An Artistic Adventure Through Greece with Marina Khajetoorian

The heated days of a Grecian getaway climb and fall with ancestral beauty; burning with secrets from eras past, etched in age with epic verse, dumbfounding with archaeological mystery. Having jet and boated across the grandeur of Greece, interior designer Marina Khajetoorian is now one with Greek art, allowing her to fuse her illustrious firm, MK Interior Designs, with enhanced artistic design plans for your home.

From its rocky inclines, ships speck ocean vistas as Doric columns dot villages scarcely trodden by tourists’ feet. Sculptures and sketches, pottery and frameworks flourish and flabbergast with romantic influences, inspired by revolutionary apotheosis and the Bronze Age born on the island of Crete. Read more

Make the SmartChoice with a Mortgage That Moves

SAL D’ANGELO Broker Licence No. M08000186 SMARTCHOICE MORTGAGES INC. FSCO Broker Licence No. 10610

Finding the home of your dreams can be exciting, but it’s a life-long investment that involves a careful examination of the health of the economy, the state of interest rates, and how many years it will take to pay off a mortgage.

Without having to get off your seat, Sal D’Angelo will lift you through this decision-making process.

A broker with more than two decades of experience, D’Angelo, owner of SmartChoice Mortgages Inc., offers the advantageous mobile mortgage and rates as low as 2.65 for a five-year variable, in an economy with interests rates at a generational low. “SmartChoice Mortgages will come to your place of business or home so you don’t have to go to your local bank,” explains D’Angelo. “We have 30 lenders that we deal with, Read more

Mideastro: Spice up your taste buds with the latest fusion restaurant.

There’s something about Mideastro – it’s air thick with culture and elegance, it’s atmosphere saturated with downtown cool. Tucked away on a quiet street just north of Toronto, every visitor is whisked away on a romantic Italian journey, floated through the Mediterranean Sea and landed on the eastern shores of Israel. A place where East meets West, Mideastro isn’t your proverbial restaurant but an opportunity to delve into the mysterious and complex twists and tastes of flavours hailing from influential world-class cuisines, which bubble and melt like a dream on your palate.

A powerhouse when it comes to offering the local dining scene something a little more than the ordinary, Mideastro flexes with versatility. Its subdued décor of flickering candles soothes you, the syncopation of classical jazz from a live band Read more

The Big Cheese

Sprinkled on a green, healthful salad, served as an hors d’oeuvres, warmed on a French stick or savoured as a dessert, goat cheese turns every celebration from blah to bold. With its distinctively creamy, sharp taste resounding on the palates of party-goers and soiree hosts with the most, goat cheese has over the years become a table favourite; a special guest star. Onto the red carpet rolls Celebrity International Goat Cheese with Cranberry and Cinnamon, a freshly festive delicacy bursting with warmth and surging with bodied flavour. Made in Canada using the premier milk of soybean-fed goats, Celebrity shines on its own or when complemented with a robust glass of red wine and spread across crunchy crackers. Introduced by Canadian Food and Restaurant Association member Finica Food Specialties Ltd., the contrasting sweetness of the Canadian cranberries marries nicely with the tartness Read more

A Breath of Fresh Air: Bellaria Residences

With crossed gold keys pinned to the lapel of his uniform, a courteous Les Clefs d’Or concierge greets me warmly with a smile and a sweep of his hands. “Welcome to Bellaria Residences, my name is Vic Geiger,” says the experienced curator, as a swanky syncopation of jazz drifts through a stunning atrium of marbled floors, stoned walls, gleaming glass and artistic expressions of the Renaissance. “It’s a lifestyle that is very pleasing, because you walk in and you feel like you’re welcomed home,” says longtime sales representative Frances Chetti.

In just a few steps, the expectations of a boutique condominium complex set in suburbia are surpassed, as the extravagance of a European hotel unfolds. “I feel like I’m waking up in The Ritz-Carlton every morning,” gushes a resident as she heads to the private women’s changing room adjacent to a Read more

You Decide

We are what we do, said a wise Aristotle; so let’s acquaint ourselves with the consequences of our existence. Navigate through the environmental calamities affecting our world and discover the impenetrable connection between the planet’s poor health and how we choose to live. Read more

The Slow Fashion Movement

If we are what we eat, then what do our clothes say about ourselves? With runway looks reproduced at a record breaking pace for fashion meccas such as H & M and Old Navy, we are constantly buying short-lived pieces that appeal to our trend-setting agendas. Just as fast food quells those on-the-go, fast fashion satiates our appetites with quick fixes to a Saturday night out. These cheap and chic garments, made from non-recyclable materials and sprayed with toxic pesticides, are not just harming our well-being, but plaguing the environment with waste. Thanks to eco-conscious designers creating stylish wear and accessories from natural and renewable fabrics such as bamboo, a solution to consumerism exists. With the Slow Fashion Movement quickly finding its place on the fashion scene, concerned consumers should consider investing in classic, locally made pieces made with care and thoughtful beginnings. Read more

Anne Geddes: A Living Inspiration for a Better Tomorrow

Recognized as the world’s most famous baby photographer, Anne Geddes doesn’t just capture the first moments of a baby’s life, but reveals that we should treat our fragile environment with love and protection – just as we do our little ones.

April showers bring Mayflowers, which bloom from the Earth’s dark breast as the sun’s embrace heals the clinch of winter’s cold. And while the quiet fire of spring unleashes quaint gardens and the birds’ chorus serenades a blushing sunrise, at times the seasons may hesitate their course. “The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda once said: ‘They can cut all the flowers, but they can’t stop the spring,’” recalls celebrated artist Anne Geddes. As the world’s most prolific baby photographer, she sets to work in a surprisingly quiet photography studio, set in Sydney, Australia. Yet as her precious models drift to sleep against fluffs of supple cotton, Read more

Delicious Breads that rise to the Challenge

Villa Di Manno Bakery’s Rob Mendicino, vice president, and Joe Di Manno, president.

In all of its various forms and textures, bread has been hailed by countless cultures across the world as a highly respected source of nourishment. Emerging in the Neolithic era, rising from the depths of ancient Egyptian tombs, and playing a pivotal role in the Bible, bread is one of the world’s oldest prepared foods. It represented life, sustenance in its simplest form. Today, its uses are infinite. Its purpose is a matter of taste, something to be enjoyed. Whether you like taking in the aroma or savouring its flavour, the presence of bread is always comforting. “Dipping a piece of Calabrese bread in some olive oil and balsamic, with a little bit of cheese and a glass of Amarone – it doesn’t get any better than that,” reveals Joe Di Manno.

Since his teenage years working in the family business, Joe has always loved bread – not just eating it, but selling it. Today, he is the president of Villa Di Manno Bakery, a full-service manufacturing and wholesale establishment that delivers its delicious products across southern Ontario and the U.S. With its wide variety of bread products and highly anticipated Omega 3-enriched Read more

A Traditional Touch

Sicilia Bakery owners Maria Fata and Lina Segreti.

Harkening back to days where traditions reigned, a respected bakery tucked away in a remote location has hungry clients searching for the one place in Woodbridge where customary Sicilian fare tastes just like the real thing. “I had one customer driving around for an hour, going in and out of driveways until she found us,” says Maria Fata of Sicilia Bakery. And when any client walks through its doors, it’s well worth the trip.

The waft of delicious treats greets you as you enter, stimulating your taste buds and transporting you to the beauty and culture of Sicily’s best. And while hot meals, breads, sweet table-style cakes and tortes, creamy inis, cannoli, and vitamin E-rich torrone surround you, there’s no doubt you’ll want to take a piece of Sicily home with you. “My clients enjoy our sweets, especially our torrone, Read more

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