When it comes to the retail fashion business and her own personal life, Tia Star Pivirotto follows her heart as much as her head.
After just two and a half years of launching her on-line clothing store, TiaStar.com, the bright, passionate and outgoing Tia is expanding into a physical retail space in downtown Peterborough.
When Shannon Mak and Roland Hosier envisioned the interior of Le Petit Bar, the focal point was a zinc bar akin to those in Paris where wine, cheese and charcuterie are enjoyed in the time honoured French way. “It was too expensive to purchase one, so we built it ourselves,” says Hosier.
As the owner and operator of Hunter Street West’s St. Veronus Café & Tap Room, Hosier now co-owns Le Petit Bar with Mak, a skilled wine professional who grows and makes her own food and writes about it for various publications. “I pretty much do what Shannon tells me to do,” Hosier says.
That includes learning how to use a soldering iron to build the bar with local contractors Gabe Robinson and Tom Reader. It is indeed at the heart of the intimate gathering place where customers are enjoying wines by the glass, along with a varying selection of charcuterie, cheeses and mixed boards – every Tuesday through Saturday from 4:00 pm until the wee hours.
Passionate about good food, wine and culture since she was 18, Mak’s journey started out in her garden where she grows everything from tomatoes to cucumbers. “We do a lot of pickling and canning and we grow herbs year-round.”
Pointing to the bottles of bitters she and Hosier are hand-crafting themselves for cocktail consumption — yet another draw for the well-appointed — Mak explains it’s not simply the food and wine people are lining up for. Local sommelier and wine agent, Christopher Wilton agrees.
“Shannon and Roland are knocking it out of the park with the cocktails they’re making. I had a rare moment when I tried their version of a Sazerac,” Wilton explains. “It was pretty exciting to experience the possibility a drink, similar to a great wine, can hold.”
With a wealth of experience in the food and wine industry, Mak is skilled in the art of service. Naturally, she possesses the ability to intuit customers’ needs.
“We want everyone to feel relaxed and at home but we also want them to be excited about the food and wine we’re serving, where the recipes originate and where the food is grown and cured,” she says. “It’s all part of the experience at Le Petit Bar.”
Enjoy browsing these menus, which are a sample of what we offer:
Charcuterie is a French term meaning “cooked meat”. It refers to the delicious culinary art of confit, curing, smoking and drying in order to create items like sausage, salami, prosciutto & pâté. Charcuterie is served to you on a board, with house‐made mustards, olives, pickles, seasoned arugula and fresh bread. Ideal for sharing, these boards make a great appetizer, snack, or meal (depending on how you’re feeling).
399 Water Street
Peterborough, Ontario
K9H 3L7
Telephone: 705-775-7384
Hours
Tuesday & Wednesday: 4 pm – 12 am
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 4 pm – 2 am
Why did you return to the Kawarthas after you graduated from law at Osgoode?
“It was my goal to be working and living on Curve Lake, where I grew up. Before I came back I was living in Vaughan. It’s so crowded there and no one knows you. Life here is simpler and less complicated. I feel very fortunate to be able to experience the natural beauty of this region while having access to all of these great restaurants, café’s and theaters in the downtown core.”
Westben’s world premiere presentation of “The Auction” is not a typical opera in its rural Canadian setting, yet it stays true to the essence of what opera is about. Opera is an art form often steeped in rich emotion, with each character expressing themselves fully through song. “The Auction” tells the story of how a family is impacted when farming proves to no longer be sustainable for them.
By 2000, Chris Thomas King had already established his career as a hip/hop blues musician — with seven albums, 10 million records sold and both a Grammy and a Country Music Award — when he was featured playing the part of Tommy Johnson in the Coen brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou? And yet he became more widely known from his role in the film (and a song on the soundtrack) than from his own prolific musical career.
It was more than 30 years ago that Peterborough hosted one of the largest and most vibrant international Indigenous theatre celebrations the city has ever seen, but Patti Shaughnessy still remembers the vivid impact it had on her.
“This was a remarkable festival. It was a collective gathering of Indigenous artists from all over the world, including Japan, Africa, the U.S. and Canada.”
Tim Etherington is a Peterborough writer and teacher with a long history in live performance. His newest play, Zombies Versus Bunnies, which he co-wrote with his daughter Lydia, will be performed at the Showplace Lounge on June 21st and 22nd.
Here are three brief excerpts from Tim’s short story 2nd Unit, about a small town in Southwestern Ontario that is invaded for several days by a film crew shooting a television “movie of the week”.
Fans of old-time country will be transported to the days of traveling troubadours when musical artist Petunia returns to The Garnet on Friday, June 8th (9:30pm/$10). The show will feature a set of original songs, and will feature a special tribute to Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, two of his favourite all-time performers. Inspired by both, his reverence for Hank is especially clear: “Many of his songs are timeless to me and still resonate.”
Since 2001 The James Fund has been raising money and awareness in the fight against Neuroblastoma. Can you tell me how much money you’ve raised and how many projects you’ve helped to fund?
“We’ve funded 18 projects including 18 one-year fellowship salaries of young researchers, who otherwise had no funding. We also funded research that resulted in 23 peer-reviewed papers published in top international medical journals. To date, we’ve raised closed to five $5 million.”
Liam Titcomb returns to Peterborough for the first time in several years to play the Red Dog Tavern on June 6th 2012. He returns with his new Extended Play single in hand, which is the forerunner to his new CD which will be out later this year. kawarthaNOW learned of Liam’s Red Dog gig and connected with him to ask about his long awaited return to Peterborough, his musical connections here, and his recent round of songwriting.
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