Full plate, no problem: author juggles both renovation and cookbook
Credit to Author: polymediathlete| Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 13:00:39 +0000
Now that she’s pretty much past the finish line of her home renovation, food and lifestyle blogger Tori Wesszer can look back on some of the most stressful moments calmly.
Beyond packing up and storing all of their possessions, moving three times in less than a year with two young children, and having her husband Charles build most of their westside Kelowna home in addition to working a full-time job, there were just so many decisions to make.
“We spent more than a year planning just to make sure the finances were right,” the registered dietician says. “We’re still adding bits. We just finished the landscaping this year, and we’re still going to build a shop on the property.”
Wesszer has more than the average number of appliances, including a double oven, an eight-burner range, an electric wall oven, and a double stack dishwasher.
Wesszer says it can be difficult to know whether something is needed or just highly wanted, but says some ‘splurges’ are ultimately well worth it.
“A white kitchen can look really cheap or classy, depending on the details – we went with French antique brass hardware that I love,” explains Wesszer. “We also have a very large island, I think it’s nine by six feet. I really wanted a double thickness of the Silestone we used for the countertop. When I got the quote, I gasped out loud, but it was a really good esthetic spend that makes it a statement piece.”
With food playing such a central role in her life, it’s no surprise that the kitchen was a big area of focus. She decided to get custom full-height cabinetry with pronounced crown moulding to take full advantage of their space. Some glass-fronted cabinets help display special pieces.
Wesszer loves cooking and entertaining. She has more than the average number of appliances, including a double oven, an eight-burner range, an electric wall oven, and a double stack dishwasher. Two cooler drawers are housed in a butler pantry, providing storage for milk for a coffee station and beer and wine in a bar area. All the appliances are energy efficient.
When the weather allows, the Wesszer family entertains on the deck, which has an outdoor kitchen and seating area with plenty of room for family and friends.
As part of the build, they were able to boost the insulation factor of the home, decreasing how much energy it needed to be heated and cooled. They also upgraded to an on-demand hot water system, which is more energy efficient. They are considering whether to put in solar panels.
However, she is encouraging people to think about another component of environmentally-friendly design: reducing waste by picking good quality items they love.
“I know I’m going to like everything I put in my house 20 years from now. My countertops are going to last my lifetime because I’m not going to want to rip them out,” she points out. “Good choices, good quality are better for the environment.”
Food and lifestyle blogger Tori Wesszer in front of her westside Kelowna home.
Wesszer fell in love with the property in part because of its spectacular lakeside views. They incorporated that into the design by working in oversized sliding glass doors to the back deck, and full-height windows in the dining area. As a bonus, all the glass lets natural light flood the open-concept home. When the weather allows, the family entertains on the deck, which has an outdoor kitchen and seating area with plenty of room for family and friends.
As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, Wesszer was working on a cookbook during this hectic period with her cousin, designer Jillian Harris. The pair consider each other sisters, and spend a ton of time together. In fact, the extended family gets together whenever there’s an opportunity, from summer barbecues to Easter to Thanksgiving to Christmas.
“For us, family is everything. We feel very passionate about eating together as a family for all sorts of occasions,” Wesszer says. “We want to celebrate food and the idea that you can fill your days with super healthy foods, but there’s still room for an unapologetic slice of chocolate cake every so often.”
Cousins Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer’s cookbook Fraiche Food, Full Hearts comes out Oct. 1.
In deference to awareness around dietary restrictions, the authors also tried to offer plant-based, gluten-free, and nut-free variations on recipes when possible. The book, Fraiche Food, Full Hearts, comes out Oct. 1.
Wesszer says there’s no doubt both projects were a lot of work, but they were also labours of love, worth every minute of stress.