Vancouver Is Awesome

We sat down with Jason Pleym to talk about meat. He and his wife, Margot, are the co-founders of Two Rivers Specialty Meats. Based in North Vancouver, Two Rivers has grown to become nearly synonymous with meat in the city, particularly because of their role as supplier to many chefs and restaurants, as well as their connection with vendors like SPUD, who sell their products. Plus, we talk about the upcoming Brewery and the Beast event. Two Rivers is once again the meat sponsor of this wildly popular (and sold out) summertime fest of all things meat and beer. Mark you calendars for 2020 to be sure to get tickets for next year. Co-hosts Lindsay and Adam also talk about the closing of Escobar restaurant, and what summer in Vancouver is all about for each of them. Speaking of summer, the V.I.A. Podcast is going to go on a summer break, so take some time to relax and enjoy any of the 65 other episodes in our archives. PS: Wear sunscreen!

Cathy Browne wears many hats: She does PR, she's a photographer, she's an activist and advocate, she does stand-up comedy and improv, and she teaches photography to elementary school kids. And she happens to be legally blind. We chat with Cathy about her recent role as part of UBC's Wingspan Goes to School, Canada’s first fully accessible and inclusive Dis/ability and Deaf Artists-in-Residence Program in K-12 schools. Plus we talk about some of the issues Vancouver's disabled residents face, and what teaching has taught Cathy about her art and herself. Then, swoon rock singer-songwriter Alexandria Maillot stops by the V.I.A. studio for a chat and a live acoustic performance of her song "The Judge." Get to know this wickedly talented artist and how she approaches her art. Credits: Produced and hosted by Lindsay William-Ross and Adam Nanji. Our Associate Producer and Editor is Albert Van Santvoort. Additional support from Bob Kronbauer and Elana Shepert. We record in the studio at Glacier Media, 303 West 5th Avenue in Mt Pleasant. Theme song is Vancouver BC by The Smugglers ©1990, available on iTunes. Join our V.I.A. Podcast Facebook community! We’d love to hear your thoughts on each episode, and who you’d like to see on future shows. Follow @viawesome on Twitter and Instagram.

Imagine you are a young professional woman calling a meeting with your co-workers to make a profound revelation: You are transgender. That's exactly what Lauren Sundstrom did a couple of years ago, as part of her ongoing journey to live her authentic self out loud, and to speak up about being in Vancouver's trans community. Since then, Lauren has continued to share her story, opening herself up to questions from Instagram followers, participating in rallies and protests, and taking part in speaking engagements, all in an effort to encourage acceptance and promote inclusion. We sat down with Lauren to gain more insight into her own personal journey, as well as to touch on some issues the trans community faces here in Vancouver as well as around the globe. Also this week, a chat with Kurtis Kolt, the co-founder of Top Drop, a terroir-based wine event taking place later this month in Vancouver. Kurtis has the lowdown on taking the fear factor out of diving into learning about wine, as well as the array of kick-ass food and wine parties on the schedule as part of Top Drop Vancouver's programming this time around. Credits: Produced and hosted by Lindsay William-Ross and Adam Nanji. Our Associate Producer and Editor is Albert Van Santvoort. Additional support from Bob Kronbauer and Elana Shepert. We record in the studio at Glacier Media, 303 West 5th Avenue in Mt Pleasant. Theme song is Vancouver BC by The Smugglers ©1990, available on iTunes. Join our V.I.A. Podcast Facebook community! We’d love to hear your thoughts on each episode, and who you’d like to see on future shows. Follow @viawesome on Twitter and Instagram.

How do you like your Caesar? The beloved Canadian cocktail is celebrating a milestone this year, and is marking its half-century as our national adult beverage. In honour of the occasion, there's a new book out called The Caesar. 50 Years. 50 Stories: Celebrating a half-century of Canada's National Cocktail.  One of those 50 stories belongs to Vancouverite Barb Snelgrove. The media personality stopped by the V.I.A. studios for a chat about how she came to be known for her Caesar-making skills, how she came to be included in the book, and what goes in her perfect Caesar. We also sit down with "defiantly queer" musician Jeff Cancade, aka Devours to discuss his current release, Iconoclast, his journey to Vancouver and his recording career, and his unique expression of identity onstage and in song. Plus: Devours shares a stripped-down version of his song "Garnet Graves" with V.I.A. Podcast listeners. Credits: Produced and hosted by Lindsay William-Ross and Adam Nanji. Our Associate Producer and Editor is Albert Van Santvoort. Additional support from Bob Kronbauer and Elana Shepert. We record in the studio at Glacier Media, 303 West 5th Avenue in Mt Pleasant. Theme song is Vancouver BC by The Smugglers ©1990, available on iTunes. Join our V.I.A. Podcast Facebook community! We’d love to hear your thoughts on each episode, and who you’d like to see on future shows. Follow @viawesome on Twitter and Instagram.