The Bench Bakehouse is TOP Holiday News

The media is swooning over the items at The Bench Bakehouse, and so are we!

The Bench Bakehouse has been decking the halls and spreading the cheer this holiday season, and media outlets have been excited to share the news. 

We stopped in at The Bench Bakehouse (located at 1st and Commercial in Vancouver) to have a tour and pick-up some holiday treats, and we have to say, those that picked up the story know what’s up!

The Bench Bakehouse has been fully outfitted in holiday décor and stocked with shelves of delicious goodies (all available for pre-order online or by visiting the store at 1641 Commercial Drive), making it one of the top places to get your holiday baked goods in Vancouver. 

To coincide with our season’s greetings, we wanted to highlight the media coverage that the bakery has received over the last few weeks, plus a sneak peek inside our most recent visit.  

 If you make it to The Bench Bakehouse before the holidays, snap a picture and tag us (@townhallbrands) and @thebenchbakehouse on social. We’d love to see your experience!

The Bench Bakehouse is Top Holiday News

Daily Hive’s dished

Hanna McLean includes The Bench Bakehouse in her roundup of where to buy holiday baked goods in Vancouver. Read about this online at dailyhive.com

BC Living 

BC Living includes The Bench Bakehouse in a list of Vancouver’s top festive treat spots. Read more at bcliving.ca

My VanCity 

My VanCity spreads the news by sharing The Bench Bakehouse’s holiday offerings press release. Read the news online at myvancity.ca

Foodgressing

Areta Wong highlights the best dining in Vancouver during the holidays, and The Bench Bakehouse made her list! View the full list of dining options at foodgressing.com

Foodology 

Foodology also shares The Bench Bakehouse’s news by posting the holiday press release to foodology.ca.

Did we miss anything? If you saw The Bench Bakehouse in the media during this year’s holiday season, make a post or message us on social (@townhallbrands). 

Our Festive Field Trip to The Bench Bakehouse

We visited the bakery to see the new holiday goodies, and we were not disappointed. From the homemade stollen and fruit cake, to seasonal cookie boxes, fully assembled DIY gingerbread houses, cookie decorating kits, and bake-at-home goods, the bakery is nothing short of a holiday wonderland this December.  

You can still get all the items on your list at The Bench Bakehouse. Pre-order online at thebenchbakehouse.com, select your preferred time and date, then pick-up your items at the store in-person. 

The décor made the store look merry and bright! 

Regular store hours for December are Tuesday – Sunday between 9am and 5pm, with extended store hours on Thursdays and Fridays until 6 PM. The Bench Bakehouse will also be open on Mondays, December 20 and 27.

If you want to learn more about all the holiday offerings at The Bench Bakehouse, read our previous blog post at townhallbrands.com.  

Haywire Makes Decanter’s Most Exciting Wines of 2018 List

[Summerland, BC] Okanagan Crush Pad winery announces its Haywire Free Form White 2016 has made Decanter magazine’s Most Exciting Wines of 2018 list, placing in the top 10, with a score of 94 points.

In the January 2019 issue, Decanter’s experts from around the world named the top 50 bottles under £60 that impressed them most this year, with Oz Clarke calling the Haywire an “astonishing Canadian Sauvignon Blanc”.

This is the fist time a Canadian winery has made Decanter’s Top 10

The winery, while no stranger to UK wine circles, is beyond excited to have these kudos.

“We are so proud of our team, in particular the work of our chief winemaker Matt Dumayne, and growers Terry Waters and Cathy Banks,” notes winery owner Christine Coletta. “Our mission is to have Okanagan wines stand proudly next to a global selection of respected brands. This recognition shows us we are well on our way to demonstrating that our region can compete on the world stage.”

The focus at Okanagan Crush Pad is on authenticity and quality. Free Form wines are made using organic grapes, native yeast, extended skin contact, are free of commercial additives, have little to no sulfites added, and are unfiltered.

“We found the best way to achieve authenticity of place is to not manipulate or add anything to wine, including oak influence,” remarks Dumayne. “While you need to give up some modern conveniences, with a highly-skilled team with global viticulture and winemaking experience, you can get it right.”

Coletta credits consulting winemaker Alberto Antonini and terroir consultant Pedro Parra for their guiding influence. “Their vision for what the Okanagan is capable of has driven our work.”

While the 2016 Haywire Free Form White is now sold out, customers seeking to experience Free Form wines can visit okanagancrushpad.com.

Okanagan Crush Pad has quickly built a reputation as a premium producer and has received many awards and accolades since its launch in 2011 with chief winemaker Matt Dumayne at the helm. Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie created Okanagan Crush Pad as a purpose-built custom crush facility. Increasingly, the facility is used to craft the team’s own wines and now produces 45,000 cases annually.

From here, their own wines, Haywire, Narrative, and Free Form are made. Located in beautiful Summerland, BC, the winery overlooks Switchback Organic Vineyard, a site that is also home to chickens and ducks. Dumayne and his cellar team craft wines using concrete wine tanks, native yeast and minimal winemaking intervention. The wines reflect the region’s unique high mountain/northern desert setting noted for its intensely hot, short growing season with hallmark cool evenings and winters that bring a protective covering of snow.

Visitors to the tasting lounge, set in the heart of this state-of-the-art facility, get a rare glance into the art of winemaking. Watch the cellar team in action, discover concrete tanks, and learn how the team composes wines that are definitive expressions of their vineyards.

For more information visit: okanagancrushpad.com.

L-R: Okanagan Crush Pad chief winemaker Matt Dumayne, owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie Credit: Lionel Trudel

Victoria Pub Wins The Irish Pub of the Year in North America

Celebrating a Meeting Place of Friends at Irish Times in Victoria, BC

Photo Credit: Mister Pixel Photography

Winery owners Judy and Skip Stothert love celebrating their family traditions. When they started Coolshanagh Winery in the Okanagan, they didn’t hesitate to name it “Coolshanagh”, a Celtic word that belonged to Judy’s side of the family.

“Coolshanagh” means a “meeting place of friends.”

For generations, Judy’s family started using the word “Coolshanagh” under letterheads and soon enough, her cousins named their houses as Coolshanagh. This soon became a family tradition and carried through to multiple generations in celebration of the friendship between family and friends.

Although not entirely certain, the Stotherts share that the word “Coolshanagh” originated from Judy’s grandfather in Ireland and then eventually landed in Canada with his immigration to Newfoundland and Victoria.

When the Stotherts heard that Victoria’s Irish Times Pub won Irish Times' The Irish Pub of the Year in North America (chosen from 16,000 Irish pubs worldwide), they were ecstatic! This achievement follows Irish Times’ wins from previous years: Top 10 Irish Pubs Outside of Ireland in 2015; Best Pub in the City (8 out of last 12 years).

The Stotherts are fortunate that their Coolshanagh Chardonnay is listed by the bottle at Irish Times Pub. However, that wasn’t the celebratory aspect. It was how impressive and honourable this accolade is and the perfect fit between Coolshanagh and Irish Times Pub. It’s almost serendipitous.

Tracing back to family traditions, Coolshanagh originated from Irish roots then eventually arrived in Victoria, like Irish Times. Irish pubs are known for their unique, cozy and friendly ambiance. This, like Coolshanagh, makes a perfect place for the gathering of friends.

Join us in celebrating this beautiful friendship between Coolshanagh and Irish Times by visiting the pub the next time you’re in Victoria!

How Impressive Was This Award for Irish Times Pub?

16,000 Irish pubs worldwide were screened for this award, including UK, Ireland, Europe, North America and more.

• Irish Times Pub was shortlisted in six (6) competing categories:
• Best Irish Pub of the Year in North America
• Best Bar Person
• Best Marketing Campaign
• Best Chef
• Best Food Experience
• Best Craft Beer Experience

Congratulations to our friends!

- From Skip and Judy of Coolshanagh

Meet Ann Luu #withTownHall

By Leeann Froese It’s a new week to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall!

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Ann Luu.

Ann Luu’s bright smile is the first thing that thousands of Vancouverites wake up to as the co-host and traffic specialist for CTV Morning Live. Her passion for broadcasting is obvious and her experience in the field is top notch, she has worked in the radio and TV for the past seven years for CHMJ-AM 730, 102.7 The Peak FM, 93.7 JRfm, CBC News Vancouver and most recently for The Early Edition with CBC Radio One.

When Ann isn’t saving commuters time with her morning traffic reports and keeping us up to date on what we need to know as we head into the day, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two Boston terrier dogs; Nitro and Ramsay, cruising down the local mountain slopes, and hiking in the outdoors.

Yesterday was the 1000^th show for CTV Morning Live and we want to congratulate Ann and the whole CTV morning team on their hard work and dedication and a big cheers to the next 1000^th episodes! Will you please help us give Ann a big hello?

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