Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

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Collingwood’s humble kitchen expert

Barry Londry plus two of his recipes

BY ESTHER YUEN

Barry Londry stands out from the crowd, literally. At six feet tall, he towers over most people in the Collingwood neighbourhood, yet his warm smile and kind words put people around him at ease.

Barry’s a humble expert in the kitchen and can be often found tending shrubs in the Cheyenne community gardens. He’s also well known to improvise and create delightful dishes out of discarded food materials. Just like these dishes, Barry could have easily thrown away parts of his life, but chose to create a meaningful life for himself that has positively impacted those around him. You see, Barry had a thriving career as a chef―but this all of this came crashing down one day.

Years before Chef Barry joined the Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute, Barry was just another kid growing up in the Vancouver eastside neighbourhood called Diaper Hill. His parents, who moved here from the Prairies after the Second World War, fed Barry the typical Prairie diet of meat and potatoes―and on the rare occasion, they would cook him a delicious steak dinner.

Barry’s tastebuds were more adventurous, and even though Vancouver’s population then was quite homogenous, Barry was still able to develop a palate for exotic flavours. Every so often, Barry would hang out at his friend’s parent’s Chinese restaurant, and would visit ethnic restaurants with friends. Whenever he found a dish that he enjoyed, he would ask the cooks for the recipes. Thus began his fascination with international foods.

While cooking was a hobby, he pursued a career in sports and business during his 20s. He studied restaurant management and completed a diploma in international business. He became a ticket distributor for sports games and even managed sales for the Stanley Cup games in the 80s. He also sold cider to the States!

Barry was business-savvy, but eventually realized that he couldn’t deny his passion for cooking. After he was laid off from a job in the beverages industry, he enrolled into the top cooking school in Vancouver, and then worked across the Lower Mainland in various food services capacities. Eventually, he found full-time employment as a chef in an assisted living seniors’ centre.

In 2005, doctors discovered Barry had dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition common among taller athletes. His heart was enlarged and was only at 13% capacity. As a result, he would often be tired and short of breath. Determined to get well, Barry entered a recovery program. Unfortunately, weeks into the program, the heart specialist told him he was never going to be able to work again.

This hit Barry like a tonne of bricks. His life was going to be radically changed. No longer could he be independent, but had to be government-dependent, take on disability status, and give up his car.

After dealing with the shock and the self-pity, he asked himself, “[Am I] going to sit here and moan or do something about [my life]?” Barry went into action mode, and motivated himself to complete the paperwork that accompanied his diagnosis. Soon, Barry moved into the Collingwood area. Who knew that this would be another turn in his life?

In 2008, Barry went to an open forum at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House, intending to voice his opinion about the transit system. Instead, he met Stephanie Lim, coordinator of the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute, who relentlessly pursued Barry to be involved with her programs. He got his feet wet by building the Cheyenne Gardens with Jason Hseih and Steph, then eventually led and taught in food programs.

A few months later, Barry was asked if he could volunteer with Nadja, who coordinated the community kitchen. Barry thought he would volunteer for a few weeks, but eventually became a consistent participant, assisting Nadja run the program to this very day.

Barry is still committed to perfecting the fine art of experimental cooking. He rarely writes down any of his recipes and almost never cooks the same meal twice, but he knows how to exactly combine foods to bring out the flavours. His friend George, from John’s Market once said, “[Barry’s] a better cook than me!” Those who have tasted his cooking would probably give him the same type of praise.

Esther Yuen is a communications specialist and graphic designer. She is passionate about positive social change and is active with the local arts and culture scene.

Chef Barry’s Recipes

The two recipes here are comfort food to me. The bonus is that if you are cooking for one or two people you can make both dishes with one chicken. Each recipe is very easy to make and if you get the chicken on sale you can get six meals for a very good price. ―Barry Londry

 Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

1 chicken (3 to 4 lbs)
2 tbsp butter, softened
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
*1 or 1 1/2 lbs potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces
*4 or 5 cloves of garlic peeled (1 minced and others left whole)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
cooking spray (oil) or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover the surface of a large baking sheet or pan lightly with cooking spray or oil.

Place onions, carrots, celery and the minced garlic in a bowl. Mix and season with salt and pepper. Place these in the middle of the baking sheet so they are roughly the shape of the chicken.

Massage or brush the butter over the entire surface of the chicken. Season the whole chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken over the veggies in the middle of the baking sheet. All the veggies should be under the chicken.

Place the potato pieces and whole garlic cloves in a bowl. Add the 1/4 cup of oil and mix so all is covered with oil. Season these with salt and pepper and place around the chicken in a single layer so the cut side of the potatoes is on the sheet.

Place chicken in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Cook for an additional 15 minutes (45 minutes total). Take chicken out of the oven and baste it with the juices at the bottom of the pan. If there arenʼt enough juices brush the exposed area of the chicken with butter. If the garlic is starting to brown put it in with the other veggies.

Put back into the oven and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes more. The chicken will be done when an instant read thermometer placed into the middle of the inner thigh reads at least 165 degrees F or the juices run clear when the chicken is placed on an angle. Do not cut into the chicken as this will make the chicken more dry.

When the chicken is cooked let it rest at room temperature for 15 or 20 minutes. This will allow the juices to be redistributed throughout the chicken. Enjoy!

* The potatoes and garlic are optional if you donʼt have enough room in the pan for them or if you donʼt like garlic.

Serves 4

Chicken Pot Pie

1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 cup milk or cream or whipping cream (how rich do you want the sauce)?
1 cup frozen peas
*1 tbsp fresh thyme or tarragon, minced
2 9-inch pie shells
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add butter and the onions, carrots, celery and salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour and stir to mix. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes to take the raw taste of the flour out. Add the liquids (stock and cream) and stir. Add the chicken, stir and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until sauce is thickened and flavours have combined. Turn off the heat and add the peas and either the thyme or tarragon. Stir again and allow mixture to cool.

Once cooled fill the bottom pie shell with the chicken mixture. Brush the top outside part of the shell with the beaten egg. This will help seal the top crust.

Place the other pie shell over the filled shell. Press down on the top shell to ensure it is against the filling. With a knife, cut any of the top shell that is overhanging outside the pie plate. Crimp or seal the outside edge of the crust with a fork. Brush the top of the pie with remaining beaten egg. Cut 4 or 5 vents about 1 inch long on the inner top of the pie to let the steam escape.

Place in the  oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the entire pie is golden brown. Let pie rest for about 20 minutes and cut into 4 or 6 wedges.

* Thyme will give a traditional flavour to the pie. Tarragon will take it to a different and I think better level.

** For an even better tasting pie add any leftover veggies and stock from the roasted chicken.

Serves 4-6

© Copyright (c) 2013 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Go out and play

Focus on fun and basic skills the key to staying active

BY SOREN ELSAY

Less time exercising thumbs, more time running around: that’s what today’s youth need, according to Michael McLenaghen. With a successful professional soccer career, including eight international games for the Canadian Men’s National team behind him, McLenaghen is now the director of community services at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House where he oversees numerous sports-related activities for the children of the area.

“Young people are spending way too much time online, watching television and staying inside,” states McLenaghen.

His claims are not without reason. A recent Health Canada study showed that more than 30 percent of Canadian kids ages five to 17 were overweight, nearly double the average 30 years ago. Much of this has to do with kids not being physically active enough. Statistics Canada research shows that children spend on average almost nine hours a day being inactive, which equates to about 62 percent of their waking hours. A shift in the way we present and promote physical activity, particularly sport, is desperately needed. The man with a vision for this change is Mike McLenaghen.

For McLenaghen, the problem starts when kids are first enrolled into sports and recreation by their parents, usually around age five or six. He believes that kids should not be placed in teams and pitted against each other until age nine at least; instead we should be focusing on fun and the basics like developing ball skills.

“I think that young people need to be channelled into recreation and sporting activities where they learn basic movement skills,” says McLenaghen.

These basic skills include hand-eye coordination, jumping, kicking and rolling, and, according to McLenaghen, are best developed through a range of activities anywhere from gymnastics and dance to simple games such as kick the can and tag.

“From there you can channel kids into various sports such as hockey, soccer, baseball, but again the emphasis needs to be on their relation with the ball, the stick and puck or whatever it may be,” McLenaghen explains.

When we get away from fun and basics and incorporate competition and a lot of structure too early, or as McLenaghen put it, “channeling kids into adult models of sport,” we start running into the problem of kids quitting. McLenaghen points out that 60 percent of boys and girls who started playing sports at age five or six have quit by the time they are 14 years old.

“There is too much pressure, too much emphasis on competition, uniforms, trophies. Not enough emphasis on kids having fun, being creative and developing skills,” says McLenaghen. “Because if kids feel like they are going from [one level of skill to the next], and they keep progressing and getting better, they’re not going to quit. Kids don’t quit things that they get better at.”

McLenaghen also points out that some of the most beneficial activities that kids participate in are not organized by adults at all. For example, impromptu games of tag or pick-up basketball with friends allow them to use their own initiative and creativity as well as stay active.

“The value of unstructured play, I can’t over-emphasize that enough,” states McLeneghan. “It doesn’t need to come down to structured, organized recreation and sport activity all the time, and I think it’s a huge problem as well. We are structuring kids to death, and they get fed up with it.”

With new technology seemingly coming out daily, staying inside and playing with new gadgets is as tempting as ever. For McLenaghen’s vision to become a reality, parents, community leaders and children themselves must be proactive (see Mike’s Tips below). With a bit of help, McLenaghen hopes that youth will want to get up and, as every mom used to say, “Go out and play.”

Mike’s Tips for Parents to Get Their Kids Active

  1. Do research: Finding the right situation and people is crucial. “Make the effort to go out and find not just good coaches in sport, but good leaders and good teachers.”
  2. Set limits: Parents should closely monitor how much time their children are spending online. “TV, iPhones, iPads, computers, all of it. [Parents] need to be tough, set clear boundaries for the kids.”
  3. After-school programs: 3:00 to 5:00 pm is a key time for keeping kids active because this is the time usually that kids are getting off school but parents are still at work. “[The children] go home, they are [roughly] 12 years old, and they do whatever, play video games and those kinds of things. It’s not that you have to have all of the[children’s] time structured, but at times like after school they need some support, and it needs to be quality support.”
  4. Check out local programs that provide a safe place for kids to be active: “Collingwood Neighbourhood House provides great gymnastics and dance programs for children right down from two years old all the way up to 12 years old. As well as a number of sport activities like soccer, basketball, floor hockey.”

 Soren Elsay is a Langara student and an aspiring journalist.

© Copyright (c) 2012 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Neighbourhood Small Grants Project celebrates community

Grassroots Heroes Weave the Social Fabric

BY ROB HOWATSON

They came clutching their homemade posters―men, women and children of every skin colour, from every neighbourhood of Southeast Vancouver. The families filed excitedly into the Collingwood Neighbourhood House gymnasium and taped their display boards to the walls. They had glued photos to whatever materials they could find, and beneath the images they scrawled captions to explain how they used small amounts of money from the Vancouver Foundation to host community-strengthening events on their streets.

With all the posters hung, people mingled before the displays and shared tales of meeting people in their districts. They spoke of block parties, backyard barbeques and park picnics; and the animated conversations continued as everyone sat for dinner.

This was a modest buffet meal in an East Van gymnasium, certainly not the top event on the city’s social calendar, but the annual Neighbourhood Small Grants Project Celebration held at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House November 6 proved a crucial point: people still yearn for a sense of community.

This despite the fact that in recent years, there has been a growing mass of gloomy literature published about the decline of social connectedness in our world. Robert Putnam’s bombshell book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community draws upon a substantial array of data that show his fellow countrymen disengaging from political and civic life over the past 40 years. He claims that the average American entertains friends at home half as often as they did in 1975. Virtually all leisure activities that involve doing something with someone else, from playing volleyball to playing chamber music, are declining. People still go bowling, but they don’t join leagues―hence the title of his book.

While it may be tempting for Canadians to dismiss Putnam’s Yankee-centric work as not applicable to our situation north of the border, a June survey by the Vancouver Foundation found that most Metro residents do not know their neighbours, nor do they participate in community activities.

In light of these disturbing findings, the informal celebration at the CNH gym assumes a noble stature, because the Neighbourhood Small Grants recipients, who posed proudly beside their event posters, are forging connections in an era of growing isolation.

As desserts began to circulate, Sheri Parke, NSGP coordinator, invited some of the grassroots heroes to share their experiences. First up: Monika Garg, a diminutive 27 year old who immigrated from India only nine months ago. Her English was shaky and her Punjabi accent thick, but Monika soldiered through her summary of the kids’ talent competition she staged for 40 guests in her neighbourhood. When she finished, the audience eagerly applauded her courage.

She was followed by Che Nolan, one of the organizers of the 5th Annual MacDonald Park Block Party. He reported that 200 people from his Sunset neighbourhood contributed to the potluck meal that they enjoyed in the tiny green space that anchors their community.

Other grant recipients present that night included Miriam and Wayne, a Collingwood couple whose home was burgled shortly after they moved into the area. They joined a block watch program and used NSGP money to create wooden address shingles that they distributed free to their neighbours. The shingles are hung in their back alley to help police locate homes when they respond to 911 calls in the area.

The crime-fighting couple sat at the same table as the trio of teens who decorated a boring, beige earthquake preparedness container in the playground of Fraserview’s David Oppenheimer Elementary School. The students used their grant to paint a brightly coloured nature scene on the bulky metal bin.

And across the table from the artists was Nita Carvajal, an avid green thumb from Marpole who encourages her neighbours to visit her home garden where she shares seeds, teaches composting techniques and introduces people to one another.

These community builders were a small sample from one table that stood among 13. The entire gym was full of progressive individuals who saw their crudely designed posters cloaking the walls as a weaving of the social fabric in our city.

Before the evening’s entertainment took the stage, Lidia Kemeny, Vancouver Foundation’s director of grants and community initiatives, stood to address the big question: WHY?

Does it really matter if we know who lives across the street or down the block?

“Research shows that when neighbours know and trust each other, streets are safer, people are healthier and happier, our children do better in school, there is less bullying and less discrimination,” explained Kemeny. “We are simply better off in many of the ways that matter.”

© Copyright (c) 2012 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News