Peterborough's Wyatt Lamoureux appears in non-speaking role in a scene from the seventh episode of the new Amazon Prime series "Reacher". (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Peterborough’s own Wyatt Lamoureux makes a brief appearance in the new Amazon Prime series Reacher.
Based on The Killing Floor, the first novel in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher crime thriller series, Reacher stars Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher, Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay, and Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin.
The series has been positively received by critics for its faithfulness to the plot of Child’s book and to its protagonist (a muscled and taciturn former major in the US Army military police who stands six feet and five inches tall and weighs 250 pounds), unlike the two big-screen adaptations starring the relatively diminutive Tom Cruise. The series has already been renewed for a second season.
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Lamoureux appears in a non-speaking part in the first season’s penultimate episode, “Reacher Said Nothing”, as the father of a police officer. He opens the door after Finlay knocks to deliver some news.
“It’s a testo-fueled, rage-ride of revenge, filled with punching, kicking, gouging, and other varieties of violence,” Lamoureux writes on Facebook, describing the series. “But if you just want to watch me open the door, it’s season 1, episode 7, about 19 minutes and 30 seconds into the show. It will be a short watch. But certainly longer than my last two showings on big-time series.”
Lamoureux is referring to his appearances as a minister at a funeral in the second episode of the second season of the Amazon Prime superhero series The Boys and as a “grandfather vampire” in the fourth episode of the second season of the FX horror comedy series What We Do in the Shadows.
Wyatt Lamoureux also appeared as a minister in this wide shot of a funeral scene from an episode of “The Boys”. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
Other Peterborough natives who’ve appeared in recent popular series include Matthew Finlan in the Netflix romantic thriller Brazen and Beau Dixon in the series finale of The Expanse and in four episodes of Station Eleven.
Store manager Tanya Farrow (left) with team members from the High Street and Lansdowne Street Shoppers Drug Mart locations. (Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton)
Last fall’s “Love You” campaign by Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Peterborough has resulted in a $14,081 donation to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton to help local women safely escape violence and abuse.
During the campaign, Shoppers Drug Mart customers were encouraged to make a donation by purchasing paper icons in Peterborough stores, with 100 per cent of the donations helping to fund YWCA Crossroads Shelter and support programs for women experiencing gender-based violence.
“We are truly thankful for the combined support of our community and the entire Peterborough Shoppers Drug Mart team,” says Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, in a media release.
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“The need for violence against women support services has remained high since the onset of the pandemic,” Dolan adds. “This generous donation will provide much-needed safety, resources and support to women in crisis.”
The Shoppers Drug Mart “Love You” fall fundraising program is an annual four-week campaign to improve women’s health. Since 2011, the program has supported more than 450 women’s charities annually across Canada.
“The YWCA is an absolutely essential resource for women and children living in Peterborough,” says Mohan Joshi, owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart locations on High Street, Chemong Road, and Landsdowne Street. “We are honoured to be able to continue our commitment to their work in partnership with our generous customers and staff team.”
Kate Suhr, a musician, actress, and playwright from Peterborough, and Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director of 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, were two of the participants in an arts-focused virtual community forum on February 8, 2022 organized by Peterborough-Kawartha provincial Liberal candidate Greg Dempsey and Dane Bland, who ran against Dempsey for the Liberal nomination. (File photos)
With the 2022 Ontario election slated for June 2, Peterborough-Kawartha provincial Liberal candidate Greg Dempsey has heard a plea for a permanent guaranteed basic income in Ontario from local artists and arts sector leaders.
Dempsey and Dane Bland, his rival for the local Liberal nomination held last November, co-hosted an arts-focused virtual community forum on Tuesday evening (February 8) that was attended by people from the Peterborough-area arts community.
During the discussion, Dempsey reiterated his strong commitment to the provision of a guaranteed basic income, noting it’s the “singular policy reason” that drove him to seek the nomination.
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While making a decent living in the arts has always been a challenge, noted several participants, the pandemic has taken the struggle to make ends meet to a whole other level.
“Musicians, actors, painters, and writers have a different perspective on what it means, and feels like, to create art in this digital age due to digital demonetization,” said musician, actress, and playwright Kate Suhr.
“You can go on YouTube to listen to any song you want and not pay a thing,” Suhr explained. “Artists receive 700th of a cent per stream. On Spotify, they receive .003 cents per stream. The money from subscriptions first goes to the record labels and then it is divvied up amongst the musicians.”
“Those who are not so lucky to have a label backing them are surprised to earn maybe $500 a year. In 2015, my SOCAN cheques (paid for accumulated streams) totalled $4,700. My latest cheque gifted me a whopping $2.50. I didn’t cash that cheque due to embarrassment.”
In making her case for more support for artists, Suhr noted she has “yet to meet a person on this earth who does not consume art in any shape or form,” adding “The arts are crucial to the world. Without the arts, we would be lost. It’s how we learn to grieve, process, heal and connect to both ourselves and one another.”
Artists, said Suhr, “rely on ticket sales and the selling of merchandise to make a living. With no shows, there’s just no living. It is now about survival.”
“We’re taxed mentally, spiritually and emotionally. When human beings become stressed they become apathetic. They feel dampened. It’s not a conducive environment for creativity, to say the least. I’m here to speak about how alone we feel and unsupported.”
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In 2017, a guaranteed basic income was provided as a pilot project by the provincial Liberal government in five Ontario communities, including Lindsay in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Almost 4,000 people were enrolled in the pilot when the newly elected Ford government scrapped the initiative the following year, stating “The three-year study of no-strings attached payments is not the answer Ontario families need.”
The decision to scrap the pilot project after one year was met with much criticism from advocacy groups. When the federal government provided its Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the pandemic, calls grew louder to implement a guaranteed basic income.
“It (guaranteed basic income) allows people to live without the constant worry of ‘Where am I going to live?’ and ‘How am I going to feed my family?’,” said Dempsey, noting the Ontario Liberal party has made it very clear it will reinstate the program if it wins the next provincial election.
Greg Dempsey is the Liberal candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha for the next Ontario general election on June 2, 2022. (Photo: Greg Dempsey Campaign)
Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director of 4th Line Theatre near Millbrook, said the theatre company “was able to stay afloat through the pandemic” but only at the expense of letting go “most all of our artists.”
“Artists are some of the most vulnerable people during the pandemic yet they are some of the most important people in our society,” Blackwell said. “I know, as an artist and an arts leader, about the transformative power of art to change the world, to change people’s lives. I see that at the (Winslow) farm almost every single night that we share with our audience.”
For her part, Su Ditta, the executive director of the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough, called for a Liberal commitment to the Ontario Arts Council — in particular its program of grants provided individual artists.
And Katherine Carleton, the Peterborough-based executive director of Orchestras Canada who was invested in the Order of Canada in 2017 for her efforts to promote a thriving arts and culture sector in Canada, called for a platform “that addresses the role of the arts and culture in Ontario communities and addresses the very real needs of the arts and culture sector as we try to move on from COVID.”
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Another topic raised was the loss of venues both before and during the pandemic.
Janet Clarkson, a potter had her own art gallery for 25 years and is involved with the Buckhorn Art Festival, said vacant church spaces provide an opportunity.
“If we can find a use for them, maybe somebody won’t find a use for the jackhammer to knock them down,” she said.
In his opening comments, Bland spoke specifically to the loss of venues.
“These places weren’t just venues for performers — they were hubs for creators to gather,” he said.
“It’s often said that issues like education, or housing, or job creation, should take precedence over conversations like this one, but for artists, their livelihoods, their homes, and their jobs are tied to creation. For them, support of their community does mean housing and it does mean livelihood.”
Among others taking part in the forum and commenting were author and Lakefield Literary Festival chair John Boyko and Showplace Performance Centre board chair Wayne Bonner.
COVID-19 rapid test device kits produced by Abbott are shown at Humber River Hospital in Toronto in 2020. (Photo: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press)
The Ontario government is expanding access to free rapid antigen testing kits to the general public for at-home use.
Starting Wednesday (February 9), the province will be distributing 44 million test kits over the next eight weeks to over 2,300 pharmacies and grocery stores across Ontario, as well as to community partners in vulnerable communities, with 5.5 million kits distributed each week.
The rapid testing kits will be free, while supplies last, with a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit.
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“Participating retailers will receive additional supply from the province each week and have the ability to determine how tests are distributed in order to best serve the community, including through appointment bookings, at checkout, or through online orders,” reads a media release.
A list of participating retailers, as well as information on how retail locations are distributing rapid test kits, can be found at ontario.ca/rapidtest.
For your convenience, here is a list of locations in the greater Kawarthas region where the free test kits will be available (as of February 9):
Kemi Akapo at the swearing-in ceremony of Peterborough city council in November 2018 after she was elected as Town Ward councillor. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
While Peterborough has so far been spared the mass protests against vaccine mandates that have caused great disruption in communities across Canada, the city hasn’t been spared the hateful talk and symbolism heard and seen at those protests.
That’s the word from Peterborough city councillor Kemi Akapo, who took to Twitter on Saturday (February 5) to acknowledge that she’s “on edge” whenever she leaves her home and, as a result, has been taking “extra precautions.”
“The last time I felt this way was when I was living in a country going through a coup d’etat,” tweeted the Town Ward representative, a native of Nigeria who moved to Peterborough in 2005 to attend Trent University and has been a case management coordinator with the New Canadians’ Centre since May 2020.
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“Last night I went out to pick up take-out from a local restaurant and while I was walking there, someone in a truck waving a flag with a racist symbol yelled ‘Faggot n****r’ at me and sped off.”
In an exclusive interview with kawarthaNOW, Akapo says there’s something in the air — something much more ugly and sinister than the pleasant aroma emitted daily by Quaker.
“There’s a lot of anger and the pandemic has certainly exacerbated that,” says Akapo. “People are afraid for their families. People’s mental health has been severely affected. Accessing health care in Ontario is basically impossible with ridiculously long waiting lists.”
Even though the main action is in Ottawa and Toronto, there are signs, flags and insignias here in town. I’ve noticed I’ve become hyperaware of my surroundings in a way I’ve never felt in Ptbo. 1/
“But when people are afraid, one the first displays of that is anger and sometimes that anger is misplaced. Being a leader in the community, I sometimes face the brunt of that anger. I can understand that to some extent, but not when that anger turns violent or racist.”
Akapo is quick to point such acts are “not just a Peterborough thing,” noting it’s high time Peterborough residents not only recognized that bigotry in all its forms is here and everyone has a part to play in addressing it.
“There’s a laundry list of really great things about Peterborough but Peterborough is not immune to racism, sexism, and homophobia. It’s just like any other community. All of that exists here. Do I face daily incidents of racism? Certainly not, but it does exist.”
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In late 2021, Akapo pulled herself off Twitter as a result of hateful and disrespectful messages sent to her.
“It had gotten to the point where it was constant,” she recalls. “It was endless and it was distracting me from the work I really want to do: focus on policy, do good planning, and help the residents of Peterborough.”
She says her experiences, coupled with the anti-vaccine protests outside the East City home of Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Thomas Piggott that led to two arrests, have resulted in her being “more aware of my surroundings” when she’s outside her home.
“Who’s around me? If I enter a space, where can I exit in a hurry? Things I wouldn’t have normally thought of. I’ve put into place protective measures that I hadn’t felt I needed before.”
Akapo adds that the heightened American extremism of recent years is daily finding an ever-growing welcome mat in Canada, and that is disturbing on its own merit.
“As a result, some people feel more emboldened. Everybody has the right to speak and say what they feel, but it’s the manner in which you express frustrations that is the issue.”
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Not lost on Akapo, as it shouldn’t be on anyone, is that February is Black History Month.
“It’s not just a heavy month where you’ve got to be reminded of all the hard things that happened,” she points out. “It’s also a time of celebration, but in that celebration we have to be reminded of the realities of what black people face.”
kawarthaNOW reached out to the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough for comment but hadn’t heard back by deadline. Visit racerelationspeterborough.org for its core objectives, available programs and resources, and a listing of local Black History Month events.
Looking ahead, Akapo says she has made a decision regarding her candidacy in the 2022 municipal election and will make an announcement soon. In the meantime, she’s concerned that her experience may keep potential candidates away.
“Part of me didn’t want to speak up about this because I don’t want to scare people away, but I felt a need to be honest about what is happening. I’d rather have an informed person running for council than someone who runs for council and then is surprised and shocked and not prepared to deal with it when it happens.”
“I know more now than I knew then,” she adds, referring to 2018 when she ran for a Town Ward seat. “That’s part of life — you live and you learn.”
Two Dishes Cookshop in Peterborough posted this collage of photos in its social media announcement that the Charlotte Street neighbourhood restaurant is closing as of March 1, 2022 after eight years in business. (Graphic: Two Dishes Cookshop / Facebook)
Two Dishes Cookshop is closing its Charlotte Street restaurant as of Tuesday, March 1st after eight years in business.
Located at 261 Charlotte at the corner of Bethune, the neighbourhood restaurant focusing on local and seasonally inspired food and made-from-scratch baked goods was opened in 2014 by sisters Susan and Paula Houde.
On Monday (February 7), Susan posted a lengthy message on social media announcing the restaurant would be closing and explaining why.
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“Change is tough but it comes whether we like it our not,” she writes. “There isn’t one reason we’re closing, there are many. As you can imagine the last two years have been hard for us, as they have been for everybody, and the pandemic-related issues have played a part in our plans and projections of where our business can go.”
“The cookshop has also been in the middle of a construction zone for the past year with another year to go, and while it’s not the primary reason, the reality is it’s made things much more difficult for us.”
“Change is rarely driven by just one factor though, and as much as those specific issues play a part, there is a natural timing of emotion and circumstance at play that tells us it’s time to try something new. We just feel it in our bones.”
We’re going through some big changes, it’s a sad day but an exciting one as well. Please read the note above and know that we appreciate each and every one of you ??
Although the Charlotte Street location is closing, Susan adds, Two Dishes Cookshop will still have a presence at local farmers’ markets. They also have plans to launch new ways of getting food to customers, including take-home meals, delivery options, pop-ups, catering, a new vintage food trailer, cooking workshops, and more.
“From the day we opened we’ve felt the love from people who valued what we do,” she writes. “The support we’ve had from our community over the last eight years (and especially the last two) has kept us going during late nights and early mornings. Making food we love, for people we love is why we get up at 5:30 a.m.. Nothing has changed about that, we’re just going to be finding new ways to do that beyond the walls on Charlotte St.”
“We’re excited about the possibilities and hope you’ll stick with us as we bring these ideas to life,” Susan writes, also thanking the staff who have worked at Two Dishes Cookshop.
During Community Care's Meals To Go fundraiser, businesses in Peterborough and Lakefield can order $10 southwestern-themed lunches, which will be delivered to workplaces by Meals on Wheels volunteers on four dates in March. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support the Meals on Wheels program and the Give A Meal subsidy program for seniors in need. (Photo courtesy of Community Care Peterborough)
Community Care Peterborough’s Meals To Go fundraiser is returning in March, after an absence last year due to the pandemic, delivering $10 lunches to local businesses in the city of Peterborough and — new this year — in Lakefield as well.
Part of the annual March for Meals campaign, which sees Meals on Wheels providers across Ontario increase awareness of the availability and value of Meals on Wheels programs, the funds raised by Meals To Go will support Community Care’s Meals on Wheels program, which provides high-quality and affordable meals to seniors living alone and more, and the Give A Meal subsidy program, which provides a free meal to a senior who is struggling financially.
“This year, with the addition of deliveries into Lakefield, we are planning for 600 lunches to be ordered and hoping to raise $4,000,” says Iris Crowder, client services coordinator for Community Care Peterborough, in a media release. “The Meals to Go lunch is $10 per person and, for every additional $10 donation participants make, they are providing a meal for a senior who truly can’t afford one for themselves.”
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Prepared at The Mount Community Centre’s kitchen in partnership with the Community Training and Development Centre and packaged by Outpost Packaging, with cheese donated by Cross Wind Farm, the lunches will be delivered directly to workplaces by Community Care’s Meals on Wheels volunteers.
Delivery dates in Peterborough are Wednesday, March 2nd and Wednesday, March 30th, and in Lakefield on Tuesday, March 1st and Tuesday, March 29th. Curbside pickup at The Mount Community Centre (1545 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough) is also available on those dates between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
This year’s lunch menu has a southwestern theme and includes a starter of a flavourful homemade mango coconut curry soup, an option of a grilled chicken wrap (with cheddar cheese, tomato, corn, black beans, and zesty chipotle mayo) or a salad (with grilled chicken, tomato, corn and black beans on a bed of fresh greens), and a moist date cake with coconut frosting for dessert. Vegetarian and lactose-free menu options are also available upon request.
Operating in Peterborough since 1964, the Meals on Wheels program ensures seniors can receive hot nutritional meals to help them remain healthy in their own homes. The program also provides a social visit by a caring volunteer and a safety check for those who are isolated. Sometimes, a Meals on Wheels volunteer may be the only person a senior interacts with on a given day.
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Community Care also offers a Meals on Wheels subsidy program for those who can’t afford regular meals. In 2021, more than 50 people benefited from the subsidy program, receiving around 1,809 meals at no cost.
“The Meals on Wheels program that we provide to clients in the City and County of Peterborough truly empowers them to live independently and healthier at home,” says Community Care executive director Danielle Belair. “We are seeing an increase in the need for this program and there is an increased demand on us to provide more subsidies for low income clients. The donations that we receive through the Meals To Go fundraiser certainly help us to meet this growing need.”
Meals To Go lunches are $10 each. You can order online at commcareptbo.org/mealstogo, where you can also download a printable order form. Orders must be received at least seven days prior to your selected delivery or pickup date.
Donations are encouraged when ordering, with charitable tax receipts available for donations of $10 or more.
The falafel platter at the recently opened Levantine Grill in downtown Peterborough. The new restaurant serves a variety of Mediterranean foods including shawarma, kebabs, pies, and salads, with signature dishes based on authentic family recipes from Syria. (Photo: Levantine Grill)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher gets a taste of the Mediterranean with Levantine Grill in Peterborough, takes an inside look at the renovations taking place at The Market at Stoney Lake, tries Japanese fried chicken with new ghost kitchen Kicken Chicken in Peterborough, and discovers local and international flavours with Centre & Main Chocolate Co. in Warkworth.
Levantine Grill serves a fresh taste of the Mediterranean using inherited recipes
The tabbouleh salad at Levantine Grill in downtown Peterborough. Tabbouleh is a Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and sweet pepper. (Photo: Levantine Grill)
Imad Mahfouz and Hashem Yakan have opened Levantine Grill (356 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-745-0770), at the corner of Park and Charlotte in Peterborough. The new restaurant serves a variety of Mediterranean foods including shawarma, kebabs, pies, and salads.
Levantine Grill — the name refers to the region of the eastern Mediterranean that includes modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan — is a partnership between a Imad, a chef, and Hashem, a banker. The two met in Peterborough and discovered that they shared the same dream. Levantine Grill was born.
Imad, who studied cooking at the Hotel and Tourism Training Centre in Syria, previously owned a restaurant in Damascus where he worked as a chef.
Levantine Grill is owned and operated by banker Hashem Yakan and chef Imad Mahfouz, who previously owned a restaurant in Damascus, Syria where he worked as a chef. (Photo: Levantine Grill)
“I believe that a restaurant owner could produce a better quality of food if he makes it with his hands,” Imad says, excited to bring a taste of Syria to Peterborough. “When I moved to Canada, one of my goals was to bring back everything I have learned and achieved to the Canadian community.”
Hashem is a banker with a master’s degree in business management who had been dreaming of starting his own business.
“I have a passion for food and our Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favourites,” he says. “I tend to look for establishing a restaurant that serves Mediterranean food so I can present our Levantine culture to Canadian people.”
The shawarma at Levantine Grill in downtown Peterborough. Shawarma is a popular Levantine dish featuring meat cut into thin slices and roasted on a slowly turning vertical rotisserie or spit. (Photo: Levantine Grill)
Some of the dishes on the menu are made from family recipes, Hashem says.
“Everything that has Levantine before it is a signature dish, like Levantine Special Pie, Levantine Special Kefta Kebab, and Levantine Baba Ghanouj Salad,” he explains. “These dishes have more distinct flavours that come from inherited recipes. But we guarantee you that everything else is also as good as any Levantine special.”
Opening in the midst of a pandemic wasn’t easy, but Imad and Hashem are excited to serve the community.
“It was a big challenge, but we were able to handle it with the great support of the Peterborough community.”
For more information, visit the Levantine Grill on Facebook.
Fireside patio dining, live music, and wine lockers: new owners overhaul The Market on Stoney Lake
A rendering of the renovations currently taking place at The Market on Stoney Lake. When it reopens, the Market will have more seating, a bigger kitchen. and a large covered patio. (Graphic courtesy of The Market on Stoney Lake)
The Market on Stoney Lake (2374 Crowe’s Landing Rd., Lakefield, 705-877-1222) is under new ownership, with extensive renovations happening this winter to prepare for a May reopening.
The restaurant has been bought by two husband-and-wife teams: Kevin Errington and Kat Kilbride, and Nelson and Kyla Lang. This isn’t their first business venture together: Nelson was the original founder of The Pita Pit, where Kevin worked as director of marketing, and Kat was in charge of operations and store openings for Pita Pit Canada.
Nelson and Kyla have had a cottage on Stoney Lake since 2015, which Kevin and Kat have visited frequently.
The Errington family is one half of the team behind the new Market on Stoney Lake. Husband and wife Kevin Errington and Kat Kilbride held senior positions at The Pita Pit, where Kevin worked as Director of Marketing and Kat was in charge of operations and store openings for Pita Pit Canada. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Errington and Kat Kilbride)
“We’re not only all people that work together, we’re all good friends and have been for a number of years.” Kevin explains. “Stoney Lake has always been our fun spot. It’s where we snowmobile in the winter, it’s where we boat in the summer, and it’s been a place that our two families have been enjoying since 2015.”
When the Market on Stoney Lake came up for sale, they saw it as an opportunity to keep a local institution operating into the future.
“It’s our way of ensuring that a legacy that’s been on the lake for a number of years is not lost and that it’s actually improved upon and made better,” Kevin says.
A rendering of some of the interior renovations currently taking place at The Market on Stoney Lake. The floor plan has been completely overhauled to make space for more seating and a bigger kitchen. (Graphic courtesy of The Market on Stoney Lake)
The site is currently under extensive renovations. The floor plan has been completely overhauled to make space for more seating and a bigger kitchen. There will be a large covered patio with a wood burning fireplace and a cutout to make an indoor/outdoor bar.
The Market team have developed connections with private wine distributors, and are planning a fantastic selection of wines not available at the LCBO. Wine lockers will also be available to rent, so guests can bring their own wine collection to the patio.
Ambient lighting will allow them to stay open late and offer live music by the lake.
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But what about the menu?
“The food experience is going to be casual dining done really well,” Kevin says.
They will offer artisan-style pizzas with fresh ingredients and sauces made from scratch, classic poutine, and lots of healthy deconstructed salad options. There will also be hamburgers made with dry aged beef.
The Lang family is one half of the team behind the new Market on Stoney Lake. Nelson rose to prominence as the founder of the Pita Pit. (Photo courtesy of Nelson and Kyla Lang)
“It’s the best hamburger of your life,” Kevin asserts. “We take the whole brisket muscle and dry age it for 45 to 60 days. Then, after it’s finished its dry age cycle, we’ll be breaking that down ourselves into the actual ground burger, and then producing a really good hamburger with a wine-touched caramelized onion that goes on top of it.”
“You don’t need anything else on top of it,” he adds. “You don’t need any toppings — the hamburger really speaks for itself.”
A soft opening is planned for the beginning of May, with a hard opening on the May long weekend. For updates, visit The Market on Stoney Lake on Facebook.
New ghost kitchen Kicken Chicken specializes in Japanese fried chicken
Kicken Chicken recently opened as a ghost kitchen in Hanoi House in Peterborough. They offer Japanese fried chicken in a variety of dishes. (Photo: Kicken Chicken)
Now you can get Japanese-style fried chicken delivered to your door in Peterborough. Kicken Chicken recently opened, operating as a ghost kitchen from the popular Vietnamese restaurant and oyster bar Hanoi House (213 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, 705-775-5888).
Japanese fried chicken (also known as Karaage) differs from American fried chicken for two reasons: the chicken is marinated and seasoned before being battered, and it is coated in potato starch instead of flour, bringing a crisp french fry quality to the chicken.
Manager Jordan Sukumaran, who also works for Hanoi House, says the decision to open a ghost kitchen was a way to make it through a difficult time in the restaurant business.
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“Opening up this ghost kitchen really stemmed from operating a restaurant during this pandemic,” Jordan explains. “With all of the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, we were searching for ways to generate more revenue while keeping our costs down.”
Ready to try it? Jordan says that the chicken is the star of the show on their menu, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to chicken pieces.
“Both the fried chicken sandwich — spicy or regular — and our karaage rice bowl highlight our chicken very nicely.”
Kicken Chicken’s Karaage Rice Bowl is available exclusively by delivery through SkipTheDishes. (Photo: Kicken Chicken)
As a ghost kitchen, Kicken Chicken is only available through third-party delivery services.
Centre & Main Chocolate Co. breaks the mould with exciting new flavour combinations
The centrepiece of Centre & Main Chocolate Co.’s Love Box, which contains four chocolate bars that include locally grown ingredients, is an anatomical chocoklate heart dusted in gold and studded with locally grown alpine strawberries. (Photo: Centre & Main Chocolate Co.)
This February, whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate or are simply looking for a midwinter treat, Centre & Main Chocolate Co. (50 Centre St., Warkworth, 705-868-2068) has some exciting new offerings.
Co-owner and chocolatier Angela Roest has created The Love Box: a set of bars that is part flavour odyssey and part curatorial project.
“I did some research into different foods and different cultures that are purportedly said to enhance feelings of tenderness, of love, of physical well-being, or increase heart health and circulation,” she explains. “I collected a list of all these ingredients and started playing with them.”
The result a collection of four different new recipes, all of which have ingredients that are somehow related to love and well-being and wellness.
The Love Box includes: a dark milk chocolate bar with locally grown saffron and rose petals, cardamom, and pistachio; a bar with chili, cinnamon, fenugreek, and local cherries; a bar with cloves, maca powder, nutmeg, and candied ginger; and a bar made with figs, whole almonds, and reishi mushroom powder.
The Love Box is topped with an anatomical chocolate heart, dusted in gold and studded with locally grown alpine strawberries.
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For those who prefer bonbons, Angela has created the February Collection.
“I don’t want to call it Valentine’s Day because a lot of people can feel excluded by that,” she says. “I guess you can tell from the anatomical heart I don’t have a traditional relationship to Valentine’s Day either.”
The February Collection of bonbons includes a banoffee ganache, a saffron limoncello and passionfruit bonbon, a cherry whisky and dark chocolate ganache, and a hojica and coconut caramel. Angela discovered hojica at a coffee shop and became obsessed.
“When I’m at a cafe or restaurant I like to order things I’ve never heard of because that’s how I learn about new food. There was a drink called hojica and I had no idea what it was but I ordered it and it was fantastic. I later learned that it’s roasted matcha that’s been ground into a powder. It’s so warm and comforting and nutty.”
Centre & Main Chocolate Co.’s February bonbon collection offers exciting new flavours, including a banoffee ganache, a saffron limoncello and passionfruit bonbon, a cherry whisky and dark chocolate ganache, and a hojica and coconut caramel. (Photo: Centre & Main Chocolate Co.)
Angela is inspired by local restaurants and local ingredients.
“What I really love most is looking to what’s growing around us. Chocolate as we know it — not the traditional Mayan chocolate but solid form chocolate in bars and bonbons — developed in Europe, so the flavours that we associate with chocolate are linked to the flavours that were combined with chocolate in Europe — things that were growing there and were plentiful like hazelnuts and citrus.”
“But there’s no reason why things that grow here aren’t fully wonderful with chocolate, even if they’re not traditionally linked as chocolate pairings,” she adds. “That’s what I really like to explore with what I do: what grows here and what can be combined.”
Mike Dalliday, pictured with his daughter Rachel, has stepped away from his health care career to become the CEO of his late wife's successful business Pilates on Demand, launching a completely redesigned website with upgraded features for members. (Photo courtesy of Mike Dalliday)
Mike Dalliday is carrying on the entrepreneurial vision of his late wife, Jessica (Jess) Dalliday, by assuming the reins as CEO of her successful business Pilates on Demand and launching a completely redesigned website with upgraded features for members.
Jess passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 32 on April 6, 2021, five days after the death of her newborn daughter Angeline, due to a rare complication of childbirth. Jess and Angeline’s deaths devastated Mike and the couple’s two-year-old daughter Rachel and left the Peterborough community in shock.
The outpouring of support from the community, including a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $200,000 within two weeks in support of the Dalliday family, inspired Mike to honour Jess’s legacy. He eventually decided to step away from his career as a physician assistant in emergency medicine at Campbellford Memorial Hospital to become CEO of Pilates on Demand and carry on the family business.
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“When Jess passed away, I knew I wanted her story and passion to continue on and be passed along to our two-year-old daughter,” Mike says. “And while learning to operate a business, single parenting and grieving the loss of a spouse and child has made for an exceptionally challenging year, it has always felt like the right decision.”
With an education in athletic therapy and kinesiology and health science, Jess founded Pilates on Demand in 2018 as a safe space for anyone to find pilates, yoga, barre, and meditation classes without the fear and judgment associated with going to the gym. After battling an exercise and eating disorder for many years that affected her health and fertility, Jess felt compelled to create a platform and community that was accepting of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds — a platform “designed for real people with real bodies.”
Between the high monthly cost of traditional gym memberships and the growing demand for online alternatives because of the pandemic, and with its core values of body acceptance and positivity, Jess’s business saw much success. In 2020, Pilates on Demand received the business excellence award in health and fitness from the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. In August 2021, Jess was honoured posthumously as a recipient of one of the Chamber’s 4-Under-40 Profile, which recognizes business and community leadership in people under the age of 40,
Pilates on Demand founder and former CEO Jessica (Jess) Dalliday with husband Mike and daughter Rachel. Jess passed away tragically in April 2021 along with her second daughter Angeline during childbirth, three years after launching her successful online health and wellness business. (Photo courtesy of Mike Dalliday)
Having no previous entrepreneurial experience, Mike’s decision to carry on his late wife’s business was supported through mentorship and expertise provided by the Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas, including the launch of a redesigned website and platform on February 8.
“During the times of the pandemic, Pilates on Demand has seen exponential growth and has been able to pivot their business to focus on the growing demand for virtual exercise,” says Innovation cluster president John Gillis in a media release. “With the launch of the new website, new and existing members will be able to experience a new and convenient way to exercise. Pilates on Demand is not only a place to exercise, but also a place to be part of a strong community.”
According to the media release, Pilates on Demand’s new platform is more accessible, intuitive, and provides a more engaging member experience. Along with hundreds of on-demand classes from beginner to advanced, the platform has added an array of new member features including the ability to easily track progress, a personalized account area for easy access to favourite classes and challenges, a member discussion forum, and rewards for accomplishing goals and milestones.
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“We are beyond excited to introduce this all-new experience to our members and to anyone new to our service,” Mike says. “Since losing Jess last spring we’ve been working hard to ensure her legacy is carried forward.”
“We continue to pride ourselves on being an online exercise platform for everyone. We don’t focus on pounds, inches, or appearance. Our goal is for our members to feel comfortable and confident in the body they have right now, and we really feel our new design and user experience will help us and our members achieve that goal.”
For more information and to become a member, visit the Pilates on Demand website at pilatesondemand.ca. All memberships include a free seven-day trial.
RoseAnne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, will deliver a keynote address on the first day of the 46th Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering, which takes place virtually from February 11 to 13, 2022. (Photo: Laura Barrios / Anishinabek Nation)
The 46th Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is taking place virtually from Friday, February 11th until Sunday, February 13th, with the theme of this year’s gathering “Reconciliation through Restor(y)ing Our Truth.”
Hosted by the First Peoples House of Learning and the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, the Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering offers an opportunity for attendees to share in Indigenous knowledge through workshops, presentations, and performances.
“The Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is an important annual event that connects students, community members. and Elders,” says Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, director of First Peoples House of Learning, in a media release. “This year’s theme focuses on Reconciliation through Restor(y)ing Our Truth, which seeks to honour the voices, histories, and narratives of all our nations through sharing stories and teachings from Elders and knowledge holders.”
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This year’s gathering features a keynote address by RoseAnne Archibald of Taykwa Tagamou Nation, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations — the first-ever woman to hold the post — as well as keynote presentations by Dr. Niigan Sinclair (St. Peter’s Indian Settlement), Sylvia Maracle (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), and Rick Hill (Six Nations of the Grand River).
Elders joining the virtual gathering include Doug Williams (Curve Lake First Nation), Shirley Williams (Wikwemikong First Nation), Diane Longboat (Six Nations of the Grand River), Edna Manitowabi (Wikwemikong First Nation), Donna Augustine (Elsipogtog First Nation and Aroostock, Maine), Laureen Blu Waters (Metis Nation), Greg Loft (Tyendinaga Territory), Grandmother Renee Thomas-Hill (Haudenosaunee), Reepa Evic-Carleton (Pangnirtung Nunavut), Angaangaq (Uncle) (Kalaallit Nunaat, Greenland), and Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell (Wikwemikong First Nation).
Panels on Friday afternoon include a Two-Spirit Panel (with Teddy Syrette, Gabe Calderon, Chief Mark Hill, and Elder Laureen Blu Waters) and a Women in Leadership Panel (with Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Jeanette Corbiere-Lavell, Tabatha Bull, and Pam Palmater), two Words of Wisdom Elders Panels (with Donna Augustine, Laureen Blu Waters, Grandmother Renee Thomas-Hill, and Reepa Evic-Carleton on Friday afternoon and Diane Longboat, Edna Manitowabi, Shirley Williams, and Greg Loft on Saturday afternoon), and an all-new Youth Panel on Saturday afternoon (with Notorious Cree, Shina Novalinga, Kendra Jessie, Autumn Cooper, and Zhaawnong Webb).
Admission to the virtual 46th Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is free and all are welcome, but advance registration is required. (Graphic courtesy of Trent University)
Workshops include “Inuit Throat Singing & Cultural Reclamation Urban Settings” with Abigail Carleton and Aneeka Anderson and “Métis Finger Weaving” with Morgan Turcotte on Saturday morning, and “Language & Drumming” with Liz Osawamick and “One Woman’s Journey: The Reclaiming of Self, Voice and Community” with Cora McGuire-Cyrette on Saturday afternoon.
Indigenous Insights, which takes place virtually from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday before the gathering officially begins at 12 p.m., features “Aging with Grace” with keynote speaker Cliff Whetung (Curve Lake First Nation) of New York University’s Silver School of Social Work speaking on the topic “Alzheimer’s and Dementias: Urban and on the Rez”, followed by a panel discussion with Professor Emeritus Shirley Williams, Dr. Dan Longboat, and M.A. candidate Janette Corston discussing their experiences combined with Whetung’s research. The event is presented in collaboration with the Trent Centre for Aging & Society and sponsored by the Provost’s Lecture Series for Reconciliation.
Sponsored by Bell Let’s Talk and the Province of Ontario, admission to the 46th Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is free and all are welcome. However, advanced registration is required.
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Here is a summary of the agenda for the three-day gathering:
Indigenous Insights: Aging with Grace (Friday, February 11, 9 – 11:30 a.m.)
Keynote Address: Cliff Whetung, New York University’s Silver School of Social Work
Discussion Panel: Dan Longboat, Shirley Williams, Janette Corston, and Cliff Whetung
Day One (Friday, February 11, 12 – 5 p.m.)
Elders Opening Prayer: Elder Doug Williams and Elder Shirley Williams
Chief Welcome Addresses: Hiawatha, Curve Lake, and Alderville First Nations
Open Comments: Metis Nation Ontario, Trent University, City of Peterborough, County of Peterborough, House of Commons and the Provincial Parliament of Ontario
Keynote Address: National Chief RoseAnne Archibald
Keynote Presentation: Dr. Niigaan Sinclair
Simultaneous Panels: Two Spirit Panel and Women in Leadership Panel
Words of Wisdom: Elders Panel
Day Two (Saturday, February 12, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Keynote Address: Sylvia Maracle
Simultaneous Workshops: “Metis Finger Weaving” and “Inuit Throat Singing & Cultural Reclamation Urban Settings” (morning) and “Language & Drumming” and “One Woman’s Journey: Reclaiming Self, Voice & Community” (afternoon)
Youth Panel: Notorious Cree, Shina Novalinga, Kendra Jessie, Zhaawnong Webb and Autumn Cooper
Words of Wisdom: Elders Panel
Day Three (Sunday, February 13, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
Keynote Address: Rick Hill
Closing Words, Gratitude and Prayers: Elders, Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies, and First Peoples House of Learning
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