A breath of fresh air

A breath of fresh air for these folks
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Sept, 8, 2002

Fresh air is a wonderful thing, according to a pair of Burnaby residents who were winners in the 18th annual Fresh Air Photo Contest co-sponsored by the B.C. Lung Association and London Drugs.
Local shutterbug Peter Heussner won first place in the Kids category for his terrific shot of a grandfather and grandson, while Yvonne Price picked up first place in the Senior A division for her picture of footprints in the sand.
More than 5,000 entries were received in the contest, and the two local winners each picked up prize packages of Pentax UCF binoculars, a Fuji camera and other film products.
"To capture the essense of clean air on film is no small feat," said Mike Ellis, BCLA volunteer president. "These photographs underscore the importance of air quality issues in this province."
A SLICE OF THE BEST
The folks over at the Me-n-Ed's pizza parlour near Middlegate mall are very pleased after being named the best pizza in the region on an unofficial poll conducted by the new Citytv.
The award came after several pizzerias from across the city delivered their best pizzas to the lunchroom at Electronic Arts in Burnaby, where staff of the video game company did the judging.
The pizzas were rated on their toppings, (lack of) greasiness, quality of crust and overall taste and presentation. Me-n-Ed's won best pizza overall and was given special kudos for its vegetarian and pepperoni pizzas.
Me-n-Ed's was founded in California in the early 1960s and first arrived in Canada in 1969, with its original location just off Kingsway and Edmonds. Today the chain has four restaurants in the Lower Mainland, plus a fleet of mobile pizza ovens to bring their tasty thin crust creations virtually anywhere you can find a party.
NEW OWNERS AT THE HELM
Just one year after its grand opening, Malones Bar & Grill in Burnaby will be taking on a new name, new owners and a whole new look this fall.
The Shark Club Bar & Grill will take over the whistlestop atop the new Madison Centre shopping development, and it has big plans for the place.
The retaurant will soon be transformed into Burnaby's first 'roof deck restaurant,' complete with its own grass bocce court, says John Teti, who is partners with Roger Gibson and investor David Kim in the venture.
The restaurant will undergo a half-million dollar renovation in October when a unique 4,000 sq.ft. roof deck restaurant with 120 outdoor seats is built into the establishment.
The rebuilt roof will boast a lawn bocce court, stone fireplaces and something the architects describe as a 'floating staircase' leading from the main dining room. But, of course, the restaurant will also add valet parking to its service.
The new owners will take over the operation of restaurant on Sept. 17, and hope to have the 125-seat pub and 160-seat restaurant re-opened in time for the early part of the NHL hockey season.
Located kitty corner to Gilmore Station on the newly opened Millennium SkyTrain line, the new owners hope it their establishemnt will become 'the gathering place' for fans heading into and out of GM Place for professional sport events.
"I like the fact that there's lots happening at that location," Teti told the Burnaby NOW. "We're right on the Millennnium Line and the city recently changed the surrounding zoning to high density, so thats good for us."
Teti also promised that his new location will be just as involved as any of his other earlier venture, including the seven Shark Clubs, two Foggy Dew Irish Pubs, plus two Vancouver nightclubs.
Madison Centre was built by Burnaby-based Appia Group and includes three residential towers, 170,000 sq.ft. of retail and offfice space and anchor tenants Save-On Foods, Winners and Van City.