EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL: A Few Minutes With “Astrosatchel” Designer Janna Hurtzig

The Eastside Culture Crawl (November 18, 19, 20) is hands-down one of the best things about Vancouver during November. During The Crawl, painters, sculpters, jewellery designers, carvers, photographers, potters, furniture designers, glass blowers and printmakers on the eastside open their their studios to the public and the nightly vibe of the already cool-as-hell neighbourhood rises to freakin’ awesome levels. The Crawl covers the area between Terminal Avenue to Burrard Inlet between Main Street and Victoria Drive (handy map). This year there will be over 300 artists participating. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of artists to meet, so we figure it’s a good idea to meet a few of them in advance so as to better familiarise ourselves (and yourselves) with what to expect. First up:  Janna Hurtzig of Astrosatchel.

“Inspired by nature, the Astrosatchel label combines Scandinavian design, Asian pop culture influences and a Canadian cottage feel”. Janna is the driving force behind the iconic eastside tote bags, wallets, diaper bags made from vegan friendly Naugahyde vinyl.

This year, Janna is has thrown a little bit of cashmere into the mix with her Winterluxe line of scarves, mittens, arm warmers, pillows and rugs made using recycled cashmere. Scout was familiar with the Astrosatchel totes and purses (there are more than a few of Janna’s designs floating around the Scout office), but cashmere? It didn’t take much more than a mention of the word paired with Janna’s reputation as a stylin’ seamstress to send us snooping through her eastside studio.  Here’s what we found out…

Three things about Railtown that makes it so awesome: “It seems everyone down here is creative in some manner, so there’s lots of people to draw on for their talents and input. It seems everyone feels a high level of community, which always makes things better. I enjoy working here, and find the semi-industrialness of the area inspiring.”

How many years have you participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl? This is my 7th Eastside Culture Crawl, and it gets better every year.

Three words you would use to describe the ECC to someone who had never attended: Eclectic. Creative. Voyeurism.

What are you most excited to be working on right now? I’m excited to be working on my Winterluxe recycled cashmere line. Sourcing the sweaters is always fun because I never know what I’m going to find, and I love that I can turn something that was once really nice back into something wearable again. In trying to use ‘all the good bits’, I developed my shag technique, which I’ve turned into cushions and rugs.

What inspires you? Seeing poorly designed things inspires me to make things that are better. I draw a lot of inspiration from Canadiana, retro-modern aesthetics, and vintage accessories. At the end of the day, I design for myself and my own needs, which have become more practical, yet decadent over time: my cashmere shag rug is probably my favourite thing I’ve made in ages.

What sort of music do you listen to when you work? I listen to tons of music, mostly indie bands. Sometimes I wish I could listen to two things at once. There’s so much more great music to listen to online through sites like Spinner, Bandcamp and Grooveshark.

Why is Vancouver a good city for art? I think the sheer number of artists working in the city makes Vancouver an excellent place. Art is definitely part of our culture here.

Is there a local designer or artist that you admire above all others? I love the work that Melissa Wong (aka Mel King) is doing. I’m lucky to have some of her geometry based drawings and paintings, but whenever I see her new work, I start thinking “where could that go…” I love abstraction, so her work is something I never get tired of, which is good. I wake up looking at a large piece of hers every morning and it helps me get excited about coming to the studio and being creative.

Three places you like to take out of town guests to show off the art scene in Vancouver: My building (339 Railway) because I know all the artists here personally. This always gives a deeper level to me when I see their art. I like to take people to various arts markets, and events like Eastside Culture Crawl, or Shiny Fuzzy Muddy. Hot One Inch Action (the button trading show) is a riot. There are always lots of openings and events in Gastown, so I think hitting a couple of those is a fun way to spend an evening, and the variety keeps it interesting. I really like Catalog gallery, I always fall in love with whatever they’re showing.

OTHER INTERESTING VANCOUVERITES

GOODS: Main Street’s “Pizzeria Farina” Is Looking For A Pizzaolo To Join Their Team

Pizzeria Farina is located at 915 Main Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-681-9334 | www.pizzeriafarina.com

The GOODS from Pizzeria Farina

Vancouver, BC | Pizzeria Farina is looking to hire a new part time or full time Pizzaolo (cook). The ideal candidate would be hard working, responsible, must be a fast learner and would want to work in a small and cheerful environment. He or she must be passionnate about cooking in general and have an interest in or experience in bread making and pizza making. Candidates can forward their resumes directly to J-C Poirier at jc-poirier@hotmail.com. Learn more about the restaurant after the jump… Read more

DINER: Habit & Cascade Folks To Open New Southeast Asian Restaurant, “The Union”

by Andrew Morrison | I made mention of The Union in an “opening soon” piece for the paper many, many months ago (285 days ago to be exact), but work on it was delayed due to the typical snafus associated with brand new buildings. The restaurant, due this December (fingers crossed), is located at 219 Union St. at the foot of the new V6A building where Strathcona connects with Main St. on Union St. at the southern reach of Chinatown (next to the Jimi Hendrix shrine). The crew behind it are the same folks that brought us Habit Lounge and The Cascade further up Main, namely Nick Devine, Wendy Nicolay, Nigel Pike, David Nicolay and Rob Edmonds. Read more

GOODS: “Just Like Dinner At Nonna’s” Set To Return To Campagnolo On Main Street

1020 Main St | 604-484-6018 | campagnolorestaurant.ca | 1944 West 4th | 604-288-7905 | refuelrestaurant.com

The GOODS from Campagnolo and Refuel

Vancouver, BC | Just like Dinner at Nonna’s, a series of home-style Italian meals offered Tuesday nights at 6:00pm for $19, returns this fall to warm your heart, body and soul. On every Tuesday night starting October 4 and ending November 15, Main Street diners can look forward to a hearty meal made from quality seasonal ingredients sourced from local farmers and purveyors, paired with a pint of R&B Brewing Company’s finest, for an affordable price ($19) at Campagnolo. Menus after the jump… Read more

GOODS: “Pizzeria Farina” At Main & Prior Has Joined The Growing Scout Community

We’ve invited Pizzeria Farina to join our GOODS section as a recommended local business that is worth checking out. They’re now proud members of Scout, and as such we’ll be posting their news front and center and hosting a page for them on our curated list of independent goodnesses. We’d like to take this chance to thank them for their support of Scout, and for making Vancouver a more delicious place to live!

ALL THE LOCAL “GOODS”

Owners Of “This Space” At 243 Union Street Canvassing The Neighbourhood For Ideas

Well here’s an interesting concept happening just down the street from our office…

This Space is a community business project situated at 243 Union Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. Over the coming months, a series of polls will allow people to vote on the various decisions needed to start a business in This Space. From big decisions such as “What type of business?”, to simpler questions like “What art should design the walls?”, the community will help us decide every aspect of This Space. If you live, work or play near This Space, you can vote on these and other questions. We encourage comments and discussion on all related topics. Every question will be important in building a sustainable business that your community needs. If you have skills, there will be opportunities along the way to work for This Space.

Take a closer look here. Personally, I’m only interested in a restaurant that does nothing but proper risotto in many guises. Please make that happen. Thank you.

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Submissions Deadline Tomorrow For Second “This Is East Van” Photography Book

As we mentioned last month, the photobook This is East Van 2 is in the works. Tomorrow is the last day that they’ll be taking submissions, so if you’ve been kicking around the east side with your camera snapping shots of this diverse, photogenic and culturally rich neighbourhood of ours, send in your best one tonight! Get all of the details here. Read more

Seen In Vancouver #316: “The Wilder Snail” Guides Folks Through To Success In Life

As seen on the chalk sandwich board outside The Wilder Snail at Keefer and Hawkes in Strathcona.

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

BEYOND CHEDDAR: On The Rouzaire’s Brie-Like “Fougerus” From Ile-de-France

by Joe Chaput | One of the more easily recognized products in our store is the Fougerus; a soft brie-like cheese that is considered part of the Coloummiers family. Robert Rouzaire (of the Fromagerie Rouzaire) originally produced it in the 1960’s for personal use, but its popularity increased over the years to the point that it has become a huge commercial success. While Rouzaire is not a small company by any means, it is nevertheless family-run and independent, and the cheese is the end result of three generations of cheese0making and affinage.

The name Fougerus comes from the word “Fougere” which is French for “fern”. Because the fern frond is added just prior to packaging, it doesn’t impact the flavour, but it does looks pretty on top. While I’m sure it’s edible, I don’t recommend eating it.

Milk is collected daily from 25 farms in Seine & Marne, part of Ile-de-France, which is east and south of Paris. The herd is composed of around 900 Prim Holstein cattle. Natural grazing in summer and winter feeding of farm-produced hay is encouraged. All farmers are members of the Good Production Practices Charter. It takes 6 litres of milk to make one 750 gram wheel of Fougerus. Everything is done by hand, including cutting the curd, ladling the curd into the moulds, turning, flipping, and salting. After production, the cheeses are then ripened in their old underground cellars in Tournan en Brie.

The outside of the cheese has a white bloomy rind, and is distinguished by the sole fern on top. The interior is straw coloured. The pate is firmer when young, and runny when fully ripe. I personally like it when it still has that slight band of chalkiness in the center. Fougerus has earthy, almost vegetal aromas. The flavour is also vegetal, with hints of mushrooms when younger, and leaning towards turnip or cauliflower when riper. You may find it a bit saltier than other brie, with a lingering sharpness on the finish.

Fougerus is $4.50 per 100 grams, and is only sold by the quarter wheel. Enjoy it with a full-bodied chardonnay or pinot noir.

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Joe Chaput is the Cheese Editor of Scout Magazine (because of course we have a Cheese Editor!), the co-proprietor and fromager of East Hastings’ Au Petit Chavignol, a member of the Guilde des Fromagers Confrerie du Saint-Uguzon and a Red Seal-certified cook. His by-weekly column – Beyond Cheddar – deals with all things stinky, oozy, sharp, soft, creamy and delicious.

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Awesome Thing We Ate #849: A Popsicle Made With Chili, Lime And Local Cucumber

Not all popsicles are created equal, as amply evidenced by this lovely bit of business from local company Icy Fresh Pops (consumed at the Main. St. Farmer’s Market late yesterday afternoon). It was made with lime juice and zest, serrano chilies, cucumbers from Yarrow, organic cane sugar and a little salt. $4 for a popsicle is a bit of a stretch, but man did it ever taste good! We tried to take it home so we could melt it in a glass of gin, but alas…twas too hot and how could one resist licking the hell out of something like this?

EVERY AWESOME THING WE ATE

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