GoodLife Barrie Edition March/April 2020

DINING GUIDE

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IN THE CROWD

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ARTS UP CLOSE

MARCH | APRIL 2020

BARRIE

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S P R I N G W AT E R

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ORO-MEDONTE

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INNISFIL & AREA

GOODLIFE BARRIE EDITION

NEST SIDE SPLIT REFIT

Taste SUSTAINABLE WINERIES

Local Flavour MICHAEL & MARION’S

Splurge PEOPLE TO KNOW, PLACES TO GO THINGS TO TRY, TASTE & BUY $5.95

The Signs You See Everywhere!

Showrooms

Barrie 705.737.1554 92 Commerce Park Dr. 2

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Newmarket 905.895.1554 569 Steven Court

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WIRED AND WIRELESS AUDIO SOLUTIONS There have never been more options for filling your life with music. Listen to all music in the world from your device with wireless speakers throughout the home. Enjoy your favourite Music on the go with wireless speakers or headphones. Simcoe Audio will sit down with you at our showroom, in your home or at your office and help you design the system of your dreams within your budget.

SonoS • BoSe • BrySton • BlueSound • Paradigm • BowerS & wilkinS • yamaha • nad • totem acouStic

sound advice for the right price

411 Bayfield Street, Barrie | 705-737-1195 | www.simcoeav.ca

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march | april 2020

GOODLIFE GOODLIFE Publisher Dana Robbins

Regional General Manager Simcoe - York - Muskoka Shaun Sauve General Manager Simcoe & Editor Elise Allain Graphic Design Brenda Boon Nick Bornino

Contents upfront

8 shopaholic 12 bookclub arts up close shopaholic 14 10 BEAUTY

BOOK REVIEW

ACCESSORIES

CHRISTINE LEICHT

Advertising Representatives Kim Bergeron Carolyn Brayiannis Debbie Booth Vic Dellamora Shannon Dunlop Renee Duthie Debbie Halikas Janet Lee-Holden Stacey MacDonald Mary March Photography Contributions Ellie Kistemaker Jim Craigmyle Mike Guilbault Editorial Contributions Katherine Elphick, Dawn Ritchie, Margaret Harlos Patti Vipond

21 Patterson Road, Barrie, ON L4N 7W6 Phone: (705) 726-0573 First Place

Statements opinions and points of view expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, advertisers or GoodLife.

GoodLife Barrie edition is published six times per year: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December (Holiday Edition) For further information regarding all our products, we invite you to call us at 705-726-0573.

For advertising inquiries, please email: goodlife@simcoe.com or call 705-726-0573 ext. 792031 Digital Edition: www.simcoe.com

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"Our goal is to have everything in-house so that you can always count on us to take care of you here.”

We are happy to announce that we can now offer crowns is just one visit!" ~ Dr. Bashi Proud New Sponsors of the Barrie Colts

Thank You

Readers’ Choice

2016 2017 2018 2019

General Anesthesiologist Sleep Dentistry Free New Patient Consult • Cosmetic Dentistry, Orthodontist & Periodontist now on Staff • Flexible Hours Kids love White Cedar Dental We Deal Directly With Most Insurance Companies

610 Huronia Rd., Barrie • 705-737-1151 • whitecedardental.com

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march | april 2020

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17 notes home tour 18 home tour 26 splurge 35 taste notes 57 58 local flavour 67 local sip 72 turning the tables better earth 74 better wines 76 seafood feature roam notes 83 84 travel 90 cruising ski tremblant 93 98 in the crowd INSPIRED HOMES

SIDE SPLIT REFIT

THE ROAD AWAY FROM ROME LOCAL BUSINESSES

Contents

DELICIOUS BITES

MICHAEL & MARION’S

HONEY ELIXIR

KATHERINE ELPHICK

SUSTAINABLE WINERIES

LUXE TRAVEL

COSTA RICA

HOSPICE

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Drysdale’s Family

EASTER EGG Hunt April 10th, 11th, and 12th at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. please arrive 30 minutes prior to hunt Email info@drysdales.ca pre-register online at our website www.drysdales.ca

ANNUAL SPRING CLEARANCE SALE! SPRING STORE-WIDE

SALE

The Evergreen Store Spring, Easter, Garden Christmas & Home Decor NEW MERCHANDISE ARRIVING DAILY! Gift Bag for all participating children For your entertainment: Zoo Tek - wildly exciting animal shows Magician from PickPocketMagic Face train painting, train rides,rides, wagonholiday rides! maze!

Face painting, rides, wagon Refreshments Refreshmentsavailable. available.

Donations of non-perishable items gratefully accepted for the Barrie & area Food Banks

ANGUS

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BARRIE

HWY 90

County Rd. 10

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BAXTER

ALLISTON

SIMCOE RD.56 (CON 7)

COUNTY RD. 21

HWY 89

THORNTON

COOKSTOWN

HWY 400

INNISFIL BEACH SIDE ROAD

705-424-9719 6635 Simcoe Road 56, RR#1 Egbert, ON L0L 1N0 info@drysdales.ca • www.drysdales.ca Contact Us For Information On Weddings & Corporate Events GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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shopaholic | beauty

Get gorgeous with Classic Blue Pantone’s 2020 colour of the year Eye-opening experience

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Intense Blue is an ultra-pigmented, waterproof cream that can be used for eyes, lips, and cheeks. Be creative in a colourful way with this multi-functioning product, $29. Sephora.com

Nailed it

Using this bold blue polish in Style Cartel by Essie is a great way to express your creativity. The jelly cream formula prevents chipping and can be layered for a flawless manicure or pedicure, $8.95. Available at major retailers.

Flirty eyes

Embrace your playful side with this highly pigmented gel eyeliner that lasts all day. Glossier’s Colorslide pencil in Adult Swim adds a pop of colour to your makeup routine, $18. Glossier.com

Pop art hair

The Good Dye Young Temporary Hair Makeup in Blue Ruin Blue is the perfect way to embrace colour without the commitment. This paste is as easy as applying a new shade of lipstick using your fingers or a brush, $24.

Sephora.com.

Blue kisses

Draw attention to your lips with Givenchy’s Le Rouge Night Noir Lipstick in Night in Blue. This sparkling, sheer-finish lipstick is a great way to add a pop of blue to your lips, $46.

Holtrenfrew.com

Floral scent

Add a classic blue touch to your vanity with Dylan Blue Pour Femme by Versace.

This fruity and floral fragrance has notes of blackcurrant sorbet with Granny Smith apple and a floral bouquet, $116.

Sephora.com

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Plump up the volume

Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara in Brightening Blue will define your eyelashes with drama, $33.

Sephora.com

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shopaholic | accessories

Swing into golf season Golf trip

Planning a golf trip? Make it simple with this Players Golf Travel bag by Taylormade Golf.

Accommodates nearly any golf bag and up to 47” driver shaft with room for additional gear, $399.99. Taylmormade.ca

Birdie

Uther cart towels are the perfect on-course accessory for any golfer. It’s lightweight yet super absorbent, holding 300 per cent of its weight in water, $45. Golftown.com

Keep calm and hit a bomb

Inspired by Winston Churchill’s World War II poster “Keep Calm and Carry On.” March to the tee and drill one in memory of him. Made with genuine top grain leather in Nova Scotia and available in sizes: driver, fairway and hybrid. Prices vary. Dormieworkshop.com

Hats on

This P 110 Cap is part of PUMA’s Island Time Collection which features prints that were inspired by the tropical vibes of Hawaii. It’s sure to brighten up any summer outfit, $35. Cobragolf.com

Walk the talk

Your feet will be comfortable and dry with the Biom Hybrid 3 GTX men’s shoe by Ecco. Designed with comfort and performance in mind, this shoe has you covered so you can keep your focus on the game, $270. Ecco.com

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Take shelter

Don’t let a downpour stop your game. The Epic Flash Umbrella will keep players dry, even in the most extreme conditions. $96.99.

Callawaygolf.ca

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Celebrating our

20

VOTED FAVOURITE INTERIOR DESIGN/DECOR IN THE 2019 READER’S CHOICE AWARDS

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Anniversary

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boda Decor is celebrating their 20th Anniversary in Barrie. They are an independent family run furniture store, with a dedication to customer service.

Over 80 per cent of their 10,000 square foot showroom is devoted to Canada’s top furniture brands such as Palliser, Decor-Rest, Bermex, Trica Furniture, Handstone, West Bro, and Amisco, to mention a few.

Aboda Decor was voted #1 in 2019 by the Barrie Advance Readers’ Choice in the category of Interior Design/ Decor store. Take a walk through their amazing showroom and you will see why they are number one in interior decor. You will be welcomed by quality leather upholstery, and solid wood furniture. Their motto is “design it your way!” They offer a free decorating consultation service to their customers.

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“We are skilled furniture consultants who want customers to love the shopping experience, and the joy of living with good furniture design.

Michael Miller heads up their Interior Design/Decor team. Michael was voted Readers’ #1 choice for Interior Designer/Decorator from the Barrie Advance readers choice award; Michael notes, “We are skilled furniture consultants who want customers to love the shopping experience, and the joy of living with good furniture design.

We will work with you and for you untill we get it perfect. It’s all about your vision, and Aboda Decor providing it’s resources to make that interior space you’ve dreamed about become a reality.” Aboda Decor services what they sell, they have an in-home delivery and setup, a 30 day return policy, and a 90 day lowest price guarantee.

Aboda Decor’s motto is “design it your way”. Time with family and friends is well spent when you have a welcoming place to come home to. Now is a good time to visit Aboda Decor during their 20th Anniversary Sales Event.

abodadecor.com

31 Commerce Pk Dr., Barrie

705-735-1825 Michael Miller, Sue and Colin Springgay GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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book club

The

Uninhabitable

Earth

by David Wallace-Wells Book review by Danielle Leonard “It is worse, much worse than you think,” writes author David Wallace-Wells in the introductory paragraph of his book, The Uninhabitable Earth. The deputy editor for New York Magazine is referring to climate change and the impending disaster our earth faces whether we do anything about it, or not.

While the impetus for the book is to wake humanity up to the shocking reality of our deteriorating habitat, it is also clear that there may be little we can do to stop its course.

With Earth Day’s 50th anniversary taking place 12

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April 22, it seemed fitting to dive into one of the latest books on climate change.

In it, Wallace-Wells explains, ‘this is not a book about the science of warming; it is about what warming means to the way we live on this planet.”

Human activity is harshly implicated in the chaos that he says will soon descend on the earth due to climate change. Consider this: half the carbon emitted into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels has happened in just the past three decades. Today, there is a third more carbon in the atmosphere than there has been at any point in the last 800,000 years.

It is impossible to read Wallace-Wells’ book without an increasing sense of doom, and frankly, that’s not the worst thing. The chapters offer a staggering level of scientific fact along with realistic scenarios that our species faces if we continue with our status – which is to do next to nothing about climate change.

The Uninhabitable Earth explains the inevitability of the earth’s rising temperature – each one degree Celsius increase unleashing irreversible and devastating effects on our environment and, conequently, us.

According to the research, we are on a trajectory to increase the world’s temperature by four degrees by the year 2100. The earth will likely survive, but will humans? This, he indicates, is less clear.

Is The Uninhabitable Earth a bleak read? Admittedly, yes. It is unforgivingly honest. In fact, WallaceWells tells the reader, almost two-thirds through the book, “if you have made it this far, you are a brave reader. Any one of these twelve chapters contains, by rights, enough horror to induce a panic attack in even the most optimistic of those considering it.”

I found reading the book to be both anxietyinducing and overwhelming, but at the same time, necessary. While I consider myself a moderate environmentalist, I had little understanding of the urgency facing the planet and agree with the author’s assessment that political will is imperative to truly make a difference at this point in the game; individual efforts, alone, are not enough.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a stake in this planet. In other words, if you’re human, read it. The good news is that it’s not imperative to read its entirety to feel the weight of our collective burden. My hope, and I would imagine WallaceWells’ hope too, is to read just enough to act. And, please, do it soon.

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arts up close

A

COLOUR & LIGHT

The Art of Christine Leicht

BY DAWN RITCHIE

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rtist Christine Leicht’s first report card in kindergarten read, ‘Christine is happy in her own little world and has a talent for painting.’

“How predictive teachers can be,” she says today, having enjoyed a rewarding lifelong career in art. Raised in Hogg’s Hollow in Toronto where trees canopied and winding roads led through the Don Valley watershed, Christine spent her days climbing ravines, tunnelling through snow banks, and communing with nature. “It was paradise,” she recalls, and the primary reason the natural world became her core subject matter.

Despite some dark moments in childhood when family upheaval ripped her away from her beloved natural surroundings to live in a starker locale, she chose to focus on the places she truly loved, finding refuge in the canvas. “It was my journey back home,” she says.

As an adult, Leicht realized she “missed the rocks and crimson landscape of Ontario,” and moved to Barrie in 1979 where she rooted herself on the north shore of Kempenfelt Bay. Here she began developing arts electives for school boards and community programs and working with special needs children.

For the last several years she has narrowed her focus to one-on-one teaching and now holds classes for small groups of youths in her homebased studio. “I give my young students a university level education of art and composition theory,” she says. “They learn the principles and elements of design. You need a balance of theory and practice, so you can learn to analyze and discover your favourite principles and elements.”

Leicht’s own personal style is all about movement, there’s an expressionistic realism to her landscapes which she accelerates by brightening contrasts. This is not an artist who subdues colour or restrains form. Her medium is oil and acrylic but she has gone through periods working in pastels and charcoal. “I put drama into my work,” she says. “Artists often become abstracted and a little looser as they age. You change your style, wanting to always push and open doors. It’s all about light and uplifting the spirit.”

Leicht divulges that the creative force flows through her in a uniquely kinesthetic manner.

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“I dance when I’m painting,” she admits. “I’m happy, I’m alone and I’m dancing and there’s a bit of synesthesia going on. Chaos enters and you lose control of the artwork, you surrender and go through the flow. If you stay with it, you come out the other side. I welcome the chaos in. If you don’t go somewhere unknown you won’t create anything new.”

The synesthesia Christine mentions is not an unknown quality in creatives. It is a sensory condition perceived by about four percent of the population where senses are intertwined. Sound, smell or taste can be experienced when encountering colour, shapes, letters, or numbers. Several famous artists and musicians have possessed it.

For Van Gogh and Kandinsky it was sound. For Christine, it is taste.

“It’s delicious,” she says. “Sweet. I get a taste in my mouth when the painting is going right.”

The viewer will experience this as well, albeit not as concretely. There is, however, a distinct mellifluousness to her work, an agreeable quality that buoys the atmosphere, and perhaps this is the reason why her work has found a place in a growing number of private collections.

To book a spot in her classes contact the Christine Leicht Art Studio through Facebook at: Facebook.com/clartstudio. See her work at the 24th Annual International Women’s Day Art Show at Orillia’s Museum of Art and History in the Mulcahy Family Gallery until April 12th.

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Monogram’s Minimalism GE Monogram launches two new luxury lines for 2020. The Minimalist and Statement suites of appliances are slated to arrive at retailers in March. In the Minimalist suite, custom all-glass kitchen appliances feature a streamlined aesthetic that reflects the growing trend in contemporary kitchens. Expansive glass, flush installation, interactive LCD screens and push-to-open oven doors eliminate the need for hardware wherever possible. monogram.ca

Syncing Circadians

Realign your natural circadian rhythms with Atelier Stōbben’s Manitoba Lamp inspired by the Kroeger clocks cherished by Old Order Mennonites.

The lamp’s light intensifies or diminishes based on the time of day.

Designer, Paul Neudorf, who grew up in a Mennonite community, takes his love of heritage design and sustainable self-sufficiency and marries it with technology and mental health to create this high fashion lighting statement. atelierstobben.com

Chilled to Perfection

The Plum Wine Dispenser is every connoisseur’s dream. Holding two bottles in separate cooling chambers, its high-tech integrated camera identifies each varietal, vintage, region and winery, then chills the wine to the perfect serving temperature. Enjoy a Chardonnay at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and a Cabernet at 66 at the same time.

A motorized needle pierces the cork, dispenses the wine and pressurizes it for preservation for up to ninety days. website: plum.wine

Have it Your Way

You draw it, they build it. Kings Distribution Inc. on Welham Road in Barrie brings your personal style to life. Canadian-made “old-school” bedroom furniture is built 100% to your specifications. Pick your wood, your stain, your style and enjoy a fully customized one-of-a-kind suite that exceeds the quality of mass production furniture from overseas that often contain toxic finishes. kingsdistribution.ca

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Side Split

REFIT

By Dawn Ritchie

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nest | home tour

The foyer doesn’t rush you into the main living area like many homes but rather offers a subtle arrival point that extends a partial glimpse into the great room above.

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t was originally a small little side split on a great lot,” says homeowner, Jeremy DeSota about his renovated 3361-square foot home in Barrie’s desirable Tollendale neighbourhood. The property lies within walking distance of Kempenfelt Bay, in close proximity to forested walking trails and minutes from the private Brentwood Marina on the banks of Lover’s Creek. The property’s sizeable yard offers room to roam for the family’s three children with extra space for raised garden beds where organic vegetables can flourish. “There’re berries and two beautiful apple trees growing up in the backyard and a plum tree in the front yard that bears fruit,” adds Jeremy.

The DeSotas have an eye for highly livable areas and their personal goals for their renovation included sustainability, net zero energy efficiency and expansion of the living area. “I like side splits,” says Jeremy. “The transitions of spaces that it provides. We started working from the footprint that was there and built off that design.”

Collaborating with Madison Taylor on the architectural work, the family sought a balance between functionality and modern clean lines, Taylor’s particular specialty. “That was our goal and I

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think we hit on it pretty well,” he says. But, as with every renovation, there were bumps along the way, including the discovery of a crumbling foundation which required a full replacement. It was the most frustrating phase of the renovation. “We couldn’t replace the foundation over the old part so we took it right down, but when all was said and done, it was better for the efficiency of the build,” Jeremy can now admit. “It ended up being a whole new build. One hundred percent new.”

The contemporary theme of the home begins at the exterior which is clad in a combination of stone, Maibec wood siding and high-density fiber cement siding called Permacon. Jeremy sourced it from the states after rejecting Hardie board which required trim he thought to be busy. “Permacon is clean,” he explains. “Instead we have this nice industrial look. This material is used for commercial building and modern contemporary homes a lot.”

Enter the front door and you encounter the first transitional space of the home. The foyer doesn’t rush you into the main living area like many homes but rather offers a subtle arrival point that extends a partial glimpse into the great room above. Directly across is entry to the office on the right which keeps business associates out of the residence proper. The blue walls of the foyer echoes the colour scheme of the living room and kitchen, which you encounter when you move two steps up into the main living area.

The great room is airy and tailored with a fivefoot-long linear gas fireplace from Montego as focal point. Enormous glass sliders and transom windows from DeCola are framed in iron ore tones. Maintaining a low carbon footprint was an important value for the DeSotas. Jeremy chose dual pane Lo ³-366 coating performance glass for solar control and high visibility. It means less heat

Call 705-721-9148

for an in-home consultation or visit our showroom at 464 Penetanguishene Road, Springwater.

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from the sun in the summer and reduced heat loss in winter.

On the opposite side of the room lies the open concept kitchen with its striking blue cabinetry and convenient pantry secreted behind paneled

On the opposite side of the room lies the open concept kitchen with its strikig blue cabinetry and convenient pantry secreted behind paneled doors that mimic tall cabinetry

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doors that mimic tall cabinets. A small section of open wood shelving signals a casual tone. A blue kitchen is something my wife has wanted for a long time,” says Jeremy. “From a design aesthetic, she wanted blue and gold.”

Designers Plus helped there with the AquaBrass fixtures that feature the contrast of the two colours found on opposite sides of the colour wheel.

Countertops are veined Cambria Britannica Quartz. Backsplash and flooring is from TileMaster and lighting fixtures are from Canada Lighting Experts. Appliances throughout are Kitchen Aid professional line with the exception of a double oven from JennAire. The couple chose to install two dishwashers, one on either side of the kitchen sink so that while one was running, another could still be loaded, eliminating dirty dishes piling up in the sink, a common bugaboo that torments many cooks.

Off the great room, you find yourself in the dining room, which Jeremy has dubbed “the home’s command center.” Like dining rooms of yore, this room serves many masters. A sprawling live edge dining table with chairs and bench from Beaver Hardwood is the spot for family dinners, entertaining and school work. Over it hangs an elegant rose gold pendant.

While there’s a lot going on here, the room is perfectly organized and remains remarkably clean and uncluttered. “There’s a cubby for each of the kid’s homework and projects,” says Jeremy.

“Everything goes in the calendar there. Family events etc. There’s another board for posting

Handbags, Shoes, Belts & Wallets from Portugal

400 Bayfield St. Barrie (705) 733-8161 Info@cavalinho.ca

Cavalinho.ca

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school newsletters, memory work, birthday parties and so on. And on the opposite wall is the coffee bar.” This attention to detail in designing around authentic family living has been the mission of the DeSotas in all their renovations, (this is their sixth). A modern contemporary style is the theme, but it isn’t the design style that dictates their lifestyle, rather, the reverse.

An important space for this family of five was the 20 x 25-foot family room a half level down from the dining room. This floor encompasses the TV viewing area and a spacious play area big enough for cartwheels. The room, which has two doors leading to it, was heavily insulated with interior soundproofing so that play-time wouldn’t impinge on adult time, especially during the frequent social and business gatherings this family enjoys. “You can shove a whole bunch of kids in that room and just close the doors,” says Jeremy.

“Adults can still have a conversation.” A radiant floor heating system here keeps everyone cozy.

Adjoining the space is the mudroom which is filled with cubbies and hooks for coats, shoes and

The master is situated a floor above on its own level, directly over the kitchen and dining room.

Separate from the children’s bedrooms, it also permits privacy and solitude for adult time.

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recreational gear, rallying all the potential chaos in one neat area.

The master is situated a floor above on its own level, directly over the kitchen and dining room.

Separate from the children’s bedrooms, it also permits privacy and solitude for adult time. A walkout deck off the bedroom overlooks the backyard below for lounging.

The ensuite is luxurious, featuring a quartz vanity, marble tiles in the walk-in spa shower with his and her shower heads and a rain head in the middle. There’s also a sleek standalone soaker tub.

A walk-in closet stores the wardrobe and is accessed from directly inside the bathroom. The second-floor laundry room is conveniently placed nearer to the children’s rooms which share a common bath.

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Keeping your smile happy and healthy for life.

• dentistry for all ages • sleep dentistry for kids • same-day dental implants • conscious IV sedation

• teeth whitening • wisdom teeth extraction or • orthodontics • emergency appointments

We believe in your smile.

To complete their build, the basement was fully finished and supplied with radiant floor heating, offering an additional bedroom, four-piece bath, kitchenette with full-sized fridge, a recreation room and fitness space.

But once their dream house was finally complete, the DeSotas suddenly had a change of heart and set their sights on a new challenge. The call of the south was beckoning. “Neither of us is in love with winter,” says Jeremy. “As soon as the kids are out of school we’re heading out for a year of family travel. Everything goes into storage and away we go. Then we’ll see where we land. It’s an opportunity for the kids to visit the Caribbean, Central America and Europe.”

For a lucky new homeowner, they leave behind a carefully planned family home which was designed to circumvent problems, instead of creating them.

214 Jean Street is now on the market, represented by Engel & Volkers Barrie Brokerage.

We always offer a free no obligation consultation.

Check out our 5 STAR reviews on Google!

370 Bayview Dr., Barrie 705.315.3000 • barriesmilecentre.com mysmilecentre

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nest

y a Aw ROME The

Road from

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“I

By Dawn Ritchie

took out fourteen pillars and not one was structural,” says homeowner Terry Carpenter, about the massive renovation on his Springwater bungalow. “It looked like Rome in there.”

The offending pillars were all decorative and many emerged out of knee walls that divided the main level into little pockets of space. “I bought the house with the intention of gutting the main floor,” says Terry. “They were the first thing I took out. I cut them in half and ripped them out. Some were MDF. Others were made of pine.”

Ubiquitous arches also multiplied like rabbits.

Windows, doors, the fireplace surround, dividing walls, even the built-in niches in the living area and cabinetry were all curvy. In the master suite, a gratuitous arch with square pillars laid claim to the wall above the bed. A set of double arched windows in the bathroom also sported an architectural embellishment and was accompanied by two more pillars stalking the soaker tub. Trim work was similarly busy, with bulky window casements, geometric wainscoting and baseboards that bore graduated steps climbing up the wall, leaving no flourish left untested.

Terry, who gets much of his inspiration from the online design site, Houzz, had one goal in mind: lose all the Romanesque stylings and transform his new home into an open concept contemporary showplace that reflected today’s modern, minimalist tastes. The bathroom was immediately tamed, squared up and an elegant Mirolin standalone tub installed. (Plumbing supplies from Bardon Plumbing in Barrie.)

Ridding the main floor of the sunken living room was high on the priority list too. Terry wanted

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the entire floor to sit on one contiguous level to create good flow. The favoured approached was to lower the smaller kitchen area to meet the sunken living room. The kitchen, which had cookie cutter cabinetry sported rounded cabinets and was going to be overhauled anyway. But a steel beam underneath the kitchen threw a monkey wrench into that plan. “It was physically impossible, we couldn’t take that beam out,” Terry says. “So, we just raised the living room instead.”

This meant removal of the great room’s fireplace

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which would have ended up being positioned half way below the floor line. In its stead, Terry installed a 72-inch Regency linear fireplace higher on the wall and found a new spot for the original fireplace in the master bedroom, replacing a smaller one that already existed there.

Chris Bowman’s company, Majestic Custom Built, did much of the demo and construction work, including framing, drywall, installation of wood and tile flooring, exterior windows and doors, and plumbing. The team built a deck

overtop of the sunken section and laid new flooring across the entire level. James Jubenvill of Infinite Designs & Interiors constructed a long, low strip of custom cabinetry beneath the fireplace, which runs the full length of the living room wall. Modern white oak was the choice for the hardwood which was laid from kitchen to dining room to great room—sourced from North Country Floors in Barrie.

The arched windows throughout the home were all switched out for square modern LePage California-styled black profile windows (Windows First, supplier). “All the windows have drywall returns,” Terry explains. “There’s no trim and no casing around any windows.” This change required new stuccoing on the exterior, which was ably finessed by Mike Brezik of Stucco Systems. Rainers Siding and Installation finished the soffits, facia, and eves troughs.

Doors came next. The double front entry doors were disposed of and a single eight foot by 42-inch door with side lights and transom was installed. “We took that from round to square too,” says Terry. “I went with all eight-foot, shaker style doors throughout the house and painted them all black.”

Gleaming porcelain tile in the foyer now offsets

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download our

new

The curvy cabinets are now gone and two floor-toceiling banks of white and wood accented cabinets and drawers stock everything a gourmet chef could dream of.

the black accents delivering a fresh, clean look.

Even the doors on the three-car garage were changed. Terry replaced all three with a modern profile with four lights in each door (Protech Overhead Doors.)

The kitchen was the biggest nightmare in the renovation, by far. But it wasn’t the structural surprises that caused it. It was a difficult contractor.

A buddy had asked Terry if he could throw some work to a friend. Terry was aware of a previous job completed by this contractor and agreed.

“He started and everything looked good in the beginning,” says Terry. “But then he stopped showing up for work. I tried to be patient. I’d feed him money to move to the next step, he’d come in for a few days then not show up again.”

These delays upended Terry’s entire timeline.

Top Choice Award WINNER 2019 (FOR THE THIRD TIME)

705.721.5800 • skinsational.ca 65 Cedar Point Drive, Unit 801, Barrie, ON GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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DOWNTOWN BARRIE

downtownbarrie.ca

The trim carpenters couldn’t get their work done and each delay tumbled on down the line toppling everyone’s schedule. Electricians, plumbers, and installers all experienced setbacks. A renovation that was scheduled for 12 weeks now stretched into nine months, which meant that Terry had to move into the property mid-renovation, which he had not planned on doing.

Unfortunately, it’s a common scenario experienced by many homeowners. The difficult decision to cut your losses and move on weighs heavy. But Terry finally made the hard decision to fire him. “We didn’t even get all the materials we paid for,” he says. “He left me high and dry.”

Fortunately, Infinite Designs and Interiors came to the rescue and brought the kitchen renovation spectacularly to the finish line.

The curvy cabinets are now gone and two floor-to-ceiling banks of white and wood accented cabinets and drawers stock everything a gourmet chef could dream of. A four-seater kitchen island with quartz countertop acts as the sole division between the great room and kitchen now. Lit by round glass bowl pendants, the kitchen has become a focal point, not a hidden grotto.

Terry opted for high-end Thermador industrial appliances, with 6 burners on the range, a grill and two ovens, one steam, one convection, plus a warming tray and a 40-inch seamless hood over the range. A Miele built-in coffeemaker and 39 dB silent Bosch dishwasher fill out the equipment.

“You can’t even hear that dishwasher,” says Terry.

“You wouldn’t know it was running unless you saw the light indicator on the floor.” (TA Appliances sourced the appliances except for the range hood which came from Vancouver.)

BRA FITTING & PROSTHETICS PROFESSIONALS

84 Dunlop Street E., Barrie • 705-739-0990 • bravofinelingerie.com

6 Thursdays over 6 months 6 $50 gift certificates with multiple chances to win Weekly giveaways and extended hours to 7pm Come downtown...we know you love it. This is just one more reason.

Downtown Barrie www.zuzufashionboutique.com

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The only change made here was the addition of a home theatre, which Terry outfitted with lounges on risers for unobstructed viewing.

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DOWNTOWN BARRIE

4 Quinn Street in Springwater is now on the market, represented by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada.

downtownbarrie.ca

With black fixtures and white walls in Sherwin Williams’ Eider White, using Benjamin Moore paint, the congested look is gone and the contemporary transformation, complete.

“The basement, I didn’t touch much,” says Terry. That level was already an entertainer’s paradise with a games room with pool and foosball, wine room, lounge, wet bar, fitness area, office and extra bedroom and washroom perfect for teenagers. The only change made here was the addition of a home theatre, which Terry outfitted with lounges on risers for unobstructed viewing.

“We had my daughter’s 25th birthday down there,” says Terry. “There were easily fifty people.

The theme was drinks and food from around the world. We had stations all throughout the basement, the Mexico stand had margaritas and nacho dips. France had champagne and a cheese platter. Spain had tapas and sangria. For USA, it was sliders and beer and so on.”

The exterior of the property continues to be party central, with a pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, cabana, fire pit and even a standalone fountain. The family has held catered pig roasts there for sixty people with ping pong and horseshoe tournaments followed by bonfires. “It’s a big property,” says Terry, “Truly an entertainer’s dream house. We’ve had a great time here.”

“BEST TASTE OF INDIA” -Toronto Star “MOST DELICIOUS BUTTER CHICKEN” ~TV Guide

Since 1989

Voted Barrie’s Favorite Indian Restaurant

lunch buffet $16.99

SIMCOE’S FAVOURITE BURGER 2 locations in Barrie

40 Dunlop St. E • 511 Bryne Dr.

705-725-1667 KENZINGTON.CA

Barrie - Bradford - Orillia KenzingtonBurgerBar

@KenzBurgerBar

128 DUNLOP ST. E., DOWNTOWN BARRIE 737.1821

1982 VINTAGE NTAGE ROLEX GMT-MA ASTER 16750 $12,980.0 00 CAD. E12789

CUSTOM DESIGN GNS SINCE1958 Over 60 years in n e Downtown Barrie

See more e vintage pieces at BillLeBoeufJewellers.com Custom Design | Gold Buying | Vintage intage Jewellery Specialists | Jewellery Repairs Discover our services at BillLeBoeufJewellers.com

52 Dunlop Street West | Downtown Barrie 705-728-3343 GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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Kim Callahan

LOCAL EXPERTS • GLOBAL REACH 4 1 6 . 9 0 0 . S E L L ( 7 3 5 5 ) | W W W. C A L L A H A N PAT E L . C O M

Sales Representative kcallahan@sothebysrealty.ca | d 705.229.9336

4 QUINN ST, SPRINGWATER | MLS 30796500 $1,788,800 Renovated 3,000 sq ft bungalow with inground pool, cabana, outdoor kitchen, sports court, wine cellar, home theatre. This issue’s Featured Home.

30 KELL PLACE, BARRIE MLS S469617

1030 CORNER AVE, INNISFIL MLS N4658609

53 CARLEY CRESCENT, BARRIE MLS S4689284

2781 INNISFIL BEACH ROAD, INNISFIL MLS N4529797

$579,000 Bungalow in desirable Kingswood neighbourhood

$649,000 Large lot, backs on to greenspace, heated workshop

$729,000 Fully finished bungalow, large kitchen with granite countertops

$1,685,000 50 Acres, cape cod style home, heated workshop, artesian well and 2 ponds

28 MOUNTBATTEN CRESCENT, BARRIE MLS S4611737

8438 9 COUNTY ROAD, CREEMORE MLS S4611754

74 MARSELLUS DR, BARRIE MLS 30792418

$949,900 Beautiful well kept home over 3000 sq ft finished with inground pool

$3,900,000 15 Acre Country Estate, Stunning Gardens, Chef’s Kitchen, 3 Car Coach House with Apartment

$689,900 Bright South Barrie bungalow offers 2,325 sq. ft with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, backyard oasis with inground pool

Dee Patel

Isabel Crickard

Sales Representative

Sales Representative

1867 Yonge Street, Suite 100 Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Y5

E&O.E: This information is from sources which we deem reliable, but must be verified by prospective Purchasers and may be subject to change or withdrawal. Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, Brokerage. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Not intended to solicit properties currently listed for sale.*Sales Representative

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PEOPLE PLACES THINGS

splurge

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Ital Paving Serving Barrie & Surrounding Area | 705-722-0765 | www.italpaving.ca

“

A beautifully paved driveway can help enhance your property value by adding to the curb appeal of your home or business.

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A beautifully paved driveway can help enhance your property value by adding to the curb appeal of your home or business, Says Niki Pickett, President of Ital Paving (1985) Ltd. A well - kept driveway or entranceway shows customers you care about them, their safety, and their business. A well-maintained exterior can also inspire customers to deal with your company.

“Whether you own a store, business or a warehouse, the state of your parking lot and entranceway is a reflection of your company,” says Niki. “If you own a spa, flower shop or medical office, you want the exterior of your business to reflect the cleanliness and beauty of the interior.”

Then there is the issue of safety. Cracked or crumbling pavement can be a safety hazard and a liability for business owners, but the good news is, it’s something that can be repaired, renewed or made over from scratch with the help of the Ital Paving team.

Since 1985, Ital Paving has been providing

residential, commercial and industrial clients with top quality construction and paving services in Barrie, Central Ontario and Cottage Country. Voted as Favourite Paving Company, The Ital Paving team can evaluate the condition of your asphalt and recommend the best solution and provide a cost estimate for repair, removal or replacement of asphalt surfaces. Having a skilled crew can also guarantee the best outcome possible for your projects.

Ital Paving is proud to use the best materials from trusted manufacturers, along with state-of-the-art equipment and modern techniques which ensures their experienced team finishes each project on time and budget. “Having large and small equipment means we can adapt to any space and offer superior results.” says Niki.

Contact us for a free estimate and noobligation consultation about your asphalt paving needs in Barrie, Central Ontario, and Cottage Country.

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Gravity owner & Master Colourist and Stylist, Ivo Tiberio, wants to thank our amazing community for voting Gravity as Barrie’s Favourite Hair Salon for the third year in a row. “Having a successful and thriving team and business in Barrie is a dream come true! Receiving this award and being recognized by my community is an absolute honour that I take so much pride in,” says Ivo. Gravity Salon is located in a stunning century home in the heart of downtown Barrie, and houses an elite team of stylists, many of them also working as national and international Guest Artists and Educators for Goldwell and KMS. “Each of the 7 stylists encompasses their own individual flare and expertise and we believe that there is a little something to suit everyone’s style here. We have a small-town feel with nothing short of a big-city talent, and this is exactly the vibe we want, “ says Ivo. Feeling so grateful to have been awarded Barrie’s Favourite Hair Salon for three consecutive years. We invite you to come find out why!

Gravity Salon Professionals AWARDED BARRIE’S FAVOURITE FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE YEARS! 206 Bradford St., Barrie | 705.252.3992 www.gravitysalonprofessionals.ca

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“

Download our new App for great promotions, easy bookings & appointment reminders as well as motivational messages to start your day off on the right pampered foot!

“We offer a wide range of anti-aging services starting from the base up radio frequency and Microneedling to build collagen, muscle toning to give you a non-invasive face lift.”

Skinsational Day Spa—Your Escape from the Ordinary If you want to look and feel your best and take a mini vacation while doing so, head to Skinsational Inc. Day Spa. Skinsational is renowned as Barrie’s premier day spa offering the finest in traditional and contemporary spa treatments and products; voted as“Best Day Spa in Barrie.”

“Skinsational has a welcoming décor with warm colours, cozy rooms and a smiling staff—it’s like coming home,” says Owner Darlene Price. “After their treatment, I want them to feel special and their best self.”

Darlene and her team have been making people feel special for over 30 years.

“I feel the staff at Skinsational make us unique,” states Darlene. “They make our clients feel like family. I am so proud of the fact that myself and my staff continue to keep up with the newest natural innovations to keep our clients looking and feeling their best. And the clients obviously appreciate it as we keep winning awards year after year.”

The top three services offered are the specialized/customized facials, pedicures and hair removal of all types.

SKINSATIONAL DAY SPA & SKIN CARE 65 Cedar Point Drive, Unit 801, Barrie | 705.721.5800 www.skinsational.ca

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“There are many “Skinsational” treatments to choose from for every skin type, from IPL for broken capillaries and pigmentation to Microneedling for anti-aging and acne scarring and our new Retinol facial for those with problem breakouts,” explains Darlene. “We offer a wide range of anti-aging services starting from the base up radio frequency and Microneedling to build collagen, muscle toning to give you a non-invasive face lift, and microdermabrasion and hydration treatments for a glowing skin. Our Vie Line is a more cosmeceutical line for anti-aging. It is designed for the discerning client that is looking to avoid invasive procedures.”

Darlene was just 18 years old when she opened a spa in Owen Sound and then moved to Barrie in 1988 to establish Skinsational. “We started as 500 square feet and two aestheticians and now have 3,000 square feet, nine aestheticians, two massage therapists and a hypnotherapist,” says Darlene. “Our youngest client is three years old and came in for a Princess Manicure and we have a regular client who is 98 and we just love her. And we are seeing more men come in all the time.”

Asked what surprises clients most about Skinsational, Darlene answers; “People are often surprised that I still work full time on clients. I really love that aspect—it’s my favourite part of my job as I love making people feel great!”

Skinsational Spa and Skin Care is located at 65 Cedar Pointe Drive, Unit 802 in Barrie, skinsational.ca

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Dulux Paints Showroom in Bayfield Mall THE ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR DECORATING NEEDS

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DULUX PAINTS at 320 Bayfield Street in Barrie is more than just a paint store. Customers are offered full-service advice on everything from wall colour to custom window fashion selection and professional installation.

CHRIS TROWELL has worked at Dulux for over twenty years, providing free in-home consultations to help customers select the right style and fabric for their blind and shutter needs.

“After a brief conversation with the client, I can usually determine which samples to present,” says Chris. “Once the selection has been narrowed, I follow up with a free onsite visit to confirm that the colour choice and style are suitable for the openings. It’s important to see the fabric sample in the environment where it will be used, as style, lighting and existing wall colour will influence the final look. Determining the purpose of the window covering and attention to detail is key in providing customer satisfaction. I try to make the process as exciting, yet as stress-free and easy as possible.”

Motorization is a key trend for 2020 and has become increasingly popular. “It’s offered at a much more affordable price point than most people think,” states Chris. “It won’t be long before cords will be a thing of the past, thus

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“Our mission is to customize a look to your personal needs, at an affordable price. Our customer service and competitive pricing are what has made DULUX such a success!” increasing the safety of our children and pets.

Many new homes are now being hardwired for smart blinds, but don’t worry if yours is not, as blind manufacturers such as CANADIAN OWNED MAXXMAR WINDOW FASHIONS have a variety of battery-operated window treatments and currently still offer corded and manually-operated cordless options.”

CUSTOM BLINDS at DULUX are just that— CUSTOM--in design, colour, purpose and look to suit every décor and style preference.“Our mission is to customize a look to your personal needs, at an affordable price. Our customer service and competitive pricing are what has made DULUX such a success!”

Visit the DULUX PAINTS showroom at 320 Bayfield Street in Barrie to book a free in-home consultation with ChrisTrowell to learn more about the latest window fashion trends and products to meet your needs and budget. No time to drop by? No problem—Chris can also be reached at 705-726-5396 or at christrowell@rogers.com. www.duluxpaintbarrie.com.

Dulux Paints Bayfield Mall 320 Bayfield St 705-726-5396 duluxpaintsbarrie.com GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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Cosmetics & Anti-Aging

Hormone Therapy, HRT

Skin Conditions

TrueMedica Health Pharmacy Owner, Pharmacist Sherif Girgis

TrueMedica Health Pharmacy staff are excited to bring back the lost art of creating custom, compounded medications to Barrie.

“

We still practise the time proven and most trusted art of compounding medications using modern and advanced technologies to prepare the most suitable and customized medication.

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Sherif Girgis, Pharmacist and owner of TrueMedica Health Pharmacy, affectionately known by some as ‘Master Chef Sherif’. This is because of his specialty in the time proven practice of compounding to create customized and suitable medications based on a client’s prescription specific to their needs and preferences.

“Like a chef, I like the art of cooking and creating something that often doesn’t exist,” says Sherif. “Compounding has almost become a lost art over the last 50 years, but compounding has incredible benefits for my clients. The main reasons for compounding include ingredient alteration, alternate dosage forms, compounding

for drug shortages, strength variations, allergies or intolerance to lactose, adjusting the taste, and compounding for animals. Compounding is making a positive difference in improving lives.

Compounding for pain relief, management of chronic pain, headaches, joint pain, sports injuries and more: Everyone experiences some sort of pain in their lives, others struggle daily with chronic pain or the side effects of pain medication. Every individual is unique, and the types of pain experienced can be equally diverse. We offer our clients customized options for pain treatment options; by working with a Compounding Pharmacist, your health-care provider can prescribe treatments tailored specifically for your pain management needs.

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Topical pain and inflammation gels and creams offer practical advantages over tablets for some patients and is at the very least, as effective as the oral form. It can even be superior and does not have the same harmful side effects on the stomach, kidneys and other internal organs.

Compounding Therapy (HRT):

for

Hormone

Animal Compounding

Dental Compounding

Pediatric Compounding

Anti-Aging Compounding

Pain Compounding

Hormone Compounding

Replacement

Anyone who has been through puberty knows that hormones have a powerful effect on one’s body. They affect your mood, metabolism, and your sexual reproductive functions. If your hormones become unbalanced, whether due to menopause or other factors, you may end up feeling like a stranger in your own skin. Compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to restore balance and help you feel like yourself again.

“It’s not selfish to put myself first and it is not selfish to take care of myself,” is a favourite quote

by Robin McGraw.

Compounding for skin conditions: The practice of compounding has long been a major part of dermatology - from cosmetics to skin care and custom prescriptions. Throughout our lives we often experience one or more of these skin conditions: acne, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, hives, scars and age marks. Like a fingerprint, no two skin types are alike and therefore medication for skin care treatment like acne, isn’t suitable for all.

Other compounding purposes: An experienced and highly trained Compounding Pharmacist can make all the difference in your health care. Sherif begins with a consultation with both client and caregiver to discuss their allergies and past medical history. In doing this, he is able to determine what worked and what didn’t. He is a strong believer in client empowerment, which is the model where clients get educated about their conditions and treatment options so they can be the centre of their health-related decisions.

Sherif communicates with the physician or individual prescribing, to discuss the plan and get approval for prescriptions. With over 15 years of experience, he has assisted clients and worked with their insurance providers to get compounded medications covered, where applicable.

TrueMedica Health Pharmacy is a small independent pharmacy with a big heart, locally located in the Springwater Marketplace at 411 Bayfield Street, Unit B12 in Barrie.

411 Bayfield St,. Barrie 705.503.8783 www.truemedica.ca

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Barrie Smile Centre WE BELIEVE IN YOUR SMILE!

“We offer a full suite of specialized services as well as traditional dental services. We offer it all under the same roof! Everything you and your family need, when they need it, in one familiar location!”

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We believe in smiles. They’re instrumental to your confidence, your happiness and, most importantly, your overall health. There’s an important relationship between oral health and your overall wellness. Having poor oral health can affect your whole body; and dental problems can also indicate other disease processes. This is why we are committed to using all the technology available to us to diagnose and assess dental disease.

Keeping your smile healthy helps keep you healthy. And that’s important to us.

Once we give our patients their tour of their mouth, we talk to them about their smile goals! Whether that is regular cleaning and maintenance or a whole new look we can help!

Welcome to Smile Centre—a community of dental professionals with locations across the GTA and central Ontario. We’re a family of dentists, specialists and colleagues with your best interest in mind.

We’re also your neighbours, and like you, we value a personalized doctor-patient relationship. Patient-centred care is at the heart of our practice. Our local teams work with you to find the perfect treatment for your dental health, and we carry out our commitment to you using state-of-the-art technology and advanced dental care— all in a friendly, comfortable environment.

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Dentistry Education For Kids

Preventative Dentistry From preventative dentistry and regular dental maintenance to root canals and wisdom tooth extractions, Smile Centre is home to all of the treatments of a traditional family practice. Under the same roof, you’ll also find a full suite of specialized services— surgical and sedation dentistry for both adults and children, dentures and implants, cosmetic dentistry and Smile Makeovers—so we can provide you with everything you need, when you need it, in one familiar place.

“We believe in your smile and keeping your smile happy and healthy for life.”

We take great pride in what we do, and how we do it. Together, we can navigate your journey to lifelong dental health.

Let us help you bring out your happiest, healthiest SMILE.

370 Bayview Dr., Barrie 705.315.3000 barriesmilecentre.com mysmilecentre

General Dentistry

Family Dentistry

Before

Before

Before

After

After

After

Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental Implants

Teeth Whitening

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Mercer Equipment Inc IS BARRIE’S PREMIER LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT STORE 28 Currie St 705-503-3535 | 431 Bayview Drive 705-734-0202 | mercerequipment.ca Jamie Mercer and his wife Tara founded the company 12 years ago to service the golf and landscape industry, but soon saw a need for a retail division. Three years ago they opened their doors to the retail industry. Mercer Equipment was proudly voted as Barrie’s Favourite Lawn and Garden Equipment Company in the recent Readers’ Choice Awards.

“Our customer’s needs always have and always will be our top priority,” says Jamie.

“I am proud of our staff who have made us what we are today. What makes us unique is that we genuinely care about our customers. We are passionate about providing excellent customer service and top-quality workmanship.”

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“We listen to the needs of our customer and find the right solution for their needs,” adds Jamie. “Our top selling brands are Husqvarna, Stilh, Toro and Echo. We carry about 95 per cent of their product lines and if we don’t have what you want, we can order it. Our mission is to be everyone’s first choice when it comes to all of your lawn and garden power equipment needs.”

An innovative solution for easy lawn care is the new line of robotic Husqvarna Auto Mowers. “We come out and install the initial run tracer wires to keep the robotic mower away from your garden and pathways, and you just turn it on and away it goes,” says Jamie. “It automatically cuts the grass day and night! Customers are also enjoying our battery series of mowers, trimmers, blowers

and chainsaws because there’s no gas or power cords required.

Trimmers, blowers, mowers, snowblowers and chain saws--no matter what piece of equipment you need for residential or commercial lawn care, the qualified team at Mercer Equipment will help you find the right equipment for the job.

No matter what size property you have, Mercer Equipment Inc. have the right products, brands and service to help you have a lawn that’s the envy of your neighbourhood!

Mercer Equipment Inc. is your one-stop shop for all your lawn and garden power equipment needs, specializing in sales, service and warranty repair for most major brands. And there are now two convenient locations in Barrie.

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“Our customer’s needs always have and always will be our top priority,” says Jamie.

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Total Living Concepts Dream Team Offer Award-Winning Design Solutions 464 Penetanguishene Rd., Springwater | 705-721-9148 | www.totallivingconcepts.com Glen Prairie, Owner and Design Consultant at Total Living Concepts, along with his “Dream Team”, are celebrating 27 years of providing award-winning design solutions for their clients as Barrie’s home renovation and design specialists.

Glen is an award-winning kitchen designer whose work has been featured in national publications such as Canadian Living Magazine.

“Myself and Celeste Pilon, who has been on the team for 11 years, are both Certified Kitchen Designers with our BCIN designations (Ontario Building Code Identification Numbers) which means that we are qualified to review and approve permit drawings,” says Glen. “There are 14 people on our team and I am proud of our talented designers Celeste, Erin Tribe and design assistant Kristine, who translate your ideas into reality; Chris Conway our Project Coordinator, Robert Tolles our 48

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Construction Manager, our general carpenters Brian, Jody, Brad, Richard, Tim and our sub-trades who all help bring those dreams to life.”

Total Living Concepts was founded in 1993, initially as a kitchen and bath design renovation company, but soon evolved into a full-service home renovation company. The name speaks to the total concept of design and build for all of the home.

“We care about providing excellent customer service and this starts with good communication in listening to what people want in a design,” says Glen. “We sit down with clients and ask a lot of questions about likes and dislikes, wishes and needs, their lifestyle, and specifically, what they do in that space. Do they enjoy cooking and entertaining, are they a busy family that require special storage? From there we can present

the client with a variety of options. Taking the time to understand the customer’s needs and wishes – and comprehensive planning is the key to designing a beautiful, comfortable and functional space.”

Glen is also a Certified Living in Place designer who offers clients solutions to stay in their homes longer. “It’s all about creating solutions,” says Glen.

“As long as you have four walls, we can transform anything. Many older homes in Barrie have smaller rooms that do not accommodate for future needs.

We can take out walls to create open-concept designs or repurpose rooms to make them more functional. We are passionate about keeping up with the latest technologies that is evolving in the market to offer the best solutions to meet our clients’needs.”

Photos on right by natkay.com

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CAA Barrie Extraordinary Explorations ®

Expert Team Creating Unique Travel Experiences

Pack your bags, forget your worries and allow us to show you our planet.

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“What surprises many people - what I hear in the community - is that we have a full-service travel agency on the premises,” says Jodie Winter, Manager of CAA Barrie.

“Our experienced travel agents can book cruises, airfare, hotels, resorts, provide travel insurance and more. We are a onestop shop for all your travel needs.”

Yet another delightful surprise is that CAA Travel offers Extraordinary Explorations experience-based travel programs where members can explore immersive cultural and culinary experiences around the world. “We have organized Extraordinary Explorations®

trips to Peru, Africa and Italy where we climbed Machu Pichu and made pasta at a villa in Italy. Members can also come to us with an idea and we can customize a trip. There are many advantages of group travel, including cost savings, the social aspect and safety in numbers. Anywhere you can imagine, we can take you there!”

Having the right travel insurance is especially important now with the recent change in OHIP out-of-country coverage.

Many people have coverage through credit cards, but be sure to read the fine print and know exactly what you are covered for. Our agents can recommend

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coverage that’s right for your needs.

This aligns with the CAA motto; “We are Obsessed with Member Safety.”

CAA travel agents are registered TICO members (Travel Industry Council of Ontario), a regulating body for the travel industry that protects the consumer.

“Sometimes people book vacations online and get there and find out it’s not what they thought it would be. Our agents have often visited the resorts and can make recommendations. Our preferred vendor partners such as Air Canada Vacations and Royal Caribbean Cruises also offer our Members various perks or discounts.”

CAA Barrie is located at 70 Barrie View Drive, Unit 2 in Barrie, www.caasco.com/ store-locator/Barrie/CAA-Barrie.

CAA Travel Insurance is underwritten by Orion Travel Insurance Company.

TICO Ont. Reg. #50014517 #50014518. CAA Travel (South Central Ontario) Inc., 60 Commerce Valley Drive East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 7P9. ®CAA trademarks are owned by, and use is authorized by the Canadian Automobile Association. ®Extraordinary Explorations is a registered trademark of CAA Club Group.

70 Barrie View Drive, Barrie 705.726.1803 • www.caasco.com

Jackie ext. 38156, Charlotte ext. 38158, Sheri ext. 38157 GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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Qing’s Cuisine SZECHUEN, MONGOLIAN & THAI CUISINE 610 Huronia Rd., Unit 9, Barrie | 705.503.6610 | www.qingscuisine.com

This popular 40-seat family run Asian restaurant serves up a delicious array of Chinese, Thai and Mongolian dishes. With more than 20 years of culinary experience, Qing Ni has worked in cities all over the word like Toronto, Collingwood, Vancouver, Shanghai and California. Finally in 2014, after so many years of dedicated hard work, Chef Qing, along with his dynamic wife Lien Tran opened up their doors in Barrie’s south end.

“Our food philosophy is freshness above all. We prepare everything from scratch daily so there’s lots of chopping going on in our kitchen, and we only use the highest quality ingredients,” says Tran. Along with fresh Asian food, local diners are drawn to the eatery for the service. The menu is large and varied and there’s really something for everyone.

We also cater to diners who are glutenfree and/ or vegan. “My husband Qing has a real passion for cooking and always has. I know most of my customers on a first-name basis,” says Tran with a smile. “We treat our diners like family.”

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Olive Oil Co. Barrie & Newmarket Delicious • HealtHy • simple Barrie Downtown, 45 Dunlop St. East 705-503-6457 Barrie South, 31 Commerce Park Dr. 705-792-0300 Newmarket Upper Canada Mall 905-235-7645 OliveOilCo.ca

Olive Oil Co Barrie and Newmarket is a locally-owned and award-winning business that started with the first location in Downtown Barrie in April 2015. Since that time we have expanded to 3 locations: Barrie Olive Oil Downtown at 45 Dunlop Street East Barrie Olive Oil South at 31 Commerce Park Road Newmarket Olive Oil in Upper Canada Mall’s Market & Co. We import the very best olive oil from around the world and balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy. Our olive oils and balsamics are of the highest premium quality available worldwide – over 75 varieties – and our customer focus ensures that clients feel welcomed and valued and go home with something they love and know how to use. We also offer online purchasing with shipping across Canada.

Additionally we create gourmet baskets and customized corporate gifts with our extensive line of gourmet foods and can help you put together beautiful gifts for wedding favours and company rewards as well as special gifts for friends, family, colleagues and clients across Canada.

If you are looking for something fun to do consider dropping by for a taste experience you will never forget or, for a more in-depth experience, book a Private Tasting for your group and learn all about using olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as health benefits and cooking tips while tasting with food!

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Sigrid’s Cafe & Fine Bakery A TRADITIONAL EUROPEAN BAKERY 10 Ross Street, Barrie | 705.726.0121 | www.sigridsbakery.com

Gluten-Free

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Nothing says spring is here and Easter is near like Marzipan filled eggs, perfectly hand crafted and decorated cookies and cakes!

Here at Sigrid’s baking is a never-ending art form. Since 1983 we have been a proud family-owed bakery in downtown Barrie. All our baked breads and pastries are made from scratch with all natural ingredients, the way it used to be done!

We invite you to join us in our cheerful lunch and tea room and treat yourself to a savoury soup and sandwich with homemade bread and buns. We have specialty European coffees and authentic pastries to put a smile on any face.

We pride ourselves in offering a large variety of 100% peanut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free products as well as diabetic cookies and cheesecakes guaranteed to please.

We bake fresh daily with no preservatives.

From our sunflower, multigrain, raisin bread and classic loaf and buns to our Florentine pastry, almond crescents, macaroons and famous gluten-free brownies, we are confident you’ll be back again and again!

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 3:38 PM

www.kolani.ca

The Largest Showroom in Barrie 88 Saunders Road • 705-733-2333

SPECIALS UP TO 40% OFF BRAND NAME KITCHEN & NOW OPEN BATH FIXTURES FOR LESS

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REDLINE BREWERY PUTS ADOPTABLE DOGS ON CANS

Redline Brewhouse in Barrie is putting photos of older adoptable dogs on its Idle Coast pale lager cans. The local brewery teamed up with Finding Them Homes to help adopt some senior dogs in our region. “I heard about a brewery in North Dakota who put a few dogs on its cans and it was such an amazing thing,” explained Darci Williams who owns and operates the craft brewery with her family.

Along with helping to find four-legged friends their forever homes, a portion of the beer cans sold will go to Finding them Homes (findingthemhomes.com). Redline suds are available at the Brewhouse (431 Bayview, Unit 8 & 9, Barrie) or at select LCBO stores. For information call (705)881-9988 or visit redlinebrewhouse.com.

ENJOY MAPLE WEEKEND

The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association will be hosting the fifth annual Maple Weekend on April 4 to 5, 2020 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Sugar shacks involved in Maple Weekend can be found across the province in a number of maple syrup producing areas. Maple weekend gives visitors a first-hand opportunity to see how the liquid gold is produced, from tree to table, along with the chance to taste and purchase quality maple products. For a list of participating local sugar bushes visit mapleweekend.ca.

THE FARMHOUSE OFFERS WINE DEALS

The Farmhouse’s latest wine promotion is sure to put a spring in your step. Starting immediately, all vino bottles will be $20 over cost, and house wines will be a buck an ounce. “Most restaurants put a 200 to 300 per cent mark up on wines,” explained Farmhouse owner and celebrity chef Randy Feltis.

“We’re simply adding a $20 flat rate markup.

So, a $15 bottle will be sold for $35, and a $60 bottle will go for $80. Overall, it’s a better value the more you spend.” Cheers to that!

That Farmhouse is located at 268 Bradford St, Barrie. (705)737-0522, thefarmhouse.ca.

FLYING MONKEYS IS ON TOP

The folks at Barrie’s own Flying Monkeys brewery have reason to celebrate! The local brewery’s Juicy Ass IPA has consistently ranked as the number one craft beer in Ontario over the past six months at the LCBO.

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local flavour

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MICHAEL & MARIONS/THE SIDE DOOR

Celebrating 30 years IN THE KITCHEN WITH KENT SMITH

By Katherine Elphick | Photos by Ellie Kistemaker

Talk about a delicious achievement.

This spring, Kent Smith, the proprietor of Michael and Marion’s and the Side Door in downtown Barrie, will be celebrating 30 years in business.

A fixture on the local culinary scene for decades, the 54-year-old restaurateur is known for extending warm hospitali-ty to every diner that walks through the door of his casual and warm eatery. “I love owning a restaurant and interacting with my customers,” he admitted.

To learn more about what it takes to keep his food and beverage establishment operating for decades, this Goodlife reporter recently sat down with Smith to dish about his life as a local restauranteur.

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Goodlife: Congratulations on celebrating 30 years in business. What’s the secret to your success?

Kent Smith: Beyond plenty of hard work, the people I work with are the key to my success. My team is just incredible and show up day in, and day out — and just bring it. So, a big shout out to Kim Riley, who has been with me for 25 years and Jenny Rupert, who has been here almost 19 years.

Other notable long term staff include: chef Candice Buryta, sous chef Matt Fourier, head cooker Marjorie Bowes, server Tara Portelli and server Carrie Watrich.

Along with a great team, it’s no secret that your hands-on ownership style has played a key role in your success.

KS: I’m pretty much here every day, whether it’s for three hours or 18 hours. I’m the banker, human resources manager, head of maintenance, public relations and marketing team, and culinary consultant. For the first 20 years, I was also the chef, but hung up my chef’s jacket to run the day-to-day business operations. It’s a demanding job — almost like an evil mistress that always wants more [laughs].

Let’s do a history recap. A classically trained chef, you purchased Michael and Marion’s in 1990 at the age of 24. In the beginning it was a small cafe, but later became a casual fine dining restaurant. You purchased the building in 1996 and opened the Side Door lounge in 1998. By opening the Side Door, you added 100 extra seats.

KS: Over the years, I’ve worked hard at building it into a successful business. And I’m not done yet. There’s an apartment over the dining room and a massive attic that could be turned into a really cool lounge. But, that’s just an idea Mrs. Smith (he’s referring to his wife, Krista) and I are tossing around. Nothing is set in stone, and plans for the future always change.

How are you going to be celebrating the 30year mile-stone?

KS: We’re having a big party at Mavericks on April 3, 2020, and my favourite band in the world, Dwayne Gretzy, is playing. It’s going to be a great night.

You’re also celebrating with a special 30-year anniversary menu. Let’s hear about it.

KS: From March 17, 2020 to the beginning of the summer, we will be offering a three course $30 menu (taxes and gratuities, not included). It will be a choice of soup or salad, the main will be our 7oz strip loin steak, and a dessert.

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taste | local flavours

WE’VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A VERY LOYAL AND GENEROUS CLIENTELE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US FOR YEARS. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

Your menu has changed over the years, but what’s the best way to currently describe it?

KS: It’s an eclectic mash of cool and fun food.

It’s healthy, hearty, simple, generous and served with amazing presentation. And we arguably do the best calamari in the free world.

I’m assuming diners, myself included, would protest big-time if you took your calamari and other long standing kitchen hits like your spring rolls, coconut shrimp, home-made bread and crème brûlée off the menu.

KS: Absolutely! Those items have been on the menu since the beginning and guests love them.

Current popular choices include: our seared tuna salad, our triple A barbecued strip loin steak (served with homemade pickled horseradish and a bordelaise sauce), our Kobe burger, our canoe cut roasted bone marrow (served with house pickles, chimichurri and grilled focaccia) and the rueben sandwich (served on homemade rye, the delicious sandwich is piled high with

house made pastrami, red cabbage sauerkraut, gruyere and Russian dressing).

What’s your food philosophy?

KS: I only serve food that I love to eat. For example, you will never find sweetbreads on the menu because I don’t like them. But I do love a good steak and a homemade soup, so those items are always on the menu. I also care about ethically sourced food. I won’t serve anything that has been taken from the wild, or long-lined fished. Yes, we do serve venison, but it’s farmed venison.

Your restaurant is located in a brick century duplex. Over the years, you’ve done some major facelifts to the interior. How many renovations have you done in total?

KS: It’s really important to me that this space doesn’t look like a tired old jalopy. I want to keep evolving and changing the interior. As a result, we’ve done about four good ones where the restaurant has been closed for a week, or two.

But we’re always doing mini fix ups and paint jobs. Right now, the Side Door has an urban feel, while the dining room is more cozy and rustic.

Along with working hard, being an engaged owner and maintaining a loyal and helpful staff, I’ve heard you say that another key to your success is fostering a friendly alliance

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with other local independent restaurants.

KS: We help each other out because there is no advantage to seeing others suffer around you. I’ll give you an example, a few weeks ago, the owner of the Crazy Fox, David Ronald, called in the middle of dinner service on a Friday night. He said: ‘I need a beef tenderloin, can you spare one?’

Turns out, we had an extra one, so we were able to help him. He raced down to get it, and a few days later we had lunch and squared up. And if I was in a similar bind, I know that other local restauranteurs would gladly help me out. We have to be united against the chains of this world if we want to succeed.

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Any big changes you’ve noticed after three decades in business?

KS: Compared to years ago, restaurants have to cater to more dietary preferences than ever before.

I accommodate these requests by always saying yes.

What advice would you give to a young restauranteur starting their own business?

KS: Be prepared to work very hard, and be true to your gut and initial instincts. Also, because you literally live and die by your reputation, be ruthlessly fair to everyone — even when no one is watching.

What does the future hold?

KS: There’s lots of talk in our house about our daughter, Kate, becoming the chef and proprietor of the business. She’s only 14, but she’s been talking about this for a very long time. She really wants to take it over. Right now, she works in the dish pit about five hours a week and man, can she hustle. Kate has an awesome attitude — whether’s she’s peeling potatoes or polishing cutlery, so I’m confident she can do it. If it all worked out, the timing would be perfect because right now, I think I have another six to 10 years in me to operate the restaurant. But, we will have to wait and see.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

KS: No two days are ever alike, so it keeps life interesting. Beyond that, I just love interacting with our customers. We’ve been very fortunate to have a very loyal and generous clientele who have supported us for years. And we really appreciate that.

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Michael & Marion’s/The Side Door 89 Bayfield St., Barrie (705)721-1188, www.michaelandmarions.com Open: Monday To Saturday For Lunch & Dinner From 12 Noon Until The Last Table Leaves, Closed Sundays GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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This delicious soup is one of Kent Smith’s favourites. The recipe is courtesy chef Candice Buryta of Michael & Marions/The Side Door.

1 medium butternut squash 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 small onion 2 stalks celery 2 carrots 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 knob ginger (size of thumb) minced 1 heaping Tbsp red Thai curry paste 2 limes (juice only) 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock 2 (398 ml) cans coconut cream Salt & pepper, to taste Garnish: toasted coconut and chopped cilantro PREPARATION: 1. Peel and cube the butternut squash. Drizzle with 1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in preheated 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until until it starts to caramelize.

2. In the meantime, dice the onions, celery and carrots. Add remaining 1-1/2 Tbsp of olive oil to a pot and sweat over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic, ginger and curry paste. Put in the lime juice, roasted squash and your choice of stock.

Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. The seasoning can be adjusted at the end, to taste.

3. Once it comes to a boil, add the coconut cream and simmer.

4. Use a blender to puree the soup. Once pureed, taste it. If you would like a bit more heat, add a bit more curry paste. Or, add more lime, or salt and pepper, if needed.

5. Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

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GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 12:52 PM

A HONEY OF A DRINK

BY KATHERINE ELPHICK | PHOTOS BY ELLIE KISTEMAKER

There’s plenty of buzz surrounding chef Randy Feltis’s Honey Bee Elixir. Made with 44 all natural herbs, spices, roots, flowers, berries and lightly sweetened with honey, it’s a local hive to bottle craft beverage worth sampling.

And since it’s 10 AM on a Tuesday morning, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. After all, it’s now legal to drink alcohol in Ontario restaurants and bars after 9 AM. “First, we’re going to try it on its own, and then we’re going to spritz it up with some Prosecco,” explains Feltis, who is serving his new liqueur from behind the bar at the Farmhouse, a restaurant he owns and operates in Barrie. “So, bottoms up.”

And my first impression is straight up favourable. It’s definitely tasty, but what surprises me is its smoothness and lack of intense sweetness.

“Everyone thinks it’s going to be super sweet, but I thought it would have more integrity if we kept the sugar level low,” explains Feltis, who

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HONEY BEE NIGRONI 1 oz Honey Bee Elixir 1 oz dry gin 1 oz sweet vermouth METHOD: Shake over ice, strain over ice.

Serve with smashed rosemary and fresh clementine.

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Randy Feltis

BARRIE | 12 Commerce Park Dr. Barrie ON | 705-792-9242 COLLINGWOOD | 115 Hurontario St. Collingwood ON | 705-444-9242

BRABARY.COM has been a fixture on the local food scene since he opened his first Barrie restaurant, Oscar Bistro (now closed) in 1999, Feltis is also a popular celebrity chef for CityTV and the director of Barrielicious. “Because it’s 34 percent proof, we just added enough sweetness to hide the alcohol.”

Next we try it mixed with Prosecco, and again I’m liking it.

“It’s the ultimate bartending companion because it offers endless craft cocktail opportunities,” he explains between sips. “It works in its pure form, on the rocks or neat, but it also makes an awesome Nigroni, or you can spritz it up with something fizzy like soda and fruit or Prosecco.”

He adds that the Farmhouse bartenders are definitely having fun with it, and are forever creating new ways to use it. “Lately, they have been throwing it into our homemade ice tea and it’s delicious,” he says.

The product is also super local because it’s made with raw honey from Dickey Bee Farms in Essa Township. “I chose Dickey Bee Honey, because I have been buying from them for years. I love their products, and it’s a really cool fourth generation beekeeping family business,” he says.

Why honey? “Because it goes with the bees — we wanted to do something that would help the bee population. We wanted to do something sustainable, all natural with no dyes and truly local GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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HONEY TODDY 2 oz Honey Bee Elixir 4 oz hot water METHOD: Mix together Honey Bee Elixir and water. Garnish with a cinnamon lemon slices.

ROYALE WITH BEE 2 oz Honey Bee Elixir 4 oz chilled Prosecco METHOD: Mix together and serve in a wine glass.

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with a low carbon footprint,” explains the 45year old chef and entrepreneur.

And it’s different because there’s really nothing similar in the liqueur section at the LCBO like it. “It’s a true Canadian craft beverage. We even use the wax from the hives to seal the bottles.”

Feltis says it helps the bees because most of the ingredients need to be pollinated and with every bottle sold, a new bee is added to the hive. As a result, it also helps the beekeepers because they are creating more hives.

The local chef says he began thinking about making a craft beverage after visiting Scotland about two and a half years ago. “I visited some craft distilleries over there, and was quite impressed with how well they were doing with the farm to bottle concept,” he recalls. “They were growing their own juniper berries for gin and their own potatoes for vodka — similar to what Beattie’s Distillery is doing in Alliston. Let’s just say, I was impressed.”

But after visiting MacCallan (one of Scot-

land’s biggest Scotch distilleries) the next day, he realized just how big the distillery business is and wanted to get in on it. So, the wheels started churring.

Several ideas were tossed around from farming his own ingredients to using his dad’s maple syrup to make something unique. But the cost for both seemed prohibitive, especially since maple syrup is so expensive.

He stumbled upon the honey idea when driving his young son, Cash, to Karate one day.

“Cash brought up the subject of bees, and a lightbulb just went off,” he recalls.

Like any good chef, he headed to the kitchen and started sampling recipes. “It was a lot of trial and error and my kitchen was certainly a disaster for a while,” he confesses with a chuckle in his voice. “I made about 65 batches — some good, some not so good.”

After spending months perfecting the taste profile of the liqueur, he hit the pavement in search of a local distillery willing to make his product. At first, he faced rejection. “I asked

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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about 30 distilleries and they all said no,” he admits. “It was a bit of a mountain to climb to get this product made.”

Then with the help of Holly Wyatt, a wellknown spirits representative for Kinetic Brands, he was able to eventually find a Vaughan-area distillery up to the task.

And the rest, as they say is history. Honey Bee Elixir is now available at 15 local LCBO stores and it’s selling like the bees knees. “There’s nothing else on the market quite like it, and people seem to love the local aspect,” he explains.

The next step is to ramp up production and get into 25 LBCOs, with the eventual goal of 300 stores. “Now, that would be a sweet win,” he says enthusiastically.

Honey Bee Elixir is available at most local LCBOs. You can also sample it in drinks at the Farmhouse and Groovy Tuesdays. For more information visit www.honeybeeelixir.com, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram @honeybee. exilir.

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noteworthy

TURNING THE TABLES on Goodlife’s food writer

Editor’s note: Katherine Elphick has been creating food articles for Simcoe County readers for decades. We decided to turn the tables on this devoted food writer to learn more the passion she brings to each story she creates.

K

atherine Elphick considers herself a journalist first and a foodie second, though the two vocations are closely intertwined.

For nearly 25 years, this devotee of all things delicious has parlayed her passion for the culinary arts into articles that offer readers a taste of the people and places behind some of the region’s most satisfying foods.

“All good stories are told over the dinner table or in a dining room at a restaurant,” she told Simcoe. com.

Elphick’s love for food did not begin in the kitchen of her childhood home, however.

“I grew up in a ’70s household with – my mother would be mortified – meat loaf and spaghetti made with Campbell’s tomato soup,” she said.

Life as a foodie began with a job at the David Wood Food Shop in Toronto during university, the experience opening her eyes to flavours previously unknown to her still-developing taste buds.

“I didn’t know what smoked trout was, and he was doing up smoked trout and chicken marbella and flourless chocolate cake – all these things I’d never even heard of,” she recalled. “Today, this is everyday stuff, but back in the ’80s this was revo-

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lutionary.”

Elphick would enter the world of journalism as a freelance writer at the Barrie Advance before expanding into lifestyle articles that were increasingly focused on food. She is also the food writer for GoodLife magazines across Simcoe County.

She particularly enjoys shining a light on local restaurants and chefs who might otherwise go overlooked.

“It’s their journeys and learning about their passions,” she added, citing owner-operated venues as among her favourites.

“You go to Il Bucco, Enrico is doing dishes,” she said of Enrico Angelucci, the chef behind the celebrated Italian eatery. “He does everything.”

The farmers who produce the essential raw ingredients for those meals hold an equally special place in her heart.

“They are salt of the earth, and most of them are brilliant,” Elphick said.

The reality of GoodLife deadlines means Elphick often finds herself testing seasonal recipes in advance to ensure the story and carefully composed photos are ready to go.

“If I was getting ready to do Christmas recipes,

my family was eating Christmas cookies in September,” she said. “They would enjoy a Thanksgiving meal on the hottest day in July because I was working on that.”

Her family, she added, “are the guinea pigs” both for her recipes and the containers of takeout that follow her home after interviews with chefs, the boxed-up leftovers a savoury reminder of her latest photo shoot.

“If I’m not cooking, I’m eating stuff that was given to me usually,” she added.

In the nearly quarter-century Elphick has devoted to writing about food, she has enjoyed a front-row seat to emerging trends that would whet the public’s appetite for something new and interesting.

“Now, in every article I ask (the restaurant), ‘What about your vegan menu or your gluten-free menu?’, because readers want to know if they have vegan or gluten-free,” she said.

Elphick’s articles appear weekly on Simcoe.com.

If you have a story idea for her, send the details to newsroom@simcoe.com.

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 1:01 PM

The Kitchens to Homes program at the Habitat for Humanity Huronia Barrie and Alliston ReStores is a key to building decent, affordable homeownership housing for families in our community.

Are you renovating your kitchen? This program, established at the end of 2018, sees a team of skilled volunteers take out your kitchen leaving it contractor-ready for your dream kitchen to be installed.

That kitchen heads to the nearest ReStore where it’s sold, and those funds support our building program in South Simcoe.

The benefits are numerous! Essentially, your kitchen is removed free of charge; not smashed up and sent to a landfill.

The ReStore has a kitchen to sell and you get a Charitable Tax Receipt for the saleable value of the kitchen. Win – Win – WIN! The kitchens aren’t always used as kitchens, they’re often painted and upcycled to create that swanky, Pinterestworthy laundry room. They make great

bars for your basement or family room; sometimes they head for cottage county and sometimes they just make great storage for you garage or basement.

Any way you look at it, it’s a program that makes being GREEN easy.

Building partnerships is key to our success at Habitat for Humanity Huronia and our ReStores. Partnerships with kitchen manufacturers and contractors in South Simcoe have made this program the success it is. One partner in particular, KAS Kitchens, has been a champion of the program since the early days.

Mat Barkley, owner of KAS Kitchens, started the one man company in his garage in 2016. In three short years he has built KAS into a business with nine team members who work out of a store front on Saunders Road that has evolved to include a full manufacturing shop, and is set to expand this spring with a new Design Centre. Why “KAS“ I asked recently? Mat shared that he learned the

business from his aunt Cassie, who was also a painter who signed her artwork “KAS”. Cassie passed away just as Mat was launching the business, so he named his new venture KAS in honor of her.

KAS Kitchens is a true community partner whether championing the Kitchens to Homes program or sponsoring local athletes. Recently, the volunteer team was too busy to remove a kitchen so Mat and his team went in and carefully removed the kitchen and delivered it to the ReStore themselves. At Habitat Huronia and the ReStores, we couldn’t ask for better partners in our mission to serve families in our community.

To learn more about the program visit HabitatHuronia.com and look for Kitchens to Homes under the ReStore tab. You can also see the stunning transformations at kasKitchens.ca or by visiting their design centre at 106 Saunders Rd, Unit #4.

AFTER

BEFORE Habitat for Humanity Huronia 128 Brock St. Barrie, ON L4N 2M2 | T: (705) 735-2001 | www.habitathuronia.com

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taste | gl wines

betterearth, betterwine Embracing a sustainable future

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by Carmelo Giardina With the rapid increase in climate-related news, a new mega-trend is hitting home with people and gaining considerable momentum.

Customers are becoming more environmentally conscious, wanting sustainable products from sustainable companies. This includes everything from labour practices to the environmental impact of their production.

We’ve read the labels: ‘all natural’, ‘fair trade’, ‘organic’. An ever growing number of products include these claims of sustainability. But what do all these claims mean? Describing a product as “sustainable” could mean that it’s sourced responsibly or that it utilizes recyclable packaging – as well as a whole host of other potential attributes.

Using the wine industry as an example, understanding the how and why when it comes to sustainable grape growing, and more specifically, winemaking is critical to understanding how, when and why consumers prioritize sustainable options. It’s great to think that the vineyard your wine originated from was utilizing sustainable practices, but what does that look like for a vineyard?

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 2:34 PM

SELECTIONS Prats & Symington 2016

SUSTAINABLE WINERIES ARE FOCUSED ON MINIMIZING THE EFFECT THEIR WINEMAKING PROCESS HAS ON THE ENVIRONMENT. Sustainable wineries are focused on minimizing the effect their winemaking process has on the environment. They prioritize conservation, preservation, social responsibility and economic feasibility.

Portugal’s Symington Family Estates has set out to lead the way in terms of sustainability practice and is perhaps the most forward thinking winery in the world today. Located within the historic Douro Valley region, the Symingtons were awarded Ethical Company of the Year in December 2019 and joined companies as diverse as Patagonia and Kickstarter in becoming a ‘B Corporation’. The prestigious B Corp certification cements a large number of varied social and ecological projects that the Symingtons have put in place recently and are continuing to pursue.

In fact, the Symingtons are stepping it up a notch with the creation of the Symington Impact Fund – a one million euro pledge to support projects in the Douro. The primary use of the funds will be for community well-being and health, environmental protection and conservation and cultural heritage and education.

Rupert Symington, CEO of Symington Family Estates, has stated that “we have always sought to run our family business in a way that benefits people – be they our employees or the wider community. We are also committed to protecting the beautiful natural environments where we produce our wines. The Symington Impact Fund is a way of formalising this commitment and ensuring we support projects which are most aligned with our values and where we can have the maximum positive impact.”

Another family owned winery that’s leading California’s sustainability effort is Sonoma County’s Rodney Strong Vineyards. In 2010, the winery was officially certified as a sustainable operation. They’ve become completely carbon neutral, installed solar power and earned a Fish Friendly Farming certification among several other sustainable designations, including air quality, soil and water conservation and wildlife protection.

Ontario’s sustainability impact is also prevalent.

One Niagara based winery leading by example is Hidden Bench Estate Winery, a certified sustainable winery which utilizes geothermal energy to provide cooling and heating for both their building and winemaking processes. Also one of the launch customers for Bullfrog Power – Ontario’s first green electricity company – Hidden Bench’s foregoing initiatives as an organic and biodynamic winery, as well as their ongoing approach to sustainability, has permitted them to be recognized as an environmental leader in the community.

Choosing to embrace new energy technologies presents a triple bottom-line win in productivity, profits and planet, so it would seem that becoming sustainable is a worthy investment that many more will and should take. After all, consumers vote with their purchases. And so as we come to terms with the fact that our environment is increasingly being compromised, it becomes very important that every aspect of what consumers are now buying into is studied to ensure that businesses leave the environment in the very best shape possible at the end of the day.

The question we all need to ask ourselves now is: are we all on board?

Chryseia ($105)

Chryseia is the flagship offering made with the finest grapes from Prats & Symington’s own Douro Valley vineyards, Quinta de Roriz and Quinta da Perdiz. 2016 was a very hot and dry summer but was bookended with a wet spring and wet fall. This weather pattern was decisive in achieving balanced vine maturations. What we get here is a rich and chewy, powerful wine, with notes of plum, blackcurrant, mocha and some dark chocolate. The barrel play is expertly integrated. A tremendous bottle that shows great ageing potential. Definitely one for cellar collectors and best consumed 2023 through 2030.

Rodney Strong 2016 Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($29.95)

Rodney Strong Vineyards have gone acre by acre through their estate properties to ensure they’re taking every step possible to safeguard their region’s ecosystem.

They’re solar energy system is one of the largest of any winery in the world and were officially the first to offset their carbon footprint in Sonoma. They produce one of my favourite pinots to come out of California and it is an excellent value.

Medium bodied with complex notes of baking spice, vanilla and some yummy cran-cherry jam-like flavours. 2016 was a more balanced vintage for California and this is a great expression of that balance.

Hidden Bench 2017 Estate Chardonnay ($29.95)

Situated within the Beamsville Bench, Hidden Bench is an artisanal, terroirfocused winery dedicated to crafting premium wines solely from their own certified organic estate vineyards. They’ve established an ongoing reputation for consistent excellence both domestically and internationally, producing wines of pronounced complexity and character which bear a sense of place and time.

This estate chardonnay is a quintessential example of how meticulously maintained vines can lead to an outstanding result.

Bright, fresh and lively textured, this is drinking beautifully now.

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GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 3:32 PM

A Season Seafood

FOR

by Stephanie Hounsell

A

fter months of bundling up, shovelling driveways and socializing indoors, Canadians are more than ready to embrace the start of spring by the time March and April roll around. Time to throw open the windows, enjoy whatever beginnings of growth our gardens reveal, and turn our backyards into extensions of our kitchens.

Even our palates seem to notice the seasonal change, and crave something different — something fresher, lighter, and, after a season of indulging in comfort food, something better for our waistlines.

Nature answers this call with the upcoming arrival in local fish markets of wild salmon. The seafood’s limited availability provides the perfect excuse to prepare and enjoy a delicious meal — and maybe learn a culinary thing or two.

Springtime means wild salmon Fish sales increase as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer. People start cooking more, socializing more and going to restaurants less. Many customers are dedicated wild salmon fans who are happy campers when sockeye, king and coho start arriving in stores late spring.

Some people view fish as an important part of their weekly diet. For others, fresh fish is more of an indulgence for special

occasions or entertaining.

There’s much debate surrounding farmed versus wild fish, with farmed salmon available year-round. Customers are encouraged to do their research, give both a try and then to see which they prefer. Wild salmon tends to be leaner and have a meatier texture than farmed salmon, which has a softer texture. Wild salmon also tends to have a richer flavour than farmed, although the exceptions are farmed Irish organic salmon and some of the higher quality farmed Atlantic salmon.

Get out the barbecue Whichever salmon you choose, barbecuing is a great way to enjoy it in the warmer months. Salmon has a firm flesh, so it doesn’t fall apart easily on the grill. It is recommended to fold over some good quality tin foil to form a surface onto which you can directly place the salmon. When the fish is done, you can slide a spatula under the fish to carefully remove it, handily leaving the skin behind, sticking to the foil.

An alternate method is placing the salmon on a cedar plank, which results in a nice smoky flavour. Or put it skin-side down straight on the barbecue and season it with some fresh-squeezed lemon, sea salt, fresh-cracked pepper and a bit of garlic. Of course, pan fried or baked are other ways to cook salmon, which GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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taste | seafood

Filet and crab with béarnaise sauce Sauce

1/3 cup white wine vinegar 1 tbsp finely chopped shallots 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon, divided 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 egg yolks 1 stick unsalted butter, melted 2 king crab legs, precooked (thawed, if frozen) 1. Put the asparagus on a plate or platter.

Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus and season with the salt and pepper.

Serves: 4 Sear: high Cook: indirect/medium

½ lb asparagus, tough ends removed 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/8 tsp kosher salt 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground pink peppercorns 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Extra-virgin olive oil 4 filets mignons, about 6 ounces each and 2 inches thick

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2. In a small bowl mix together the salt with the pink peppercorns and black pepper. Lightly brush or spray both sides of the filets with the olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper mixture. Allow the filets to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce: 4. In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, shallots, 1/2 tbsp of the tarragon, salt, and pepper along with 1 tbsp water.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced to 3 tbsps. Remove from the

heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

5. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks. Whisk 1 tbsp of the vinegar mixture into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the vinegar mixture and whisk until smooth.

Place the pan over low heat and whisk the mixture constantly until it thickens to the consistency of mustard.

Then, immediately start drizzling the melted butter in a thin stream into the pan, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches the consistency of thin mayonnaise. If at any time the sauce looks like it is separating, remove the pan from the heat and continue whisking to cool it down. Set the sauce aside at room temperature.

6. Sear the filets over direct high heat for 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Continue grilling over indirect medium heat until the internal temperature reaches 135°F for medium rare, 5 to 8 minutes. Grill the asparagus, and crab legs over direct medium heat, for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. Recipe from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Used with permission.

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 3:32 PM

Citrus dusted wild halibut & fresh avocado salsa

SPRING IS HERE! BOOK YOUR DRIVEWAY TODAY AND SAVE!

Serves: 4-6 as a light main course Ingredients

2 lbs of MSC certified Halibut portioned into 4-6 equal sized pieces 2 limes, zest and juice kept separate 1 medium grapefruit, zest and juice kept separate 2 lemons, zest and juice kept separate 2 oranges zest and juice kept separate 2 ripe avocados, small diced ¼ cup celery, finely chopped

Ital Paving

¼ cup cucumber, small diced 2 tbsp each, fresh mint, cilantro, Thai basil and lovage (optional), roughly chopped Canola oil, Salt Method

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet for later.

Season each piece of halibut with a little salt and a drizzle of canola oil.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine avocado, celery, cucumber, citrus juices, and fresh herbs. Season with salt to taste and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine all citrus zests and set aside 4. Fit halibut pieces without crowding on one or two pans. Heat to medium high and drizzle with oil. Decide which side of the halibut you want to present on the plate (the ‘presentation side’) and place the fish that side down in the pan. Do not move the fish for at least 5 minutes to create a nice, think golden crust.

5. Flip the halibut onto the prepared parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 7-10 minutes to finish the cooking.

6. Remove halibut from oven. Sprinkle the crispy side with the zest mixture and season with a little salt. Evenly distribute the avocado salsa around or on top. Serve immediately.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a global nonprofit certification program that works to keep oceans healthy, prevent overfishing, illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Buy the blue fish label for wild seafood that’s certified ocean friendly.

Recipe by MSC Ambassador Chef Charlotte Langley Photo: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Rick O’Brien

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www.fosterlawnandgarden.com 705-726-9189 GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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taste | seafood

Smoked salmon burgers

With fried eggs and scallion cream cheese PREP time: 30 minutes chilling time: 1 hour grilling time: 6-8 minutes special equipment: grill-proof griddle

Patties: 11/2 lbs

skinless salmon fillets, pin bones removed, cut into 1-inch pieces 8 oz ox-style smoked salmon, finely chopped 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 3 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion 3 tbsp minced fresh chives 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 oz cream cheese, softened 3 scallions (white and light green parts only), finely chopped 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 6 English muffins, split 1 tbsp unsalted butter 6 large eggs Microgreens or sprouts

can also be enjoyed chilled. A popular suggestion is serving salmon either whole or in chunks on top of a Caesar salad — or any kind of salad — for a light spring meal.

Snow crab arrives too Just in case salmon’s not your thing… enter the crab. The snow crab, to be specific. Like wild salmon, snow crab — sold cooked — also arrives in April and May. Frozen king crab is available year-round, but crab season is when people can enjoy the smaller, sweeter crabs. Most people are unaware of all that’s involved in the seafood industry, including the many factors — like weather and logistics — that affect just when salmon, snow crab, and other favourite catches arrive at the store. Perhaps that’s reason for the rest of us to appreciate our long awaited plates of salmon and snow crab just a little bit more.

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the salmon fillet pieces 8 to 10 times until coarsely chopped but not pasty; transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining patty ingredients to the bowl, including ¼ teaspoon pepper, and stir gently to combine. Form six patties of equal size, each about ¾ inch thick. Cover and refrigerate the patties for 1 hour.

2. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F) and preheat a grill-proof griddle.

3. Mix the cream cheese and scallions until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to grill the patties.

4. Brush the patties on both sides with the oil.

Place the patties on the griddle and cook over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until fully cooked but still juicy, 6 to 8 minutes, carefully turning once. During the last 30 seconds to one minute of grilling time, toast the English muffins on the cooking grates, cut side down, over direct heat.

5. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Fry the eggs until the whites are set to your desired doneness.

6. Spread the scallion cream cheese on both sides of the toasted English muffins. Place a patty on each muffin bottom and top with an egg and a small handful of microgreens. Season with pepper. Serve warm with the muffin tops on the side. ©2014 Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Recipe from Weber’s Big Book of Burgers™ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission.

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2020-03-13 3:32 PM

OVER 60 YEARASRINRIE DOWNTOWN B

Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers of Barrie

Tales from the Bench: Praise of an Intelligent Servant

By Katie Wilton Graduate Diamond GIA Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers

Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers 52 Dunlop St. W., Barrie On 705-728-3343 BillLeBoeufJewellers.com

SERVING THE BARRIE AND SURROUNDING AREA CELEBRATING OUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR IN DOWNTOWN BARRIE

Had to throw that reference out for my fellow Austen fans! Really it should read Praise of a Terrible Sales Person. I’ve worked in a couple of retail jewellery stores in my career and trust me I was terrible. I couldn’t sell people in-store credit cards because I worried too much about their debt loads. I had a hard time selling warranties because of the long list of asterisks and limitations attached. But mostly I was bad at closing sales. In my mind if someone truly wanted a piece there was no need to use close tactics.

Joining Le Boeufs years ago was a huge relief, no one was on commission, there were no up-sell policies, no metrics to keep up, and there was no individual sales tracking of any kind. As I got to know Adam Le Boeuf I found his philosophy perfectly aligned with my sales attitude (or lack thereof). Everything was focused on quality products and maximizing value for the customer. As the years passed I found myself closing sales without trying to because I am truly convinced that shopping with us saves people money. As a devout bargain hunter and second hand shopper I’m constantly waging a war against retailers trying to sneak my money out of my pocket.

I love digging through our in store stock and ready-to-order pieces, helping customers hunt out the best value. Perhaps it is part of my millennial sensibilities, but I think the main reason I’ve chosen Le Boeufs as the destination for my career is because I believe in their values; a rarely-encountered-in-retail level of honesty that makes me deeply proud to work here.

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Prestigious Real Estate Services Hallmark Chay Realty Inc. Brokerage

1%

Listing Commission

Andrew Meadows

Mike Mifsud

Donna Hunter

Sales Representative

Broker of Record & Owner

705-321-0132 Direct Mike@BrokerMike.ca www.BrokerMike.ca www.BrokerMike.ca

Victoria Meadows Broker of Record

Sales Representative Owner

Direct: 705-794-6330 705-728-9846

www.firstchoicerealty.ca

Incentive Realty Inc. Brokerage Sutton Group Incentive Realty Inc., Brokerage Independently IndependentlyOwned Owned&&Operated Operated

Independently Owned & Operated

705-623-9907 Mobile 705-722-7100 Office Email: Berriehomehunterteam.com donna.hunter@live.ca

Max Viskovich Sales Representative

705-730-9161 Direct BILINGUAL SERVICE

www.donna.hunter@live.ca www.barriehomehunterteam.com

sellwithmax.ca

Hallmark Chay Realty Independently Owned & Operated

Janine Dezotti Sales Representative

705-528-3885 416-628-1357

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Cell Office

janine@janinedezotti.com

705-796-6913 Direct www.KylaVavala.com

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First Contact Realty The Faris Team, Brokerage I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D

Mark Faris Broker

Ultimate Service Guaranteed

Lily Cadeau

Michael Stuart Webb Sales Representative

705-817-7355 Direct 705-722-7100 Office www.MichaelStuartWebb.com

FarisTeam.ca

705-722-8191 Office 705-321-7781 Direct lily-cadeau@coldwellbanker.ca

& Sheila Krasowski Sales Representative

Direct don@realtyexecutives.com

www.DonMcAskin.com

Kristin Cripps Broker

www.barrieagent.com steph1miller@hotmail.com 705-718-9920 • 705-436-5111 sheila.krasowski@sympatico.ca

wwwRealty .sutton.com Incentive Inc. Brokerage Sutton Group Incentive Realty Inc., Brokerage Independently Owned &&Operated BAYSIDE REALTY, BROKERAGE Independently Owned Operated

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INCENTIVE REALTY INC., BROKERAGE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

Karen Karen Yurkiw Yurkiw

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705-727-6777

Sales Representative

B.J. Roth Realty Ltd., Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

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Broker of Record Realty Executives Of Simcoe Inc., Brokerage

Stephanie Miller

Sales Representative

705-797-8485 Office

Don McAskin

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igor.vujovic@century21.ca

www.isellinnisfil.com

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Pat Fergusson

Making real estate a moving experience!

GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

2020-03-13 3:32 PM

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Come to your senses in Tuscany, Italy

Located off the tranquil western central coast of Italy, The Sense Experience Resort is an eco-retreat that opens in March 2020. Within its 12,000 acres of natural park, pine forest and private beach, guests embark on a sensory culinary journey, tasting dishes from Eatè restaurant, eating street food from the on site food truck, and enjoying seven-course suppers barefoot on the beach under the stars. In this gorgeous setting also join cooking courses, yoga, Pilates, and a wealth of adventure activities.

Preferredhotels.com

First all electric flight

The world’s first all-electric commercial aircraft was flight-tested in Richmond, BC

by Canadian-based float plane operator Harbour Air. The six-passenger de Havilland Beaver replaced its gas engine with an electric motor. The brief flight of the ePlane lasted a few minutes; its successful completion marks a milestone for Harbour Air and electric technology company magniX. It is targeting a time frame of two years before electric flights are approved by Transport Canada and are available to passengers.

Harbourair.com

Goop at sea

Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop brand is hitting the high seas. Partnering with Celebrity Cruises, goop brings a wellnesson-water experience to Celebrity Apex.

Suite Class guests who purchase tickets for the daylong event can expect a roster of healers; transformative workshops for mind, body, and soul; and intimate conversation between goop chief content officer, Elise Loehnen and Gwyneth Paltrow. Depart from Barcelona August 26, 2020.

Celebritycruises.com/int/specialty-cruises/goop-at-sea.

Baby car alarm

Keep your baby comfortable and safe with eClip by Elepho. This device clips to your baby’s car seat to monitor the vehicle’s temperature and to set off an alarm if you happen to exit without your baby.

Simply attach the clip and load the app on your phone. Elepho.com

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2020-03-13 2:40 PM

roam | costa rica

Nature immersion IN COSTA RICA

by Josephine Matyas There’s a large iguana, sunning itself on the pathway to my room.

He’s got a stony stare, blinks occasionally and is clearly not getting out of my way. I don’t really know much about iguanas – do they attack? – so he gets the upper hand. This is the ethos of Costa Rica: the wildlife rules.

In a country roughly the size of Nova Scotia, Costa Rica has a stunning diversity that makes it a mecca for the active outdoor traveller – mountains, rainforest, gentle foothills, miles of beachfront, 29 national parks and, just to ratchet up the excitement, four active volcanoes.

Almost five per cent of the planet’s biodiversity of 500,000 species of flora and fauna are found inside its borders.

To Ryan Cruz, who has been guiding visitors to Costa Rica for more than 18 years, “That five per cent is a big number for such a small area.” Cruz has enjoyed a front row seat, watching Central America’s most vibrant ecotourism industry grow from an idea to a seedling to a world leader.

Cruz starts with a geography lesson, “Costa Rica sits an average of 650 miles north of the equator, “so the difference between the shortest and the longest days of sunlight is only 45 minutes, creating perfect conditions for biodiversity. Birds and animals also migrate through Costa Rica – the shape of the land and the mountains act like a funnel, channelling birds along the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways through the mountains and into the lowlands. We’ve counted more than 900 spe-

cies of birds from warblers and hummingbirds to hawks and eagles.”

Three hundred million years ago, continental drift created the Central American isthmus (the narrow strip of land connecting North and South America). The tectonic plates smashed up against each other creating a dramatic landscape of forests folded into steep mountain ranges with wide valleys between. More than half of Costa Rica is forested while much of the lower elevations have been cultivated into banana, rice, pineapple and coffee plantations, as well as rows of cauliflower and root vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots.

“This also creates microclimates,” explains Cruz. “The temperatures and vegetation change so much from one microclimate to another – from dry to green to lush rainforest. Rainfall can vary from 70 to 240 inches a year.”

Just as significant is the way Costa Ricans have chosen to recognize and protect their biodiversity windfall. After the national army was disbanded in 1948, the government ploughed the peace dividend into education and protection of the country’s natural resources. The clean air is thanks to the massive forest lungs plus the fact that 98 per cent of the electricity produced is from sustainable sources like hydroelectric, geothermal and wind power; hunting is outlawed as is feeding or touching the wildlife; recycling is an ingrained part of the culture; Styrofoam is banned and single-use plastics will soon follow suit. In addition, Costa Rica recently launched the #StopAnimalSelfies social media campaign with the mission to end cruel, improper and even dangerous selfies with wild animals.

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roam | costa rica

Pedal boarding is part paddleboard, part elliptical trainer

“It had gotten so bad that once I saw a tourist prodding a sloth with a selfie stick just to try to get a picture,” says Cruz, shaking his head.

Spying wildlife is a bonus along the trails connecting at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, a private reserve just outside La Fortuna, a popular hub for eco-activities like birding, hiking, thermal hot springs and zip-lining. The park has a network of well-maintained pathways connecting the long wire bridges that skirt the treetops and occasional yawning cavern below. The walkway is even wheelchair and stroller accessible, with benches to stop and listen to the rainforest sounds of birds, the gurgle of river water and the wind whispering through the forest canopy. Close by, a hog-nosed coati – the Costa Rican version of our raccoon – snuffled through the underbrush, searching for a meal of spiders, ants, lizards and bits of vegetation.

La Fortuna was just a sleepy farming village with not much happening before the 1968 eruption of the nearby Arenal Volcano kickstarted ecotourism visitation. Suddenly hotels were touting excellent views of the lava flows. These days

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the lava has stopped and hiking, tubing and other outdoor activities are in full swing.

The region surrounding the peak is designated as Arenal Volcano National Park (the country’s second-most visited national park) and includes man-made Arenal Lake, a calm spot popular for low-impact water sports. The massive park protects eight of Costa Rica’s 12 life zones – a testament to the biodiversity of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range.

I climbed atop a pedal board – a stable marriage between a stand up paddleboard and an elliptical trainer – and the guide from Pedal Board Costa Rica led us around the beautiful water ringed by the green Tilarán Mountains. Our two-hour time on the water included a swim and a land break to savour thick slices of fresh cut watermelon and pineapple.

Earlier in the day, we’d snaked along a twisty rural road to the waterfalls at Bajos Del Toro in the cloud forest of the Central Mountains, once stopping to watch a troop of howler monkeys make a racket with their hoo-hoo-hoos in the

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is a hub for activities like zip-lining

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roam | costa rica trees by the roadway. It’s a steep 350 steps down to the base of the falls and a gruelling climb back up (best done a few days after arriving in the country in order to acclimatize to the elevation).

Moisture-filled clouds have contributed to a lush forest of giant leaves, vines, towering ficus trees and a strata of mini ecosystems as the elevation changes. The trail is lined with red ginger, bright heliconia and bromeliads (there are more than 200 species in Costa Rica). Bright blue butterflies flit from one flower to the next.

“These types of ecosystems are really important,” explains Cruz, “because the life at the top of the canopy is quite different from the life at the forest floor.”

This same ethos of protecting what is natural is at the heart of Buena Vista del Rincón, an eco-lodge and adventure centre in the hills above Liberia in the country’s northwest Guanacasta Province. On our first evening the guests gathered to watch the sun drop below the Pacific horizon, the orange glow touching the hills of Nicaragua in the distance.

Buena Vista sits on land that was once a cattle farm, but has been redesigned and repurposed to provide eco-experiences for both lodge guests and day trippers from Liberia and the coastal resorts. It’s a forward-thinking property with advanced systems to deal with compost and domestic waste, processing and recycling much of it back into irrigation for the vegetable crops used in the four restaurants.

There’s a dizzying checklist of activities: ziplining routes for both beginners and extreme adrenaline warriors; a series of connected hanging suspension bridges zigzagging down the mountainside; a high speed, half-kilometre

getting there Global air travel causes approximately two per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.

Consider purchasing carbon-offset credits to help reduce the effects of climate change.

Several airlines service San Jose and Liberia from Toronto: Air Canada, Copa Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines and WestJet.

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waterslide channel running through the leafy jungle; guided horseback riding; hot thermal pools for soaking (complete with volcanic mud for smearing on body parts); and a cultural experience with tastings of Costa Rican coffee, local moonshine, sugar water and traditional baking like cornbread.

In a country peppered with spectacular waterfalls, Buena Vista boasts its own cascading roar of water. It’s a two-hour hike from the main lodge or a tractor-pulled wagon shuttles visitors to a drop off point for the short walk to the base of the waterfall. Despite several busloads of visitors to the property, the trails to the waterfall were deserted and quiet. In the canopy above I could see the occasional branch sway – more monkeys perhaps?

Muscles stretched and camera card full from my hike, I head back to my cottage room at the lodge. The iguana and I seem to have struck a truce. He doesn’t attack me and I give him a wide berth, gingerly stepping out of his way. All’s well in the rainforest of Costa Rica. The wildlife is blissed, and so am I.

where to stay

Buena Vista del Rincon is a peaceful, eco-friendly, family-run lodge with an extensive selection of activities. It’s a half-hour drive in the hills above the city of Liberia in the northwest part of the country. buenavistadelrincon.com

The hanging bridges at Mistico Park are wheelchair and stroller accessible

A short drive from San Jose – a popular arrival airport – the small, family-operated Chayote Lodge is made up of boutique cottages built into the hillside with sweeping views over the Central Valley. The décor, menu and character are influenced by the coffee culture of the surrounding area. Trips can be arranged to a nearby coffee plantation or an evening cooking class in a local home. chayotelodge.com visitcostarica.com/en Arenal Volcano first erupted in 1968

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roam | adventures

by Barbara Ramsey Orr

Choose to Cruise:

WHETHER OCEAN OR RIVER CRUISING, IT’S EFFORTLESS TRAVEL.

Travel can be a minefield of decisions and choices, but cruising can sail around many of the obstacles of planning a trip. On a cruise, baggage, accommodation, meals, drinks, excursions and entertainment are all taken care of. Often the cruise line supplies flights, and many cruises add on two or three day packages ahead of the voyage. Throw in the fact that you never have to unpack, and that all the headaches are taken care of by someone else, and you have an effortless and memorable vacation.

Here are two cruise lines that take care of all the travel details in fine style.

Ocean Cruising:

The SeaDreamYacht Club SeaDream I and II: Every cruise I have done with the SeaDream Yacht Club has featured champagne as a favourite libation during its cruises. Launched in 1985, the line’s twin sister ships, SeaDream I and II are designed to deliver a small yacht sailing experience for every passenger.

The SeaDream II, with its wooden decks, pale wood trim and blue and white decor still looks fresh and elegant - the result of good bones in the beginning and ongoing upkeep.

She’s old school but in the best possible way.

When I sailed, roundtrip from Marigot, St. Maartin, there were 78 passengers and 98 staff, making it feel like your own private luxury yacht. The 56-stateroom yachts are casually elegant, the style is informal, the service personal. Your fare includes an open bar and gratuities.

Dinner the first evening was as good as I remembered, beginning with an asparagus bavaroise and

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organic smoked salmon tartar with caviar cream, followed by a curried red lentil soup, a raspberry sorbet, to cleanse the palette, filet mignon and a perfect coconut soufflé with Malibu rum sauce. The wines included in the meal were a crisp Sauvignon blanc and a quite drinkable Valpolicella .

Because the number of passengers is small, seating at all meals is open. Dinner is served daily in the formal dining room and, if the weather is fine, often on the top deck as well. I’d dine on deck under the stars every night – it’s magical. On one evening, we were guests of the captain, and sat in a quiet nook near the bow of the ship – the ocean, the stars, the good conversation, excellent food and expert wine pairings made it a memorable meal.

There was a bottle of chilled champagne as an extra greeting in each cabin on sailing, and each room has a stocked refrigerator with beer, wine, soft drinks and water. There is a flat screen TV, telephone and safe, bath robes and slippers.

At each port there was a variety of shore excursions to choose from, some for the active passengers, and some less challenging.

The thing that SeaDream is most famous for is the personal service of its staff. They are professional, efficient and intuitive. They never intrude and never neglect – that’s a fine balance. Because the ship is small, they know your name and how you like your coffee by the second day.

In addition to their celebrated level of service, there is their famous Surfside Champagne and Caviar barbecue celebrated on every cruise. This time it was held on the quiet and perfect Chrishi Beach on Nevis. Corks popped, caviar was served, along with all the traditional toppings, and we sunbathed, ate bbq and spent an extravagant and indulged afternoon in paradise.

This is not the cruise for those looking for big entertainment, multiple specialty restaurants and indoor rock climbing walls. This is a more sedate and elegant cruise, with time for relaxing, with no pressure to be or do anything. It’s classic cruising at its best.

That may all change - the ship will get a complete facelift in May 2020. The pictures I have seen of its new iteration look gorgeous, very modern and clean lined. Hopefully the thing that the ship does so well – provide intimate and unhurried cruise experiences at the top end, with all the details taken care of – will not change. www.seadream.com

River Cruising:

AmaMagna

by AmaWaterways For those new to cruising, a river cruise is a good choice - the boats are never far from the shore.

Sailing down the Danube on the new, doublewide AmaMagna is as stress-free as travel gets. The newest riverboat in the 23 strong AmaWaterways fleet, and by length the largest riverboat sailing the European rivers, is the AmaMagna. It’s double the width of standard boats on the rivers. She began sailing itineraries in May 2019 along the Danube, the only river with locks large enough for her to pass through.

For guests who have been accustomed to ocean cruising, the AmaMagna is a good choice – an entry to river cruising. Not only is the ship more spacious, it has a spa, a theatre, five bars, a pool and jacuzzi. Unlike most other river boats, there are three dining options in addition to the main dining room. In The Chef’s Table Restaurant, Chef Adrian Chirita prepares a seven course tasting menu, while Jimmy’s Wine Bar serves dishes on sharing platters at long communal tables. With

free flowing wine and new friends, it is a cheery place to dine. The Al Fresco Restaurant is open and light, with retractable windows and a casual tapas menu. Cabins are generous, with a full balcony, marble clad walk-in shower, double sinks, large screen TVs and a big screen Apple computer. The ship is fully accessible, with a pop-up elevator that will take guests to the upper deck.

Shore excursions can be soft adventure or challenging and active - your choice. In Vienna, for example, there were bus tours and walking tours in the morning, along with hiking and biking, but in the afternoon the ship ran a regular shuttle to the centre of the city for independent exploration. I took the opportunity to visit the Albertina Museum and enjoy a slice of sachertorte ‘mid schlag’ at the famous Demels’ Cafe.

On the last night I sat on the balcony with a view of Budapest’s Szechenyi Chain Bridge, watching the boat traffic, and decided there was no easier way to explore the famous rivers of Europe. No worries, just the pleasure of a well designed itinerary on a well run ship. www.amawaterways.com

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the country estate, rethought.

welcome to braestone.

Braestone is an award winning country estate community located in the heart of the Horseshoe Valley. Inspired by the farmhouses, barns, and sheds of the Oro-Medonte region, the homesteads are an authentic reflection of refined country living with four seasons of outdoor activities at its doorstep.

Hiking, skating, apple picking and maple sugar tapping are just a few of the many remarkable activities homeowners experience living at Braestone.

down home, up country.

PHASE 4 NOW SELLING. Visit the Braestone Discovery Centre for a personal site and model home tour.

Distinctive and timeless bungalow, loft and two-storey homesteads on a selection of 1/2 acre to over 1 acre valley and ridge lots. From the mid $700’s to low $1M’s.

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Another project developed by:

GEORGIAN COMMUNITIES

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Photo by Pierre-Alexandre Legault

roam | weekender

A PERFECT FAMILY GETAWAY

by Danielle Leonard

Photo by Pierre-Alexandre Legault

Not everyone has time for a week-long getaway and, frankly, if your travel plans include catering to teen kids, shorter sometimes is better. As a skiing family with three teen boys, local ski resorts have been our go-to for years; quick getaways that promise quality family time, intense activity and, most notably for my kids, a break from their phones. This winter, we decided to up our game, and our distance, and head to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec for a three-day trip in search of a more elevated skiing experience.

While some may balk at the idea of driving seven hours for a mere three days in Quebec, my boys and I can attest that it’s well worth it. If a few days is all you have, don’t let the distance dissuade you from experiencing Tremblant. Boasting four slopes and 14 lifts, the mountain has 102 trails to accommodate all skiing levels and preferences. While I enjoy Ontario skiing, it simply can’t compete with the sheer size and selection of runs in Tremblant. At an elevation of 875 metres, its peak is approximately four times higher than that of Blue Mountain in Collingwood. That, alone, promises

more time on the snow and less on the chair lift.

The day we hit the slopes, the sun is beaming and a fresh layer of powdered snow coats the trails. We start early, enjoying stretches where we are the sole skiers in sight. Although I prefer to meander down the lengthy mountainside with ease, I’m forced to rev up to keep pace with my boys who race to the bottom no matter the difficulty. The result is a killer workout. With my thighs burning and breath quickening only halfway down the run, I’m thankful for the gentle slopes that buffer the steep descents on even the difficult black diamond runs.

One of the keys to spending more time on the hills, and less time warming up in the lodge, is dressing properly. Mont-Tremblant is cold, and however chilly it feels at the base, expect a deeper freeze at the peak.

One word: balaclava. Our layers of warmth paid off.

Despite the frigid temperatures, we didn’t break from skiing except for lunch. Admittedly, spring skiing is synonymous with warmer temperatures. However even in March, better prepare for the cold just in case.

Our hotel, Le Westin Resort & Spa, is conveniently located inside the Tremblant pedestrian village and is GoodLife | Barrie March - April 2020

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AFTER OUR FULL DAY OF SKIING, IT’S TIME FOR THE ULTIMATE APRÉS SKI EXPERIENCE – THE HOT TUB SOAK. a two-minute walk to the gondola. In fact, just about anything you need is within a few minutes’ walking distance here. The Intrawest village exudes small town charm with cobblestone paths and brightly hued buildings with boutiques, restaurants and cafés.

With no vehicles in sight, it’s perfect for families with young kids to wander safely. While the entire village can be explored by foot in about 15 minutes, it’s more fun to take your time, perusing the shops and stopping by a fire pit to warm your hands. Be sure to ride the cabriolet – a gondola that carries village guests from the top of the village to its base, and back, with panoramic views of the mountain.

After our full day of skiing, it’s time for the ultimate aprés ski experience – the hot tub soak. Le Westin does it right; the hot tub is outdoors, surrounded by stone with a view toward the sunset, if timed right.

The sun is setting as I descend into the steaming water with my son. There is also an outdoor pool about 20 feet away which seems a painfully long distance in this sub-zero clime. I offer my son a monetary bribe to take the plunge; he agrees and bravely dives in. Returning 10 minutes later, he admits the water is warm but not as hot as the tub. I’m glad I stayed put and promise to pony up the cash back in the room.

For dinner, there are plenty of options within a five-minute brisk (read: chilly) walk from the hotel entrance. We could certainly eat in our suite, equipped with a kitchen and spacious living area, but we prefer to dine out. Our first night we eat at The Shack – a casual eatery with realistic-looking trees growing out of the floor and through the ceiling. It has a fun vibe and varied menu to appease the most finicky eaters. Our second evening, we seek out some Quebecois culture at Le Maison de la Crêpe. This intimate rustic restaurant serves traditional style crêpes, savoury and sweet, with francophone music playing in the background. J’adore.

To add sizzle to your night, head to Casino Mont Tremblant located a short driving distance from the village. Its three floors house a distinctive assortment of games, two private lounges and a bar. An upscale dining experience with a magnificent view of the mountain awaits at Altitude Seafood and Grill. Shuttles between the village and the casino are available for patrons 18 years and older.

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Photo by Pierre-Alexandre Legault

Scandinave Spa Mont Tremblant. A short drive from the village, the spa is a Nordic paradise surrounded

by Laurentian forest and overlooking the Diable River.

Like the day before, I would be spending a good deal of my time outdoors, albeit clad in a bikini rather than layers of Thinsulate. That’s because the spa’s signature experience is the baths. Based on the Finnish practice of hydrotherapy, it incorporates a cycle of hot-cold-relax to relieve tension, improve blood circulation, detox the body and release endorphins. It’s meant to be experienced outdoors, no matter what the temperature.

The spa is beautiful, comprised of luxurious rustic wood buildings that house massage rooms, saunas and meditation spaces, surrounded by stone patios and structures where hot tubs, cold dips and fire pits are strategically placed to enable easy transition from one to the other. I step outside to the minus 12 Celsius air, hugging the terry cloth robe around my bathing suit and walk to one of the hot tubs, wondering how any experience that incorporates chattering teeth can be considered pampering.

Although there are a number of guests in the hot tub, the spa’s rule of silence makes it easy to feel secluded and relaxed amid the icicle-laden trees, snow-covered ground and rushing water below. I’m quickly seduced by this unique experience, already feeling tensions melt away in the steaming water.

Eager to release more endorphins, I exit the hot tub, walk to the closest cold water pool, and plunge into it. As I expected: it’s heart stopping cold. My silence is inadvertantly broken with a stream of ‘oh my goshes’ expelled in raspy whispers until I step out. I scurry to a sauna to bask in the heat before finishing off in a Zen-like meditation room. As I continue the hot-cold-relax cycle, I notice my body grow immune to the cold despite my wet bathing suit. It’s a weird, yet empowered, feeling. Is this the endorphins kicking in?

When it’s time to leave, I’m relaxed and rejuvenated. Ready for the long drive home and planning to return to Tremblant next winter for the perfect family getaway. www.mont-tremblant.ca

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Dining

Guide

Bent Taco Not your typical Mexican Restaurant This hip 51-seat eatery specializing in tasty tacos, burritos, craft cocktails and more is now open Barrie! “Our food style is based in Mexico and Southern California with global influences, but we’re anything but traditional!

That’s why we went with the name Bent Taco because our menu is unconventional.”

55 Collier Street, Barrie 705-445-0202 www.benttaco.com

Kenzington Burger Bar The KBB offers the finest fare for all burger lovers in Simcoe County!

For the last 5 years we’ve been cranking out some of the most creative, mouthwatering burgers this side of Toronto. Whether you’re in for the live music, or just looking for the best burger you’ve ever eaten in your life, KBB has all our ducks in a row to satisfy your most intimate culinary desires!

Downtown Barrie, 40 Dunlop St. E. | South End Barrie, 511 Bryne Dr. Bradford, 4 Holland Dr. | Orillia, 85 Mississaga St. E. 705.725.1667 | www.kenzington.ca

Tara Authentic Indian Cuisine Delighted to be considered Barrie’s finest, Chef Brothers Yar and Nur Mohammad have committed 25 years tantalizing the palates of their customers. Their culinary prowess makes Tara a most unique palatal experience.

Open seven days-a-week the alluring aroma will bring you in. Lunch Buffet available for $16.99

128 Dunlop Street East, Barrie 705.737.1821

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dining guide

Danny’s Fish and Chips We make the extra effort to hand-cut our chips and fillet our fish daily!

Our Fresh Alaskan Halibut and chips is hand sliced fresh, just minutes before it reaches your plate. Our English style fish and chips are made from an old secret recipe (thinly battered) and passed down through generations and served alongside our famous home-cut fries. Just one bite and you’ll be hooked!

We don‘t just claim to be the best, we prove it through honest workmanship and genuine caring. Voted “Your Favourite Fish & Chip Restaurant” in Barrie and celebrating 40 years of doing what we love!

411 Huronia Road, Barrie 705-721-8998

Cocina Mexicana Restaurante WINNER 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards Barrie’s first all-you can-eat Mexican restaurant serves up fresh, authentic Mexican fare in it’s cheerful family owned and operated eatery. Think of it as a piece of Mexico that teaches the art of eating and the passion of cooking. “Our goal is for every Mexican diner to love our food, and for every Canadian diner to enjoy a real Mexican food adventure.” Fully licenced. it’s Margarita time!

144 Burton Ave., Barrie | 705-252-7086 www.cocina-mexicana.ca

Ripe Juicery

Freshii at Park Place Barrie

Salads. Bowls. Burritos. Soups. Smoothies. Juices.

Freshii’s mission is to change the way the world eats. By making superfoods like kale and quinoa convenient and affordable for every citizen of the world, while continuing to introduce the latest culinary health trends. Turmeric juices, energii bites and grain bowls only skim the surface. Whether vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo to keto, DISCOVER YOUR FRESHII! Freshii donates one meal from the sale of each WE menu item to developing communities.

• Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner • Cold-pressed Juice Cleanse • Customized Menu Offering • Kid’s Menu • Catering • School Lunch Program

90 Park Place Boulevard, Unit 8, Barrie (705) 230-1940 parkplace@freshii.com www.freshii.com

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Cold Pressed Juices • Parfaits • Acai Bowls Salads • Sandwiches • Smoothies • Treats Ripe Juicery is a cold pressed, organic juice bar serving two locations in Barrie featuring cold pressed juice, hand crafted smoothies and acai bowls. Not to mention the oh-so-popular raw treats, cleanses, and a full plant based food menu. We serve in-house made soup, sandwiches, tacos, grain bowls and parfaits. We hand press all of our almond milk daily for smoothies & make every menu item from scratch using organic, plant based, raw ingredients.

Offering Doorstep Delivery!

Ripe Juicery, Barrie | ripejuicery.ca Downtown - 118 Dunlop St. | 705-503-7473 South End - 371 King St. Unit #4 | 705-503-4777

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2020-03-13 3:21 PM

Limoncello Bistro

Qing’s Cuisine

Rustic home-cooked southern Italian Cuisine

Barrie’s Tastiest Szechuan & Thai Cuisine

Located in downtown Barrie, the 50-seat eatery prides itself on everything from scratch, including its own pasta. “My cooking philosophy is that everything has to be fresh and locally sourced, when possible,” says the trained chef who was born in Sicily and raised in Toronto. Guests favourites include: pizza, chicken marsala, Sicilian rice balls, Caprese salad, penne alla vodka, handmade gnocchi with a smoked salmon and cognac sauce and lasagna.

Barrie’s Tastiest Szechuan & Thai Cuisine Qing Ni is a recognized Canadian Chef with over 20 years experience having worked out west in Vancouver and California as well as in Toronto, Collingwood and now Barrie. He and his wife Lien have delighted those who appreciate amazing Szechuan and their authentic Thai cuisine. Offering an extensive menu for take-out, delivery and a cozy atmosphere for dining in.

41 Maple Ave., Barrie 249.880.4001 www.limoncellobistro.ca

Sigrid’s Cafe & Fine Bakery

610 Huronia Rd., Unit 9, Barrie 705-503-6610 www.qingscuisine.com

Groovy Tuesday’s Bistro

At Sigrid’s, baking is a never-ending art form. For the past 35 years now, we have been a proud family-owned bakery in downtown Barrie. All our baked breads and pastries are made from scratch with all natural ingredients, the way it used to be done! “Savor every bite of your favorite pastry and do not feel guilty about it.

Desserts are like all good things in life - they need to be enjoyed in moderation but everyone deserves to treat themselves”.

Comfortably Small • Locally Focussed • Open Kitchen •Casual Elegant Atmosphere

10 Ross Street, Barrie | 705-726-0121 www.sigridsbakery.com

73 Collier Street, Barrie 705.721.0302 www.GroovyTuesdaysBistro.com

Andrea Higgins

Melanie Barrett is where she wants to be. “People tell me that I should expand and make my restaurant bigger,” says the owner of downtown Barrie’s Groovy Tuesdays Bistro, “but I like it small, that way I can see and interact with all of my diners. Getting a bigger space would change that, and make it less personal.”

Our menu is small, fresh and always changing. To put our best plate forward.

From our breads and pastas to our desserts, we make absolutely everything from scratch. Being consistent with the quality of our food is really important to us.

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the

crowd

Thanks to everyone, including our title sponsor, PureHealth Pharmacy, who supported Hospice Simcoe’s 9th annual gala.

Guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Liberty North and danced through the evening to the great sounds of Jamie Williams. $80,000 was raised and will go directly to our programs and services.

Dr. Brian Morris, Karen Hunter, Dr. Rick Irvin

Hospice Simcoe Board members - Anita Moore, Ray Trask, Bob Savage, Cindy Taylor

Darla and Jim McIntosh

Deborah and Barrie Hayes

Emil Kamel and Allie Schefter

John and Maryanne Cockburn

Dr. Kelly Sowden and Chris Busch

John and Maryanne Cockburn, Barrie and Deborah Hayes, Jim and Darla McIntosh

Hospice Simcoe staff - Danielle, Lori, Teneal, Amy, Tammy, Samantha, Kelly, Tonya, Kelly, Josie, Cathy and Judi

Michelle and John Weber Brad and Tammy Pollard, Dr. Kelly Emerson, Dr. Paul Hoogeveen, Kimberley and Jim Greenwood, Marian Boer, Dr. Paul Dr. Brian Morris, Kelly and Kevin Hubbard Hoogeveen, Dr. Kelly Emerson, Treena and Darrick Battaglia

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The new look of reclining comfort.

Makenna duoTM Power Loveseat & Sofa

Power to Recline STYLE · COMFORT · POWER At first glance all you see is style, but look closer at the revolutionary new duoTM line by La-Z-Boy® and you’ll find that this sophisticated collection of sofas, loveseats and occasional chairs also has the power to recline with the touch of a button.

USB Port Sleek Style lazboy.com/gta Barrie · 76 Barrie View Drive · (705) 735-3337 Newmarket · Scarborough · Vaughan Mills · Mississauga · Oakville · Etobicoke Burlington/Hamilton · Markham · London · Kitchener · Whitby/Oshawa · Barrie

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2020-03-13 3:08 PM