Browsing Category

Food and Drink

Diary | Social Feed x The Anthology + You!

Vancouver’s the biggest small town in the world. And you don’t have to take my word for it — one of the Real Housewives of Vancouver said — and I quote — “Six degrees of separation? In Vancouver it’s, like, two. And it should be legal to marry a first cousin here.”

Ummmm…anyway…Thursday’s Social Feed x The Anthology was proof that everybody in this city knows everybody in this city. Tickets for the dinner hosted by yours truly at the Irish Heather sold out faster than any Social Feed event to date (LOVE you guys!) and it was packed with creative types, design enthusiasts and fashion lovers like (clockwise from top left) Style Council’s Sam Baxter, Jon Becker (with whom I lecture at SFU’s Continuing Studies Program), articling student Annie Stewart, Dave Waterman, Aritzia’s Kelly Moss, AG Hair’s Sam Shamash, Larissa Dundon (my sis), and Bryce Dundon (my bro).

And the bloggarazzi! Clockwise from top left: Edelman PR’s Ashley Walden, A Fashion Love Affair’s Cara Jourdan, Miss Melissa’s Melissa Knight, A Beautiful Life’s Liv Hung, Jugni Style’s Manjot Bains, co-curator of the Museum of Vancouver’s exhibit BhangraMe Naveen Girn, photographer Maurice Li, Anthology contributor Erika Renfrew and Alicia Fashionista’s Alicia Quan.

I loved seeing all of your beautiful faces! Clockwise from top left: Art Institute student Marina Fernandes, Lyndsay Tilston of Tonic Apparel, in the black on the second photo from the top is HootSuite’s Ashley Jane Brookes, and that’s Dress For Success Vancouver board member Liz Sperandeo beside me in the picture on the bottom left. (Eep! I know I’m missing a few of your names — send me an email and I’ll post them promptly!)

I wore a dress by Parker and a vintage necklace I found at the Brooklyn Flea when I was in NYC — I’m told it’s a sample that was made in the 1960s but was never widely launched because it was so difficult to reproduce, which makes it extra special in my eyes. Was it made around the time Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra came out in 1963? I don’t know, but it definitely has an Egyptian influence.

We went a little giveaway crazy! Everyone went home with AG Hair’s Organic Extra Virgin Argan Miracle Oil (love the stuff!), one lucky guest slipped on a sterling silver ring by Vancouver jewelry designer Justine Brooks’ (was tempted to keep it for myself!) and a couple ladies went home with some Jason Wu for Target goodies. Speaking of which, Liz Sperandeo picked the winner of The Anthology’s Jason Wu for Target giveaway and it was…Katya P.! Congratulations!

The best part of the night? A portion of the ticket proceeds went to Dress For Success Vancouver. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Let’s do this again, friends. ‘Twas fun!

P.S. I’ll be posting more photos on The Anthology’s Facebook Diary so give it the old thumbs up!

March 5, 2012 by

Diary | Social Feed x The Anthology

A few shots Vancouver-based travel and lifestyle photographer Maurice Li took at last night’s Social Feed x The Anthology. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for making it such a fun night! I’ll post more pics as soon as I’m back from the board meeting I have to attend first thing this morning (I really should have planned that better).

Thanks, Maurice! Your shots are always my favourite.

P.S. I’ll be posting photos to The Anthology’s Facebook diary too so get your like on.

P.P.S. How many bonus points do I get for matching the ladder, door and dolly in that first picture?

March 2, 2012 by

You’re invited! The Social Feed x The Anthology

Ooooooooh boy, this is going to be fun!

Have you heard of The Social Feed? They throw giant dinner parties at independent restaurants around Vancouver and Toronto. And they’re all sorts of fun. Which is why I’m especially thrilled that The Social Feed and The Anthology have partnered up for a Fashion and Design Feed.

Come! Join fellow creative types for a night of networking and collaborating over a meal and a drink at the Irish Heather on Thursday, March 1st. Tickets are just $28 and include dinner, a drink, tax, tip and a donation to Dress for Success Vancouver.

Tell your friends! And get your tickets before they sell out. This is going to be the best dinner party we’ll have all year.

[Images courtesy The Social Feed.]

February 8, 2012 by

Bon Appetit | Sawasdee Thai

It’s not new, it’s not trendy, and it’s not unusual to see my whole family seated at one of its tables. Main Street’s Sawasdee Thai is downright fantastic and my sister Larissa Dundon picks a few of the most delicious dishes…

Sawasdee’s spicy beef yum salad will tickle those taste buds at the back of your mouth, the ones you forgot you even had. Their cashew chicken stir fry rivals anything you’ll find in Thailand and their curries are downright delicious. If you like spice opt for medium, but if you like to murder your taste buds (like I do), venture for hot. It’s so fragrant, delicious and authentic, you can dream you’re actually in Thailand. Here, let this photo help…

[Photo found here.]

January 3, 2012 by

Diary | Lunch at Hawksworth with Tiffany & Co.

2012 will mark Tiffany & Co.’s 175th birthday. That’s right, all you math whizzes, the jewelry giant was founded in 1837.

Will their birthday cake look like this? Maybe. These Tiffany-inspired sweets were served as dessert at a holiday luncheon hosted by Tiffany & Co. at the Hotel Georgia’s Hawksworth Restaurant.

It was, needless to say, delicious. But the, um, jewel of the meal? Pasta with chestnuts. I can’t get enough of those little gems this time of year.

Tomorrow, Tiffany will open its second store in Vancouver — and only the fifth in Canada — at Oakridge Centre. Which means Vancouverites will now have a choice in where they’d like to try on million-dollar engagement rings.

P.S. If you’re in Vancouver, I’m hosting yoga with Vitamin Daily at Exhale Studio in Yaletown this Thursday (December 8, 2011) 8:30-9:30am! Come with — it’s free! There are only a few spots available so grab your yoga mat and RSVP to rsvp@vitamindaily.com

December 6, 2011 by

Diary | House Guest Supper Club

People who call Vancouver a no-fun city are crazy.

Maybe they don’t get out much. Or maybe they’ve never been to House Guest. The supper club opened in Gastown a few weeks ago and last night they held a private party with Alicia Quan, Peter Ty, Rick Chung, Mana Mansour, May Globus, Liv Hung, Kumike Ide, Lisa Wong, Lyndi Barrett, Eryne Ordel, and a million others whose picture I didn’t snap.

If you’ve been to the space, you’ve probably already fallen in love with the décor.

My favourite design elements? The hand-painted wall paper by designer/artist Adam Lupton and the vintage suitcases encased in plexiglass that are used as tables in their downstairs lounge (Maurice Li snapped a great shot of them).

The skull wall’s pretty b-b-b-bad to the bone too. The two dapper gents in front of it, Justin Devlin and Mattie Schmidt, are the men behind unconventional space (they’re also Northill cohorts).

So, all you pretty Vancity-ers, who’s up for chicken and waffles at brunch on Sunday?

[I’m wearing a vintage jacket, Banana Republic necklace, Mango shirt, J. Crew skirt]

P.S. Facebook’s extra fun once you’ve liked The Anthology.

November 18, 2011 by

Diary | Cupcake Girls and Mobilicity

I have two addictions — sugar and my phone. (Actually, if you count vintage clothes, Twitter and my iPod, I have way more than two addictions, but we’ll ignore those for the moment.)

Last week, Mobilicity hosted me at the Cupcake Girls set/bakery for a delicious little cupcake-icing demo, which we shot on Mobilicity’s smart phones. “It’s as easy as getting a cupcake,” said Mobilicity’s general manager Matthew Gould.

And waaaaaay easier than icing a cupcake.

The Cupcake Girls Lori Joyce and Heather White (pictured with yours truly and Matthew Gould) are about to resume filming their third season of their hugely popular show.

And with cupcake-icing skills like these, I’m expecting an invitation to be a guest on their show…any day now.

[I’m wearing a vintage dress and a vintage YSL belt.]

P.S. Feed your Twitter addiction — follow The Anthology!

November 14, 2011 by

London Town | Eastern Vibes

In her second dispatch from London, Katie Burnett, a friend and beyond hilarious actress and writer living across the pond, retraces the places, films and books that make her most nostalgic…

I grew up in Montreal. I was used to ice cold winters (my eyelashes freezing when my mother would send me out in a snowstorm for milk) and boiling hot, steaming summers (I would escape to summer camp in the Laurentians and jump into a cold lake to cool off). But the at-times unpleasant weather aside, the East Coast is such a vibrant place and I often miss it.

jack-kerouac2
With the film version of Kerouac’s classic On the Roadcoming out soon, I thought I’d revisit what I love about Montreal, New York, and the East Coast.
Anyone who knows Montreal knows about the Tam Tams on Mount Royal. Well, I grew up right across the park, and every Sunday morning I woke up to this. It was annoying for my parents whose bedroom faced the park directly, but I loved waking up to the familiar rhythm and beats of the Tam Tams. It’s a sound I miss. If you’re ever in Montreal, stop by!
film-still

I’ve been reading and re-readingOn the Road and it brings back a flush of memories of the East Coast. The film is expected to come out in the next few months, directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), staring Sam Riley as Sal and Garrett Hedlund as Dean. Judging from the few stills released, it looks like they’re doing a fab job of recreating the book.

imnotthere01

It got me thinking about I’m Not There, a brilliant film directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Mildred Pierce) where six characters embody different aspects of Bob Dylan’s life and work. Parts of it were filmed on location in Montreal, and when I saw certain images (especially Heath Ledger’s scenes with Charlotte Gainsborough), I recognized them right away as my hometown. Great for some summer viewing!

cafe-wha

Perfect for summer reading, Down the Highway by Howard Sounes is a great biography on Bob Dylan, almost as good as his own autobiography Bob Dylan Chronicles Volume One. When I first went to New York, I literally walked around with this book, stopping in awe when I would hit places like Cafe Wha? where Bob Dylan started out. (On a different note, if you are in New York, make sure you also stop by Levain Bakery, home of the best cookies, located on the Upper West Side.)

I have to admit, I’m obsessed with biographies, and another great one is Allen Ginsberg, Beat Poet by Barry Miles. It’s a beautiful biography that paints an incredibly picture of New York in the post WW2 era. I read it in conjunction with Ginsberg’s famous poems Howl, Kaddish and Other Poems.

Paul Simon

And what story about the East Coast would be complete without Simon and Garfunkel? I had the privilege of seeing Paul Simon perform recently at the Roundhouse in Camden. My friend and fellow North American Samantha and I got there early and managed to get in the front row!

If you can believe it, that wasn’t just a private concert by Paul Simon for me – there were hundreds of people behind me. It was intimate and phenomenal. When he played classics, it brought me right back to my youth. The last time I saw Paul Simon, I was about 10 or 11, in Montreal. I grew up listening to, and loving, his music.

katie-and-parents

And since we’re reminiscing, here’s a shot taken by my family friend Judith Crawley when I was a baby in Montreal, with my parents. If that isn’t quintessential hipster 80’s, I don’t know what is.

[First photo found here, second and third are film stills, fourth and fifth photos by Katie.]

P.S. Want to stay on board the nostalgia train? Katie Burnett has more dispatches from London coming up on The Anthology! Catch up on her first dispatch from London here.

July 24, 2011 by