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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 22, 2016 | 34 n i s s e n i Bus Oakville Monthly Advertorial Feature Photo by Nikki Wesley, Metroland Media Group Healthy, local, fast, b.good By Katelyn Dingman "Our focus is on what we call real fast food, which in our mind is food made by people not factories." This is the b.good company motto Oakville restaurant owner Todd Brooks lives by. The b.good franchise opened its Cornwall Rd. location in late May 2015 and has been serving their Oakville clientele fresh food ever since. What sets b.good apart from other health food restaurants is quick service (an average of eight to 10 minutes to prepare a meal) and the fact that locally sourced food partners are celebrated. "We give people a real visual of who's doing the hard work to prepare the ingredients that we then cook for them," Brooks said. "To go source these great local ingredients is one thing, but to actually celebrate our partners that are providing them, people tend to really enjoy that kind of transparency." At the restaurant, you'll read about farmers Kym and Carole Anthony, who own and operate Top Meadow Farms in Clarksburg. The beef from hormone-free, antibioticfree, grass-fed cattle is processed into burgers in the store daily. In addition to beef burgers, b.good has turkey burgers, chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers and a variety of kale and grain bowls from which to choose. The restaurant's menu also caters to customers with dietary restrictions, with a variety of lactose-free and gluten-free products. "The way people are eating is changing," Brooks explained, adding, "the care that we put into the menu and the care we take with dietary restriction really resonates with the customer. There's a democracy to the menu." The b.good franchise started in Boston 11 years ago, under the ownership of Anthony S. Ackil and Jon J. Olinto, who had a desire to reinvent fast food with fresh and healthy ingredients. Shortly after opening the first restaurant, investors were looking for a second corporate market, and Toronto quickly came into focus. "Everything that resonated about the brand with the customers here in Boston is that much more important in Toronto," Brooks said. b.good opened its first Canadian store on Toronto's Front St. in February, 2015 and the franchise quickly expanded to include the Oakville market. Brooks has plans to open a second Oakville location this summer. "We can build the brand with the Oakville customer," Brooks said of the new restaurant, which will be built near the new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Dundas Street. Future plans for the b.good franchise include introducing an app to facilitate online orders. The app would also allow customers involved in the loyalty program to share their points with friends or even donate to b.good Oakville's community charity partner, Kerr Street Mission. "It's a great partnership, it's a great organization. We're so thrilled to be partnered with them," Brooks said of the charity that receives fresh produce from b.good weekly. For more information on b.good, visit their website at www.bgood.ca or visit the restaurant at 487 Cornwall Rd., Oakville. Amanda Paterson makes her point with students at Oakville Ballet where a new program gives youth a chance to perform. Oakville Ballet raises the `barre' with addition of youth ballet company By Katelyn Dingman For aspiring ballet dancers seeking a professional career, it is difficult to find studios outside of major population centres like Toronto. This past December, regional youth ballet company Oakville Ballet (OB) was formed, offering performance experience for young dancers in the Halton area. Students who attend the Oakville School of Classical Ballet (OSCB) pre-professional division will now be showcased in OB performances. "We cater to those who want good solid ballet training with the hopes of pursuing a professional dance career," OB artistic director Amanda Paterson said. " Students can train daily at the OSCB, and perform with OB" OSCB dancer Leah Terry is one example of a student working toward a professional ballet career. The 16-yearold recently passed her Royal Academy of Dance Advanced Two Examination with the mark of Distinction, allowing her to perform the Solo Seal Award ­ the highest vocational graded examination that focuses on solo performance. The Grade 12 student is one of very few Canadians taking the examination in Toronto this spring. "Ballet students are extremely dedicated to their art form," mentor Paterson explained. "They learn how to time manage at an early age, and the skill of absolute focus is instilled in each and every dancer. Determination, and the desire to succeed, overrides everyday challenges." Because ballet is such a demanding art form, Paterson works with an Education Liaison to provide daytime programs for dancers attending Grades 7 through 12. The daytime program facilitates students attending their academic school for half-days, and dance training and rehearsals in the afternoon. Paterson is also working with school boards to provide Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition, which would grant high school students credits for their ballet training. "My vision has always been to provide a training facility that offers dancers in the Halton, Hamilton, and Mississauga areas, performance experience of full scale productions. The experience the students gain is priceless upon entering a professional career," Paterson, a graduate of Canada's National Ballet School, and American Ballet Theatre-National Training Curriculum Examiner said. "Ballet is a demanding art form, requiring hard work, a rigorous training, and focus and determination. Even if students do not pursue a career in dance, the discipline they gain from their years of ballet training will hold them in good stead for any career." The dancers' hard work can be seen this fall in Oakville Ballet's production `Kingdom of the Shades ­ La Bayadère, and Paquita. This production has been made possible by the generous support of Oakville's Bytzek Family. Paterson explained that she plans to develop three fullscale productions each season, in addition to the wellreceived annual OSCB Nutcracker performances at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. This spring, elementary school students will have a chance to experience ballet through OB's Tutu for Toonies campaign, where students from participating schools can purchase a ticket for the OB new production for $2. For more information on Oakville Ballet, visit oakvilleballet.com or call Amanda Paterson at 905-302-5383.