Western Living December/November 2022

Denise Ashmore of Project 22 Design decks the halls of her latest Whistler project.

the italian touch

Upstyle your home with the Italian craftsmanship excellence of Natuzzi Italia collections.

Explore the magic of FOND É E EN 1859

BURGUNDY

HOMES + DESIGN

15 GIFT GUIDE

The best kitchen tech, home decor, outdoor essentials and more stylish gifts for your favourite people.

22 GREAT SPACES

A bank turned ramen restaurant in Squamish embraces neutral tones and stunning millwork.

24

TRADE SECRETS

Designer Mitchell Freedland brings the drama to a private home library in Vancouver.

FEATURES

ONLY NATURAL

A Whistler home gets in the holiday spirit thanks to Project 22 Design. 35

A KID-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS

Designer Mariana D’Amici (and her three children) use traditional decor in a modern makeover.

FOOD + TRAVEL

47

QUEBECOIS FOR CHRISTMAS

Cozy and festive FrenchCanadian recipes from chef J-C Poirier. 55 WINTER

WONDERLAND

Whether there’s snow, rain or something in between: here’s your ultimate B.C. staycation guide. PLUS 70 MOOD

BOARD

Annaliesse Kelly creates an elegant space that’s perfect for entertaining.

COVER: Project 22/Janis Nicolay; Taka Ramen and Sushi: Tina Kulic; dining room: Mariana D’Amici/Janis Nicolay; tourtière du Lac St-Jean: Brit Gill

Alliage. Kasuka. Dorienne. Dune.

editorial publisher Samantha Legge, MBA editorial director Anicka Quin art director Jenny Reed associate editor Alyssa Hirose assistant editors Kerri Donaldson, Dani Wright (on leave) editor-at-large Stacey McLachlan wine and spirits editor Neal McLennan contributing editors Karen Ashbee, Melissa Edwards, Amanda Ross, Julie Van Rosendaal editorial intern Aastha Sethi email mail@westernliving.ca

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production & studio manager Landon Spenrath production support technician Ina Bowerbank production coordinator/ad design Nadine Gieseler digital ad coordinator Kim McLane

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WESTERN LIVING MAGAZINE is published 8 times a year by Canada Wide Media Limited, Suite 130, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7. Phone 604-299-7311; fax 604-299-9188 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form—print or electronic— without written permission of the publisher. The publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. This publication is indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index and the Canadian Periodical Index, and is available online in the Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database. ISSN 1920-0668 (British Columbia edition), ISSN 1920-065X (Alberta edition). Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40065475.

Home for the Holidays

Out in the “real” world, it’s the arrival of chilly weather that often kicks off chitchat about the holidays. But here at the Western Living office, planning for our mid-winter issue starts while it’s still balmy and warm (yes, the holiday season starts very early for this team!). That often means we’re left craving those classic seasonal meals for months before we can actually start serving them—case in point: our food feature for this month (page 47), which spotlights the Quebecois holiday traditions of one of Van couver’s top chefs, J-C Poirier of St. Lawrence, who’s just released his first cookbook, hot on the heels of winning Restaurant of the Year from Vancouver magazine.

Poirier’s recipe for tourtière—that beloved French-Canadian holiday dish—had me reflecting on holidays past (I was lucky enough to have an aunt who was a master tourtière maker), and musing over all the things I’m looking forward to this year. My family celebrates Slovak Christmas, and I can’t wait to make bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with soft sheep’s cheese) with my niece and nephew when I travel to spend that holiday with them on January 6.

And the rest of the team? For both editor-at-large Stacey McLachlan and assistant editor Kerri Donaldson, the classic rum and eggnog is central to their nostalgic traditions—the former pairs one with a rewatch of A Christmas Story, the latter with a lis ten to Elvis’s Blue Christmas. Art director Jenny Reed’s family is also big on the Christmas Eve movie night: lasagna with a side of Die Hard. And associate editor Alyssa Hirose’s family waits until the last minute to wrap presents—she loves the chaos of it all.

As you read this, you may be thinking of your own family tradi tions—from the fun and chaotic to the cozy and delicious—and perhaps also imagining what form those unexpected surprises that always arrive might take this year. I hope that the coming weeks deliver that perfect fusion of familiar and new in your celebrations with your loved ones, creating a holiday season to remember. And, from all of us here at Western Living, we wish you a happy and healthy 2023.

Anicka Quin portrait: Evaan Kheraj; styling by Luisa Rino, stylist assistant Araceli Ogrinc; makeup by Melanie Neufeld; outfit courtesy Holt Renfrew, holtrenfrew.com

Anicka Quin, Editorial Director anicka.quin@westernliving.ca

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HOMES+DESIGN >

Spotlighting the best of architecture and design in Western Canada.

A Statement Seat

These simple yet avant-garde Gardian stools ($1,680) from La Manufacture are designed with restraint in mind. Available in six colourways, they have a built-in handle to make “pull up a seat” as easily done as said. livingspace.ca

By Dani Wright

1. A Candle That Can Burn Forever

This clean-burning candle ($50) from Vancouver’s Everlasting Candle Co. never melts, which means no messy cleanup and no wick to cut thanks to its steel con struction—but it still has tons of holiday ambiance. everlastingcandleco.ca

2. StreetwearInspired Billiard Balls

Whether your giftee is a pool shark or a novice player, these billiard balls ($151)—numbered with the classic Stüssy font—look just as cool racked up as they do after the first break. stussy.com

Your Holiday Gift Guide for the HOMEBODY

3. A Keepsake Box

Jonathan Adler is known for his mid-century style, but this Sorrento box ($180) takes inspiration from the southwest coast of Italy. The hand-finished pattern brings a sense of oceanic calm while keeping mementos hidden in plain sight. holtrenfrew.com

4. An All-Weather Bird Feeder

This mouth-blown hanging bird feeder ($82) from Nineteen Ten comes with a drain hole to prevent freezing— so you can get your ornithology on during even the snowiest of days. nineteenten.ca

5. A Cabin-Cozy Slipper

Manitoba-based and Indigenous-owned Mani tobah will keep the person you’re shopping for toasty with their Cabin clog ($125)—cozy enough to keep toes comfy all winter and neutral enough to pair well with any outfit (including pajamas). manitobah.ca

6. A Dynamic Vase

Inspired by photographer

Carl Kleiner’s 2014 series Postures , the abstract Posture N.3 Africa

Black vase from Bloc Studios (from $698) features flowers with rearrangeable metal wires that let you create sculptural shapes. dwellmodern.ca

Your Holiday Gift Guide for the

KITCHEN AFICIONADO

1. A Quiet Coffee Grinder

Stylish, compact and quiet, the Ode brew grinder ($420) from Fellow is known for its predictable and precise grinds—because precoffee there’s no time for guessing games. nordstrom.ca

2. A Personal Pizza Oven

It’s not delivery, it’s a wood-fired outdoor pizza oven ($1,999) from Gozney that’s engineered to help beginners and pro chefs alike whip up a restaurant-worthy pie from the comfort of their homes. ca.gozney.com

3. An Elevated Mortar and Pestle

Making pesto never looked so stylish. This Holbox mortar and pestle ($275) is handmade in Mexico by woodworkers from Veracruz and Mérida and stone carvers from Puebla. It’s inspired by the historical roots of the Mexican people and the beauty of the raw materi als native to the region. obakki.com

4. A Jar of Local Honey

Sourced from the founder’s family farm in Alberta, this yuzu and berry honey ($17) from Chandler is raw, creamy and eat-by-the-spoonful able—although we also love it stirred into a G&T. chandlerhoney.ca

5. A Multi-Use Pitcher

This Plisse vacuum jug ($156) from Alessi is inspired by fashion and architectural design and features a sculptural surface that appears like pleated fabric. It’s double-insulated so it’s equipped to handle your eggnog or peppermint hot chocolate with ease. shop.vanspecial.com

6. A Use-forEverything Pan

The Everything pan ($140) from Kilne is nonstick enough to fry eggs oil-free and still far too pretty to hide away in a cupboard. It’s shown here in sage, but minimalists will love it in meringue and peppercorn. kilne.com

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Your Holiday Gift Guide for the

FOREST BATHER

1. A PowderPerfect Board

Designed for delivering a quick-turning, floaty feel on fresh powder, the Pow Wrench snowboard ($480) from Burton has the shape and durability to carve through deep snow with tons of back foot power. pacificboarder.com

2. A Chic Workwear Jacket

This unisex Café work wear jacket ($385) from Maison Kitsuné brings a pop of colour to dreary winter days. Plus, the thick canvas material makes it a go-to transition piece for any season. maisonkitsune.com

3. A Retro Paddle Board

This super-stable Muskoka paddleboard ($2,700) from Beau Lake has a custom layup of walnut and maple— bringing vintage lake vibes all year round, whether your giftee is planning on jumping on for a paddle or hanging it up as decor. litchfieldtheshop.com

4. A Jacket That Goes from Slope to Après

It’s a rare feat when technical gear is paired with street style—and Helly Hansen’s Avanti jacket ($700) is that unicorn. With four-way stretch fabric and articu lated arms, it’s made for shredding double-blacks, but its slim silhouette and lightweight PrimaLoft eco insulation makes it perfect for looking great on snowy patios, too. hellyhansen.com

5. A Warm Pair of Boots

These ultra-cozy Cyprus fold-down puffer boots ($650) from Canada Goose are made with lightweight down and a sided tread for traction on ice and snow—with gorgeous gear like this, they’ll be ready to face those cold winter days. canadagoose.com

6. An Armoured Cooler

Keeping drinks chilled may not be the top prior ity on an excursion (you know, safety first), but it’s pretty high up there. The Roadie cooler ($350) from Yeti is tall enough for bottles of wine, can keep ice for days and is armoured through and through to keep your most precious amenities in one piece. yeti.ca

WHOLE GRAIN

Ramen and Sushi brings bold minimalism to the B.C. mountains.

By Alyssa Hirose / Photos by Tina Kulic

Function used to come first for this 1,350-square-foot space in Squamish: the property was once a bank, then a second hand clothing store. But when restaurateurs David Yuji Kite and Maki Kite took it over, style became just as important: they were set on serving sushi, ramen and a gorgeous inte rior. The Kites brought in Squamish-based designer Josianne Bérubé to transform the spot into a modern Japanese eatery. First step: demolishing the old concrete safe and turning that space into the back-of-house kitchen area. Then, it was time to focus on the dining room.

HERE COMES

THE SUN Because Taka Ramen and Sushi sits only a few feet above street level, Bérubé installed window films for diner privacy—but added cutouts to create a sunny surprise at certain times of day.

TREE TALK Millwork from Squamish-based Bowerman’s and Abbotsford-based Linea Ceilings brings the outdoors in.

Taka

“We wanted to make the space functional —and in traditional Japanese style—but also more modern and minimalist,” says Bérubé. For example, wood window screens are a classic sight on the outside of Japanese res taurants, but the designer and owners opted to bring that vibe inside, so that diners can see out and hungry lunch-seekers can see in. The result is stunning beech millwork that delineates the room without creating a boxed-in feeling.

Beech wood continues through the benches, chairs and bar area. The sushi bar is the main focus of the restaurant, emphasized by a wood-slat dropped ceiling and pendant lighting from Montreal-based Studio Botté. “To me, the chef is like an artist; we wanted a large bar for him to showcase his craft,” says the designer. The lights from Botté are made of recycled fans (the metal cage part, to be specific) and are rarely seen outside of Mon treal—they are not typically shipped long distances. “The designer usually delivers his lights by bike to his clients,” explains Bérubé, who negotiated an exception for this project.

In this minimalist space, the beauty is in the material—the European beech, black ened cedar planks and fans-turned-lights have an understated elegance. “It’s efficient, cozy and timeless,” Bérubé says.

TRADE SECRETS

The Look: Getting Intimate

In this striking, soar ing, black-granite-clad room in Vancouver, there was certainly no lack of drama. Designer Mitchell Freedland’s challenge, then, would be infusing the voluminous space— a private library for the homeowner—with a warm, human touch. “We needed to bring scale, symmetry and detail,” says Freedland. And so, quiet, careful stainless steel edging was added to the millwork for a layer of refinement, and shelves were lined with a stun ning burnt-orange velvet. The fiery hues play off the Gordon Smith paint ing that takes pride of place on the wall, and subtle under-lighting illuminates the lustrous fabric at night, creating an ember-like glow. “The shelves just come alive at night,” says Freedland.

Designed by MITCHELL FREEDLAND , Mitchell Freedland Design, Vancouver

Ema Peter

Turri: The Italian Way to Beauty

ARK Interiors Renews its Turri Exhibition with Living, Dining and Bedroom

Set-ups

in the Vancouver Showroom beginning October 21

The Vine collection also includes a side table covered in leather and with a glass top, designed on a four spoke wooden base and decorated with brushed gold details. The Turri dining area hosts two tables, Madison and Zero, both designed by Andrea Bonini. The first, made of lacquered wood and with chromatic contrasts, evokes a feeling of conviviality. The second is of a more minimal style and includes a base and two wings covered in leather to promote clean lines while highlighting Turri’s unparalleled skill in manufacturing.

Turri’s Made in Italy tradition is being renovated by ARK Interiors in the heart of the Vancouver business district.

“Considering the growing market demand and the success of our collaboration with ARK Interiors, Turri is continuing to expand its network of selected retailers both in Canada and the United States, always keeping the collaboration with architects and interior designers alive,” says Turri CEO Andrea Turri.

ARK Interiors is known for its selective collection of Made in Italy furnishing accessories from leading brands of contemporary design and is an important partner for Turri. The synergy between the two companies is bolstered by a strategic alignment in both style and operations.Furthermore, ARK Interiors is the first retailer

to exhibit complete sets of Turri collections in Canada.

Starting October 21, 2022, a living area, a dining area, and a bedroom by Turri will be exhibited in the ARK Interiors showroom in Vancouver.

Turri’s contemporary ethos continues with the Blossom sofa. Blossom, by Andrea Bonini, was inspired by the graceful profiles of flowers, producing designs with sinuous silhouettes, which have shown to be especially popular with younger generations.

The showcase design of the Turri living room by ARK Interiors is the Vine armchair, a prime example of architect Frank Jiang’s expertise. With a thin walnut wood structure and a deep seat, the Vine armchair displays the elegant Italian style and fine craftsmanship typical of the Brianza company.

A noble and sparse style combined with alternating planes and lines lends a feeling of movement to all the furnishing solutions in the Zero sleeping area. These functional and “no-frills” designs are part of Turri’s mission to continually evolve in accordance with the trends of the international market.

Turri’s commitment to international, contemporary style in recent years is part of a broader aim to strengthen Turri’s Made in Italy style in overseas markets.

Visit ARK Interiors Showroom at 830 Pender St. Vancouver, BC 604.558.4888

Explore online at | arkinteriors.ca Learn more about Turri at | turri.it

Created by the Canada Wide Media advertising department in partnership with Turri

A COMMON THREAD

The cotton for this garland was threaded with a fishing line and “painstakingly glued,” laughs Ashmore. The garland hangs from a wooden anchor, painted black to blend in and match the wall.

IT’S ONLY NATURAL

Project 22 pulls in hits of nature to bring the holiday spirit to a modern Whistler home.

By Stacey McLachlan / Photos by Janis Nicolay

GATHERING PLACE

Even without the layer of natural seasonal touches brought in by designer Denise Ashmore, this modern Whistler home would be a wonderful place to spend the holi days. It’s a modern update of a classic mountain chalet for a young family; a 4,200-square-foot all-season home, designed by Ashmore’s Project 22 Design and Murdoch and Company, with an expansive interior defined by clean lines. At Christmastime or otherwise, it’s a space that feels like a true gift.

The Bensen dining table is set for a holiday get-together. Chairs are from Sundays Furniture; the light fixture is by Menu.

SPIRIT MAKER

Designer Denise Ashmore of Project 22 Design

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

White oak, black stained cypress wood, concrete and crisp white drywall balance warmth and airiness. Step up the strik ing concrete-to-oak staircase and into the open-concept living space; there, a generous kitchen with a marble-wrapped island acts as a gathering hub beneath a dropped ceiling. But while the flow of the floorplan keeps the space connected and cohesive, Ashmore has given each room its own flair: here, a distinct colour scheme (like the blue and green kids’ bathrooms downstairs); there, a surprising detail (see: the burnt-cypress cladding in the powder and family rooms). “Rooms have their own personality, even the ones without doors,” says the designer.

SPLASHING OUT

And speaking of doors, a huge oak-clad one slides to close off the family room when quiet time is in order; downstairs is what Ashmore calls “the kid zone,” where the preteens can do their thing while Mom and Dad entertain upstairs. This is a home designed for bringing people together: a space for fam ily to gather and play and connect. It’s appro priate, then, that the holiday decor here is as warm and unfussy as its surroundings. “It doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be overly themed,” says Ashmore. Great decor is about setting a mood, after all—making people feel good, not breaking the bank or stressing. “Spend your time mak ing the house smell good,” she laughs.

And so, for last year’s Kids Help Phone’s Home for the Holidays tour, Ashmore decked the halls of this warm, modern home with qui etly festive natural touches. In other words, you won’t find any red-and-green, jingle-allthe-way fare here. “Traditions are changing. The world is changing,” says Ashmore. “It doesn’t have to be about Santa Claus on the towels.” With help from Hunters Garden Cen tre, florist shop Cadine and gift store Three Singing Birds, the Scandi-cool chalet became a textural, nature-infused holiday haven.

The kitchen island and backsplash are finished with Fior di Bosco—a grey Italian marble that has been honed to a matte finish.

“Traditions are changing. The world is changing. It doesn’t have to be about Santa Claus on the towels.”

NATURAL BEAUTY

The staircase is lined with cedar. Pine-needle tassels pepper the garland. Presents are wrapped in linen from Cloth Studio. Even the rib bons are fabric, upcycled from surged fabric edges.

Ashmore and the Project 22 team have spent memorable afternoons together on decor projects—making dried oranges for a table centrepiece, threading clothesline through cotton balls to make a quietly whim sical “snow” garland, wrapping gift boxes in linen. “That process is all part of it,” says Ash more. Forget trends, forget colour themes, the designer advises. “Make something your own, make it feel like your home.”

Cadine eschewed traditional forms of evergreen in favour of eucalyptus and cedar boughs, which were incorporated through out the space wherever a pop of green was needed: wrapped around the banister, popped into a vase, shaped into a wreath. These are plants that dry beautifully and are low-maintenance. “Our brief was: let’s make sure this is going to look good for two months and smell great,” explains Ashmore.

The most striking natural element here is the oversized, moss-covered bough that overlooks the stairwell, zap-strapped to the railing and decked out in simple wire twinkle lights, but natural branches sourced by Ashmore herself grace the table, too. Windstorms ravaged Vancouver’s tree-lined Shaughnessy neighbourhood back in 2019, leaving huge branches in the streets. Ash more snagged a few choice pieces while walking her dog. “The moss on it is so beau tiful,” she says. “You can’t recreate that. It’s not flocked, it’s just nature.”

Downstairs there is a more traditional Christmas tree, though all the ornaments— sourced from Three Singing Birds—are crafted from felt: no baubles here. “We wanted everything to feel homespun and handmade,” says Ashmore. “Everything was intended to feel like hands had touched it.” The table is similarly organic in feel, with textured pottery (also from Three Sing ing Birds) and simple, neutral linens from Cloth Studio. Candleholders from Provide and candlesticks from Walrus complete the minimalist tablescape.

“Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but everyone wants to get together this time of year,” says Ashmore. “I want to make a home warm and welcoming to everyone.”

LINEN LOVE

The linen throughline carries into the bedroom, via a chic duvet from St. Geneve.

GREAT GREYS

In the bathroom, Ashmore installed hard-wearing Caesarstone for the countertops.

BIG SALE. BIG MOVE.

THIS YEAR OUR LARGEST SALE IS ONE OF A KIND.

Once a Tree is moving to a new location in Mount Pleasant and we need your help to lighten the load. The discounts are deep and everything in stock will be on sale. This includes up to 75% off on floor models. Shop early in person for the best selection. Everything on sale available for immediate delivery.

Once a Tree Furniture 750 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver onceatreefurniture.com

KID-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS

By

Getting designer Mariana D’Amici’s North Vancouver home holiday-ready is a family affair.

AAlyssa Hirose / Photos by Janis Nicolay

OUTSIDE IN

The greenery in designer Mariana D’Amici’s sunroom is actually magnolia leaves from her garden. “They’re a great piece for Christmas because of the deep green and chestnut brown leaves,” says the designer. They give the arrangement a subtle reddish hue, too.

“I’m at a time of my life where my kids are starting to get older, quicker—and I’m really aware of the passage of time. I think this is a season where everyone yearns to have things slow down a little bit.”

Wecan count on the holiday season to bring out the warm fuzzies in even the Scroogiest of adults, but there’s something extra magical about being a kid around Christmas.

North Vancouver designer Mariana D’Amici and her family faithfully observe traditions like writing letters to Santa, baking cookies, scouting out Christmas lights and wearing matching pajamas. And, according to D’Amici, rushing to capture a video of her three children bounding down the stairs on Christmas morning has also become a tradition: she’s eager to preserve these good old days.

PERFECT FIT

Putting together a holiday puzzle (left) is a team effort. This one sports a vintage family Christmas scene—very

A CHRISTMAS STORY Instead of presents, D’Amici styled the tree (above) with vintage books—the leatherbound browns and greens fit with the home’s traditional, old-world holiday decor.

meta.

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

Real mistletoe brings a traditional flair in the kitchen doorway (top left) while vintage bells (top right) bring patina to the all-white space. Evergreen garlands welcome guests in (bottom left) and continue throughout the home, even climbing the stairs (this photo).

“A lot of the greens are loosely draping on the floor—I love that it’s not so uniform-looking,” says the designer.

DECOR, DOWNSIZED

In this home, modern holiday design is for all ages. D’Amici’s three children are eager to help her decorate, and each gets their own personal Christmas tree for their room.

“I’m at a time of my life where my kids are starting to get older, quicker—and I’m really aware of the passage of time,” says D’Amici. “I think this is a season where everyone yearns to have things slow down a little bit.” To reflect on bygone Christmases and cherish memories being made, she filled her home with vintage goods, handmade details and plenty of natural greenery.

D’Amici’s family home, which she designed herself in 2019, is very white and bright: it’s an intentional choice to make seasonal decor shine. Real garlands from Bloomier, a zero-waste flower studio based out of West Vancouver, give doorways a pop of green, but they’re draped asym metrically to embrace the garland’s natural, organic form. “It’s not stiff or structured—I guess that’s kind of how Christmas unfolds in my house,” says D’Amici with a laugh. “Nothing is perfect-looking; everything is just slightly askew.”

The designer admits she’s not a big fan of red, which is why she focused on a palette of jewel tones and natu ral browns, incorporating texture and patina wherever

What transforms a gathering into a cherished holiday memory? Is it approaching the snow-sprinkled landscape and twinkling light-trimmed architecture? Is it the rush of warmth that washes over your hands and cheeks as you catch your first glimpse of gorgeous garlands cascading down the banisters behind the host as they eagerly greet you at the door? Or maybe it’s the sumptuous display of delicious foods and elegantly wrapped gifts?

We think the transformative element is thoughtfulness.

Every party-goer is unique and it’s the thought put into demonstrating an appreciation of their values that makes parties memorable. Imagine receiving a brand-new pair of cozy slippers as you enter because the host knows you hate wearing heels all night, learning they prepared your favourite dish, accommodated your food sensitivities, and got a bottle of that wine you mentioned at a lunch six months ago. Your heart glows because someone has been thinking of you and took the time to Listen, Design and Build an evening that leaves you feeling special because they care.

Everybody wants to feel special and there is no more powerful way to convey you care about your friends, your family and your legacy than to work with a thoughtful team of experts, like VictorEric, that will help you examine your habits, lifestyle and entertainment needs. From there envisioning, designing, and building a home to fit each member and leave each visitor feeling like they have been thought of is easy.

VictorEric values excellence in design, growth from challenges and VE Cares about transforming every family dinner into a cherished memory. We want everyone who passes your house to be tickled by the thought put into expressing your unique per sonality through ferns, flowers and fascia.

While we enjoy a good party, we pride ourselves on our ability to GSD (overcome obstacles to Get Stuff Done) and our real joy comes from helping individuals turn their unique brand of thoughtful ness into homes that will bring delight to every person and neighbourhood THEY think is special.

COZY COMFORTS

The designer’s Christmas stockings are from Stylewell in Edgemont village. The living room lamp is from Monica Hibbs Home, and North Vancouver’s Kamila Alikhani of Bloomier did the arrangement of greenery.

she could. Case in point: the Christmas tree itself, where velvet-wrapped balls, etched glass decorations and wood beaded gar lands are nestled among the branches. Plus, there are the bells. Real jingling bells add a musical element to the design (and maybe an extra layer of security to catch premature gift-openers).

Teo (age 10), Ella (8) and Roko (4) love to help with decking the halls, too. “My kids are very into decorating during Christmas— they can’t wait to pull out all the ornaments and be a part of it,” says D’Amici. The designer says she likes to incorporate a bit of holiday cheer into every room, including her children’s. The three kids each get their own mini tree, their bedsheets are changed to festive pat terns and the art on the wall changes to seasonal motifs (think a clipboard holding a “Pray for Snow” sign or a poster of a skier jumping over a vintage car).

Another off-balance garland hangs in the dining-room doorway, and woven chairs and vintage linen tablecloths bring that tac tile element to the shared space. Texture also reigns supreme in the family stockings: they’re made of reworked kilim rugs. D’Amici trades overhead lighting for small lamps and candles during the cozier seasons, immersing the home in a warm glow.

“I like to do wall displays that enable me to change things up,” says the designer. For her, decorating signifies the passage of time, and hauling out all her favourite festive elements stirs up feelings of nostalgia. But just as much as her sentimental holiday decor looks toward the past, it also encourages the family to cherish the present—and isn’t the present what Christmas is all about?

FOOD+TRAVEL >

Inspiring people, great destinations and fresh recipes to transport you.

THE CHECK-IN Skookumchuck Narrows

RAPID ASCENT

A new float plane tour just dropped (figuratively, of course): fly up the Sechelt Inlet with Sunshine Coast Air while Shíshálh artist Candace Campo tells all via noise-cancelling head phones. Campo links family stories to geography: as you soar over the Skookumchuck rapids (pictured here), she’ll tell you that her uncles have caught six-foot-long lingcod there.

15thANNUAL

DESIGNERS of the YEAR 2022

What a night!

Western Canada’s design community reunited on September 13 in celebration of the winners of our 15th Annual Western Living Designers of the Year Awards.

And what a party it was! We wined, we dined, we caught up with old friends and made plans for more celebrations to come. Special thanks to our presenting sponsor Caesarstone for their generous support of this year’s awards program and to Moe’s Home Collection for hosting our winners and guests for the evening!

QuebecoisChristmasfor

Look eastward for this year’s holiday feast: Quebecois comfort food offers pure winter warmth on the darkest of nights. And no one does it better than chef J-C Poirier, whose Vancouver restaurant, St. Lawrence, serves up loving (and decidedly delicious) homages to his home province nightly, to high acclaim. We took a page out of his book for this year’s Christmas menu—here, a trio of festive, indulgent, perfectly rib-sticking dishes, plucked from Poirier’s Where the River Narrows.

By Jean-Christophe Poirier with Joie Alvaro Kent / Food Photography by Brit Gill / Portrait by Carlo Ricci

Asparagus with Chervil Butter Sauce and Puff Pastry, see page 50 for recipe.

Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce (Chou-Fleur Rôti et Sauce Romesco)

Yield: 4 portions

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Roasting is a total game changer when it comes to the flavour of cauliflower—and roast ing a whole head of cauliflower is visually impressive for the people sitting at the dinner table. And while romesco is from Spain, and decidedly not French, it’s so delicious, I think you should definitely have it in your repertoire.

Roasted cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil

Pinch Maldon salt

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Romesco sauce

2 cups drained roasted red peppers (from a jar or you could roast them yourself)

⅔ cup roasted Marcona almonds or regular toasted almonds

⅓ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, grated

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1½ tbsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Herb salad

½ cup fresh mint leaves, packed

½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed ½ red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

½ lemon, for serving

Preheat your oven to 450°F, with the rack in the centre position.

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Remove the tough bottom leaves from the cauliflower but keep the smaller and most tender ones on the stem. Make a deep X incision with a par ing knife on the base of the stem to help speed up the cooking time. Place the whole head of cauliflower into the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the water and place the cauli flower on a roasting tray. Drizzle it with the olive oil, and season with the Maldon salt and black pepper. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until fully roasted and golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the roasted peppers, almonds, parmesan and

garlic. Pulse until a paste develops. While still pulsing, slowly drizzle in the oil through the feed tube. Once the mixture is fully emulsified, add the paprika, salt and vinegar, and pulse to combine. Taste for seasoning.

Prepare the herb salad: In a small bowl, dress the mint, parsley and red onion with the oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut the cauliflower into four wedges, or serve it whole on top of the romesco sauce with a knife for people to dig in. Serve the herb salad as a garnish, with the half lemon to squeeze over the dish, and more sauce on the side for every one to scoop. Be generous!

MASTER CHEF

Chef J-C Poirier in his Vancouver restaurant, St. Lawrence—which was recently awarded the title of Restaurant of the Year in the Vancouver magazine 2022 Restaurant Awards.

Asparagus with Chervil Butter Sauce and Puff Pastry (Feuilleté d’Asperges au Beurre de Cerfeuil )

See photo on page 47.

Yield: 4 portions

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

White asparagus would be my preference here; the stalks are more delicate and sweet, with just a hint of bitterness, while green asparagus is more on the grassy side. But white aspara gus are often unavailable and more pricey. I like asparagus prepared simply with a sauce, in this case a beurre blanc, but it’s also exquisite with a Sauce Hollandaise or mousseline.

Puff pastry

6 oz store-bought puff pastry

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp homogenized milk, lightly beaten for egg wash

Asparagus

3 cups water

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp granulated sugar

Peel of ½ lemon

16 large stalks asparagus, trimmed and peeled

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Chervil butter sauce

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

3 tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 cup white wine

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed ¼ cup heavy or whipping cream

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp fresh chervil, roughly chopped + extra whole leaves for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425°F, with the rack in the centre position. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into an 8-by-4-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Using a paring knife, trim the rectangle and cut it into 4 smaller rectangles, each measuring 2 by 4 inches.

Place the pastry rectangles on the prepared

baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash, making sure none of it trickles down the sides or it will prevent the pastry from rising properly. With a paring knife, score a few lines to make a diamond pattern.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 230°F.

Prepare the asparagus: In a large saucepan wide enough to fit the asparagus, bring the water, salt, sugar and lemon peel to a boil on high heat. Add the asparagus and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the asparagus is tender but still firm in the centre (3 to 4 min utes). Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. Using tongs, transfer the asparagus to the ice bath to stop the cooking.

Increase the heat to high and reduce the cook ing liquid to ¼ cup. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Prepare the butter sauce: In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, heat the oil. Sauté the shallots until soft and translucent but without colouration. Add the wine, vinegar, thyme and bay leaf, and reduce until 3 tablespoons of the liquid remains. Strain through a tamis or colan der, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract and save all the liquid.

Pour the liquid back into the saucepan. Return to a boil on medium-high heat. Move the saucepan off the heat and gradually add the cubes of cold butter while whisking constantly. Continue whisking until all the butter is incorporated, placing the saucepan briefly on the heat and taking it back off again every once in a while to help the butter melt. Whisk in the cream. Do not boil the sauce at this stage or it will split. The sauce should be silky, smooth and glossy.

Turn off the heat and season the sauce with salt and lemon juice. When you’re ready to plate, stir in the chervil at the last moment.

Just before serving, warm your serving plates in a 230°F oven.

Return the asparagus to the pan with the reduced cooking liquid and place on medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and glaze the asparagus until heated through. If the liquid in the pan begins to split because it’s overreduced, add 1 tablespoon water to maintain the emulsion.

Scoop the chervil butter sauce onto the plate. Arrange a few stalks of green asparagus atop the sauce. Garnish with the remaining chervil leaves all around the asparagus. Top with the puff pastry and serve immediately.

Excerpted from Where the River Narrows by Jean-Christophe Poirier with Joie Alvaro Kent. Copyright © 2022 Jean-Christophe Poirier. Photography © 2022 Brit Gill. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

lush greenery at every turn. Just steps from this

be a new 13-acre community park where

recharge amidst nature. O ering just over 900 homes, the

buildings at Oasis are connected by an extensive

You can cook the tourtière the day before; let it cool for a few hours, then put it in the fridge overnight.

Warm it up in the oven at 320°F for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Rustic Meat Pie (Tourtière du Lac St-Jean)

Yield: 8 to 10 portions

Preparation time: 2 hours + 12 to 16 hours marinating Cooking time: 4¼ hours + 2 hours cooling

Tourtière made in the style of Lac St-Jean is different. It has cubes of different meats instead of ground meat, and sometimes incorporates wild meat from hunting season. The pie also contains cubed potatoes and is baked far longer in the oven, in a deep dish. But I always thought the traditional way of cooking it—we’re talking 6 to 8 hours in the oven—is, well... too long. I prefer to braise the meat for the filling first, then add it to the pastry shell.

Épices à Tourtière

5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

4½ tsp ground cloves

4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

3½ tsp ground cinnamon

1½ tsp ground ginger

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months; after that, the spices will start to lose their potency.

Meat pie

1 kg pork shoulder, diced into ½-inch cubes

1 kg beef short ribs or shank, deboned and most of the fat removed, diced into ½-inch cubes

150 g lard or unsmoked bacon, diced into thick lardons

1 cup amber beer from Québec

5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

6 to 8 juniper berries, crushed with a mortar and pestle

3 sprigs thyme, leaves only

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp + 2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp Épices à Tourtière (recipe above)

4 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 kg Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes

1 batch Pâte en Croûte (recipe top right)

3 legs duck confit, pulled and roughly chopped*

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp homogenized milk lightly beaten for egg wash

In a large bowl, mix the pork, beef, lard, beer, garlic, onions, juniper berries, thyme, bay leaves, salt and Épices à Tourtière. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours, and up to 16 hours.

Preheat your oven to 320°F, with the rack in the centre position.

Add the marinated meat mixture with all the liquid to a large ovenproof pot. Stir gently on medium-high heat until all the liquid is evapo rated (about 15 minutes). In a separate pot on high heat, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Sprinkle the flour on the meat mixture, then add the stock, stirring slowly. Cover tightly and braise in the oven for 1½ hours. Stir in the pota toes and cook for 30 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are fork-tender. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Discard the bay leaves.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out two-thirds of the dough into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Lay the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the casserole dish, letting the excess hang over the edges. Roll out the remaining dough to ¼ inch thick, in the shape of your casserole dish, and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.

Add the duck confit to the meat mixture and mix well. Pour into the casserole dish. Cut off any excess dough from around the edges. Brush the edges lightly with egg wash and cover with the reserved dough. Form a chemi née by cutting a small hole in the centre of the top crust to let steam escape while baking. Pinch the edges of the crust to seal, and trim off any excess dough. Decorate the top of your tourtière as desired. Brush a thin layer of egg wash over top.

Place the tourtière on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. This gives the tourtière a crispy inside crust. Lower the oven temperature to 355°F and continue baking for 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and let stand for 1 hour before cutting and serving.

Pâté en Croûte Dough

Equipment: Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment

4¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup + 2 tbsp cornstarch

1¾ cups unsalted butter, softened 7 egg yolks

¾ cup cold water

1 tbsp + 2 tsp kosher salt

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, begin mixing the butter on medium speed, then incorporate the egg yolks, followed by the water and salt. Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing until just combined, taking care not to overwork the pastry.

Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Use as directed in your recipe.

*Where

to

Source Duck Confit Head to westernliving.ca if you’re ready to tackle J-C’s full recipe for homemade confit... or source it from your local butcher.

If you were in a movie, this is the part where they’d put the epic music.

It’s a different world up here. Learn why.

Go away. But not too far. British Columbia’s winter getaways are proving that less sun does not equal less fun: ’tis the season for whizzing down a mountain topped with fresh powder, getting lost in museums and art galleries and watching lightning strike from the warm comfort of your chalet. Read on for lazy wine tours, thrilling black diamond runs, Indigenous-focused experiences and the best new restaurants to take shelter (and have a beer) in.

WINTER

WONDERLAND

Jeff Bartlett

SNOW REGRETS

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort turns timid skiers into downhill daredevils, and fast.

A PROPER INTRODUCTION TO THE SUNSHINE COAST

Learning about the land via high-tech museum experiences and high-flying float plane tours.

By Alyssa Hirose

Buckled in the passenger’s seat, I can see one of Josh Ramsay’s Converse shoes waving in the air as he leans across the windshield. He’s outside, spraying the glass with Pledge. “For polishing furni ture—and planes!” he says with a grin.

Ramsay is the owner of Sunshine Coast Air, and he’s splayed across the tiny float plane we’re taking up the Sechelt Inlet. The base is just a four-minute drive north from the tems swiya Museum, which was our first stop on the coast. Actually, let’s rewind a bit. This Shíshálh (Sech elt) Nation museum was the perfect introduction to the land—and, after all, isn’t it right to start at the beginning?

Among the timeworn items on display at tems swiya, there’s an exhibit that’s jarringly futuristic: a digital facial reconstruction of four Shíshálh people. From behind a screen, the figures breathe, blink and move. Museum curator Raquel Joe tells us they’re her Shíshálh ancestors

who lived around 4,000 years ago, discovered in a burial ground that’s twice as old. Called ‘kw’enusitsht tems stutula, which means Face to Face with Our Ancestors, the exhibit shows a chief, his daughter and his twin sons.

“Like CSI, right?” remarks Joe as she tells us how scientists and designers created the piece, which was first revealed in 2021. They estimated that the chief was five-footseven, making him the tallest known person on the coast at that time. But even more mind-boggling is what he was buried with: 350,000 handmade stone and shell beads. “Nothing like that has ever been found in Canada, the U.S. or South America,” says Joe. The living recreation of this family is dras tically different from your average museum experience—it’s a striking reminder of a his tory that colonizers tried to wipe away. Joe says she can feel the family’s spirits and hear them talking. “If your chest gets heavy, that’s the ancestors,” she says.

Back to the plane. Ramsay is now safely next to me in the pilot’s seat as we take off across the water, and through noise-cancel ling headphones I’m listening to Candace Campo of Talaysay Tours. The Vancouver tourism company partnered with Sunshine Coast Air to launch this audio and aerial tour in the fall of 2022. Like Joe, Campo is a member of the Shíshálh Nation. As we fly north, Campo tells us about Shíshálh customs and culture (for example, hosting a winter potlatch meant your guests lived with you all season, which resulted in the average person speak ing three to five languages). She also tells us that, today, there are 1,700 Shíshálh people living on the Sunshine Coast. Before colonial contact, there were over 20,000.

Tours of tems swiya are available yearround, as is the Talaysay x Sunshine Coast Air flight. To travel mindfully in 2022 is to know whose land you’re on—and, thanks to Indigenous elders and educators, you don’t have to look hard to find the answer here on the Sunshine Coast.

Coast Raven Design Studio

4668 Sunshine Coast Hwy., Sechelt coastraven.com Jewellery artist Richard de la Mare opened Coast Raven in 1970—serendipitously, the same year his future studio partner was born. Now, de la Mare and Tsleil-Waututh wood carver Artie George run this home-based gallery together, selling their own intricate necklaces, striking masks and more.

Red Cedar Woman Studio

5511 Wharf Ave., Sechelt redcedarwoman.com

For some hands-on learning, sign up for a workshop from Coast Salish weaver Jessica Silvey—participants can learn how to craft blankets, baskets, shawls and more. In-studio, there’s handcrafted fibre art for sale, plus bath and body products and sage blends for smudging.

Coast with the Most Tems swiya has an awesome gift shop (think prints, cloth ing, homewares and more designed by Indigenous artists).

And while you’re in the area, check out these Indigenous makers, too.

UP AND AWAY

The view from the passenger’s seat of a Sunshine Coast Air float plane.

Illustration: Noun Project/ Stéphanie Rusch; seaplane over Sechelt:Alyssa Hirose

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

© Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2022 | ™ The heart and / Icon on its own and the heart and / Icon followed by another icon or words are trademarks of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

48 HOURS IN TOFINO

A plucky pair of adventurers prove that you can do Tofino in a weekend—but stay longer if you can.

By Alyssa Hirose / Photos by Chris Girard

Saturday

4:00 a.m.: No Regrets

Throwing packed bags and camera gear into our hatchback at 4 a.m. feels less like embarking on a romantic getaway and more like committing a crime in the dark of night. But my partner Chris and I are dead-set on making the absolute most of our precious weekend. The goal is stormwatching—a popular draw to Tofino from November through February—but it’s the first week of October, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for miserable weather.

8:45

a.m.: Happy Trails

An hour west of Nanaimo, Chris wants to stop in MacMillan Provincial Park to take pictures of trees (he’s brought a DSLR camera, a GoPro, a 360-degree camera, a drone and two film cameras on this trip—no shortage of enthu siasm here). We pull over in Cathedral Grove, home to enormous Douglas firs that are several centuries old. Chris is set on capturing the larg est one, so we head down the route creatively named “Big Tree Trail” and meet the monster

(nine metres in circumference) almost immedi ately. It’s about the lowest commitment, highest reward pit stop I’ve ever made.

9:15 a.m.:

Here Comes the Bun

To further break up the drive (and to lessen our

WICK ME AWAY

Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn is a storm watcher’s paradise—it’s designed so all rooms face out, with the hallway running along the back, ensuring that no unit has that dreaded parking-lot view. From a room at the Wick, it’s a short walk down to Chesterman Beach. (But in more drizzly months you can get a just-as-immersive experience simply gazing out your win dow.) wickinn.com

chances of killing each other in a hangry rage), we stop at Wildflower Bakeshop and Cafe The Port Alberni bakery opened in 2020, and serves pastries and coffee as well as beer, wine and cocktails. Their weekend brunch doesn’t start until 10 a.m.—a cold, hard truth that almost has me in tears—and the only non-sweet baked goods on offer are pizza (yes, we are somehow too early for brunch but right on time for pizza) and something called “breakfast buns.” We get the latter, which turn out to be incredible. A warm, pillowy pastry topped with cheese, bacon, a crazy-good tomato-y jam and a sunny yellow egg is the perfect refuel.

11:30

a.m.: What’s in Store

We’re finally realizing the benefits of our grossly early departure—we’ve arrived in Tofino, and it’s not even noon. Time to responsibly contribute to the local economy (read: shop without conse quence because we’re on vacation and money isn’t real). We start in the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery, a stunning longhouse showcasing the Indigenous artist’s original work. I’m amazed by

BOY MEETS WOOD

The tallest tree in Cathedral Grove makes Chris look like a Lego man.

Strolls of Chesterman Beach are basically mandated on any Tofino trip, and on drizzly days the Rebel rain jacket from Lululemon ($248) offers the raingear sweet spot of both style and function. A fully waterproof exterior pairs with a sweat-wicking liner and a breathable back vent to prevent the dreaded wetter-on-the-inside-than-out experience that plagues so much water repellant gear. lululemon.com

the selection at Mermaid Tales Bookshop despite the folksy name, the small space is stocked with new releases from local authors. Merge’s clothing and homewares are the stuff of Pinterest dreams (think handmade checkered ceramics, vintage glassware and funky jewel lery). We grab a burger and spicy mango margarita at Shed—gotta keep this party going.

4:00 p.m.: Beach Talk

It’s check-in time at the Wickaninnish Inn, our chalet-style digs for the weekend. The Wick is right on the point between Chesterman and Mackenzie beaches, so it’s seriously ocean front—there are views of evergreens, sandy shores and crashing waves aplenty. It’s tough to compete with that kind of beauty, but the hotel’s interior comes close: managing director Charles McDiarmid takes us on a tour, pointing out the western red cedar beams hand-chipped by master carver Henry Nolla. He tells us that the late Nolla often liked to carve naked, giving his work area the nickname “Henry’s End”— because it was the end of the property, and because passersby might get a glimpse of his “end.” Views, indeed.

6:15

p.m.: Scenic Eats

We dress up (or, look as good as two people running on three and a half hours of sleep can look)—and walk from our room to the Wick’s Pointe Restaurant. The circular dining area is perched right on the edge of the point, and during storm season the onslaught of waves sometimes reaches all the way under the res taurant. At least, that’s what we’re told—it’s been an annoyingly gorgeous day. We order the “Natural Pastures” buffalo mozzarella (which I affectionately nickname “bread salad” because of the toasty chunks of grilled focaccia), confit halibut (light and tasty, a good companion to the bread salad) and strawberry and pistachio cheesecake (made with goat’s cheese, crazy decadent). We watch the sunset and vow to slow down a bit. Tomorrow, we’ll relax.

Sunday

9:00 a.m.:

Fired Up

Okay, not quite a sleep-in—but I learn that Roar restaurant is within walking distance and figure every millennial in Tofino will probably try to eat Sunday brunch there. I’m not wrong. Roar opened in 2021 inside Tofino’s new Hotel Zed, and it has that kitschy-cool mid-cen tury vibe that the Zed hotels are known for (a sunken living room, rotary phones, vintage furnishings, you get it). Our breakfast—a smoked salmon benny and a cast-iron pan with sizzling eggs, sausage, baked beans and chunky potatoes—is cooked over a wood-fired stove, and it’s delicious. Getting in early was worth it; by the time we leave, the restaurant is packed with thirtysomethings in Patagonia Synchilla.

11:00 a.m.:

Absolutely Nothing

This would have been the perfect time to stare out our Wick Inn window at a symphony of rain, wind and waves. But we’re cursed with what locals confirm is some of the best October weather, ever. Instead, we watch families walk the sand, surfers wipe out and couples sun bathe. It’s no storm, but we’re not complaining.

3:00

p.m.: Beer Me

After a very difficult day of eating and lying down, it’s time for a beer. Tofino Brewing is the obvious choice. We grab the Wonders of Nature kettle sour (unseasonably warm weather calls for a summer-y beer) and chill on the covered patio. Next to us, a spotted dog begs for a snack from the Toki Doki food truck. He is unsuccessful, and wanders away okonomiyaki-less.

7:00

p.m.: Playing Chicken

We have reservations at Jeju for dinner—the little eatery opened in late 2021 and is Tofino’s only Korean spot. We take our server’s advice and get the Korean fried chicken. It’s perfectly crunchy, topped with a killer gochujang sauce and served with diced pickled radishes that add

GALLERY GOALS

The

RAINBOW ROAD

a little more financially accessible).

It’s

a nice freshness to the plate. Another win for Alyssa and Chris.

9:00 p.m.:

Moonwatching

Okay, so we didn’t stormwatch. But a night walk on the beach reveals a crisp full moon, a few sparkly stars and a gentle fog settling over the ocean. It’s not quite the dramatic nature experi ence we were going for—but who needs more drama?

Illustration: Noun Project/Aleks/Estevão

Sarcinelli; The Pointe Restaurant: Jeremy Koreski

A Jacket for Stormy D

This is the face of a gal who is full of eggs benny and thrilled that her clown-like outfit matches Hotel Zed’s colourful exterior.

Roy Henry Vickers Gallery is packed with the Indigenous artist’s original work (plus art prints, which are

DO THE WAVE

hard not to spend all dinner looking out the window at the Wick’s Pointe Restaurant, no matter how handsome your date is.

It all starts here

Nanaimo is the perfect starting place for your Vancouver Island getaway — with cycling, hiking, shopping, learning, snacking and more to explore. The moment you gaze over the water, take that deep coastal breath, or open the door to your hotel room: it all starts here!

Plan the Ultimate Staycation in Nanaimo

Vancouver Island’s best farm-to-fork options, including a new concept for The Modern Cafe. The Nest Bistro, Melange, The Mahle House or Asteras are also delicious options with innovative menus. If a great breakfast or brunch is on your list, Gabriel’s Cafe is a local favourite.

Treat yourself to a sweet experience along the Nanaimo Bar Trail with dozens of unique takes on the traditional Nanaimo-born dessert. There are vegan and gluten free options, too!

With a flourishing art scene, endless hiking and biking trails, a variety of restaurants and a very mild climate, Nanaimo is the perfect place for the ultimate Vancouver Island experience—it all starts here!

Get outside and explore Outdoor enthusiasts will love Vancouver Island’s year-round lush landscape. Easy access to the ocean and forest mean there are plenty of fun things to do: Neck Point Park with its scenic and natural features make it a stunning walk along the shoreline. Keep your eyes on the water for seals, seabirds and sometimes even orcas.

Ammonite Falls is an authentic West Coast experience with a forest trail leading to a cascading waterfall that flows in winter and spring. The steady roar of water against the Douglas fir backdrop is unforgettable.

Bowen Park is stunning in the fall and winter seasons with winding

trails along the Millstone River and a duck pond to explore.

History and culture thrive here

The Nanaimo Art Gallery always has an exciting exhibition on the go. The Nanaimo Museum and Nanaimo Military Museum offer self-guided tours so history buffs can fully immerse in the area’s unique history.

Morden Colliery Historic Provincial Park is an easy walking trail rich with coal mine history including building remnants and the only remaining coal tipple on Vancouver Island. Download the OnThisSpot app to taking a selfguided walking tour of Nanaimo.

Take a leisurely walk through the Old City Quarter to explore the abundance of unique shops and this special place’s arts and culture. The pace here is laid back and friendly—the perfect spot to enjoy coffee and a Nanaimo Bar!

Sip, savour and enjoy Nanaimo is home to some of

If you love a great cocktail (or coffee!) and live music, Minnoz Restaurant and Lounge, The Vault Cafe or the Nanaimo Bar are the places to be. Popular downtown Ale Trail stops where you can sample a flight of local craft beers are White Sails Brewing and Cliffside Brewing. The Longwood Brew Pub, Wolf Brewing, Arbutus Distillery and Longwood Brewery are a short drive from downtown.

Nanaimo is the perfectly accessible and affordable starting point for your next Vancouver Island adventure. With cycling, hiking, shopping, learning, snacking and more to explore, it all starts here!

Start planning your Nanaimo getaway at tourismnanaimo.com/StartHere

Created by the Canada Wide Media advertising department in partnership with Nanaimo Hospitality Association

Nanaimo is a thriving coastal city with a wide variety of activities for families looking for fun or adventure enthusiasts seeking life-changing outdoor experiences.

PHOTO CREDIT: TOURISM NANAIMO

Ace in the Hole

Whistler’s 8,171 acres dwarf every other hill in North America, but sometimes getting up to that expanse can be a bit of a slog, with huge, snaking lines popping up on busy weekends. But this season’s Creeksiders will be greeted with not only a brand-new 10-person gondola, but also upgraded chairs on the Big Red lift, which now hold six passengers each—that’s an increase in uphill capacity of 35 percent. Creekside was already the frequent choice for avoiding lines, but now the comparison is not even close—this will be easily the fastest way up the hill this com ing season. And an added kicker? This new engineering marvel can be viewed from the patio at Dusty’s, which is the best après scene in all of Whistler.

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO CREEKSIDE

Whistler’s main village gets all the glory, but don’t sleep on this neighbouring community.

By Neal McLennan

Whistler’s Creekside has always been the day-tripper’s choice: not only do you save the extra five kilometres to the village, you also avoid the frequently grinding traffic that occupies said five klicks at the end of a ski day. It’s a blessing and a curse: because everyone leaves for home the second the lifts close, Creekside has histori cally suffered greatly in the vibe department. But with some big changes underway, this once-transitory area is making a serious case to be the destination of choice for your next extended stay.

Resting Your Head

Much of Creekside is taken up by the sec ond homes of Vancouverites, and while there are always plenty of Airbnbs (search any of the Taluswood properties for great ski-in, ski-out), there are also two options if you’re looking for more traditional hotel lodging. The first is Nita Lake Lodge, the swankier of the pair and the choice if you have some dough but don’t want the village scene. The rooms are bigger, the prices lower than the hotel’s village brethren and it’s only 500 metres from the new gondola. Even closer is Legends, which is part hotel, part timeshare, but has solid condo-style rooms (done in that ubiquitous cedar and river rock style) right at the base of Creekside. If you need a two- or three-bedroom, this place is frequently the best deal in Whistler for a true ski-in, ski-out.

Filling Your Belly

If you’re looking for caviar and Cristal, go to the village—Creekside skews a lot more chill. Fine dining is covered by the longstanding Rimrock Cafe, and while the food there is no longer pushing many boundaries, the wine list remains one of the best for breadth, sneaky value and commitment to finding cool B.C. producers. More typically Creekside is the iconic Creekbread, the heroes who brought proper pizza to Whistler and whose sprawling, high-ceilinged room is always packed. Even takeout must be scheduled well in advance if you want to eat a Pemberton potato pie in the com fort of your living room. Creekbread’s success has spawned the new Functional Pie, a takeout-only spot in Function Junc tion. Many are saying that Functional Pie now wears the crown as king of Whistler pizza (and it has the added bonus of being close to Coast Mountain Brewing, the only real craft beer producer in town—sorry Whistler Brewing—so it’s perfect for grabbing an accompanying growler of Crystal Chair pilsner).

Creekside and Nita Lake: Tourism Whistler/Justa Jeskova; Coast Mountain Brewing: Leah Kathryn ; illustration: Noun Project/lastspark

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

B.C.’s billion-dollar wine world might seem cutthroat, but in the South Okanagan, the grape grower hath no wrath.

By Alyssa Hirose

Ilove bad TV. Give me a trashy, con trived, brain cell-destroying reality show over “good” television any day. It’s a guilty pleasure: watching folks who likely need professional help—rather than another drama-filled cocktail party—destroy their personal and work relationships is its own kind of therapy. From desperate, starry-eyed singles to impossibly fashionable real estate agents, I’m all in.

And on a recent trip to the South Okanagan, I discovered what I thought could be reality TV’s next hit. Picture this: there are 200 licensed grape wineries in total between the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. Each is at the mercy of the desert climate—wildfires and cold snaps included. They’re all compet ing in the same market. And there’s a lot of money on the line (according to the BC Wine Institute, the wine industry contributes $3.75 billion to the B.C. economy every year).

Money, alcohol, competition—it’s the perfect recipe for a bingeworthy series that you’re embarrased to admit you like. Right?

Wrong. On my Okanagan journey, at least, there was one reality TV essential that the wineries were missing: conflict. Amanda Elyzen, the ridiculously charming tasting room manager at the Clos du Soleil winery (co-owned by Dr. Bonnie Henry), was thrilled to hear that we were dropping by neighbour ing Corcelettes Estate right after. The downto-earth folks at Covert Farms Family Estate wanted to hear all about our tour of the fortress-like Phantom Creek. It’s community, not competition, that rules this wine region— and Oliver’s District Wine Village is perhaps the best example.

The village is a collection of 12 small-batch and startup wineries (plus a brewery, distill ery and restaurant), all occupying the same leased land from the Osoyoos Nation. Think: 16 sleek, corrugated metal-clad buildings arranged in a circle around an open-air pavil ion. It’s beautiful from a design perspective, and even more beautiful from an ambitious— but lazy—wine-taster’s perspective: a dozen wineries, with only a few steps (and a couple of artistic water features) between them.

Darcel Giesbrecht, general manager of the village, gives us a tour of the (notably dog-friendly) district, explaining that it was dreamed up by friends Max Brock and Matt Kenyon. Wine buff Brock had seen the village model work in other parts of the world, and Kenyon’s background in construction (he’s the general manager of Penticton-based Greyback) was an asset in building the com munity. Brock unfortunately passed away before the dream came true, but Kenyon and wine industry vet Michael Daley brought Dis trict Wine Village to life in his honour.

Kenyon and Osoyoos Indian Band chief Clarence Louie had been working together for years, and Kenyon leased the 10-acre prop erty the village is built on from the Nation. An awesome metal statue by Clint George of the Pent icton Indian Band greets guests, invit ing gatherings no matter the season:

outdoor concerts in the summer, artisan markets in the winter (get handmade decor, baked goods and local preserves here).

To operate in the village, each winery must produce 2,000 to 2,500 cases annu ally (for comparison, Phantom Creek bottles eight times as much wine every year). To keep costs down, they share pressing and de-stemming equipment—GM Giesbrecht says it’s common to see the wineries working together, whether they’re moving the indus trial-sized winemaking machines or simply chatting over a glass or two. “It really is that community feel,” says Giesbrecht. “Everyone is always recommending neighbouring wineries and helping each other out.”

From my spot on the Canter Cellars patio, I can see folks enjoying a tasting at JoiRyde Winery and a dog resting under a chatty table at Nk’Mip Cellars. It’s truly a good-vibes-only sort of space, so, admittedly, it would not make a good trashy reality TV show. But it is the ideal place to find the perfect bottle to pair with my next guilty-pleasure binge.

District Wine Village: Jon Adrian; statue: District Wine Village Facebook; illustration: Noun Project/Adricons

DON’T WINE AND WALK Drinks must be consumed on the property that you purchased them on, so down that glass before hopping to the next winery.

DRIVE SAFE The village offers shuttles back to your digs in Oliver, Osoyoos or Penticton.

Epic snowboarding, snowshoeing, cat- helialpine- cross country skiing and other pow activities.

SHOP & DINE NORDIC & ALPINE SKIING ENTER TO WIN

Photo: Destination BC/Kari Medig

A FOODIE’S GUIDE TO PENTICTON

My trip to Penticton in February 2020 (dun dun dun) stands as one of my last memories of pre-COVID life—and what a glorious, food-filled memory it is. While the weather outside was truly frightful, the offerings at these restaurants were more than enough reason to brave the snow. Here are the meals I’m still dreaming about.

By Alyssa Hirose

For the Pizza Freak

Pizzeria Tratto 256 Westminster Ave. W. pizzeriatratto.com Confession: I have put honey on every pizza I’ve made since trying Tratto’s Bee Sting pie (see photo on the right). It’s topped with tomato sauce, fior di latte, gorgonzola, prosciutto, honey and chili, and it’s the ultimate savoury/sweet/spicy combo. There are plenty of classic options as well (margherita, Napole tana, quattro formaggi, you get it) but the Bee Sting is the real queen.

For the Cocktail (or Mocktail) Enthusiast

The Black Antler 215 Winnipeg St. blackantlerpenticton.com Husband-and-wife team Dan Prokosh and Lynn Pepin first opened this Penticton bar in 2019, and while the interior is unfussy, the mixed drink offerings are pretty over-the-top. The extensive cocktail list includes a smoky peach paloma and vodka lavender lemonade (plus an extra-wintery drink with whipped vodka, Baileys, Frangelico and butter ripple), along with eight mocktail options.

For the Risk Taker

Bad Tattoo Brewing 169 Estabrook Ave. badtattoobrewing.com Beer purists, brace yourself. Pizza traditionalists, look away. Bad Tattoo’s list of brews includes a peanut butter chocolate porter and a pina colada milkshake IPA (for those much-needed tropical vibes on grey days). The “weird” pie list (their name, not mine) features both a cheeseburger pizza and a pork bao pizza. This is likely the only bad tattoo you won’t regret.

For the Impulse Buyer

The Bench Market 368 Vancouver Ave. thebenchmarket.com This charming little spot has all-day breakfasts big and small (from house-made granola to smoked salmon bennies) and a drool-worthy bakery spread, but don’t sleep on the market itself. Grocery shelves are lined with locally made organic jellies, salsas, salad dressings and snacks—edible souvenirs galore.

For the Designophile

Elma 994 Lakeshore Dr. W. eatatelma.com Scientists say it’s impossible to not photo graph this Turkish eatery. Calgary’s Frank Architecture and Interiors brought the two-storey restaurant to life in a big way—think bold botanical wallpaper, intricate tile detailing, neon signage and a stunning modern bar. The food is just as impressive. Owners Ayse and Mike Barluk serve up elevated takes on classic dishes like pide (Turk ish flatbread) and kebabs, and the muhammara is the sort of thing people write love songs about.

Pizzeria Tratto: Wade Comer; illustration: Noun Project/Guilherme Furtado

Elma’s chemen-cured duck and charcoal-grilled okra

Smoked Salmon Benny from The Bench Market

Bee Sting pizza from Pizzeria Tratto

RUSH HOUR

The steeps of Kicking Horse are made for the thrillseeker—and for anyone looking to up their ski game. By Anicka Quin

Best Spots to Refuel

Even non-skiers will want to summit the resort gondola to hit up Eagle’s Eye Restaurant at the peak of Kicking Horse. With a 360-degree view encompassing the five national parks that surround the mountain, it’s a place made for long après afternoons (and possibly taking the gondola back down, too). Grab the note-perfect classic Cobb salad or, if it’s been a boot-pack kind of day, the prime rib burger—bacon jam, brioche bun, applewood smoked cheddar—for a solid refuel.

There’s no way to sugar-coat it: there was a moment on the slopes of Kicking Horse when I flipped into full-on panic attack mode.

It was day one of three tackling those legendarily steep slopes, in a season when I’d skied only once to that point (COVID, scheduling conflicts, blah blah blah). And as most avid ski ers know, Kicking Horse is not a mountain you cruise. Nearly half the resort is rated as advanced terrain; another 15 percent is expert. It’s adored for the peak runs you access by boot packing—off come the skis, up you huff to reach fresh powder and incredible views. As one local told me, “At Kicking Horse, you have no choice but to get good, fast—and you do.”

I’m no boot packer. But even intermediate skiers like myself get a rush from the gorgeous, light, powdery snow you only find in the inte rior of B.C.—a thrilling shift from the heavier coastal snow that falls in my own Vancouver backyard.

That panic moment? My own doing, when a few friends convinced me to take a short black diamond transition to an appealing blue a little farther down. I rounded a corner and froze at the sight of a run that was clearly over my head—though after that initial rush of fear I did take on the challenge, and made it through to the blue. But that wise local I had spoken to earlier was also right. By day two, I had pushed past the fear, and my skiing was bolder, faster… better. And by day three? I was shrugging and saying “sure” whenever my friends led me toward yet another black diamond. The thrill? Glorious—and the panic-sweat I had experienced only two days earlier was already just a battle story to bring home from this gorgeous spot in the Rockies.

In the nearby town of Golden, the Rockwater Grill and Bar looks like a rough-and-ready live music joint—and it is that, too—but it also cranks out one of the most incredible burgers I’ve had in recent years. The bison burger comes perfectly seared, and is topped with both blue cheese and housemade fig compote, pairing nicely with any one of the deep list of craft beers they stock (even Whistler’s Forager gluten-free beer—a happy discovery for my gluten-intolerant self).

The nearby Bacchus Books and Café is one of those gems you’re thrilled to find in a town the size of Golden (population 4,000). The curated selection is excellent—from cabin reads to literary treasures to highlighted local authors—and upstairs is a warm and welcoming café dishing out comfort-food classics like oven-roasted chicken, cranberry and brie sandwiches (with a side of kettle chips, natch) and all-day breakfasts (Belgian waffles for the win)

Well, technically it’s a base layer made for anything that gets your heart racing: Helly Hansen’s Lifa merino base layers ($120) feature a two-layer construction of both breathable merino wool and the moisturewicking magic of the brand’s proprietary Lifa fibre. And, possibly best of all: the lay ers are soft, totally non-itchy and come in great graphic patterns. hellyhansen.com

Illustration: Noun Project/Made x Made Icons; Eagle’s Eye Restaurant: Dave Best; Kicking Horse Mountain: Emile Lavoie

Chicken sliders from Rockwater Grill and Bar

HANG IN THERE Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is prized for champagne powder and incredible views of nearby national parks.

Eagle’s Eye Restaurant

MOOD BOARD

Timeless Traditional

Modern meets classic in this warm kitchen design.

“A big part of designing this residence was to create a space where our clients could easily entertain (cue the wine fridge) with high function and simple flow between each room—a home they could grow into.”

Annaliesse Kelly of AK Design

TEXTURE WITH TILE

We’re huge fans of layering, and this sleek, white glazed Lume porcelain wall tile by Ames Tile and Stone adds just that—another layer of texture and colour that feels purposeful and intentional. amestile.com

A LITTLE WARMTH

The burnished brass finish of this Davoli faucet from California Faucets adds a bit of sparkle and makes a rich, traditional statement. rejuvenation.com

A MODERN STATEMENT LIGHT

This beautiful 20-inch Arc light fixture by Allied Maker combines function and style (and a modern accent), with a blackened brass finish to bal ance with the countertop and backsplash. alliedmaker.com

A WHITE AND BRIGHT COUNTER

It’s easy to see why quartzite remains a design favourite. We love the timeless nature of this Super White quartz ite westcoast-granite.com

FUN AT THE BAR

These cozy Iron and Rolled stools by Thomas Hayes

Studio are a playful addition to the space—and a great conversation starter when welcoming guests. thomashayesstudio.com

GO FOR GREY

For the painted millwork, we chose a calming and under stated mid grey (Purbeck Stone by Farrow and Ball). It’s clean, neutral and fits perfectly in a home with both traditional and contemporary elements. farrow-ball.com

Annaliesse Kelly portrait: Melissa Skoda; kitchen: Korch Media Co.