Friday February 5, 2016 (Vol. 41 No. 10)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
A dose of history: After more than five decades of owning and operating pharmacies on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, Ed Reid sold his last Pharmasave on Jan. 23. i see page 11
Labelled best in B.C.
Leukemia treatment
Call him ‘wine guru’
Hope heads south
Alex Browne Staff Reporter
A South Surrey restaurateur has won the title of BC Sommelier of the Year. Alistair Veen, 37, co-owner of Tap Restaurant in Rosemary Heights, gained the prestigious accolade – recognition of his expertise in serving wines and teaming them with different menus – in a grueling service exam last week before an expert panel at the Captain’s Dining Room at Rogers Arena. But Veen noted laughingly he’s still not sure how many people outside the wine and restaurant business know what a sommelier is. “You could say I’m a wine-nerd, or a wineguru,” he said with typical self-deprecating humour. He is proud, however, that, as he puts it, “the hardware is coming out to South Surrey” – even though he’s not sure yet whether ‘the hardware’ will end up being a trophy or a plaque to display at his premises, at 15350 34 Ave. He admits he was considered the dark horse going into the annual competition, presented by the BC chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and sponsored by the Vancouver International Wine Festival. In the 15 years since the contest was established, he said, the title has never Contributed photo gone outside VanAlistair Veen. couver. Indeed, Vancouver media reporting the event were seemingly astonished that anyone from Surrey had the expertise and the flair to ace the competition – quite apart from keeping his cool and his sense of humour through the tense proceedings, which involved a written theory exam and a practical service test, including decanting both white and red wines. “I was determined to treat it as a learning experience,” the Langley born and raised Veen said of his entry into the field of 10 competitors, noting the irony is that his fellow contestants – including two that accompanied him into the final round, Sean Nelson of Vij’s Restaurant and Shane Taylor of CinCin Ristorante – are far from strangers. i see page 5
Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
Contributed photos
Brandon and Michelle Durieux are travelling to Texas next week for specialized cancer treatment, after Brandon, a South Surrey native, was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia last summer.
Brandon Durieux is not giving up without a fight. The 24-year-old South Surrey native was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia five months ago, a diagnosis that came as a huge shock to him and his now-wife Michelle. His fight against the rare disease began within days of receiving the news; however, in the months that have passed, the young couple have faced repeated heartbreak, shaking their hopes of a recovery. With local treatment options exhausted, the Durieuxs are hoping specialized treatment in Texas will give Brandon a fighting chance. The couple’s love story began on the Internet in 2011, when the two met through the online video game World of Warcraft. The two hit it off immediately, although the connection was strictly platonic – Michelle, from Austin, Texas, told Peace Arch News the first time they video chatted on Skype, Brandon was caught by surprise. “That was when he figured out I was a girl,” she laughed. The two stayed in touch for a few years, until early 2014, when Michelle decided to take a chance and visit Brandon in Victoria, where he was living at the time. “I fell in love with B.C. and how beautiful it was, and who Brandon was as a person,” Michelle said, noting seven months later she and Brandon were packing up her belongings in a U-Haul and driving from Texas to Victoria. About a year after Michelle moved to B.C., Brandon – an Elgin Park grad who was working as a landscaper – began to notice himself tiring easily. He had a hard time making it to the gym after a day’s work. i see page 4
Join us at the Legion for our Superbowl Party! Sunday, Feb 7 Expires Feb 29, 2016
2421 KING GEORGE BLVD., SOUTH SURREY 604-536-4011 • www.surrey.wbu.com Open Mon - Sat 9:30-5:30 Sun 11-5
The Ladies Auxiliary will be serving Chicken Wings 50¢ ea Fries $2.50 Smokies $3.50
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 008 2290 - 152 St. • 604-531-4308 • www.legion8whiterock.ca