September 06, 2018

BORN FROM LOVE Three Cumberland friends share their love of ice cream

TWO KITCHENS, ONE CHEF

BUSINESS IS A LIFESTYLE

Executive chef takes on two new challenges

HOME IS A FAMILY AFFAIR Net-zero Valley home combines family, business and style

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8 12 16 EDITOR ERIN HALUSCHAK

PUBLISHER CHRISSIE BOWKER

erin.haluschak@comoxvalleyrecord.com As a full-time journalist at The Comox Valley Record, Erin looks forward to bringing these stories to you in a variety of different ways.

chrissie.bowker@blackpress.ca Director of Product Development, Magazines, Digital and Events for Black Press, North Island.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER JACOBA PRIMROSE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ALI RODDAM

layout@comoxvalleyrecord.com Jacoba brings her flare for design to the pages of Trio Magazine as page layout and ad designer.

ali.roddam@blackpress.ca An experienced photographer, writer, and entrepreneur based in Black Creek.

Trio is produced by:

CONTRIBUTORS ALISA HOWLETT A journalist and communications professional based in Victoria.

KRISTINE SALZMANN A freelance writer based in the Lower Mainland

CREATIVE SERVICES SUSAN GRANBERG, Manager production@comoxvalleyrecord.com 6

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Available online: comoxvalleyrecord.com/eeditions/ PHONE: 1-250-338-5811 MAILING ADDRESS: 407-D Fifth Street, Courtenay V9N 1J7 Trio magazine is published quarterly by Black Press. The points of view or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher of Trio. The contents of Trio magazine are protected by copyright, including the designed advertising. Reproduction is prohibited without written consent of the publisher.

18 28 FALL 2018 EDITION 08 HOME IS A FAMILY AFFAIR Mid-century modern style meets the energy-efficient technology of today.

12 A LOVE OF ICE CREAM Putting love into a product is exemplifed in Cumberland's Love's Ice Cream.

16 RISING TO THE CHALLENGE Self-confessed bread fiend Mark Sims finds himself in pursuit of the perfect loaf.

36 32 38 CONTENTS 18 TWO KITCHENS, ONE CHEF

36 SOWING THE REWARDS

Jessie McMillian tackles a tasty challenge as the executive chef for Guerrilla Restaurants.

Hazel Bloom Farm & Flowers fills a growing need.

28 CLOTHING EXPRESSIONS Mossgrey gives room for expression in subtleties in her handmade clothing.

32 CONNECTING ART TO NATURE Artist Sally Podmore draws her inspiration from the outdoors.

38 KEEPING INJURY-FREE Coastal Physiotherapy & Sport Rehabilitation treats all ages and levels.

44 10 QUESTIONS WITH ...

Chef Lesley Stav sits down to chat food, advice for the next generation of chefs and her guiltiest pleasure.

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SPECTACULAR COMOX VALLEY HOME ~ A FAMILY AFFAIR

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE MEETS THE ENERGY-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY OF TODAY

BY KRISTINE SALZMAN PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

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“

My goal was to get this house at net-zero,

”

– MIKE CROONEN 8

TR IO M AG A Z IN E | FALL 2 018

hen pressed to name a favourite space in his family’s new, 4,600 square foot home, Mike Croonen’s answer may come as a surprise. It’s not an area within the home, but outside: a large, heated, partially-covered front deck with a glass railing and a view toward the Comox Glacier.

“One time we were out there watching a lightning storm under the heaters and fell asleep,” Croonen says.

When Croonen and his wife Dawn Elgin decided to build a custom-designed home, they knew exactly who would lead the project: themselves. Croonen owns Croonen Construction, a company his father Pete started in 1978, while up until recently Elgin ran Evolve Lighting. The couple had an ambitious vision: a midcentury modern look, which meant clean lines and natural finishes, combined with responsible building design that would make a large home as energy-efficient as possible.

“My goal was to get this house at netzero,” Croonen says.

Critical to achieving that was using spray foam insulation in the walls and ceilings and an exterior cladding method called EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system).

They then reached out to Vancouver Islandbased Prisym Renewable Developments to set up a solar array on the workshop.

“We sized the system to basically run the house,” Croonen explains, adding that they’ve produced an excess of power since moving in at the start of summer that will be credited to their energy bills in the winter through BC Hydro’s Net Metering Program.

Elgin, who oversaw the interior design process, used her experience as a designer and buyer at Evolve to source fixtures that are as energy efficient as possible without

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sacrificing beauty and warmth. The home is lit by LED fixtures from Modern Forms By WAC and other showcase pieces handmade in the U.S. by Hubbardton Forge that Elgin refers to as “functional artwork.”

Elgin left work a few months ago to focus on her recovery after a car crash last October impacted her vision. There was an unexpected silver lining to stepping away from her career: she was able to be on site 416A Puntledge Rd. • 250-334-3666 www.courtenayappliances.com

during the build and have a greater hand in the final results. Their oldest son, 22-year-old Wyatt, was also involved in the project, and Elgin is proud to note this makes Croonen Construction a third-generation family business.

One of her favourite areas is the kitchen, which features a sandblasted glass installation by local artist Paul Crawford. Cabinets designed to have different depths provide visual impact, and a second island is actually her desk – the “kitchen drawers� have been repurposed as filing cabinets.

The house was also designed to let in plenty of natural light. A number of rooms in the house feature windows that are set well above eye level and flush with the ceiling, inspired by another home Croonen worked on in the Comox Valley. In keeping with the mid-century modern style, Elgin chose warm, darker tones in the wood, steel, and concrete materials used throughout the home, including dark walnut floors and kitchen tiles 10

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that imitate the look of concrete.

Outside, Croonen wanted a lowmaintenance finish, which resulted in no painted surfaces and a vinyl front deck. For the landscaping, the couple hired Van Scott, a relatively new Comox Valley company, who designed a water feature “that looks like it’s coming from underneath our driveway,” Elgin says.

Croonen’s extensive construction background meant they knew who they could turn to for aspects of the job they couldn’t do themselves, and from whom they learned much about responsible design. “A large part of that is networking with professionals,” Croonen says. “You seek out the people that are thinking in a similar way, that have a similar vision and values, and work with them.”

The project was two years in the making starting with the purchase of 1.5 acres in their Courtenay neighbourhood. Elgin prided herself on taking creative risks during buying trips for Evolve Lighting, and that willingness to push the boundaries helped her stay committed to their design vision throughout the process. Croonen, too, says one of the main lessons he learned in building his family’s dream home is to hold fast to the initial vision.

“Have faith your first instinct is the right one, and see it through right through to the end,” he says. “We decided we’re going to take longer and do what it takes to stick with what was intended.”

Croonen Construction can be reached at 250-897-8046 or view some of their work on Instagram under CroonenConstruction.

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ICE CREAM VENTURE

BORN FROM A ‘LOVE OF LOVE’

BY KRISTINE SALZMANN

A

love of love and a desire for really good, homemade ice cream in Cumberland led three long-time friends to start an ice cream shop out of a refurbished food truck.

Sisters Sanchia and Rachel Mooney and friend Caroline Bradfield launched Love’s Ice Cream in May, with a focus on locally sourced ingredients, allergy awareness and spreading their passion.

…

Have you ever noticed the love notes plastered down the main street of Cumberland on Valentine’s Day? Rachel, 12

TR IO M AG A Z IN E | FA LL 2 018

PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

Caroline, and their daughters have a history of crafting hearts with messages of kindness to post around town each year on Feb. 14.

Last year they got a group of 12 family members and friends together and made 942 hearts. Caroline says the tradition has resulted in Valentine’s Day being her daughters’ favourite day of the year.

“We take it out of a romantic, exclusive love and make it a wider love,” Rachel says.

And there’s also their love of ice cream itself.

Caroline and her husband have a tradition of going on motorcycle “hunts” for ice cream, and often returned to Cumberland wondering why the ice cream in their hometown couldn’t match up.

The idea for the ice cream business began to percolate in August of last year when the trio was sitting around Rachel’s kitchen table talking about their desire for fantastic ice cream. When they finally committed to the idea months later, her neighbour happened to be selling a food truck, which Rachel’s partner (who she

THE LITTLE JEM ICE CREAM MACHINE used by Love’s was designed by a berry farmer and engineer in New Zealand specifically to blend hard scoop ice cream with fresh fruit. Sanchia, Rachel and Caroline were inspired to use the blender by the owners of an ice cream business in Squamish called Alice & Brohm – now, the companies are two of only a handful of ice cream businesses in Canada who use the machine.

“It’s quite a visual experience,” Caroline says. “Especially for little kids. Their eyes just open wide watching this machine.”

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BECAUSE, WHO WOULDN’T LOVE TO GET SOME OF LOVE’S LOVE IN THE FORM OF ICE CREAM?

refers to as her “Loveman”) gutted and renovated.

The Mooney sisters’ combined areas of expertise bring together Sanchia’s three decades as a pastry chef – including making ice cream from scratch for hotels and catering companies – and Rachel’s background as a certified holistic nutrition consultant.

Rachel previously operated an online organic grocery store through which she cultivated longstanding relationships with farmers and producers in the 14

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Comox Valley. The ice cream crafted

by Sanchia is made using Tree Island Yogurt’s probiotic-enriched milk (from Birkdale Farm’s grass-fed cows) and mixed with locally-sourced seasonal fruit directly in front of the customer using a specialty ice cream blender imported from New Zealand.

Just as important as what goes into their ice cream is what doesn’t: there are no artificial flavours or stabilizers such as corn syrup.

Sanchia has a daughter who is severely

allergic to eggs, so the pastry chef has trained herself to bake all her desserts without them, including the waffle cones (a gluten-free option is also available).

“I’m so thankful for her in my life. Her challenges with allergies have pushed me to think outside my traditional training,” Sanchia says.

Customers can order vanilla or dairyfree coconut ice cream blended with fruit, or they can try Sanchia’s hard scoop salted caramel or chocolate ice cream with 70 per cent Belgian

chocolate (described by one customer as “a chocolate bar disguised as ice cream”).

She also comes up with a weekly special. When we spoke early in the summer, she was making 145 litres of ice cream per week and said the fall season will likely inspire her to experiment with coffee, apple, and perhaps an oatmeal stout version in partnership with the Cumberland Brewing Company.

Anyone eager to try their ice cream can usually find their truck parked on

Dunsmuir Avenue near the Cumberland Village Bakery on Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m. until November.

The owners are working with Village council, who they say have been “super supportive,” in the hope of having bylaws revised so they can park in more locations.

Because, who wouldn’t love to get some of Love’s love in the form of ice cream?

Learn more at lovesicecream.ca.

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THE PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT LOAF B Y A L I S A H O W L E T T P H OTO S B Y A L I R O D DA M

M

ark Sims is a self-confessed bread fiend and perfectionist.

These two admissions are chiefly why Honey Grove Bakery exists.

“Why I think the bread is as good as it is is because I will not settle for anything less than perfect,” says Sims, who opened in Tin Town in Courtenay during the spring of 2017.

Sims grew up on the southern coast of England, where his parents were always on the hunt for the best loaf. The same pursuit for the best followed Sims when he moved to Canada, so when he struggled to find it he set out to make his own.

Leaving a decade-long career in sound

16

TR IO M AG A Z IN E | FALL 2 018

design in Vancouver, Sims completely changed career paths after responding to a want ad for a baker in the Valley.

He learned the trade for a couple years, doing his stint of early-morning shifts, and with the help of the book, The Bread Builders, started building his own woodfired oven at home.

“Sourdough bread in a woodfired oven, it doesn’t get much harder than that. And if you can master that then everything else is, I’m not going to say easier, but you’ve mastered the hardest thing,” says Sims.

After supplying the brick-oven bread to markets for two years, the demand increased and Sims decided it was time for a brick and mortar with a commercial

oven. The new oven allows Sims to deliver a more consistent and, in his opinion, better product, but Sims is quick to point out the irony of perfection when it comes to baking.

“It is a process that is never perfect.

You’re always working with unpredictable elements – every bag of flour is different, the weather changes – but with skill and practice and knowledge you can wrangle them somewhat into as close of symbiosis as possible.”

Lots of practice and experimentation has allowed Sims to deliver quality bread – from French-style white, to Bavarian-style rye, to whole wheat, to fruit and cinnamon – to stores and markets all over

HONEY GROVE BAKERY OFFERS A VARIETY OF WOOD-FIRED BREADS

the North Island.

Still, in recent years bread has gotten a bit of a bad rap.

“Bread comes in and out of fashion, but my take on it is: good bread is good for you and bad bread is bad for you,” Sims says.

“That’s why I like to encourage people to understand what makes it good for you and better for the body than other breads, not just to lump it in with your average white bread from the store that’s been pumped full of air and additives. That doesn’t have any part in my process.”

For example, take Sims’ favourite savoury loaf The Tinker: he makes it with a heritage grain called Amber Durum, yellow semolina grown in Canada; then he

dry roasts sesame, fennel and black mustard seed, which he powders and mixes with the dough; and finishes it off with a seedy crust.

Sims also takes a three-pronged approach to his bread baking to make it more accessible to people with gluten intolerance, but you’ll have to ask him about that, as it’s semi-scientific and complex.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made the perfect loaf of bread, but everyday I strive to do that,” he says.

Stop by Honey Grove on a bake day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) to pick up a “specialty loaf ” or visit www.honeygrove. ca for a list of markets and stores where the bread is found.

JESSIE MCMILLAN HEADS UP

TWO NEW KITCHENS,

THE NEW

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ONE FEARLESS CHEF

AND EXPANDED

BY KRISTINE SALZMANN PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

T

here are two new places to eat in town, but you’ll find a familiar face in both kitchens.

Jessie McMillan is the new executive chef for Guerrilla Restaurants, which includes both Taqueria Guerrilla and Pizzeria Guerrilla. The taqueria opened May 10 at Courtenay-based Gladstone Brewing Company, where it takes the place of the pizzeria that has been moved to a new location on Fifth Street.

Owner Jason Uglanica closed his former frozen food business to focus on the taqueria and expanded pizzeria.

He and McMillan share a vision for a locally-inspired menus – at the taqueria, this is evident in ingredients like the fiveinch corn tortillas sourced from Ixim in the Cowichan Valley, vegetables from Two Roads Farm, pork from Gunter Bros Meat, and tuna harvested in Haida Gwaii.

McMillan says the focus on seasonal availability means some menu items will only be available certain times of the year, such as their fresh tomato salsa.

The chef finds himself overseeing the two kitchens just months after moving to the Comox Valley. He and his wife moved to the Island in March, following in the footsteps of a couple of his former coworkers.

“This particular area of the Valley has

18

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“SUSTAINABILITY APPLIES TO MORE THAN THE INGREDIENTS – IT APPLIES TO OUR INDUSTRY AND THE WAY WE SHARE KNOWLEDGE WITH EACH OTHER,” – CHEF JESSIE MCMILLAN

the highest concentration of people who want to support local business and are interested in sustainability,” says McMillan of their decision to move. “There are so many farms in this region and it’s such a good growing region. It’s really conducive to what I want to do long-term with food.”

The timing was serendipitous – his former coworkers had been working at Pizzeria Guerrilla but left to launch their own restaurant (Cooks) in Cumberland.

McMillan stepped into the role of chef at the pizzeria, then still located in the micro-brewery.

“At that time, we decided to expand and move the pizzeria,” he explains. “I was part of the re-concepting of the taqueria.”

During the planning stages for the taqueria, Uglanica says he and McMillan found inspiration for their menu and got to know each other better by meeting up in cities like Vancouver to eat “copious amounts of tacos.”

Once the vision was in place, the pizzeria in the micro-brewery was torn down and replaced by the taqueria in a matter of days.

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“EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO COMES TO COOK IN THE KITCHEN THAT I’M RUNNING HAS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT [MENTORING],” JESSIE MCMILLAN SAYS. “THERE ARE NO SECRETS IN MY KITCHEN.”

And by Thursday afternoon Jessie was prepping food and we opened on the Friday,” recalls Uglanica. The reason for the quick turnaround was a desire to retain staff and keep them employed. “It’s kind of a terrifying way to go about doing things but it made sense.”

When we spoke in mid-July, McMil-

lan had been spending the day readying the kitchen at the new Pizzeria Guerrilla site. In the morning he helped move in kitchen equipment and planned to start conducting menu-testing and offering some catering options prior to its official launch.

McMillan has worked at restaurants in

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Montreal, New York City, and Vancouver, most recently at the Vancouver-based Italian restaurant Campagnolo Roma, which he says was very focused on the principles of sustainability and mentorship. These are principles he values in any kitchen.

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CHEF JESSIE MCMILLAN’S CURRENT FAVOURITE MENU ITEM? ‘It’s really tough, but I find myself having the chorizo burrito.’ Owner Jason Uglanica’s go-to is often the cauliflower kimchi or pork belly taco.

cook in the kitchen that I’m running has the opportunity for that [mentoring],” he says. “There are no secrets in my kitchen.

Sustainability applies to more than the ingredients – it applies to our industry and the way we share knowledge with each other.”

Uglanica has been impressed by McMillan’s drive, work ethic and past experience. (Campagnolo Roma, he notes, is “an exceptional pizzeria – one of the best.”)

“This is a guy who doesn’t have formal schooling. He jumped in with the want to do this and worked his way up,” Uglanica says, adding, “I enjoy watching him work with food – he’s very fearless.”

Visit Tacquerilla Guerrilla at www.tacqueriaguerrilla.ca and Pizzeria Guerrilla at www.pizzeriaguerrilla.ca.

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f a friend asked you, “What lights you up?” would you have an immediate response?

Fifty-three-year-old Lisa Moyes didn’t.

She says at the time she was struggling with personal growth and the question was confronting. No one had ever asked her this; it was a question she hadn’t yet considered herself.

The impromptu question sent Moyes on a 100-day yoga journey, ultimately shaping her into who she is today.

As a mother of two and the co-owner of the Blackfin Pub in Comox, Moyes was no stranger to structure and stress.

“Life was full, and when it was full it was busy, and when it was busy it was intense, and when it was intense it was tense,” she says.

A break was needed. So last winter, with no real agenda, she hopped a flight to Tulum, Mexico with plans to stay for three-and-a-half months.

“I went to kind of just, be. To not be so planned, organized or structured.”

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After several weeks in Mexico, Moyes felt a little restless and needed a change of environment. She says whenever she’s on vacation she finds a yoga studio and picks up where she last left off in her practice.

“Wherever there’s a yoga studio there’s a community, you don’t need to know anybody; you go and you reconnect with your mat, with the teacher and you grow,” she says. “When I reconnected with it there was this beautiful grounding happening to me – an expansion that was happening within me. It gave me a sense of calm and growth that I have room for in my life.”

This time around her children, from afar, encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training.

It’s possible just then the stars aligned, because on the nearby island of Mujeres there was one space left in a small, affordable training course.

Moyes reflects on how she felt before committing to the course: “What would I do with it? What would be the point? Your ego jumps in and you have negative talk, but I packed up my stuff and off I went …”

For the next 21 days, 10 hours a day, with four to five hours of studying in the evenings, Moyes completely opened her mind, looked within herself and explored her yoga passion.

“You watch these things – these stumbling blocks in your life – just dissipate. It was one of the most pivotal moments, next to having children, in my life. It’s almost hard to put it into words.”

When Moyes returned from Mexico and her 100-day yoga journey, another fortuitous moment occurred. Through social media she saw Nourish Wellness was opening in Comox, right up the street from Blackfin.

Moyes says she could feel the warm reception and welcoming space from the first time she practiced there.

Since March, Moyes has been teaching Vinyasa 26

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“I TRY AND WALK EVERYDAY WITH AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF GRATITUDE. I’VE JUST HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE BESTOW A LOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS IN MY LIFE AND IF I CAN MAKE A TEENY, TINY DIFFERENCE FOR SOMEONE THROUGH MY PRACTICE.” MOYES PAUSES, OVERCOME WITH EMOTION. “THEN THAT REALLY LIGHTS ME UP.”

Flow two days a week at the studio close to home and in turn has taken a backseat at the pub; this is the first summer she’s not working five nights a week, she says.

“It’s overwhelming. My head and my heart are so full of things I would love to share. I have to force myself to slow down and put it all together

with movement and breathing, being really aware of what teaching, music, movements, passion and heart can do for somebody else.”

Moyes says she feels a shift, a softening of her previous life, and for that she is thankful.

“I try and walk everyday with an

immense amount of gratitude. I’ve just had a lot of people bestow a lot of wonderful things in my life and if I can make a teeny, tiny difference for someone through my practice.”

Moyes pauses, overcome with emotion.

“Then that really lights me up.”

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MOSSGREY SUBHEAD GIVES ROOM BLURB TO DRAW FOR EXPRESSION THE READER IN SUBTLETIES INTO THE STORY

BY ALISA HOWLETT PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

W

orking as a house painter for a decade, Destanne Lundquist loved the work, but didn’t feel the same about her work clothes.

“Clothing is such an elemental part of my expression,” she says. “But if I’m going to work in Dickies and a T-shirt – it’s good and practical, but doesn’t make me feel good.”

With no seamstress experience but a desire to wear something more inspired to work, Lundquist patched together a linen painting smock with her mother’s old and seldom-used sewing machine.

(It turned out that when she asked to borrow the machine her mother, entirely serendipitously, had just loaded it in the car to be donated.)

“I’m just not a T-shirt and trouser kind of gal, so I’d throw on the smock and wear a scarf with it. I always had to bring myself to the table and that was a great way to do that,” Lundquist says.

“Clothes make you emotional. You can cry because you don’t feel good in them or you can cry because you feel amazing in them.”

After the work smock, Lundquist branched out to other simple square designs, such as bags, and developed the trade from there.

In summer of 2015 she launched Mossgrey – a small-batch artisanclothing label – from her home studio in Cumberland.

Her collection currently features modest tunics, dresses, pullovers and shawls all made from beautiful, highquality natural and traditional fabric.

(Trousers are currently in the works, but Lundquist and her right-hand seamstress Barb are trying to perfect a universal line

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The garments are primarily linen, but occasionally hemp, silk and wool makes an appearance.

“I just make what I like. The style isn’t in the clothes; it’s how the person wears it. I give room for expression in the subtleties of the clothes,” she says.

The phrase ‘less is more,’ comes to mind when chatting with Lundquist about Mossgrey.

“I’m fascinated with the element of reduction. What do you really need? I don’t apply any fancy techniques. I use a Janome 625E (machine) and she does pretty dang good for now because I don’t like fussing,” she says.

“The act of sewing is really, really antiquated. It’s about as basic as it gets; you put two pieces of fabric together and sew them together.”

To get your hands on Mossgrey garments visit www.mossgrey. ca for a list of local stockists.

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LO C A L E D U C AT I O N O P P O R T U N I T I E S

BY ALISA HOWLETT PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

CREATING AN EQUINE BOND

CHANNELLING THE INNER ARTIST

The Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society began with just five riders at Norwood Riding Stables in 1986.

Lupine Art Studio believes everyone has an inner artist just itching to get out.

Since then, the riding society has grown incredibly, offering three 10-week sessions per year with around 100 participants each session.

“You don’t have to come out as this amazing Van Gogh artist at the end of it,” says Jess Kaufman, who opened the downtown Courtenay studio last year.

“We are for members of our community – adults and children – with physical, emotional and cognitive diversabilities,” says Hilary Doucette, program co-ordinator.

“It’s a practice. It’s sorting out your feelings, sorting out your emotions after a hectic day.”

“We create a bond between rider and horse through joy, recreation and physical activity for those who might not be able to experience it in other places.”

There are 14 horses, four instructors, two physiotherapists and psychotherapists that operate out of the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds.

In 2008, the CVTRS became accredited by the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association.

The benefits of therapeutic riding have long been tested and Doucette says the results the CVTRS sees are amazing.

“Sometimes it can be such a quick thing that we see, like a child with emotional trauma opening up and chatting with their pony, when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do that at school or home Or we see someone affected physically regain some strength through the repetitive movement of holding their reigns.”

The studio is a space for all artists, whether novice or advanced.

“Community through creativity. People are getting to know each other, there’s a feeling of community. It’s a space where you can be comfortable and encouraged and enjoy yourself.”

Ramping up come fall, the adult art classes focus on skill, technique and process and through four and five week sessions range from clay, painting, drawing, photography, macramé basket making and lots more.

As a high school art teacher for a decade, Kaufman wholly believes in the beneficial qualities of art.

“Art is so great for your wellbeing; it’s a meditation, a practice. It’s this idea of being brave and trying something new.”

She also teams up with local non-profits to offer free classes for select individuals.

The society needs about 100 volunteers each week to assist with riders; volunteers are the lifeblood.

To volunteer or for registration call 250-338-1968 or visit www.cvtrs.com.

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To free your inner artist sign up for classes at www.lupineart.com.

Island Schooled

SWEET SOUNDS AT MOTIF MUSIC STUDIOS

DIGGING UP SCIENCE IN A FUN WAY

From young beginners to the young at heart, there is something for everyone at Motif Music Studios.

Who better to teach kids about science than someone who dug up dinosaurs for a living?

Amie and Jeff Webster have been offering private music lessons out of their bright and spacious studio in Tin Town for close to a decade.

While Cynthia Lane, owner of Octopus Learning, may never have actually found a fossil, she has an extensive background in palaeontology and other sciences.

They focus on collaborative, quality education, while keeping the student in mind.

Since 2013, Lane has been offering science and nature programs for homeschool students, as well as special events in local community centres and schools, spring break camps and birthday parties.

“We take a personal approach to education. When we meet with families and students we first learn their goals and learning style so we can select a teacher based on that,” Amie says.

“We take into consideration students who may be a bit nervous, or students who like things explained in great detail, or someone who is spontaneous and wants to learn music by ear.”

Amie has taught music for 13 years and says the right match between student and teacher makes a big difference in retention. Class times are also flexible to accommodate the student’s schedule.

Currently there are nine instructors who offer piano, cello, classical guitar, voice, violin, viola, music theory and pedagogy classes.

Lessons range from beginner to advanced repertoire; Amie adds that there is always someone on faculty who teaches concert level.

To connect with music teachers in the community visit www.motifmusicstudios.com or email motifmusicstudios@gmail.com.

Lane offers the customized programs out of her home in Merville that’s within walking distance to ponds, beaches and forests.

She teaches students (kindergarten to Grade 10) in a casual, hands-on way through field trips and experiments, covering chemistry, physics, earth science and more.

Along with a rock and mineral display, she has an amphibian room and marine biology tank, both home to salamanders, toads and pretty much everything else that lives on the beach – at one time she even had an octopus.

“We just have a lot of fun,” Lane says.

“If you’re excited about it you want to learn about it and then you just keep learning for the rest of your life.”

To check out the science and nature programs visit www.octopuslearning.ca or find Octopus Learning on Facebook.

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INSPIRED

BY THE ISLAND SALLY PODMORE CONNECTS TO NATURE THROUGH PAINTING

BY ALISA HOWLETT PHOTOS BY MEREDITH ROSE

S

poken like a true artist, Sally Podmore says: “I get my inspiration from everywhere; sometimes it’s overwhelming just stepping outside.”

Podmore moved to Cumberland with her family five years ago for a more flexible lifestyle and to get outside more. She grew up in the city in Vancouver, but says she never really felt like she did.

“Although the bulk of my time was spent in the city, my

formative experiences were in nature, like when I would go to my family’s place on Bowen Island.”

Podmore’s passion for nature carried over to her career. Her background is in geography and she went on to teach social studies and physical education, but after having two children of her own she decided to stay home with them.

Now, between mom duties, Podmore says she has been making acrylic paintings in a focused way for around seven years.

FALL 2018 | TR I O MAGAZ IN E

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“

I get my inspiration from everywhere; sometimes it’s overwhelming just stepping outside.

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– SALLY PODMORE

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“WHEN PEOPLE SEE MY WORK I JUST WANT TO SHOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT CONNECTION WITH NATURE IS. I JUST LOVE TO EXPRESS THAT,” SAYS SALLY PODMORE.

“I always really loved drawing and painting, but I didn’t really think it was a viable thing, but I always felt like it was something I had to do,” she says. “I remember being a kid and pretending I was asleep, but I was actually up drawing quietly. I needed an outlet for creativity.”

Last year her family moved into a big A-frame home and Podmore has taken over the loft above the kitchen as her studio space.

“There are windows to the front and back of the house so I can see the trees. It’s a small space. The ceiling is all cedar. It has a bit of a cabin-y feel, which I like,” she says.

“I do paint outside whenever I can. That’s something I would love to be able to do more of, although sometimes it’s a little too overwhelming – things are so alive, there’s lots to look at and work with – so I work from memory and photographs.”

Podmore says some people have referred to her artistic style as impressionistic, but she says she just lets her paintings be playful, colourful and unpretentious.

Inspired by life on the Island – gardening, hiking, biking – her works feature botanicals, trees, water and landscapes, along with figures seen in natural surroundings.

“When people see my work I just want to show how important that connection with nature is. I just love to express that,” she says.

“My husband and I are both surfers and we spend as much time as we can (in Tofino) camping in our little Boler. I would say most of my tree, wave and beach paintings are inspired out on the West coast in the water looking at the waves or back at the trees.

I would definitely say that Tofino, and a handful of surf spots on the south Island are my happy places.”

Find Podmore’s paintings on www.sallypodmore.com or on Instagram @sallypodmoreart.

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BY ALISA HOWLETT PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

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ere’s a walk down memory lane: You’re a kid. It’s summer break. The sun is shining. All you want to do is chill out with your friends and eat way too many Popsicles, but instead, your parents have coerced you into doing yard work. *Cue the moans and groans* That flashback of being elbow deep in dirt is all too familiar to Lydia Jackson, but today she reflects on it with a sunny disposition.

“I learned how to garden by force as a child,” Jackson says with a laugh. “At the time it was more like hauling rocks, pulling weeds and moving dirt.”

Her mother was in real estate and before a showing, young Jackson would help in the garden, adding to the property curb appeal.

Presently, Jackson along with her husband and three children, live on a 25-acre lot north of Courtenay (almost in Merville).

Her calling was to farm hazelnut trees on the land, but the holdup is that hazelnut trees take five to seven years for harvest. So after planting a dozen trees, Jackson needed something to fill the rest of the dirt, and her time.

“I started planting every cut flower I could find,” Jackson says.

With her flowers grown on a 30-foot by 15-foot plot, Jackson began making arrangements for all types of occasions and sharing the photos on Facebook. Shortly afterwards, her friends and family started making requests and Jackson realized she might be on to something.

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“It’s been a learning curve,” Jackson says. “There are so many things to consider. Like, if I order flowers from Europe will they grow here? Will these flowers stand up in a vase? How can I plant in intervals so the flowers bloom together at the right time?”

It’s exactly this consideration that is so evident in Jackson’s responsibly grown arrangements. Amongst Dahlias, Zinnias, Snapdragons and Sunflowers, she sneaks in somewhat unconventional greenery – like asparagus, fennel and dill fronds, baby artichokes and even hops – to make the florals pop.

“Watching (everything) grow, there’s something so magical about it – from a tiny fleck in the dirt to a three-foot flower,” she says.

Each morning Jackson walks down the garden rows, coffee mug in hand, examining, weeding, sometimes planting, replanting and excavating.

But it would be amiss to leave out the weekend help of her husband and little ones: her 12-year-old runs the tractors; her 10-year-old is on weed control, usually swinging a shovel; and her five-year-old is “chief petal stripper,” a title earned by plucking petals (from flowers that would otherwise be composted) for flower girl baskets.

For unique and custom floral arrangements for any occasion find Hazel Bloom Farm & Flowers on Facebook or call Jackson directly at 250-897-8237.

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KEEPING ACTIVE, PREVENTING INJURIES

C O A S TA L P H YS I O T H E R A P Y & S P O RT R E H A B I L I TAT I O N

TREATS ALL AGES AND LEVELS

BY ALISA HOWLETT PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM

T

he Comox Valley is known for its year-round sports and recreation possibilities; after all, it is one of the few places in the world where residents can downhill ski in the morning, cycle in the afternoon and watch the sunset on the beach in the evening.

But with this year-round activity, unfortunately, sometimes comes injury.

That’s where Coastal Physiotherapy & Sports Rehabilitation steps in.

“We’re an all-encompassing clinic. We have a variety of areas that we treat in,” says Jamie McDowell, who co-founded the clinic in downtown Comox with fellow physiotherapist Steve Schmidt in 2007.

“We see people for a variety of injuries, people of a variety of ages, as well as people that get hurt under various circumstances.”

Coastal Physiotherapy started out with two-and-a-half practitioners (Schmidt’s

wife Colleen doing clinical Pilates at home) and has now grown to seven, including a massage therapist and a sports medicine doctor.

Physiotherapist Trevor Wilson joined the team in 2009 and became partner in 2016.

“We’re all really busy, people have busy lives. It’s important for people to try and stay active and moving.

That’s our big goal is helping people stay active and do the things that they want to do,” Wilson says.

The steady growth of the clinic is a clear indication of a need for physio and sports rehab in the Valley, but this doesn’t necessarily mean more people are injuring themselves, says McDowell.

“There’s a more general awareness of preventative medicine, more awareness now than in recent years,” he says. “Physiotherapy has certainly changed over the years. I’m not sure if it has changed specifically in our community or not, but our community is growing and I think that has a lot to do with the growth of the clinic.”

Wilson adds: “It also speaks to the demographic in the Valley. People are very active and also aging – our mean age is a little higher than other places. They want to keep active and we want to keep them active.”

Aside from physiotherapy, the clinic also specializes in acupuncture and registered massage therapy, along with a wide availability of specialty exercise equipment and rehabilitative supplies, such as muscle cream, exercise balls, foam rollers and athletic tape.

“It’s kind of our mandate: injury prevention,” notes

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Wilson.

“We manage those acute accidents that do happen – among mountain bikers, skiers, paddlers. We want to get them back out there and manage these conditions.”

Dealing with injury day after day might seem like a bit of a drag, but McDowell and Wilson both say their daily practice is overwhelmingly positive.

“You’re making a bit of a difference in somebody’s life and you’re trying to help them get back to what they’re trying to achieve, both physically and sometimes mentally. At the end of the day if you can make a small change or a large change and restore someone then that’s what you take away,” says Wilson.

This fall expect the same bright and welcoming clinic at 1700 Comox Ave, but with a new look.

“We’re looking at doing some renovations – more treatment space, a bigger reception area for relaxing – an update and freshening up to serve our clients better,” explains McDowell. “We’re committed to optimal mobility and health and wellness in the community.”

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If there’s an event celebrating food in the Comox Valley, you’re likely to find Chef Lesley Stav somewhere in the mix, if not the driving force. The president of the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association (NVICA) is passionate about mentoring the next generation of chefs, whether its through NVICA partnerships, the kid-focussed non-profit Growing Chefs or Les Dames d’Escoffier, an invitational organization for female leaders in the hospitality industry that recently handed out scholarships to local women. She’s also an enthusiastic supporter of the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market (which includes NVICA Foodfests) and is all for buttering both sides of your bread.

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When you cook at home, what is your favourite dish to make?

Usually it’s pretty simple. It’s chicken or something like that, and a salad. And the reason I enjoy that is quite often I will do a salad for others but I won’t do it for myself … I’m definitely one of those cooks who, it’s an extension of showing my affection for people. I think that’s very common for cooks.

If you could cook alongside any person, living or dead, who would it be?

Probably Julia Child, because I am quite serious by nature and she’s not.

Which would probably be good for me [laughs].

What is the most rewarding aspect about your role with the NVICA? When you can show somebody how simple something is, and how easy and delicious something is when it’s actually in its most simplistic state, and then adding something to it to make it really exciting – this is something that we do in our outreach programs. And the second piece is mentoring. And that’s working with culinary students and showing the possibilities that are there in the world. Especially being from a smaller branch, I have a voice on the national stage and so I’m able to show students what that’s like, the fact that there’s a whole world out there.

What’s the best piece of advice you give culinary students?

Every time someone comes in to ask for a volunteer, put your hand up.

Because that’s how you get noticed and that’s also how you put yourself out there.

Only five women have been inducted into the Canadian Culinary Federation’s Honour Society, and you’re one of them. How is your industry changing for female chefs?

It is changing, very slowly. I would say it’s actually a dual thing that is changing, and I believe they are related. The shift away from European trained chefs, which tended to be predominantly male – and I think with that shift has come a more Canadianizing of the industry. And with that shift has come more of an openness to women being in leadership roles because I think there is less tradition in Canada in this industry, simply because we’re so young.

If you could have any super power what would it be?

Observation. And I think that’s one I probably do have sometimes. When I’m tired I don’t [laughs] … I think that a lot of times people see things and know stuff and they don’t listen to themselves, women in particular.

If you could have it your way, what would be the next big trend in what we eat?

I would wish people would eat at home more … I see that as a failing of my generation in showing people how to cook, the enjoyment of cooking and of creating at home, that whole social aspect of it. Maybe better balance [between eating at home and eating out] would be a more reasonable thing to say.

What is on your bucket list?

I’d like to do more South America. I’ve travelled a lot [with husband Bernie] and I guess South America has gotten missed.

You have tourists visiting the Comox Valley and they want to dine out – where do you send them?

I wouldn’t. What I would do, it would be a foraging thing and I don’t mean by going in the woods. I would hit up all the producers, I’d do the farmers’ market, I’d do the distilleries, the wineries, whether we’re biking or driving or whatever. We’d spend the whole day wandering around collecting things and then we’d create a meal together.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Butter. Both sides of the bread. If it’s only one it’s not enough.

FALL 2018 | TR I O MAGA Z IN E

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