Little Qualicum Cheeseworks in Parksville, B.C., has Canada’s first milk tap. (Photo by Katie Friess)
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks in Parksville, B.C., has Canada’s first milk tap. (Photo by Katie Friess)
Becky Young converted a 23-foot 1999 international Thomas school bus with her husband, Gary Eichenauer. Young is the executive director of Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). (Photo by Gary Eichenauer)
Becky Young converted a 23-foot 1999 international Thomas school bus with her husband, Gary Eichenauer. Young is the executive director of Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). (Photo by Gary Eichenauer)
Terry Johal portrait by Lia Crowe photography

Of house and home

Terry Johal builds luxury houses while maintaining an family-first ethic

  • Jul 10, 2023
Terry Johal portrait by Lia Crowe photography
Karnail Singh Sidhu started making wine at Kalala Organic Estate Winery in 2006 before opening the doors to the public in 2008. (Brittany Webster)

From engineer to winemaker, an Okanagan success story

Sidhu moved from India to the Okanagan with his family in 1993

  • Jul 9, 2023
Karnail Singh Sidhu started making wine at Kalala Organic Estate Winery in 2006 before opening the doors to the public in 2008. (Brittany Webster)
Silvia and Franz Laffer (middle), with their family Selina, Everly and Kyle Staples (L) and Aletta, Minette, Florian and Sebastian Laffer (R). The Laffer’s own Sunshine Ranch in Horsefly, B.C. Their children and grandchildren live nearby. (Kim Kimberlin Photo/Black Press)
Silvia and Franz Laffer (middle), with their family Selina, Everly and Kyle Staples (L) and Aletta, Minette, Florian and Sebastian Laffer (R). The Laffer’s own Sunshine Ranch in Horsefly, B.C. Their children and grandchildren live nearby. (Kim Kimberlin Photo/Black Press)
Stephanie Brown portrait - Lia Crowe photograph

Life, style etc. with Stephanie Brown

Lise Brown Cosmetics partner offers a boutique experience

  • Jul 7, 2023
Stephanie Brown portrait - Lia Crowe photograph
French Canadian sommelier Marie-Eve Arseneault started Smithereens Mushrooms with her husband, French chef Alexis Galus. (Photo by Smithereens Mushroom)

A sommelier and chef head to northern B.C. to grow mushrooms

Mushroom growers turn personal consumption into commercial operation in Smithers, B.C.

French Canadian sommelier Marie-Eve Arseneault started Smithereens Mushrooms with her husband, French chef Alexis Galus. (Photo by Smithereens Mushroom)
Copper Mountain Lavender is located in Blewett, B.C., a village west of Nelson. (Photo by Rebecca Plaine)

A planting party outside of Nelson turns one lavender plant into 7,000

Rebecca Plaine of Copper Mountain Lavender says there’s no stress when smelling the fields

Copper Mountain Lavender is located in Blewett, B.C., a village west of Nelson. (Photo by Rebecca Plaine)
Actor Chelsea Hobbs - Portrait photography by Lia Crowe

In the limelight

Chelsea Hobbs embraces her many roles—as an actor and a mother

  • Jul 5, 2023
Actor Chelsea Hobbs - Portrait photography by Lia Crowe
Bob Shoker of Shoker Farms in his strawberry fields on Unsworth Road in Chilliwack. (Jenna Hauck/ Black Press Media)

‘You can’t get fresher than that’: Strawberries, field to stand in 20 minutes

Shoker Farms has been in Chilliwack since 1975 and strawberries are their specialty

Bob Shoker of Shoker Farms in his strawberry fields on Unsworth Road in Chilliwack. (Jenna Hauck/ Black Press Media)
George Housty II (L), with his mother, Faye Housty, harvested kelp off the coast of Bella Bella, B.C. Herring also deposit their eggs on hemlock branches, pictured in this photo. (Photo by William Housty)
George Housty II (L), with his mother, Faye Housty, harvested kelp off the coast of Bella Bella, B.C. Herring also deposit their eggs on hemlock branches, pictured in this photo. (Photo by William Housty)
May 16, 2023 - Chiara Sulyok from Alair Homes photographed for S & L for BLVD CI at Pipers lagoon park in Nanaimo.. Don Denton photo

Secrets and Lives with Chiara Sulyok

“You should never put limits on your dreams.”

  • Jul 3, 2023
May 16, 2023 - Chiara Sulyok from Alair Homes photographed for S & L for BLVD CI at Pipers lagoon park in Nanaimo.. Don Denton photo
Lia Crowe photograph - Choir

All together now

The feel-good power of singing in a choir

  • Jun 30, 2023
Lia Crowe photograph - Choir
Portrait of Green party MLA Sonia Furstenau by Lia Crowe photographer

Secrets and Lives with Sonia Furstenau

A deep love of the West Coast

  • Jun 28, 2023
Portrait of Green party MLA Sonia Furstenau by Lia Crowe photographer
In this undated photo, bottlenose dolphins swim in open waters off Sarasota Bay, Florida. Photo taken under NMFS MMPA Permit No. 20455 issued to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. A new study has found that female bottlenose dolphins change how they vocalize when addressing their calves. (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program via AP)

Dolphin moms use baby talk to call to their young, recordings show

You know instantly when someone is speaking to an infant or small…

In this undated photo, bottlenose dolphins swim in open waters off Sarasota Bay, Florida. Photo taken under NMFS MMPA Permit No. 20455 issued to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. A new study has found that female bottlenose dolphins change how they vocalize when addressing their calves. (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program via AP)
Principal Scientist Denise Cecil retrieves supplies while working at UW Medicine's Cancer Vaccine Institute Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Seattle. Vaccines under development at UW Medicine are designed to work for many patients, not just a single patient. Tests are underway in early and advanced breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Some results may come as soon as next year. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine

The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine. After…

Principal Scientist Denise Cecil retrieves supplies while working at UW Medicine's Cancer Vaccine Institute Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Seattle. Vaccines under development at UW Medicine are designed to work for many patients, not just a single patient. Tests are underway in early and advanced breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Some results may come as soon as next year. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Pianist and composer Martin Mayer - handout photo

Secrets and Live and the 7 Sins with Martin Mayer

Pianist and composer releases new album, The Solo Piano Collection

  • Jun 26, 2023
Pianist and composer Martin Mayer - handout photo
FILE - This Tuesday, April 3, 2018 file photo shows a closeup of a beam scale in New York. High-dose oral versions of the medication in the weight-loss drug Wegovy may work as well as injections at paring pounds and improving health, including hard-to-treat people with diabetes, according to research released Sunday, June 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

No more needles? A daily pill may work as well as Wegovy shots to treat obesity

What if treating obesity could be as easy as popping an effective…

FILE - This Tuesday, April 3, 2018 file photo shows a closeup of a beam scale in New York. High-dose oral versions of the medication in the weight-loss drug Wegovy may work as well as injections at paring pounds and improving health, including hard-to-treat people with diabetes, according to research released Sunday, June 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
Actor Greyston Holt. Photography Kristine Cofsky

Acting on instinct

Greyston Holt balances the bright lights with island life

  • Jun 23, 2023
Actor Greyston Holt. Photography Kristine Cofsky
Portrait of Glowbal CEO Emad Yacoub. Photography by Lia Crowe

Top of the food chain

Glowbal CEO Emad Yacoub is passionate, deliberate and hands-on when it comes to running his highly successful group of restaurants

  • Jun 21, 2023
Portrait of Glowbal CEO Emad Yacoub. Photography by Lia Crowe