by Joy Metcalfe

George Takei has a heart for BC’s children.

A SHOW OF HEARTS - A SHOW OF LOVE!

We are so fortunate to live in this country and in this province. Despite COVID and its heartbreaking toll on so many, the dreadful opioid crisis, and the loss of jobs and businesses of hard-working citizens, goodhearted Canadians still care about those less fortunate as witnessed by last month’s 55th annual Variety Club’s Show of Hearts telethon.

This year, Variety teamed up with the Cerebral Palsy Association, the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation and the Zajac Ranch for Children to share the fund-raising donations.

Special guests contributing to this special cause were Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy and George Takei, hometown boys Michael J. Fox and Michael Buble (direct from his humorous Mr. Bubbly commercials) along with the legendary Ray Charles.

Fifty-five years ago, the very first Variety telethon raised $67, 000. This year, despite the economic disaster for so many, they raised a substantial $6,681,873 to help Variety’s special children.

Thank you, British Columbia! ...

Gloria Macarenko hosted this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival highlight.

SPRING IS BLOSSOMING ALL OVER!

With warm weather and lots more sunshine on the way, the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is so welcome as it engages and educates communities to celebrate the fragile beauty of the cherry blossom through poetry, dance, photography, music, picnics and paintings. One of the many highlights each year has been Sakura Night.

This year, because of the Covid situation, it will be Sakura At Home hosted by the gorgeous Gloria Macarenko with seven of our town’s top chefs taking part in this culinary event creating exclusive take-out feasts that capture the beauty of the cherry blossom.

Chefs taking part on April 25th will be Paul Moran of Wild Origins, Andrea Carlson of Burdock & Company (2020 Chef of the year), Salmon n’ Bannock Culinary Team (Vancouver’s only indigenous restaurant), Will Lew of Nootka Marine Adventures, with the award-winning Clement Chan, Vikram Vij and Meera Dhalwala of Vij’s Restaurant and Kazuhiro Hayashi of Miku Waterfront.

The virtual portion of this special evening will feature a performance by Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra music director, Ken Hsieh on the flying Fazioli piano; Bard on the Beaches’ Christopher Gaze reading winning Haiku poems from the Haiku Invitational, and the world premiere of Patrick Weir’s short film, In Full Bloom.

With the number of galas, fund-raisers and opening events cancelled this year, this is an extra special evening not to be missed.

Every time I think of this festival, I think of B.C.’s former Lieutenant Governor. David Lam, a lovely, gentle and very generous gentleman who was one of the founders of the Cherry Blossom Festival...

Emad Yacoub’s Black+Blue on Alberni has refreshed and reopened its Rooftop Garden.

ROOF GARDEN ON ALBERNI RE-OPENS

Speaking of flowers and sunshine, Glowbal Restaurant Group’s Emad Yacoub has just launched his newest culinary offering with the renewal of the very popular al fresco dining in the Roof Garden at Black+Blue on Alberni Street.

His designers have added to the magical atmosphere of the classic steakhouse with palms, ferns, flowers, candles and dozens of tiny sparkly lights peeking through the overhead greenery. It’s inviting, fresh, peaceful and quite romantic. Can’t wait to see and sample this new offering with its new space, style and approach …

Kelsey Wickett — from server to general manager at Joe Fortes.

NEWS FROM JOE’S

Still with open-air dining, one of the first such venues to open years ago is Joe Fortes' spectacular roof garden. Former owners Bud and Dotty Kanke hired good friend and famed gardener Thomas Hobbs to create a distinctive spot where diners could relax in the sunshine with trees, small hedges, plants, greenery and colorful flowers adding to the delight of al fresco diners.

Every May, select media were invited to a not-to-be-missed evening to officially open this unique site. Obviously, with COVID that couldn’t happen this year.

But there’s still lots of activity inside David Aisenstat’s award-winning restaurant.

They have a new general manager, Kelsey Wickett, a UBC Science grad who’s been there for years as a server, then manager and now top G.M. Popular chef and media darling Wayne Sych is director of culinary overseeing all their properties on the West Coast including two in Los Angeles and the new one in Maui. And they’re just about ready to open their newest Joe’s - this time in Whistler! They’re reshaping the entire layout of what was Umberto’s spacious Trattoria with their expansion plans.

The menu and service will basically follow the same format as the winning Vancouver operation including the famed Oyster Bar. By pure coincidence, Joe Fortes is The West End Journal’s April choice for our “Restaurant Spotlight” feature, which you can find here.

CinCin’s chef de cuisine Andrea Aldridge will take part in the Top Chef Canada competition.

CINCIN’s CHEF IS A CONTENDER!

Still on food and chefs, all good wishes to Vancouver native, Andrea Alridge, the chef de cuisine at the ever-popular CinCin Ristorante. She’s been chosen to compete in The Top Chef Canada competition on April 19th on the Food Network.

A graduate of Vancouver Community College’s Culinary Arts program, Andrea began her career at the Cactus Club Cafe followed by a time at Raincity Grill where she was sous chef, to finally be tapped to become chef de cuisine at Cin Cin’s where, over the years, so many Hollywood celebrities like Ashley Judd, Halle Berry, Sean Connery and Tommy Lee Jones have dined …

Roma Hearn in one of her many roles with the Charlottetown Festival. (George Zimbel Photo)

ROMA HEARN LEAVES THE STAGE

Roma Hearn was not just another bright light in the local world of entertainment, she was the personification of a truly talented and dedicated performer.

A Vancouver native, Roma was born to the stage, acting, singing and dancing in theatres across Canada and the United States and starring in such shows as The Fantastics, I Do! I Do!, Hello Dolly, Gypsy, The Pajama Game, and Man of La Mancha, while the hit musical, Oliver, brought her rave reviews right across the country. She also starred for many years in Toronto’s Spring Thaw and in the Charlottetown Festival’s Anne of Green Gables.

In between her performing jaunts, she was also part of CBC TV’s “Some of Those Days” with Lance Harrison and his band along with Thora Anders and Barney Potts.

With her big welcoming smile and powerful singing voice, Roma lived to entertain.

It was during one of her “get away from it all” ocean cruises that she met her Prince Charming. Jorgen Olrik was the ship’s doctor who swept her off her feet. They were married in 1980 and settled in Sweden where Roma occasionally performed with the Gothenburg Symphony when she wasn’t off on the high seas, cruising.

Jorgen died in 2003 and Roma returned to Vancouver to dwell in the Performing Arts Lodge before her cancer returned.

My boss, The West End Journal’s owner and editor, Kevin Dale McKeown, fondly recalled a time some 15 years ago while Roma was still recovering from a cancer operation, when she agreed to appear at a variety show/launch he produced for the campaign to save the old Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street. She joined Dal Richards, Christopher Gaze, Joy Coghill and Gail Dalannah Bowen on stage and closed the show with Stephen Sondeim’s “I’m Still Here”. It was an amazing performance! You could feel it right down to your toes!

But that was Roma - always ready to entertain.and make people happy.

She passed away on Saturday, Feb. 13 in the St. John’s Hospice at UBC at the age of 88. Get ready, Heaven, there’s a powerhouse performer heading your way!...

CHEERS!

“It’s Happy Anniversary for our town’s ledendary Westin Bayshore, celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. Lots more next time. In the meantime, stay safe and well, wear those masks and please … send me your items, stories and scoops.

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Thank you!
Kevin Dale McKeown
Editor & Publisher