Here’s a riddle for you. When is The Sarnia Journal not covering the news? Answer: When it’s covering the walls at Trend Visions hair salon. Local stylist Emily Schrader decided to spruce up the aesthetics room and washroom where she works and had a lot of challenges to overcome. “The walls were a big plaster… Read more »
Ken Dunn is a character; a fun-loving, wisecracking adventurer who just happens to love cooking. “It’s simple and it’s entertaining,” says Dunn, who has worked at a huge list of restaurants over the past 40 years. He’s helped open countless diners, shown new owners the ropes, operated his own restaurants and even earned his way… Read more »
Ups N’ Downs, one of downtown Sarnia’s busiest restaurants and nightspots, is about to undergo a major expansion and renovation. The work will be done in stages beginning this fall, says co-owner John Mallon. “It’s an exciting time to be in this business. It’s evolving and we either have to adapt or die,” he said…. Read more »
Like many chefs, Josh Gadd got his first taste of restaurant life slugging it out as a dishwasher. “I didn’t even apply for the job,” he said. Gadd was only 14 when the phone rang and chef Alastair Mackay asked him if he would be interested in washing dishes for his upscale restaurant. That’s when… Read more »
Eighteen-year-old Luke Habel loves reptiles and wants others to learn about the mysteries of enjoying and caring for them. Habel, a graduate this spring from LCCVI in Petrolia, has a houseful of 17 bearded dragons, geckos and a few ball pythons. His most prized reptile is a seven-year-old iguana named Mojo that he rescued two… Read more »
The inaugural Dinner in White Bluewater brought a touch of elegance to Sarnia’s waterfront last week. About 180 diners got together to break bread and sip wine to the sounds of live jazz on the terrace at First Sarnia Place. And, yes, they really did all wear white. Dinner in White originated in Paris 25… Read more »
Local dentist Dr. Michael Rocca is all about expansion this summer. He is expanding his Wallaceburg practice to Point Edward and he’s designed and built a clinic that has room to grow. On May 26, he opened a 4,000-square-foot dental clinic on the northwest corner of Michigan and Front streets, where Milano’s restaurant once stood…. Read more »
Sarnia’s Lynne Cotton has never been able to figure out why more women don’t become professional chefs. “Male or female, if you love doing your job then it shouldn’t matter,” says the 46-year-old head chef at Paddy Flaherty’s Irish Pub. “Women are certainly just as capable in the kitchen as men. Obviously, it’s women who… Read more »
Montreal native Steve Tanguay was working in Germany when he got a phone call to become head chef at Maison St. Aubin, a fine dining restaurant serving French cuisine in Sarnia’s north end. He was 21. “I had zero English and I’d never heard of Sarnia,” Tanguay recalls. “I arrived with my car and two… Read more »
One of central Sarnia’s grand old mansions is being restored by a local realtor with an innovative leasing concept in mind. Mary Ann Raaymakers bought the imposing red brick house at 329 Mackenzie St. in March and launched a $200,000 renovation with the help of local contractor Jordan Parker. “This is a house with good… Read more »
