‘It’s even more spectacular than I’d imagined,’ I exclaim to Jess as we ascend into the fourth storey loft. ‘Isn’t it?’, she replies with a grin. In front of us, the space is filled with hundreds of bridal gowns. Row upon row. Lustrous. Lacy. Satiny. Sheer. Playful. Elegant. Every shade of white and off-white. Absolutely gorgeous – the lot of them. And yet Jess and I aren’t focused on the dresses at all, but have our sights fixed instead on a scene set further afield.
‘Can I ask you guys a question?’, our server queries as TOQUE Partner Cai Sepulis and I begin to stretch another lunch into early afternoon pints. We look up from our drinks – Bellwood’s Jutsu Citra Pale Ale for Cai and Elora’s Borealis Citra Pale Ale for myself – and stare quizzically at her. ‘What do you both do?’ Before we can answer, she elaborates:
I know these city blocks like the back of my hand, I murmur to myself as I turn down another alleyway – furtively searching for an undercover entrance to an underground world. After all, I grew up in this town. I was raised here, went to school here, and found drama and delight on these very downtown streets.
ONE COULD SAY THAT DARRYL WATTY EMBODIES THE PRIME CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE AGENT. ATTITUDE. DILIGENCE. AND THE RIGHT TYPE OF HUSTLE. HE BELIEVES THAT HIS MISSION IS TO EMPOWER HIS CLIENTS WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE SMART JUDGEMENTS AND SHREWD CHOICES ABOUT HOMES, REAL ESTATE, AND HOME IMPROVEMENT – BECAUSE ANY PURCHASE IN THIS REALM IS A LIFESTYLE DECISION.
When Romy Schill and her husband Ryan took over Ryan’s grandparents’ farm some twelve years ago, they had lofty aspirations: to transform the place into a sheep farm that would some day have one thousand ewes. ‘Back then,’ Romy notes as we walk through fields covered in freshly fallen snow towards the main barn, ‘we had only about two dozens ewes.’ She stops, turns to me, and adds: ‘Today we’ve got eight hundred here at Circle R.’
‘This popcorn chicken is awesome,’ my TOQUE Partner Chris exclaims before popping another one into his mouth. ‘And the fish and chips are fantastic, too.’ I look over at Chris and note that he’s managed to squirrel most of the dishes close to his side of the table. I let it slide. At least I’ve still got the Thai noodle bowl in front of me. Along with a tall can of Wellington’s ‘Kickin’ Back’ IPA.
IT’S NO SECRET THAT WE’VE BEEN HUGE FANS OF WILLIBALD FARM DISTILLERY SINCE THE DAYS THE BOYS OPENED SHOP. INDEED, WE FEATURED THE THEN-FLEDGLING BUSINESS IN THE INAUGURAL ISSUE OF TOQUE, AND THEN PUT THEM ON THE COVER A YEAR LATER WHEN THEY OPENED THEIR RESTAURANT. NOW WILLIBALD’S EXPANDING THEIR BUSINESS AGAIN – TO INCLUDE CRAFT BREWING IN THEIR OPERATIONS.
‘I can’t believe you’re sitting with your back to the dining room,’ Liz remarks with incredulity once the hostess has left us to our devices at a four-seater in a manifestly desirable corner of this lavish space. Liz knows me well; that is, as someone who usually delights in the pastime of people-watching whenever we go out to eat – my back always to the wall.
IF YOU’VE NEVER TAKEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT DANA SHORTT GOURMET AND GIFTS ON BRIDGEPORT IN WATERLOO, IT’S HIGH TIME YOU MAKE THE TRIP. FROM READY-MADE AND PACKAGED MEALS (INCLUDING ‘NEW PARENTS RESCUE’ AND ‘THINKING OF YOU’ MEAL PACKAGES) TO CONFECTIONARIES AND GROCERIES (‘AGED CHEDDAR + CAYENNE SHORTBREAD’ AND ‘BLACK MISSION FIG BALSAMIC VINEGAR’, ANYONE?) TO GIFTS (‘THE PAIN RELIEVER’ AND ‘LITTLE SPROUT’ GIFT BASKETS ARE ALWAYS A HIT), DANA SHORTT HAS MUCH TO OFFER – NOT TO MENTION A WEBSITE THAT’S FILLED WITH FANTASTIC RECIPES, INCLUDING DIRECTIONS FOR ‘WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO’, ‘TOFU WITH LEEKS AND PEANUT SAUCE’, ‘BANANA CREAM PIE’, AND MORE.
‘Don’t forget the Nutella,’ Sonia remarks when she sees me jotting our grocery list into my trusty Field Notes. She doesn’t mean just any Nutella though, but the good stuff — the one made in Italy, much thicker and nuttier compared to the American-made version. There aren’t many places around these parts that carry it. Vincenzo’s in Waterloo is one of them, and I’m happy for any excuse to pick up another jar – and to visit this most amazing Uptown grocer.
‘It’s pretty badass, really,’ I remark to my TOQUE co-pilot, Cai Sepulis, ‘that they would put something so seemingly commonplace on their menu.’ My eyes fix on the sandwich plated in front of me. It’s a plain and simple thing, to be sure. Bologna. Sauerkraut. A slice of cheese and some yellow mustard. All pressed together on a grill between the halves of a plain white burger bun.
Travel tends to sharpen taste. It introduces new ideas, uncovers unforeseen obsessions, and offers the occasional epiphany – nudging your sense of beauty and your grasp of craftsmanship in new directions. For Ryan LeClair, founder of Makoto Watch Company out of London, Ontario, it was travel – and specifically a trip to Japan – that transformed his infatuation with watch collecting into his initiation of a brand built on craft, restraint, and everyday practicality.
Almost nothing we carry defines us more clearly than the books in our bags: tactile objects filled with ideas and stories – testimonies to time well spent. They tag along with us, mark our days, and shape the rhythm of how we move through the world. In Uptown Waterloo, three long-standing independent bookstores – Carry-On Comics & Books (46 years young), Words Worth Books (42 years), and Old Goat Books (25 years) – offer distinct ways to build this bracket of everyday carry: a nostalgia-driven comic haven built for the thrill of discovery, a curated literary hub grounded in conversation, and a densely-packed used bookstore where the search is part of the reward. Together, these enduring fixtures map a reading life – charting not just what we read, but how we come to find it.
In my line of work – as writer, photographer, editor, regional explorer – EDC isn't a trend. It's infrastructure. Most days I'm in motion: tracing backroads toward a brewhouse, mapping my way to an artist's studio, or sliding into the corner of a coffee shop where I turn field notes into final copy and RAW files into photographs that will pop on paper. My office is wherever I set my bag down. My tools make it possible.
Stratford – and, by extension, Perth County – lends itself to takeaway. A coffee to carry, a sandwich in hand, something sweet tucked alongside – then out into the streets for window shopping, into the theatres for a performance, or down to the riverbank for a nosh.
