Category — Klahanie Faces

Klahanie is a diverse neighbourhood and to showcase this we want to feature residents who have an interesting hobby or profession. If you would like to be featured on our Klahanie Faces web page send an email to info@klahaniecommunity.com.

Mike The Insurance Guy is a long time Klahanie resident, and he is a supporter of our community website – his web banner clicks through to his website. Give Mike a call and find out how easy it is to review your auto insurance!

1. Hey Mike, how long have you lived in Port Moody?
I am a city boy at heart, born in Burnaby BC. I was raised in Burnaby during my early childhood and moved to Maple Ridge in my pre-teens. I have been living in Port Moody now for the past 13 years.

2. How did you get started in mobile insurance?
17 years ago I started as a mobile insurance agent for car dealerships, insuring cars as they sold. I would follow up with those same clients one year later to renew their ICBC insurance. To earn their business I would bring the decal and papers to them at home or to where they are working. Establishing great relationships along the way, I am still calling those same clients 14 years later!

3. You spend a lot of time on the road, delivering insurance papers. What’s your best tip for navigating traffic?
Patience, good music (when not listening to AM730 all day traffic reports) and my trusted GPS.

4. What aspects do you like about living in Klahanie?
Great neighbours, family orientated community, and active lifestyle. Plus, it’s very dog friendly.

5. Where are your favourite spots to take your dog out walking in the neighbourhood?
My wife Janis and I enjoy walking our lab Cooper to Rocky Point pier and along the shoreline to Old Orchard Park often stopping for coffee along the way.

6. Anything else you want the Klahanie community to know?
I am a mobile insurance agent who delivers car insurance to your doorstep at your convenience – any place in the Lower Mainland free of charge, quick and easy. I hope to do business with you!

Visit Mike’s website Mike The Insurance Guy

Klahanie is a diverse neighbourhood and to showcase this we want to feature residents who have an interesting hobby or profession. If you would like to be featured on our Klahanie Faces web page send an email to info@klahaniecommunity.com.

Chris Buckshaw and his wife Cara Harper-Buckshaw have just moved to Klahanie from the White Rock Area. Chris is the founder of El Camino VolunTours, Volunteer Vacations Made Easy.

Q: What brought you to Port Moody?
A: My wife and I were looking at different areas in the Lower Mainland to buy. Our criteria was it had to be near the ocean, have lots of trees, nature walks, and a great community feel as we are very community-minded people. The Klahanie area fit every requirement, and we just love it here. Also, we are very excited about the sustainable development that has been going on here, including the new Sky Train in a few years.

Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I love to be in nature. Walking or biking through the woods is great for me. I am a musician and used to play drums in a rock band in my younger days, now it’s more for fun when I get the chance. I am also an avid sports fan, Go Canucks Go! But travel has to be my biggest passion.

Q: Where have you traveled to?
A: So far, I have been to 25 countries around the world including, Australia, Japan, eight countries in Western Europe, South-East Asia,  Mexico and more, but I have many more to go. I spend a lot of time in Central America with my tours, and have been to all Central American countries.

Q: What can you tell us about your tours?
A: El Camino VolunTours is a volunteer tour company. In a nutshell, we combine fun holidays with volunteer work on specific projects in developing countries. We partner with existing non-profit organizations doing good things in these countries, such as a village for orphaned and abandoned children in Guatemala, a nature reserve in Nicaragua, building houses, rainwater catchment systems, and in the future we will have more nature and wildlife preservation tours. We spend the majority of the time on the project site working, and do fun excursions every few days to break up the work week, such as volcano hikes, Mayan Ruins, beach days, hot springs, etc. Our tours go for either 10 or 14 nights and are designed to fit the average person’s vacation time and budget.

Q: Who is your market? Is it mostly young people?
A: We do have a lot of young people in their late teens and 20s, but surprisingly, our second biggest market is Baby Boomers. They have a wealth of experience and have done the regular holiday thing to death. They are looking for something more fulfilling and meaningful on their holidays. We also have everyone in between, this is the type of travel experience that is suitable for all people, including families with kids.

Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: El Camino VolunTours officially started in July, 2009, but Cara and I have been volunteering abroad for many years now. I almost could not imagine going on holiday and not doing some kind of volunteer stuff working with the local community. It’s become a major part of who I am.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Lots of walks and bike rides around the Port Moody, Buntzen Lake and Tri-Cities area. We are very happy to grow the business here to Port Moody as well. It is a great city to live in and do business in. I can see spending the rest of our lives here, enjoying the nature and community. I am really enjoying the facilities at the Canoe Club too. I imagine you will see me in the hot tub, pool and sauna quite often over the next many years.

Q: Where can we find out more about El Camino VolunTours?
A: You will find all you need to know on our website at www.voluntours.ca  and I am always happy to answer questions!

El Camino VolunTours
mobile: 778-866-8111
toll-free: 1-888-680-TOUR (8687) (outside the Vancouver/Lower Mainland Area)
email: chris@voluntours.ca
website: www.voluntours.ca

Klahanie is a diverse neighbourhood and to showcase this we want to feature residents who have an interesting hobby or profession. If you would like to be featured on our Klahanie Faces web page send an email to info@klahaniecommunity.com.

Vicki Weber is a Klahanie resident and has recently launched a website called Whole Sugars.

How would you describe our community?

I would describe it as a nice mixture of young, old, families and singles (and dogs, lots of dogs!) in one micro community. I really like Port Moody and our little nook here in Klahanie. I think we have the perfect mix of city and nature which isnt very easy to acheive. And being a dog lover its hard to go wrong living here and owning dogs myself.

What are your favourite activities to do on a day off?

I usually hang out with my husband and do some baking, and if not we’re usually eating, whixh seems to be a large part of what I do in my free time haha…I like shopping (much to my husbands dismay) and mountain biking.

What improvements would you like to see in Port Moody?

I really think that Port Moody has a lot going for it already! I mean truly we have a nice large pool and playground for the kids in the summer months and a great park so close that everyone can enjoy all year round! I am a fan of outdoor events and festivals as well as farmers markets so I think having more events like that would create a good sense of community and bring people outside.

What do you do in life?

I am a Digital Compositor for film and television by profession. Which basically means I make the un real – real by use of the computer. Its quite a big business these days, especially in Vancouver. I am originally from Toronto and moved out here because of the amount of film work that was happening on this side of Canada. I do things like, working with blue/green screens, in order change the background behind the actors, paint out wires and rigs in situations where an actor is flying through the air or doing some kind of stunt, we do color enhancements or changes which allow us to change the time of days or enhance colors and other times we use 3D or computer graphics to add things into a shot that werent initially there, whether it be a creature or even a set of buildings. Depending on the movie or tv show, there can sometimes be hundreds of artists, each with different expertise, coming together to get a specific shot to work. Its a very interesting field to be involved in and its nice to be surrounded by so many talented people!

You have just launched your on-line business. How did “Whole Sugars” evolve?

The idea for my “Whole Sugars” business came partially from an interest in getting quality products to use for baking – at a better price and more conveniently. I was having to go across town to get something as little as vanilla, assuming I was able to find what I was looking for at all! I’d like to start a family and unfortunately my day job sometimes requires an extensive amount of overtime. So it is a bridge for me to be able to do something I enjoy without sacrificing family. Aside from that, I also wanted to start “Whole Sugars” because I have a sensitivity to refined sugars – which is a problem when I love sweets so much! Finding alternatives was problematic. I know there are others out there like me, so I saw the potential and created a business to make it easy for bakers to get quality products at a reasonable cost.

Do you have favourite cookbooks you can recommend for beginner bakers?

I have a couple of books and a website that I use frequently – but I think with baking and cooking, it’s mostly a matter of practice. Unless of course you take a class. But in terms of books, I would recommend a book called Taste of Home, Cookies 101. Its written by Readers Digest and has really great recipes for cookies, tarts and other little treats that were submitted by bakers from across North America. I use it often when I am trying to find something a little different to bake. I also have a book called Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen. Its definitely more intensive as it is a course book but I have learned many many things from this book as an everyday baker. I also think everyone should have the The Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim. This book is great if you ever run out of a specific ingredient or if you are allergic to certain ingredients. This book will provide tons of ideas on alternatives. Aside from that I tend to go to www.allrecipes.com to search for specific recipes. Its great because everything is user submitted and rated. So you can pick and choose which recipe to use!

Have you taught baking classes for people who want to incorporate whole sugars and natural products into their home baking?

No I have never taught classes. I think a lot of people are becoming more informed about everything through the internet. I think its really very simple to incorporate different, better ingredients into your day to day baking, but for many I think the stumbling block could be the difference in taste their baked goods might take on. Refined sugar has the ability to sweeten without producing any sort of specific ‘taste’. Whereas something like honey or cane sugar has a definite distinct taste to it. Some people are happy with that, others aren’t. Just depends on how much you want to ‘make the change’!

What are your baking traditions for the holidays??

Well usually I grab my ‘tastes of home’ cookbook and take 6 or 7 recipes from it and bake a big batch of treats which I then give to my friends and family in little cookie tins. That has been my little tradition for the last 2 years and I hope to do it again this year. I figure you cant go wrong with baked goods!

Where can we find out more information about your on-line business Whole Sugars??

Healthy Options for Less!
www.wholesugars.ca
1.877.9SUGARS
sales@wholesugars.ca

Klahanie is a diverse neighbourhood and to showcase this, we like to feature residents of our Klahanie community in our Klahanie Faces feature.

To view past interviews, check out “Klahanie Faces” under the Categories section.

Do you have an interesting hobby or profession? Be our next Klahanie Face! Send an email to info@klahaniecommunity.com.

How did Klahanie become your home?
We moved to Klahanie from Kitsilano almost 5 years ago. We loved the community and lifestyle of Kits, but were looking for more space at with a better price… which is exactly what we found in Klahanie and Port Moody. We started out in Tides and didn’t want to leave but needed more space, so we then moved to Indigo.

What do you love about this community?
I love that it is an active, involved community with many things to offer. There are so many groups, activities and amenities. Everyone is very friendly and there is a true sense of community.
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We regularly feature a member of our Klahanie community for “Klahanie Faces”. To view past interviews, check out Klahanie Faces under the Categories section.

Do you want to be featured in an upcoming Klahanie Faces? Send us a note to info@klahaniecommunity.com.

We recently conversed with photographer, Zeynep.

1. How long have you been taking photographs professionally?

I opened my photography business in January 2010.

2. What was your profession before becoming a photographer?

I have been involved in drawing and painting for the majority of my life. I have a fine art and animation degree from Anadolu University in Turkey as well as a diploma from Vancouver Film School. I was working in the film and television industry and within the gaming industry in Turkey and Vancouver for several years.

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Each month, we feature a different person from the Community for Klahanie Faces. This month, we chat with Scott Taylor, founder and owner of local bike shop Secret Cycles.

1. Tell us about your background, (where you grew up, etc).

I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta where I was mentored in cycling by some wonderful people. I knew very little to start but people with big hearts and kind words taught me a lot about riding as well as the cycling business. These folks supported me in my competitive endeavors as well as my development as a mentor to other cyclists.

I moved to BC in 1998 to work for Kona Mountain Bikes and between that job and opening my own shop, I worked as a rep for a major bikes and parts distributor as well as managed a couple of shops in Victoria and the North Shore. This all adds up to about 30 years in the cycling industry.

2. When did you ride your first bicycle?

Age 5. I had a bright red Mustang bike and it was the coolest thing in the whole world!

3. Why did you start Secret Cycles?

I have lived in the community for 5 years and felt that we needed a smaller, customer service orientated store to meet the needs of our growing community. Plus opening my own shop where I could share my expertise and get people of all ages involved in cycling at all levels has been a goal of mine for a long time.

4. What types of products/services to you offer Secret Cycles?

We offer bicycles from Gary Fisher, Brodie, Kona and Opus as well as some specialty brands such as Knolly. To complement the bikes, we carry a range of accessories from the top brands on the market from helmets and handlebars, to clothing and shoes.

We also have a full service facility to handle repairs from basic tune ups to complete overhauls. Plus for those cyclists looking for something a little more unique, we offer custom builds. There’s usually a special project or two going on at any given time in the shop.

5. Where are your favourite places to ride in the Tri-City area?

I love to go for a casual ride along the river trail system or get it dirty and ride the many trails we are lucky enough to have in our backyard.

6. Do you ride to work? If yes, what are the biggest benefits from riding to work?

Every chance I get. The biggest benefit is for my health and happiness but for short distances nothing beats the convenience of a bicycle.

7. What’s your favourite movie that prominently features a bicycle? Or at least a scene with a bicycle?

My favorite movie about cycling is a “A Sunday in Hell.” It’s an old movie about one of the most legendary bicycle races of the sport, the Paris – Roubaix.

8. Anything else you want the Klahanie community to know?

We may be a bit hard to find but you will find that the secret of Secret Cycles is our customer service. We welcome all levels and types of riders so encourage those new to cycling or thinking about getting back on the bike after years out of the saddle to come visit.

As an owner operator I am at the store most of the time and happy to answer all of your cycling questions and help you find the product that’s right for you.

Visit Secret Cycles at www.secretcycles.ca.

Want more Klahanie Faces? Check our our previous interviews here.

Each month, we feature a different person from the Community for Klahanie Faces. This month, we chat with Michelle Chai, a child and family photographer, also specializing in maternity photography.

1.  How long have you called Klahanie your home?

Since the beginning of 2009.

2.  What lead you to photography? And specifically, your passion for photographing children?

When I was on maternity leave, my husband and I lived in Toronto in the dead of winter. All I did was stay inside and take pictures, and realized that I loved it. I also realized that while I loved to photograph my own child, I wanted to photograph others as well.

3.  Do you have a tip for people to help them feel more comfortable when being photographed?

I think we all strive for that perfect shot that’s a framer and often forget that all the other ones are just as fun and real (while they might not get a spot on the mantle!). I try to approach my photography as an entire session so nobody feels pressure that they only have one chance to get it right!

4.  Is it true, children and pets are most difficult to work with?

They definitely don’t take direction, but I feel both pets and children look best when they are just doing their own thing anyway.

5.  What activity do you, your husband and son enjoy doing most together?

We love our walks together, whether it be to the grocery store or to Rocky Point. It is so great having such scenic areas as well as convenience all in one location.

6.  What is your favourite children’s book and why?

Ma, There’s Nothing To Do Here! by Barbara Park. It is just so true, and I think if babies could talk, they would say exactly those things.

Visit Michelle’s website at www.michellechaiphotography.com.

Want more Klahanie Faces? Check our our previous interviews here.

Photo: Peter Kinch

Previously, we interviewed the owners of Caffe Divano. Now we sit down with their neighbour upstairs, Peter Kinch and his mortgage team.

We discuss Peter’s background, his love for Port Moody, and his best advice for homeowners in this economic climate. He also offers all Klahanie homeowners a free consultation to decipher the latest headlines.

So tell us a bit about your background (where you grew up, etc)

I was born in New Westminster and grew up in North Delta. Aside from a 5 year stint living in Japan, I have lived all my life in BC.

I am a graduate of both UBC and UVic, where I studied education. In fact it was my interest in teaching that took me to Japan, where my wife and I taught of 5 years. Ironically, it was a meeting with a Japanese businessman who was interested in buying real estate in Canada back in 1991, that led to my interest in real estate.

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Patrick, Lisa, and their new baby Juliana

If you’ve wandered past the commercial building on the west end of Klahanie, you’ve probably noticed the warm glow of Caffe Divano. The coffee shop is the newest addition to the community.

To welcome them to the neighbourhood, we asked the owners Patrick and Lisa to tell us about themselves and their cafe.

So tell us a bit about your background (how long you’ve lived in Port Moody, etc).

Patrick moved to the tri-cities from downtown nine years ago when he started Cornerstone Cafe in Coquitlam. I grew up in Coquitlam (but went to school in Port Moody) and have been working with Patrick for the past four years. We’ve been married for two years and have a six month old daughter named Juliana.

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