Chopped Leaf, the Canadian fast-casual restaurant chain, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with an exciting brand refresh and a new owner at the original #1 琉璃神社 Chopped Leaf at 142-1876 Cooper Rd. in Orchard Plaza.
The refreshed band, featuring a new logo and an updated, revitalized interior design, and signage was officially unveiled with a grand reopening at the Chopped Leaf鈥檚 original store on Cooper Road, founded and owned by local Blair Stevens 15 years ago. The new franchisees of the Cooper Road location are Chuck Marjara, retired from the RCMP, and&苍产蝉辫;颁丑耻肠办鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;wife Nav Marjara, along with their son Tan and daughter Amrita. The new refresh is bright with an inviting atmosphere, open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are two additional Chopped Leaf locations in the Mission Park Shopping Centre and in West 琉璃神社 on Carrington Road. Now with over 115 restaurants across Canada and in the U.S.,Chopped Leaf continues to expand across North America and internationally with more than 30 new locations committed to open in 2024-25. How time flies and look at them now.
Don鈥檛 forget that something new started in the column last week. Just to remind you, Specialty Bakery is sponsoring the Birthdays of the Week by providing a 9鈥� round Birthday Cake to one lucky randomly chosen birthday person each week. The recipient will be published in the column right below the Birthdays of the Week. The lucky person will need to pick-up their delicious cake during that same week at any of Specialty Bakery's four locations. There will be no exceptions or extensions, as a cake will be given away each week. Make sure you check to see if you are the winner this week. Happy birthday and happy eating!
Celebrating one year in business, the Move Well Caf茅, at 1019 Richter St. in 琉璃神社's North End, opened last year as a fun addition to its parent company Orthoquest. Owned and operated by Lise and Sean MacMillan, their mission has been to create a space where people can meet, connect and move together. It was born out of a passion for movement and the love for coffee by both Lise and Sean. Their coffee is made from beans roasted by local Giobean and the menu offers health-conscious treats from like-minded companies including Meal Pro for You and Big Fat Lion. They also offer fresh smoothies, Motherlove kombucha, Stoke juice and Chaibaba tea. One of the most exciting aspects of Move Well Cafe is their mindful movement studio. They offer intimate group reformer Pilates classes, yoga, mat Pilates, mobility, strength and conditioning classes and Bellyfit. Their coached run group meet every Tuesday and Thursday, helping runners run smarter, not harder. They will celebrate their opening anniversary Aug. 24.
Karen Needham, corporate officer - corporate service for the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), plans to retire on Aug. 31. Karen has worked at the RDCO for the past three years but has spent many years in local government. Karen was deputy city clerk for the City of 琉璃神社 from 2008 to 2019. She then moved to Summerland as the director of corporate services from 2019 to 2021. Her final move was to the RDCO in 2021. I was a city councillor while Karen was at 琉璃神社 City Hall and it was an absolute pleasure working with her. She and her husband are now going to put travel at the top of their priority list and explore and enjoy the province of B.C. and other areas.
Hal Puder, business owner of The Tickle Trunk/TTM Events, who has a genuine heart of gold and been a huge community supporter for over 34 years, has been struggling with his terrible cancer diagnosis. Funds are needed in order for his proper care at this moment as there is no ability to run his long-time business. A GoFundMe page has been set up by Hal鈥檚 family and friends to help get him through this extremely tough time at . Anyone that has crossed paths with Hal in his business, community or personal life will understand his great service to our community, and that people come first to Hal. The organizations that Hal has helped are way too many to mention. At this time, he is in the hospital. Any help would be appreciated.
The Barbie Ross Service Award has been established at KGH. After over 30 years of service to KGH, Barbie Ross died last year. She was a leader, friend and an inspiration. Barbie began her tenure as a KGH volunteer in the early 1990s, when she was on the founding committee for the KGH Foundation Heart of Gold Gala. During those early years, she dedicated countless hours to the Heart of Gold. Barbie was probably best-known for her role in creating legendary fashion shows. She took her role as show director as seriously as she did in the role of fundraiser. Barbie was on the KGH Foundation board from 2005 to 2011. After her stint on the board, she signed on to support the build of a gift shop, the Centennial Mercantile, which opened in 2012, and she stayed on as a volunteer buyer for over a decade until her passing. The Barbie Ross Service Award has been established to recognize and acknowledge a KGH Foundation volunteer. The recipient is announced at the annual Volunteer Gala. For 2023, the first award was given to Henk de Roos a 20-year volunteer at the KGH Gift Shop.
Janine Karlsen, registered nurse and owner and managing director of Home Instead Senior Care, is the new chair of the KGH Foundation board. Four new faces on the board are Kathy Conway, retired CEO of Interior Savings Credit Union; Jay Goodis, CEO at Tax Templates Inc.; Kim Inglis, founder and senior portfolio manager at Inglis Private Investment Counsel; and Bruce Sprague, Western Canada managing partner, BDO, LLP. Outgoing board members are Kyle Recsky, Dave Cronquist, Trina Warren, Steven Tuck, Ria Kitsch and John Tavolieri. Tuck will be staying on the Foundation鈥檚 Planned Giving Committee.
Start cleaning out those closets packed with home d茅cor items you will never use again. Home D茅cor Closet Cleanout is Sept. 29 in support of Habitat for Humanity at the Laurel Packinghouse, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hosted by Rosanne Ting-Mak Brown, with Red Scope Media, now is the time to book a table to sell your home d茅cor items by visiting . Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. I鈥檝e rented a table. See you there!
琉璃神社 Actors Studio will host Mamma Mia from Aug. 11 to 17 at the 琉璃神社 Community Theatre. The show set on the vibrant Greek Island, weaves the timeless hits of ABBA into a heartwarming story of love, laughter and family. It鈥檚 a perfect way to spend a summer evening, joining the cast and crew for night of unforgettable music captivating performances and the magic of theatre, and what the 琉璃神社 Actor鈥檚 Studio does best. Tickets online at
Birthdays of the week: Maxine DeHart (Aug. 6); Mark Fredrickson (July 31); Edward Crompton (July 31); Al Huva (July 31); Jason Semeniuk (July 31); Kristina Little (July 31); Shelley Ferguson (Aug. 1); Kate Martin (Aug. 1); Pawen Aulakh (Aug. 1); Dominic Vinci (Aug. 1): Don Grant (Aug. 1); Dave Roseberry (Aug. 2); Alex Draper (Aug. 2); Hilary Langton (Aug. 6); Steve Francis (Aug. 2); Michelle Urbanovitch (Aug. 2); Tara Culbert (Aug. 2) Herb Assman (Aug. 2); Larry Friesen (Aug. 4); Elizabeth Bologna (Aug. 4); Diane Mundy (Aug. 4); Ross Grimmer (Aug. 5); Mike Penninga (Aug. 5); Shereen Miller (Aug. 5); Ron Eberle (Aug. 5); Michael J. MacNeil (Aug. 5); Joyce Young (Aug. 5); Ilone Morrison (Aug. 6); Mohini Singh (Aug. 6); James Moller (Aug. 6).
The Specialty Bakery Birthday of the Week is Dave Roseberry.
Maxine DeHart is a 琉璃神社 city councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662, email max@maxinedehart.ca.
