YAM Magazine - September/October 2019

ISSUE 63 SEP/OCT 2019

yammagazine.com

STYLE ISSUE

VICTORIA’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Drive.

Experience.

Impress.

Circuit Experiences For Everyone

Discover the very best of Canada’s only year-round motorsport facility through a selection of circuit experiences available to any enthusiast. Our motorsport club is open to the public to experience track days, driver’s training, performance driving programs, venue rentals and even complimentary tours of our facilities.

Choose from our diverse portfolio of experiences and rentals.

Circuit Experiences

Coaching Series

Driving Tours

Venue & Circuit Rentals

islandmotorsportcircuit.com | 1-844-856-0122

Style Issue

CO N T E N T S 60

STYLE WATCH This season’s fashion feels right at home amid the natural beauty of Goldstream Provincial Park.

42

LIVING ART YAM gets a sneak peek into an art-filled 1916 Fairfield character home featured on the upcoming AGGV Home Tour.

By Kate Cino

52

THE CREATIVE CLASS These Victoria originals are at the forefront of their respective crafts, reflecting the city’s evolution as a capital of cool.

By Athena McKenzie

66

FEELING ANXIOUS? SO IS EVERYONE. Anxiety may be a household word, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with.

YAM explores the modern epidemic.

By Susan Hollis

72

OBJECTS OF THEIR AFFECTION Sometimes an object is just an object, and sometimes it’s so much more. Local influencers share the everyday things they cherish.

By Kerry Slavens and Athena McKenzie

78

CIDER’S MODERN MAKEOVER B.C.’s new artisan ciders are delicious and pair well with food. They’re also perfect for cooking and baking — and even adding to creative cocktails.

By Cinda Chavich

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

CO U NS ND TR ER UC TI ON

Right in the Centre of Inspiration

Come home to Victoria’s Inner Circle. To the welcoming comfort of inspired design and impeccable quality.

To a glass of wine on your spacious balcony or an elegant dinner party for friends and family. Where interiors and outdoor spaces are thoughtfully designed for the way you choose to live. Come home to an inspired life at Capital Park.

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®

This is not an offering for sale. Such offering may be made by Disclosure Statement only. September 2019 E.&O.E. ® Registered trademarks of Concert Properties Ltd., used under license where applicable.

CO N T E N T S in every issue

22 Our in-depth knowledge of the market and personalized strategies will put you in the best possible position when buying or selling a home in Victoria.

Properties in Victoria Professionals ™ Sarah West and Bill Ethier The Real Estate Team You Trust for Life w: propertiesinvictoria.com I p: 250.920.7000

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E DITOR’S NOTE

13

HERE + NOW

22

GREAT SPACE

Personal Real Estate Corporation

Our in-depth knowledge of the market and personalized strategies will put you in the best possible position when buying or selling a home in Victoria.

Fashion to save the planet, West Coast makers, a local perfumerie, adding colour to your décor, and our Big Beauty giveaway.

13

The world’s fashion runways drive home décor trends. This year, the mod 1970s are back.

By Kerry Slavens

26

IN PERSON Surface designer Jackie Tahara’s passion for patterns.

By Linda Barnard

32

HOME + LIFESTYLE This dream build combines thoughtful architecture with a beautiful edible landscape.

32

By Danielle Pope

Sarah West* and Bill Ethier

60

*Personal Real Estate Corporation

The Real Estate Team You Trust for Life

w: propertiesinvictoria.com The Real Estate Team You Trust for Life p: 250.920.7000 Sarah West, PREC and Bill Ethier w: propertiesinvictoria.com p: 250.920.7000

STYLE WATCH Into the Woods Styled by Janine Metcalfe

84

SCENE Hermann’s, Victoria’s iconic jazz club, gets a new lease on life.

By David Lennam

90

DO TELL A Proust-style interview with wunderkind hairstylist Mohammed Ibrahim.

By Susan Hollis

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

90

LIVE INSPIRED

Your best life begins with a home that inspires you.

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PREC PREC Logan Wilson 250.857.0609 Logan Wilson 250.857.0609 Nico Grauer 250.228.3858 Insight: The Art of Living, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada’s exclusive magazine, connects our clients and readers to unique perspectives, extraordinary experiences and thought-provoking ideas that inspire you to live more deeply, richly and imaginatively.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

The Beauty Lesson

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In this Style Issue of YAM, we decided to learn about some of our city’s most fascinating people through the objects that are most meaningful to them, from Empress general manager Indu Brar’s running shoes to visual artist Pat Martin Bates’ figurine of two boys looking into a pond that Pat has filled with pearls and shells.

After the photo shoot, I went home and considered which of my objects was most meaningful to me. Aside from dear and obvious things like my daughter’s baby shoes and poems my husband wrote for me, I finally Kerry Slavens, Editor-in-Chief settled on a vintage vanity set of cut green glass given to me by my grandmother Wanda, who had kept it in a large, handmade cedar chest.

I was just five years old the day she opened her cedar chest, took out the set — a perfume bottle and “For a young a rouge pot — and gave it to me. It was exquisitely girl who loved beautiful, and I remember peering through the green mud puddles glass at the sunlight. The cedar chest it came from was a magical place where my grandmother, a woman without and climbing on adornment, kept the many beautiful things that had been roofs, opening given to her over the years, but which, I suppose, had that cedar little place in the life of a hard-working country wife.

Filled with lacy nightgowns, silk scarves, Chinese chest was like jade, perfumed soaps and glittering necklaces and peering into bracelets, the cedar chest was a source of enchantment a mysterious to me. For a young girl who loved mud puddles and climbing on roofs, opening that cedar chest was like world of peering into a mysterious world of femininity, of pretty femininity ...” things hidden away and deemed unnecessary by my grandmother. I remember asking her why she didn’t wear the perfumes or the dressing gowns. She brushed off my question, as if to say, “Look at me and my rough, red hands and my life spent cleaning, cooking and gardening. Where is there a place for such prettiness in my life?”

The green glass vanity set became a feature of every bedroom I’ve ever had — a symbol of beauty, artfulness and femininity, but because it came from my grandmother, it is also a reminder that the most beautiful things in the world are the ones imbued with meaning and soulfulness. That deeper beauty was the kind of beauty my grandmother possessed.

When my grandmother died, that cedar chest came to me. I opened it expecting to see her carefully tucked-away treasures, but by then it had been emptied. In place of those beautiful objects were swatches of old fabric from my grandmother’s living room curtains, pieces of old bedspread, practical things she must have saved “just in case,” the way women from the Depression era often did.

I’ll never know what happened to the pretty things my grandmother said she was keeping for me, and the cedar chest has gone now, passed to my daughter. Oddly, the chest that was never locked (and never had a key in my lifetime) has locked itself. When my daughter finally opens it, she too will find it empty of objects, but full of dreams.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

Email me at kslavens @ pageonepublishing.ca

BRIGHT & PLAYFUL

2655 Douglas St 250.386.7632 www.luxevictoria.ca

“I love the personality on display in this bright living space with its wonderful mix of textures.

The small leather chairs in canyon orange, one of the hottest colours this year, and the dreamy white sofa all encircle the dynamic animalprinted cocktail ottoman. So much fun!”

— ELAINE BALKWILL, LUXE DESIGNER

VICTORIA’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kerry Slavens DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet PRODUCTION MANAGER Jennifer Kühtz SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Amanda Wilson

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Janice Hildybrant

DEPUTY EDITOR Athena McKenzie

SENIOR WRITER Susan Hollis

ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ben Barrett-Forrest, Jo-Ann Loro

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Belle White

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Deana Brown, Sharon Davies, Cynthia Hanischuk, Nicole Mackie

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Linda Barnard, Cinda Chavich, Kate Cino, Susan Hollis, David Lennam, Danielle Pope

CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR Janine Metcalfe

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dean Azim, Jeffrey Bosdet, Mackenzie Duncan, Joshua Lawrence, James MacDonald, Belle White

PROOFREADER Paula Marchese CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Shutterstock p. 22; Stocksy p. 20, 83 GENERAL INQUIRIES info@yammagazine.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@yammagazine.com TO SUBSCRIBE TO YAM subscriptions@yammagazine.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES sales@yammagazine.com ONLINE yammagazine.com FACEBOOK facebook.com/YAMmagazine TWITTER twitter.com/YAMmagazine INSTAGRAM @yam_magazine ON THE COVER Model Qi Liu of Lizbell Agency was photographed at Goldstream Provincial Park wearing the latest fall fashion by Eileen Fisher from Tulipe Noire.

Photo by Mackenzie Duncan

EXCITING NEWS! As well as carrying the Red Wing Heritage Collection, we are now stocking Red Wing Work Boots!

Published by PAGE ONE PUBLISHING 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, B.C. V8Z 1C7 T 250-595-7243 info@pageonepublishing.ca pageonepublishing.ca

Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Printing.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Page One Publishing Inc. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement, and any and all representations or warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not the publisher. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in all or part, in any form — printed or electronic — without the express permission of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #41295544

ADVERTISE IN YAM MAGAZINE YAM is Victoria’s lifestyle magazine, connecting readers to the distinctive lifestyle and authentic luxury of the West Coast. For advertising info, please call 250-595-7243 or email sales@yammagazine.com.

1023 Fort Street | 250.920.7653 | heartandsoleshoes.ca

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

BC

HERE + NOW FASHION FOR THE OCEANS

KELLY HOFER PHOTOGRAPHY

“I decided to use jellyfish as my motif in the hope that the jellyfish can contribute to the sea of the future with its mysterious existence,� says Japan-based designer Erina Kashihara, who created this luminous jellyfish-inspired dress from reclaimed ocean plastics. She was one of the international designers featured at the Future Oceans fashion show, a fundraiser for the Ocean Legacy Foundation, held at Victoria International Marina this summer to promote positive action toward healthier oceans.

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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HERE + NOW

5

WAYS TO ADD COLOUR TO YOUR DÉCOR 1. Trending Hues

From the rich saturation of Beau Green to the soft blush of Head Over Heels, the hues in Benjamin Moore’s 2019 paint trend palette are effortlessly elegant.

2. Colour Block

PHOTOS: BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

Use a statement piece of furniture to add a pop of colour.

Gus Modern’s curvaceous Astrid sofa comes in a striking deep red called Stockholm Merlot.

3. Print on Print

WEST COAST MAKERS From day one, the ethos at Tonic Jewelry has been to celebrate local people making local jewelry.

“Tonic is an experience kind of place,” says shop founder Honor Chapman. “We are committed to supporting the local economy and our community, and, as such, keep our production, manufacturing and material sourcing as local as possible.”

At the Market Square boutique, you’ll find a curated selection of what the West Coast maker community has to offer. Much of the jewelry is made on site by Chapman (or her apprentices) and other local artists.

Recently, to help foster the local jewelrymaking community, Chapman opened Argentum, a jewelry-making school and supply shop, downstairs at Market Square.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

Patterns are a fun way to freshen up curtains and upholstery. Use the complementary fabrics from Brunschwig & Fils Les Touches line for a sophisticated layered look.

4. Sculptural Appeal

The undulating patterns and swirls of Lisa Samphire’s glass art create a luminous celebration of colour and pattern.

5. Pillow Talk

The home goods from Victoria-based Siempre are made with traditional textiles, such as African mud cloth and Guatemalan fabrics.

HERE + NOW

INTENTIONAL DESIGN Sarah Johnson of Rogue Ceramics wants her creations to be used.

“There may be a few pieces that you only bring out for special occasions, but I hope people feel comfortable enough to use my pottery daily,” she says.

Her pieces — created in her Rock Bay studio — use a simple and modern esthetic.

“I’ve been playing a bit more lately with glazes and finding ways to use drippier and even crystalline glazes while still sticking to my overall esthetic.”

Find Rogue Ceramics market and stockist listings at rogueceramics.com.

STYLE EXPRESSION

Lara Miller of Frances Grey takes a contemporary approach to women’s fashion, focusing on sustainability, personal style and minimalism — and bringing a rebellious edge to elegance.

PHOTOS: BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

“It’s a shopping experience where current trends and personal style fuse in wearable and unique pieces,” says Miller, who first opened her boutique on Yates in 2015. “The store has evolved and grown in a deeper understanding and vision of who ‘Frances Grey’ represents ... I have come to realize my customers range from young adults to 75-plus.”

For the fall, Miller is excited about the La Petite Francaise line. “It’s a feminine, elegant and timeless brand that brings a touch of Paris to your wardrobe,” she says.

“Their silhouettes combine naturalness and refinement.”

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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HERE + NOW

TREAT YOUR FEET

Laser Genesis targets inflammation presenting as redness or rosacea.

to the Genesis Plus — the only laser specifically designed to treat onychomycosis (toenail fungus) safely, with the greatest effectiveness.

It’s all about collagen!

No harsh chemicals plus zero recovery time equals a win-win for your skin!

BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

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A Head Above the Rest

B

raeden Paterson’s favourite hat is a soft natural brown with a shaped high crown, complemented by a rolled brim. “It’s adorned by two pins, [including] a small brass cowboy boot,” Paterson says. “It was one of the first hats I made, and you could say I’ve become attached.

It’s a classic style with my personality worn into it.”

The hatmaker behind Black Tulip Hats in North Cowichan crafts custom and ready-to-wear creations.

Paterson describes his esthetic as “tall grass, stringed instruments, wild roses and old books. A little bit of ‘yeehaw romance.’ ” His evolving collection of ready-to-wear hats are made from vintage felt he finds on his travels.

“Recently, Stina Swesey of Mother Mountain Herbals took me on a tour through her home state of Arizona, where I hand-picked some beautiful sun-kissed vintage felts,” Paterson says. “Different shades of faded black, brown, silver, gold and a well-worn white are among the colours I have to work with.

“These old felts are going to be completely reworked and made into a collection inspired by my time in the desert.”

Available through blacktuliphats.com.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

“A LITTLE BIT OF ‘YEEHAW ROMANCE.’”

LOVE Y OUR LOOK C O N S U LT T H E BEAUTY EXPERTS

G I F T C E R T I F I C AT E S AVA I L A B L E BOTOX • COOLSCULPTING • LASERS

LASER HAIR REMOVAL • ULTHERAPY

FILLERS • PRP (FOR HAIR LOSS & SKIN)

MICRONEEDLING • FEMININE REJUVENATION

250.380.2600 rosenthalclinic.ca

HERE + NOW

THE PERFUME DIARIES Looking for your signature scent? Consider a visit to The Still Room Natural Perfumery in Oak Bay.

A Our best selection of slippers ever for both men and women.

Our best selection of slippers ever for both men and women.

collaboration between perfumers Stacey Moore of Flore Botanical Alchemy and Karen Van Dyck of K Van Dyck Parfum, The Still Room invites you to connect to the world of aromatics through education and deep exploration.

“By listening to our customers and noticing their body language when experiencing different scents, we are able to guide them to perfumes we think they will love,” Moore says. “When we create a custom perfume, the questions are deeper, and we encourage our clients to be curious and explore scents they may not have considered. There is not just one perfect perfume — there are many. Scent preferences are personal and relate to memory, emotions, ideas, dreams and desires. It is a vast territory and endlessly creative.”

F E A T U R I N G

A Stable Way of Life Mattick’s Farm 123-5325 Cordova Bay Rd. 250-658-3052 |

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

PHOTOS: BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

¬ Glerups ¬ Haflinger ¬ Garneau ¬ Hides ¬ Romika ¬ and more

Karen Van Dyck (left), of K Van Dyck Parfum, and Stacey Moore, of Flore Botanical Alchemy, at The Still Room Natural Perfumery, where customers can experience the craft of creating perfumes.

YAM CONFIDENTIAL

Behind the Scenes a diplomat stops by YAM magazine’s office. When Indu Brar, the general manager of the Fairmont Empress, arrived for the Objects of Their Affection photo shoot (page 72), she brought along Winston, the hotel’s “Canine Ambassador.”

Named for Winston Churchill, who once stayed Indu Brar with Winston at the Empress, the Lab/ Golden Retriever cross came from the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, where he was deemed “too friendly” to be an effective guide dog. The sociable pooch now spends his days greeting guests in the iconic hotel’s lobby.

C M

Y

K

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

It’s not every day

BEAUTIFUL YOU GIVEAWAY Win $300 of Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics embraces an all-natural beauty. Available locally at Pharmasave Broadmead, Youngblood formulates its products from the finest natural minerals, plant extracts and precious oils. Enter to win a $300 gift certificate for Youngblood products, plus a personalized makeup application valued at $50.

Contest closes Thursday, October 24.

Visit yammagazine.com for details.

FILE NAME: AQUARA_Yam_Douglas_Spruce_Mags_Half_20190726.ai FILE SIZE: 7.5" (W) x 4.7" (H) with 0.125" bleed

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019 PROJECT: AQUARA by ELEMENT CONTACT: info@ancreative.com

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HERE + NOW

TASTES+TRENDS

Mushroom lovers consider this one of the most delicious times of the year. Among the fruiting bodies of forest fungi, there may be none as elegant as the golden chanterelle.

By Cinda Chavich

A

special cohabitant of the Douglas fir, the indigenous chanterelle pops up on the mossy forest floor as soon as the fall rains begin. And that means a tasty windfall for mycologists, foragers and chefs alike.

“Lance and I went out and found over 100 pounds last year in one epic, long day,” says OLO chef/owner Brad Holmes, describing an outing with his favourite professional forager Lance Staples picking the abundant mushroom.

Back at Holmes’ restaurant, those chanterelles turned up in a variety of dishes, married with barbecued pork belly, corn, tomatillos and poblano chilies, fried crisp to serve with chanterelle mayo, and pickled to float, with nasturtium leaves, atop a creamy corn purée.

It’s the same story whenever local chefs have a chance to serve chanterelles.

At Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, chef Ali Ryan folds chanterelles into her breakfast frittatas, and at Sunday’s Child, chef Susannah Ruth Bryan does a classic French duxelles of sautéed wild mushrooms to pile on toasts, topped with eggs, or perched over rustic endive and arugula salads.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

BENJAMIN SCHEDLER/STOCKSY

Chanterelle Season

At Zambri’s, chef Peter Zambri riffs on his slower, then put them in at the end. I like to Italian roots, waxing poetic about the local bread them and deep fry them too.” chanterelles.

Chanterelles are considered one of the most “The chanterelle is unbeatable — firm, dense delicious mushrooms, exuding an apricot and not too assertive in flavour,” says Zambri, aroma when fresh, and a sweet, nutty flavour who puts these indigenous when cooked, and they always mushrooms on the menu as look gorgeous on the plate. soon as they start to emerge Simply sauté them in butter, “The chanterelle in the coastal forest. to serve over grilled steak or is unbeatable — “We always have polenta halibut, fold into an omelet or firm, dense and with sautéed chanterelles toss with pasta. not too assertive and taleggio. We have to do Don’t want to hunt for in flavour.” that every year when the chanterelles yourself? You’ll chanterelles start.” easily find them at local That might be any time in grocery stores and farmers early September, as chanterelles pop up in the markets throughout the fall. warm fall days, just after the first late summer But the chanterelle is the perfect mushroom rains. Zambri says chanterelles collected during for new foragers; it’s prolific in coastal forests, fairly dry spells are firmer and drier, best to sauté there are no deadly look-alikes and the bright with butter and garlic, then finish with cream, yellow/orange colour makes the mushroom while in wetter weather the mushrooms take up easy to spot on the mossy forest floor. a lot of moisture and are better for soups.

Zambri likens it to “an Easter egg hunt for “Chanterelle mushroom soup is the ultimate adults.” mushroom soup, and chanterelles and salmon “You’ll find them up and down the coast are a match made in heaven,” he says. from here to Port Renfrew,” he says. “Just go “If I’m making risotto, I will cook them for a walk in the woods.”

LOCAL FOOD FINDS Bitter, Sweet!

Tasted recently at Floyd’s Diner in James Bay — a tall double espresso on ice with tonic water. Bitter, sweet, acidic and oddly refreshing, it’s the latest thing Floyd’s owner Petr Prusa discovered on a trip to Prague, and it may make it onto his eclectic breakfast menu soon.

With roots in Scandinavia, this cool combination has popped up around the world. Try your cold brew with local Sparkmouth dry tonic from Phillips, with a splash of lemon and a sprig of Grand fir for a citrusy, West Coast twist.

Breakfast Charcuterie At Spinnaker’s there’s something new on the morning menu — the Nordic Board. Their early morning answer to the evening charcuterie board, the Nordic Board, includes smoked B.C. salmon and hard-boiled egg with horseradish and caper cream cheese, pickled onions and grainy mustard, alongside the housemade rye and multi-grain baguette. Have a Cider Mimosa (house cider and OJ) and get the day off to a sunny start.

Diner Date The crew at Fol Epi and Agrius have reimagined Victoria’s historic diner at Paul’s Motor Inn with a fully organic menu. Named for original owner and legendary bon vivant, Paul Arsens, the diner was opened in the 1950s and remains a local icon. But now you can slide into a red vinyl booth at Paul’s Diner

by Fol Epi for a big burger and fries, all made with locally-sourced, organic ingredients. Fol Epi owner Cliff Leir calls it “regional variations on diner classics” with organic meats from Farm + Field Butchers and his amazing artisan baked goods.

Back to School Fall signals time to hit the books — including cookbooks and cooking classes.

The London Chef has some new classes with new local instructors. Grab a few friends and belly up to the gas stoves for a hands-on evening of Italian cooking with Victoria’s Don Genova. The former CBC food columnist and author of Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands traces his family roots to Sicily, so expect to learn all about this unique corner of Italy. That’s amore!

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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GREAT SPACE

That 70 s Style Rewind

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By Kerry Slavens

hey’re back! We’re talking about the 1970s, decade of the ultra-mod, madly bold and outrageously patterned. Fashion designers from Versace to Nicole Miller have revised the sensibility of the groove era and mixed in a bit of grunge. Those looks are now making their way from fashion runways in Paris, New York, Milan and Barcelona into ready-to-wear fashion and home furnishings and décor. Look for bold patterns, shaggy faux furs in neon hues, tie-dyed and batiked soft furnishings, whimsically shaped sofas and chairs and plenty of groovy metal accents.

But 2019 is anything but matchy-matchy, so don’t be too reverent — go ahead and mix colours, patterns and textures. And why not? The 70s, after all, were a style mash-up of hippie, boho, punk and disco.

Not feeling brave? You really don’t have to go over the top to get some 70s fun into your fashion and your home. Look for colourful throw pillows and drapes in swirling patterns, and pair with neutral furnishings and walls. Or add a shag area rug to bring a pop of retro into your contemporary style. But remember, the 1970s represented freedom and revolution, so don’t be afraid to go a bit far out with your home fashion.

GET THE LOOK 1 Sink into the plushness of this Velvet Delaney chair in yummy chartreuse.

More colours available. (Anthropologie) 2 Inspired by Italian mid-century design, the Wright buffet features solid eucalyptus wood construction with a walnut veneer. (West Elm) 3 The spectacular Aria Gold Suspension chandelier is designed by celebrated architect Zaha Hadid and manufactured by lighting leader Slamp. (lightform.ca) 4 This 3D geometric art piece is ideal for adding texture to your walls. Tuck in photos or art to change up the look.

(Moe’s Home Victoria) 5 Global Views’ stunning art glass pairing in dewdrop-pink. (Available through Luxe Home Interiors)

6 The “grooves” of the Italian-designed ODEA sofa pick up on a 70s sensibility, combining it with a softly sophisticated design that would work in any era.

(Roche Bobois Vancouver) 7 The Carre ottoman combines the colours and swirling patterns of the 70s with a touch of the regal. (Major Interiors, Vancouver) 8 This 18 x 18-inch Mongolian sheepskin pillow in hot magenta pink is backed by genuine suede leather in a matching tone. (PillowDecor.com) 9 Designed by Luigi Gorgoni, this cocktail table features four movable tabletop quarter circles. (Roche Bobois Vancouver) 10 Artifort’s Tulip lounge chair evokes images of opening petals for a punch of flower power. (Gabriel Ross)

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local tip!

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So many great places to browse

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2 Find plenty of home décor inspiration as you browse our shops.

3 Take a stroll along the waterfront walkway.

4 Unwind with an outdoor self-guided sculpture tour.

5 We’re dog friendly!

Window shop with Fido along the Avenue.

Sidney Welcome to our spectacular little town set on the edge of the Salish Sea!

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1 Shop our independently owned boutiques.

Sustainable fashion is booming in Sidney at boutiques like Ecotopia and Moden!

here’s nothing like a day in a charming seaside town to refresh the spirit. Just a quick drive from Victoria, Sidney offers boutique shopping, incredible views, and an array of dining options that will make you wonder why you don’t come more often. When you can shop, dine, pamper yourself and park for free all within a walkable radius, there’s really no better way to spend a day.

Once you’re in town, find yourself embraced by the welcoming atmosphere.

Explore the stars of the town centre: independently owned boutiques offering a delightful selection of treasures for you or your home. Impeccable customer service is alive and well at Sidney’s clothing and shoe shops for both men and women, but did you know that you can also furnish your home or garden, purchase original artwork or find advice on remodeling a room?

Discover it all within a few short blocks.

When you’ve worked up an appetite, discover another remarkable thing

about Sidney: the incredible selection of cafes, restaurants and pubs. From Indian dishes and freshly baked goodies, to seafood and French cheeses, Sidney is a culinary destination in itself.

If you’re weary and just want to relax, treat yourself to a salon or spa visit. Better yet, make it a weekend and stay at one of Sidney’s luxurious hotels or romantic inns. Round out your staycation with an historic walking tour, a bicycle ride around the airport path, or just stroll our waterfront Sidney Sculpture Walk. And for evening entertainment, take in a concert at the Mary Winspear Centre or a movie at Star Cinema.

And by the way, Sidney serves up a special welcome for families, too. Be sure to stop into the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea where you can get an up close look at life under the sea!

However you choose to enjoy Sidney, you’re sure to receive a warm welcome.

To plan your visit, find information about events and businesses at sidneybia.ca.

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IN PERSON

A Passion for Since prehistoric times, humans have derived meaning from patterns, seeking them out, creating them and curating them. Jackie Tahara, a rising star in the world of surface pattern design, makes them beautiful.

By Linda Barnard

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ictoria surface pattern designer Jackie Tahara may change the way you see the world.

Look around. Notice the patterned upholstery on a chair, the colourful design on your socks, the motif on your smart phone case?

They all have original artwork, created by surface pattern designers like Tahara.

You’ll recognize surface patterns instantly, although you’ve likely never heard the term. They’ve been a part of your life since you were snapped into your first nursery-print onesie.

“Someone has designed this pattern, someone has designed that rug. It’s everywhere,” says Tahara over a mug of green tea in the lush garden behind her Gordon Head home that includes her UnBlink Studio workspace.

“And that’s what really floors me,” she adds. “There’s a need for it everywhere.”

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

AROUND THE WORLD IN PATTERNS UnBlink Studio designs are flowing and colourful, ranging from exotic to whimsical and are often humorous. They’re inspired by the natural world, Tahara’s travels, her background as an artist and her imagination. It’s impossible to look at them You’ll recognize without smiling. surface patterns Married to physician instantly, Rob Edmonds (her highschool boyfriend; they although you’ve reconnected years later) likely never heard and mother of two teens, the term. They’ve Tahara has been gaining notice in the crowded been part of your world of surface pattern life since you were design.

You can’t find her work snapped into your in a Victoria shop. It’s only first nursery-print available online. Tahara onesie. would love to change that and would like to partner with Victoria creatives and companies to produce surface pattern designs for packaging or retail here.

“So much of what we do is on the computer. You’re sending stuff all over the world. But I’d love to work face to face with local people,” she says.

Her reputation is growing. Tahara was recently named one of the best up-and-comers in Uppercase magazine’s Surface Pattern Design Guide. MOYO magazine has also featured her work, and she showed her designs last year at Surtex, the massive annual B2B art and design show in New York.

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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Clockwise from top: Tahara often mocks up potential uses for her pattern designs, such as her Big Sky collection of bedding and pillows. For a creative design challenge, she imagined her floral patterns used as the wrap on artisanal chocolate bars and water bottle prototypes.

These water bottles feature two of Tahara’s lotusinspired patterns: Enlightened (left) and Lotus Pond (right)

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She’s been shortlisted for international competitions and has signed agreements to license her work in Israel and Italy.

Licensing agent Iris Parizer of Ginja Licensing & Marketing in Tel Aviv bought the rights to some of Tahara’s designs for lines of note cards. She discovered Tahara through social media (no surprise, this art form is an Instagram and Pinterest darling). Tahara is one of a handful of Canadian designers Parizer has worked with over the years.

In an email interview with YAM, she called Tahara’s designs unique, standing out with their use of colour, eye-catching images and sense of fun. “Jackie’s beautiful and colourful designs attract me and also her way [of] expressing the designs on products and mock-ups in a very beautiful and professional manner.”

She plans to keep licencing Tahara’s designs for the Israeli market.

PATTERNS, PAST AND PRESENT This everyday art has a long history. Think of British textile designer William Morris and the 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement or Emilio Pucci’s swirling 60s psychedelic designs.

Perhaps your grandmother had dishware with

bold designs from Finland’s Marimekko. All sparked pattern design trends that continue to inspire.

Today, Japandi or Scandinese is hot, a coming together of Japanese and Nordic design influences. It’s among Tahara’s contemporary favourites, although she’s also inspired by retro designs of the 1950s to the ’70s.

A world traveller since she was in her 20s, when she waited tables to fund her explorations in between school, Tahara is influenced by patterns she’s seen around the globe, from block printing and saris in India, to Indonesian batik and Mexican folk art. Her Gordon Head garden also provides daily inspiration.

She studied art history at Queens University in Ontario and South Asian studies, Indian mythology, religion and folklore at the University of British Columbia. She also studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, as well as the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Master’s degree in South Asian mythology, folklore and Sanskrit. (Yes, she can read it.) It’s easy once you learn the characters, she says.

And then she went to law school, joining a firm as a tax lawyer.

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“If you look at the line of what I’ve done, that’s definitely the odd man out,” Tahara says with a smile.

Artist, lawyer, designer, stay-at-home mom, marathon runner and creator, it’s hard to figure out how Tahara has fit it all in.

“It just happened, I don’t know. There was never a grand plan. I was just, ‘What shall I do next?” she says.

She and her husband have lived in many different places, inspired by location rather than job offers. As a physician, Edmonds is always in demand. During their stint in Nelson, B.C., Tahara picked up a magazine stand from a shuttered bookstore. It now covers one wall of her Unblink Studio workroom and is filled with art, travel, photography and lots of design books.

“Don’t let me loose in a bookstore,” she jokes.

Tahara and her family lived on the Big Island of Hawaii, which inspired many of Tahara’s garden designs. That’s where she started learning Adobe Illustrator. She uses the powerful computer software to turn ideas drawn freehand in oversized sketchbooks into surface patterns that flow to tell a story, or fill a space with repeating patterns.

Two years after coming to Victoria in 2014, Tahara began working her way through online surface pattern design learning modules through the Make It In Design website.

She just happened on the site. “I didn’t even know surface pattern design was a thing,” she says.

Her work also meant learning the business side of surface pattern design and how to effectively pitch her designs to be licensed for one-time use or sold outright.

As with many creative areas, the internet has brought democratization and easy access to the world of surface pattern design and sales.

UnBlink is on a variety of print-on-demand websites, like Spoonflower, Roostery, Doc Cotton and Society6, where clients around the world can order one of Tahara’s designs online and have it custom-printed on everything from metres of fabric, to finished goods and wallpaper.

“Do I make a living? Not quite,” she says.

Selling a design outright nets $600 to $700 U.S., although Tahara prefers to keep ownership and licences a surface pattern for fees that range from about $50 U.S. “I love making the patterns. That’s the art side of it,” Tahara says, as she flips through the pages in her sketchbook, words scribbled in the margins about themes or subjects.

She always begins with a shape and envisions

Clockwise from top left: Living Collections was inspired by a visit to Kew Gardens in London; Falling Leaves is from Tahara’s Quiet Autumn collection; her Eucalyptus pattern is in a bright orange, pink and green colourway; With Floating World, the designer wanted to convey the feeling of floating in warm water.

how it will flow, or pleasingly repeat on a surface, from flip-flops to tote bags. The design grows from that. There’s a slithering snake, tropical fruit, West Coast sea creatures, bugs, happy trucks, desert birds, lush flowers, Halloween images and comical critters.

She turns to a drawing of a curvaceous vase.

“That became a pattern,” she says.

“If you want to be your own artist, you’re always striving to be within your own look, so that people will start to get to know your stuff,” she says.

Themes can vary widely, like Tahara’s cactus super-bloom, Mexican folk art or the Japaneseinspired tea ceremony collection, but her style has to be recognizable throughout.

It takes years to develop a recognizable style, she says. “You’re always honing.”

What’s her style? “Very clean, but very lush and organic.”

As Tahara makes her mark in a competitive industry, does she feel like she’s a success?

“How do you define success?” she asks. “It’s not a monetary thing for me. I get to work at home in my favourite space with my garden, my kids are healthy and happy. What more could you ask?”

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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HOME + LIFESTYLE

Design with Nature in Mind

In an oceanside neighbourhood, the Mills family embraced the idea of urban gardening so fully they designed their spectacular Scandi-inspired home around the concept of “food forests” that feed their family, engage their children and attract the bees.

By Danielle Pope ■ Photos by Joshua Lawrence

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“WHEN WE WERE BUILDING THIS HOUSE, THE WHOLE TIME, WE WERE THINKING, ‘THIS IS IT.’ THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO LIVE FOREVER ...”

The family needed a kitchen that would support their focus on fresh food and at-home meals — and be stylish enough for entertaining and able to weather cooking experiments with the kids. The copper countertops were custom created out of 16-gauge sheet metal. The landing that overlooks the kitchen from the second level allows the girls to “place orders” from above.

The stairwell is a modern twist on the West Coast look, with black-stained red oak steps matching the black powder-coated steel railings and grates. Lavender basket supplied by Pigeonhole Home Store.

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B

efore plans were even in place, Daphna and Adam Mills knew permaculture would be the centrepiece of their dream home.

So when the two found a charming property on Harling Point only steps to the ocean, it didn’t bother them that this was one of the windiest areas of Victoria, or that plants in this microclimate have to contend with sea salt, deer, acidic soil and water challenges. The couple had recently moved to Victoria from Nunavut and, with two young girls, they were just thrilled at the prospect of having a garden outdoors.

“We’re always looking for projects for the girls, so the gardens give us something to play with and learn from every day,” says Adam, a craftsman and stay-at-home dad. “Kids couldn’t care less that you build a house — but they love those gardens and the bees and all the plants.”

Melissa Baron, landscape designer, helped the Millses design their home exterior in the spirit of creating an entirely edible landscape.

The space is over 2,600 square feet (including the patio and pathways), and hosts over 60 kinds of plants, plus eight varieties of fruit trees — from Asian pears and peaches, to goji berries, passionflowers, lavender and lettuce.

Baron is passionate about helping people reconnect to their food and worked with Danée Lambourne of Demitasse Cafe & Garden Centre and Eden Projects to bring the family’s vision to life.

“Projects like this are what I dream of because we help people create their own food and medicine, support the bee population and contribute to Island permaculture,” says Baron. “There are challenges with awkward microclimates like this one, but there’s always a way — and we found it. Now, their garden is a ‘love’ garden of mine, and I still visit sometimes.”

The Mills family’s landscape represents one of only a handful of homes on Vancouver Island with built-in “food forests.” These homes incorporate plant architecture so fully into their designs that the houses are built around it. No surprise, the family’s home plays with a contemporary farmhouse style, mixed with a touch of Scandinavian beach house — complete with galvanized metal basins for lifted beds and aluminum fencing that blends in with the design.

“Even though we can’t predict the future, we hope this is the last house we will live in,” says Daphna, originally from the Mainland.

“When we were building this house, the whole time, we were thinking, ‘This is it.’ This is where we want to live forever, with room for our kids, room for our parents and room for us when we get older.”

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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“WE LOVE TO BE AT HOME, AND WE WANTED TO BUILD A HOUSE THAT COULD EVOLVE WITH US, ONE THAT IS MEANT TO WEAR AND WILL CHANGE OVER TIME.”

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Simple, consistent motifs were wish list items for Daphna Mills, but she also wanted pops of colour to help this home come alive. The living area has a playful vibe, with bright primary colours accenting the concrete flooring, a black fireplace and natural finishes.

Industrial Guard lamps from Barn Light Electric Company act as both sconce and pendant lights throughout the house. Dishes, throws and pillows supplied by Pigeonhole Home Store.

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WITH SLOPED ROOFS, RED WINDOW FRAMES, JAPANESE SHOU SUGI BAN SIDING AND SPECTACULAR GARDENS IN PLACE OF A LAWN, THE HOME HAS BEEN WELCOMED INTO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.

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A RARE SPOT

The master bedroom was created in the homey style of a farmhouse attic with structured ceilings that offer a dynamic shapeliness to the space and windows that open to a full view of the sea. In this retreat space, the industrial lamps partner with the ensuite’s Abigail Edwards “Winter” Seascape wallpaper (seen on page 40) to enhance the ocean farmhouse theme. Bedding and pillows supplied by Pigeonhole Home Store.

The 2,700-square-foot home, with three-plus levels, is situated in one of the most historic locations in Victoria — near the traditional Chinese Cemetery. The property was first purchased in 1907, and the home on the lot was one of the first houses built on Harling Point.

Despite its previous three storeys of illegal renovations, some neighbours were sad to see it go. In tribute, the family wanted to create a home that honoured classic architecture — and that would last.

With sloped roofs, red-framed windows, Japanese shou sugi ban siding and spectacular gardens in place of a lawn, the home has been welcomed into the neighbourhood.

That neighbourhood is what drew Adam and Daphna to the area in the first place: a rare spot near the city where children can play, freerange, and neighbours still stop by for a visit or to bring over fresh greens.

“It took us a long time to come to where we are, but the most important feature of our home is this neighbourhood,” says Daphna. “People here are so friendly. It feels like generations of family.”

A MODERN RIFF Chris Foyd, a registered Danish architect and owner of 519 Design+Build, had been working on another property in the area when he was asked to design a home for the Mills

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“IT’S MEANT TO BE A HOME THAT’S LOVED.”

Above: Twin bedrooms are shared by the kids, ages 5 and 7. Though equal space was a priority, the girls currently sleep in one room and use the other as a playroom, which doubles as a gathering space for the family’s two dogs and three guinea pigs.

Left: The master bath was outfitted with a large glass walk-in shower instead of a bath to fit the busy family’s lifestyle, and was tiled with durable Cambria Quartz sheets in “Brittanicca.” The ensuite (right) features Abigail Edwards’ “Winter Seascape” wallpaper.

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“IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU GET THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH A COUPLE THAT KNOWS SO CLEARLY WHAT THEY WANT ...”

— Architect Chris Foyd, 519 Design+Build

family. His favourite part about the request was that they wanted to create something traditional with a non-traditional site — and one that used height to access the views while leaving as much ground as possible for the gardens.

“It’s an odd site, because the property line is double-headed, but this is a house that could have been built 100 years ago, now with a modern riff,” says Foyd. “It’s not every day you get the chance to work with a couple that knows so clearly what they want that they even convinced me to take a few chances — like the red window frames. We were all thrilled with the outcome.”

A unique element of this home is its combination of Scandinavian vaulted ceilings and the open-concept main floor, blended with cozy rooms and small nooks that give it that “old farm” feeling. Foyd notes that while this home would hardly count as small, he’s used to creating small functional areas — a wish of Daphna’s to ensure no part of this home was wasted. In that vein, the two girls, seven and five years old, have twin bedrooms, made as identical opposites with a “secret” passageway between the two. A full lower level and exterior studio leaves room for family growth when needed.

“There were little wish-list items we had for this house, like the stove pot filler, dimmer lights, steamer shower and oversized kitchen that we didn’t realize how much we would use until we had them,” says Adam. “Now, it’s hard to imagine life without them.”

HOME EVOLUTION Adam loves the home’s metal and concrete motifs, like the polished concrete floors, grounded copper countertops and black powder-coated perforated steel panels for the staircase. Yet it also includes the clean lines, white walls and simple marine-farm décor Daphna enjoys. With two young kids, an old dog, a new puppy and three guinea pigs, durability is a feature everyone wants.

“We love to be at home, and we wanted to build a house that could evolve with us — one that is meant to wear, and will change over time. Just like our garden will grow, so will it,” says Daphna. “It will get lived in and wrinkly and worn, and so will we — and that’s just fine.

It’s meant to be a home that’s loved.”

RESOURCES ARCHITECT: Chris Foyd, 519 Design+Build

COUNTERTOPS: Silver Fern Stainless

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Alex Bateman

FINISHING CARPENTRY: Kyle McCooey, Definitive Carpentry

DOORS & HARDWARE: Pella Windows & Doors of Victoria ROOFING: Parker Johnston Industries

FLOOR REFINISHING: CD Specialty Cleaning & Restoration

KITCHEN MILLWORK: IKEA kitchen installed

by IKAN Installations

LANDSCAPE: Demitasse Café & Garden Centre and Eden Projects

BATHROOM: IKEA bathroom installed by builder

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YAM gets a sneak preview into an art-filled 1916 Fairfield character home featured on the upcoming AGGV Home Tour, and discovers a family whose life is as artful as their impressive collection of antiques, heirlooms and works by some of Canada’s most revered artists.

Maryan Meek at the front door of the Fairfield home she has lived in for 57 years.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

LIVING ART

By Kate Cino | Photos by Jeffrey Bosdet

T

here was a time, before TV, when our front porches were our meeting places. People sat on their porches and watched and chatted with the neighbours, picking up the news and entertainment of the day. Long before Spotify, they played instruments and sang on the porch, off-key. It didn’t matter; just being together was good enough.

A home with one of those old-time front porches is featured on this year’s AGGV Gallery Associates House Tour, which takes place on Sunday, September 22, and visitors who climb the front steps to the porch of Maryan and Eric Meek’s home might want to linger for a while. This area is a repository for

antiques and family heirlooms, and it holds many clues to the wonders unfolding inside the house.

The front porch of the Meek residence sits quite high off its Fairfield sidestreet. A place to see and be seen. Thanks to a 2005 major house restoration, it’s in excellent condition. Don’t miss the clay relief carving to the right of the front door that shows Jack Meek (Eric Meek’s father) playing an early musical instrument called a crumhorn. Jack’s many talents and adventures are expanded upon throughout the home.

On a table at the far end of the porch sits a wooden bust carved by Thelma Meek (Eric’s mother). The classical features, flowing headdress and rough-hewn quality of the

sculpted wood are striking. Thelma’s artistic talents and art collections are also featured throughout the home.

Eric’s penchant for antiques (he owned an antiques business during the 1980s in Victoria) has resulted in some fascinating additions to the home. The porch holds two of his collectables: an antique Fahrenheit thermometer and a wooden wheel form with faded red paint that Eric purchased from Ramsay Machine Works (founded in 1903) before Ramsey moved its Store Street business to Sidney.

“Almost four feet in diameter, the form was used in the production of mechanical wheels,” says Eric.

And have you ever experienced a mangle or wringer? Well, here’s your opportunity. This

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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This corner of the Maryan and Eric’s living room features paintings by Sybil Andrews and Maxwell Bates, along with an antique Lalique glass vase and an African chieftain’s seat. Opposite page: On the right is Maryan’s painting “Blowing Bubbles.“

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“I liked it because of the red colour, which matches the wheel,” says Eric.

On a porch table, sits a delicate lampshade festooned with feathers. Maryan learned the exacting craft of lampshade design from her mother-in-law Thelma. One of Maryan’s spectacular lampshades is in the living room.

Maryan and Eric are sharing their historic and storied residence in support of a good cause. Since 1953, the Gallery Associates have assisted the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria with their annual house tour. The five homes featured on the September 22 tour each have a special connection to the arts and a working artist on-site.

Pat Preston of the Gallery Associates is proud of each of five homes on the 66th annual tour. “But this one is truly unique,” she says. “The owners have preserved the family home, art collection and memorabilia, which are full of fascinating stories.”

CASUALLY SOPHISTICATED Maryan Meek has lived in the house for 57 years. Growing up there, she walked across the fields to St. Ann’s Academy. Today, the original stately glass doors she walked through as a student now grace the studio/ guest house in her garden. Her husband Eric bought the doors for $75 and a case of beer.

Maryan is a sculptor, painter, creator of exquisite lampshades and stencil designer for commercial lighting projects. And a gracious hostess. As she guides me through many rooms on her home’s first and second floors, all included on the tour, we weave past

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The mantel features sculptures by Maryan Meek, including a bust of her friend Melissa McHugh and two female forms, the white original and a silver version made from a copy form.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

9:36 AM

LOOKING FOR YOUR SOUL MATE?

Adam Curry’s mixed-media piece “View of The Sylvia Hotel.” Below it hangs L.W. Brammer’s watercolour “New London Bay.”

antique sofas, armoires and a fireplace mantel, featuring her original sculptures. Each wall, alcove and stairwell holds an intriguing mix of outstanding treasures.

Casual sophistication rules in this home.

The kitchen area, designed by Maryan, features one of the couple’s favourite paintings: “View of the Sylvia Hotel,” a contemporary work by Adam Curry. She and Eric often visited this heritage hotel in West Vancouver with Thelma.

“It’s a piece of our hearts,” says Maryan.

The artist’s own striking paintings with feminist themes share wall space with the Group of Seven and their contemporaries.

There are two paintings by Franz Johnston.

“He was famous for his snow scenes,” says Maryan.

Johnston exhibited with the Group of Seven only once, in 1920. He then moved to Winnipeg to become principal of the Winnipeg School of Art. There are also artworks by Maxwell Bates, Sybil Andrews and local carver and painter Godfrey Stephens.

In the hallway, a majestic mountain landscape hangs above the wardrobe. I inquire as to the artist’s name. Maryan replies “somebody famous,” then brings a magnifying glass and hovers over the faint signature.

Gradually, the letters H.J. DeForest appear.

Henry Josiah DeForest was a Canadian painter (1860-1924) who spent time in Banff and Vancouver. The couple purchased the painting, dated 1904, at Lunds Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Another charming painting in the dining room is titled Bungalows near San Francisco,

by British artist Leonard Richmond (18891965), whose artworks are much appreciated by international collectors. The well-educated

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From rifles to romance, this tour has something for everyone.

Left: The painting in the stairwell by Maryan Meek features porcelain figurines drying after the kiln.

On the wall to the left hangs an old Dutch painting, which Maryan’s father brought to Canada from the Netherlands in the 1950s. Right: Above the armoire, which showcases Jack Meek’s memorabilia from his time as an RCMP officer in White Horse is a painting

by H.J. DeForest.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

artist shared his painting techniques in a hardcover book, available for viewing on the tour.

RIFLES TO ROMANCE The source of some of the artworks in the collection is Kay Meek (1906-2004), a wealthy businesswoman who was based in Vancouver.

Kay was married to Thelma’s brother and gifted her sister-in-law with many artworks.

The Kay Meek Arts Centre in West Vancouver is named to honour her generous funding.

Another prominent member of the Meek family is Eric’s father Jack Meek. In the Second World War, Jack was a navigator on Lancaster bombers and received a medal for Conspicuous Gallantry. After the war, Jack took up a post in the Yukon with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. On top of the wardrobe in the hallway is a collection from his years in the Yukon. First Nations’ regalia includes a wooden rattle, a walking stick, a painted four-legged stool and beaded and fringed hide gloves. Two .44-40 Winchester rifles, one inside a decorated beadwork case, are on display.

From rifles to romance, this tour has something for everyone. Maryan shows me the lampshade she made as an engagement gift for Eric.

“There is much time involved with these lamps,” she says, “and the materials are becoming scarce.”

The lampshade is constructed of red silk, hand sewn onto a wire base. In one area, the silk is gathered into a fan shape which glows gently. Covering the silk is semi-transparent black velvet fabric. The patterns in the velvet create an exotic visual effect. The beaded fringe is hand sewn. The crowning glory is the jewelled finial.

This glorious lampshade illuminates a nearby display of Thelma Meek’s keepsakes.

The couple’s fascinating and eclectic living room features Maryan’s sculptures on the mantel (left) and her painting “Carousel” above sofa.

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This “homage to Thelma” holds glittering mystery objects: shells, jewels and baubles, artfully arranged. There are marble eggs, a brass tin with a cloisonné lid and a painted wooden chest. A tiny beaded tortoise swims across a sea of pearls. Mysterious amber light emanates from a Lalique glass turtle.

JC Scott, of JC Scott eco Design Associates, often calls upon Maryan’s talents in his commercial projects. Her stencilled designs can be viewed at Fiamo Italian Kitchen on lower Yates and at Artisan Cafe on Fort.

“Maryan is an artist who lives and works in a sustainable way,” he says, “maintaining a flexible and creative environment.”

Scott moved to Victoria in the 1980s.

Biking around the city, he often saw family members on Maryan’s porch. He laments the loss of character homes in our city, and he praises Eric and Maryan for upgrading and restoring the 1916 classic. Scott believes preserving a single family home, in the face of excessive densification, is admirable.

The studio/guest suite in the backyard is a good example of “sensitive urban infill” with minimal impact on the environment.

WHERE ARTISTS FEEL AT HOME The Meek home holds many original artworks by local artist Godfrey Stephens.

Maryan commissioned an original painting by Godfrey for one of Eric’s birthdays. It features

Left: An homage to Eric’s mother Thelma Meek with her collection of unique and shiny things.

Above: This painting of Eric Meek

by Victoria artist by Godfrey Stephens was commissioned by Maryan for Eric’s birthday.

a dashing young Eric, illuminated by swirling colours, with birthday greetings added in Dutch.

The artist, adventurer and boatbuilder was the subject of an award-winning book written by his niece Gurdeep Stephens in 2014. Wood Storms, Wild Canvas features over 100 selections and personal anecdotes about the artist.

In 1989, Godfrey was on his way around the world in a handcrafted sailboat when he ran aground in Mexico and lost the boat. Returning to Victoria, the Meeks offered him a place to stay in one of their rental properties. He greatly admires their eclectic art collection and enthusiastic support of contemporary and historical artists.

In fact, Godfrey thinks they should be included in the House Tour.

“Eric and Maryan are the art,” he says, “as they are so accommodating and connected with community.”

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D O C TO R S O F O P TO M ET RY The 2019 AGGV Gallery Associates House Tour, featuring five of Victoria’s most unique homes takes place on Sunday, September 22. Local artists will be working on location at each home. Tickets are $35, available from September 1 at the AGGV, GardenWorks (Oak Bay, Saanich, Colwood) Munro’s Books, Ivy’s Bookshop and Dig This (Broadmead and Sidney). aggv.ca

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The Creative Class These Victoria originals are at the forefront of their respective crafts, leading the way with their trendsetting endeavours — and reflecting the city’s evolution as a capital of cool.

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

By Athena McKenzie

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

C

“

arving your own path gets you to greatness quicker than following someone else’s trail.”

These inspiring words by Canadian philosopher and entrepreneur Matshona Dhliwayo could be the credo for our local tastemakers — those artists, musicians, designers, chefs and creators who are ground zero for many of the trends and movements that give life to Victoria’s modern culture.

YAM talks to a few of Victoria’s influencers — including an award-winning chef with a seminal new restaurant, an entrepreneur flourishing in the world of sustainable fashion and a multi-faceted creative with a gift for collaboration — and learns that creative talent and inventiveness is a way of life.

It’s All in the Details CHEF SAM HARRIS, BOOM + BATTEN “I’m very detail oriented. I’m obsessed with hospitality,’” says chef Sam Harris. “There’s that little piece inside that I call ‘the soul of the innkeeper.’ I’m someone who actually receives emotional gratification from hosting.”

If Victoria is fast becoming a national culinary powerhouse, it’s in no small part due to Harris. Just look at the past few years of Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine’s nominations for Canada’s best new restaurants: Harris was chef at Agrius when it was listed in 2016 and again at The Courtney Room when it was included in 2018.

Starting up restaurants holds a special appeal for Harris, who is now executive chef at the recently opened Boom + Batten at the Victoria International Marina.

“It’s about building something out of nothing,” Harris says. “And I think Boom + Batten is the most special because there was literally nothing here before. A lot of projects used to be another restaurant in the location, or even a hardware store. Whereas this was different — nothing but the ocean was here before. It has an emotional impact, creating something out of nothing.”

Serendipity is a word that comes up a lot when talking to Harris about his career. He credits his success to meeting the right people at the “exact” right time, describing his first job under John Taylor at Domus Café in Ottawa as a really lucky break.

“I got the job while I was still in culinary school,” he says. “It was an iconic restaurant, and Taylor was doing regional, seasonal, organic, farm-to-table cuisine. And that’s where I really learned how to shop. I was in school learning how to use a knife, and the experience at Domus really blew my mind.

It was a whole world in which you don’t have to just order everything from a big-box company. There was a network of suppliers that would deliver things themselves. It opened my eyes.”

After moving to B.C. in 2006, Harris worked in several hotel chains, including the Four Seasons, before starting as the sous chef at Bishop’s in Vancouver.

“In the time that I was there, John Bishop taught me about the dining room, which has become something that has really helped me achieve success in the restaurant world,” Harris says.

He describes how Bishop would make him go into the dining room every night to talk to guests about the cooking techniques in the kitchen and the local ingredients that were going into the food — even about the unique basting spoon he used to create his meat dishes.

“It was very nervewracking at first, and then it just became a natural part of my job. It really showed me there is no barrier between the kitchen and the dining room.”

Harris settled in Victoria in 2013, becoming the executive chef at Stage Wine Bar in Fernwood before leaving to open Agrius. He was then lured away (as enRoute describes it) to The Courtney Room in the Magnolia Hotel & Spa. His new venture at Boom + Batten looks to blend casual and fine dining, with food inspired by its Pacific Northwest locale.

“I’ve been really lucky to be acknowledged on a bunch of lists on different projects — and that is validating, and that’s great,” he says.

“But I tell my team that doesn’t matter. The people who come into the room matter. A lot of my best memories are at a dinner table with friends and family. And that’s what I want to do here at Boom + Batten. Let people really enjoy the experience.”

“A lot of my best memories are at a dinner table with friends and family.”

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Q&A WITH CHEF SAM HARRIS Your favourite place to travel?

Japan. The attention to detail in the food and service are truly inspiring. I didn’t have a single meal in my travels there that wasn’t excellent. Although Portland is my home away from home.

What film or book to you relate to?

2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick. I’m fascinated by themes of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I take inspiration from everywhere, especially travelling, though I feel like I’m more aware and observant when I’m away from the everyday hustle. Dining, visiting art galleries, museums and experiencing different environments and cultures all greatly inspire me.

Then getting back home to interpret our surroundings and the seasons here on Vancouver Island through a newly shaped lens.

Your favourite Instagram account to follow? @david_zilber — The director of fermentation at Noma has a really fun and interesting Instagram account.

Thoughtful, provocative and well-written. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the next important voices in the future of food.

LEILA KWOK

What item/tool/product is on your wish list?

Solein from Finland. It’s a carbon-neutral and climateindependent way to produce a fully natural protein source without wasting land or water. Essentially, creating food out of water and electricity. Looks so cool.

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

Fashion Forward JESSIE ATKINS, BERG + BETTS

S

ustainable fashion is the way of the future. It needs to become our new normal,” says Jessie Atkins, who founded the sustainable watch brand Berg + Betts in 2013.

The company helps eliminate excess waste in the leather industry by sourcing scrap leather that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage and go to waste.

“Sustainability is at the core of our mission,” she says. “The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world, and perfectly good textiles are filling our landfills. We have a broker at our factory whose job it is to find scraps from other factories.

There’s handbag makers and companies making luggage out of leather. There are so many things made out of leather, and all of the excess stuff cut out of those patterns goes to the landfill. And watches are such the perfect opportunity to utilize that. Finding ways to reduce waste and sustainably produce clothing and accessories is incredibly important.”

Atkins never planned on becoming an accessories designer or watchmaker. Growing up in Edmonton with parents who reinforced the importance of sustainability, she was always crafting and DIY-ing accessories.

“I’m a creative person, and I’ve always been resourceful at making things,” Atkin says. “My girlfriend wanted a watch with a double wrapped leather strap, and she couldn’t find it. I said, ‘I can make that for you.’ And I did — and made one for myself as well. People actually liked them. So I decided to make a few more, and that’s how it evolved. There was no real grand plan.”

JEFFREY BOSDET/YAM MAGAZINE

“

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Pictured clockwise: Classic Gold and Black; Mindful Rose Gold and Blush; Mindful Gold and Brown; Original Gold and Black

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Grand plan or not, Atkins went from selling casually on Etsy and at artisan markets in Edmonton to launching bergandbetts.com in March 2015. Recently, department store Simons has started carrying her watches, as well.

While she originally handstitched all of the straps and rummaged for the watch faces, the demand for her designs meant she had to turn to manufacturing. Although Atkins uses different factories overseas to produce the straps and faces, the watches are designed and assembled in the Berg + Betts studio in Rock Bay, right here in Victoria, where she moved with her family in 2017.

“Our watch parts are ethically crafted in the city of Dongguan, outside of Hong Kong,” Atkins says. “All of our suppliers were carefully chosen and are members of Sedex, a notfor-profit organization dedicated to driving improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains.”

Atkins describes her watch designs as simple and minimalist. Using scrap leather “is both limiting and inspiring,” she says, because it forces you to be even more creative. Her three watch collections — The Mindful, The Original and The Classic — all feature second hands because of her numerous friends in the health care industry (Atkins originally worked as a nutritionist) who advised her that they needed to be able to see the seconds pass for their jobs.

“Sustainability is at the core of our mission ... Finding ways to reduce waste and sustainably produce clothing and accessories is incredibly important.”

“The watches can’t just be beautiful; they have to be functional too,” she says. “And with watches, you can’t just use any scrap leather.

Because it’s actually going on your skin, it can’t come from high-chemical tanneries. For instance, the cream colour leather that’s on the back of all of our watch straps? That’s from a car seat factory in Germany. It’s leather that’s already touching skin, so it’s a high-quality grade leather.”

This year, Atkins started offering exchangeable straps for all of her watch designs, a move she believes will extend the life and wearability of the accessories.

“Ethical fashion is very important to me as a producer, a consumer and as a human,” she says. “The shift to slow fashion won’t happen overnight, but businesses and consumers recognizing the need — that’s important.”

What film or book do you relate to?

I’m currently hooked on a podcast called “Conscious Chatter.” For anyone interested in learning more about the good, the bad and the ugly in the fashion industry, they interview everyone from designers and entrepreneurs, to farmers and factory workers.

Where do you look for inspiration?

When I need inspiration, I’ve learned to step back and give myself a mental break. It’s my quietest moments that provide me with unexpected sources of inspiration.

Your favourite social media account to follow? @marielle.elizabeth — An advocate of slow fashion and size inclusivity, Marielle is someone every woman should be following.

What item/tool/product is on your wish list?

I am always on the lookout for ways to expand our commitment to sustainability, so we would love to find a consistent supply of recycled metals for our watch faces without sacrificing the quality of the timepiece.

A True Original IAN LOCKE, INDEPENDENT ARTIST

O

“

riginality is the biggest inspiration for me because it’s a bit of a paradox,” says Ian Locke. “The actual nature of it can be seen in so many different lights and can be questioned and scrutinized. What is truly original?

We all strive to be original, but at the same time there’s nothing really new.”

In striving to be an original, Locke has carved out a unique life for himself, as a musician, composer, director and producer. His mix of skills came about by “necessity.” As a lifelong musician — who currently plays solo, and with local band Modern Thought — his desire to take his music as far as it could go started him down his creative path.

“Friends in college who were making videos needed music for their projects, and they came to me,” Locke says. “Back then access to music licensing was not very easy and it was expensive, and so I ended up making a couple of soundtrack videos. And then, out of that, I ended up doing more things, like creativedirecting the whole shoot, along with the soundtrack. As projects kept going, I knew I was going to have to get behind the camera to make more things that I wanted to see.”

BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

Your favourite place to travel?

Italy, for sure — the food, the wine and the people are all amazing.

But right here exploring Vancouver Island is where I love to be during the summer.

BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

Q&A WITH JESSIE ATKINS

LUNCH, ANYONE?

BELLE WHITE/YAM MAGAZINE

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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A current film project, Perfect Song, came out of a vision Locke had with friends he met while in college in Australia. The group wrote the entire script over a series of Skype calls using Google Docs for the collaborative script.

After raising $30,000 on Kickstarter for filming and production, they shot in London and Berlin. Locke also did the wardrobe, styling, direction and producing.

“I’m currently finishing up the soundtrack,” he says. “We are trying to get it into as many festivals as we can and get some attention for it that way. It’s a story of self-actualization, within the context of writing songs in the music industry, and I think it’s a relevant topic for now — especially because the central figure in the movie is a female finding her own path.”

Where Locke has really found professional and financial success in the past few years is through licensing his original music through a stock agency.

“Some of my stuff has been in big corporate commercials, like for a Canadian energy company,” he says with a laugh. “One song was used for an audiobook in the Netherlands. My music has been in corporate training videos

“I’m just going to use every resource I have to build my creative output. All of these things are affirmations.” and travel vlogs and people’s private projects.

I don’t even know all the places it’s been used.

That’s the crazy thing.”

This “strange development” is just another aspect of Locke’s multi-faceted artistic journey.

Recently, Locke launched a creative media company called CNCLZ with Ian Smith, the proprietor of Victory Barber North. The endeavor will consolidate all the areas of Locke’s expertise, including creative design, video and marketing.

“To be an independent artist in Canada, having profitable outlets for your artistic expression is massive,” Locke says. “I’m just going to use every resource I have to build my creative output. All of these things are affirmations.”

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Q&A WITH IAN LOCKE Your favourite place to travel?

Berlin. So far, it’s the place where I’ve most felt the past and the present coexist in a tangible and inspiring way. Exciting street art and club culture shines amongst monuments and scars of the past that stand as a reminder of both the deep struggles and triumphs that have brought us here.

Also, I’ll take any chance to absorb any remnants of creativity Bowie may have left behind.

What film or book do you relate to most?

Purple Rain. The way Prince was able to use the medium of film, in such a harmonious and synergetic way to convey the totality of his artistic expression of that time, left a significant imprint on the way that I view my own art and potential avenues to explore it.

Where do you look for inspiration?

My friends. I’m very privileged to have the friends that I do, the adventures we’ve had together and the way they encourage me, and their wildly ambitious ideas, often serve as the bedrock of my creativity.

Your favourite social media account to follow? @nowness — The content they highlight always pushes me to explore and learn about art forms, culture, artists, fashion and music that I haven’t had exposure to. The process of discovery is something that I will never grow tired of.

What item/tool/product is on your wish list?

A benevolent talent agent.

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STYLE WATCH Fashion Stylist: Janine Metcalfe Photos by Mackenzie Duncan

INTO THE WOODS Fall is our favourite season for fashion. This year’s luxe mohair sweaters, patterned jackets and quilted outerwear feel right at home amid the massive trees, majestic waterfalls and meandering river of Goldstream Provincial Park.

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Karven dress (MODEN Boutique); Hendrik Lou handknit cocoa sweater and beanie (Open House or hendriklou.com)

Ulla Johnson Dillon jacket, Ulla Johnson Elm top, 7 for All Mankind jeans and Malene Birger sweater (all available at Bernstein & Gold); boots model’s own

Heydari tunic and Comfy USA coat (Aurea Fashion Boutique)

EILEEN FISHER jacket and black pants (Tulipe Noire)

Elsewhere dress (Aurea Boutique), SMYTHE peaked lapel overcoat (Bernstein & Gold); Bailey of Hollywood Curtis hat (Roberta’s Hats); EPAGA matte boots (Heart & Soul Shoes)

Hair and makeup: Anya Ellis at Lizbell Agency Model: Qi Liu at Lizbell Agency

Anxiety may be a household word, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with.

By Susan Hollis

FEELING ANXIOUS? SO IS EVERYONE. 66

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

For better or for worse, it’s a word now common to our lexicon — and it’s plump with an almost universal understanding. But unlike other modern buzzwords, like mixologist or influencer, in today’s existential society the prevalence of anxiety reflects the complex inner landscape of humans in a postindustrialized world. Children are anxious, as are seniors, millennials and everyone in between. It’s as though we’ve created a culture in which we give ourselves very little permission to fail and a million ways to do so, resulting in the crushing fears and worries that result in this common disorder.

For Australian author Sarah Wilson, who openly writes about anxiety along with her other diagnosed disorders — including being bipolar, obsessive-compulsive and having insomnia — navigating mental wellness has become a lifelong exercise, and it’s one without a perfect solution.

Nonetheless, her message to fellow sufferers is a positive one. In her newest book, First We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety, Wilson speaks to the never-ending striving for mental and physical wellness as simply being a part of her life, regardless of a cure. She has no delusions that any of the techniques she uses will be a magical fix, instead choosing to focus on what methods work to keep her on the right path.

“I bump along, in fits and starts, on a perpetual path to finding better ways for me and my mate, Anxiety, to get around,” she writes early in the book. “It’s everything I do.”

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WORRY IN OVERDRIVE In evolutionary terms, anxiety is a useful tool: a built-in red flag to alert us to the possibilities of imminent danger. The omnipresent sense of worry that consumes people’s lives, however, is a different bag. There is a fine line between normal worries that propel us towards safety and success — such as double-checking a child’s seat belt or doing extra review for an upcoming exam or presentation — and the abnormal. Sleepless nights worrying about the possibility of a car accident or YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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needing therapy to face a social scenario — this is where anxiety stops being a healthy part of daily life. This is also where anxiety can snowball as lack of sleep and self-defeating inner dialogue create the perfect environment for these feelings to fester.

“The difference between worry and anxiety is when it starts to limit your world and your daily activities,” says Jen Vining, a registered clinical counsellor in Victoria, pointing out that anxiety can start as early as babyhood with separation anxiety. “I don’t like to generalize, but a way to look at it is this: A lot of people struggle with flying now, but they get on the plane. Somebody with anxiety has done a lot of work to get on that plane — they’ve probably taken an Ativan, done some therapy — that’s the difference.

“A worrier will have thought about it ahead of time, but it didn’t make them think twice about booking that ticket. The person with anxiety would have thought twice about booking that ticket.”

There has been much written on anxiety since it started being more commonly named by therapists, physicians and pharmaceutical companies in the early 80s, but it has been around for as long as we’ve existed. Called hysteria by the ancient Greeks, it was typically labelled a women’s condition. Same goes for the Renaissance era, when many anxious or so-called “hysterical” women were labelled

as witches and persecuted for their unnatural feelings. Likewise, in Victorian times, women were regularly carted off for electroconvulsive therapy for voicing feelings and consuming worries that fell outside the range of polite conversation.

Statistics around anxiety are complicated because not all sufferers seek treatment.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are

“I think that the times have shifted …. the way we are living today we are almost emulating the anxious experience, the fight or flight response in our brains, on a daily basis.” highly treatable, yet only 36.9 per cent of those suffering receive help. Google statistics show that internet searches for anxiety are up 150 per cent in the past eight years, and Wilson

points out that in the latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), 37 different disorders are listed under anxiety. These include social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (pervasive and chronic worry about a variety of everyday issues), separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

To complicate matters and further hinder treatment, around half of those who suffer from anxiety also experience depression.

A PERFECT STORM “I don’t think these times are any more anxious than say, the middle of World War II,” says Wilson, “but what’s happened is we are lacking a resilience to be able to sit with anxiety, and it has a lot to do with the fact that we like quick fixes. We are used to self-help books and the internet, and I think that’s leading towards a perfect storm of circumstances for anxiety to grow.

“I think that the times have shifted .... the way we are living today, we are almost emulating the anxious experience, the fight or flight response in our brains, on a daily basis,” she adds.

“On top of that, the science has shifted,” Wilson says. “We used to think anxiety was a serotonin imbalance in the brain, but as it turns out, none of that science was accurate

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Globally,

one in 13

humans suffer from anxiety, making anxiety disorders the most common mental disorders worldwide — with specific phobia, major depressive disorder and social phobia being the most common.

and, as a matter of fact, it was paid for by the pharmaceutical companies … Now we understand, it stems from all sorts of things like lifestyle factors, not just a chemical imbalance of the brain.”

Wilson notes that different cultures deal with anxieties in unique ways. On a recent trip to Japan, she observed that anxieties play out as overwork, which can cause anxiety, as well as be an avoidance technique.

A 2018 Yahoo Canada poll of 1,500 people

by Abacus Data showed that nearly half of Canadians struggle with anxiety, and numbers compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that, globally, one in 13 people suffer from anxiety, making anxiety disorders the most common mental disorders worldwide — with specific phobia, major depressive disorder and social phobia being the most common anxiety disorders.

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GIVING UP CONTROL Victoria resident and writer Emily-Rose Kilpatrick says she first started experiencing anxiety when she was six years old. Now 28, she has a full quiver when it comes to techniques for handling anxiety, as well as the obsessive-compulsive disorder that accompanies it. Like Wilson, she faces her situation with the understanding that managing it well is better for her than expecting a full recovery.

“General anxiety is tied to that feeling of a lack of control, and also that if you think of the worse case scenario, it won’t happen because you’ve thought of it, you’ve covered it. It’s what they call magical thinking,” says Kilpatrick. “How I deal with it is … learning that I can’t do anything about it — the idea that by giving up control, you gain control — so therapy has been extremely helpful with that. I will sing the praises of therapy to anyone who will listen.”

As part of her regular routine, Kilpatrick uses therapy, meditation (even when done

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Emily-Rose Kilpatrick began experiencing anxiety at age six. She says asking for help is the strongest thing a person can do.

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badly, she says it’s still beneficial), yoga, exercise and journaling to keep balanced and healthy.

“Writing is such a salvation,” she says. “It’s kind of like lancing a boil. Not to be gross about it, but there’s something about the pressure release of channeling it from your brain to your fingers, and out onto the page.”

Kilpatrick also practices cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a drug-free form of symptom management commonly recommended by therapists that provides techniques that identify and change the unhelpful patterns of thinking that feed anxious thoughts. It’s often the first treatment to try for mild or moderate problems with anxiety. Though she was already familiar with using CBT for anxiety, Kilpatrick recently finished an eight-week CBT course through the General Practice Services Committee in Victoria, which she called a great refresher.

Victoria counsellor Jen Vining recommends mindfulness techniques, such as the one she refers to as the “five senses,” where someone experiencing high anxiety refocuses to name five things they can see, four things they can feel, three things they can hear, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste. She also regularly uses Jacobson’s Relaxation Technique, a method that focuses on tightening and relaxing

“General anxiety is tied to that feeling of a lack of control ...” specific muscle groups in sequence, which is beneficial to those who have a hard time gathering their thoughts.

“Anxious-minded people are very busy in their heads,” she says. “Their brains are busy and always going, and meditation for somebody who is really busy in their head can be really difficult because it’s hard for them to shut their minds down.”

As people with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor, and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders, having a supportive team who understands the condition and its effects is one of the first lines of defence on the road to improved mental wellness.

Kilpatrick says her family has been in the know since she first began to feel anxiety at the age of six. She’s found that speaking openly of her struggles has more of a unifying effect than anything else.

“Having support is so huge,” she says. “It’s a cliché, but people think it’s weak to ask for help when it’s actually the strongest thing you can do.”

A Journey Through Anxiety Sarah Wilson is widely known for her I Quit Sugar books and program.

Throughout her career helping others with their health, the journalist, author and entrepreneur has also been dealing with chronic anxiety.

In her book First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Wilson uses her investigative skills to explore her lifelong condition, looking at its triggers and treatments and interviewing experts and fellow sufferers.

The title comes from a Chinese proverb: To conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful.

“I believe with all my heart that just understanding the metapurpose of the anxious struggle helps to make it beautiful,” she writes. “Purposeful, creative, bold, rich, deep things are always beautiful.”

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Objects OF THEIR

AFFECTION

The objects we surround ourselves with can remind us of who we are and connect us to other people, places and times. We invited five of Victoria’s most fascinating people to bring objects that matter most to them to a photo shoot and to tell us the story behind their choices.

By Kerry Slavens and Athena McKenzie Photos by Jeffrey Bosdet

“This book showed me ... that the universe is amazing.”

OBJECT: Planets, Other Worlds

of Our Solar System by Otto Binder from Golden Press OWNER: Bob McDonald, science journalist

and host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks

W

hen people ask Bob McDonald about the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and what it means for him, he says the event was just on the continuum of his life-long passion.

“I had been following the space program since the beginning, and it started with this book,” McDonald says of Planets, a gift from his mother when he was just seven years old. “I got

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it around the time the Russians put out the first satellite, called Sputnik. This book inspired me and showed me that there are other worlds out there — and that the universe is amazing.”

As one of Canada’s best-known — and beloved — science journalists, McDonald has spent the last 40-plus years bringing the universe and science to life for both kids and adults. In addition to hosting Quirks & Quarks, he is also a science correspondent for CBC’s

The National and the host and writer of the children’s series Heads Up! “I’ve dedicated a good part of my life to educating kids,” McDonald says. “They are the future. They’re naturally curious and they want to know about these things. They can get excited about it. They’re the future astronauts and engineers and business people … Even now when I look at this book, I’m back being sevenyears old again. I’ve never gotten tired of it.”

OBJECT: Porcelain figurine OWNER: Pat Martin Bates,

printmaker, painter, sculptor

B

eside her bed, Pat Martin Bates keeps a porcelain figurine of two little blonde boys in green shorts, flanked by two lambs standing over a pond. The boys remind the artist of her father, Chester, and his cousin, Ronald, both of whom died tragically young. Over the years, Pat has turned the figurine into a shrine of sorts, filling its pond (“it’s a magic pond”) with seashells and pearls (“we all love pearls”), a thimble-sized swaddled baby doll (“that’s me), and the figures of two dogs, one a terrier who belonged to her family and died in the Tidal Bore in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, where Pat grew up and discovered the talents which would lead her to become one of Canada’s most revered artists.

Pat Martin Bates (or PMB as she’s known) says the figurine evokes joy and melancholy, reminding her of her doting father who died when Pat was eight.

There are many stories about him in her book, It is I, Patricia: An Artist’s Childhood (Hedgerow Press, 2010). Her father, she says, once kept the figurine by his bed and put his watch in it. Later, Pat kept her own Lady Hamilton watch in it, a connection through time.

And PMB knows about time. Timepieces and the movement of the sun and moon are recurring themes in her work, which has been exhibited worldwide and acclaimed for its ability to transcend the ordinary. Critic Richard Simmins once wrote, “Bates lives in a strange world. She intensifies experience …” And so a simple figurine is not so simple. It holds a magical world that she tends as she continues to create because, as she says, “An artist never retires.”

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OBJECTS: Bull kelp and Polaris

handmade Spanish knife OWNER: David Furlonger,

avid forager and executive chef, Breakwater Tasting Room

I

t’s ironic we asked David Furlonger to model for us with his favourite objects, because one of the first things he says when he arrives for the photo shoot is that’s he’s not the kind of person who feels attachment to inanimate objects. But the beautiful piece of bull kelp he foraged just that morning from the local shore is different. “There’s spirit in there,” he says. “It feels like it has life right up until you ingest it.”

And that’s Furlonger to the core.

A guy who values experience over things, who thrives on surfing in Nicaragua, who loves to forage and bring the wild to his menus, which quickly put the Breakwater Tasting Room, opened last summer, on the city’s culinary list.

But back to that bull kelp. “To me, bull kelp represents my entire adult life and coming into my own, culinary-wise,” he says. He first encountered it as surfer who had to come to terms with the slimy, tangled nature of the kelp. As his comfort level with the ocean grew, fear turned to irritation when he discovered bull kelp could actually dent a surfboard. “Finally, I got over all of that and just became amused.

Then the culinary stuff came in and I looked at it in a whole new way.” Today, the aquatic plant is featured on Furlonger’s menus at the Breakwater in everything from pickles to relishes.

As for that Spanish knife with the stainless steel blade and beechwood handle, it’s beautiful but it’s not the sharpest knife or the best knife, he says. “But it has character and that means a lot to me. That adds pleasure to cooking.”

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“... bull kelp represents my entire adult life and coming into my own, culinary-wise.”

OBJECT: Running shoes OWNER: Indu Brar, general manager

of Fairmont Empress

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“For me, it’s purely for self reflection and peace.”

F

or Indu Brar, running shoes represent a sense of freedom.

“They represent my opportunity to decompress and process my day,” she says. “I always start out on a run a little bit tired and thinking, ‘Do I really want to do this?’ but by the time I get going, I get a surge of energy. I don’t run races, I don’t look to compete. For me, it’s purely for self reflection and peace.”

This down time is “essential,” Brar says, for her health and well-being, given her demanding job. Her impressive career as a hotelier includes key roles at other iconic Fairmont properties, such as her time as hotel manager at

The Plaza in New York and as general manager at the Battery Wharf in Boston.

During her time at the Empress the iconic 109-year-old property underwent a $60-million renovation. She describes the job as “24/7,” pointing out her schedule the day of the YAM photo shoot, when she also had a three-hour board meeting, a budget meeting and a formal dinner.

“It’s really important to me to have some time to myself,” Brar says. “It’s that whole idea that you can do anything.

You just put one foot in front of the other, step by step, and no matter what you end up achieving something. I always feel liberated after a run.”

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OBJECT: “Untitled,” oil painting

by Denyse Thomasos OWNER: Michelle Jacques, Chief Curator,

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV)

W

hen Michelle Jacques left her position as acting curator of Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in 2012 to travel to Victoria for a new job and new life, her colleagues presented her with a painting.

The untitled oil is by Michelle’s friend, Trinidadborn Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos, who spent much of her career in New York.

Thomasos was known for her semi-abstracts, which played with the tension between abstraction and form, delving into issues like colonialism, slavery and confinement.

Art editor John Lau once said of her work, “... the painting itself can barely contain the accumulating forces.”

Thomasos died in 2012 following an allergic reaction to the dye injected during an MRI procedure.

Around the same time, Michelle was dealing with forces drawing her to move across the country to become the AGGV’s chief curator. As a going-away gift, her AGO colleagues presented her with one of Thomasos’ paintings.

Today, the painting remains a precious memory of her friend, a reminder of the Caribbean heritage they share an important touchpoint between then and now.

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“... the painting itself can barely contain the accumulating forces.”

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Cider’s Modern Makeover

Whether you like to drink your cider in the pub or tip a pint into a savoury stew, it’s time to celebrate cider season with local, artisan ciders.

By Cinda Chavich

A perfect cider flight for a summer day includes (left to right) Rumrunner, Flagship and Ruby Rose from Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse in Saanichton.

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A

s summer turns to fall, apple lovers celebrate the windfall of local apples destined for the table and the cider press. Thanks to early settlers and their apple-growing expertise, we have a wide variety of heirloom apples growing in old orchards across the Islands — tart apples that are perfect for pies and bittersweet cider apples that make beautiful beverages.

These aren’t the sweet dessert apples that dominate modern supermarkets, but rather the old-fashioned varieties — Gravenstein, Baldwin, Cox’s Orange Pippin and Belle de Boskoop — once planted and favoured for their unique cooking, keeping and juicing properties.

And thanks to this bounty of rare and flavourful fruit, there’s a growing community of cider makers, building on those traditions and crafting artisan cider from Island apples. From the classic English cider and Scrumpy made by Merridale Cidery, to the crisp Pippins cider fermented with champagne yeast at Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, to the Backyard Blend created

by Spinnakers with apples from the city’s urban orchards, there are plenty of interesting local ciders to try, both for drinking and cooking.

Wherever cider is made, there are traditional dishes featuring cider. In Normandy, the Breton cider is used to cook fish and shellfish, the sauce often finished with local cream. In Britain, cider is mulled in winter, used to braise chicken with herbs or reduced with honey and mustard to glaze pork sausages. In Spain, fresh chorizo sausages are simmered in cider until it’s reduced and syrupy, and clams are steamed in cider with white beans and spicy sausage.

In fact, whenever you’re about to slosh some white wine into the pan, try a nice dry cider instead, whether steaming mussels, deglazing a sauce, braising cabbage and leeks or making a pot of caramelized onion soup.

Apple cider has a natural affinity with pork — whether it’s used to glaze a ham or in a sauce to brush over ribs — and works well with rich duck, lamb and game meats.

Fruity cider vinegar can be used in salads, sauces and marinades, especially those that include apples, pears or sweeter root vegetables, like carrots, squash and beets. Try it with an apple and cabbage slaw or drizzled on hot buttered beets with dill.

Cider likes warm spices — think cinnamon, cloves and allspice — so use it in desserts with tart fall fruit, from apples and quince, to cranberries. Use cider to replace the liquid in cakes, muffins and soda breads.

Heat a full-bodied cider, and combine with spiced butter and rum for a warming winter drink or serve a lighter sparkling cider in a breakfast mimosa.

Spinnaker’s chef Ali Ryan says she uses cider in both sweet and savoury dishes on the brewpub’s menu — braising meat and poaching fruit in cider, adding cider to yeast breads, or using their apple cider vinegar in dressings and sauces.

At Merridale Cidery, owner Janet Docherty says their cider is used to marinate ribs, and is an integral ingredient in their house-made Cyser mustard and popular Scrumpy Pot Pie.

b.c. is leading the pack in authentic craft cider making and innovation.

MIKE PEPPERDINE

CIDER IN THE KITCHEN Cider is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, made across Europe, from England and France to northern Spain and Italy. This traditional cider is made with tart, bitter and tannic varieties of apples — inedible and often ugly, but essential to create Above: These rare Pewaukee apples from a complex, dry fermented a century-old orchard drink. have been harvested Until quite recently, the

by Twin Island Cider, only cider made in B.C. was a farm-craft cidery on Pender Island. Twin the sweet and fizzy kind, Island is unique within designed to use leftover or the B.C. cider scene, culled dessert apples that fermenting their entire now dominate Canada’s production with only native, naturallyapple-growing industry. occurring yeasts.

But there’s been a move They feel this is the in recent years to plant best expression of the traditional cider apples and terroir of their apples, which are harvested source heirloom varieties from more than 30 to make quality craft ciders, heritage orchards and some still, some sparkling, backyards on Pender, some infused with other Saturna and Mayne fruits or aged in oak barrels islands. like fine wine.

While these modern artisan ciders are delicious to drink and pair with food, they’re also perfect for cooking, baking and even adding to creative cocktails.

Cider adds a lively sweet, fruity acidity to any dish — an excellent liquid to use in place of wine in many recipes.

CIDER IN THE GLASS Cider is one of the fastest growing drink categories in North America. It’s naturally gluten free and appeals to millennials and female consumers — but not all cider is created equally. Although there is no single definition of cider in Canada, craft cider producers, like the 20 members of the British Columbia FarmCrafted Cider Association, take the position that cider should be made with 95 per cent real apple juice, not the imported Chinese apple juice concentrate, water and sugar, which forms the base of many large-scale commercial ciders.

The good news is B.C. is leading the pack in authentic craft cider making and innovation. Craft cideries are planting more sharp, tannic and bitter cider apples and using old world techniques — YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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fermenting with wild yeasts, aging ciders in barrels and keeving (a traditional French process to stop fermentation, producing naturally sweeter and lower alcohol ciders).

Salt Spring Island was once western Canada’s main source of fresh apples and still has an impressive selection of heirloom apple trees — more than 400 varieties were showcased at last year’s apple festival, so it’s not surprising to find a large community of cider makers there too.

From Merridale Cidery and Valley Cider in the Cowichan Valley, to Sea Cider and Tod Creek Cider in rural Saanich; from Gabbie’s Premium Ciders from Gabriola Island to Twin Island Cider from Pender Island and Wild Cider from Salt Spring, turning local apples into hard cider is a popular pursuit.

Craft brewers are also experimenting with cider. Spinnakers’ brewer Kala Hadfield regularly has six ciders on tap at the popular brewpub, and makes Spinnakers’ Backyard Blend with apples gleaned from more than 300 urban trees by local LifeCycles volunteers.

Many cideries offer tastings and food pairings, as traditional dry cider has a natural affinity for food. “Cider is a beverage that is fundamental to so many cultures in the world, once a daily and humble drink,” says Kristen Needham, owner of Sea Cider, “and, as a cider maker, I’m proud of that history.”

Needham says there’s a renaissance happening in the world of cider making, melding

Although there is no single definition of cider in Canada, craft cider producers take the position that cider should be made with 95% real apple juice. traditions with modern innovation. From the first bittersweet English varietals she planted 16 years ago, to the organic orchards now contracted to grow cider apples in the Okanagan, the Vancouver Island business has grown exponentially, as consumer tastes have evolved.

“The consumer is diverse,” she says. “There are those who enjoy a full-bodied, dry cider like our Wild English, but there are others who prefer a Normandy style that’s sweeter and not as tannic.”

For Sea Cider, that means producing a variety of products, from their traditional Heirloom Series, to barrel-aged Rum Runner and the new Canadian Invasion series, complete with spiced Witch’s Broom, blackberry Bramble Bubbly and pink rose hip infused Ruby Rose. There’s even a crabapple Pomona dessert cider.

Like Sea Cider, many Island cideries now grow their own cider apples on-site and augment their inputs with fruit from the Okanagan. At Tod Creek Craft Cider, more than 3,000 cider apple trees have been planted on dwarf rootstock. The orchard of espaliered trees resembles a vineyard.

Crowdsourcing Island fruit is also gaining ground. Beyond Spinnakers’ Backyard Blend and Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies (both made with fruit from local farms and yards), there’s Valley Cider Company near Duncan. Its Community Cider was created to engage and support the Cowichan Green Community Society.

It’s the fruit that changes the flavour and complexity of cider. When common dessert apples are fermented, the result is a sweet, bubbly apple beverage, but when bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples are used, the ciders have more acidity and tannins, with drier and far more complex profiles.

If you think you don’t like cider, you’ve probably been drinking the former. Try a selection of craft ciders and explore drinks that range from bone dry, Spanish-style sidre (similar to a good champagne), to the funky, earthy beerlike flavours of traditional English cider.

Then expand your horizons with some of the modern craft ciders, infused with other fruits and berries, spices, honey and hops.

And imagine how they might pair with your next meal or work in your recipes as autumn and cider season arrives.

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Island ciders to try There are more than 150 cider producers in Canada, and many of the best are in B.C.

Bon Dri >

VALLEY CIDER COMPANY Bone dry with slight fizz, this is a food-pairing cider if there ever was one! Pour alongside anything that goes with Prosecco, i.e., everything. (6.5% ABV) valleycider.com

Wolf in the Woods >

SEA CIDER This is one of Sea Cider’s newest collections, the Canadian Invasion Series, designed to draw attention to invasive species. With hops and Grand fir needles in the mix, it has a lovely crisp grapefruit and citrus profile that’s perfect to sip with spicy and salty food.

(9.9% ABV) seacider.ca

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Cowichan Dry >

MERRIDALE CIDERY Find this dry apple cider in tall cans, fermented from a blend of English cider apples. A drier version of their House Cider, serve this chilled from the cooler. (6% ABV) merridale.ca

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Maple Bourbon Apricot >

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SALT SPRING

WILD CIDER From a Salt Spring Island craft cidery that sources apples from individuals around Salt Spring Island and specializes in infusing its ciders with unique flavours, this rich ambercoloured cider is fermented with apricots, aged in bourbon barrels and sweetened with maple syrup. (7.8 ABV) saltspringwildcider.com

Backyard Blend >

SPINNAKERS This cider is created by Spinnakers, in partnership with the LifeCycles’ Fruit Tree Project, from apples gleaned from backyard trees by their volunteers, with proceeds from the cider (and apple cider vinegar) going to LifeCycles’ sustainable, local food initiatives.

Each year the blend is unique. spinnakers.com

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Wild Ferment Cider >

TWIN ISLAND CIDER This Pender Island cidery won the People’s Choice award at the 2019 BC Cider Festival for its natural wild-fermented cider, made with apples sourced from old orchards on Pender, Mayne, Saturna and Samuel islands. twinislandcider.com

CLIENT: MAYCOCK EYECARE YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019 PUBLICATION: DOUGLAS MAGAZINE - AUG/SEP SHIPPING DATE: JUNE 2019; AD SIZE: 4.94” x 4.7”

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YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

A tasty coffee cake to serve for breakfast or to take to a casual potluck party. Use heirloom apples, the kind that will hold their shape when cooked.

CAKE: • Juice and finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, divided • 3 cups chopped apples • 1/2 cup dried cranberries • 1 cup cider • 3/4 cup softened butter • 2/3 cup white sugar • 2/3 cup brown sugar • 3 eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour • 1 cup whole wheat flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • Pinch of ground nutmeg • 1/2 teaspoon salt GLAZE: • 1 cup icing sugar • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • Reserved cider soaking liquid Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter a deep 8-or 9-inch springform pan (with removable bottom).

Zest the lemon and juice it. Set the zest aside and combine 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice with the chopped apples. Set aside.

In a heatproof measuring cup, combine the cranberries and cider. Microwave on high for a minute, until the cider is hot and steaming, then set aside for 15 minutes to plump the cranberries.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla.

In another large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and salt. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until just mixed.

Drain the soaked cranberries, reserving the soaking liquid. Most will be used in the glaze. Fold in the cranberries, 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, the apples and lemon zest into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake on the oven’s bottom rack for 25 minutes. Move to the centre rack, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then release the cake from the pan to finish cooling.

To make the glaze, place the icing sugar in a bowl and stir in the tablespoon of lemon juice and enough of the reserved soaking liquid to make a nice pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, smoothing the top and letting it drizzle down the sides.

Makes 1 cake (10 to 12 portions).

JILL CHEN/STOCKSY

Cider-Poached Pears I love to poach pears to serve atop fresh greens with shaved Parmesan, or to serve with sweetened whipped cream for a simple dessert. Use spiced cider or substitute regular cider, and add 2 star anise and a cinnamon stick to the poaching liquid. Make sure to use Bosc or Anjou pears. (Bartletts will fall apart when cooked.)

• 4 pears (slightly underipe Bosc or Anjou) • 1 bottle, 750 mL Wassail Cider from Sea Cider (or other cider infused with warm winter spices) • 4 tablespoons honey (optional, but add if serving for dessert) Peel the pears, leaving the stem end intact. Use a melon baller to neatly remove the cores, or cut pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores.

Bring the cider to a simmer in a deep sauté pan, just large enough to hold the pears in a single layer, and stir in the honey. Add the pears and poach over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Use a skewer to poke the pears to check for doneness. (They should be tender but firm; don’t overcook or the pears will be mushy.) Let the pears cool in the poaching liquid, then cover and refrigerate.

If using the pears to top salads, slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, leaving the tops attached, and fan over greens that have been tossed with a vinaigrette made with the reserved poaching liquid, olive oil, Dijon and a splash of balsamic.

For a dessert, you can leave the pears whole. Place in a dessert bowl and top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. Simmer the poaching liquid to reduce to a syrup and drizzle on top.

Serves 4.

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SCENE

A NEW NOTE FOR HERMANN’S The venerable View Street club, which has been the heart and soul of the Island’s jazz and blues culture for three decades, literally has a new lease on life.

By David Lennam Photos by Jeffrey Bosdet

Jazz pianist Ashley Wey has performed at Hermann’s Jazz Club since age 13 and has been managing the club for the past year.

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“

W

hen you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note that makes it good or bad.”

Miles Davis said that in 1963, embedding words deep in mythos.

The legendary jazz trumpeter was playing So What with his second great quintet, which included Herbie Hancock, when the pianist hit the wrong chord. Davis paused, probably glowered at his sideman, and then blew some new notes that just made those wrong notes so right.

Hancock revealed that his bandleader didn’t hear it as a mistake. Davis just heard it as something that happened, part of the reality of the moment.

Let that simmer as an anecdote that applies to the saving of Victoria’s Hermann’s Jazz Club.

The immediate future of the iconic View Street club, opened by the late Hermann Nieweler in 1986, five years after he’d run a similar club at the old Bastion Inn, was in jeopardy after Hermann’s death in 2015 at the age of 79. His three children bickered about what to do with it, as well as the building itself, home to two other licensed establishments, one upstairs, the other next door. They were ready to shut the doors and sell, a very wrong chord if you’re a lover of jazz, blues and intimate venues.

Back to Hancock. Years later, in an interview, he said the important lesson learned from that awkward moment with Davis was that we grow by opening our minds to experience situations as they are. We can make something constructive from an unsatisfactory chord as easily as we can from a clumsily handled takeover.

In jazz speak: improvise.

So a new tune was composed. On the fly.

This one had a hastily assembled non-profit, the Jazz on View Society (now the Arts on View Society), launch a crowd-funding effort that, in six weeks, raised $91,000 to ensure the signing of a five-year lease on Hermann’s, the longest continually running jazz club in Canada … and counting.

ESSENTIAL, BELOVED, “LIKE CHURCH” Hermann’s casts that rare spell of great halls: Birdland, The Fillmore, The Commodore.

When you’re there, you could be in New York. The calibre can be world class. Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Wheeler, Brian Auger, Judy Collins, Renee Rosnes, Brad Turner, Diana Krall — they’ve all played in this homey reminds-us-of-a-basement-rec-room club, where the audience sits within a couple of eighth notes of the action, hushed and reverent like a church.

(Who hasn’t been “ssssshhh’ed” there?)

The real lure of Hermann’s is that it’s a listening room, not a noisy bar where the music gets lost in the conversation.

“People are there to have an intimate viewing of music, an undisturbed viewing of music, so the room is quiet,” says Nichola

Walkden, who has worked in the room coming up on 20 years and is now interim executive director of the Arts on View Society.

“Everybody there is paying attention to what’s on the stage and is expected to do so.”

The musicians, adds Walkden, whether they be jazz or blues, newcomers or veterans of the scene, have an experience different from what they get 99 per cent of the time.

“You’d think the 1970s carpeting and decor would put off any jazz man from playing Hermann’s,” jokes NYC pianist Misha Piatigorsky. “It may for the first few minutes, until you realize the love and enthusiasm

generated in the room by diehard fans who support the artistic efforts of local and international artists, night after night. At the end of the day, it’s always the people that make a jazz house special.”

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Because Hermann’s is an all-ages room, it’s been a vital training ground for up-and-comers.

Ashley Wey, who first played Hermann’s at age 13 (and today manages and gigs there regularly), is one of the hundreds of kids who have taken the stage at Hermann’s, thanks to Nieweler.

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Nichola Walkden (left) of The Arts on View Society with Ashley Wey at Hermann’s.

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“Hermann believed in having a place where everyone is welcome,” says Wey. “Women, men, coming alone or in groups, people of all ages.

He believed in having a space for mentorship and for youth to grow. [He] always encouraged students to continue performing and follow their dreams.”

Those dreams have been realized by mentors like Dave Flello and Tom Vickery, whom Wey credits with helping her along.

“I would go to the Esquimalt student jams in the 90s and also to the Tom Vickery jazz jams.

By the age of 16, I was performing at Hermann’s with the Island Big Band and other small ensembles.”

Jazz and boogie-woogie pianist Michael Kaeshammer was 18 and had just moved to Canada when he first got up on the Hermann’s stage, at Vickery’s fabled Thursday night jam.

“There are few jazz clubs in this country, and in the world, that really work and are focused on the music and musicians,” says the now-42-year-old Juno winner. “The room has been conditioned this way, and you can feel it’s special when you walk in. It’s all about the music. I know from friends around the country, who come to Hermann’s on one of their tour stops, that it’s always a highlight. I would go as far as calling it a national treasure.”

There are very few all-age venues that are well-established listening rooms with highquality performances left in North America, adds Wey. “Venue’s like Hermann’s are institutions that are a treasure and need to be preserved.”

“It’s such a great venue for musicians starting out to cut their teeth.”

T H E

NEALESTATE TEAM

Victoria’s Real Estate Experts Saxophonist Noah Becker, who now lives and plays in New York, remembers sitting in with the Island Big Band at Hermann’s when he was 17.

“It’s such a great venue for musicians starting out to cut their teeth. We all had a chance to learn on the job with Tom Vickery at his jam session or on countless gigs we’ve done at the club over the years.”

Trombonist Nick La Riviere has the same story. “Yeah, the weekly jam session was great. When I was a young musician, it was the place to go to be inspired by people like Hugh Fraser.”

Or by Louise Rose, Victoria’s First Lady of jazz. “As a player, it’s the intimacy of the room,” she says. “There’s something that happens when you play next to brick, a warmth and a colour that resonates. You can hear everything.”

Even audience members humming the tune when there’s a little break in the music.

“Hermann’s is known all over the country.

It has a reputation,” says the 75-year-old Rose, who first played Hermann’s 35 years ago one night after her regular gig at The Empress. “And it’s really important to have a home base for musicians (to keep them in town).”

Drummer Kelby MacNayr, as regular as anyone playing Hermann’s, refers to the jazz tradition as one of informal mentorship. Senior artists practice their craft while the youngsters learn it.

“That’s one of the most important things that’s not always understood about the jazz ecosystem; it needs artists at all stages of their careers to complete the cycle, to mutually inspire, to pass the torch and it needs a physical place to do this that is open to all aspects of the musical community, styles, ages, abilities. They all need to have a place to intermix.”

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The next chorus to be riffed on in this ongoing composition involves the future of what’s upstairs. Above Hermann’s are three more rooms with a capacity of 380 (formerly the nightclubs Touch, the Drawing Room, the Red Jacket and the short-lived Yuk Yuk’s). The Arts on View Society is eyeing to lease the upstairs as another live venue. Hermann would have loved that. He knew how performance builds community, notes Walkden.

“Being seen and recognizing the crowd, participating in live music,” he says. “It’s like the community itself is important to the community.”

Book a complimentary financial review with me

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* To redeem for this offer you must present this advertisement upon completion of your financial review conversation with a Scotiabank Investment Specialist on or before October 31, 2019. Upon completion of the review, you will receive a special offer code and a reward code to redeem from your choice of The Ultimate Dining® E-Promo Card, Indigo® E-Promo Card, Esso and Mobil™ E-Gift Card or Cineplex® E-Gift Card at www.scotiabank.com/reviewreward. A valid email address is required in order to receive the E-Promo or E-Gift Card. E-Promo Cards are valid for 90 days after activation. E-Gift Cards do not expire. No purchase required. Maximum one offer per customer. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be duplicated. ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. Scotiabank includes The Bank of Nova Scotia and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Scotia Securities Inc. As used in this document, “Investment Specialist and Financial Planner”, “Scotiabank Investment Specialist” and “Financial Planner and Investment Specialist” refers to a Scotia Securities Inc. mutual fund representative or, in Quebec, a Group Savings Plan Dealer Representative who is also registered in the category of Financial Planner. Scotia Securities Inc. is a member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association. ®/™ Trademarks of Recipe Unlimited Corporation and its affiliates. Indigo, Chapters and Coles are registered trademarks of Indigo Books & Music Inc. Indigo Books & Music is not affiliated, sponsoring or endorsing this offer or any Scotiabank products or services. ™/® Cineplex Entertainment LP or used under license. Cineplex is not affiliated, sponsoring or endorsing this offer or any Scotiabank products or services. Esso is a trademark of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee. Mobil is a trademark of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries. Imperial Oil and its affiliated and related companies are not sponsors or co-sponsors of this promotion.

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CULTURE X5

YAM’S top picks for what’s new in art, theatre and music

1

Mount Thor, Cory Trépanier

Into the Arctic This spectacular travelling exhibition showcases more than 60 original oil paintings by Canadian artist Cory Trépanier. Over a decade in the making, Into the Arctic is one of the most ambitious bodies of artwork ever dedicated to Canada’s Arctic. One of Canada’s Top 100 Living Explorers by Canadian Geographic magazine, Trépanier travelled over 40,000 kilometres in the Arctic with his pack full of painting, filming and camping gear. With his focus on a region so remote that most of its vast landscape has never been painted before, he carried on the tradition of painting first made famous by Canada’s Group of Seven, but with the environmental concern of a contemporary artist.

BATEMAN CENTRE June 14 to November 3 | batemancentre.org

Surf’s Up

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The first exhibition of its kind, Surfer’s Paradise: Northwest Coast Surfboards brings together more than 20 Indigenous Northwest Coast artists for their interventions on, and interpretations of, the surfboard. All crafted out of Western redcedar from Vancouver Island exclusively for Alcheringa Gallery, these boards allow the artists to explore both the wooden canvas, their relationship to the contemporary culture of surfing and their connection to the ocean of their own First Nation territories. The art surfboards will be on exhibition both at Alcheringa Gallery and at Brentwood Bay Resort.

ALCHERINGA GALLERY August 10 to September 21 alcheringa-gallery.com

3

The Children

This unsettling play by award-winning playwright Lucy Kirkwood focuses on Robin and Hazel, two retired nuclear scientists living in a seaside cottage on England’s east coast. But all is not as it seems. Their electricity is restricted to evenings, and they have a Geiger counter in the kitchen.

Written following Japan’s Fukushima disaster, The Children raises big questions about our responsibility to leave a better world for the next generation.

“How do we reconcile our mistakes with their impact on the future?” asks Belfy artistic director Michael Shamata, “and who is meant to clean up after us?”

BELFRY THEATRE September 17 to October 13 belfry.bc.ca

4

Letter From the Trees This solo exhibition showcases the works of Miles “Ómra” by Miles Lowry Lowry, influenced by his residencies in Ireland and his studies of the Irish Ogham Alphabet, which has been lost, found and disputed for centuries. It plays a role in the Bardic mystical tradition of honouring sacred trees and plants. Its earliest manifestations can be found scratched or carved in store in the Irish countryside.

Later, medieval scribes recorded it on sheep-skin parchment using oak gall inks and natural pigments. Using his own technique and incorporating these pigments, Lowry explores Ogham, its symbolism and how trees can portray abstract expressions, reflect hidden communications and inspire spiritual investigations.

FORTUNE GALLERY October 1 to 13 | fortunegallery.ca

5

Song Carrier

He’s a performer, a classically trained operatic tenor, composer, musicologist and activist whose recent album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which means “beautiful river,” won the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and the 2019 Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year. Jeremy Dutcher brings his bold approach to composition and his raw, powerful stage presence to Alix Goolden Hall this fall. Dutcher, a member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, transcends boundaries with compositions teeming with classical influences, reverence for the traditional songs of his home and the urgency of modern-day struggles of resistance.

ALIX GOOLDEN HALL October 24 | vcm.bc.ca/alix-goolden-hall

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RBC WMFS is licensed as a financial services firm in the province of Quebec. RBC Dominion Securities Inc., RBC WMFS and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and RBC WMFS are member companies of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © 2018 RBC Dominion Securities Inc. All rights reserved.

YAM MAGAZINE SEP/OCT 2019

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DO TELL

MAKING THE CUT

By Susan Hollis | Photo by Dean Azim

I

t’s hard to imagine a nine-year-old finding his chosen career and sticking with it, but improbable is a way of life for Mohammed (Mo) Ibrahim. The wunderkind stylist at Carreiro the Studio, Ibrahim was born in Lebanon to Syrian parents and recalls skipping school to apprentice with a family friend, also a stylist. What began as sweeping hair and running errands evolved into barbering with a straight razor, then cutting men’s and women’s hair and further study in the cosmopolitan city of Beirut. Despite the upheaval of leaving his home country with his family as a teen, and landing in Canada as a refugee in 2016, Ibrahim maintained a deep interest in all things hair. He finished grades 11 and 12 at Victoria High and was top of his class at the school’s Cosmetology Career and Transition Program. After apprenticing in a number of downtown salons, he was offered a permanent gig at Carreiro where he’s carved out a reputation as the go-to stylist for complicated fades, hair tattoos and classic shaves.

He was so good that salon owner John Carreiro created a back-room salon and barber space specifically for Ibrahim to explore his talent, and where he attracts some of the city’s most style savvy people.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

Being confident in yourself and doing what you want to do.

What was one of your life’s most exciting moments?

When I first heard about coming to Canada and how grateful I am to be here now.

Which living person do you most admire?

My mom. The only place I find “home” is in her. She is my hero and is always there for me — the best mom in the world. She just wants to make sure her kids have a good life.

What’s your greatest fear?

To lose someone I love.

What do you admire most in your friends?

I look to make sure they’re real friends. If something happened to me, they’d look for me and I would do the same for them.

What trait you most deplore in others?

Those who tell me what to do — I like to do what I want to do.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

Hairstyling is my love, it’s the whole thing for me.

It’s the only thing I know how to do.

On what occasion do you lie?

I tell the truth. I don’t lie.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I don’t follow dead people — I am myself.

Who has the worst hair right now?

The worst hair in public life is for sure Donald Trump’s.

What piece of technology do you wish was never invented?

Bombs, for sure.

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

I would be a bird because then I could see the world from above.

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Aspen Santa Fe Ballet An unforgettable mix of live dance and piano virtuosity with world-renowned pianist Joyce Yang.

NOVEMBER 15 + 16 • 7:30 PM ROYAL THEATRE Single tickets now on sale!

BOX OFFICE: 250-386-6121 DANCEVICTORIA.COM

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Pianist Joyce Yang with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dancer Katherine Bolanos Photo © Michele Cardamone

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