All posts by Club West

From the Publisher November/December 2014

ClubWest(To view our November/December 2014 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Front Page Nov Dec 2014One of the first things taught in any self-respecting journalism school is that everyone has a story to tell. A good reporter should be able to hang out at a gas station for 10 minutes and extract a half-dozen story leads just by listening to customers.

Over the near-20 years I have been covering all things Niagara West, I have spoken to Debbie Zimmerman countless times: in formal interviews, at public events, or over a coffee to catch up on things. Just when you think you know a person…

My goal, as always when I speak with someone I know well, is to find out things I don’t know about them because if I don’t know, chances are the general public would not either. I learned a lot in our chats for my feature in this edition of ClubWEST. As a kid, Debbie sounds like she was a bit of a
punk. And in the nicest way, she still is.

She is an intensely informed and motivated punk, ideal to have for political representation. She knows what the community needs (because she listens) and she has no problem dropping the mitts and fighting for it. She says she is taking a self-imposed break to cool her jets and recharge. Good for her! Niagara West communities have been blessed with some talented, hard-working representatives over the years but none
better.

And speaking of none better, two of Beamsville’s main street shops represented in this edition are certainly at the top of their respective fields. Klaas Salverda, now with his son Ben, at Beamsville Bakery have crafted a reputation for excellence over four decades of serving its clientele. Meanwhile, Nik Halkias at County Cycle serves as a model of what those who nibble the pastries from across the street should be doing to burn off the “donut effect”, namely cycling anywhere and everywhere. This summer he went on an extreme bike adventure in Portugal. He can scratch that from his bucket list.

Smithville resident Jennifer McCready combines her passion for photography and empowering women to create classic 1950s style pin-up photos – including this month’s cover shot which used NewsNow’s general manager Catherine Bratton as a subject, along with a Beamsville Bakery Black Forest Cake.

There are so many people in our midst that are doing cool things every day. They are living the ClubWEST mantra of “Passions, Pursuits & Passtimes”. Our goal is to unearth these gems and serve them up to you, our devoted readers. Our other goals, like being on time with deliveries, are more mundane, but very important to running a credible organization.

Enjoy your read!

Publisher, ClubWEST Magazine
Mike Williscraft

Cooking with Frank Romano

ClubWest(To view our September/October 2014 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

Frank Romano Executive Chef CAVE SPRING CELLARS INN ON THE TWENTY
Frank Romano
Executive Chef
CAVE SPRING CELLARS
INN ON THE TWENTY

What is it about creating beautiful dishes that appeals to you?

Creating a beautiful dish is our form of art, it stimulates the mind, if something looks good on the plate, we will obsess over it, we will naturally want it. We are social beings and social media has evolved immensely, we love taking pictures, showing people what we are about to eat. Chefs take pride in their creations, nothing pleases us more than someone enjoying our foods.We are fortunate to receive instant gratification unlike painters who often remain unappreciated until after their death. By that token though we are also criticized heavily, art is a form of expression, we love food and we want to make it look beautiful.

What is the most satisfying part of being a chef?

Knowing that people around you are happy, not only the guests, but the cooks that work with you, the owners, the managers, the servers, being part of a great team; a lot of work goes into running an operation. Without the proper people and an amazing team, without sous chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers, managers, hosts, bartenders, head office and great owners, establishments don’t survive. Having this day in and day out is gratifying.

Who in the field do you admire?

My crew, I try to thank them everyday. To be honest, I don’t say it enough. I always tell our guests that I have the best crew that I have ever worked with, be it front of the house, back of the house, and all the people behind the scenes who sometimes don’t get credit. It takes a large group of people to make Inn on the Twenty what it is today, we have a long-standing history and I am blessed to part of it, now and moving forward.

See the full article in our online edition.

For Frank Romano’s recipe for Shrimp Ceviche, we have published it on the newsnow website.

Click here to go to newsnow and the recipe.

Margaret Andrewes

(To view our September/October 2014 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

On opening doors and opportunities

Among Margaret Andrewes favourite quotes is one by Canadian poet, artist and historian Jon Whyte, “The ripples begin where I begin: they wash up on that larger circle, the world.”

It may well be that these words resonate with her because she herself has been known to cause and sustain a few ripples of her own. Through her leadership, she has helped others start ripples as well; each concentric circle marking another success achieved, another opportunity explored.

Andrewes served on Town of Lincoln Council for seven years from 2003-2010 but it is for her roles with the Lincoln libraries and her vast volunteer work for which she is better known – at least locally.

Her resume is extensive and impressive; her list of volunteer work and awards no less so.

Andrewes is the mother of two daughters and a son, and grandmother to twin boys, now age 3. She is married to Philip who served as an MPP from 1981-87.

Each of these roles has brought her much joy.

But if ever there was a watershed moment in her life it was when she became involved with libraries as a volunteer member of the Lincoln Library Board in 1980.

“I was blown away,” said Andrewes. “All of a sudden I was in a community of people passionate about libraries. These were some of the most dynamic and interesting people I would ever meet.”

See the full article in our online edition.