Publication date: May 28, 2008 Publication: Vue Weekly Shhh … I want to tell you about my favourite lunchtime bargain. One day I joined a group of guys I work with for lunch. I jumped in the car not knowing where I was going; I was surprised when we arrived at the Italian Bakery on 97th street. I’m sure that like me you’ve driven by the totally random Italian bakery in the middle of Chinatown a million times. What was funny was that even though I am a sucker for bakeries and I frequent a number of Asian restaurants in the area, I had never been to this Italian bakery. READ MORE: http://www.vueweekly.com/italian_bakery/

Publication date: May 15, 2008 Publication: Vue Weekly Those who frequent the Saturday Old Strathcona farmer’s market are probably already well aware of Charlene Davis’ Gourmet Granola. Those of you who have been hibernating at home on Saturday mornings, though, need  to get out of bed and smell the freshly baked granola. Tucked into a corner table with as many free samples as blue-and-silver bags, it’s a delicious staple of the weekly event. Gourmet Granola started in 2004 when Davis was trying the South Beach diet with her husband. (She hated it.) In her efforts to find something other than bacon and eggs for breakfast, she experimented and created a healthy granola option. In October of that year she decided to run for City Council and wanted to get into the farmer’s market to set up a table as an opportunity to talk to people. Since she needed to sell something in order to set up a booth, she decided to bag her homemade granola. READ MORE: http://www.vueweekly.com/gourmet_granola/