the chickpeas (which must be boiled first) and remaining ingredients in a food processor.

Eggplant Borani: For this dish, you will need eggplant, garlic, tomato, salt, turmeric and oil.

First, fry the eggplant, then drain to take off the oil. Make a gravy with the tomatoes, garlic, salt and turmeric and use it to top the eggplant. Bake the dish for about 30 minutes at 400 F, then reduce the temperature to 200 F for another 15 minutes.

8 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

Combine everything except the sesame seeds into a dough. Do not let rise.

Pat balls of the dough down into rounds, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and bake in a tandoor oven until done – less than 10 minutes. Serve whole or in slices, with the orange hummus.

Mantu (spiced beef dumplings): For this dish, gather some ground beef, onion, garlic, coriander seeds, black pepper, salt and dumpling wrappers.

Boil the ground beef with the garlic, a little

bit of onion and oil.

After, combine the mixture with fresh onion, garlic and coriander seeds, and fill the wrappers. Steam the dumplings for seven to 10 minutes.

Garnish the dumplings with a special-blend tomato sauce.

This sauce takes about three hours to prepare and serve, according to chef Shooja Hamidi.

Combine onions, celery, red, orange and green bell peppers, garlic, coriander seeds, turmeric, black pepper, salt and oil in a pot, basing the quantities used on the size of the pot.

Stir and blend the ingredients while cooking, until smooth. Add Roma tomatoes and a little tomato paste.

Total cooking time is approximately two hours.

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A star on the RISE

Langley actor Jacob Tremblay. (Dan Ferguson photo)

Langley’s Jacob Tremblay is an in-demand movie player – at only 11 years old

I

By Alex Browne

f there’s one sure thing about the notoriously uncertain movie and television business, it’s that you’re going to be hearing a lot more about young Langley actor Jacob Tremblay.

At only 11 years old he’s already a veteran performer, notching up numerous credits and awards in a career that started in 2013 in the live action/ animated feature The Smurfs 2, and most recently included the hit film Wonder, in which he costarred with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

In Oscar-nominated makeup by Arjen Tuiten, Tremblay delivered a touching performance as Auggie Pullman, a boy with a rare medical facial deformity, who is victimized by bullying at a private prep school.

His breakout role was in the acclaimed

2015 movie drama The Room, in which he co-starred with Brie Larson and William H. Macy.

He played the role of Jack Newsome, a boy born and raised while his mother (Larson) was held in captivity.

For that film, he was the youngest actor ever nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role.

While he didn’t pick up that award, others he has won since include best performance by an actor in a leading role, from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television; most promising performer, from the Chicago Film Critics Association; best breakthrough performance, from the San Diego Film Critics Society; and best youth performance, from the Washington D.C.

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Area Film Critics Association.

Tremblay answered questions for the hometown crowd during the Langley International Film Festival, which benefits the Langley School District Foundation, in February.

As reported by Black Press, the young performer said he hasn’t taken acting lessons and doesn’t plan to – although he said he’s learned from the “amazing directors” he’s worked with.

“I’ve been very lucky to have the skills I have – I’ve been blessed.”

He said he stays centred by playing video games, hanging out with friends and playing roller hockey.

A huge fan of the Star Wars franchise, he said one of the big thrills in Wonder was a scene in which Auggie imagines encountering Chewbacca from Star Wars – with Chewbacca portrayed by the original actor, Peter Mayhew.

“That’s one of the cool things about playing Auggie – we both love Star Wars,” he said.

More arduous was the 90 minutes he had to spend in makeup each day, receiving multiple appliances, contact lenses, prosthetic teeth and a device that pulled down one eyelid.

“It helped me become Auggie,” said Tremblay, adding that acting is a passion that is likely to stay with him. “It’s what I want to do when I’m an adult,” he said, noting that he’s also interested in eventually branching out as a director or a screenwriter.

Tremblay in the makeup chair during his daily transformation into Auggie (right) for, Wonder.

(Lions Gate Entertainment photos) Tremblay has a younger sister, Erica, and an older sister, Emma, who are also both actors – another fun part of the Wonder assignment was getting to play a scene with Emma, he said.

But don’t expect the trio to stage scenes at home for their own amusement, the old-forhis-years Tremblay – now at work on the latest film in The Predator franchise – said.

“Not when we’re not being paid,” he quipped.

– with Black Press files

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Vinoscenti Vineyards’ administrator Serena Lu and CEO Dr. Clinton Lee sample one of the winery’s Bordeaux-style reds.

Love’s labours

found O

Wine appreciation – and support of local arts and culture – comes naturally to Vinoscenti Vineyards’ Dr. Clinton Lee and Serena Lu

n a drizzling afternoon in March it takes a certain effort of imagination to picture Vinoscenti Vineyards in the glory days of spring and

summer.

At the 14-acre mid-Surrey property (at 15560 Colebrook Rd.), damp grass is still spongy underfoot and orderly rows of vines are still black, bare and awaiting pruning.

A casual visitor might not be able to visualize how the very same terrain will be transformed in only a few months – becoming a leafy, fertile backdrop for wine tastings, weddings and arts and cultural events, or simply a romantic stroll with someone special along

12 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

By Alex Browne

between-vine pathways such as the winery’s evocatively-named Via dell’Amore.

But it’s hard not to see the enthusiasm and vision for Vinoscenti Vineyards in the eyes of the winery’s urbane, cosmopolitan CEO, Dr. Clinton Lee. “It’s a very romantic experience,” he says, noting the Parisian-style ‘love locks’ on a flower-decorated fence beside the Via dell’Amore. “A winery is really all about love.”

Clutching an umbrella during an impromptu tour of the grounds, he expounds volubly on the history of Vinoscenti – formerly the River Bend Winery, first established by former owners Court and Annette Faessler in 1995.

With the Faessler family home clearly visible

from the winery’s patio, Lee explains that he and his wife, Vinoscenti administrator Serena Lu, and their team, remain committed to continuing and building on the Faesslers’ original legacy of Surrey-based viticulture and wine production, even with of some of the increasing residential encroachment in the area.

They’re also committed, he says, to leaving behind the winery’s recent “dark ages” – the period after the Faesslers sold it several years ago and it changed ownership a couple of times.

For one reason or another, Lee said, owners during this time exhibited relatively little interest in – or capability for – either maintaining the winery or engaging with the community.

That all changed after Lee and Lu took over in late 2016 – and little wonder. More than simply business investors or hobbyists, they are both confirmed oenophiles – wine connoisseurs.

Lee acknowledges, with a smile, that the company name is a play on the word ‘cognoscenti’ – suggesting people who are, indeed, ‘in the know’ about wine – and that claim is backed by impressive international credentials.

Born in Southern Africa, to a Chinese father and a mother from Mozambique, Lee – whose doctoral degree is in business administration

(with an MBA in finance and a bachelor’s degree in accounting) – says he grew up with a strong interest in exploring cultural diversity.

That, he says, led almost inevitably to his expertise in the field of wine appreciation.

“I attribute it all to the Jesuitic education I had,” he says, in a soft voice that still bears traces of former years in London.

“It encouraged an open appreciation and understanding of other cultures that has sustained me through my life.”

Traditional Latin and Greek-based studies engendered a keen interest in history, he says – and an awareness of the intertwined destinies of both winemaking and the church in European cultural development through the centuries.

An international wine lecturer, writer and critic (for the record, he is also a Scots-trained Whisky Ambassador, a sake connoisseur, a Portugal-accredited expert in port wines and a Jerez, Spain-accredited sherry educator), he has attained the highest qualification from the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

While he calls Canada home, he makes frequent trips to all major wine regions of the world and has taught WSET programs and other wine courses not only in this country (among many credits is teaching and developing the wine program at SFU), but also in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan,

Argentina, France, Hungary and Italy.

Lu, born in Taiwan, also has impressive credentials – she has both a masters and bachelor’s degree from the University of Lyon, France, as well as WSET level three accreditation, and co-ordinates all of Vinoscenti’s Vancouver-based wine classes.

It was while they were looking around for a physical winery to augment the wine courses they conduct that the possibility of purchasing the Surrey winery came up – as Lu points out, it’s only a half-hour away from Vancouver, or 20 minutes away from the Tri-Cities area.

While wine appreciation classes per se are not taught at the winery, Lee says the team is happy to share their expertise with visitors while discussing and tasting Vinoscenti’s own wines (the winery produces a Merlot, a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Franc, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Syrah, a smooth Meritage blend of Bordeauxstyle reds, and Ehrenfelser Kerner and Riesling whites, as well as partnering with customers to produce limited-edition wines tailored to their own tastes and specifications).

Inevitably, any discussion of wine leads to historical footnotes.

“Why do the English refer to Bordeaux wines as claret?” Lee asks, by way of example.

“It’s because they used to control the region,” he says – referring to the 12th century marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the English king,

continued on page 14

The romantic, rustic atmosphere of Vinoscenti Vineyards, and the vines themselves, make a perfect backdrop for weddings and special celebrations, and a frequent schedule of events such as the winery’s upcoming European Wine and Culture Series. (Stefanie Fournier Photography photo) INDULGE • Spring 2018 13

We wanted our winery to be somewhere where people can come in and feel part of the community.

Henry Plantagenet.

“And why do we have a Chateauneuf du Pape (or ‘the Pope’s new castle’)? he adds – in reference to a period in the 14th century when Pope Clement V (former Archbishop of Bordeaux) actually relocated the papacy to Avignon.

But one thing visitors won’t receive – along with a wealth of fascinating information on the character and history of wine varieties – is a partisan sales pitch from the Vinoscenti team, Lee says.

“I’ve instructed our staff not to say our wines are the best – wine is very subjective,” he says.

“What we give people instead is the ability to assess what wines appeal to them, so that you have a level playing field.

“When our guests are able to say that they walked away with more knowledge about wine and how to enjoy it, that makes me very happy.”

Lee says he’s very mindful that the experience of enjoying wine is not just about “sipping or savouring,” but appreciating it – in the style of European wineries – as part of a cultural and creative continuum that also embraces food, art, music and dance.

That is evident from the winery’s website (vinoscentivineyards.ca), where visitors will quickly discover that the food element is represented in a small, but tempting, winefriendly menu on weekends (including a charcuterie platter of meats and cheeses, a variety of flatbread options and several small Portuguese-style dishes).

The winery also offers much to choose from in one of the busiest schedules of community events for such a business – including frequent exhibitions by local artists, painting nights and classical musical concerts.

Details on the website also highlight the winery as a bookable – and fully-catered – venue for both outdoor and indoor weddings, private events, meetings and seminars, as well as a variety of tours.

And Lee’s eyes light up as he describes Vinoscenti’s upcoming ‘European Wine and Culture’ series planned to begin this spring, in which every two weeks a themed event will take place, in the same clearing among the vines where weddings are scheduled, highlighting the art, food, music and dance – and, of course, the wine styles – of Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

“We wanted our winery to be somewhere where people can come in and feel part of the 14 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

The entrance to Vinoscenti Vineyards on Surrey’s Colebrook Road – formerly the River Bend Winery – is highlighted by an eye-catching display of traditional wine barrels on a vintage cart in the driveway.

(Stefanie Fournier Photography photos) community,” Lee underlines.

“We want this to be the destination spot where people want to say ‘this is our winery.’

“We have opened up for musicians and artists and community associations and charities to work with us. And these are not one-off events.”

While Vinoscenti Vineyards can lay claim to being Surrey’s own land-based winery, wineaware local residents know they are far from starved for choice within a short radius of travel.

The Township of Langley is also home to a number of wineries that also offer an enhanced wine-apprecation experience.

The Chaberton Estate Winery (chabertonwinery.com), at 1064 216 St., offers daily tastings of its 100-per-cent-B.C.

reds and whites in a boutique tasting room, winery tours and authentic French cuisine in its Bacchus Bistro overlooking the 55-acre vineyard.

Glass House Estate Winery (glasshouseestatewinery.com), at 23449 0 Ave., is a family-run vineyard and boutique winery specializing in single-vineyard, lowyield artisan wine – in what they describe as a bucolic, countryside location – along with monthly paint-and-sip events and occasional semi-formal, social dinner fundraisers including wine pairings and live music.

Backyard Vineyards (backyardvineyards.ca), at 3033 232 St., is an award-winning winery specializing in varietals, blended and bubbly wines from B.C. grapes grown on-site, and complemented with selected fruit from the Fraser Valley and South Okanagan. Events in the tasting room or the outdoor gazebo include tasting evenings or wine-and-food pairing evenings in collaboration with some of B.C.’s top restaurants.

Township 7 Vineyard and Winery (township7.com), at 21152 16 Ave., has a new cellar-style tasting room for sampling product including sparkling wines made in Champagne-style from the vineyard’s own Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, and features special cultural events including familyoriented celebrations for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

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Brewmasters are refreshing the palate of Semiahmoo Peninsula beer lovers

F

ive years ago, high-school teachers Pete Adams and Bill Haddow were enjoying a cold one at Sandpiper Pub on White Rock’s Marine Drive.

Adams looked down at his glass, and it said Okanagan Springs.

A Vernon brewery.

“He said, why are we not drinking White Rock beer?” Haddow told Indulge in early March.

Haddow, who teaches English, and Adams, who teaches civic studies, saw the Okanagan Springs glass as a business opportunity.

However, the simple solution ended up being more complicated than the two expected.

That following Monday, Haddow was wandering around the school, and bumped into shop teacher Rob Kwalheim.

Much to Haddow’s surprise, Kwalheim told him that he had experience brewing at home.

“It was quickly after that, we got up a little white board and started throwing ideas around. Before we even thought we were serious about it, we were off and running,” Haddow said.

Later that year, the teachers founded White

16 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

Story and photos by Aaron Hinks Rock Beach Beer, leased space at 15181 Russell Ave., just south of Central Plaza, and started brewing – with Kwalheim’s recipes – on a small, portable brewery system.

“Basically, we were making a keg of beer at a time. It was taking six hours or so, start to finish, to come up with one keg of beer. Once we started to get busy here, we could sell it in half an hour,” Haddow said.

“It was an incredible amount of work.

Brewing just about every night and on weekends just so we could have enough product to get us through most of the weekend.”

Kwalheim eventually stepped away from the business, but expansion was at the forefront of Haddow’s and Adams’ minds.

The demand was greater than their supply, so they started contracting brewers to make their product, which they sold out of a tasting room they leased next door of their Russell Avenue business. In the meantime, they installed a brewery system of their own.

“I never thought I’d be doing this,” Haddow said, moments after pouring the final bucket of hops into the first batch of beer at White Rock Beach Beer Company March 1.

For the first time, White Rock Beach Beer Company is now set to mass produce its own product.

Haddow, 59, said he realizes that his life is now at a crossroads.

He said they have been burning the candle at both ends trying to build the business, all the while holding full-time jobs as teachers.

“We don’t need to do this. We could go home, or sit in a bar drinking beer that somebody else makes and be very comfortable with life. But, we were a bit restless and we had some entrepreneurial spirit,” he said, adding that he plans to reduce his teaching workload next year.

The company has two signature beers, a pale ale and brown ale, “which will be with us forever.”

They have recipes for about six or seven different beers, and will be spending the coming weeks scaling those recipes to their new brewing system.

Haddow said it amazes him how often established breweries are able to come up with, and rotate, new beers. But the endless rotating tap, he said, is not the direction they plan to take the company, at least not right now.

White Rock Beach Beer Company co-owner Bill Haddow pours the final bucket of hops into the first batch of beer at the brewery on March 1.

“We thought we could make five or six really solid beers. Then, if we want to, add here or there. We want a stable foundation. White Rock has a reputation of being a little bit of a conservative area. We thought they would be more appreciative of solid stuff,” he said.

The next challenge for the company, Haddow added, is get their beer into local pubs – filling the very void that inspired their brewery in the first place.

“I got to tell you, out of all the eye-opening stuff and there’s been a lot since we started this business. It’s maybe the most eye-opening for me.”

He said when they initially got the idea of a brewery, they thought local bars would “be screaming” for local beer.

“It hasn’t worked out that way,” he said.

White Rock Beach Beer has been in about six local bars, at various times, since it started selling the product. Today, the beer can be purchased at Jan’s on the Beach (14989 Marine Dr.).

“There are a number of factors,” he said, noting that he hasn’t been

as aggressive in the sales and marketing department as he could be, something he attributes to working a full-time job.

He said one of the challenges is that his company cannot offer the same incentives as the major players, such as Molson. He also noted that with some establishments, “there’s alliances built up with other breweries, I guess.”

Haddow said he “naively thought” it would be no problem getting into White Rock restaurants, as the city is a tourism hotspot during summer months.

“I travel the world, my first question when I go to a bar is, ‘what’s the local one?’ I cannot imagine that those guys are not getting those same questions down there.”

White Rock Brewing

White Rock has a reputation of being a little bit of a conservative area. We thought they would appreciate more solid stuff.

White Rock Brewing, located at 3033 King George Blvd., shares a common goal with White Rock Beach Beer.

The company, which branched out of a ‘you brew’ business, opened a tasting room and self-sustained brewery in 2012.

Owner Rob Fisher says they hope to add more of their product to local restaurant menus, but plan to get there by packaging their product – adorning bottles and cans with the company logo.

“I’m looking for investors right now,” Fisher said, adding that packaging and canning equipment costs as much as $80,000.

Fisher, who bought the business about five years ago, explained that one of the best ways to get into restaurants – from his point of view

Spent grain at White Rock Beach Beer Company.

continued on page 18 INDULGE • Spring 2018 17

– is by offering a packaged product. He says restaurants seem to appreciate having a long list of beers on their menu.

The business is beside the you-brew facility, which has been in South Surrey for more than 20 years.

The brewery has an arsenal of 19 recipes, which are rotated through its taps.

The staples include Ocean Lager, Mountain Ale and Prohibition IPA. On March 1, the seasonal tap, which is rotated out every 500 litres, was a Spicy Maple Mayhem beer, a brand new recipe for the company. It’s made with honey, maple syrup and cinnamon.

Similar to Haddow, Fisher said that he found that the area isn’t too experimental when it comes to beer.

“The beers that they were all purchasing on the you-brew side were all mellow beers. Good carbonation, a little bit of taste, easy drinking beer. It’s not just that brewers want to do all these unique things, they still have to make a product that the customer wants to buy…

When we opened this, I said I wanted a lager,” he said.

White Rock Brewing is the only local brewery to offer a craft lager.

LOCALz on Marine (14981 Marine Dr.), Five Restaurant (15047 Marine Dr.) and Pier Point (14963 Marine Dr.) offer White Rock Brewing beer, and the beer is on a rotating tap

at Hawthorne Beer Market and Bistro (5633 176 St.) and 12 Kings Pub (395 Kingsway, Vancouver).

3 Dogs Brewing The newest craft-beer establishment in White Rock, 3 Dogs Brewing (15214 North Bluff Rd.), is facing a totally different set of challenges than its counterparts.

Pam Glazier – who owns the business with her son Matt Glazier and Scotty Keddy – told Indulge that they could be evicted from the property as early as late October.

A developer wants to use the lot to build a 27-storey tower.

Pam Glazier said their focus is on finding a new home for their business. However, the requirements of their brewery, she said, makes it a challenge to find a suitable location.

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They wish to stay in uptown White Rock, require at least 12-foot-high ceilings for their equipment, a patio and at least 1,600 square feet.

They said they have a fleet of city officials helping them find a new location, including manager Carl Johannsen, and Couns. Grant Meyer, Lynne Sinclair and Helen Fathers.

Keddy said it was actually White Rock Beach Beer owner Haddow who planted the seed in his mind to open a brewery in the city.

Keddy had some experience with home brewing and participated in home-brew competitions. He said he even went through the rigorous process of becoming a competition judge.

Pam Glazier and Keddy agreed that getting their beer on the shelf, or into restaurants, was never part of the plan.

They described the “lifestyle business” as the coffee shop of breweries, and intend to sell their product, exclusively, over the counter.

Of all the breweries, they have the most diverse selection, offering as many as eight creations at any given time, and have as many as 24 recipes ready-to-go.

“I get bored easily,” Keddy said, adding that his company is submitting three beers (Double Dog Dare IPA, Jack’s IPA and Blackie the Brown Dog Porter) to the Craft Brewers Conference competition in Nashville, Tenn. this spring.

From left, 3 Dogs Brewing owners Matt Glazier, Pam Glazier and Scott Keddy. Left, flight of beer from 3 Dogs Brewing.

Keddy said the judges of the competition provide feedback on the sampled beer, which is something he intends to use to their advantage.

The staples include the Chilly Dog Radler,

the aforementioned Double Dog Dare Double IPA and Bayside Blonde Ale. Recently, they started to venture into offering snacks to the patrons – providing Hillcrest Bakery with their spent grains, which are used to make soft pretzels.

The three breweries in the area may have different challenges, but all involved agree that the local beer scene is not a competition.

Instead, they’re glad more options are available in the area.

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The coast is NEAR

By Vicki Brydon

From the downtown vibes of Portland to the untamed waves of the Oregon shoreline, a perfect getaway isn’t far away

20 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

Passersby watch a street performer in Portland. The city is a hub of activity and full of bars and eateries – like Voodoo Doughnut (below) – worth visiting.

A

t just a few hours drive away, Oregon makes a great road trip for a variety of sights, sounds and tastes, from quirky cosmopolitan culture to windswept, rugged coastlines. Cross the state line from Washington and within minutes you’re in Portland, the perfect spot to kick off a meandering tour of the coast.

Portland has a reputation as a hipster haven with its microbreweries, plethora of coffee houses and eco-friendliness. It is all of those things, but also a city of beautiful parks, fabulous food and a thriving arts scene existing under the postcard vista of snow-capped Mount Hood.

I travelled to Oregon in early June last year and had just a quick three days to explore.

I decided on one night in Portland and two nights on the coast to give me a taste of both city and shore. As expected, accommodation options in Portland are vast, from five-star luxury hotels all the way down to the eccentric Caravan, a funky collection of six custommade tiny homes on wheels located in the popular Alberta Arts District. In the end I decided on somewhere in the middle – a hotel I had heard so much about that I had to check it out for myself.

Kennedy School House is part of the McMenamins hotel and pub chain and was built in 1915 as an elementary school. By the 1990s, the school had been abandoned and McMenamins bought the old building and renovated it into a hotel. Today, Kennedy

School House is almost a destination in itself. It offers 57 guest rooms with private baths – many of them converted classrooms featuring the original chalkboards and cloakrooms. The old teachers’ lounge is now an outdoor soaking pool, the detention room is a cozy pub serving whiskey and bourbon, the gymnasium is a movie theatre with lazy boy chairs and overstuffed couches, and the massive boiler room is now a multi-level bar with a pool table, jukebox and shuffleboard games. There is also the Honors Bar, which plays classical and operatic music for the nerdy

‘students’ and two more restaurants (one in the converted cafeteria) in case you don’t find your perfect vibe in the others. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever had so much fun skipping down a school hallway on my way to the next adventure.

Did I mention they roast their own coffee beans and have a microbrewery on site? I only stayed one night but wish I had stayed two just to experience everything.

The hotel is located on the northeast outskirts of the city centre so it’s pretty quiet at night – no hustle and bustle outside your classroom window.

I sadly said goodbye to Kennedy School House (it really did live up to the hype!) and headed west, making my way through downtown Portland to the coast, but not before stopping at the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop.

What started 15 years ago as a hip alternative to the big doughnut franchises has grown to seven locations in four states. Voodoo offers more than 50 kinds of doughnuts with flavours like Old Dirty Bastard (chocolate frosting, Oreo cookies and peanut butter), Tangfastic (vanilla frosting, Tang and three marshmallows) and their signature Voodoo Doll-shaped doughnut filled with raspberry jelly, dipped in chocolate frosting and pierced with a pretzel stake. The line-ups are legendary and everyone I saw walking out the door had two or three boxes.

All of Voodoo’s doughnuts are handmade

continued on page 22 INDULGE • Spring 2018 21

and they keep their subversive edge by choosing the variety for you. There’s no standing at the counter and pointing out the ones you want. You’re simply grateful to finally be at the front of the line and when they hand you that big pink box, you won’t even care what flavours are inside.

After loading up on doughnuts, I hit the road, heading west. The drive to the coast only takes about 90 minutes from Portland and once you leave the city limits, the highway becomes a pleasant route through rolling green hills dotted with small towns and the odd grazing cow.

The coast starts right at the Washington border but I picked Cannon Beach as my first stop instead of backtracking north. Probably the most popular of Oregon’s coastal towns, Cannon Beach has a population of just 1,700 but in the summer months teems with tourists and weekenders enjoying the nine miles of gorgeous sandy beach.

Its claim to fame is the majestic Haystack Rock, an igneous boulder jutting out of the Pacific Ocean and towering at 235 feet. It truly is awe-inspiring to stand on the shore and take in its presence while seagulls soar nearby and waves crash at its base. The whole expanse of beach is particularly picturesque and I recommend picking up a bottle of wine and settling in on a blanket to watch the sun set. Early June was a great time to visit as the crowds hadn’t yet descended on the little town and prices were quite reasonable.

There are many options to stay for the night at all price points and I found an amazing mid-season deal for the Sea Breeze Court motel right on the main drag. It was within walking distance of everything and the room had a view of Haystack Rock along with a full kitchen.

Just down the street from the motel was The Irish Table, a farm-to-table restaurant that creates nightly menus depending on what’s fresh. With just five tables (during the day the space is occupied by the Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters), it’s a unique and intimate experience and the food was wonderful.

Surrounded by the warm glow of candlelight and a glass of Irish whiskey in hand, it was a memorable place to celebrate a birthday.

After coffee and banana bread from the Sleepy Monk the next morning, I loaded up the car and hit the road heading south. A tip from the barista led to a stop at Wanda’s Café & Bakery in Nehalem for brunch. This authentic diner is a throwback to yesteryear with an all-day breakfast on offer, bottomless cups of coffee and freshly baked pie. I overheard a few customers chatting and sharing information – some travelling south, like me, others going north to Cannon Beach – and it’s these moments of road trip camaraderie that make a place like Wanda’s so unforgettable.

22 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

Clockwise from top: a bench and hotel dot the shoreline near Yachats, a small town along the Oregon coast; a sign welcomes guests to the Kennedy School House; and the cozy confines of the Detention Room pub inside the Kennedy School House.

With a full belly and excited for the next destination, I put the pedal to the metal once again and rambled on towards Yachats (pronounced yah-hotz) as my last stop before heading back to Portland and home. There are so many charming little towns along the Oregon Coast that you can easily hopscotch your way down taking as many days as you can manage.

For my last night, I wanted something extra special, so I booked into the Overleaf Lodge & Spa. With a swanky corner room featuring 180-degree views of crashing waves, tide pools, rugged rocks and wildflowers swaying in the breeze, it did not disappoint. The Jacuzzi tub surrounded by windows and the cozy fireplace were a bonus.

The lodge is warm and inviting and would be ideal for a romantic getaway or travelling with friends. They offer complimentary wine tastings with an on-site sommelier, a full-

service spa featuring an indoor soaking pool and hot tub and a free continental buffet breakfast in the morning; for me, it was well worth the spendy rate.

Yachats has a population of just 742 people so there isn’t a lot going on. Just a few hotels and eating establishments dot the coast and though the Overleaf doesn’t have a restaurant, they recommended the Adobe Resort, located just a few minutes walk away along a coastal footpath.

The décor was straight out of the 1970s and the food was just okay, but with wall-to-wall windows facing the sea, the view of the fireball sunset was unbeatable.

Three days in Oregon didn’t feel nearly enough so I recommend setting aside at least a week to better explore Portland and amble further down the coast, a pink box of Voodoo doughnuts in tow.

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The rise of podcasting has given everyone an outlet – and even helped some find their voice

A

by Nick Greenizan

bout three years ago, Justin Morissette found himself at something of a career crossroads – and not a particularly pleasant one, at that.

He’d just had an unceremonious parting with the BC Hockey League’s Surrey Eagles, where he’d served as the team’s play-by-play broadcaster for one season – quitting a radio job in northern B.C. to come back to the Vancouver area, where he grew up.

He found himself without a job, and without much enthusiasm for continuing on in broadcasting – “I probably could’ve done one more year (in small-town B.C.) and not hated it, but that’s it,” he said.

The upheaval wore on him.

“When you’re a young professional, it does sort of feel like every little bump along the road is the end,” he said.

“You have this picture in your mind about the way things are going to go, and it doesn’t go that way. That can be devastating sometimes, and that’s sort of where I was at.

“Mentally, I was in a very bad place.”

So he started a podcast.

Though Morissette had plenty of traditional experience in radio, in places like Chetwynd and Dawson Creek, his only podcast experience consisted of a one-and-done episode he did while working with the Eagles. The online show was co-hosted by his friend, Semiahmoo Secondary grad John Cullen, a Vancouver stand-up comedian who also served briefly as Morissette’s announcing partner on the team’s online game broadcasts.

The podcast was scrapped after one episode.

“I don’t think they had any idea who the hell I was,” Cullen, who also works as a teacher-on-call in the Surrey school district, said of the experiment’s quick demise.

continued on page 26 INDULGE • Spring 2018 25

Hosts of Real Good Show – from left, Stefan Heck, Justin Morissette and John Cullen. (Taehoon Kim photo)

My (last job) didn’t go the way I wanted it to, so I was just like, ‘let’s try something different.

With an eye towards starting a new creative project, Morissette and Cullen hashed out, one day over lunch, the idea for a comedy/sports podcast.

Stefan Heck – whom Morissette first met through the Canucks.com online forums – was brought aboard, and Real Good Show, dubbed “America’s Best Worst Canadian Sports Podcast” was born.

Since its inception in the summer of 2015, episodes of the show have been listened to more than 200,000 times, and even earned the team a 2016 Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best Audio Show or Series (RGS lost to the Trailer Park Boys Podcast).

“My (last job) didn’t go the way I wanted it to, so I was just like, ‘let’s try something different,’” Morissette explained.

“I often regret having that job… but I would 26 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

to talk about movies or comedy as they are not be doing what I’m doing now if I had not sports. come back (to the Lower Mainland) for it.

“A great example of that was the Super Bowl.

Positives can come out of the strangest places.”

It was one of the best Super Bowls in years, Cullen was onboard with the idea – and on our (next) show, we probably though contrary to belief, it is not talked about it for seven minutes,” a requirement for all comedians to Cullen said. have podcasts – but was nervous Podcasting – essentially internet about pigeon-holing himself into talk radio in downloadable, episodic a sports-based show. He quickly form – is a relatively young medium, changed his mind, however, after having come into vogue over the past meeting Heck and realizing the three decade or so, and driven upwards in hosts had good – even ‘real good’ – popularity largely as a result of the chemistry together.

Though the show’s common thread Todd Hancock popularity of software like iTunes, as well as some big-name hosts jumping is “sports pain” – Morrisette’s term podcaster into the fray. for the anguish fans of a particular Celebrity podcasts, such as the Joe Rogan team feel – the show has evolved from one Experience and comedian Marc Maron’s WTF, that’s strictly about sports. have millions of subscribers, while others, Cullen notes that, now, they’re just as likely

such as true-crime show Serial, have also gained worldwide notoriety.

Some – like Maron’s long-running podcast – have spun off into other projects. Maron’s eponymous television show, Maron, loosely based on his life podcasting from his garage, ran for four seasons on IFC, and later this year, ABC is set to air Alex, Inc., a sitcom starring Zach Braff that is based on real-life podcaster Alex Blumberg’s Gimlet Media company.

There is, almost literally, a podcast on any topic you can dream up, no matter how niche it may seem. (Cullen, for example, also co-hosts, with fellow comedian Chris James, Podcaps, a combination of soccer analysis and character-driven comedy he calls “A podcast for no one.”)

Across the podcasting community, there’s almost as many reasons for starting a podcast as there are episodes to download.

For Todd Hancock – well-known in the Lower Mainland as the longtime host of CFOX’s popular afternoon show – his reasons were similar to Morrisette’s. He was out of work and not particularly enthused about jumping back into the radio rat race.

“After I got let go from CFOX, I had, of course, a lot of time, and I had severance so I knew I was going to get paid for nine months,” explained Hancock, who grew up in Surrey as a youngster before moving throughout the

Zach Braff ’s new ABC sitcom, Alex, Inc. is set to debut later this year, and chronicles the journey of real-life podcaster Alex Blumberg.

continued on page 28

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INDULGE • Spring 2018 27

Jason Dedrick, Dave Coyne and Fred Partridge – hosts of Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure – have used their podcast to indulge in their love of cocktails, like the Hai Karate (below). (Nick Greenizan photo) province.

“I started to think about what I should do moving forward, and a bunch of my friends said, ‘Well, why don’t you start a podcast?’”

Hancock admits he didn’t know much about the medium at the time – “It just wasn’t really my thing,” he said – but after a bit of research on how to do it, how to find sponsors and make it a potential moneymaker, he decided to take the leap, and created the ToddCast Podcast, an interview-driven show that has featured some of the biggest names in music, sports and entertainment over its hundreds of episodes.

Hancock’s radio background helped. He set up a studio in his Vancouver home after purchasing recording equipment from fellow radio host ‘Bro Jake’ Edwards, and then mined his own contacts for not just guests, but for companies who might be interested in sponsorship opportunities.

“They said, ‘Well how much do you want?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know, 300 bucks a month? $500? $1,000?

Whatever you want.’ It was kind of just whatever I could get, and the majority of them said yes, so suddenly I had all this interest in my podcast without evening starting it.”

Over the years, his guests have included everyone from Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen to Canadian rapper K-os to Canadian Football League kicker, and South Surrey native, Sean Whyte.

Though it’s a lot of work as a one-man operation – “I’m the host, I’m the booker, I’m the janitor – everything” – Hancock said he makes more money now than he ever 28 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

did in radio.

He’s a fan of the in-depth interview format, too – something he never could do in his old radio gig, where a guest might come on the show for only a few minutes, and is likely there to promote a concert or album release.

“You get five minutes at the most in radio. Now, I can be like, ‘What are you binge-watching right now? What music are you listening to?’

“If I was still at CFOX, the chances of me getting to ask (Canucks forward) Bo Horvat about his first concert are pretty slim.”

The flexibility of running his own podcast has also greatly improved his work-life balance, explained the father of two.

“I go to more swim lessons and baseball practices. I coached a baseball team last year, which before I never would’ve been able to do,” he said.

From a career perspective, podcasting has opened doors for the three hosts of Real Good Show, too. Stefan Heck currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works for Cafe. com; Cullen says he can’t do a stand-up show anywhere in Canada without someone telling him they’re a fan of the show; and Morissette has parlayed the show’s success – and the profile that comes along with it – into a job back in radio with Sportsnet 650, where he serves as a studio producer for Canucks’ broadcasts as well as on weekends.

But podcasts aren’t just about career boosts – for most, they’re simply a creative outlet, or in the case of the Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure, an excuse to drink.

The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure podcast – started a

few years ago by locals Fred Partridge, Jason Dedrick and Dave Coyne – is a once-everytwo-weeks show in which the hosts mix all manner of cocktails, then taste-test, talk about and judge them.

Coyne first suggested Dedrick and Partridge put together “a podcast about booze” but the idea didn’t stick – at least not at first.

“That was about four years ago,” said Coyne, sitting at his dining-room table in Langley, where the show records.

“Well, you have to let these things incubate,” Dedrick joked.

Eventually, Coyne – son of longtime White Rock alderman Vin Coyne – and Dedrick recorded a few trial episodes, and played them for Partridge to see what he thought.

“We asked him, ‘Is this anything?’ and he said, ‘yeah,’” said Dedrick.

Soon after, Partridge came aboard, too.

“You had me at cocktail,” laughed Partridge, president of the White Rock Players’ Club.

Ever since, the three longtime friends – they’ve known each other for nearly 30 years – have gathered to create drinks they’ve found in the pages of old cocktail-recipe books, some of which trace their origins back to the 1800s.

“Now we’re all hopeless alcoholics,” quipped Dedrick.

They’ve actually managed to pace themselves

on the drinking front – they don’t record multiple episodes in one day, for example, because, “we’d all be passed out on the couch,” Coyne said – and most of the drinks they’ve created have been good, with one memorable exception.

“Irish whiskey and pickle juice don’t work,” Dedrick said.

While Dedrick has been interested in cocktails since first whipping together a martini or two in the early ’90s, Partridge said he started as a whiskey and single-malt drinker. Coyne, Dedrick explained, “doesn’t

Top, Real Good Show co-host John Cullen performs during the Just For Laughs comedy festival. Above, Cullen – a Toronto Maple Leafs fan – laughs at his co-hosts, both of whom are Canucks fans, during a podcast that was recorded during last year’s NHL draft lottery – which the Canucks did not win.

really drink.”

“Well, I didn’t,” Coyne shot back.

Though the podcast has been in operation for a few years, none of the three will admit to improving their craft. They still talk over each other as much as ever – “We’re thinking of getting a conch,” Dedrick laughed – though a professional-quality show was never the goal.

They view the podcast as a hobby, not a money-making endeavour, Coyne said, though he points out they have earned 67 cents from Amazon, thanks to a referral link on the podcast website.

“We’re deeply in the hole,” joked Partridge, adding that, considering the cost of alcohol, the podcast is “a more expensive hobby than racing speed boats.”

Enjoying themselves – and their alcoholic creations – is the most important job, all three agree.

“We try to get better at making cocktails – that’s the most important thing,” said Partridge.

Partridge, Dedrick and Coyne have a natural rapport together on the air, as do the Real Good Show hosts, which comes in part because none appear to be trying to be anything but themselves.

That’s part of what drew Morissette to the podcast idea in the first place, after a few years using his “radio voice.”

“So much professional radio training kind of stamps out what makes you, you,” he explained. “And part of the reason I was excited to start the podcast and do my own thing was to rediscover my own voice.”

He admits that he sometimes slips back into his old radio ways, which was pointed out to him during a recent recording session with a comedian friend who was making a guest appearance on the show.

“We had to transition from one thing to another, and he said to me, ‘You’re so good at that voice.’”

More often than not, though, Morissette and his cohorts are just three guys hanging out, talking sports, like friends at the bar arguing – sometimes with R-rated language – about the Canucks’ latest roster moves.

“It’s really turned me around, not just professionally but personally, as well,” he said. “I’m in a much better spot, three years in, riding this wave, than I was when we started, and I’ve succeeded by being myself.”

INDULGE • Spring 2018 29

Langley Lodge resident Allan Brown cuddles Tukker, an eight-year-old border collie cross.

Visiting hours

T

ukker’s ears perked and his brown eyes widened as he tracked the birds that flitted about inside their cage in the downstairs lobby of Langley Lodge.

“No, Tukker!” Margo Major said in a stern tone to her dog, whose head was tipped to one side in playful curiosity.

“No birds!”

Yep, there’s still a puppy inside the eightyear-old border collie cross.

But mostly, he’s a snuggler.

Allan Brown can attest to that. Brown is among the Langley Lodge residents who look forward to Tukker’s weekly visits to the seniors care facility in Langley City.

Tukker is not only a member of the Major clan – you could say he has an extended family at Langley Lodge, a place he visits every Saturday with Margo and her 15-year-old daughter Mikaela.

Margo has a special place in her heart for the 30 Spring 2018 • INDULGE

A visitor of the four-legged variety have been helping to perk up residents of Langley Lodge

Story and photo by Troy Landreville senior residents of Langley Lodge.

Her dad, Ed, lived in a care home at Peace Arch Hospital before his passing eight years ago.

“I knew (having a pet) was important for him,” Margo said about her dad. “I just wanted to give back. I love animals and he loved animals and he missed his dogs when he went into a (care) home.”

The Majors researched how to form a pet therapy team through Pets and Friends, a registered non-profit organization which has provided free pet visitation to care and educational facilities in the Lower Mainland since 1982.

They went through training with Pets and Friends and chose to brighten the lives of people living in Langley Lodge because they live locally.

Since December 2015, Margo and Mikaela, a student at Brookswood Secondary, spend part of each Saturday taking Tukker to Langley

Lodge.

When her mom brought up the idea, Mikaela was immediately on board.

“Just the idea of giving back seemed really fun to me,” she said. “Ever since then it’s been really fun, and I like it.”

Margo said seeing seniors’ faces light up when they visit with Tukker is always a highlight for both mom and daughter.

“And vice-versa,” Margo said.

“He actually loves it. He’ll hop up on beds, he kisses people. To him, it’s his job and it’s what he does. I think it gives back both ways, really.”

In many cases, residents have to leave their pets behind when they enter a care home and Tukker’s weekly visits fill a void in their lives, Margo says.

“Some of them, that’s all they talk about is their pets, and they have pictures of their pets… I find it quite sad. It’s nice they are able to pet him.”

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