BELLE VIVANTE – The Blind Owl Restaurant & Bar Opening

By Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh and Tracey Harding

Our Biz X magazine Belle Vivantes, were recently invited to an exclusive dining experience for media professionals and influencers by Sari M Cicurel, at The Blind Owl Restaraunt & Bar.

This is their second location which opened in mid October 2024 at 511 S. Main Street in Royal Oak, Michigan. The first Blind Owl is located at 36310 Main St. in New Baltimore.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tasting adventure as they showcased an array of innovative dishes.

The food is described as Latin-American inspired, an interesting combination of “Gourmet Pub Fare” with unique combinations sure to surprise and please any palate.

Signature cocktails were served with each featured dish, such as the “Easier Thymes”, the Fresh Espresso Martini and our favorite the “Cherrylicious” (Zim’s Vodka, pineapple and cranberry, Traverse City cherry puree, and a lime sugared rim.

The wine list, bourbon and whiskey list and tequila and vodka list are extensive. They also have an interesting non-alcohol selection of mocktails.

The feast was never-ending and a surprising favourite was the “Crispy Brussels” (who knew they could taste so good) served with chipotle agave glaze crispy bacon and feta. Most guests also enjoyed the “Boom Shakalaka” Cheeseburger with Gruyere and Fontina Cheese, crispy peppered bacon, Worchestershire aioli on a Brioche bun.

It was a pleasure to meet so many interesting radio, television, magazine professionals and celebrities and witness the passion and joy that our host and owner Nicholas Andreasson displayed as he described each course with pride and enthusiasm. Some of us stayed enjoy the colourful décor, great vibe and to bond over drinks long after the event.

We look forward to coming back to the Blind Owl and bringing some friends to watch the bands and enjoy a few cocktails, sushi and the “Monte Cristo” a twist on the classic sandwich batter dipped fried honey wheat bread, ham, Havarti and sharp cheddar cheese, roasted turkey and the cincher raspberry preserves for dipping.

Cheers to the Beautiful Life!

The post The Blind Owl Restaurant & Bar Opening appeared first on Biz X magazine.

Ontario’s Top Baby Names in 2022

Olivia and Noah continue to top the charts as Ontario’s most popular baby names in 2022. Olivia has held the top spot for girls for over a decade, with 14 consecutive years as number one. This year, we also welcome Chloe to the top 10 list for the first time, tied with Isla for 7th place.

When it comes to boy names, once again Noah is in the top spot for the fourth year in a row, with Liam following closely behind as the second-most popular name. Theodore inched up two spots this year.

The top 10 names for girls and boys in 2022 were:

Choosing a name is just one of many things that go along with welcoming a new baby. It is important that parents register their child’s birth within 30 days of welcoming their newborn.

“With our easy to use 5-in-1 Newborn Bundle, Ontario parents can register their newborn baby online from the comfort of their own homes”, said Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. “Our government continues to make life easier for new parents by saving them more time to enjoy those precious moments with their newborns.”

ServiceOntario’s 5-in-1 Newborn Bundle makes it easy to register a birth. It also allows parents to quickly apply for their child’s birth certificate, Social Insurance Number, Canada Child Benefits (including the Ontario Child Benefit), and Education Savings Referral service all through one application.

Quick Facts

• ServiceOntario’s 5-in-1 Newborn Bundle was the first of its kind in Canada when it launched in 2007. More than 2 million births have been registered in Ontario using the service.
• The online Newborn Bundle provides customers with a user-friendly experience, from a desktop or mobile device.
• The government is making it easier for Ontarians to complete essential transactions online, with over 55 services available through ServiceOntario 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The post Ontario’s Top Baby Names in 2022 appeared first on Biz X magazine.

Flair Airlines Extends Direct Flights from Windsor

There is great news for people looking to continue to fly direct to Montreal and Halifax out of Windsor International Airport.  Flair Airlines, Canada’s everyday low fare airline, has announced they will continue to offer their twice weekly direct Windsor-Montreal service uninterrupted into 2023.

The Montreal flights will be joined by the direct Windsor-Tucson, Arizona flight which will run from December 1^st, 2022 until March 23^rd, 2023 and the twice weekly direct Windsor-Halifax service commencing June 9^th, 2023.

“We want to keep bringing those low fares to Windsor, year in and year out,” said Garth Lund, Flair’s Chief Commercial Officer. 

Mayor and YQG Board Chair Drew Dilkens welcomed the announcement, “It’s exciting news for Windsor and the surrounding region. We see this as just the beginning.”

Mark Galvin, President and Chief Executive Officer for YQG – Windsor International Airport says the Flair Airlines flights have been very well received and feedback has been positive.  “Flair has been embraced by the community and is an important partner for YQG.  We look forward to strengthening our partnership and see Flair as integral to our growth.” 

The post Flair Airlines Extends Direct Flights from Windsor appeared first on Biz X magazine.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Son Honours Mom’s Memory This Mother’s Day

Cynthia Brown lost her battle with ovarian cancer on March 21. Cynthia was a Mother, Friend and Occupational Therapist in the Early Intervention program at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch (CMHA-WECB).

It is never easy to lose a loved one, but even more difficult during the pandemic.

Dan Brown, Cynthia’s son, wanted to honour his Mom and her legacy by doing a couple of events this year. Dan knew that Mother’s Day would be difficult, his first one without his Mom and also so close to his own birthday; making for a particularly emotional weekend.

“Cynthia’s Flowers” was created in celebration of Cynthia’s life. Flowers are available for $10 with proceeds going towards the CMHA-WECB Griefworks program. There are a limited number of flowers available, however donations can still be made to the program and are appreciated.

“I never would’ve thought even part of me would be looking forward to this difficult weekend with the anniversary of my mom’s cancer diagnosis, my birthday, and Mother’s Day,” states Dan. “Now, thanks to how our community has embraced this campaign, our family is moved by the hundreds of flowers spread across our region in my mom’s name and we can celebrate Mother’s Day together.”

In addition to the flower sales, Dan organized several interviews hosted on the CMHA-WECB Facebook page.

• Carolyn Jenner-Dupuis talks about Children’s Grief & Griefworks
• Sonia McMahon-Comartin, Supporting a Loved One who is Grieving
• Catrina Franzoi, Former Griefworks client
• Nancy Campana

“We are humbled by the energy, compassion and love that Dan has brought to this initiative,” says Kim Willis, Director, Communications & Mental Health Promotion, CMHA-WECB.

“His mom would be so proud of his efforts in her memory. He’s an extraordinary person who is using his grief journey to support others and raise funds for our Bereavement program. We are so grateful for his efforts during this emotional time.”

The post Son Honours Mom’s Memory This Mother’s Day appeared first on Biz X magazine.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Spring Break 2021- Family Literacy & Learning Tips – Fun + Pandemic-Safe

The topic of kids and learning has been a hot news topic amid the pandemic. The strain on parents for the last year, Spring Break, and new community restrictions forecast an imperfect storm for parents.

As kids and parents are experiencing an unprecedented Spring Break year, but there remains many fun ways to bundle literacy and learning together. ABC Life Literacy Canada is sharing ideas for families to make sure everyone will keep their literacy skills sharp.

Spring Break – Family Literacy Tips

1. Sing it to Me: Play a song and then pause it. Ask your family to sing the next line – do they know it?
2. Pop-up Kitchen: Follow a recipe together – a yummy way to practice math and reading.
3. #TTYL: Keep in touch with teens and impress them with your amazing texting skills (like using popular hashtags while using full sentences.)
4. Outdoor Exercise: Enjoy the great outdoors safely and learn about nature – make it a scavenger hunt among your household!
5. Grocery/Essentials Lists: Write a shopping list together of what you need and take turns finding the items on your list.
6. Home Hopscotch Count: Make a giant hopscotch calculator, ask math questions and hop to the answers!
7. Reverso Story: Tell your favourite story, backwards – start with the ending. Can your family guess the story?
8. FGN: Start an FGN (Family Game Night) with your household or play virtually with other family and friends.
9. Tell it 2 Me: Write a secret message with numbers and do math to solve it.
10. Animal Walk: Research city street names and think of animals that begin with the same first letter of each street.
11. Eat Your Words: Play with your food and write words with alphabet cereal and soup (we like cookie letters too!)
12. WOW Palindromes: Find words that are spelled the same way forwards and backwards. How many can you find? (Some to get your started: wow, mom, dad, radar.)
13. Abracadabra: Find cool card tricks by going online with your family. Practice and show your friends – can they figure out the tricks?
14. Watch a Book: Read a book then watch the movie together. Talk about which version you liked the best.
    “Students have lost countless hours of in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so spending extra time this week learning together as a family is extremely important,” says Mack Rogers, Executive Director of ABC Life Literacy Canada. “Through our HSBC Family Literacy First program, parents and caregivers can access more than 80 free family literacy activities in five different languages to keep the whole family learning throughout the break.”
    This national literacy charity also launched a new online Skills Hub. Resources and connection at a critical time. Community organizations in the Windsor region have been outstanding partners with ABC in program delivery.

Did You Know?…

• Almost 40% of Canadian youth do not have suitable literacy skills
• Children spend five times as much time outside the classroom as they do in school, so parents and caregivers need the tools to support their learning
• Children whose parents are involved with them in literacy activities score 10 points higher on standardized reading tests
• Parents’ reading habits play a large role in determining how often kids read: 57% of kids who are frequent readers have parents who read books 5–7 days per week, compared to only 15% of kids who are infrequent readers
• Children of low-literate parents are exposed to 30,000,000 fewer words + enter kindergarten with larger skills gap than peers

The post Spring Break 2021 Learning Tips appeared first on Biz X magazine.