Local celebs share free, cheap or worth it things to see do or buy in British Columbia and beyond.

Robert Belcham, Executive Chef, Refuel Restuarant, Vancouver, B.C.

Chef Robert Belcham Dines, Shops, Splashes

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Dine out, walk, shop and splash with uber chef Robert Belcham of the illustrious Campagnolo and refuel restaurants.

Robert Belcham, Executive Chef, Refuel Restuarant, Vancouver, B.C.Spending the frigid Saturday afternoons of his childhood in Edmonton and Peace River eating fresh-from-the-oven cookies and watching PBS cooking programs, chef Robert Belcham was interested in cooking from a young age.

Starting out as a line cook at Rebar, an innovative vegetarian restaurant in Victoria, followed by as stint at The Aerie Resort on Vancouver Island, Robert eventually received a call from star chef Thomas Keller, offering him a chef de partie position at his famous Yountville restaurant, The French Laundry. He then became a private chef in the Silicon Valley, where, he says, “I became much more aware of what the guests feel, what they want and what they need. I know I’m a better chef because of it.” Read more

The Museum Of Vancouver Administrative Team

Truck & Moo With MOV’s Culture Crew

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Where to bike, truck, cheep and moo—from the Museum of Vancouver’s innovative culture crew.

The Museum Of Vancouver Administrative TeamThe most vibrant and exciting cultural institution in our city right now is one that’s old as the hills: the Museum of Vancouver, a.k.a. MOV, which has been around since 1894. Over the past few years, the team pictured here has transformed MOV into a local light by celebrating what is original about our town, with exhibitions covering everything from our very own rock stars of footwear to barbecue duels fought local Iron Chef style. This year, MOV’s innovation led to a Canadian Museums Association award for  “Re-Envisioning.”

Nancy Noble, CEO (pictured right), is a longtime museum professional and the driving force behind the recent changes at MOV. Joan Seidl, Director of Collections and Exhibitions (pictured left), has worked in museums since she was 14 years old and has curated dozens of exhibits. Amanda Gibbs, Director of Audience Engagement (pictured in the middle), is a specialist in branding, community engagement and new forms of storytelling.

Nancy, Amanda and Joan’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver (and beyond). Read more
Maureen Welton - Philippe Martin-Morice

Maureen Welton Shops Vancouver Like A Pro

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18Karat’s Maureen Welton shares her favourite home products and great advice on how to shop like a pro.

Maureen Welton - Philippe Martin-MoriceMaureen Welton, the president and creative director of 18Karat, Vancouver’s most original home décor store, shops for a living, so in her down time the last thing she wants to do is shop more. In fact, she avoids personal shopping if at all possible, power shopping when she needs to, typically doing a six-month shop in a single day. Read more

Omer Arbel - Cory Dawson

Omer Arbel Explores Vancouver His Way

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Internationally renowned designer Omer Arbel burns, illuminates and drives his way around Vancouver.

Omer Arbel - Cory DawsonEvery so often Vancouver produces a superstar— like internationally renowned Vancouver designer Omer Arbel, touted by Wallpaper magazine in 2003 as one of the 15 designers of the future. His bubblelike cast glass pendant Bocci lights, just five years old, are already iconic, as much a design staple as a Noguchi coffee table or Eames chair. He has designed everything from furniture, interiors and electrical sockets (see below) to the 2010 Winter Olympic medals in collaboration with aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt. His numerous awards include the Canada Council’s Ron Thom Early Design Achievement Award, International Design Award and the Design Prize of the German Republic.

Omer Arbel’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver Read more

Don Genova Shops & Noshes In Vancouver

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Noted B.C. food journalist Don Genova shops, slurps and noshs his way around Vancouver.

Don Genova At Legendary Noodle - C. PhaisalakaniDon Genova is a food journalist and educator who splits his time between Vancouver and an acreage in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. His work is heard regularly on CBC Radio and seen in Aqua magazine with a column called Pacific Palate. Don teaches food and travel writing at UBC with in-person and online courses and offers sustainable eating courses at the University of Victoria. You may also catch him teaching cooking classes at Thrifty Foods or the French Mint cooking school in Victoria. You can follow Don’s adventures in eating on his blog, blog.dongenova.com, and get information on his classes on his website, www.dongenova.com. He also tweets @dongenova.

Don Genova’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver Read more

Robert Fung’s Fave Gastown Haunts

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With his eye for design and authenticity, heritage developer Robert Fung is our man on the ground in Gastown.

Robert FungDubbed “the poster child of heritage” by Heritage Vancouver president Donald Luxton, Vancouver developer Robert Fung is dedicated to revitalizing not only the buildings of Gastown but also the neighbourhood itself. Design-conscious but not snobby, Robert believes that historic environments and modernism are not mutually exclusive concepts. His company, The Salient Group, has won numerous heritage awards and recently received a prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s medal for architecture for the refurbished Garage, Terminus and Alhambra buildings, eliciting comments like “This is what architecture is meant to be.” Robert knows Gastown inside out and is actively involved in the daily life of the community. With his eye for design and authenticity, he’s our man on the ground in Gastown.

7 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Gastown

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Eat, Read, Swim—Ms. McIntosh Does YVR

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Culinary personality Barbara-jo McIntosh shares her favourite “free, cheap or worth it” things to see, do or buy in Vancouver.

Barbara-jo McIntoshThe owner of Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks, Barbara-jo McIntosh has served on the prestigious James Beard Awards cookbook selection committee and received a Vancouver magazine lifetime achievement award for her many contributions to the local culinary scene.  McIntosh reveals a softer side in her recently published third book, Cooking for Me and Sometimes You: A Parisienne Romance with Recipes. It’s a tale of  “cooking with tenderness in Paris,” says fellow food writer Mia Stainsby in The Vancouver Sun, who thinks its sweet words and delightful recipes will inspire readers to cook more mindfully—and with love. Read more

Shell Busey’s Got Home Maintenance Solutions

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Want to conserve water, obliterate ants and pesky weeds? Vancouver’s home improvement expert Shell Busey explores maintenance on the cheap side.

Shell BuseyShell Busey, host of the Home Discovery Radio Program broadcast on the Corus Radio Network throughout Western Canada, is one of Canada’s best known experts on home improvement. Shell also leads the HouseSmart Home Services Referral Network, a free service he created to help homeowners find qualified and reliable tradespeople, suppliers and products for their home improvement projects. For more information visit thehousesmart.com. Read more