THE CALGARY WOMENS SHOW 2009

October 24-25 was the Calgary Womens show at the Roundup centre. We were thrilled to meet the vendors. Hardbite potato chips (B.C) founder (and participant on CBC's Dragon's Den Sepp) was a highlight of our visit. A steward of the environment and entrepreneur, we were cheering him on Dragon's Den the whole time.

We sampled some beautiful (and unknown) pears from the Northwest Pear bureau all of which are available at most grocery stores.

One of the other highlights was to meet with Shawn (national trainer) at Smashbox cosmetics. We talked about his recent work on beauties and TIFF attendees, Megan Fox, Penelope Cruz and Kristen Booth. His work at the main Smashbox studio's in California is simply amazing, working on high profile red carpet clients like Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie etc. with an uncanny precision.

Read more about our chat with Shawn in an upcoming issue of City Style and Living magazine!

http://www.homegrownfoods.com/

http://www.smashbox.com/

PUMCYCLE: RECYCLE YOUR HALLOWEEN PU MPKINS!

Another Halloween is around the corner (check out this cute house CSL spotted), and what better way to compost/recycle than by taking your pumpkins to a number of recycling units around Calgary.

Refer to the list below, for a location near you:

1) Albert Park/ Radisson Heights Community Centre 1310 28th St. S.E.
2) Bob Bahan Pool 4812 14th Ave. S.E.
3) Bowness 7937 43rd Ave. N.W.
4) Braeside Athletic Park 256 Brookpark Dr. S.W.
5) Bottomsland Park St. Georges Dr. and Seventh Ave. N.E.
6) Confederation Park 905 30th Ave. N.W.
7) Crescent Heights Community Centre 1101 Second St. N.W.
8) Dover Community Centre 3033 30th Ave. S.E.
9) Edgemont Reservoir Site 6911 Edgemont Dr. N.W.
10) EMS Station #6 1940 Westmount Blvd. N.W.
11) Lake Bonavista East entrance to Lake Bonavista
1301 Acadia Dr. S.E.
12) Glamorgan Community Centre 4207 41st Ave. S.W.
13) Haysboro Community Centre 1204 89th Ave. S.W.
14) Marlborough Park 5903 Madigan Dr. N.E.
15) Mayland Heights Deerfoot Athletic Park West of 16th St. N.E., access from 14th Ave. N.E.
16) North Glenmore Park 6615 37th St. S.W.
17) North Haven Community Centre 5003 North Haven Dr. N.W.
18) Park 116 (Huntington Hills Athletic Park) 7920 Fourth St. & Huntstrom Dr. N.E.
19) Park 96 14660 Parkland Blvd. S.E.
20) Pop Davies/Ogden Athletic Park Ogden Rd and Millcan Rd. S.E.
21) Rockyview Alliance Church 6927 Rundlehorn Dr. N.E.
22) Birthplace Forest at Silver Springs Park 37 Silver Springs Dr. N.W.
23) South Calgary Community Centre 3130 16th St. S.W.
24) South Fish Creek Recreation Assoc. 333 Shawville Blvd. S.E.
25) South Glenmore Park Access off 90th Ave. and 24th St. S.W.
26) St.Andrews Heights Community Centre 2504 13th Ave. N.W.
27) Stanley Park 330 42nd Ave. S.W.
28) Triwood Community Centre 2244 Chicoutimi Dr. N.W.
29) Varsity Athletic Park 39th St. and 46th Ave. N.W.
30) Wildwood Community Centre 4411 Spruce Dr. S.W.
31) Woodbine Athletic Park 12625 24th St. S.W.
32) Spyhill Landfill Site 69th St. and 112th Ave. N.W.
33) East Calgary Landfill Site 17th Ave. and 68th St. S.E.
34) Shepard Landfill Site 114th Ave. and 52nd St. S.E.

Give your pumpkin another life and bring it to a recycling facility!

http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Waste+and+Recycling+Services/index.htm

A HAIRY SITUATION

We couldn't resist this photo, taken at The core downtown atop the newly built atrium. We noticed (on a chilly October day) this window cleaner, doing his thing, being harnessed by a small wire. Just to remind you, this is probably 5 ish stories high above the cold hard ground....

we salute this young man for his courage. Alas we can have an unobstructed view of the Calgary skyline. Good man.

JOHN HARDY DESIGNER EXCLUSIVE: GUY BEDARIDA

What a pleasure City Style and Living had, as we were the FIRST CANADIAN PUBLICATION to have an exclusive with renoun head designer at John Hardy Jewellry, Guy Bedarida., where the designer made a personal appearance at Holt Renfrew in Calgary.

Monsieur Bedarida works in Bali, where his vision is carried out. His designs range from sinplistic silver cuffs, earrings, bracelets, to inctricate jewel encrusted one of a kind pieces (google the cinta naga bracelet with aquamarine). The statement jewellry, made by hand truly is something to behold, and we were honoured to meet the designer face to face.

Look for a full feature on this designer in a future issue of City Style and Living magazne.

http://www.johnhardy.com/

HOTEL ALMA OPENS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

The grand opening of the Hotel Alma at the University brought quite a crowd to the site. The hotel features 100 rooms, conference facilities and a bistro serving standard quick bites (the spiced almonds and cashew are insanely addictive).

Rooms are small, but modern and economic for both business and student travellers from around the globe.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/hotelandconference/hotel

LATEST CSL CONTEST WINNER

Congrats to the latest contest winner at CSL: Connie, who won a lovely Gilette prize pack.

For your chance to win great prizes, sign up at:
http://www.citystyleandliving.com

and sign up for the CSL newsletter!
Good luck!

JUST BACK FROM...TOBAGO

This is the plane ride there - rainbows and all.

Tobago is world renowned for its coral reefs and beautiful aqua water - just look at that colour.

Immortel trees, palms and beyond a small peek of the Caribbean ocean. What a view.

A frangipani bouquet freshly picked, awaits a vase.

Dining on lobster for dinner.


Sunset in Tobago - breathtaking.

Some beautiful flowers encountered during a hike.

Some of us here at CSL enjoyed a wonderful trip to Tobago in the Caribbean. Lots of sunny days, beaches galore, amazing food (see lobster above), hikes, marvellous sunsets, bird watching, snorkeling....and a few surprises too. Look out for our Spring 2010 issue (out in March 2010) for more on this destination.

THE LONDON RESTAURANT FESTIVAL

The inaugural London Restaurant Festival launched with a splash of red carpet glamour at the Vanity Fair opening party at Quaglino’s, an event that will doubtless become an annual glittering highlight. With the festival’s main events getting underway today, the organisers have announced gratifying levels of interest from chefs, restaurateurs and the public.

Pre-event targets of signing up 500 restaurants were exceeded by more than 10% in the run-up to this week with a typically diverse range of more than 550 London establishments requesting involvement.

This never-before extravaganza, which happily returns a revolving restaurant to London sees one capsule on the capital’s most popular paid-for tourist attraction transformed each evening into a dining room for ten. Seven different celebrated chefs will be cooking. Richard Corrigan from Corrigan’s of Mayfair will cook on the evening of 8th October. Hot on his heels will be Gordon Ramsay on the 9th. The night of the 10th October sees Francesco Mazzei from L’Anima in the kitchen, followed by Vineet Bhatia of Rasoi Vineet Bhatia on the 11th. Zuma Restaurant will have their chef Ross Shonhan on board on the 12th October. Tong Chee Hwee from Hakkasan will be in charge on the 13th. And such was the interest created by this one-off event that last week an additional night was added on the 14th when The Ivy’s Alan Bird and Gary Lee arrive for one final night of exquisite dining.

Just as much interest was seen for the Supersonic Masonic Supper Club, the event from the original pop-up restaurateurs Pablo Flack and David Waddington of Bistrotheque. For the festival they have teamed up with Andaz Hotel to create a 50-seat, three-night-only eatery in the hotel’s Grade I listed Masonic Temple.

The London Restaurant Festival was the inspiration of Fay Maschler, She said, “Restaurants have become a vital part of life, not just for nourishment but for socialising, inspiration, deal-doing and fun. London’s extraordinary breadth and depth of restaurants and our home grown and imported talent deserves to be recognised and celebrated in as entertaining and supportive way as possible. Other great cities have restaurant festivals. Now we do too.”

Sally Chatterjee, interim CEO of Visit London, one of the founding partners of the festival added: “The last 18 months have been challenging for the London restaurant sector. Our aim with the festival was to put them back in the spotlight, to remind people of the quality, value and diversity of the capital’s dining scene, and to encourage people to re-discover eating out in London. We’ve been delighted with just how much interest tourists and locals have shown in the festival, while for those who are yet to make a booking, time is running out so they should check out the London Restaurant Festival website today.”

Also generating a lot of attention is the Starter for Ten Quiz. Hosted by Bamber Gascoigne, the quiz will see a team of top chefs going head to head with a team of well-known critics in the battle to see who has the most foodie knowledge. Taking place at Vinopolis this Saturday (10th October) a new promotion means food fans can now get their hands on two tickets for the price of one. That’s just £25 for two tickets to see this hotly-contested quiz and to enjoy a drinks reception beforehand.

www.londonrestaurantfestival.com

HALIFAX CHEF RAY BEAR IN CALGARY FOR ATLANTIC LOBSTER TOUR

Chef Ray Bear shared some of his favourite recipes in Calgary at the Sheraton downtown. Canadians are sometimes intimidated by lobsters and lobster season in New Brunswick and PEI is until the end of September.

The delictable assortment of lobster dishes included sushi roll, lobster salad with citrus, and fettucine with mushrooms, bacon and lobster.

This was a great event to showcase lobster in all its glory. Don't save it for special occassions alone, this is a versatible and delicious meat that is suitable for any day of the week. Serve with champagne!

BBQ ON THE BOW

Save the date- September 5 and 6th!

What’s Canadian Club Whiskey got to do with BBQ On The Bow Festival. Well, it’s the first of a kind competition - Canadian Club Whiskey has signed on with BBQ On The Bow to sponsor the BBQ Sauce Competition to be held on Sat, Sept 5, 2009 as part of the two-day culinary BBQ competition at Eau Claire Festival Market.

Each of the competitors or BBQ Teams will be given a mini of the very best Canadian Club, 12 year old whiskey to be added to their made from scratch BBQ Sauce that will be tested and tasted by 24 Celebrity Judges from around town. Don’t miss this photo opportunity.

The 17th Annual BBQ On The Bow Festival will be held Sat, Sep 5 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM and Sun, Sep 6 from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM at Eau Claire Festival Market. We are Canada’s Oldest BBQ Competition and home of the “ Alberta BBQ Championship ”.

Two SMOKING HOT DAYS of activities. The Saturday kicks-off with team arrivals, BBQ Sauce Competition sponsored by Canadian Club Whiskey and Chef’s Choice sponsored by Barbecues Galores. The main event on Sunday hosts live Main Stage Entertainment featuring local concert bands, Stampede Talent Search winners and headlines top Canadian blues musicians - Mike Clark Band and Johnny V Trio. Other activities on Sunday include the Alberta BBQ Championship, Children’s Craft Tent and Just Kidding Entertainers, a BBQ Food Pit & Kicking Horse Coffee Concession, Street Zone and the General Store featuring Alberta fresh corn & tomatoes, BBQ sauces and cookbooks by local authors for sale to the public.

Debra Wong, Executive Producer states, “In an effort to support Alberta Producers celebrity chefs will be grilling up their favorite recipes in the BBQ On The Bow Kitchen from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Some of the dishes are simply amazing and it’s a great way to promote our Producers and Chefs”.

Join the community for a fun filled day at the 17th Annual BBQ On The Bow Festival 2009.
Sat and Sun, Sept 5 & 6 at Eau Claire Festival Market in the heart of downtown Calgary.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – FREE OF CHARGE.

For info go to http://www.bbqonthebow.com/

photo's coutresy bbq on the bow

MACKAYS IN COCHRANE

Summertime would not be complete without a visit to Mackays in Cochrane, Alberta. This is a memory of many kids from Calgary. Some CSL staff remember the signs inside the little store, showing a cone with a scoop of every single flavour of ice cream when they were younger- thinking they could actually order this cone!

This summer, we settled for a small chocolate cone. Yum!!

GALVESTON ONE YEAR LATER

Series of Events Celebrate 1 year After Ike on Galveston Island
Revival and Reflections- September 8-13, 2009

GALVESTON, Texas (July 13, 2009) – Galveston Island has reached a number of significant milestones through its recovery from the 20 foot storm surge and 110 mph winds brought by Hurricane Ike. In celebration of the Island’s swift recovery the city is hosting a series of events called “Revival and Reflections,” commemorating the year of dedication and resiliency, Sept. 8 through Sept. 13.

“We realized early on that virtually everything in Galveston needed to be fixed and that Ike left nothing in this community untouched,” said Betty Massey, chair person of the Galveston Island Recovery Committee, helping to organize the events. “We knew right away that we wanted to be a stronger, more resilient community and these events will celebrate the hard work we have put forth to make Galveston a better place.”

The week long series of events begins on Sept. 8, the 109th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1900, and will continue through Sept. 13, marking Hurricane Ike’s arrival. There will be a variety of events from giving thanks to the first responders at the United Way luncheon, commemoration ceremonies, a showing of the Ike Documentary, live entertainment and art projects, to various tours of the Island’s progress. A full list of events can be found on http://www.galveston.com/.

Virtually all structures on the Island were impacted by the hurricane causing more than $3.2 billion in damage to housing, infrastructure, beaches, and businesses, as well as tourism related properties and attractions. Recovery on the Island has been progressive; 1.6 million cubic yards of debris has been removed and 19,379 building permits have been processed. More than 75% of Galveston’s population has returned and 110,000 volunteer hours have been spent on recovery projects.

The all important tourism business, bringing in $800 million economic impact annually to the Island, is back in full swing with the majority of hotels open, all but two attractions remain closed and the first phase of a $10 million beach nourishment project complete. A plethora of new businesses have opened and 75% of businesses have already returned to the Island. Various areas of the University of Texas Medical Branch have reopened and the emergency room is planning to reopen in August. These milestones and accomplishments are the reason for the celebration of Galveston Island.

“Revival and Reflections, marking the first anniversary of Hurricane Ike, will celebrate the progress made and motivate the community to continue making the Island a better place for all,” said Massey.

More details on the series of free events or general Galveston information can be found on http://www.galveston.com/ or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE or by emailing info@galvestoncvb.com.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SUMMER WINNERS

Eva holds her P&G beauty basket, full of goodies!

Maria looks lovely, with her Yellowtail wine prize pack

Sigrun shows off her bright prize pack from CSL

Yet another great reason to subscribe to City Style and Living magazine, and the CSL newsletter (http://www.citystyleandliving.com/Subscribe.html).

These are the latest lovely set of contest winners (Eva, Maria and Sigrun). Just like you, they signed up for the magazine, and WON!! Thank you to everyone, and if you want to win excellent prizes , don't forget to sign up.

You could walk away with gift certificates, gift baskets, prize packs, and who knows what else could be waiting for you around the corner- just remember, you can't win if you don't sign up!!!

Good luck, and thank you for your continued support

The team at CSL

ROAD TRIP: OYEN ALBERTA

Surprising, beautiful, calm. Believe it or not, these pictures are on the outskirts of the small North Eastern Alberta town (almost near Saskatchewan), Oyen. CSL took a road trip to see the sights, sounds and food here. Driving along the road (we were one of about a dozen cars on the road), we were captured by the prairie beauty. Unreal blue sky, green farmland and cows galore.

Read more about this roadtrip on the CSL website: coming soon!

http://www.citystyleandliving.com