When I arrive at Enright Cattle Company‘s property, I am greeted by Kara and Darold Enright’s 9-year-old son, Corben, “If you’d like to head over to those three ladies, they will help you get ready for a tour,” he instructs politely with a smile. This is farm life. Everyone, no matter how young, plays a role in the magic that happens here.

I am arriving with friends for the Crop Circle dinner event. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a dinner hosted in a crop circle on the farm. After a tour of the farm, an explanation of how the cattle is raised, a glimpse (and feel) of their leather bags made from their hide (in an effort to not waste any of the animal), we are escorted through the tunnels of corn and met with boards of charcuterie featuring the classic Enright summer sausage and bresola (marinated in red wine) on our way. Once we turn the final corner the beautiful dinner setting is unveiled, long tables dressed with fresh flowers, hay bales covered in handmade quilts for seating. It’s the perfect farm dinner setting. Continue reading →

If you’re a plant-lover you’ve probably already stepped into The Jungle, a new shop on Wellington street, serving up all of the beautiful green plants you can think of. In celebration of upcoming #DKShopfest – a time to celebrate our amazing downtown businesses – owner Melody Morrison shares why she opened her shop and what she loves about being a Downtown Kingston business owner.

Keep up with Kingston: Tell me why you wanted to open The Jungle?
Melody Morrison: I opened The Jungle to fulfill a dream of owning my own business since I was a little girl. The store allows me to be creative in design and be surrounded by plants all day long. It’s a place for me to connect with others that love plants and design just as much as I do. Continue reading →

One of Kingston’s finest restaurants, AquaTerra, is getting ready to host its 5th annual Winemaker dinner. This very popular event involves a five course dinner paired with wine from an Ontario winery. This year the dinner will take place on Friday January 26 from 6-9pm. Executive Chef Brent McAllister will be working with Thomas Pennachetti of Niagara Peninsula’s Cave Spring Cellars to bring guests an incredible meal with top notch wine. Proceeds from the upcoming dinner will benefit The Grand Theatre Foundation.

Tickets are already almost sold out! If you truly love indulging in a five star meal and amazing wine, tickets are $190 per person plus hst with a small fee of $14.

Brent was kind enough to answer a few questions via email about the dinner and what guests can expect. Continue reading →

Kingstonians! Blue Canoe has a new production running at the Baby Grand until January 21. They will be performing musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. If you’ve had a chance to see past performances by these very talented young actors then you already know that you’ve got to see this show. If not, I can tell you from experience that this group of young people are incredibly talented and I always enjoy seeing them on stage.

Artistic Director, Maddy Scovil, took the time to answer a few questions about Blue Canoe and the musical comedy. Continue reading →

Toronto artist Fiver aka songwriter Simone Schmidt will be performing at the Calvary United Church on Friday, January 12. The show is being co-presented by the Skeleton Park Arts Fest in a collaborative effort with the Prison4Women memorial.

She will be performing form her new album, Audible Songs From Rockwood – a series of songs based on the experiences of women housed at Kingston’s Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane between 1854-1881.

I sent Simone a few questions via email about her experience reading through the asylum’s archives for two years and turning that experience into an album. Learn why she chose these archives to write about, how this experience made her view our current mental healthcare system and her thoughts on these patients’ experiences.

Keep up with Kingston: What drew you to these particular archives? Was the plan always to turn it into an album?

Simone Schmidt: I read an article in the newspaper at random, while doing research about detention and incarceration in Canada. Somehow got onto this article about how the women inmates at Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane were housed in the horses stables as an interim measure for 12 years while prisoners from the Kingston Pen were building Rockwood as it stands today. It rattled me to think about and I wrote a song right away. That was back in 2012, and so I sang that song for a few years, and every time I sang the song, I would wonder about what life was really like for the people there. Information about Rockwood hasn’t been widely published (though a great writer, Kathleen Kendall is releasing a book about it in the next few years), so archival research was the only way to find out. And yes, it was always with the intent of writing an album because I’m a songwriter and that’s my way. Continue reading →

Calling all Kingston shoppers! If you love a deal as much as I do you’ll love what I am about to share with you. Fashion boutique, Chris James, currently located on Ontario street has opened up a Pop Up shop on Princess street.

If you’re unfamiliar with Chris James, it is locally owned by Christine Ray-Bratt and Jim Adams who opened their boutique with the intention of creating a tailored shopping experience for all customers. They carry high end brands like Ted Baker, Tiger of Sweden, Paige, Iris and more so it’s rare to see some of these designers priced so low – lucky for us!

The stock is currently comprised of women’s clothing and ranges from summer items to blouses and button ups that can be worked into your fall wardrobe as well. Since it’s been unseasonably warm – some of the finds can still be rocked in this weather. Plus, they will be restocking weekly so fresh goodies will be appearing regularly.

After a browse around the shop I spot a few incredible deals: denim marked down from $205 to $48, button ups from $135 to $58, dresses for the office or nights out marked down from $375 to $187 and a beautiful Bandolera overcoat that I fell in love with marked down from $232 to $48.

Note to bring cash or credit for purchases as they do not accept debit.

It’s been six months since the beautiful NORTHSIDE espresso and kitchen opened its doors on the north side of princess just east of clergy. It has been such an incredible addition to Princess street, with it’s beautiful, plant-filled, insta-worthy space, delicious food and amazing coffee they acquired admirers from the very start. Owners Jess and Cade moved from Melbourne, Australia to be closer to Jess’s family and brought their passion for their regions’ coffee cafe culture to Kingston. I’ve found a few common traits that run through these boss lady interviews: passion, the courage to dive into something new and the appreciation for support that the Kingston community offers. And Jess and Cade are no different. They clearly love the new life they’ve built with NORTHSIDE and it’s clear in the vibe that is felt whenever I stop in for a drink or a bite.

Below, they reflect on the last six months and explain how they got their start and what they love about being small business owners in Kingston.

KUWK: When did you start to think about NORTHSIDE and this concept?

Jess: I think the seed of the idea was always floating around in our minds, particularly because I grew up in Sydenham/Kingston. Whenever we would come home for a visit or something we felt like we were missing something. There was a gap for us in terms of getting that cafe culture. I know there are lots of coffee shops here which are great but we also wanted to have a breakfast with great coffee. Continue reading →