Plant One on Me
Since Melanie Bernadsky of Freshcut Downtown taught her first Beer and Botany class in 2015, the concept has really taken root.
Thousands of people have come to the classes, hosted in restaurants, pubs and brewhouses around the city. Tonight, she begins by raising a toast at Across the Board Game Café in the Exchange District.
Nearly half of the restaurant space is reserved for the participants this Wednesday night, who will be creating a terrarium in a clear glass bowl with a mix of three succulents, soil, rocks, bark and moss. Newspapers cover the tables, and place settings include the decorative bowl, chopsticks, a brown paper bag – open at both ends – chopsticks, and a single pipe cleaner.
The brown paper bag walls off the succulents from the cascade of soil as the bowl is filled. Chopsticks are used to manoeuvre the elements into their desired position, and the pipe cleaner is there to brush away any stray soil that lands on the leaves of the plants.
All of the attendees tonight are women – and many learned of the event from social media. Not surprising, considering the #beerandbotany hashtag approaches 1,000 uses on Instagram alone. “Dudes do come,” said Melanie. “It is a fun date night.” Seasonal options are also incorporated into the workshop schedule. Freshcut’s wreath workshops during the holidays regularly sell out. Melanie is boisterous and confident instructor, a bit apart from the stereotype of a serene image of a florist arranging blooms. “I love it! And beer!” she laughs.
The popularity of succulents is a strong draw, as well as the prospect of a strong ale. “It’s social and creative. It’s not so intimidating to make something in a big group, enjoying a drink.” A table of six included a group of friends who work together at Health Sciences Centre, while another table was using the workshop as a way to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
Melanie and her sister Monica own Freshcut Downtown, located in Portage Place Shopping Centre. Another sister, her nephew and her mom are here tonight supporting the family business by greeting guests and pitching in with advice for students. Mom is making sure nothing goes to waste by gathering up the small cups holding leftover horticultural charcoal and pouring the contents into a larger container.
Family is an important part of the business, as is their downtown location. “It was important Downtown was in our name,” said Melanie, who serves on the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ management board. “We’re proud to be a part of the downtown business community and support what is happening here.”
All photos by Claudine Gervais
