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The Powerful UBC Connections

admin — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:56:47 +0000

U of T and UBC alums and students from Pathways to Education at the TFC game on October 16.

Published on UBCTO.com

The other day, I thought hard about how it would sound when I tell people that UBC-TO has 6,000 alumni living in the GTA. Statistically, that is only 0.1% of the population of 5.6 million. At first, these numbers could sound small and insignificant. However, I experienced too many of a UBC coincidence during the planning of the recent Toronto FC soccer game in late October. I cannot help but wonder, how strong our UBC connections in Toronto really are.

As most of you know, TFC tickets are hard to come by, but it turned out that all we had to do was talk to our fellow alumni in GTA. Back in June during our first pub night ever, an alumna Patti Turnbull connected us to another alumna Bree working at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, home to the TFC. She then introduced us to Laura McGee, Account Executive for TFC. When she called me and told me she is also an alumna, I was simply jumping up and down with joy. When she offered UBC-TO a group discount and extra perks, we ordered our group tickets without much hesitation. Would you say this chain of events was simply a coincidence?

Our UBC-TO mantra is giving back to Toronto. So through Justin Pintwala, a Sauder alumni who mentors youth in the Regent Park community, we were introduced to Pathways to Education. Pathways was created seven years ago to reduce poverty and to increase access to post-secondary education among disadvantaged youth in Canada. Their impact on the neighbourhood has been phenomenal, and they have helped lowering the neighbourhood’s high school dropout rate from 56% to teens. As we learned more about Pathways’ work, we could not help but notice how its mission was in line with UBC’s work in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside – the UBC Learning Exchange and “A Place of Mind” campaign.

Regent Park

On a late September afternoon, Pathways’ mentorship program coordinator, Nikki, gave me a walking tour of Regent Park. Within moments, I started identifying the area as a place of change. With constructions going on everywhere, it seemed that the neighbourhood was in transition, and its landscape was changing dramatically. New condo owners were moving in; ubiquitous stores like Sobey’s, Shopper’s Drugs Mart, and Tim Horton’s were now open with their big, brand new signs. But it was the murals and the memorial gardens that inspired me. I could see the community was trying to create a better, safer environment for everyone, and Pathways was a big part of that effort. We wondered what we could do. So we put two and two together; UBC-TO was going to sell TFC tickets to the alumni in GTA to sponsor Regent Park youths to come watch the soccer game with us, and hopefully come away with a memorable UBC experience.

We could tell how much our alumni in GTA liked the idea, as tickets were selling quickly. And within weeks, University of Toronto Alumni Association also decided to take part and Sauder Business Club of Toronto joined in. After much discussion and number-crunching, we settled on sponsoring seven grade 9 youths from the Regent Park community. The seven youths had recently completed a leadership-training program ran by students at Ryerson University who used art and photography to empower the youth to fight against the stigma towards Regent Park.

Two days before the TFC event, I received a call from Pathways. The seven youth and Nikki could not come to the game, as they needed to attend to their friends’ funeral. I had heard about what happened in Regent Park over the weekend through local media, but I was too naïve to connect the dots. The reality was that Regent Park is a very tight-knitted community and everyone was affected in one way or another. It was sad to see the youths had to go through something like this. Despite being personally impacted, Pathways’ staff handled the situation professionally. Nikki had a contingency plan executed and shared with us their bereavement process. She managed to find another seven youths that were able to attend the game.

So as planned, on a gorgeous, sunny October Saturday, 79 alumnus and friends gathered for a pre-game mingle and walk around the BMO Field before meeting the Pathways group. As the youth were walking towards us, I found out Pathways sent one of their staff to the event. If I could use the word again, coincidentally, Amina, Student/Parent Support Worker who arrived with the youth, was a UBC History alumna. Together with Katherine Lee, one of the UBC-TO executives, they kept the youths company. The youths played soccer at a pre-game event and each won a TFC scarf. And later, everyone got autographs from the TFC player Dwayne De Rosario on their TFC brand new scarves.

View the TFC Photo Album

“As a UBC grad and as a Pathways staff, I was so psyched after the game! Like I said, I don’t think we could have picked a more eventful game to go to and the students really loved it! I think we made some TFC fans despite the loss. It was also cool to see others who went to both UBC and UofT and share that with the students. They had questions about what UBC was like and UofT and I think the whole experience showed a fun side of what post-secondary life can be like. I really hope we get to do more things together because the students gained a lot from it.”, Amina Farah

“I have never attended at Toronto FC game before and had a great time absorbing the crowd’s energy and all the brilliant sunshine. The pre-game mingle was perfect for catching up with some old UBC friends over a pint! An all around great day!” Shayne Tryon

“It was a great day in the sunshine and a very interesting game – most enjoyable in every way.” Donald Cooper

“Thanks for inviting us” Eqbal, the shy eleventh grader

So would you say this is a story where a series of coincidences is woven together? Or is it a story where a dream became a reality? In any case, I learned that there are only 0.1% of us here in the GTA but the special and strong connections we have through UBC are everywhere and when we put our heads together, we can make a difference in our communities. The alumni who were part of this journey gave the youths from Regent Park an opportunity to be kids and to worry about nothing – a kind of experience they will cherish for a very long time.

Our special thanks go to all the alumni who have connected us to TFC and Pathways, especially TFC’s staff Laura and Pathways’ staff Nikki and Amina for being patient with us! Another big thanks to Teo Salgado, University of Toronto’s Manager, Regional Programs, without whose help, we couldn’t have had such a great event.

So it’s now your turn – share your own UBC coincidences. Email us at elliot@ubcto.com.

Calls for volunteers at Pathways

Are you interested in volunteering for Pathways? Pathways needs volunteers in their mentoring and tutoring program starting in January. Contact them at Sonia Arana, Volunteer Engagement Specialist at soniaa@regentparkchc.org.

How Apple's kerfuffle led to Apple Kerfuffle

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:32:41 +0000

It all started more than a month ago, on a hot Sunday afternoon as my friend Joseph from Seattle was picking Toronto as his first sabbatical destination.

We were sitting at a park and chatting over many things including our philanthropic goals. Then we started talking about Steve Jobs’ recent post on “Thoughts on Flash.” Joseph bursted out laughing when I said “the kerfuffle between Apple and Adobe…” He thought I had made up the word. To my protest, he conveniently pulled out his brand new Kindle from his backpack, and we looked it up. So here I was, a Canadian boy, for whom English is not his first language, teaching an American an English word! I asked him if “conundrum” would be a better choice, but he agreed that “kerfuffle” is the perfect word to describe the situation. I was glad that I managed to expand a friend’s vocabulary!

Another week had gone by, and I found myself at an alumni event where my friends and I debated once again which word to choose between “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”. So I posted a question on Twitter:

productionteams: Which one is bigger “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”? …

Then Y N responded:

ynq25335: … When you modify any noun with Apple or Adobe, it becomes MUCH BIGGER! Apple Kerfuffle sounds like a pastry! Yum?

Lucy said:

Lucers: Mmm, apple kerfuffle sounds good! Could it have cream cheese, raisins & cinnamon in it? Maybe lemon zest. On puff pastry?

My Twitter friend Lucy and I have been swapping recipes and exchanging foodie tips for a while now. She has given me her infamous carbonara recipe and I’ve become her “Toronto food concierge”.

Fast forward a month, this Wednesday Lucy and I met for the first time where we each brought our very own versions of Apple Kerfuffles. We met at a downtown Starbucks and I was nervous as I waited. Having never baked any dessert pastries in my life, I had told her not to judge me by my pastries. Like a blind date, we each brought a friend to make sure the meeting didn’t go weird. Lucy brought Stuart, and they are one of the nicest couples I have ever met.

So we unveiled our creations. Lucy’s on the left and mine on the right. With plastic forks and knives in our hands, four of us sampled the kerfuffles à la Iron Chef.

Lucy’s was delicious and filled with cream cheese and different kinds of apples. I loved the pastry itself and colour of the kerfuffle.

Here’s a closer look at my version, made with granny smith apples and a special topping (Kit Kat).

Recipe (Makes 3):

One peeled, ripe granny smith apple
2 tsp of cinnamon brown sugar
5 tsp of sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of butter on each kerfuffle
1 tsp of flour
1 bar of Kit Kat
Frozen puff pastry

Thaw puff pastry overnight. Set aside eight sheets of puff pastry and lay them on a flat, dry surface.
Layer three sheets and cut into 3″x3″ squares as the foundation of the pastry.
Layer one sheet and roll them up as a tube. Bent the tube into a 3″x3″ square as the pastry walls.
Fold any excess from (2) to cover the walls. Set aside.
Cut apples into thin slices. Add both kinds of sugar, flour and salt. Mix well.
Gently pour apples into the well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Use a cheese grater and grate Kit Kat on top. Brush butter all over pastries.
Put pastries on cooking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Take out when pastry turns golden.

Thanks to Twitter, I’ve met a new friend! Lucy and I became so inspired that we decided to start our own food revolution. Next month we will be making Blueberry Brutality, followed by Cherry Conundrum – this is our way of expressing our feelings towards what happened with the recent G20 summit in Toronto. We need a name for our food exchange!

Until then…

Nuit Mange – Food, food and more food

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:14:58 +0000

Mary from Toronto had asked me why I haven’t updated my blog for a while. I apologize for not given much attention to this site. I have mainly been Twitter (@productionteams) my food quest.

Updates: I did find some good eats in Toronto:

Good dessert place in Toronto: Sweet Tooth on 50B Danforth

Pain au chocolate: La Thobors Boulangerie on Mount Pleasant

Cheap eat: Student Eatery on Danforth at Greenwood

French bistro: Tati Bistro at 124 Harbord Street west of Spadina

Great, affordable dim sum place: Rol San 323 Spadina Ave

Fancy dim sum place: Pearl Harbourfront

Great Japanese food: Sushi Garden north of Yonge/St. Clair across from Xocava

My favourite Japanese restaurant: Sho Gun at 154 Cumberland St in Yorkville

Home style Italian lunch: Boccone @ 1378 Yonge St

Hungarian family style restaurant: Bacsi Restaurant on Yonge, north of Davisville

Best chocolate drink: Xacava at Yonge/St Clair and SOMA in Distillery

Best dumplings: Mother’s dumplings on Huron Street at Dundas

Best crepe, especially when it’s -20C outside: Crepiere a Go Go on Yorkville and Yonge

Best casual French chain: Pain de quotidien at Yorkville and Yonge

Meanwhile, I have come up with a few cool recipes:

Homemade Korean BBQ

1/4 bottle of Korean Shorts Ribs sauce (can get at TNT). Rinse ribs, massage sauce, roast @ 400F – 1 hour (flip at 30 mins)

Spinach and Smoked Salmon Pastry Balls

Various ways of pastry balls:

– Smoked Salmon, Feta Cheese, and Frozen Spinach

– Prosciutto, Feta Cheese, and mushroom

Merry asked me for the recipe:

Pastry: Frozen phyllo pastry / phyllo dough from your favourite grocer.
Fillings: A box of frozen spinach (thawed and dried), a few pieces of smoked salmon (I usually get it from the St. Lawrence Market (or Granville Island for those in Vancouver) and get the end bits), and feta cheese.
Thaw phyllo pastry. Layer 3 phyllo sheets and glue the sheets with egg whites. Cut into 3″ x 3″ squares. Brush melted butter to the base, then add a mush of spinach, smoked salmon, and a few clumps of feta, then take each side and glue them together with egg whites and twist top to make the package secured. Repeat.
(Can be substituted with phyllo dough, then grab a handful of dough and flatten the dough to fit it on your palm, then add the mush, and glue the package together with egg whites.)
Then baked them at 400F for 15 minutes.
Keep them at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Let me know how did yours go?

Flickr: 2 people count this photo as a favorite

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:48:22 +0000

Wo-oh! This is my living room looking out to the dining room. Thanks to my roomie’s choice of the blue. We picked it because it feels like french country, like in the south of france. Paired with our lovely furniture selection. I’m very surprised this picture got 2 favorites on Flickr. Yes, that’s me taking the picture in a lazy summer afternoon.

Clafouti: FOUND in T.O.: a très chic french pastry on Queen West!

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:54:06 +0000

Clafouti

Amazing French Pastry shop on the Queen West in Toronto.

Remember my previous post calling for my pastry substitute in TO?

Best Pastry Place (so far) – Clafouti on 915 Queen St West
416-603-1935
Closed on Mondays. Cash Only.

I think I have found it! They have my favorite french pastry, the Clafouti! I had the Pomegranate & Raspberry Clafouti and it was as good as the fruit Clafoutis I had in Cannes.

FOUND in T.O.: a Super-duper Organic Food Supermarket!

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:32:20 +0000

Today I was doing my excursion on DanForth Street in Toronto. Suprise suprise. Without the help of internet or any referrals, I found a supermarket called “The Big Carrot“. It reminds me of the award winning development of Capers on West 4th. I immediately recognize the close resemblance to the architecture in Vancouver and I know it’s going to be an organic food supermarket!

I had a huge craving for my Miso paste for my seasoning and I found that in Big Carrot! So does my Chai Latte Milk Mix!

Best Organic Food Supermarket (so far) – Big Carrot on Danforth
348 Danforth Avenue
416-466-2129

March 10: WANTED in T.O.: My favorite spots for Coffee Shop, Pastry, Organic Food Supermarket.

After settling into the great vast city of Toronto, I am on the search to fill up the following favorite spots:

Best Coffee Shop in Vancouver – JJ Beans on Main and 16th
Best Pastry Place – Ganache on Homer St
Organic Food Supermarket – Capers on West 4th.

Now calling for the cool hang out places in T.O. Hope to explore the city and have these spots filled up.

Workout. Food. St. Jacobs in Toronto

admin — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:16:25 +0000

Food tour episode 1:

Walking on a brisk winter morning in Toronto to the Hart House’s gym, my sleepy soul was refreshed by the 30-min cardio I did, as well as the company of the infamous “Rainy Men” song.

Right after the workout, I had a craving for mushroom and my palette was indulged by this little place on Yonge St called “Not just Noodles” cafe. The price is like 70% of Vancouver’s and the food is not very oily and with little MSG.

Food tour episode 2:

Venturing to West of Toronto in the Kitchener/ Waterloo area, passing by with all the blue-chip company’s headquarters on the Highway 401, we arrived to this small town in St. Jacobs. Guess what I saw first? The first Home Hardware store in Canada.

Finished Brooms on display at the Hamel Broom.

This charming little town house the Mennonites people, which is similiar to the Amish people on the Simple Life show. Housed with many local hand crafts and art and craft stores, we came across a store called Hamel Broom just specializing on the old-fashioned brooms. Later on, we routed back to Markham and had dinner at the pretty cool cantonese style congee noodle house called the Congee Wong.