The post 4 Great Virtual Events in Ottawa appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>Though these restrictions are to help keep us safe, they do put strain on local businesses we love. But the good news is many businesses have adapted and now offer virtual events and services so you can still enjoy and support local from home!
Here are some great virtual events in Ottawa that you should check out.
Enjoy the bar from afar!
Since 2020, most of us are used to doing virtual happy hours with colleagues and Zoom hangouts with family and friends.
But Bar From Afar wants to help you take these events to the next level. The company offers curated cocktail/mocktail packages for everyone in your group. Enjoy a cosmos, gin fizz, a vanilla chai old-fashioned, and many other classic cocktails right from the comfort of your home. Bar From Afar brings the bar to you!
If you want to get super fancy, you can add charcuterie and snacks and even book entertainment! Check out their website for full details.
Virtual pub game nights
Missing weekly trivia night at your favourite local hang-out? Outside the Box Triva aims to bring that experience to your living room on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You and your team reserve a virtual table to compete with other teams from around Ottawa in real-time.
Each game consists of six rounds of secret theme trivia. Each round will have unrelated questions, but all the answers share a secret theme. Crack the theme to help get all the answers! Cost to participate is pay what you can. Check out their website for more information and to sign up your team.
A virtual experience from Escape Manor
Picture this…
You’re a rookie detective fresh out of the academy looking to make an impact. You've just been informed a high-ranking UN official has been kidnapped in your hometown and the UN has requested help from local authorities…
Is this the concept of Escape Manor’s virtual experience “Taken.” The event can be played with a small group at home, or virtually with a video conferencing app. Get the excitement of solving puzzles deciphering clues from the comfort of your own home. Check out their website to book your session.
A spooky virtual campfire from The Haunted Walk
Spooky stories aren't just for Halloween! The Haunted Walk offers a variety of interactive virtual campfire events all year round. Grab a hot chocolate, cozy up with a warm blanket and listen to an incredible line-up of the best spooky storytellers! The events are pre-recorded, so you can get spooked at your convenience.
Subjects include “London’s most haunted,” Salem, Massachusetts,” “Haunted Vancouver” and more! Check out their website for their full list of virtual experiences!
Find more virtual events in Ottawa
Looking for more virtual events in Ottawa? Check out this great list from Ottawa Tourism to discover more virtual events and activities in the city.
Whatever you get up to, we hope that you have fun and stay safe!
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]]>The post 8 fantastic local businesses to do your holiday shopping in Ottawa appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>Whether you're shopping for others or yourself (don't worry, we won't judge), here are some great Westboro and Hintonburg businesses to get something for everyone on your list!
Flamingo Boutique (Discover Local Partner)
When you go into Flamingo Boutique, you're bound to walk out with a gift you wouldn't have found anywhere else.
They carry everything from clothing, housewares, beauty products, sassy stationery, and more!
Must Boutique
For the fashionista in your life, Must Boutique offers endless European styles and friendly service options. We particularly love their gorgeous accessories.
Pokoloko x Cloud Forest Coffee (Discover Local Partner)
Pokoloko x Cloud Forest Coffee on Richmond Road is a great place to get something special and cozy for someone in your life. We're a fan Cloud Forest Coffee's Golden Roast, and we love Pokoloko's Fisherman Hat, which is made of 100% pure alpaca!
Tinseltown Christmas Emporium
It doesn't get more festive than this.
Tinseltown Christmas Emporium in Hintonburg is a year-round Christmas boutique! From bejewelled life-sized reindeer to German imported blown glass ornaments, this shop has a wide selection of unique, nostalgic and traditional Christmas decor. So if your looking for Christmas-themed gifts, look no further.
Natural Food Pantry (Discover Local Partner)
Natural Food Pantry is a fantastic place to check out for those on your list who love natural products, especially for stocking stuffers! They carry a wide range of products from food and snacks to health and beauty. They're also one of our newest tenants at Westboro Connection!
MastersNDogs (Discover Local Partner)
For the furry members of the family, MastersNDogs has you covered.
From cute outfits for your dog to toys for your cat, our favourite neighbourhood pet store will have something for all the family pets!
West End Kids
If you got kids on your shopping list, you need to check out West End Kids. The business has been a staple in Westboro Village for over 26 years, and there's a reason why it's so well-loved! They carry a variety of brands of shoes and clothing for all the kiddos on your list.
Hair Fellas (Discover Local Partner)
For the gentleman who loves to keep groomed, a gift card for Hair Fellas Barbershop would make the perfect gift or stocking stuffer!
DISCOVER LOCAL AT HINTONBURG CONNECTION
Some of the businesses featured on this list are Hintonburg Connection Discover Local partners. Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Hintonburg Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Hintonburg so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
Hintonburg Connection offers bright, modern and new apartment rentals that offer an urban lifestyle in this historic and eclectic neighborhood. Our apartments and flats are designed to enrich your life, free up your time, and help you connect with the people and places that matter most to you.
Ready to move in?
The post 8 fantastic local businesses to do your holiday shopping in Ottawa appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post Going to this Westboro Dentist is like Going to the Spa appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>So, when he and his wife, Dr. Susan Daftary, decided to open a new dental practice, he knew exactly which neighbourhood they wanted to go to – Westboro Village.
"We just always just gravitated to the area, its walkability, it's close to the beach, just the lifestyle," says Dr. Al Khalili. "And we're trying to be a compliment to the neighborhood."
An Ottawa Dentist Office with a "Spa-like" Feel
W Dental Studio, brings a spa-like experience to going to the dentist. Spread over 4 levels, W Dental Studio combines innovative dental care with all the amenities you need to make your appointment as relaxing as possible.
The office features a "comfort menu" complementary to patients both before and during their appointments. Before their appointment, patients can take advantage of hot or cold beverages and lip balm to moisturize their lips before their appointment. There's also an iPad available for kids to use to keep themselves busy before they head to the dentist's chair.
During their appointment, W Dental Studio offers heated/massage dental chairs, neck pillows, weighted blankets and wireless noise-cancelling earphones so patients can enjoy Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify during procedures.
W-Dental Studio is also paperless and aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible in their operations, even down to the bamboo toothbrushes they give patients after their appointment.
The best part? None of these costs extra to patients.
"We've been received well by residents. Anybody who's come in has been wowed by how it has a calming, spa-like atmosphere. Why not have that along with your dental work?" says Dr. Al Khalili.
"There's no extra cost. The fees in Ontario are pretty much standardized, but we're offering all these amenities with your dental treatment. There's no upcharge because we gave you a bamboo toothbrush. There's not an upcharge because we have a massage chair for you while you get your dental work, it's just part of the whole experience."
Neighbourhood Offers an Active Urban Lifestyle
Dr. Al Khalili says Westboro is a unique neighbourhood in Ottawa because of its access to local amenities. Residents can walk down the street and experience different local shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
"There's a lot of these unique 'mom and pop' restaurants or unique yoga studios and spas," he says. "Every little business is somewhat unique. It's not your traditional box stores. There's no Home Depot or Michaels or stores like that."
Westboro Village provides a lifestyle that's hard to find elsewhere in the city.
"Where we live there's not much walkability, just your normal suburb, like Mississauga or something." says Dr. Al Khalili. "In this neighbourhood everybody's walking, there are little cafes and little ice cream shops, it's close to the river, so that's how Westboro Village presents itself."
Discover Local at Hintonburg Connection
W Dental Studio is one of Hintonburg Connection’s Discover local partners. Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Hintonburg Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Hintonburg so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
Hintonburg Connection offers bright, modern and new apartment rentals that offer an urban lifestyle in this historic and eclectic neighborhood. Our apartments and flats are designed to enrich your life, free up your time, and help you connect with the people and places that matter most to you.
The post Going to this Westboro Dentist is like Going to the Spa appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post Enjoy a taste of New York and Montreal right here in Hintonburg at 10Fourteen and Pubblico appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The travel experience can provide us with space to think, create, and be inspired. If you’re a foodie, what better way to bring that feeling home than by starting your own restaurant based on your experiences? Imagination, tenacity, hard work and passion for food are key ingredients that inspired restauranteur, Rod Castro, to create two of Hintonburg’s hottest eateries, 10Fourteen and Pubblico 1331.
Rod has lived in the bustling community of Hintonburg for more than a decade and has strived to bring his travel-inspired cuisine to his fellow residents.
A hint of Montreal and New York in Hintonburg
Reminiscent of the neighbourhood haunts found in Montreal, 10Fourteen offers a selection of expertly crafted cocktails, carefully curated beer and wine, and a fantastic small-plate menu. Many guests return again and again just to experience the latest charcuterie offering. Says Rod, "This is a cozy little spot, and we love that everyone feels welcome to stop by, make new friends, hang out and spend some time together.” According to Rod, 10Fourteen has received invaluable support from the community at a time when many restaurants have struggled to stay open.
Inspired by the “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere” attitude of New York, Pubblico offers all of the “must eat” menu items found across the big city. 
From Brooklyn to the Bronx, “we took all the best casual food from New York – pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta and we brought it to Pubblico”. After visiting the Big Apple, Rod was inspired by the profound sense of community in their local businesses – the same sense of community he experiences in Hintonburg, and so Pubblico was born. It opened in 2019 as Hintonburg’s New York-style sports pub serving travel-inspired fare.
Buy local, serve local
Borrowing from the sense of community Rod witnessed in his travels, both 10Fourteen and Pubblico support local business by shopping local – buying fresh bread at local bakeries, fish from Wellington Fish Market and produce from local vendors.
Rod says he'll help whenever he can. "We try to invest in our neighbourhood as much as possible”.
Love for Hintonburg
Rod has lived in Hintonburg for more than a decade and enjoys the people, views, and other amenities the neighbourhood offers. In fact, he lives right here in Hintonburg Connection! "Hintonburg Connection might have the best view of the city I have ever seen!" says Rod.
When he’s not serving guests at 10Fourteen or Pubblico, Rod can be found meeting the neighbours on Hintonburg Connection’s exclusive rooftop patio. “We're starting to see familiar faces and we're starting to recognize one another and have these interesting conversations."
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Hintonburg Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Hintonburg so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
The post Enjoy a taste of New York and Montreal right here in Hintonburg at 10Fourteen and Pubblico appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post Bringing Old World Flavours to Hintonburg appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.
If you were to pose the following question to the average Ottawan, you may receive a few blank stares or perhaps even the odd head scratch in response: what’s the actual difference between gelato and ice cream?
Luckily for residents of Hintonburg and the Glebe, we have a world-class, award-winning gelato master nearby, who can offer some clarity on the matter.
“It’s in the purity of the flavours,” says Tammy Giuliani, Master Gelato Chef and owner of Stella Luna Gelato Café. “Gelato is milk-based and, compared to ice cream, it has a quarter of the fat. So, when you take a spoonful of gelato, there’s less fat coating your tastebuds. Since fat inhibits flavour, you’re able to perceive that flavour more with gelato.”
Sounds simple enough in theory, but for Tammy, the creation of high quality and authentic gelato is much more than the sum of its ingredients – it’s also about a commitment to the craft, learning from the best, and taking creative chances.
“Making gelato from scratch by hand is an old traditional art,” says Tammy. “Not many people around the world, and even in Italy, are willing to do it. The gelato we make is what you would have eaten if you were a child growing up in Italy. We don’t use any pre-packaged mixes; we create from scratch.”
Tammy (along with her husband and three adult children who help with operations) has been going that extra mile in terms of making authentic gelato since 2011 when she opened the first Stella Luna Café in the Glebe. It didn’t take long for locals to catch on, and locations in Hintonburg as well as Merrickville followed. Word soon spread, and gelato aficionados from near and far began to seek out Tammy’s sweet creations.
Understandably so – Tammy is a Master Gelato Chef, having trained extensively under the masters at Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University to learn the traditional craft. Today, her frozen creations run the gamut from the traditional such as hazelnut, pistachio and madagascar vanilla, to the award-winning chocolate bourbon-pecan, which took bronze at the 2017 Gelato World Tour, to the tantalizingly unexpected such as chocolate cinnamon chillies and fuzzy peach schnapps.
Tammy’s gelato and sorbet menu changes just about every day, and in the busy summer months she will offer 24 varieties (six of which are always vegan). Tammy imports a great many of her gelato products from Italy, and nothing is done halfway – not even the cones. However, these sweet and icy treats are only a small part of what draws locals to Stella Luna Café, which recently landed on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in Canada list.
The expansive menu also features an ever-evolving selection of house-baked goods including pies, scones, squares and tarts. Ever since the pandemic made in-store dining an impossibility, however, Tammy and her team have pivoted to make Stella Luna Café into an Italian specialty store featuring olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, pastas and much more. “We brought in some of our favourite products from Italy,” says Tammy. The cafés have also begun selling prepared grab-and-go meals including lasagna, arancini, and steak and mushroom pie.
With summer on the horizon, one can imagine that the demand for a satisfying gelato will be high in Hintonburg. The last year has been beyond challenging for businesses like Stella Luna Café, but when you hear Tammy speak about her gelato and how passionate she is about making a mouth-wateringly good product, you can’t help but get caught up in the simple magic of a dessert made with love and care.
“In the summer, when you get a lemon sorbet with freshly squeezed lemon juice, the taste is just so refreshing,” says Tammy. “Or during strawberry season – there’s nothing like the aroma of local berries in season. Add a little prosecco, and it’s like strawberries and champagne.”
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
The post Bringing Old World Flavours to Hintonburg appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post The Savoy Brasserie’s Classic Comfort & French Flair appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.
Running a restaurant – even one as well-known and well-liked as Westboro’s Savoy Brasserie – can be challenging enough without the added wildcard of a global pandemic. Instead of folding under the uncertainty of everything, the restaurant decided to use the last year as an opportunity to refine and revitalize its take on comforting and palate-pleasing French cuisine.
As it turns out, this meant getting back to basics for the restaurant’s manager Chris Ibey, who explains that the Savoy had two main goals for its revamp: the food needed to focus on French cuisine, and the beer needed to be local. “We combine two things in the name Savoy Brasserie,” he explains, “‘Savoy,’ from the region in France, and ‘Brasserie,’ representing beer.”
The Savoy went about updating its menu by drawing inspiration from its namesake, the southeastern region of France. “The Savoy is all about hearty meals,” says Ibey, who added classic dishes such as coq au vin, Provençal stuffed squid, and a fall-off-the-bone lamb shankalongside customer favourites like escargots à la bourguignonne and beef bourguignon which is “absolutely delicious,” adds Ibey, “and if you can’t finish it, it holds well.”
The Savoy’s revamped beer selection is equally tempting. Ibey explains how the restaurant went about switching its 34 taps from suds brewed in Toronto and Niagara to locally produced varieties from Ashton Brewing, Big Rig, Beyond the Pale, Overflow Brewing and Calabogie Brewing among others – with more new options on the way! Between the lengthy beer menu, French cuisine faves, and an atmosphere that’s welcoming and classically designed with subway tiling, high ceilings, cozy booths and a bar running nearly the length of the room, the only thing currently missing is the hubbub, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“A lot of what we want to do with the Savoy is to bring back the social aspect,” says Ibey. “I know it’s tough right now with the pandemic, but I’m looking long-term.” He goes on to explain his vision that the brasserie continues to be the spot for friends to gather, food to be savoured, and socializing to be part of the fun.
They certainly shouldn’t have much trouble attracting patrons, especially with the introduction of a cinq-á-sept menu for the après-work crowd, along with signature days including Buck-a- Shuck Tuesdays, Discover Wine Wednesdays, Mimosa Fridays, and Caesar Sundays. Ibey is also planning events such as a brewer’s dinner.
“A big focus is local beers,” he explains, “so we’ll be inviting a few people from each brewery to come in try each other’s beers. People from the public can come in and meet the brewers and can learn more about the process and discover beer.”
Even though life may feel a little slow right now, there will be plenty of reasons for Westboro locals to spend time to the Savoy once things get back to normal – although they may want to bring a healthy appetite for great food and beer with them.
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
The post The Savoy Brasserie’s Classic Comfort & French Flair appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post A Double-Shot of Positive Change from Westboro’s Equator Café appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.
When it comes to meeting our needs for high-quality beans, while also acting as a community hub for coffee lovers and making a positive global impact, Equator Coffee Roasters has been a trailblazer in the city since the late nineties. And its café, located in the heart of Westboro, aims to continue sharing a passion for great coffee and social change – for seasoned java lovers and curious newcomers alike.
“You want to feel like you’re walking into somewhere familiar, whether it’s your first time or your five-thousandth time. I wanted it to be a place where you’re going to make friends with someone on any given day that you’re in there,” explains Chris Petrie, the café’s general manager.
It’s that spirit of community – along with a rotating selection of truly unique coffee beans including their signature best-seller, Freakin’ Good Coffee, as well as a curated selection of locally produced food and beer – that has attracted local coffee aficionados since the café opened in 2014. At that time, Equator had already established itself as one of Ottawa’s premier coffee roasters after its founders Craig and Amber Hall had built up a reputation selling beans at local farmers markets.
Today, Equator is a member of Cooperative Coffees, a collective of 23 North American roasters that operate under the principles of fair trade – essentially working directly and transparently with independent organic coffee producers in developing countries, so that the producers aren’t taken advantage of and are paid fairly for their hard work (all the while benefitting the surrounding communities as well).
The result is an inspiring brew of environmental sustainability, stronger communities, and, unsurprisingly, excellent coffee – a central draw to the Westboro café for coffee lovers on the lookout for one-of-a-kind, single-origin beans and other unusual varieties from ‘micro lots’ such as a rare Peruvian bean (“We only have 12 bags for Westboro,” Petrie says).
Petrie explains that his café is seeing more and more interest in unique coffee, especially now that everyone is spending far more time at home and online. “We’ve been trying to do fun social media videos with information and advice,” adds Petrie. “I have a good relationship with a lot of our regular customers – they’ll text me or email me to pick my brain.”
For the curious who have yet to venture into Equator, Petrie has lots of helpful advice to share (“We want to show people what the possibilities are when they brew coffee properly,” he explains), as well as some recommendations if you’re ready to level up your coffee game – at his café or in your own kitchen.
“I would say come in for the single-origin along with a bag of Freakin’ Good,” says Petrie, “so you can experience something completely different. I want to be people’s first choice for coffee in the neighbourhood, but if we can’t sit them down then we definitely want to help them do it better at home.”
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents that introduces them to our neighbourhood and encourages them to “discover” the best places in our Hintonburg community. We are proud to have Equator Coffee Roasters as our Discover Local partner and excited to introduce a café that has been offering quality organic products for more than 20 years to Hintonburg Connection residents.
The post A Double-Shot of Positive Change from Westboro’s Equator Café appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post A One-stop Shop for Wellness appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.
Whether we’re shopping for easy-to-find products like organic kale, natural deodorant or vegan cheese, there’s one thing we can be certain about these days: healthy living has fully entered the mainstream.
And sure, you might be able to locate these items with little effort at the big chains; but at the same time, you can never underestimate the value of the expertise that Westboro’s Natural Food Pantry offers its many appreciative customers.
According to owner Rick Payant, the health and wellness destination on Richmond Road differentiates itself precisely because of a personal approach and the added value of firsthand experience with products.
“Something we work hard at, and are very proud of, is knowledge and education,” explains Payant, a registered nutritionist himself. “More and more these days, there aren’t a lot of products that you couldn’t find at a mainstream store, but it’s the service, knowledge, and getting the connection with the customer – if you’re helping someone with a health issue, or how to prepare a certain dish; how to follow a vegan lifestyle, a keto lifestyle, we’re pretty up to date on all of that.”
Building a Sense of Community
Payant some time ago, began to notice that the interactions between his customers and his staff were growing into something more than your typical retail relationships: it was as if a community of likeminded people was forming.
“Customers will come in and share their experiences,” says Payant, “how certain things helped them and how others may not have. I even have staff that have been with me for a long time – customers will come in to chat with them. It’s wonderful that we’ve created relationships with these customers, that they feel comfortable sharing.”
Taking Education to the Next Level
In recent years, this sharing took on a more formalized approach – what Payant describes as “taking education to another level” by bringing in certified nutritional practitioner Natasha Villeneuve to head up educational initiatives. Prior to COVID-19, this involved hosting regular in-store seminars and workshops, often featuring guest specialists from Westboro including naturopaths and chiropractors.
Since the pandemic, Payant and his team have moved much of their education online with more webinars, informative videos and live social media events.” We’re anxious to go back to having events in-store,” says Payant, “but we can also reach more people outside of Ottawa now”.
“We Sell Cookies Too!”
All of this may seem ideal, the perfect retail experience for a customer already familiar with wellness products, but Payant has never wanted to alienate anyone who might feel intimidated by the Natural Food Pantry. In order to make everyone to feel welcome and comfortable, they’ve even relied on a little bit of humour to get the message across.
“We ran a program called ‘We Sell Cookies Too,’” says Payant. “We’re trying to say ‘don’t be afraid’ because we wanted to address the intimidation factor – we’re not judging anyone when they come in the door.
“One of the pluses of having health food go mainstream is that it’s gotten people more familiar with the health food industry and more comfortable with products. When they want to take it to the next level, or when they have questions, that’s when they come to us.”
The post A One-stop Shop for Wellness appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post Fitness Skills & No Frills appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.
From an outsider’s perspective, your average gym may seem a like an intimidating place with unfamiliar rules and machines, where everyone else seems like a seasoned regular.
But at Hintonburg’s Crossfit Bytown, no matter who you are or what your skill level is, you can expect one thing when you step inside: support.
“Everyone at the gym is on the same level,” says Crossfit Bytown owner Everett Sloan. “You might find a surgeon next to a student – their outside personas are gone. We strive to have a gym where ego is not welcome. We want to have people with a positive mindset, with a growth mindset, who are there to help uplift the community.”
It’s this kind of community building that Sloan had in mind when he started Crossfit Bytown back in 2012. At the time, crossfit – a dynamic combination of coach-led high-intensity workouts and self-improvement – had a relatively small following in Ottawa. Soon, however, Sloan had to find a larger venue to accommodate the growing number of people interested in exercise outside of the traditional gym setting where patrons are left to figure things out for themselves.
Touring the interior of Crossfit Bytown on a typical day, you’ll find coaches on-hand instructing classes, providing encouragement and context, and ensuring skill development – much like you would see with a personal trainer. The Crossfit Bytown space is an open and inviting workout area full of various weights, suspension equipment, exercise machines, and more. The environment is functional and fun without the frills – but that’s exactly the point.
“We wanted to pay attention to the right things, not putting money into the fanciest spaces,” explains Sloan. “We never did anything gimmicky. Our number one priority has always been to make sure that members are healthy and happy. That’s not just a focus on physical health, but that’s mental health and helping people out.”
With winter closing in on Ottawa amidst an already challenging year, the importance of exercise – especially for those who live in smaller spaces – is all the more pressing. Because Crossfit Bytown emphasizes group activity, there’s an inherent motivation that comes from working out with the encouragement of others – the results of which, according to Sloan, are more than worth the effort.
“After the first few months, new members might not notice any physical changes,” explains Sloan, “but there is a difference in their positivity and self-confidence, how they carry themselves, how they smile – it’s not always just the weight and scale that matters.”
The post Fitness Skills & No Frills appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>The post Treats with a twist appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
]]>Right next door to Hintonburg is Westboro’s popular Strawberry Blonde Bakery which is serving up mouth-watering vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free treats
Stepping inside Strawberry Blonde Bakery to experience the warm and inviting specialty bake shop comes with a guarantee – you won’t be able to resist the temptation of their freshly made donuts.
This is something that the many fans of this popular Westboro destination for vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free baked goods and desserts know quite well. But for skeptics of this style of baking, their first experience isn’t usually their last.
“I think there’s definitely a stigma around vegan and gluten-free food, and people may come in here expecting things to not taste as good,” says Jacqui Okum, Strawberry Blonde founder. “But when they have a donut or a cinnamon bun, they’re surprised.”
It’s this kind of positive response that keeps Okum baking high-quality, delicious vegan, gluten-free and nut-free goods – even if it means winning over one culinary skeptic at a time.
Vegan Baking
Okum’s passion for delicious treats is something she decided to turn into a career after living in Toronto a decade ago after noticing a lack of vegan dessert options. “I decided to open my own vegan bakery. I wanted to do it right, so I enrolled in the baking program at George Brown College.”
Meet the Owner of Strawberry Blonde
Once she and her husband moved to Ottawa, Okum began selling her baked goods at a market stall. “There wasn’t much of a choice for vegan desserts in Ottawa at the time,” she explains, “and a lot of people were asking if I had anything gluten-free or nut-free.” The response from her customers was so positive that Okum’s business evolved, within a year, to wholesale supply before finally opening up shop in Westboro.
Oh so many delicious choices
Today, Strawberry Blonde Bakery offers a mouth-watering selection of baked goods – everything from Nanaimo bars and more than a dozen cupcake flavours to cookies, cinnamon buns, and even heat-at-home pizzas and Tourtières. And that’s just for starters.
Eye-popping selection aside, it all comes down to taste. If customer reviews are any indication, Strawberry Blonde Bakery isn’t lacking in that department either. According to Okum, she just wants to make products that taste and look as good as their traditional counterparts. Most would agree that she’s accomplished that and then some.
About Discover Local
Time and time again, residents are drawn to Hintonburg Connection because of the thriving Hintonburg community. In the spirit of helping to maintain this community, our Discover Local program introduces Hintonburg Connection tenants to local business like Strawberry Blonde Bakery. We’re proud of our commitment to supporting local business and excited to bring the very best that Hintonburg has to offer to our residents.
The post Treats with a twist appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.
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