WHAT?

The November 15 event will feature World Renowned Master of Wine Tim Hanni. Robert Mondavi says:
“What Tim Hanni is proposing … represents a quantum leap forward for expanding the enjoyment of wine and food. (His) message is easy to grasp, empowering and useful to anyone who is the least bit curious about wine.”
-Robert Mondavi

This Rollicking, Myth-busting Wine & Food Tasting and presentation will help you understand Why You Like What You Like. Discover the source of your PERSONAL passions and preferences! Based on years of high-level research and distilled down into a simple set of principles, you will learn how to consistently find the wines YOU will love the most and how to get the most pleasure from wine on YOUR terms.

The evening will include a walkabout Wine and Food tasting and master class lead by Tim Hanni. The tasting will feature 4 wines, gourmet food elements from Restaurant International, and Tim’s world renowned presentation and research.

WHEN?
Tuesday November 15, 2011 from 18:30 to 21:00.

WHERE?
Algonquin College, Woodroffe Campus
H-100 Hospitality Building
1385 Woodroffe Avenue
Ottawa

Another Exciting Fa Niente Perk!

Enjoy the Ottawa Senators at Fa Niente Rates!

In case the embedded link above for the Sens tickets does not work, here it is again: http://ev9.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/EVExecMacro?linkID=ottawa&evm=prmo&RSRC=&RDAT=&caller=PR .

Be sure to enter our code: SENGRPRGN to take advantage of this Fa Niente Perk!

The Wedding Planner starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey has a great scene where they are watching an outdoor movie in Central Park. It's a classic. Now you can enjoy the same thing on the beach in Ottawa. Bob FM and Dairy Queen have partnered to produce the event. It's an annual series, so if you can't make this Friday's screening of Plane's Trains and Automobiles, mark your calendar for next summer's Movies on the Beach series.

This Friday's movie starts at dusk at Mooney's Bay, visit http://www.939bobfm.com for more info.

Hosted by the Ambassador of Italy, His Excellency Andrea Meloni & Mrs. Meloni, Opera Lyra Ottawa's annual Garden Party offers an evening of grand opera arias, superb food and wine, and a stunning fashion show, all in the elegant gardens of the Ambassador's private residence.

Featuring the vocal talents of:

• Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone
• Inga Williams, soprano
• Armine Kassabian, mezzo-soprano, &
• Graham Thomson, tenor

A perfect event for a warm summer evening!
June 22, 2011
6:00 p.m.
Italian Ambassador's Residence
1475 ch. d'Aylmer Road,
Gatineau, Québec

Call 613-233-9200 ext. 221 for more information and to reserve your tickets
or visit: http://www.operalyra.ca/events/garden-party.php

Tickets are $75, including a $30 tax receipt.

Space is limited to 300 guests -
so purchase your tickets today to ensure you don't miss out!


Fashion show and models provided by:

Here's another great Perk brought to you by Fa Niente!

Grande Première Fashion Show by the Richard Robinson Academy of Fashion!

Fa Niente has snagged a limited number of exclusive tickets for the Grande Première 2011 Show by the Richard Robinson Academy of Fashion. With priority seating, these tickets guarantee you a great view of the runway and you will be sitting right behind the stars! The fashion show is on June 11, 2011 at the Hilton Lac Leamy at 7:30 pm.

These exclusive tickets are only $40, to reserve yours please e-mail or call Ruth at 613-228-0064.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS PERK BROUGHT TO YOU BY FA NIENTE, OTTAWA’S ONLY LUXURY SOCIAL CLUB

EVER WANTED TO BE ON A TALK SHOW? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE!

Now you can be the star you have always wanted to be as we create our very own talk show! The evening will start with cocktails and a personal tour of the professional recording studio whose team has worked with famous people like Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, as well as Gene Simmons and Kiss, The Junk Brothers, Kanye West and Fergie.

After the tour you will join a small and exclusive group as the professional director, producer and sound engineer guide us through the production and recording of a real live talk show. You can take part in a number of fun roles like:

EVERYONE GETS TO BE ON CAMERA, EVEN IF YOU PLAY A TECHNICAL ROLE!Don’t worry about knowing anything at all about how to put together a talk show, the team at Liverpool Court Studios will coach us through everything! Just come and be ready to laugh!

This is an exclusive Fa Niente event that will sell out quickly, buy your tickets today! You will even get a copy of the production that you can use to amuse friends and family!

WHERE?
This event will be held at Liverpool Court Studios, Ottawa’s most famous recording studio. Liverpool Court Studios is located at: 1 - 1570 Liverpool Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 4L2.

WHEN?
Saturday, May 28, 2011, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM

WHO?
This event is for anyone interested in enjoying a new experience and Fa Niente Members. Tickets are limited and will go very quickly. Buy your ticket today at www.EventTickets.Faniente.ca .

WHAT TO WEAR
What to wear will depend on the role you get. We will give you some ideas after you purchase your ticket and the roles have been handed out.

HOW MUCH?

$90.00 for non-members and $75.00 for Fa Niente Members. Your ticket includes cocktails, snacks, a personal tour of Liverpool Court Studios, and a whole night of laughter and fun as we produce our very own LIVE TV TALK SHOW! You will even get a personal copy of the production to amuse your friends and family.

1. Where do you live: Ottawa, Ontario

2. Your name: Christine Leblanc

3. Occupation: Freelance Photographer.

4. Back Story: I have been experimenting with photography since the age of 12, when my father gave me my first 35mm camera. He taught me all I know, as well as being self-taught through trial and error, books and suggestions from other photographers. One day years ago, I received a Nikon F55D as a Christmas gift and I haven't stopped since. Granted, though I started really young, I had actually put my creative hat away for many years. Suddenly, I found my "niche" and the rest, as they say, is history. That "niche" is photographing nature. Mostly, odd angles and close-ups of flowers and plants. I have expanded my photography interests in recent years to fashion, decor, models, and most recently, I have a couple of my own creations in the works that are far different from what I usually create.

5. What’s your connection to Fa Niente: Well, I was working as a writer/event photographer for a local Ottawa newspaper and the Fa Niente "Masquerade" event was the assignment I covered. Mary and Clinton were so pleased with how I conducted myself and the results of the evening, they offered me a position as Fa Niente's Event Photographer. I was stunned, happy and couldn't wait for the next event. I accepted of course and that was that. We have worked together since on several Fa Niente events and I have loved every one of them. They are fun, different and if you want to be pampered, their events are worth attending!

6. In 10 years from now you will be: Ten years from now is too far away to think about. The old cliche of living for the moment is true for me. Granted, I am not so good at it sometimes.

7. Favourite cultural or social activity: I don't have one. There are so many things I enjoy doing with friends, family and on my own, it's hard to narrow it down. I will say, living my life outside is what really makes me happy and anything to do with my son.

8. Favourite restaurant: I don't really have one. I don't eat out too often. I cook at home. It just makes sense to me.

9. Your go-to Web site is: Facebook and my email.

10. What’s on your nightstand: A picture of my son Jesse, a lamp and one of my favorite books. "Love Letters of Great Men".

11. Next trip you’re planning and why: It's to Rome in about two years' time. I intend to try and live a dream. Travelling the world on a budget and writing and photographing my experiences along the way. Rome is my first stop.

12. Sand or snow, coffee or tea, sweet or savory? I definitely prefer sand. If I could, I would live without shoes. I suppose it's about feeling "grounded". I need that jolt of coffee in the morning. Sweet is definitely better than savory.

13. Five things you can’t live without: My son Jesse to comfort my heart. My camera to capture "life" as I know it. Music to soothe my soul. A pen & paper to "xpress" my thoughts and love in all its glory.

14. What were you doing last night at 8pm: I was watching TV. A show called "American Pickers"...I really enjoy it. It reminds me of an activity my dad and I do sometimes.

15. Who was the last person you called/texted and what for: I texted my son, though I got no response. Arrgh! The last person I called was my dad.

16. The last person we interviewed,our intern Jennifer Saunders, asked: “If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?” The lead role as me would be Julia Roberts. I think “what you see is what you get" with her as an actress and that's who I am.

17. We would like you to come up with a question for the next person we interview. My question is if you could experience one wild, adrenaline pumping activity/job for a day what would it be?

Join Save the Children Canada’s Ottawa Volunteer Branch for a three-course meal with Sommelier, Historian, Writer and Journalist, Rod Phillips. Taking place at the acclaimed Ottawa restaurant Canvas Resto-Bar, spend the evening enjoying the best in food, drinks, friends, and ambiance. Cocktails will be served at 5:30pm, and dinner at 6:30pm. For additional information click here.

Tickets: Only $115 per plate for everyone in Fa Niente

For tickets and additional information contact Pamela Ferenbach by telephone at 613-513-8046.

Ottawa Fashion Week 2011 Springs into Style!

From March 18th - 20th, 2011 Ottawa will thrill to the stomp of stilettos as hairdressers, make-up artists, stylists, models, and the fashion community come together at the magnificent National Gallery of Canada for three days of much sought-after runway shows! It's the fifth and biggest edition of Ottawa Fashion Week (OFW), with more than 25 great designers from across Canada and abroad introducing their Fall/Winter 2011 collections to media, industry professionals, potential buyers and the general public.

Attendees will get a sneak peek at some of the hottest Fall/Winter 2011 trends to come, see gazelle-like models strutting down the catwalk, and will have the chance to mingle with Ottawa's fashion-loving community!!

And if that isn’t enough, to make it even more enticing we've managed to secure 20 All Access “VIP” passes at the discounted rate of $60/ticket! As a VIP guest, your ticket will include an invitation to OFW’s exclusive Media Launch Party on Thursday, March 17th, priority seating at all of the shows March 18th – 20th and a gift bag filled with goodies!

How do you get one of these exclusive Fa Niente VIP passes? Send an e-mail ASAP to mary@faniente.ca indicating the number of passes you’d like to buy. These passes are limited and will go fast. The deadline to let Mary know is Sunday March 13th! E-mail her quickly!

Hope to see many of you there!

For more information about Ottawa Fashion Week, check the Web site: www.OttawaFashionWeek.ca.

RED CARPET - PAPARRAZZI - HOLLYWOOD GLAM

Ever wished you could walk the red carpet? …Well, here’s your chance!

WHAT?
Here’s your chance to step back in time and enjoy a fabulous Old Hollywood-esque soiree!! You’ll stroll down the red carpet into the Royal Ottawa Golf Club like famous stars amongst Ottawa’s elite. The flashes of paparrazzi cameras will hover to get a sneak peek of Who’s Who.

Be treated to a glass of Bubbly and enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres as you mingle. Boogie to the live music of Ottawa’s own “The Jivewires", capture your fab memories of the evening at the Casablanca photo booth ("Here’s looking at you, Kid"), and treat yourself to a sweet deal at the silent and live auctions.

For more information check out the event Web site at: www.relivingoldhollywood.com.

See you there, as we ‘Roll out the Red Carpet for Research’!

WHERE?
Royal Ottawa Golf Club
1405, Chemin d’Aylmer
Gatineau, QC
J9H 7L2

WHEN?
Saturday, April 2, 2011. Beginning at 7pm, guests will enter the prestigious Royal Ottawa Golf Club like Hollywood superstars and be swarmed by red carpet paparazzi.

P.S. Don’t forget to arrive early – our first amazing door prize draw is at 7:30 pm, and you won’t want to miss the auctions!

WHY?
All ticket proceeds will be directed toward researching ovarian cancer, the “Whispering Disease”, that kills 1750 of the 2600 Canadian women diagnosed each year.

HOW MUCH?
Fa Niente Members:Tickets are $80 each or 6 tickets for $450. Fa Niente Member tickets can be purchased by calling Nancy O’Brien at 819-827-1441 or by e-mailing her by clicking here. Nancy will accept cash, cheque or electronic funds transfers. Member tickets will be held at the door to be picked up when you arrive on April 2nd.

Non-members: Tickets are $90 each or 6 tickets for $500 and can be purchased through Capital tickets at www.CapitalTickets.ca, by phone by calling 613-599-FANS (613-599-3267) or 877-788-FANS. You can also pick them up in person at the call centre from Monday to Saturday (10 am to 8 pm) and Sundays and Holidays (12 pm to 4 pm).

PLEASE NOTE - Capital Tickets has graciously waived the administrative fees for this event! Please note that there will be an order charge of $3.50 added to your statement, regardless of the amount of tickets purchased.

WHAT TO WEAR?
Gather your friends, come dressed to the nines, and stroll down the red carpet toward an unforgettable evening of glitz and glamour - attire is Black Tie Optional. You won’t want to miss it!