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Latin American

Alejandro Diaz Shares El Santo’s Recipe for Building a Community

Alejandro Diaz’s contemporary Mexican restaurant, El Santo, opened in 2015 and has remained a New Westminster favourite year after year. The El Santo team are good, honest, and charitable people. Diaz is passionate about giving back to organizations like Canucks Autism Network, and nearby shelters in New West. It’s the kind of place you can feel good about giving your business to, with the bonus of the food and drink being second to none. *All photos care of  Andrea Iñurria I had the pleasure of chatting with Diaz about the food he loves, the restaurant industry, and the importance of giving back to the community. Owning a restaurant is a huge job. What made you step into the industry?  Diaz: I opened El Santo a little over six years ago. I’ve been working in the hospitality business for 25 years. I come from Mexico City, and when I came to…

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Farms

The Edible Garden Project: A North Van Community Hub

The Edible Garden Project, an urban farming initiative in North Vancouver, believes in cultivating both crops and community. Firmly sowing the seeds of an impact-driven existence, as the project flourishes (along with the produce!), we got into the roots of what The Edible Garden Project is all about in an in-depth chat with Becka Nathan, their Program Coordinator.  By Avneet Takhar  If you had to describe what The Edible Garden Project is in 5 words, what would they be? Community, connection, empowerment, fresh, dynamic.  The EGP is based on urban farming – what’s the difference between urban and traditional farming? Urban farming uses many similar methods as what we’d think of as traditional farming; however, as it is usually on a much smaller physical scale we are more likely to grow a mixture of crops that complement each other and can change quickly throughout the season as we rotate through our…

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Festivals & Events

Coquitlam’s Festival du Bois is Back with French Canadian Treats

by Catherine Dunwoody Poutine enthusiasts rejoice! From April 1- 3, our favourite Francophone festival returns with musical artists, cultural activities, and of course fabulous food. It’s all happening at Mackin Park in Maillardville, Coquitlam in celebration of the 33rd annual Festival du Bois. The festival is the largest of its kind in BC, bringing a little bit of Québécois culture to the west coast. The official kick-off on the first evening begins with the Friday Night Contra Dance featuring live music from The Sybaritic String Band with Maureen Collier. What exactly is Contra Dance? It’s a social dance done in lines of couples usually done accompanied by live traditional music. There’s a dance caller who teaches easy “figures” on the spot, like in square dancing, and prompts you during the dance. A great way to work up your appetite we’d say! Speaking of which, we are already salivating in anticipation…

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