Two years after hanging his hat downtown, chef Sam Chalmers is changing tack at his downtown restaurant. Chalmers, who opened the Black Hat at Langley and Broughton streets in the fall of 2011, has changed the look of the eatery and its name. It’s now North Forty-Eight and its focus is classic dishes with a twist. Chalmers calls it modern diner cuisine. “My goal is to take these staple, house-made menu items from different regions and put a modern twist on them. I want guests to experience their favourite dishes from family visits to the local diner, but with a refined flavour,” he said. Menu items will include chicken and waffles, spaghetti and meatballs and duck wings. The new-look restaurant re-opens today with booths replacing window seats and other touches to create a West Coast feel.
Tourism Vic wins awards
A pair of campaigns launched last year by Tourism Victoria have been handed awards by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. Tourism Victoria captured a a silver and a bronze Adrian Award for its Great Meetings and Victoria Calling campaigns, respectively. Great Meetings, which was designed to drive group business to the city, used the tagline: “Great meetings are your No. 1 priority ... You are ours” and shifted the advertising emphasis off the destination and onto the meeting planner. Victoria Calling employed a bank of highly visible old-school phone boxes in strategic locations to challenge perceptions of the destination.
Merry Maids franchise wins
Scott and Susan Tanner, owners of the Merry Maids franchise serving Greater Victoria since 1991, were presented with the Dallen Peterson Award of Distinction for being among the top 20 Merry Maids franchises in North America. The award, presented in Nashville, is named for Merry Maids founder Dallen Peterson and recognizes franchises that exemplify the highest quality in business operations. The Tanners have received the award five years in a row. Their team includes son Matt Tanner, Karen McClean and Colleen Knudskov.
Victoria Speciality Hardware and Plumbing has moved to Saanich from Oak Bay Avenue, where it was based for two decades.
The move filled seven trucks with inventory and displays and was accomplished with staff who worked extra hours, said Sue Emslie, who founded the business with husband Bob Emslie. Their new shop at 1-477 Boleskine Rd. opened Tuesday in a larger 4,400-square-foot space.
It offers decorative hardware and kitchen and bathroom products.
The owners left 1990 Oak Bay Ave. in search of a larger showroom, Sue Emslie said, who called the new space “very open and chic looking.”
A different layout allows the Emslies to better display their products, including working showers, jet bathtubs and wall-hung toilets. Customers can put their hands under showers to get a feel for the pressure, Emslie said.
The business opened in 1995 at 1976 Oak Bay Ave., moving up the block in 2003.
The Emslies were living in North Vancouver when they decided to move to Victoria and go into business. Bob was riding a ferry when he called Sue to say, as it neared Victoria, the sun was shining. Rain was pouring down in Vancouver and he suggested setting up shop in Victoria. Sue agreed.
Sue was a human resources manager at an airline at the time and Bob a sales representative for a company making hardware products. They sold their possessions, took out a line of credit and brought their baby girl along while they did renovations themselves.
Now in their third location, Sue notes the move to Boleskine brings them closer to other home-supply stores, including Hourigan’s Carpet and Linos, Island Floor Centre, Mclaren Lighting and Illuminations Lighting Solutions, which is currently renovating the former North Douglas Distributors warehouse.
On the move
Victoria lawyer Ray T. Bryant has moved his office, Bryant & Company, to 205-737 Yates St. in St. Andrew’s Square. His phone, fax and email remains the same. His practice continues to specialize in real estate, wills and estates ... Kerry Brown has attained her Advanced Professional Business Coach designation. Brown is co-founder of Success BIZ Coach, a founding member of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance and has been working with clients locally and internationally for 16 years. Call 250-658-1904 ... Daniel Hoffman, a recent graduate of Pacific Rim College with a doctorate of traditional chinese medicine, has moved his acupuncture practice to Sidney at Reach Health Clinic, 102-9710 Second St. Call 778-351-1191 or click www.reachhealth.ca ... Registered massage therapist Melissa Pavlicic has also joined Reach Health.
Parcel service via Port Angeles
Port Angeles Package Receiving has announced it will collect parcels for Victoria and Vancouver customers. This means capital region residents can ride the Coho ferry to collect parcels and packages sent to this firm’s office in Port Angeles. When the package arrives, the customers receives an email notification. The company is at PAPackageReceiving.com. A similar service is already offered by Olympic Delivery Service, also in Port Angeles.
SendtoNews inks new deal
Victoria’s SendtoNews has signed a deal with Postmedia, Canada’s largest publisher of English-language newspapers, to deliver sports highlights to Postmedia’s newspaper websites across the country. In addition, Postmedia will become the sales representative for SendtoNews advertising and brand sponsorship programs in Canada. SendtoNews services features web-ready video content from the NFL, NASCAR and a variety of sports including pre- and post-game coverage, highlights, interviews, top plays and news. SendtoNews’ partnerships with more than 1,000 newsrooms around the world sees publishers use a SendtoNews player on its site to run the highlights and advertising that comes with it.
Solar Colwood got a nod of recognition from the Real Estate Foundation of B.C., winning the Land Award for outstanding work in the public sector to promote sustainable land use in the province. Solar Colwood was recognized for leadership, innovation, and collaboration to reduce energy use and create clean energy solutions. It also recently received a Community Excellence Award and a Climate and Energy Action Award at the Union of B.C. Municipalities, was named an official Canadian Solar City and was a finalist in the World Wildlife Federation’s Earth Hour City Challenge.
Building bulletins
A call for the demolition and abatement of Building 70 at Dockyard in Esquimalt is expected to come to tender soon. Number Ten Architectural Group has been working on the renovations, which will occur in two phases for a total of $4 million. Construction start is anticipated early 2014 ... Kinetic Construction is looking for a variety of trades to help it renovate the ophthalmology operating rooms at Royal Jubilee Hospital. The project, designed by InsideOut Planning and Architecture, involves substantial architectural, mechanical and electrical scopes and the tender closes Nov, 26 ... Canpro Construction has been awarded the $2.2-million job of providing new pre-operation and post-operation patient bays at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. Designed by InsideOut Planning and Architecture, work is expected to get underway this month and last until summer 2014. More project details at yellowsheet.ca
Expert on tap
Bryan Paler, manager of Cascadia Liquor Store in Quadra Village, has been certified as a cicerone, or beer sommelier. He is also a certified sommelier, a trained wine professional. A cicerone is trained in beer flavors, styles, service, proper storage and serving. There are 25 certified cicerones in Canada and four are in Victoria.
Curtis joins Kiwanis board
Lorna Curtis has been appointed by the Oak Bay Kiwanis Health Care Society as a director of its Pavilion Board. Curtis, a long-time employee of the Municipality of Oak Bay who finished her career as director of parks and recreation, has a record of being a strong leader and active community member and has volunteered with the Oak Bay Centennial Committee, Oak Bay Millennium Committee, Oak Bay Community Initiatives Committee and Oak Bay Child and Youth Committee. She joins Dave Cockle, Barbara Gies, Steve Orcherton, Andrew Law, Maxine Dell, Hazel Braithwaite and Joan Trumble on the board. The Pavilion is a complex care facility specializing in the care of people with dementia.
Scrap steel helps foundation
The David Foster Foundation Scrap Drive, operated with RBC and Schnitzer in September, raised $24,572 to help support the non-medical expenses of families with children undergoing organ transplants. The foundation’s scrap metal bin will remain on site at Schnitzer, 307 David Street, helping to continue to raise funds year-round.
