It was a Saturday night. All was still and quiet in our home. I was wrapped in my cherry red dressing gown, ready to blowdry my hair (because I actually had a shower!) and my husband sat in the living room chipping away at his thesis. All I could hear from the comfort of our … Continue reading day 16/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 15/40: #40shoutouts40days
Because I'm shifting gears into another category of people to thank, I would like to mix things up a bit before carrying off on another trajectory. To the fresh-faced barista at Taste who blared Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged 2.0 album on Tuesday morning, you are my hero. Two reasons. One, I learned not long ago … Continue reading day 15/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 14: #40shoutouts40days
For this 40-day initiative, I've been intentionally seeking to encourage people whom I am not in close contact with. There are several reasons for this decision but the weightiest is this: forty days is simply not enough time to accurately represent my gratitude for all the people in my life. That said, I will break … Continue reading day 14: #40shoutouts40days
day 13: #40shoutouts40days
Dear Ashley Rodriguez, I knew you were talented long before I became a fan solely because of the way Jono talked about your bacon caramels. His wife, my precious friend Aimee, easily gets excited about pretty much anything but not Jono. I think that's why they are a perfect pair. Jono is a critic. Jono … Continue reading day 13: #40shoutouts40days
day 12/40: #40shoutouts40days
Located on the perimeter of Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market is a charcuterie paradise known as Oyama Sausage Co. Even the name is delicious, isn't it? Oyama! How you have spoiled me, Oyama. I don't dare estimate how much I have spent on your glorious pâtés and cured meats. I am a blubbering fool when … Continue reading day 12/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 11/40: #40shoutouts40days
Dearest Bobby, I know I should address you properly as Father Robert or R.F. Capon, or at very least Mr Capon, but now that I am intimately acquainted with your work, I feel as though we are chums, you and I. I'm sure you would also want to abandon courtesies and instead call me Liss. … Continue reading day 11/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 10/40: #40days40shoutouts
Last spring we met up with my husband's parents and sister in citrusy Sorrento. We scheduled seven glorious days of quality time along the Amalfi coast. On our first evening, we decided to venture into the hills for dinner. Our host enthusiastically suggested a restaurant. We were clueless and curious. It was a bit of … Continue reading day 10/40: #40days40shoutouts
day 9/40: #40shoutouts40days
Dear Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala, Greetings from St Andrews, Scotland. I didn't anticipate showering praise on the owners of Vancouver's beloved Indian restauranteurs but you know what they say about Lent. Anything can happen. When my husband and I left Vancouver we were living at 10th and Hemlock, nearly around the corner from Vij's … Continue reading day 9/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 8/40: #40shoutouts40days
Dear Ina Garten, I idolized you in 2005. It started when my roommate bought me a copy of Barefoot in Paris for Christmas. It was our first December in our minuscule seaside apartment, tucked away from English Bay in Vancouver's West End. Between cooking for ourselves and hosting parties - yes, parties in a bachelor … Continue reading day 8/40: #40shoutouts40days
day 7/40: #40shoutouts40days
I hope you have an appetite because this week I would like to acknowledge those who have nurtured my passion for food and hospitality. Because a rooted identity acknowledges its history, I'll be starting before my time. A round of applause for the late Marion Congo and the soon-to-be birthday girl, June Morscheck. Before I … Continue reading day 7/40: #40shoutouts40days
ELISSA JOY WATTS 