Boulevard Magazine 2025 ISSUE 4

VICTORIA LIFE AT ITS FINEST

Fire & Feast

Meet Dr. Trish Dinh MD FRCSC Olive Fertility Victoria’s new fertility specialist

Dr. Trish Dinh MD FRCSC

Trish Dinh (she/her) began her academic journey at the University of Alberta, earning a Bachelor of Science with Honours. She completed medical school at McGill University followed by residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa. She then pursued subspecialty training in Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Toronto.

Driven by a passion for advancing reproductive health, Dr. Dinh also completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom. She has used this training to pursue research in the fields of oncofertility and the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes following assisted reproductive technology. Her work has received over $100,000 in grant funding and she has published in international journals, reflecting her commitment to high-quality, evidence-based fertility care.

Trish Dinh, MD, FRCSC

I am dedicated to a patient-centered approach, empowering individuals to understand their reproductive health and make informed decisions in a rapidly-evolving field. My practice emphasizes clarity, compassion, and collaboration at every step of the fertility journey.

Where did you get your medical training?

I began my academic journey at the University of Alberta, earning a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the University of Alberta. I then went on to complete medical school at McGill University followed by residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa. I pursued subspecialty Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Toronto.

What inspired you to go into medicine and become a fertility doctor?

I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of science and human connection, and fertility medicine brings those two worlds together in such a powerful way. You’re not just diagnosing and treating - you’re helping people imagine new futures, redefine hope, and discover possibilities even when that path looks different than they expected. It’s a specialty where you can truly walk alongside people as they undergo an incredibly meaningful journey.

What do you find the most gratifying about treating fertility?

It is a true privilege to be invited into such a personal and vulnerable chapter of someone’s life. What I find most gratifying is helping patients make sense of a process that can feel like a maze of acronyms, injections, and uncertainty and turning it into a journey that feels manageable and even empowering. Just knowing you helped someone feel seen and supported is as powerful as the outcome itself.

What is the best quote or piece of advice anyone ever gave you?

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” This advice shaped how I approach patient care especially in fertility medicine, where emotions often run deep beneath the surface. It’s a reminder to meet every patient with empathy, curiosity, and zero assumptions.

What advice would you give a patient starting fertility treatment?

Trust the process - and be kind to yourself while you’re in it. Fertility treatment can be a rollercoaster, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. You don’t need to have it all figured out from the start. Ask questions, lean on your support system, and know that we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Name one thing about you that might surprise people.

If I hadn’t gone into medicine, I likely would have pursued something in the creative arts. I’ve taken art classes since I was young, and some of my work has even been displayed in public spaces. It’s a completely different kind of focus and expression, and one that continues to bring me joy outside of medicine.

Harbour Haven offers luxury steps from the sea By Samantha Duerksen 36 PLAYING WITH FIRE

Chefs and home cooks fired up for the ultimate in outdoor cooking

By Cinda Chavich

CHASING THE LIGHT

Wrap yourself in rich earth tones and soak in the golden hour glow. By Michelle Proctor + Jen Evans + Megan Trudeau 62 WILD AT HEART Recipes to reconnect By Ellie Shortt 74 A SPIN IN SPAIN A two-wheeled adventure By Suzanne Morphet

On the Cover

Photo by Michelle Proctor

Model Leila Moon, photographed in the orchard at Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse.

Styling by Jen Evans; hair and makeup by Jen Clark.

Maxi Silk Linen Dress in Rust ($595) by Amano By Lorena Laing from Tulipe Noir; Olive Rubber Boots with Heel ($69.99) by Browns B2 from Turnabout.

MICHELLE PROCTOR

PHOTOGRAPHER LIFE.STYLE.ETC.

PAGE 16

FASHION PAGE 42

CINDA CHAVICH

WRITER

NATURE’S EDIBLE BOUNTY

PAGE 20

PLAYING WITH FIRE

PAGE 36

JEREMY POTT

WRITER & SOMMELIER

THE CELLAR

PAGE 18

"To me, fall is all about golden light and rich, earthy tones — and I wanted to capture that in this story. We followed the light through a beautiful orchard, creating a mood that feels both elegant and rustic. The team was amazing, thank you for chasing the light with me!”

Michelle has settled in Victoria as a brand & portrait photographer after living and shooting in Hong Kong for 7 years.

“I have long been a champion of passionate folks in the food business, especially those who find new ways to delight diners with unique flavours, ingredients and culinary skills. The chefs who work to create seared and smokey dishes by mastering the art of cooking over live flames, or who literally comb through the local woods to forage mushrooms and other ingredients for your dinner, are definitely the creative culinary artists to watch.” Cinda is a journalist who has specialized in food writing for more than 30 years, a former newspaper food editor and freelance writer focusing on food, drink and culinary travel. Find her writing and recipes at TasteReport.com or look for her cookbooks, including The Wild West Cookbook, her first book which was recently released in a new, redesigned edition.

“As the season shifts from sunny summer into sweater weather, I’ve curated four wines that shine regardless of the weather. Whether you’re clinking glasses on a patio in late September or cozying up around the fireplace in October, these wines are sure to please. ”

Jeremy holds his International Sommelier Guild Diploma, is a Certified Beer Cicerone, and Certified Sherry Wine Specialist. With over 20 years as a wine buyer in hospitality and retail he is very passionate about connecting people to exceptional wine experiences.

VICTORIA LIFE AT ITS FINEST

2025 ISSUE 4

PUBLISHER Janet Gairdner

DESIGN Crea Zhang

Tammy Robinson

ADVERTISING Janet Gairdner 250.480.3251

Brian Heighington

Glen Butcher

Halena Madison

Jocelyn Pereira

Josie Hadley

Peyton Seltenrich

Randi Page

CONTRIBUTING Angela Cowan WRITERS Cinda Chavich

Sam Duerksen

Jen Evans

Alexandria L. Hanuse

Lauren Kramer

Janice Louise

Susan Lundy

Suzanne Morphet

Jeremy Potts

Ellie Shortt

CONTRIBUTING Michelle Proctor PHOTOGRAPHERS Lia Crowe

Lindsey Eden

Mary McNeill Knowles

CIRCULATION & Marilou Pasion DISTRIBUTION 604.542.7411

Victoria Boulevard® is a registered trademark of Black Press Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Black Press Group Ltd. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents, both implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication. Printed in Canada. Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #42109519.

Tel: 250.381.3484 Fax: 250.386.2624 info@blvdmag.ca boulevardmagazines.com

MASTER OF MATERIALS

CAPTAIN COOK HIGH-TECH CERAMIC SKELETON

Welcome to the lingering days of summer and the approach of fall. Gardeners—this is your time to shine!

I see you, expert gardener, arriving at backyard barbecues or indoor dinner parties bearing the bounty of your spring and summer prowess: presenting a bouquet of flowers—perfect petals set in a rainbow of silky hues—or a bag of gleaming apples or juicy pears, offered with an offhand, “Oh, I just picked these this morning.” Eventually, your gift platters laden with fruit and vegetables will morph into cute little glass jars of jams and chutneys—“Spent the weekend making this!”—because you are THAT clever. These offerings are accepted with gushing gratitude. But it’s all slightly deflating if you simply don’t have a green thumb and the closest you get to fall harvesting is plucking a few blackberries from the side of the road. And even that seems overwhelming. In these pages of Boulevard, you’ll find stories involving foraging, feasting and cooking with fire. No one would ever want me cooking near an open flame—or cooking near anything, for that matter—but one spring I did take a step into the world of foraging. Out walking with my dog one day, I stumbled across a group of glove-clad harvesters foraging for stinging nettle in the forest.

I thought, “Well, there’s something I can do!” I can harvest some of the stinging nettle that grows in enthusiastic abundance on trails near our property, cook it up and add it to soups and sauces, or maybe even make little jars of nettle pesto to present at backyard barbecues.

Some people claim that stinging nettle has healing qualities. My first husband was one of these; he once thwacked my wrists with a stem of nettle, claiming it would cure my arthritis. It did not help the swollen joints. The ensuing welts stung like crazy, and eventually my first husband became my ex-husband. But he may have been on to something. Apparently, ancient Egyptians used stinging nettle to treat arthritis and lower back pain, while Roman troops rubbed it on themselves to stay warm.

PHOTO BY LIA CROWE

Foray into foraging

It also turns out that this nasty bit of stinging greenery is chock full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other helpful properties—and even functions as an antioxidant. I like being healthy! And I like the price of foraged food. So, I watched a few YouTube videos on nettle foraging and preparation. With a basket in hand, I used sturdy scissors to snip off the tops of the nettles. I quickly learned that when they say wear gloves, they don’t mean your average winter gloves. This stuff can sting through anything. I also quickly changed into a long-sleeved shirt and pants.

Next, the video said, continue wearing the gloves as you prepare the nettles by cutting the leaves from the stems. Or, if the plants are young, keep both. Boil salted water and use tongs to toss the nettles into the pot. Cook for 60 seconds. Drain in a colander, then plunge the nettle bits into ice water to stop the cooking process and maintain the “vibrant green colour.” Once cool, drain and squeeze out the excess water. You can eat them right away or freeze them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

Easy!?

It all went quite smoothly, despite a few stings. I did get a little grumpy when I realized that my large basket of painstakingly snipped nettle cooked down into one tiny mound. Also, there was nothing “vibrant green” about my cooked nettle; to be honest, it was more of a grey mess. But the real kicker came as I prepared to eat some of the freshly boiled nettle and get that injection of good health. Because as I looked closely, I could see a couple of tiny, boiled bugs amid the stems and leaves—and no matter how I tried to convince my brain that the bugs were dead and perhaps even a little bit healthy (protein?), I simply could not eat the nettle.

In the end, the results of my first (and, as yet, only) foray into foraging wound up in the compost. There were no little gift jars for hosts, and I returned to dodging stinging nettle as I traversed forested paths.

This edition of Boulevard features more successful foragers. And if you’re lucky, maybe one will show up at your backyard barbecue.

Susan Lundy Editor

Susan Lundy is a former journalist who now works as an editor, author and freelance writer. Her latest book of humour columns, Home on the Strange, was published in 2021 via Heritage House Publishing.

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Turn over a new leaf

By Janice Louise, Modhaus Design

The changing seasons, especially autumn, brings with it a sense of harmony with nature. While the blossoms fall, it’s the changing shadows and movement I enjoy, I’m in the mood for a dill green wallpapered ceiling, accessorized with bold objects d’art, and a cozy rug underfoot.

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The Varsity Cardigan in Under the Microscope Bernstein & Gold

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Daisy Door Knocker Paboom

Installation 3 - Lance-tooth Crosscut Saw 30x45 Digital Photograph by David Ellingsen Madrona Gallery $4,250

everyone’s talking about

SIP, SAVOUR, CELEBRATE

Round-trip transportation from Nanaimo, Duncan, Victoria and the Westshore to Merridale Cidery & Distillery’s seventh annual Cider Harvest Festival will make it easier for islanders to sip, savour and celebrate the season.

Taking place outdoors in Merridale’s orchard-side courtyard, this tasting event runs Sunday, September 21, from 1 to 4 pm, and brings together land-based cideries from across British Columbia for an afternoon of sampling farm-crafted flavour.

An early-bird price of $49, plus tax, is available until August 31 and includes event admission, a souvenir glass and transportation from Victoria, Westshore, Duncan and Nanaimo. Tasting tickets are $2 a pour and handheld food is available for purchase from Merridale’s kitchen. The festival also features live music and a pop-up liquor store, where guests can purchase what they’re tasting.

Merridale is a sustainable farm destination rooted in the tradition of growing world-class cider apples in the Cowichan Valley. It launched the Cider Harvest Festival to celebrate this deep-rooted craft.

Find tickets at: merridale.ca/cider-harvest-festival-2025-2/

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Photography lovers have until September 2 to visit Salt Spring Island and take in the 25th anniversary Photosynthesis show at ArtSpring, the island’s arts centre.

The annual fine art photography show is the oldest continuous photographic exhibition in BC. Since its inception, some 22 juried photographers have demonstrated the breadth and depth of their individual visions.

To mark the milestone of 25 years, the group has invited former members—those who have moved on or away from the show—to take part in this anniversary exhibition. Due to the number of participants, each photographer has provided one image of their choice to hang in the gallery. The show opened on August 20 and runs through September 2.

life.style.etc.

SARAH (BINAB) FULOP

REALTOR AND RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST

WORDS

SUSAN LUNDY X PHOTOGRAPHY MICHELLE PROCTOR

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I was born in Trail, BC, and spent a few years in Port Alberni before my family settled in Victoria in 1987. I grew up in Oak Bay, and I’m so grateful to now work in and around the community I’ve loved for so many years.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH?

My path has always been rooted in serving people. I began my real estate career in 2008, jumping into the market during challenging economic times. It taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability and the importance of perseverance in this business. I genuinely enjoy working with people and learning from their unique experiences, which has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career.

WHAT IS THE ONE ASPECT OF YOUR WORK THAT REALLY GETS YOU FIRED UP?

I genuinely love looking at houses—the design, the styling, the architecture, the landscaping. Being able to immerse myself in beautiful homes all day, especially in a place as unique as Victoria, is something I consider pretty special.

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Health, wellness and mindset work are really important to me. I also love spending time outdoors: walking along Victoria’s beautiful trails and beaches is one of my favourite ways to recharge. Most importantly, I’m passionate about my family and spending as much time with them as possible.

WHAT’S THE BEST LIFE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS?

That mindset is everything. I’ve learned that how we approach life often determines how life responds to us, and my job reminds me of this every single day. When we stay calm and grounded, and trust the process, things tend to fall into place. But when we spiral into negative thinking, we actually invite the chaos in.

WHICH

OF YOUR INNATE QUALITIES OR DAILY PRACTICES HAS LED TO YOUR SUCCESS?

My calm, level-headed nature, combined with quick, decisive action has played a big role in my success. I’m deeply committed to my clients, and my ability to listen closely, stay steady under pressure and respond quickly has helped me build long-term trust in this business. I also meditate and practice breathwork regularly, which I know contributes to my calm demeanour. It takes a lot to rock my boat.

WHAT IS GOOD STYLE TO YOU?

Good style is about authenticity and ease, and looking “put together” without trying too hard.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?

I enjoy a French-inspired look with a casual, sporty twist. I typically gravitate toward pieces that are timeless, comfortable and versatile—the kind of clothes I can wear to work and in everyday life.

STYLE INSPIRATIONS & LIFE

Style icon: I had to look someone up as I like fashion but am not immersed in who is who. But I enjoy Inès de La Fressange’s style.

Favourite fashion designer or brand: The only brand name I focus on is my favourite underwear brand, and Converse shoes.

Favourite musician: When I was younger I had a few obsessions, but now I enjoy almost all types of music with one exception—I can’t get into country music.

Film or TV show that inspires your style or that you just love the style of: I watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel just to see the fashion. Her jackets were gorgeous.

Favourite cocktail or wine: If I partake, I like an espresso martini or a Baileys on ice.

Album on current rotation: Anything by Bob Moses these days.

Favourite flower: I really like columbines. They are so whimsical and intricate.

One thing that consistently lifts your spirits during hard times: Time outdoors in nature, a walk on the beach barefoot or snuggles with my cats.

FASHION & BEAUTY

Uniform: Black pants, blouse and jacket for work, and when I’m not working, you’ll find me in a Lululemon pants with a T-shirt that says “The Agency,” because I would rather advertise my business than a name brand.

All-time favourite piece: Oversized cashmere sweaters. Favourite pair of shoes: Converse and Fluevog.

Favourite day-bag: Bags weigh me down. I have a bag that carries my laptop and work-related items, but otherwise bags are not my thing.

Favourite work tool: My phone—it’s my command centre.

Favourite jewellery piece or designer: I love my Rolex watch and my large BC jade necklaces.

Fashion obsession: Converse shoes.

Necessary indulgence for either fashion or beauty: All things natural-fabric like cashmere, wool and organic cotton.

Scent: I only use essential oils as most perfumes give me a headache.

READING MATERIAL

Fave magazine: Boulevard, of course! Last great read: Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Book currently reading: I have two on the go: Financial Blindspots: Insider Secrets to Discovering Financial Freedom by Michael Baker and Eric B. Watchorn (who is a Victoria local) and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

the cellar

WORDS JEREMY POTT, SOMMELIER AND HEAD BUYER, CASCADIA LIQUOR

As summer gives way to fall, our glasses transition too—moving from beachside sipping to fireside toasts. This selection of wines was curated with the season’s unpredictability in mind, offering something for warm afternoons, crisp evenings, and everything in between. Whether it’s the last BBQ of the season or the first cozy dinner indoors, these bottles are versatile companions for the moment. I’ve chosen standout wines from some of our favourite regions, including two exceptional local selections from the Okanagan Valley. These are joined by a crisp, mineral-driven Gris Blanc from southern France and a bold, age-worthy Chianti Classico from the hills of Tuscany. I’m always seeking bottles that deliver character, balance and tell a story of where they came from. These four do just that—no matter what the weather or the occasion brings.

Gérard Bertrand

Gris Blanc Rosé

France | 2024

From sun-drenched southern France, this pale-hued rosé offers fresh citrus, wild strawberry and mineral notes. It’s crisp, dry and effortlessly elegant. Sustainably produced and beautifully balanced, Gris Blanc is ideal for pairing with lighter fare, or simply sipping and enjoying with friends.

$25.99 (plus tax and deposit)

Castello di Gabbiano

Bellezza Chianti Classico Gran

Selezione

Italy | 2018

This Gran Selezione is a rich, age-worthy expression of Sangiovese from the heart of Tuscany. Deep cherry, dried herbs, leather and spice intertwine with firm tannins and balanced acidity. Bellezza lives up to its name—“beauty”—and rewards pairing with hearty pastas, bistecca alla Fiorentina or cellar aging.

$57.99 (plus tax and deposit)

Checkmate

Queen’s Taken Chardonnay

Okanagan | 2021

Crafted from old-vine fruit and aged in fine French oak, this Burgundian-style Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley delivers striking complexity. Expect layers of lemon curd, flint, white peach and toasted hazelnut with vibrant acidity. A truly regal white with both richness and restraint, perfect for pairing with lobster or roasted chicken.

$115 (plus tax and deposit)

Poplar Grove Syrah

Okanagan | 2021

This bold Okanagan Syrah balances rich black fruit, cracked pepper and savoury olive notes. Aged in French oak, it carries elegant tannins and a long, smoky finish. Poplar Grove’s expression of Syrah showcases both power and finesse, making this wine an ideal companion for grilled lamb or slow-roasted meats.

$43.49 (plus tax and deposit)

75 Years of Care & Craftsmanship.

Thanks to our community for your loyalty and trust. For three generations, we’ve had the honour of building stunning custom homes where memories are made and life’s most meaningful moments unfold. We’re proud to be a part of your journey

Forage and feast

WORDS CINDA CHAVICH

Add wild edibles to your menu by including them in your landscaping plans. Think about the kind of plants that always grow, despite ongoing neglect: edibles like dandelions, chickweed and even the electric green new growth on your spruce trees.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY THROUGH FORAGING

I caught up with Mikaela Cannon to talk about her new book, Foraging as a Way of Life, at Spring Ridge Commons—one of Victoria’s “food gardens:” purpose-built parks filled with edible plants that are free to the public for foraging. Her book explores a year of eating off the land in the Okanagan.

Mikaela hails from Sweden but now lives the “wildcrafting” life on her acreage near Armstrong, B.C. She offers workshops and hikes focused on responsible foraging and wildcrafting, as described in her book—a field guide to edible wild plants in B.C. Broken into seasons, with illustrations, scientific descriptions and practical tips for using each plant, it chronicles a year of wildcrafting from her farm, with a focus on self-sufficiency.

“I am not an herbalist or a doctor, so I cannot tell you how you should use any of the plants for food or medicine,” she says. “I can, however, explain how my family and I use them.”

Before harvesting any plant, she recommends observing it in all seasons, making detailed notes and drawings. She follows First Nations protocols for harvesting wild plants—a spiritual connection to “seek permission” from the plants and to take only what you need.

“When reciprocity is your guiding beacon, the forest becomes your community and you become supported by it.”

EAT YOUR WEEDS

Beyond star chefs and off-the-grid survivors, anyone can dabble in wild foods by augmenting everyday dinners with some strategically placed weeds and wild shrubs from the backyard.

Add wild edibles to your menu by including them in your landscaping plans. Think about the kind of plants that always grow, despite ongoing neglect: edibles like dandelions, chickweed and the bright green new growth on your spruce trees.

Plant wild blackberry, blueberry or gooseberry bushes; seed a shady spot with miner’s lettuce and ostrich ferns (to harvest in early spring as fiddleheads); and plan to harvest maple blossoms for tasty fritters. Seed wild leeks (ramps) or crow garlic (Allium vineale), and plant cardoons, goji berry and huckleberry bushes.

Our modern domestic greens pale in comparison to wild greens for nutritional value—wild greens are loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And as long as you don’t use chemicals on your lawn, you can add young dandelions to your salads, along with other wild greens. Nettles, wild mustard greens, sheep sorrel, wild fennel fronds—these “weeds” can be used in classic Old World cooking, whether it’s French cream of dandelion soup or nettle pesto.

In Greece, wild spring shoots and greens of all kinds (what they call horta) are added to salads and rice dishes, used to stuff spanakopita, or simply sautéed with olive oil and garlic.

TASTING WILD

Tasting wild foods is the first step, and if DIY isn’t your thing, you can still add wild foods to your pantry.

Forest for Dinner, based in Port Alberni, harvests a wide variety of wild ingredients and preserves them as products ranging from dried or pickled sea asparagus and spruce tips to Oregon grape jelly and dried botanicals, such as rosehips, nettles, elderflowers and Nootka rose.

Signing up for a wild food dinner is another great way to hone your wild food palate—whether it’s a regular farm dinner at Deerholme Farm in the Cowichan Valley or a private catered event with Nature’s Chef.

Tom concluded our walk in the woods with a multi-course wild dinner that included a deconstructed seafood chowder of alder-smoked mussels and clams; local beef ribs with chanterelles, fermented juniper and kelp sauerkraut; and a dessert of pale celadon grand fir needle–infused crème brûlée with salal and blueberry compote.

We sipped golden plum, wild ginger and rhubarb mocktails, mint and grand fir needle tea, and chai infused with the medicinal bracket fungus we’d foraged that day.

There may be nothing more patriotic than a feast of fire morels, a pasta infused with wild nettles or a dessert topped with glistening pink salmonberries—a chance to celebrate all things Canadian, while learning to appreciate everything nature provides.

an oasis of calm

Magic and mystery on Texada Island

WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY SUSAN LUNDY

I’m sitting in a cedar hot tub, surrounded by forest, a string of softly glowing lights swaying gently above me. Embraced by steamy hot water and lulled by the quiet of the night, I’m thinking this might be a perfect moment. The remoteness of this place manifests in a deep calm, a sense that the cares of the world are a long way away.

We’re at Rocky Valley Resort on Texada Island, and through the trees I can see the outline of our tiny-home cabin, where, over the past few days, we’ve enjoyed a comfortable and thoughtfully curated living space. Nearby, a wooden walkway winds through the forest to a sauna and outdoor seating area. There’s also an gazebo where, earlier this evening, we sat with other guests around a communal table as owner Brian Stasiewich served up sizzling fare from a pizza oven.

But the crown jewel of our stay here is our cabin’s rooftop patio, where we’ve spent our evenings on plush cushions around a fire table, sitting upright for conversation or lying flat and watching the treetops sway above us. The air is sweet and the calm sits with us like a peaceful presence.

Texada itself seems to be a place of escape; a spot with endless opportunity for discovery. In our not-long-enough time here, we move about like explorers, stumbling upon natural gems and human-made surprises, but also revelling in the mystery of things we don’t see—like Tex, the famous grizzly bear who, at this point, is still alive somewhere on the island and whose presence seems to hijack every conversation. We also don’t see Heisholt Lake, a body of turquoise-coloured water formed in a limestone quarry. Once a popular swimming hole, social media stardom and an unfortunate accident ultimately led the owners to close it to the public. But the existence of the lake and the bear adds to the mystery of this place.

Located in the traditional territory of the Tla’amin, shíshálh, K’ómoks and Wei Wai Kum nations, Texada is over 300 square kilometres, making it the largest of BC’s Gulf islands. The discovery in 1876 of iron ore, followed by copper, gold and limestone, put Texada on the map, and its population peaked at 2,500 in the early 1900s. By the 1920s, most of the mines had closed, and by the 1950s limestone was the island’s economic mainstay. The quarry at Blubber Bay was one of North America’s largest, and it supported a huge portion of infrastructure across BC. The limestone industry is ongoing, but at a much-reduced scale, and the population now sits between 800 and 1,000 people. Tourism, art and agriculture have helped diversify the economy.

Access to Texada is via a ferry from Powell River on the BC mainland’s Sunshine Coast. You can get to Powell River in under six hours, including ferries, from Victoria or Vancouver. Or you can fly. We drove from Victoria, taking a mid-afternoon ferry from Comox and overnighting in Powell River before boarding a morning boat to Texada.

(We stayed in the newly renovated Marine Inn, which, located right above the ferry terminal and facing Texada Island, has expansive ocean views, perfect for sunset-watching, and offers walking-distance access to stores on the main street of this small town. The hotel has a bit of a rough-and-tumble history, and it’s nice to see it taken over by Evergreen Hospitality Group, elevated via renovation to match its iconic ocean-view location, and maintained as an economical choice for travellers.)

It’s a hot morning in June when we disembark from the Texada Island ferry and follow the main road for about 10 minutes through stretches of forest and past a few sprawling homesteads to Van Anda (population 362), home of Rocky Valley Resort and other amenities, including a grocery store and the island’s only two restaurants. With plans to explore Van Anda later this afternoon, we keep going, driving to Gillies Bay, where the permanent population of 450 people doubles in the summer.

Rounding the corner above Gillies Bay, we’re met by a breathtaking, almost bucolic scene of big blue ocean, ringed by a horseshoe-shaped swathe of sand and dotted by quaint homes. Our eyes widen further after following the signs to Shelter Point Regional Park & Campground, and we stare in conversation-stopping awe at this unexpected oasis of wild beach beauty, where we can’t wait to park, slip off our shoes and walk the two sandy beaches that form a V-shape around picnic, parking and camping areas.

We stumble upon a Sunday farmers’ market, where we grab hot dogs, peer at the vendors’ wares—everything from handmade jewel-

lery to home-cooked preserves—and listen to a musician strumming the guitar and singing some lively classics.

Back in Van Anda, we meet Colleen, who is the granddaughter of Mary, the original proprietor of Mary Mary Café. She offers a feast of information about the island and local politics and gives us the latest update on Tex. The café’s furniture is pure vintage, with brightly coloured Formica tables and chrome chairs pulled straight out of our childhoods. Everything in the café is prepared to order and we make plans to return for breakfast tomorrow morning.

We walk a forest path through the centre of Van Anda to the waterfront and then explore the area around the tiny community by car, discovering an unexpectedly busy boatyard, with dozens of boats in dryland storage and an active haul-out service. There’s also an old brick kiln here—a ghostly reminder of the island’s historic limestone industry. We drive past the Texada Island Museum, which gets rave reviews online, but has limited hours of operation. Everyone says it’s worth a visit.

The next day we follow a gravel road to a remote beach and later set out on one of dozens of Texada’s hiking trails, choosing an easy path along the coastline at Gillies Bay.

But topping the experience has been our two nights here at Rocky Valley Resort, this haven of forest calm. In creating this acreage of nine tiny homes, forest spa, lower-level glamping cabins and outdoor theatre, owners Brian and his wife, Shannon, have spared no love and no details. This is more than a place to rest your head for the night; it’s an experience in itself.

And although I’m loving the sweet summer air, I can picture myself back here in the rainy winter months, cosying up in front of a fire, writing, resting and meandering along damp forest paths. But for now, I will take this time in the steaming outdoor hot tub, breathe in the still night air and enjoy this perfect moment.

GLAMPING CABIN.

PHOTO COURTESY ROCKY VALLEY RESORT.

do.

The beach at Shelter Point Regional Park & Campground is a must-see, but there are other beaches to explore as well. There are also countless hikes to choose from, winding through forest trails and leading to peaks, lakes and waterfalls. Marble Bay and Eagle Cove trails are close to the ferry and offer numerous loops with hand-crafted gnome homes along the way for a magical touch. For low effort and high reward, there’s Stromberg Falls in the rainy season, and the hike up Mount Davies offers panoramic views. We took the easy seaside Sanderson Trail.

see.

Texada Island has a rich history of Indigenous and early pioneer settlements, as well as mining and limestone operations. The Texada Heritage Society’s museum in Van Anda explores some of this history, and gets rave reviews from anyone lucky enough to visit. Hours are limited to Wednesdays from 10 am to noon, for most of the year, but additional opening hours are added in the summer months—so check the website at texadaheritagesociety.com. Tributes to the island’s past can be found elsewhere, such as the old, still-standing kilns used in the limestone industry and various collections of heritage equipment.

eat.

Texada Island has two restaurants: Mary Mary Cafe and a pub/restaurant at the Texada Island Inn. Both are located in the tiny community of Van Anda, a 10-minute drive from the ferry terminal in Blubber Bay. There are two well-stocked grocery stores on Texada—one in Van Anda and one in Gillies Bay— and with the excellent kitchen facilities in the Rocky Valley Resort cabins, packing in food, cooking up your own feast and enjoying the forest setting is another great option. You can also bring your own pizza toppings and have resort owner Brian Stasiewich cook your dinner in the on-site pizza oven.

sleep.

Each of the hand-built cabins at Rocky Valley Resort is unique, beautiful and functional. These tiny homes sleep anywhere from two to six guests, and four are pet-friendly. We stayed in the pet-welcome Roof Top cabin and enjoyed our evenings on its upper deck patio. In addition to the resort’s forest spa and other amenities, there’s a gallery in the lobby featuring local art—including co-owner Shannon Stasiewich’s lovely pottery—plus paddleboard and e-bike rentals, and side-by-side island tours in ATVs.

SEEN AT BLUBBER BAY.

SANDERSON TRAIL.

OUTDOOR GAZEBO. PHOTO COURTESY ROCKY VALLEY RESORT.

ROOF TOP CABIN AT ROCKY VALLEY RESORT.

hot properties

QUICK FACTS:

Living space: 3,202 sq.ft.

Lot Size: 4,124 sq.ft.

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4

Built: 2025

Marina transformed Harbour Haven offers luxury steps from the sea

BY SAMANTHA DUERKSEN

PHOTOS BY JACOB MCNEIL, PLATINUM CREATIVE

estled next to Sidney’s Van Isle Marina is a brand new development that puts the harbour almost right at one’s doorstep. Harbour Haven features four commercial units, a first-of-its-kind storage facility, and two $3 million residential homes – one already sold – breathing life into what builder Scott Davies saw as a neglected part of town that was full of potential.

“What he’s created here is extraordinary,” said realtor Chace Whitson. “He’s a visionary with a remarkable ability to unlock the hidden potential in a property.”

The development, which Sidney council unanimously approved for a permit application in the spring of 2022, emphasizes coastal life and a connection to the harbour.

For locals, the lot might be a familiar one, though transformed almost beyond recognition. It’s the former site of the Blue Peter Pub and Restaurant, which was completely destroyed – along with an insurance brokerage in the same building – in July 2011. Whitson, born and raised on the peninsula, even worked there when he was young. “It was quite a destination pub for the Peninsula. It had a beautiful patio and views of the active harbour.”

After the fire and up until 2021, the property “fell into disrepair,” explained Davies of Cube Project Management Ltd., who bought it off Albertan owners a few years ago. “There was so much potential with that property. I just think it’s a beautiful place to be.”

While Davies had done a lot of developments in Sidney, he noted the complexity of the project. Zoning made it “very tricky”, forcing Davies to create a multi-use property with a bit of everything.

However, the end result completely breathed new life into the area.

“You can’t compare it,” Davies said. “It was a parking lot with a hole in the middle of the pier from where the fire was, and now it’s a world-class, award-winning sort of development.”

The Sea Dweller offers luxury living steps from the sea.

The uniqueness of the property and the location is the primary draw for the two residential properties, which offer an exceptional experience being so close to the water.

With the first of two townhomes selling for full price immediately on day one, Whitson said they’ve had “incredible reception” to the second unit, called the Sea Dweller, whose name was coined after a Rolex watch.

The modern, oceanfront townhome spans 3,202 square feet of designed living space, a double garage, and features private elevator access to all floors. And then, there’s the view from the three large balconies, two which are ocean-facing.

“It’s a dynamic view,” Whitson said. “You’re looking out over Tsehum Harbour and the busy waterways beyond the Van Isle Marina breakwater. During the day, fishing boats and marina traffic are constantly coming and going — there’s always something new to watch.”

Then at sunset hour, the scene becomes serene.

“In the evenings and on weekends, it’s so peaceful and quiet,” he

said. “From the balconies, you get exceptional sight lines and beautiful exposure to the surroundings.”

The three-level home blends seamlessly into the area thanks to its high-quality modern industrial look, featuring rust metal panelling and zinc metal siding.

Off a large patio is the south-west facing entry, which enters into the spacious open-concept shared kitchen, dining room and living room. A wall of windows overlook the back patio and harbour in the near distance.

“It’s absolutely captivating,” Whitson said. “The moment you step inside the home, the ocean view just opens up in front of you — and it stays with you in every room. No matter where you are, you’re connected to the water.”

The open-concept space is further enhanced by 10-foot ceilings, skylights, a gas fireplace and wide-plank hardwood flooring.

Then there’s the chef-inspired kitchen, featuring custom millwork, quartz countertops, and top-of-the-line SS appliances.

Upstairs are the two lavish primary suites, with spa-like ensuites and west-facing decks, aimed to create a seamless blend of indoor-outdoor living.

“It’s perfect for downsizers or early retirees who love boating,” Whitson said. “Or it could be a great second home for someone from out of town who keeps their boat at one of the local marinas.”

LOCALLY CRAFTED MODERN – TIMELESS

“It’s a dynamic view. You’re looking out over Tsehum Harbour and the busy waterways beyond the Van Isle Marina breakwater. During the day, fishing boats and marina traffic are constantly coming and going — there’s always something new to watch.”

Adding to the boating lifestyle is the state-ofthe-art storage facility located in the space below the residential units. Maintained by Davies, the first-of-its-kind facility in Greater Victoria offers boaters the ability to rent from 200 premium, climate-controlled self-storage lockers with a total of over 10,000 square feet of storage, including video surveillance and an alarm system.

Aside from the connection to marine life, the townhouses are a 30-minute walk away from the heart of downtown Sidney.

“It’s very walkable,” Whitson said. “You have beautiful beaches and great restaurants right at your doorstep.”

Reflecting on the redevelopment, Davies said everyone he has spoken to about the project “seems to love it.”

For Whitson, that enthusiasm is proof the project has delivered on its promise, transforming a once-neglected lot into something extraordinary.

“I’ve been selling real estate on the Peninsula for 13 years, and I’m proud to be working with Scott Davies,” he said. “The work he does is beautiful, and it’s an honour to represent his projects. It’s innovative for our market — I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

lifestyles Playing with fire

Chefs and home cooks fired up for the ultimate in outdoor cooking

WORDS CINDA CHAVICH

PHOTO COURTESY JANEVCA KITCHEN & LOUNGE.

The crackle, the smoke, the searing caramelization invoke memories of family outings in the woods, with smoky hot dogs or gooey, charred marshmallows on the menu.

Cooking over an open fire outdoor adventurer’s life—pitch a tent, build a fire on the beach or in the backcountry, and cook your dinner over the dancing flames.

Cooking with live fire is a modern restaurant trend, too, with artisan bread bakers and pizza makers using wood-fired ovens, and fancy Argentine-style restaurant grills showcased in open kitchens at top tables.

It’s a style of cooking that’s literally as old as cooking itself. Cooking with live fire is primal and deeply rooted in our shared human heritage.

Whether it’s a smoky Texas barbecue, a Tuscan bistecca alla Fiorentina grilled over coals, or the ancient Asian tradition of cooking on an egg-shaped ceramic kamado, wood-fired cooking has historic roots in many culinary cultures. Cowboy campfire cooking emerged when cattle were first trailed across the West, inspiring the cast-iron Dutch oven—designed with a concave lid to hold live coals for baking bread.

There’s a long Coast Salish Indigenous tradition of cooking salmon over wood fires, featuring a whole fish butterflied and artfully skewered across a frame of green alder. Today’s home cooks often grill salmon fillets on cedar planks for a similarly smoky result.

The crackle, the smoke, the searing caramelization evoke memories of family outings in the woods, with smoky hot dogs or gooey, charred marshmallows on the menu. And wood fire arguably produces the best culinary results—from a crusty loaf of artisan bread to a bubbly Neapolitan pizza or a smoky, seared steak (whether it’s beef or cauliflower).

The bakers and chefs who are serious acolytes of wood-fired cooking are devoted to the process—but it’s not for the faint of heart. Fire is fickle, and when you’re cooking with wood or charcoal grills, constant attention is key. That expensive steak can go from perfectly seared to burnt in a moment.

FIND YOUR PERFECT PAIRING

“It’s a very hard craft to learn,” says chef Andrea Alridge, who was first baptized by fire while cooking at CinCin in Vancouver and now has both a six-foot Grillworks open-fire grill and a wood oven in her kitchen at Janevca Kitchen & Lounge in Victoria.

Where Life Gathers

“Every day the fire is changing, and you really do have to adapt to the fire and focus on what’s happening with the elements around you,” she adds. “So it takes a very deft hand to manage it.”

WOOD-FIRED OVENS

The communal wood-fired oven was a fixture in ancient Greece and pre-Columbian Indigenous civilizations, and part of medieval village life in France and Italy—a place to gather while baking the family’s daily bread.

When archaeologists uncovered the city of Pompeii, buried beneath ash after the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, they discovered 33 domed brick and clay “beehive” bread ovens, some still literally filled with charred loaves.

Fast-forward to today, and some of the best artisan bakers around use wood-fired ovens to bake their crusty sourdough loaves.

THE ASADO EXPERIENCE

Argentine asado (barbecue) is rooted in the gaucho lifestyle. It’s a communal style of cooking meats over charcoal, whether grilling on a modern parrilla or suspending a whole lamb over a wood fire.

Chef Matias Sallaberry, chef at Victoria’s Zambri’s, hails from Argentina and, with his wife Emily Davies, crafts special asado experience events in conjunction with the restaurant. Menus range from his empanadas, baked in a smoky wood-fired oven, to grilled beef with chimichurri sauce and fire-roasted sausage and vegetables, perfectly paired with Argentine Malbec.

www.macreno.ca

Matias says asado is a social event in Argentina, where one asador oversees the fire and meat—a skill passed down through gen-

erations. Beef is the prime focus, though Matias also cooks his own sausages (like traditional morcilla) and his specialty: whole grilled chicken.

Matias says his grandfather introduced him to the asado tradition, with big family barbecue meals that start with building a fire and continue with cooking and feasting all day long.

“It’s a Sunday thing at home—a time when the men cook,” he says, describing large cuts cooking slowly over hot coals while guests gather. “All of the family and the workers and friends are sitting around the table for many hours. It’s called sobremesa, or ‘staying at the table.’”

You might have also seen Matias cooking over a live fire at Brewery & the Beast events in Victoria, Vancouver or Calgary, with dozens of whole “flying chickens” suspended from a 10-foot-tall steel pyramid (created for him by local blacksmith Ryan Fogarty of Leechtown Blacksmith Co.). With a crowning “basket of coals” radiating heat from the peak and fires encircling the base, Matias can cook 80 chickens, moving them through different temperature zones.

“You work together with the fire, but it’s a wild thing,” he says, explaining how he tests the temperature using only his hand as a guide. “You have to pay attention. It’s a lot of constant work.”

Meat is at the heart of the Argentine asado tradition, but Emily is a vegetarian, so the menu at their South Fire catering company and dining events might also include salt-crusted baked beets, potatoes smoked over pine branches, and whole squash baked in the embers. When they’re not hosting asado dinners at Zambri’s, guests can sign up for their regular empanada pop-ups to buy their Argentine beef, chicken or black bean–mushroom empanadas.

FIERY FOCAL POINTS

Like an outdoor campfire, it’s hard to take your eyes off dancing flames. So, it’s not surprising that modern wood-burning appliances are featured in open restaurant kitchens.

The Cadillac of professional (and home) wood-fired grills is the American-made Grillworks Infierno—a stainless-steel behemoth first designed for celebrity chef Dan Barber and now a fixture in many restaurants, despite a price tag that can top six figures. Like a traditional Argentine wood grill, it features a crank-wheel system to raise or lower the grates and control heat.

At Home Block, the winery restaurant at CedarCreek in Kelowna, the wide-open kitchen features a massive Grillworks grill, fuelled by local fruitwood and even reclaimed oak barrel staves.

“There’s nothing more natural than putting a piece of fish or meat or seafood over some hot coals and grilling it,” says chef Neil Taylor. “It’s a really natural, beautiful way to cook.”

Searing food over fire inspires Neil’s wine-focused, terroir-to-table menu, one that celebrates fresh Okanagan ingredients, plucked from their own gardens, local farmers, fishers and foragers. It’s classic Canadian cuisine—from fire-roasted Brussels sprouts with rosemary and sherry vinaigrette and wood-grilled field mushrooms to char-grilled ribeye or sea bass with roasted fennel.

It’s a similar scene at Row Fourteen, the farm-based restaurant at Klippers Organic Acres in the Similkameen Valley, where chefs cook on an open wood hearth. Multi-course dinners feature farm-grown produce like coal-roasted beets and charred cabbage.

A big wood-fired grill also anchors the open kitchen at Roar at

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Hotel Zed in Tofino, where the menu channels smoky beach fires and campouts—from fire-grilled burgers and Humboldt squid to cedar-planked salmon.

Meanwhile, at Janevca in Victoria, guests can watch cooks tending the live fire in the open kitchen from a seat in the lounge. Andrea’s multicultural menu digs into her Filipino and Jamaican heritage, ranging from wood-grilled chicken with house-made siu haau barbecue sauce to tender pork cheeks with burnt honey peaches, and roasted squash kare-kare with curry leaf crumb.

FIRED UP

Cooking with live fire is trending with curious home cooks, too—whether they’re investing in wood grills and ovens for outdoor kitchens or cooking over home fire pits and smokers.

While cooking over live fire takes time, patience and plenty of practice, it becomes a lifestyle for some. Firepit masters, asadors and chefs describe how they must watch and communicate with the fire, tending embers and managing flames.

Once mastered, fire is not an option but a necessity for these cooks.

“I can fully say that I cannot cook without open fire,” says Andrea of her signature style.

It’s also an obsession for Matias, who bemoans Victoria’s rainy winters, when it’s hard to keep his outdoor fires burning. Someday, he says, he’d like to start a backyard “fire club” to teach others how to cook with wood.

Chasing the light

Prepare to move away from scorching beach days to cozy orchard strolls. It’s the time of year when it’s perfect to combine your summer favourites, from sundresses, shorts and skirts, with transitional pieces like cardigans, boots and light jackets for a rustic yet elegant look. Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse in Saanichton is the perfect place to explore and make the most of these last days of summer and the first days of autumn. Drink in the views, enjoy a cider tasting and indulge in cheeses and other delectables. Feast on the season’s offerings, wrap yourself in rich earth tones and soak in the golden hour glow.

PHOTOS: MICHELLE PROCTOR X STYLING: JEN EVANS

MAKEUP & HAIR: JEN CLARK X MODEL: LEILA MOON

WORDS: MEGAN TRUDEAU

Gwen Dress in white

($245) by Naif from Tulipe Noir; Cream Cardigan ($125) by John + Jenn from Bernstein & Gold, Black Leather Boots ($189) by Frye from Turnabout.

Manet Sweater in Gilt ($975) by Ulla Johnson from Bernstein & Gold.

Beige Linen Top ($69.99) by Reformation; Brown Leather Shorts ($229.99) by Polo Ralph Lauren, Tall Black Rubber Rain Boots ($59.99) by Kamik; all from Turnabout; Green Jacket ($399.99) by Velvet from Tulipe Noir, Black Knee High Socks stylist’s own.

Striped Linen Vest ($69.99) by Indi & Cold from Turnabout; Saagneta Long Skirt ($240) in Limestone from Bernstein & Gold.

Beige Crochet Top ($39.99) by Zara from Turnabout, The Half-Pipe Ankle Jeans ($376) by Mother Denim from Bernstein & Gold; Hat stylist’s own.

Burgundy Slip Dress ($149) by Velvet; Selkirk Cardigan in Bordeaux ($185) by FRNCH both from Tulipe Noir; Black Leather Boots ($189) by Frye from Turnabout.

Saving skin

“Pro-aging” Collage skin products aim to empower and nurture self-care

WORDS LAUREN KRAMER X PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

OLGA ROBERTS.

As a flight attendant for 17 years, Olga Roberts knows all too well the toll busy, stressful lives can take on the body. The Duncan-based mother of two rushed from one flight to the next, and there was never enough time for sufficient rest or self-care.

When she left that life, found breathing space to reconsider her options and moved to Vancouver Island, she knew the next phase of her work world would be defined by her values: a fierce concern for sustainability, a balanced lifestyle and an environment where self-care was paramount.

That pivot came in 2024, when she and her partner Marlene Schluter launched their new skin care brand, Collage, a true BCbased company with team members in Duncan, Victoria, Squamish and Kelowna, and manufacturing in the Okanagan.

They chose the name Collage to reflect creativity, self-expression, individuality and the beauty of unique stories.

“Our three-step system mirrors the layering process in collage art,” says Olga. “It symbolizes how life is a collection of experiences that shape us, just like our skin.”

The brand offers three products suitable for all ages and all skin types: Canvas serum, Composition gel moisturizer and Gesso balm. All are composed of 97 per cent botanical-based, clean beauty ingredients and are sustainably packaged.

“Skin care can be confusing, so our goal was to offer a high-performance routine that’s also simple to use and complication-free,” says Olga, who is chief operating officer and co-owner of the com-

pany. “Skin is dynamic, and our products are adaptable, designed to fit the needs of all skin types at various life stages.”

The ritual of daily skin care is an important time for people to check in with themselves, she notes.

“For me, it’s a moment of clarity in my day, a moment to exhale and live intentionally. Most of us don’t take enough time out to nurture ourselves, and a skin care routine is one important way of doing just that.”

Olga and Marlene met serendipitously in 2023, and as they talked it became clear they were aligned on some key values: sustainability, simplicity, transparency and self-nurturing. Both women were ready to reboot, reset and take on a positive, impactful project. They envisioned a skin care line that empowered people, an anomaly in an industry that tends to shame aging and promise timeless youth and beauty.

Olga assembled an experienced team to create the Collage product line, and they worked around the clock to find the perfect formula.

“We pulled off in about a year what most people would do in two years,” she says.

The process included sourcing sustainable glass packaging and navigating a complex series of Canadian rules and regulations. Each hurdle was a learning experience requiring expert input, but the result made it all worthwhile. When early users tried Collage products, their feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“I was excited to learn how much they loved the product, as well as the messaging behind it, which is all about empowering people,” Olga says. “That was a truly fulfilling moment in this journey. It made me realize that we’ve built something that can shift the way people think about themselves and about self-care.”

While anti-aging is a common catchphrase in the wellness world, Olga and her team prefer to reframe the conversation as pro-aging.

“We want our customers to have agency over their beauty rather than focus on erasing the visible signs of their lives,” she explains. “When we make conscious, information-based decisions, it elevates our self-confidence.”

She cautions against falling victim to a beauty culture that is filled with fearmongers, and that insists we should try to look younger.

“We believe you should embrace your own beauty, as you see it, without shame or regret,” Olga says.

She’s looking forward to building a community of self-nurturing people through Collage, gathering individuals who take agency over their self-care and a holistic approach to their general well-being through skin care, rest and nutrition, for example.

Olga also hopes to dispense with skin care myths, such as “more product is better.”

“We believe skin is resilient and less is more,” she reflects.

“Don’t overdo things—treat your skin with respect and tenderness. Aging is not dangerous or urgent, and there’s no need to race against it. Instead, let’s move along with it, making ourselves feel good. Let’s embrace ourselves as beautiful human beings who make mistakes and are flawed. Healthy skin is not flawless, but it is resilient. And the ritual of a skin care routine is about checking in, looking at and loving yourself. We all need to do more of that.”

Collage Beauty products are available at collagebeauty.com, where samples of the full system will also be available for purchase.

REAL ESTATE VICTORIA’S FINEST

Krista Voitchovsky

Wild at heart

WORDS ELLIE SHORTT PHOTOGRAPHY LYNDSEY EDEN

But in many cases, we’ve wandered so far from what our cells know to be nourishment and our souls know to be sustenance, I often question how we find our way back to something more cyclical, spiritual even, rediscovering a reverence for the natural world, a gratitude for the many gifts nature provides and an appreciation for the slow, steady, meaningful and mindful ways of doing things.

My hands ache as I attempt to grind juniper berries. I pause, put the pestle down and wonder if perhaps there’s just too many in the mortar, all fighting for attention. I thought I could do them all at once and speed up the process, but I’m getting nowhere. I take most of the berries out, leaving only a few in the bowl and try again, doing it in batches, taking little breaks. They’re pressing perfectly now. It’s slow going, but I’m making progress.

Contemporary cooking—and eating—often promotes the shortcuts, selling the convenience of “effortless” recipes, “five-minute meals,” hacks or quick fixes. Plastic-wrapped, pre-cut, or highly processed is what so many people know to be food. It’s understandable with all that we have to navigate, carry and consider. But in many cases, we’ve wandered so far from what our cells know to be nourishment and our souls know to be sustenance, that I often question how we find our way back to something more cyclical, spiritual even, rediscovering a reverence for the natural world, a gratitude for the many gifts nature provides and an appreciation for the slow, steady, meaningful and mindful ways of doing things.

The recipes showcased here began with a gift: a cut of elk from my friend Jade, who hunts traditionally with a bow and arrow in a way that feels sacred and intentional. “It should be shared,” he said. “It’s an honour to the animal.” As I held it in my hands, I felt something ancient and profound: a reminder that food can carry story and spirit. Venison, lamb or beef work just as well here, but this dish was born from something deeper: a moment of gratitude, a gesture of trust, a reminder that food is never just food. This ingredient deserved—demanded even—a primal approach. Soaked in flavours of its surroundings and grilled over an open flame. Simple, powerful, mindful and meaningful, just like the process it took to get that precious slab of meat onto my cutting board.

I’ve long understood the value of eating close to the source and the transcendent power of intentional ingredients. I’ve written pieces on the slow food movement and a farm-to-table lifestyle, on cooking with care and eating with mindfulness. Yet in this demanding season of life with small children and relentless schedules, I

increasingly reach for foods of convenience that seem so easy in the moment, but like those juniper berries, may be providing more friction than ease. This isn’t about shame or judgment. There are threadbare days and wearing weeks when convenience feels necessary. “Survival mode,” we say. Yet survival once meant callused hands, wild mushrooms and meat roasted over open flame. Perhaps when we feel the most maxed-out is when we’re reminded to truly take pause, recognize that life is cyclical not linear, and sometimes the slow, even painful processes provide us with reverberating rewards. These are the lessons I want to leave in my children’s hearts. Not just about how we eat, but how we live. Use your hands. Feel your body. Acknowledge the aching. Rest when needed. Adjust where possible. Get back in there. Trust. Have faith. It’s worth it.

I’m now preparing the cobbler, reminded of these lessons. I press the dough and flour between my fingers. I’ve become reliant on electric mixers and food processors, but I needed to do it by hand this time. Not just because it yields a more tender biscuit, but because it’s important for me to embody the lessons I’m writing about, the lessons I’m trying to teach my children. It takes longer than I think it should. My hands hurt again. There’s been so much physicality in this spread, and that’s the point. Cooking is physical. It’s an embodied practice. You know it’s working because you can feel it.

So often our modern food systems separate us from labour, gratitude and lifecycles. We don’t all need to be hunters, but we can all try to rewild our relationship with food and eating, even in the simplest ways. Pick some berries this summer, forage some mushrooms this fall, take your meals outside, cook over an open flame. Do it with your families, your friends, your neighbours. Mix with your hands. Taste as you go. Feel it in your heart. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be every meal or every day. It doesn’t have to be complicated or precious. In fact, simplicity is essential. It’s about presence, when possible, intentionally returning, again and again, to the act of cooking and eating as acts of reverence and love.

Grilled Game

Skewers with Juniper & Rosemary

The sharp resin of juniper, the grounding scent of rosemary, the soft tang of the balsamic…the marinade invites depth and spirit into each bite, which is complemented by the primal simplicity of fire and flame. Lamb and beef also work well with this recipe if you can’t get your hands on some game. But if you do use elk or venison, keep in mind that it’s leaner than farmed meat, and therefore quite sensitive to heat. It can get overcooked seemingly instantly from vibrant medium-rare to grey and well-done, so stay present and mindful as you grill.

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus more than four hours marinating)

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1½ lbs red meat (elk, venison, lamb, beef) cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp crushed dried juniper berries

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of 1 lemon

⅓ cup olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Skewers (soaked if wooden)

*Note: I used rosemary for the photos by removing the sprigs from 3/4 of the twig, creating a long smooth stick, and pre-poked them with a sharper skewer to get the twig through.

Directions:

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add venison and toss to coat. Marinate at least four hours or overnight.

Once marinated, thread the meat onto the skewers. Preheat your grill to medium-high (I used a cast iron grilling pan over a gas range). Grill two to three minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest briefly before serving.

*Note: you can glaze with a bit more of the marinade or even a drizzle of honey if you’d like some extra flavour.

Wild Mushroom & Herb Farro Salad

This is a grounding dish that reminds us that a satisfying meal doesn’t have to be complicated or fussy. It can be a side or main, can be served warm or at room temperature, and it welcomes variation based on what’s foraged, found or on hand (plus it packs well for camping trips and picnics).

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked farro

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups wild mushrooms (chanterelles, morels, oyster etc.), sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp chopped parsley

⅓ cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped

¼ cup thinly shaved pecorino

For the dressing:

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp wild honey

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tbsp finely chopped or shaved shallot (This can be mixed in with the dressing or tossed directly in with the farro and mushrooms if you like a bit crisper stronger bite.)

Optional garnish of microgreens

Directions:

Fill half a medium-sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the farro, give it all a stir, reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is tender and chewy, but still has an al dente bite (10 to 20 minutes for pearled farro, 20 to 30 minutes for semipearled farro, up to 40 minutes for whole farro). Drain, then spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool and dry for 20 minutes (this keeps it from continuing to steam, which can make it mushy).

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on medium, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the mushrooms until tender and slightly golden on the edges. Add the garlic and thyme and cook one minute more.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked farro, mushrooms, parsley, nuts and cheese.

In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients together, toss with the salad, adjust the seasoning, garnish with optional microgreens and serve warm or at room temp.

Blackberry & Wild Honey Cast Iron Cobbler with Fir Tip Biscuit Topping

I love spooning something straight from a cast iron pan. The blackberries are tart and juicy, the honey is rich and floral, the fir tips carry a hint of the trees, and the corn flour offers a rustic mouthfeel that lends itself perfectly to this type of dessert. A cobbler was never meant to be precious or perfect. It’s meant to be shared—eaten outdoors even—and intertwined with the comforting caress of ice cream.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6–8

For the filling:

5–6 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, make sure you thaw and drain first)

½ cup wildflower honey, plus more for drizzling

1–2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2 tsp finely chopped fir tips (optional, but I like the extra fir tip flavour)

Pinch of sea salt

For the biscuit topping:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp fine cornmeal

2 tbsp sugar

1½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed ½ cup buttermilk (or whole milk plus 1 tsp apple cider vinegar)

1–2 tbsp wild honey

1 tsp finely chopped fir tips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Place the cast iron pan over medium heat and combine blackberries, honey, lemon juice, fir tips (if using) and salt.

Heat gently for five minutes, just until the berries start to release their juices and the mix thickens slightly. Stir in the arrowroot to help thicken a bit further. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and cut it in with your fingers until crumbly. Stir the honey into the buttermilk and pour into the dry mix. Stir just until it comes together—don’t overwork.

Drop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the warm berries, leaving space for the fruit to bubble up around it. Don’t smooth it out—rustic is the goal. (An ice cream scoop works great here.)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is slightly golden and crisp, and the fruit is bubbling at the edges. Finish with a gentle drizzle of wild honey while still warm.

Let cool slightly for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with ice cream.

Cioppino P ROUDLY B C FISHING C OMPANY

is

and

few ingredients. Don’t feel bound to quantities. There is no harm using more fish or spice or any of the ingredients, cooking intuitively is truly the end goal. You can prepare the soup all the way up to the addition of the fish in advance Don’t start adding seafood until you are about 15 minutes away from eating

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced against the grain

2 cups finely sliced shallots

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/3 cup olive oil

2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp chili flakes

2 Tbsp, fresh thyme leaves 1/3 cup white wine

2 cups canned crushed tomato 1L fish stock

Method:

1Lb of your favourite bivalves, (clams, mussels, swimming scallops). Rinsed and bearded if necessary 1lb of your favourite fish, cut into 1” cubes, (halibut, lingcod, salmon, sablefish)

*Croutons and basil pesto for garnish

In a heavy bottom pot, sautee the fennel, shallot, garlic, chili, thyme, and salt in the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the ingredients are soft and translucent and about ¼ of the original volume Add the wine and cook down for a few minutes. Add tomato and fish stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes allowing the flavours to marry Add shellfish and cook until they open (remove any that don’t open, they are not fit to eat). Add the cubed fish and cook another 5 minutes or so until the fish flakes when gently squeezed. Serve immediately to the ones you love most, garnished with pesto and croutons or a nice crusty bread

Custom Conforti

WORDS ANGELA COWAN

PHOTOGRAPHY MARY McNEILL KNOWLES

With its tidy row of dormer windows, wraparound porch and a railing reminiscent of a white picket fence, Gino and Kirsten Conforti’s farmhouse effortlessly manages to evoke a quaint and cosy feeling—an impressive feat for a house that tops 5,500 square feet.

Set on a 1.3-acre lot on West Saanich Road, the home shares space with a fenced-in garden stuffed with veggies and herbs, and a large shop bordering the rear of the property, all surrounded by mature aspens, broadleaf maples and Garry oaks.

“We wanted it to have that old-house feel,” says Kirsten. “We never wanted it to look ostentatious from the road.”

And the traditional style fits in perfectly with the neighbourhood, she adds, with its sprawling green pastures and wild bramble patches.

They moved in with their three teenagers in December 2021, having built the home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience Kirsten looks back on fondly.

“It was fun,” she says with a laugh. “It really was. We all got to be involved, and the kids got to do things they wouldn’t have if they’d been in school.”

Building this home was truly a family affair. Gino co-owns Conforti Homes with his two siblings, having taken the reins from their parents, who established the business more than 25

years ago. Being intimately acquainted with the process, Gino was able to tailor the design and construction of the house to perfectly fit the family’s needs and wants.

At the top of the list was the ability for everyone to have their own space. Their previous home had been built while their kids were much smaller, but coming into the design process with teenagers meant entirely different priorities.

“Our old home was a really open concept, so we could see everybody. But here, we wanted everybody to have their own space,” says Kirsten.

The upstairs of the new home became the teen lounge, with a TV area and comfortable couch, set between three bedrooms and a built-in bookshelf angling toward a cosy window seat at the end of the hallway. The bedrooms are spaced apart from each other, with either the stairs or the Jack-and-Jill bathroom providing a buffer. Each bedroom has unique design aspects as well, emphasizing subtle design choices. Two have dormers with built-in storage and window seats that overlook the sprawling front yard; another has an extensive built-in closet system and a gorgeous deep blue tint on the walls.

And while the upstairs has been tailored to their kids’ tastes, the foundational design remains aligned with the overall house in many of its details. In the shared bathroom, for example, crown moulding tops a middle cabinet, echoing the traditional feel of the main living areas and kitchen downstairs. And the quartz countertops, while a bit more subtle, bring that same polished feel upstairs.

The Confortis paid particular attention to bringing in authentic traditional elements throughout the entire design, and the

main floor is a gorgeous example of how individual details come together to create something seamless and beautiful. Along with deep coffered ceilings, crown mouldings and brushed oak floors, there are more subtle elements that only stand out when you look for them.

A picture rail runs the length of the casual television room, strong enough to support whatever portraits or art might be hung from it. Topping the panelled wall beside the kitchen table is an authentic plate rail, exactly like what you might find in the depths of Oak Bay’s heritage homes. And surrounding the gas fireplace in the living room are tiles that echo perfectly the old tin plates often found in Maclure-era homes.

Blending in with the traditional style, modern-leaning elements brighten the space. The mouldings and trim are all done in white, for example, and a hidden door in the panelled wall pushes open to reveal a staircase that leads to a sleek media room above the garage.

“This is their favourite room,” laughs Kirsten, referring to Gino and their sons.

A main-floor primary suite was added to the original build plans, and it’s bright and spacious with a shiplap feature wall and sun-filled corner windows.

The kitchen is a cook’s dream, with a huge island, double wall oven (one with French doors!), a large glass stovetop and a pot filler.

Throughout the home are ingenious built-ins, housing everything from books to art to memories.

This house was tailor-made for the Conforti family, and nowhere does that become more obvious than when we step outside and walk the length of the porch.

“A large wraparound porch was something we’d talked about for a long time,” says Gino.

“It was the whole basis for this home,” adds Kirsten, as she walks around the porch, footsteps quiet on the smooth planks.

This porch has seen extended family dinners, gatherings with friends, cups of coffee drunk early in the morning and wistful gazes looking up at the stars at night. Kirsten runs a hand along the railing as we pause and listen to the chorus of birds in the yard. Swallows zip through the

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trees overhead as a pair of robins hop through the grass. A single, bold northern flicker watches us from a nearby trunk. There are so many songs and buzzing bees and the smell of grass warming in the sun; it’s not hard to imagine why sitting out here is one of Kirsten’s favourite places to be.

“You should hear it at 6 am,” she says, smiling. “I love it.”

SUPPLIERS:

Architect/Design: Hartman

Drafting & Design

Interior Design: Kirsten Conforti

Construction and Interior

Finishing: Conforti Brothers

Construction Ltd.

Interior Drywall: Adrian Lise

Drywall Ltd.

Cabinetry and Millwork: Harbour City Kitchens

Ceiling Beams: Conforti

Brothers Construction Ltd.

Doors: Slegg Building Materials

Flooring and Tiling: Island

Floor Centre Ltd

Windows: Ply Gem

Lighting: McLaren Lighting

Plumbing Fixtures: Heatwave

Countertops: Colonial

Countertops

Fireplace Hearth/Stonework:

Heatwave, Island Floor Centre, Conforti Brothers

Appliances: Trail Appliances

Home Automation: Grohovac Central Vacuums

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SIDNEY 2492 Beacon Avenue

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WOODGROVE CENTRE

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a spin in Spain

A two-wheeled adventure

WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY SUZANNE MORPHET

our entourage is ready,” jokes Steve, a fit, middle-aged man from Denver who’s on my bicycle tour in Spain.

We’re ready to cycle out of Seville on a sunny October morning and I’m a little concerned that I might get lost, so I’ve asked Steve and his wife, Christina, if I can ride with them until we’re out of the city.

I needn’t have worried. One of our three guides left earlier and sprayed arrows in chalk to mark our route. (Who needs apps, maps and GPS when chalk works like a charm?!)

As we cycle over the cobblestone streets of old Seville, under leafy plane trees and along the banks of the Guadalquivir River, I relax my grip on the handlebars and settle into my saddle.

Passing the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold), I smile to think that I’m cycling along the same river that Ferdinand Magellan sailed in 1519 on the very first round-the-world voyage.

This is my very first guided cycling tour, and while it’s nothing like sailing into the unknown world, it’s my introduction to the wonderful world of group cycling tours. Even if you come alone—as I have—you enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded people and the support of local guides with a vehicle, should things go awry.

“Get on a bike, follow the arrows and leave your cares behind,” is what Experience Plus likes to say. The other 15 people in my group must believe it, because many are on their third, fourth, even 20th tour with the company. They’re middle-aged to older Americans for the most part, but I’m not the only Canadian. There’s a newly retired lawyer from Victoria, two retired doctors from the Okanagan, and a couple in their 70s from Toronto.

Even though it’s a guided tour, we won’t ride as a group. Instead, we’ll go at our own pace, stopping when and where we want to have lunch or chat with locals over a cappuccino. In the evenings, we socialize—or not—as we like.

It’s this freedom to ride solo that drew me to Experience Plus, a company that began in Italy with one itinerary more than 50 years ago. Today, the two sisters who’ve taken over the business from their parents offer guided and self-guided cycling tours in 22 countries in Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

I’ve chosen to join the first half of their Andalusian itinerary, cycling from Seville to Córdoba, two of the most culturally significant cities in Spain. You could drive between them in under two hours, but we’ll take a leisurely seven days, pedalling past row upon row of orange and olive trees, climbing into the foothills of the Sierra Morena mountains, and whizzing down roads with tight, hairpin turns and not a vehicle in sight.

One day, I get off my bike several times to observe black Iberian pigs foraging for acorns under oak trees. Starting in December, the fattened pigs will be slaughtered and their meat turned into Spain’s famous jamón ibérico. The oak trees are used too, being periodically stripped of their cork bark, which is made into stoppers for wine, fabrics for footwear and countless other products.

Andalusía is also one of the regions where young bulls are raised for fighting. We see them too, standing in the shade of oak trees and swatting flies with their tails. They appear harmless but Montse, one of our guides, warns us at our day’s briefing to keep our distance.

“If you need a toilet tree along the way, don’t jump over any fences because those bulls, they look very nice, but you don’t want to get in there.”

Bullfighting is still popular with Spaniards and fights are broadcast on television, as one of the Canadians in our group discovers by accident one evening when she turns on the TV in her room.

“The bull went after the guy on the horse who was stabbing him,”

Photo by Roy Finkleman, courtesy ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours.

Photo courtesy ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours.

she recounts later, nearly in tears, “and then the poor horse fell down and the bull kept attacking the horse!”

“I am not a big fan of that,” says our guide Nico.

But when it comes to other Spanish traditions, we’re all eager to watch. One night in Palma del Río, we join locals at a restaurant with a flamenco guitarist and black-and-white photos of famous flamenco performers covering the walls. When the guitarist begins to play a fast 4/8-count cante, Nico and Montse jump up to dance, their bodies moving sensuously to the beat.

The next morning, in the courtyard of our hotel (a former convent where Christopher Columbus stayed), Montse shows us a simple way to learn one of the dance moves. Standing under an orange tree laden with ripe fruit, she reaches one hand up, picks an orange, pretends to take a bite, then gracefully tosses it away. Ah, if only it were that easy.

We are quick learners when it comes to regional cuisine, enthusiastically devouring salmorejo, tomato soup with bread; paella, a rice dish made with chicken or seafood; and shaved jamón, which is everywhere, of course.

One day, after climbing to the top of the tower in the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río (featured in the seventh season of Game of Thrones), I am more hot than hungry, and a juicy tomato salad topped with fresh mozzarella is the perfect lunch. To refuel between meals, I sometimes buy a slice of cold tortilla de patatas, or potato omelette.

Months later, the landscapes and flavours of Andalusía still linger, but it was the cycling and the shared experiences that turned the trip into an adventure I’ll never forget.

For tours and dates with ExperiencePlus! see: experienceplus.com/biketours/spain/andalucia/

Photo courtesy ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours.

secrets and lives —

AND THE 7 SINS with PARM DODD

Co-owner and creative director of Standard Furniture and Ashley HomeStore

WORDS SUSAN LUNDY X PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO A GOOD LIFE?

A balance of health, wealth and loved ones.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND HOW DID YOU GET TO VICTORIA?

I was born and raised in Victoria, and I’ve been here since day one. Never left!

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH?

I gave my dad [Iqbal, of Victoria’s well-known, furniture-business Dodd family] my SIN card at 14 years old and never used it again. Thirty years later, I’m still here!

WHAT DOES A DAY IN YOUR WORK LIFE LOOK LIKE?

Every morning is a blank canvas. I am an early riser; the morning is when I like to brainstorm and do my best to create ideas that will evolve our business. And then I get to work!

REWARDS? CHALLENGES?

The reward is doing a job I love every day. Challenges include adjusting to the ever-changing economy.

WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER?

My superpower is the gift of the gab and a photographic memory (for now!).

WHAT’S THE MOST ADVENTUROUS THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?

Probably putting a pool in our yard—since I can’t swim and I’m terrified of water!

WHAT’S A BOOK, MOVIE, OR TV SHOW THAT HAS HAD A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU?

Seinfeld: it’s so relevant to our everyday lives, even to this day.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY?

Enjoying all the great restaurants and watering holes that Victoria has to offer.

WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?

Spending time with family and friends.

The 7 Sins

ENVY:

Whose shoes would you like to walk in?

My grandfathers’, as I never got to meet either of them.

GLUTTONY:

What is the food you could eat over and over again?

Chicken George Salad from Pagliacci’s.

GREED:

You’re given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?

Taking a private jet to watch Manchester United play and go shopping in Europe.

WRATH:

Pet peeves?

Mostly everything!

SLOTH:

Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?

Relaxing on vacations—otherwise, I’m in work mode.

PRIDE:

What is the one thing you’re secretly proud of?

My daughter, Olivia.

LUST:

What makes your heart beat faster?

My wife, she knows how to get my blood pressure up. LOL.

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narrative

THE POTLATCH

WORDS ALEXANDRIA L. HANUSE

Swaddled in a button blanket and carried in the arms of my mother, who is of Irish and Scottish ancestry, I received the name Mulidi at a potlatch in Yalis (Alert Bay) on Cormorant Island. Still married at the time, my mother and father had taken my brother and me over from Port McNeill, where we had a house on the water.

The word potlatch is from the old trade jargon, Chinook, and means “to give.” Traditionally, the amount of wealth the host can redistribute among the guests during a potlatch reflects their status and rank within the community. Rights to songs, dances, land, names and titles, such as chief, are given during the ceremony, upholding the social structure of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. The name I received from my great Auntie Ethel the year I was born means “always giving” in Kwak’wala.

Auntie Ethel was one of 11 children of my great grandparents, Chief Harry and Mary Hanuse. She was born in 1910 inside her family’s Big House in ‘Mimkwamlis, a village off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, near Yalis. A beloved elder and knowledge keeper,

Alex Hanuse lives on the traditional land of the Lekwungen peoples with her husband and three-year-old child. She attends Camosun College part time as a mature student, pursuing her interests in creative writing and exploring her Indigeneity. She is of Kwakwaka’wakw and mixed European ancestry. The traditional territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw people includes the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island and the surrounding Broughton Archipelago, where her story, “The Potlatch,” takes place. The collage-style essay symbolizes her fragmented memories of this time and serves to offer small bites of culturally relevant history and events. The purpose of this essay is to invite the reader inside the experience of a child on the outskirts of her culture and to peer inside the doors of the Big House, where traditional laws are held up and transformation, magic and myth are alive.

she can be attributed with having kept many of our traditions alive. Kwak’wala was her first language, and I still remember the sound of her sweet, calming voice. Her thick accent was like none I had heard before.

* * *

I attended another potlatch after the death of my grandfather, Daniel Edgar Hanuse. However, this time my father’s new wife, Angela, came with us instead of my mother. Within minutes of stepping onto the island, someone yelled “Honky!” at us out of a rez-car window. I was 12 years old, and my father’s reaction surprised me. He didn’t flinch or acknowledge the comment in any way. Angela was the third woman to take my father’s name in marriage, and the target of the comment. She was visibly upset, and I remember feeling annoyed by her reaction.

I wished my mother was there instead. She is always the one to keep track of important details and I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to receive a second name.

* * *

Standing in her small living room, Auntie Ethel, as she was affectionately known to all, instructed me on how to dance prior to leaving for the potlatch. At the age of 12, I was already taller than the tiny, grey-haired elder. Eager to move, I picked my knees up high each time the drum beat.

No, she said with an amused smile, that is reserved for the Hamat’sa. I looked around at the broad smiles on the faces of the grownups and felt embarrassed. I also felt jealous of those who would get to perform the more spirited dances, like the Hamat’sa.

Statuesque men wearing crown-like headdresses would send down feathers floating into the air with every nod. Dancers wearing masks hidden within masks would transform before your eyes, and the most dramatic of all would be the Hamat’sa.

* * *

After the mourning songs finished, a whistle blew from somewhere nearby and the energy inside the Big House shifted. The most sacred of potlatch ceremonies was about to begin.

The Hamat’sa initiate entered through the front door with an attendant, symbolizing his return from the woods. Attendants surrounded the Hamat’sa initiate, shaking their rattles to soothe the dancer. The drumming quickened to an almost impossible pace as the Hamat’sa moved wildly around the fire, calling out and pulling his hands to his mouth, as if feasting on human flesh.

Enormous masks with elongated beaks, worn by athletic dancers dripping in strips of red cedar bark, clapped loudly as they snapped

Alexandria L.

Hanuse

Enormous masks with elongated beaks, worn by athletic dancers dripping in strips of red cedar bark, clapped loudly as they snapped shut in all four corners of the Big House. Finally, the Hamat’sa initiate was successfully tamed and dressed in a bear skin blanket, at which time the other Hamat’sa dancers joined him to pay their respects.

shut in all four corners of the Big House. Finally, the Hamat’sa initiate was successfully tamed and dressed in a bear skin blanket, at which time the other Hamat’sa dancers joined him to pay their respects.

My cousin circled the fire, with her signature blonde hair hanging over her button blanket. Only a teenager, she stopped to dramatically point and holler loudly into the crowd, in a way that suggested we were all being held accountable for something.

Guests have the responsibility of witnessing the important events that take place at a potlatch, and I felt proud as my father exercised his rights to certain dances, including the Deaf Man dance. Stopping to put his hand up to the theatrically large ear protruding from the mask, he leaned into the crowd as if straining to hear us. Ironically, my father was hard of hearing from spending many years as a logger.

I was a shy child, but my father urged me to step behind the curtain and join the other wolf dancers. I agreed to go back, and cautiously waited for instruction, waited for a mask. The dancers left the staging area; barefoot on the dirt floor, they moved as a pack around the fire, smoke swirling up into the hole in the roof.

Why had I been left behind? Was it an honest mistake or a calculated decision? Potlatches can be highly political events and as a child I felt anxious and excluded. Perhaps I was foolish to expect a dance handed to me on a silver platter. Or, more accurately, in a wolf mask.

I was given a second name at that potlatch, but it too slipped through my fingers. I still remember having to tell my mother I had forgotten it. With every year and every family member that passed, the name faded further into the fog. I often try to quiet my mind and take myself back, searching for the first letter or sound, hoping that it will find me.

A sub-group of the broader Indigenous group known as the Kwakwaka’wakw, the Mamalilikala are originally from ‘Mimkwamlis, which is situated on a small island in the Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia. No one has lived in ‘Mimkwamlis for a long time, but efforts to reclaim it have recently begun. The bush is slowly being cut back to reveal more ruins of the abandoned village site. During the time of the residential and day schools, villagers started moving from the more isolated Village Island to Yalis. Ancient house posts and totem poles lay decomposing in the ground where my great-grandfather, Chief Harry Hanuse, surrendered his regalia

under duress during the Canadian government’s potlatch ban, which spanned over 60 years, from 1885 to 1951.

Although the ban led to confusion and a loss of strict social order, not to mention property, the Mamalilikala continued to potlatch in secret on occasion. In 1921, a famously large potlatch was held by Dan Cranmer in my great-grandfather’s Big House, known as Lix’id, or The Great House, in ’Mimkwamlis. The RCMP raided the Big House and those who refused to hand over all their potlatch regalia were imprisoned.

Although the potlatch ban was removed from Canadian law in 1951, it took until the 1970s for the potlatch to have an open resurgence. In the late 1970s, after decades of requests and negotiation, the stolen regalia from the 1921 potlatch was returned home, including five wolf masks, which are now on display at the U’mista Cultural Centre in Yalis.

Once scattered around the world, and not properly cared for, the artifacts can now be viewed in the beautifully constructed centre under dim lighting, evoking the soul-stirring experience of the potlatch.

* * *

I was a small child the first time I visited the place of my ancestors. The only way to get there was by private boat. The fog covered the island in a misty blanket, as gray as the pebbles on the beach. We discussed the possibility of ghosts as the cold wet air kissed our cheeks. We ran around the beach, ancient shell middens, sea glass and old china crunching beneath our feet. I could still make out the designs on a fallen totem that would have faced the sea but now rested like some beautiful driftwood.

* * *

When I returned decades later after the birth of my child, we were greeted by the caretaker, whose family was one of the last to move. He took us through the village and pointed out the same pole from my childhood memory. It was still lying there untouched, taken over by moss and ferns, with only the carved head of a wolf giving away its hiding place.

Do you have a good story to tell—and the ability to write it? Boulevard readers are invited to submit stories for consideration and publication in the Narrative section. Stories should be 800 to 1,200 words long and sent to janet.gairdner@ saanichnews.com Please place the word “Narrative” in the subject line.

For the “fire and feast” theme of this edition of Boulevard, our fashion team—photographer Michelle Proctor, stylist Jen Evans and makeup artist Jen Clark—chased the golden-hour light through the stunning orchard at Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. Located on Oldfield Road in the Saanich Peninsula, the 10-acre farm, with over 1,300 apple trees and 50 varieties of heirloom apples, offered the perfect backdrop for this ethereal fashion story.

Sea Cider got its start back in the early 2000s when owner Kristen Needham purchased the property with a vision to create an organic farm and orchard and produce traditional fermented artisanal ciders. It now has an annual cider production of more than 16,000 cases, features a popular ciderhouse and tasting room, gardens and forest area, and offers a beautiful setting for any number of events, including weddings.

Boulevard and the fashion team send a huge thank you to Sea Cider for being a willing and helpful participant in our shoot.

behind the story

WORDS SUSAN LUNDY

PHOTO MICHELLE PROCTOR