Interesting events, opportunities and causes that I'd like you to know about.
5H Giving - a credo for Holiday (and year-round) giving
It started with a blog post and now is starting to take on a wonderful life of its own.
It's simple. Homemade. Handmade. Healthy. Helpful. From Here. Endeavour to make sure that your birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentines, Easter or other gifts meet at least one of these criteria, if not more.
;)
There is now a Facebook page and several other people have blogged about this and written articles too. What started as a "giving" philosophy, I realize now, is really a "living" philosophy.
TEDx St. Catharines - part of the worldwide TEDx City2.0
TEDx is coming to Niagara on October 13, 2012 at the Holiday Inn & Suites Parkway Convention Centre in St. Catharines. One of three Canadian locations participating in a worldwide day of "urban inspiration." More information at TEDxStCatharines.com. Pleased to be a part of the organizing team, responsible for Social Media. Facebook: TEDxStCatharines Twitter: @TEDxStCatharine #TEDxStCatharines
UPDATE: Our first TEDx St. Catharines event was a success! The videos of the morning's speakers are all on YouTube now. You can link to them all through the TEDxStCatharines.com website or from here:
TEDx St. Catharines 2013 is in preliminary planning stages. More info soon ...
Coast to Coast @ Stratus
Always the creative thinkers, Stratus Vineyards has put together a series of evenings that bring chefs from "coast to coast" to the winery to cook for, and engage with, an enthusiastic group of foodies at the communal table. Their purpose is very much one of celebration and sharing, with that wonderful sense of exploration that comes with going beyond our normal boundaries or comfort zone. Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store curates the evenings and guides our discovery.
The first dinner in the series featured Vikram Vij, the inimitable founder of Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver. The New York Times called Vij's, "...easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world." The dinner took place May 26, 2012 at the winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Facebook photo album
The second dinner took place November 3 with Jeremy Charles and Jeremy Bonia of Raymonds in St. John's, Newfoundland. Raymonds was recently named Canada's Best New Restaurant by enRoute Magazine. Facebook photo album
News release May 15, 2012
Niagara Advance article by Elena Galey-Pride Nov. 13, 2012
International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C)
The idea to celebrate a grape variety that is made around the world but excels in cool climates such as our own, started out a few years ago as some backyard ramblings between wine-friends including Thomas Bachelder, Mary Delaney, Harald Thiel, Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble. In relatively short order, 28 Ontario wineries had established the i4C Association and 26 international wineries signed on too. Dates for this cool event were set for late July 2011. In June, better late than never, I got involved with the social media support for i4C the first year and managed to get in a little photography too.
You can get a taste for this event by viewing a little slideshow that I put together.
Fast forward to 2012, and we again celebrated Chardonnay in the wineries and vineyards of Niagara from July 20 - 22. It was a huge success, as I tweeted then: "I think that with this #i4c2012 we are witnessing a defining moment in the evolution of the Ontario wine industry. #andyoucanquoteme" It's been a pleasure to work on the social media again this year. Very satisfying. View my photo book here. Here is my slideshow for 2012:
i4c 2013 will take place July 19 - 21 and we will continue to build on the success of the previous year. I am again heading up Social Media, with a role in the website redevelopment as well.
Twitter #i4C2013 Facebook Website Pinterest
VQA Promoters' Awards
Founded in 2006, the VQA Promoters Awards are designed to recognize and encourage individuals who celebrate the Ontario VQA wine industry with "unselfish enthusiasm, constructive input and unsolicited promotion." The Awards are presented annually at the Experts' Tasting at Brock University, under the aegis of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI). I'm a founding member of the VQA Promoters' Awards committee and also handle the Social Media.
The 2013 awards were presented on March 2, 2013 to:
LCBO: Charles Ronzio, Store 115, Waterloo
Hospitality: James Muir, CN Tower's 360 Restaurant
Media: Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com
Promoter-at-Large: Harald Thiel, Chair of i4C and Proprietor of Hidden Bench.
Niagara CarShare
Niagara CarShare is a non-profit co-operative bringing a new transportation model to Niagara in 2012. It's perfect for people who have a vehicle they drive less than 12,000 km/year. Or who occasionally need a second car. Access to vehicles without the cost, hassle or polluition of owning your own. Based on solid experience in Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton.
Website coming soon. Watch the video. Email