Throughout the academic year, Melinda Giampietro, Options Founder/President, will share some of her favourite things in her monthly Founder’s Feature. Melinda loves reading, data, research, and following academic and adolescent news around the world.
April Books of the Month
I graduated high school in 1990 and university four years later. I never really reflected on those years as a “time period” with its own influences and decade nuances. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of processing. This is a result of reading Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions For You↗ and Genevieve Scott’s The Damages↗. Makkai’s book bounces between the narrator’s years at boarding school, when the death of her roommate occurred, and her return as a guest instructor. Scott’s book has an eerily similar plot but bounces between the narrator’s time at university, which reads a lot like a fictional Queen’s as Scott is a Canadian author, when her roommate disappears for several days in an ice storm and her present day reliving of those events through different lenses. Both explore the media then and now and how a private story gains a public narrative. I picked both up randomly, yet I have constantly drawn connections between the two since finishing. Let me know your thoughts (and if your book club is looking for a new member ????).
April Cookbook of the Month
I have previously featured one of Yossy Arefi’s cookbooks, Snacking Cakes↗, on Founder’s Feature. It’s so good. Yossy is the writer of the food blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. I discovered her because she contributes recipes to the NYTimes food subscription site (which is worth every penny, by the way). Try her Nectarine and Blueberry Galette recipe if you are a subscriber. She is now really popular; Jake Gyllenhaal even references her lemon loaf in his Smartless podcast interview (I listened to that this week, too). Yossy has a new cookbook: Snacking Bakes↗. I really like that the index is set up in a cravings matrix of chocolatey, fruity, and warm and toasty. I have tried and liked these recipes so far: Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake, Chocolate Ricotta Cake, Thin and Crispy Maple Espresso Cookies, Blueberry Swirl Blondies, and Strawberry Lime Almond Cake.
April Elite Achiever of the Month
In recent months, I’ve been featuring a top-of-her-game female who has inspired me. I could write about Caitlin Clark every month, especially this month, as I’m writing this an hour after her championship loss, but I suppose that wouldn’t be very interesting. So this month, we are exploring a new sport: sailing. In December, I noticed my husband would check the same Instagram account daily after he finished his morning round of word games. I asked for some intel. He was an early follower of Cole Brauer. She is now the first American woman to solo sail 30,000 miles non-stop around the world, finishing second in the Global Solo Challenge. I started to follow along after my husband shared a video of her being violently thrown across her boat. This↗ is a great summary video and interview with Cole from the Today Show about her journey. She is “petite, but not dainty.”
April Thank You of the Month
I wanted to thank Linea Dacosta and her colleagues at Huron University for a lovely, lovely dinner at Lupo in early March. We had so much fun and shared so many stories, and I learned so many things about Huron, recruitment, and what’s next for the institution. I really appreciated the insider’s view of the admission office. Here is a recent article↗ about Huron’s unprecedented growth from Macleans, so that you can learn more about them, too!
April Staycation Recap
My husband and I used the first week of spring break to staycation in Vancity. We did all the things: visited Granville Island, attended a Canucks game, hunted magnolia trees in bloom, explored the distinct neighbourhoods, and walked over every downtown bridge. Usually when we holiday, we plan a few very special meals. Because our staycation corresponded with his birthday, we tapped into some exceptional Vancouver dining.
Our three favourites were:
St. Lawrence↗: The food here was exceptional. We sat at the bar, and it was so impressive to witness the thought that goes into every detail (here, drinks are stirred, as shaking is too noisy for the customer experience). There was an air of excitement as we were there the night before the Canadiens game, and a group of their players were having dinner. I felt like I was in the movies when chef J-C Poirier left and the whole staff said, “Good night, Chef.” Also, thanks STL for the gifted steak seasoning and maple syrup.
Anna Lena↗: This was the result of a gift certificate from an Options family (thanks Au Family!). The presentation here was really impressive. The restaurant does an excellent job of delivering on its fun, hip, playful theme. Look for the Nikes!
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To read more Founder’s Features, check them out under the Options News↗ category.
