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The Vancouver International Dance Festival (VIDF) is back, running from March 12 – March 21 at various venues around town.

Part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad this year, performances from Kokoro Dance, Kitt Johnson (from Denmark), Flamenco Rosario and Bill “Crutchmaster” Shannon — who incorporates house and hip hop dance forms with skateboard culture — are among the many you can take in during the festival. Click here to buy tickets.

And on another note, happy happy 10th anniversary, VIDF!

V.I.A.’s Home Grown features only the most awesome companies in Vancouver. From tiny, single-person operations to the big players, we profile our favourite businesses and interview their owners.

Charm Modern Thai Established 2008 www.charmmodernthai.com

Charm Modern Thai, a Yaletown Thai food joint, is big on keeping its dishes authentic to the homeland, meaning no ketchup Pad Thai is anywhere to be found.

The modern décor is cool, the staff is charming (naturally!) and the Crispy Prawn Wontons, Tom Kha Lobster Bisque and Coconut Cream Scallops are about the most awesome Thai bits of deliciousness to ever hit your mouth.

We sat down with Charm’s proprietor, Desmond, for a few questions…
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If you’re around Main Street on February 10th between 6pm and 9pm, be sure to stop by CSA Space to check out the opening of local artist and photographer Johann Groebner’s “Fables of the Reconstruction” paintings.

Ladies (and gents) planning their upcoming nuptials better circle January 30 into their wedding agenda.

The Grassroots Wedding Fair runs that day from 10:30am – 6pm at Heritage Hall on Main and 15th, showing people how they can throw a dream — yet green — wedding using green businesses, local artisans and super cool, DIY concepts.

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It’s a given that us Vancouver folk are big time sushi fans. We all have our usual haunts, of course: Tanpopo, Alfa on Richards, Yuji’s, Sushi Bar on W.4th, Toshi on Main and 16th….

But have you tried Miku on West Hastings between Burrard and Thurlow? If not, you haven’t lived.

This restaurant — which has a killer outdoor patio for the summertime — is the first in Vancouver with its own signature style sushi called Aburi. So what is that exactly? Think fresh sushi made from local and organic ingredients infused with savory sauces and lightly seared with a blowtorch. Yep, you heard right: blowtorch. It blew my mind the first time I tried it. Soy sauce is M.I.A. at Miku, mainly because it messes with the Aburi sushi flavour (but if you really want your Kikkoman, the staff will give it to you). Plus the chefs greet you with a hearty “Irashaimase!” (translation: “Welcome!”) when you walk in, which is pretty fun, too.

Miku is celebrating its first anniversary with a special Omakase (which in Japanese means “it’s up to you”, meaning you leave the chef to create something innovative) menu running until November 22nd, created by owner and Executive Chef Seigo Nakamura.

I highly suggest getting some Aburi in your life!!

Vancouverite Geoff Vreeken, an expat from the marketing industry, recently founded Homeless Copywriter, a site that generously collects money for the Covenant House, an organization that serves as a street habilitation group for youth.

During the process, Geoff discovered young professionals like us – aged 25 to 40 – rarely donate to charity. Yet we’re so fortunate to have an education, resources, and support to fall back on when something bad does happen.

Come by Fortune Sound Club on November 19 at 6pm to support a great cause!

Driving back downtown this a.m. from an early morning Deep Cove hike, my litttle eye spied none other than The Mystery Machine, parked outside a Northshore home.

Has anyone seen The Mystery Machine around town before? And more importantly, Scooby-Doo, where are you?!

V.I.A.’s Home Grown features only the most awesome companies in Vancouver. From tiny, single-person operations to the big players, we profile our favourite businesses and interview their owners.

Chambar Established 2004 www.chambar.com

Chambar has very quickly become one of Vancouver’s favorite restaurants since opening in September 2004, thanks to its scrumptious menu (oh, the Congolaise Moule Frites!) and its long, admirable list of Belgian brews.

Founders Karri and Nico Schuermans continue to make a mark on the local restaurant and food scene with Caffe Medina, located right next to Chambar (and infamous for being lined up on weekends for those hot skillet brunches). The husband-and-wife team also recently cut ribbon on The Dirty Apron Cooking School, headed by former Chambar Sous-Chef, David Robertson.

So we at V.I.A. raise our glasses to the Schuermans and Chambar for helping make Vancouver the culinary capital it’s becoming today!

We got Karri and Nico to answer a few questions… Read more

The awesome folks over at Lifetime Collective are giving away $100 online store credit for new Fall ‘09 gear to one lucky V.I.A. reader!

All you have to do is sign up for their newsletter, then email us your  name and contact info to may@vancouverisawesome.com.

We’ll select a victor at random next Friday, October 16 and give him or her a holler to collect their winnings.

Good luck, everyone!

Holy schnike! This afternoon I drove by the Esso at Burrard and 4th Ave., and what should greet my eyes?

Gas going for 99 cents (okay, 99.9 cents)  a litre!!!

I can’t remember the last time I saw the price dip down to below a buck, so get thee to the aforementioned gas station before the Esso gods change their minds. Fill ‘er up!

For those not headed to Pecha Kucha at IDS West tonight, DJ Z-Trip is in town once again.

The show goes down tonight at the Rocky Mountaineer at 1755 Cottrell, and there’s still time to get tickets. Here’s hoping Z gets the crowd grooving with his classic “Motown Breakdown”. See you there!

Judging by the amount of tea talk happening on the site lately, it’s fair to say that a lot of V.I.A.’ers are all about this healthy drinking alternative to Venti-sized coffees and cans of Coke Zero.

Last week I happened across a new tea spot in town — on the Kitsilano side of the bridge — called David’s Tea, the Toronto company’s first Vancouver outpost. Welcome to the left coast, DT!

This place — which greets you with a Tea of the Day sample upon entrance — has over 99 loose leaf tea concoctions, kept in silver tin cans lining the left wall and divided by category with the help of color-coded labels. The teas come in black, green, white, rooibos, mate, oolong, herbal, pu’erh and ayurvedic (for balancing out your earth, fire and air dosha elements), and they even come in fun flavours like Nutty Monkey, Gunpowder Taffy, Chocolate Mint Mate (After Eight fans, this one’s for  you) and Bourbon Street Vanilla! But if you’re into the traditional stuff, David has Earl Grey on hand, too. Read more