Expo brings pages of Sudbury Living to life

Christine St. Amour said she loves getting Sudbury Living Magazine in her mailbox. “I think they're great,” she said, adding that she especially enjoys the home decor tips in the magazine.

St. Amour and hundreds of other people got a chance to meet some of the people featured in the magazine over the years at the Sudbury Living Expo, held Sept. 15 at the Steelworkers Hall.

The expo featured more than 50 lifestyle and home exhibitors, a food pavilion and workshops on various topics.

St. Amour, who was accompanied at the expo by her daughter, Aiden, and her cousin, Jennifer Burton, said she was looking forward to attending some of the workshops and eating at the food pavilion.

The expo was put on in celebration of Sudbury Living's fifth anniversary. The magazine is one of Northern Life's sister publications.

“Sudbury Living has been more successful than we thought it would be,” Sudbury Living editor Vicki Gilhula said.

“It's really been well received by the readership and by advertisers. We're having this expo, and many of the people that have been featured or advertised in Sudbury Living are at the show today, showing their wares. People who read about them can now meet them in person.”

The magazine's popularity stems from its positive nature, as well as the fact that it reflects the people and businesses of Greater Sudbury, she said.

Patricia Mills, the magazine's publisher, said people often ask her if Sudbury Living is put out by a Toronto company.“I say 'Nope, it's a Sudbury company. Every story is done in Sudbury, the editor is from Sudbury and the designers are from Sudbury,'” she said.

“They were totally blown away by it. So for an initiative that people thought would never take root in this city, to celebrate our fifth anniversary, I'm beyond excited.”

Mayor Marianne Matichuk was on hand to help cut the ribbon as the expo opened its doors. “I'm incredibly proud of you and your staff,” she said. “You're trailblazers.”

She joked that if she had more time to spend at the event, she'd probably end up draining her bank account.

Huntington University president Kevin McCormick presented Sudbury Living with an award of merit on behalf of the university. This is the first time the award has been presented to a media company.

“We would like to say congratulations, and I look forward to the next five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years,” he said. “We're going to see Sudbury Living doing amazing things in our community.”

For $20, those attending the expo were able to sample food from local restaurants at the Savour Sudbury food pavilion.

Sally Spence said she made a beeline for the food pavilion upon arriving at the Steelworkers Hall. As she spoke to Northern Life, she was sampling butternut squash salad, bruschetta, several different types of stuffed pasta and quail.

“The food here is very eclectic,” she said. “A number of restaurants are represented with interesting and different food. “It's fabulous. It's not your average pizza lunch.”

Mark Gregorini, owner of Ristorante Verdicchio, was kept busy with preparing tasty morsels for the hungry lunchtime crowd.

He served Azilda potato gnocchi with lamb regu, an Ontario suckling pig on focaccia bread with pickled fennel and butternut squash salad.

Gregorini said he decided to participate in the expo because he both advertises in the magazine and has been featured in its pages.

“I think it's a fantastic magazine,” he said. “It showcases the many talents we have in the city, whether it be in cuisine or culture or in general, the many creative people we have in the city. I just like to support it.”

Adoro Olive Oils and Vinegars owner Jodie Gibson is featured in the latest issue of Sudbury Living. Her booth at the expo saw a steady stream of people stopping by to dip pieces of bread in her olive oils and vinegars.

Through participating in the event, she hoped more people would become aware of her Cedar Point Mall business, which opened last year.

Gibson said she loved being featured in Sudbury Living. “I hope some people learn a little bit more about the qualities and benefits of high-quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.”