COFFEE TIME AT CLEMENTINA

Café Clementina, promising fresh flavours and a cozy gathering spot, opened on August 30, co-owners Shauni Haggerty and Allyson Padgett previously held management roles at their previous cafe. They eventually wanted a space where they could express their creativity and apply their industry expertise. With limited career growth and their former cafe up for sale, they considered buying it. When they couldn’t purchase the cafe, they decided to start one of their own.  

They said Café Clementina will stand out by offering a comfortable space to work, study and socialize—along with robust tea options and a full matcha menu.  

“We’re excited to host events, get to know the community even more, and create a space where everything feels safe and welcome,” Haggerty said.  

Construction began nearly a year ago—around the same time they began exploring financing and rental options. They’ve faced several challenges along the way.  

“We have a combined total of about 17 years in the service industry, but everything has come with a learning curve,” Padgett said.  

“There are many parts that felt intuitive, but many that didn’t, despite our experience,” she said.  

Their biggest challenge has been securing financing, particularly as first-time business owners in the restaurant industry.   

“Thankfully, we’ve had so many amazing people supporting us in different ways, and that’s how we’ve made it this far,” Haggerty said.  

“But I won’t lie, securing financing, especially for a restaurant, has been a huge hurdle.”  

Haggerty said they’re currently roasting coffee at the KW Coffee Collective. Their current goal is to buy a roaster and roast some in-house coffee; they also plan to import Honduran coffee directly from a farmer who supplies them.  

“Allyson is from Honduras and still has family back home, so we would love to make connections with growers and buy from them directly,” Haggerty said.  

“The great thing about KW is that most people are always willing to try new things, and there isn’t a lot of Honduran representation in the community,” Padgett said. “We’re excited to be able to offer something potentially new and exciting to customers, alongside favourites everyone knows and loves,” she said.  

They encourage future patrons to stay in touch through their Instagram @cafeclementina_.  

#allysonPadget #August #clementina #coffeeTime #downtownKitchenerCafe #honduran #kwCoffeeCollective #SangjiunHan #shauniHaggarety

ENDLESS COOKIE REVIEW

The Princess Cinemas hosted the premiere of Endless Cookie, an animated documentary about two half-brothers growing up together—one of them now raising nine children and 16 dogs in Shamattawa, a remote First Nations reserve in Manitoba—on July 3.  

Directed by Seth and Peter Schriver, Endless Cookie traces their journey from a 1980s childhood in Toronto’s Kensington Market to Peter’s current life in Northern Manitoba with his family. Seth, who also animated the film, was inspired by his brother’s vivid recollections.   

The documentary includes Peter’s daughter, Cookie, depicted as a chocolate chip cookie, and his dog, Nutty, depicted as the canine version of Mr. Peanut. While in production, the two directors were interrupted by the children, and they decided to include these moments into the film, layering the audio to create comedic and relatable beats.  

After a humorous introduction, where Seth gets his film approved by Telefilm Canada (featured as a character in the documentary) and calls Peter to announce the news, the documentary branches off to different tangents.  

Peter talks about his late grandmother’s terrible candy made from blood and sugar, the story of an acquaintance who met a sasquatch that ripped away its victim’s eyeballs, an owl that refused to fly away from his cousin’s arm, Cookie talking to a box of chicken and Indigenous issues such as residential schools, land claims and the RCMP.  

Despite the jokes and comedic moments included in the documentary, Seth said the overall message of his film is the importance of stories and passing them on to future generations.  

“It’s important to keep telling stories,” Seth said. “Because they’ll be forgotten if you don’t keep telling them.”  

Seth also noted that the people who saw his film asked him questions about what type of movie Endless Cookie is.  

“Is this a documentary? Is this fiction? Is this action? Or comedy?” he said. “It’s kind of a lot of those things. We didn’t want to put it into one category.”  

Sophia Irwin, the manager of Princess Cinemas, said Victoria Kent, the owner of Yeti Cafe, reached out to her about screening the film at the theatre.  

“The cinemas were planning to bring the documentary in for the initial release,” Irwin said.   

“This partnership was perfect to get Seth, the co-director, to a premiere event screening.”  

She also said the premiere will help audiences connect with Canadian filmmakers and artists, promoting independent filmmaking and exhibition in Canada.  

“We are always looking to highlight and platform Canadian stories—especially those that may not take the traditional routes of storytelling,” Irwin said.  

Seth said people enjoyed the documentary because they found its message about family relatable.  

“It’s kind of like a family portrait and people can relate to it, both native and non-native people can relate, because it’s like everyone knows how crazy their own family is,” Scriver said. “But I’ve been mostly happy that people enjoyed it and told me that they like it and stuff like that.”  

Seth started working on this documentary in 2016 and had to save up money or apply for travel grants to visit his brother, Peter, to record his stories. Then, for the next nine years, Seth spent most of his time animating the documentary using Adobe Premiere Pro.  

He hopes the documentary offers both laughter and a glimpse into life on a northern reserve.  

“I hope people enjoy it,” he said. “And maybe learn a bit about what life is like for my brother and his family.” 

#adobePremierePro #canadianStories #endlessCookie #kensigntonMarket #northernManitoba #northernReserve #peterSchriver #PrincessCinemas #SangjiunHan #sethSchriver #StoryTelling #telefilm #Toronto

POETRY IN PLACE UNIFIES LOCAL VOICES

Poetry in Place is an anthology written by immigrants, settlers and Indigenous writers who live between Lake Ontario and the Grand River. Each poem explores how modernization, colonial history, politics and economics have transformed Indigenous culture and relationships with the land both physically and metaphorically. The anthology advocates for environmental preservation and demonstrates how poetry can effectively communicate this message. 

The anthology is divided into multiple sections, each representing different themes related to Indigenous culture: Land, Water, Trees, Birds and Wild Creatures. It is intriguing to see the various perspectives of the writers who submitted their poems to this book. Poetry in Place begins with a vivid poem by Elizabeth Tessier, “Deeds.” 

The poem is about loyalists who came to Canada and exploited the land. Tessier uses vivid words such as “Felled and Burnt” and “choking out the native life” to describe the destruction and exploitation of Indigenous land. Not only do her words paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, but the way she uses her creativity in other poems further in the book leave an impressionable impact. 

The writers’ word choices are powerful, and the imagery brings each theme to life in a unique way. While some poems feel fragmented or abstract, they generally succeed in conveying their intended message. 

Although some of the poems are easy to understand and express interesting themes, there are also very complex poems. “Looming,” is about Jerusha Currie and John Solomon Hager, who find a place called Middleport. After Hager’s death from a fever contracted while travelling through a swamp, the poem’s narrative becomes harder to follow. Still, the emotional tone and historical context remain compelling. 

Finally, the book does an excellent job emphasizing the importance of Indigenous land and land preservation using various interviews with the writers of the poems. Although they use similar questions for each interview, they still do a good job of supporting the overarching theme of the book: reflecting on the importance of Indigenous land and gaining recognition. 

The interviews ask questions like “How would you describe your relationship to the land?”, “How long have you called a particular physical place ‘home’?”, and “Is your relationship to the land affected by any particular religious or spiritual grounding, or does it come from a specific worldview of any kind?” 

The responses not only deepen our understanding of each writer’s relationship with nature but also offer insight into the personal perspectives behind their poems. 

I would highly recommend Poetry in Place as a compelling anthology that showcases the talented voices from Southern Ontario. It invites us to reflect on our relationship with land, history, and identity through poetry. 

The print version does not include the names of the authors from Waterloo Region featured in this anthology. The authors are: Janice Jo Lee, Mark Kempf, Paula Kienapple-Summers, Fitsum Areguy, Miriam Pirbhai, Tanis MacDonald, Geoff Martin and Elizabeth McCallister.

#Anthology #deeds #felledAndBurnt #grandRiver #immigrants #indigenousWriters #lakeOntario #looming #middleport #poem #Poetry #poetryInPlace #SangjiunHan #Settlers

HUETHER HOTEL TO GET UPGRADES

In August 2024, the Adlys family, the current owners of Huether Hotel, partnered with Establish Properties, a Toronto-based real estate business, to build 500 rental units and an arts hub.  

Located in Uptown Waterloo, the Huether Hotel is one of the city’s prominent heritage landmarks and the site of Waterloo’s first brewery. In 1842, brewer Wilhelm Rebscher purchased the land from Elias Snider, an Ontario businessman and political figure who represented Waterloo North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a liberal member from 1881 to 1894.   

Rebscher operated a brewery there until 1856. After his death, Christopher Huether and his father, Adam, took over the operation, renaming it the Lion Brewery.  

Following Christopher’s passing in 1898, the hotel changed hands several times. Theresa Kuntz became the proprietor of the hotel and brewery after placing the highest bid during an auction.   

She ran the brewery from 1910 to 1930, while the hotel was renamed Ewald House in 1911, and was passed to various owners. In 1934, Albert Snyder purchased the property and renamed it Hotel Kent.  

The Adlys family acquired the hotel in 1953. In 1961, the City of Waterloo planned to build a parking lot nearby but discovered a cavern-like space in the building’s basement. In the eighties, the Adlys restored the building’s original name, the Huether Hotel, and operated it as the Lion Brewery Restaurant, Barley Works Pub and Grill, and Café 1842. The Lion Brewery continues to brew beer on-site and supplies the restaurant next door.   

Although parts of the building date back to 1855, the current structure was developed in 1870, with a Victorian facade added in 1880. In 1988, the City of Waterloo designated the building under the Ontario Heritage Act for its historical and architectural value.  

Heritage buildings are important because they contribute to the city’s unique identity, enrich its cultural life, and provide social, environmental and economic benefits.   

“That’s why we’re committed to preserving it while also looking toward the future,” David Adyls, one of the managers, said. The family says the historic building will remain intact, while the surrounding space is redeveloped.  

“We were not about to give it away, after 71 years of blood, sweat and tears,” David said. “So, when the right partnership comes along, we are willing to listen. We feel there is an opportunity here now, so we will see.”  

Establish Properties, a private equity real estate firm in Toronto, was co-founded by Richard Vu and Harpinder Sandhu.   

Vu studied economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and graduated in 2016. Sandhu, born and raised in Waterloo Region, later worked in Vancouver as an urban geographer and served as a board member of the B.C. Municipal Pension and a national representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees.  

According to Sandhu, the development is in its early stages, with construction expected to start in two years following planning approvals and permits.  

Kelly Adlys, another manager working at the hotel, said the development ensures the hotel’s long-term sustainability while keeping it relevant for future generations.  

“We know that there will be some adjustments to the hotel, as far as bringing some areas to current standards and freshening up some areas,” Kelly said.   

“This is important so that customers will keep coming back to enjoy what the Huether Hotel and what the uptown has to offer.”  

Kelly explained that the redevelopment will replace aging structures on the block with modern, vibrant buildings. Once this is completed, it will allow people to move into the new buildings and experience uptown Waterloo.  

“This new development will clean up Uptown Waterloo block nicely,” Kelly said.  

David said he hopes that the art hub and the 500 new units will help the hotel thrive again like it did before COVID-19.  

David added that, after COVID-19, it was a struggle for many restaurants to get people to come back. Many people started working from home and did not need to go out for meals, slowing the businesses in the uptown area. Many people have now been forced to return to their workplaces, but that isn’t enough to improve businesses.  

Several businesses operate inside the Huether Hotel. One of them, The Jazz Room, has been a tenant for 13 years. They plan to stay after the redevelopment, but the construction will disrupt their operations. Princess Cinemas has operated out of a space adjacent to the Huether Hotel for four decades. The owner, John Tutt, said he has not decided what will happen to the theatre in the future.  

The Adlys family will continue their day-to-day operations at the Huether, while the developers carry out demolition and construction.   

“The developers’ finished product must be in keeping with the uptown core and its surroundings. It needs to complement the uptown,” David said. 

#adlysFamily #albertSnyder #christopherHeuther #COVID19 #heutherHotel #hotelKent #jazzRoom #JohnTutt #PrincessCinemas #SangjiunHan #theresaKuntz #uptown #waterlooSFirstBrewery