Vancouver Is Awesome

We sat down with Jason Pleym to talk about meat. He and his wife, Margot, are the co-founders of Two Rivers Specialty Meats. Based in North Vancouver, Two Rivers has grown to become nearly synonymous with meat in the city, particularly because of their role as supplier to many chefs and restaurants, as well as their connection with vendors like SPUD, who sell their products. Plus, we talk about the upcoming Brewery and the Beast event. Two Rivers is once again the meat sponsor of this wildly...

Cathy Browne wears many hats: She does PR, she's a photographer, she's an activist and advocate, she does stand-up comedy and improv, and she teaches photography to elementary school kids. And she happens to be legally blind. We chat with Cathy about her recent role as part of UBC's Wingspan Goes to School, Canada’s first fully accessible and inclusive Dis/ability and Deaf Artists-in-Residence Program in K-12 schools. Plus we talk about some of the issues Vancouver's disabled residents face,...

Imagine you are a young professional woman calling a meeting with your co-workers to make a profound revelation: You are transgender. That's exactly what Lauren Sundstrom did a couple of years ago, as part of her ongoing journey to live her authentic self out loud, and to speak up about being in Vancouver's trans community. Since then, Lauren has continued to share her story, opening herself up to questions from Instagram followers, participating in rallies and protests, and taking part in...

How do you like your Caesar? The beloved Canadian cocktail is celebrating a milestone this year, and is marking its half-century as our national adult beverage. In honour of the occasion, there's a new book out called The Caesar. 50 Years. 50 Stories: Celebrating a half-century of Canada's National Cocktail. One of those 50 stories belongs to Vancouverite Barb Snelgrove. The media personality stopped by the V.I.A. studios for a chat about how she came to be known for her Caesar-making...

This week's episode features two fantastic Vancouver women. First up, we talk to Randa Salloum, the Founder and Creative Director of CIEL Creative Marketing, the co-founder of pop-up consignment warehouse sale Archive, and a well-known local Instagram influencer in the lifestyle and fashion space. Randa gets candid about how she's changed her own approach to social media in an effort to lead a more sustainable life, as well as how she helps businesses get across their messages of...

We sit down for some drinks and a chat with Alex Hamer, founder of the upcoming BC Distilled event. Now in its sixth year, BC Distilled has grown alongside the province's micro-distilling scene. We pour a few special samples and get into the spirit of things when it comes to B.C.'s big small-scale distilling scene. Plus, it's cherry blossom season (and some "madness" comes along with it), and it's also almost patio season - both reasons why we're feeling pretty awesome in Vancouver right...

Restaurant consultant and hospitality expert Brad Bodnarchuk joins the podcast to answer the questions: what do customers look for when dining out in Vancouver? Which restaurants are slaying the game? And why should we always make a pit stop in the bathroom before the meal gets underway?

We are switching things up from the usual routine so that we can bring to you Tip of the Tongue, a seriously playful take on this week's news from Vancouver and pop culture. Hosted by V.I.A.'s own Adam Nanji, Tip of the Tongue pits Vancouver Is Awesome's Bob Kronbauer and Lindsay William-Ross against Michael Kissinger and John Kurucz of the Vancouver Courier in a head to head battle where the questions were ripped from the headlines. Who knows more about B.C. politics, vegan sausage, or...

At 26 years old, Vancouver native Elizabeth Rose became the youngest Canadian to reach the peak of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. And, because she's not a total millennial slacker, she wrote a memoir about her journeys, too. Guest co-host Adam joins Lindsay to talk to Liz about her epic adventures around the globe and her recently-released book, Written in the Snow: My Journey to the Seven Summits. Plus, Adam and Lindsay are joined by V.I.A....

This week on the V.I.A. Podcast we're joined by Josh Rimer, the Vancouver vlogger who has just been named Mr. Gay Canada. Wait, what? There's such a thing as "Mr. Gay Canada"? Yes, there is. And Rimer explains to us how he came to hold the title, what makes him Canada's Mr. Gay, and what's next for him as he reps the True North Strong and Free at the Mr. Gay World competition in a couple of months. Plus, Lindsay and guest co-host Adam talk all things Snowpocalypse, from the giant daredevil...

Casey-Jo Loos from The Peak 102.7fm has published a book of what she describes as self help poetry, and it just might be the inspiration you were looking "to feel more understood, more seen, and to feel a little less alone." Casey-Jo talks about her personal journey and her book. Lindsay and Bob also talk about the field houses in Vancouver's parks, KISS kicking off their final world tour in Vancouver, and Valentine's Day chocolate recommendations.

Andrew Knapp is the owner/friend of Vancouver's most famous Instagram dog. He brought the world famous border collie, Momo, in to our studio to talk about life as an influencer, his work as a photographer over the past 18 years and about actually making a difference in people's lives using Instagram. Lindsay and Bob also talk about BCisAwesome.com t-shirts, Canada's new food guide, mild winters, and the how plans for a new Vancouver Art Gallery are coming together.

More than a decade after the Robert Pickton trial wrapped up, some families of the victims are still waiting to put the remains of their loved ones to rest. Glacier Media investigative reporter, Jeremy Hainsworth, shares the story he recently broke regarding how the remains were treated, and what might be done better next time around.

Time Colonist newspaper columnist and author Jack Knox talks about his latest book, 'On The Rocks' and reads a chapter from it.

We look back on the year that was and share a load of our favourite Vancouver things in 2018!

This week on the V.I.A. Podcast we get to know Fanny Lam, the Metro Vancouver-based blogger behind the site Oh Sweet Day! Lam, who came to Vancouver from Hong Kong several years ago, got to know her new city through food and blogging. Now she has a brand new baking cookbook out that's all about making the everyday awesome through delicious and easy-to-make treats. Plus, Lam is known as the queen of the holiday cookie box (you won't believe how many orders she fills every December). We get...

Shelley Bolton from East Van Roasters tells us how craft chocolate is made and talks about the social enterprise that sparked this DTES cafe and chocolate shop.

Known as "The Und8ables", Megan Edwards and Janet Reynolds wrote a book sharing some awful, hilarious dating stories. They sit with Lindsay William-Ross and Bob Kronbauer this week to share some of those stories, sharing insight on how to find the right (and avoid the wrong) person for you.

Josh Bloch of the podcast 'Escaping NXIVM' discusses this bizarre case involving a self help group which seems to have turned into a sex cult, and its ties to Vancouver.

Author Eve Lazarus discusses her latest book, Murder by Milkshake, about a 1965 murder by a CKNW personality in Vancouver. In this episode Lindsay and Bob also talk about a new umbrella-sharing business, rain in Vancouver in general and a vintage mural that has disappeared.