Le Souk C’est Chic
December 14th, 2011
Last weekend was a busy one – visits with family, visits with friends, errands, and a few spectacular craft shows: Puces Pop and Souk@SAT.
After exchanging some Christmas cookies and helping my mom get her Christmas tree, then grabbing a little brunch at L’Avenue, we headed over to Puces Pop to visit my dear friend Bess at her English Muffin kiosk. It was, as usual, a bit of a mad fun-house and it was great to see that things was humming! Her prints and gorgeous calendar were out for all to see and she had even made a special little spot on her table for the first printed issue of Pure Green Magazine. Unfortunately, we were running short on time and I also wanted to pay a visit to my dear friend Rachel who was working over at Souk, so we weren’t able to do the full Puces Pop tour I’m accustomed to. (If I had known that Souk was open until 9pm, we definitely would have lingered for longer – something to keep in mind for next time.)
It was my first time at Souk@SAT, although not for lack of trying in the past. We arrived after nightfall and it was lovely – from the warm moody lighting and identical display tables that were grouped by theme to the smooth check-out, it felt like a carefully thought out, well-oiled machine. Since I last mentioned Rachel and her fabulous jewellery studio Brazen Design, she’s been really busy. She partnered up with her real-life partner Aaron and together they set up a totally new studio called Blisscraft&Brazen. Talent runs deep in that family! Their table was beautiful – we scooped up some gorgeous salad servers and a perfect shallow little salt dish. We had to hold ourselves back from the beautiful jewellery, tealight holders, bookmarks, necklace trees and holiday ornaments… gotta leave something for next time! To see a full set of Souk photos, check out the lovely and talented Rosy Outlook’s great collection here.
photo: rosy outlook
We wandered around the tables, admiring all the work and sampling delicious wares (hello, chocolate-orange-infused caramel!) and stumbled upon what was definitely my most memorable find of the day: Kimberly Fletcher. I spent a full 15 minutes oohing and aahing over her gorgeous work before I realized that money wasn’t going to fall out of the ceiling and allow me to buy everything on her table. Kimberly explained that she had recently struck out on her own after working for other designers for years – and with good reason. I loved every piece, but was particularly smitten with her mini messenger bag and her leather-and-canvas bag from her summer collection. I’m hoping I can save up for one of my own someday. Truly beautiful work, Kimberly!
I wish that was my hand… sigh.
photo: rosy outlook
Montreal, as seen by A Little Relish
November 14th, 2011
I’m a born and bred Montrealer. I love this town. I come from an era where Mile End was mostly inhabited by Hasidics and immigrants (including my family). I remember when Boulevard St-Laurent was populated with mom-and-pop shops, when the Champlain bridge had tollbooths, when there was no blue metro line, when Île-Ste-Hélène had an aquarium, when Westmount had a movie theater. Montreal’s come a long way since then – some good, some bad. Thankfully, some things never change… St-Viateur Bagel is still the same, albeit with a few more flavoured cream cheeses in their fridge.
Montreal is my favourite. It is constantly re-inventing itself: welcoming new people, saying goodbye to others, eternally broke and falling apart, yet always a wellspring of thriving artistic and cultural expression. I love it when people come here and fall in love with its beauty and disparities. Chantelle Grady is a talented stylist and graphic designer who recent relocated to Montreal from Brisbane; she is also the author of A Little Relish, a charming online mag that allows her to combine her skills and express her love of all things food (and allows me to continue to culture my obsession for all things food – thank-you, Chantelle).
Last night I was working late and Chantelle tweeted that her new issue was out. I had been looking forward to it, because this issue is all about Montreal – and I was not disappointed. From her favourite café roundups to the markets to a few quintessential Montreal must-eats, her photography and design capture this amazing city wonderfully. There are recipes I can’t wait to try (hello, roasted tomato soup!), and I wasn’t surprised in the least to see my dear friend Marie-Ève featured beautifully and representin’!
One thing I’ve noticed about Montreal tributes and guides is that some hoods like NDG tends to fall to the wayside a little too often… Perhaps I’ll have to put my own rudimentary tribute together one day.
All in all, a beautiful tribute to your new hometown, Chantelle! I can really appreciate how much work you put into A Little Relish – it’s beautiful, and a treat to read. Looking forward to the next issue… with relish.
