Elite Event: Joie De Vivre

Never knew an art gallery could be this fun. Always wondered what was inside here.
Special mention goes to the food trucks Le Tigre and Melt City, for providing the food trucks outside, as well as the numerous vendors inside.
The music was going (awesome DJ), the drinks were flowing, and the party was a-​happening. There was wine, desserts, beers, crème brûlée, and kombucha. Special thanks to Ballet BC as well as Bau-​Xi for the entertainment and venue space. Very neat performance, and the paintings on the wall were really nice to look at. And of course, Ayla was there fluttering around entertaining all who showed up.
Thanks to all who made this a very memorable event.

Ayla, thank you SO much for organizing this event for us. Joie De Vivre was everything and more than I wished for. Being an arts & design student with a love for food, the night was like a dream come true. We got the food trucks, sweets, and drinks, photobooth, DJ to mingle with the Unilocal community?! I definitely felt in my element celebrating Bau-Xi’s 50^th Anniversary.
The vendors of the night were fantastic and a lot of which were in my Bookmarks! I already felt pretty spoiled by Le Tigre and Melt City Grilled Cheese, so it was even more awesome to find all the sweets and drinks inside including Archimallows, The Salty Cookie Co., Anna’s Cake House, Backyard Wines, and Rise Kombucha. The highlight was to see one of my personal favourites, Crackle Crème, offering his Osmanthus Goji and Jasmine crème brûlées. He seriously whips up the most flavourful crème brûlée in town.
As I finish this review, I must thank Ayla again for organizing this unforgettable night for our Unilocal family! I can’t wait to get together again :)

This was a wonderful event. Thank you Ayla for hosting. The food trucks were both amazing. Bau-​Xi is a wonderful space and I would never had known about it otherwise. The sixties theme was very interesting too. Loved the vendors and the photo booth with the selfie stick was a very fun idea. Thank you again!

The evening was dynamic, and filled with energy.
First I would like to thank Ayla our dreamy and ever charming CM
Bau– Xi gallery, for providing a beautiful contemporary setting for Joie de Vive and a layer of sublime sophistication.
Ballet BC for their interpretation of Benny Goldman’s Blue Moon. I thought the place was going to go balistic.
Merci to Le Tigre for answering all my questions about the preparation of their delights. The freak chicken –ha ha, was tasty and the Kale salad was crunchy and tasty.
The Beer kept flowing, the standard Gypy Tears, my standby and the new kid Steam whistle.
Thank you Rise for your satisfying and energizing Kombucha.
Archie for his Archimallows a grown up twist, on a kids favorite.
The show stoppers?
I really enjoyed the grilled cheese put out by the fantastic and passionate team from
Melt City.
The Mad creative genius of Yasmin blew the top off of Grilled Cheese ! Green apple in a grilled cheese ! Who would Da thun’k it!
The spicy chicken was delicious and the grilled cheese with organic blueberries was insane!
Kudos for going above and beyond!
The Music by Pri –made the room swoon! She covered all the bases! New and classics that kept the evening in a sweet groove.
Truly An evening to enjoy living.

Ayla fulfilled her mission to wow the crowd, again!
At the classy Bau-​Xi Gallery, the Unilocalers and their plus ones were pampered by delectable treats generously provided by Anna’s Cake House, Archimallows, Backyard Vineyards, Crackle Crème, Le Tigre, Melt City, Parallel 49, RISE Kombucha, The Salty Cookie, and Steam Whistle.
I didn’t get a chance to try all the liquids and solids but Osmanthus and Goji berry crème brulee was worth mentioning. I like how the flavor was elegant, very much aligned with the theme of the party and that it wasn’t too sweet. I didn’t have the opportunity to try the other tea flavored crème brûlée but for the ones who had it swore by it. I had a piece of toasted Archimallows and it’s amazing how much childhood memories were provoked. I shared with others three different kinds of cookies from The Salty Cookie. They were all very delicious; if I had to pick a winner I’d go for the chocolate chip. These cookies made me crave for warm milk! I Now moving on to the savory items, I had a sample of deep-​fried boneless chicken from Le Tigre. The chicken bits were tender on the inside, crispy on the outside. I like the well-​balanced flavor. The Melt City had me at «granny smith apples, bacon, and melted Gouda». Need I say more? I think the grilled cheese sandwich was absolutely delicious and they were generous with the portion, including the pickle.
Gipsy Tears from Parallel 49 is still one of my favorite local beers. I had a bottle of Steam Whistle which was on the light side but still smooth. The Rose from Backyard Vineyards was getting a lot of hype because it was good, real good.
I felt privileged at the beautiful venue to be surrounded by fellow food enthusiasts, local vendors, awesome DJ, and talented BC Ballet Up dancers who delivered a moving piece of performance.

Where do I begin?
Two food trucks
Cake from Anna’s
Archimallows
Salty Cookie Co
Crackle crème
and I can’t remember the other vendors.
A whole lota of fellow Unilocalers in an art gallery listening to grooves with art and all along with some great food and drinks.
The only treat I dared try was Crackle Crème. I had a small sample, and I must say that this was a very unique crème brûlée. Exceptional smoothness, subtle flavours and surprising not overly sweet. It’s very good.
Our fearless leader Ayla put on an exceptionally classy event. I enjoyed this one immensely.
And the after party at The Stable House with the die hard Unilocalers. My liver took a bit of a beating.
I should have brought out my Austin Powers gear!

BauXi at 50 is still a swinging place. Loved LeTigre Crack Salad and Melt’s cheesy offerings.
Archimallows to die for, Salty Cookies to yearn for — each vendor was marvellous.
Ballet, art, wine, and great conversation with fellow Unilocalers and +1’s.
Best of all was the surprising and very rare sighting of a Bobbie Burgers sculpture on display upstairs.
Thank you to Ayla, the conjurer of spectacular Unilocal Elite events!

Yaaaaay!
This event was awesome! It was a great way to end my last Unilocalie Vancouver event in a while — and what a send off! Ayla got my soon-​to-​be baby girl an adorable Unilocal bib and onsie, Dan was the perfect plus one and graciously drank my portion of beers, and there was enough desserts and foods to make a pregnant lady super happy!
The best thing about Unilocal events is that they bring you to places you sometimes would’ve never really noticed. I’ve never seen or walked into the Bao Xi Gallery before, but the second we stepped in, we were immediately impressed at the space and artwork.
Obviously this amazing space needs to have some amazing vendors to ensure the party is rockin. Ayla pulled out all the stops: archimallows, the salted cookie, crackle crème, anna’s cake house, le tigre and taser grilled cheese food truck. Oh my goodness — my little tummy was beyond overjoyed! The best of the best that evening was the bacon grilled cheese sammich and the crack salad (hands down, that crack salad was the bomb!). Plus, we had the BC Ballet UP perform for us, which was beeeeautiful! So talented, so gorgeous!
The only thing I would knock on the event was that there wasn’t any place to sit. Which was really just for me personally, since I was carrying around a watermelon baby — a seat would’ve been a super bonus. But being able to move around let me mingle with so many peeps and give hugs to everyone. I will miss you Vancouver Unilocal!I hope to see you again soon. Thank you Ayla for everything — you’re an amazing CM, we’re very lucky to have you!
xo Theresa W.

Now that’s what I’m talking about. This was Unilocal gold.
I’ve been waiting for an event that brought back the early glory days of the Vancouver community and Ayla did just that.
Galleries are the perfect venue. By being standing room only, people are forced to mingle and meet new faces rather than park their butts at their table with friends the whole night. With tons of open space and surprisingly large upstairs area, everything and everyone flowed beautifully.
The food and beverage vendors were fantastic. The gallery staff led by Pennylane were amazing hosts.
But what really made the night (aside from Ayla of course) was the crowd. Lots of new faces and +1’s who really filled the room with 60’s cool vibe. There were no wallflowers in sight.
The Red Fire is back in Vancouver! Thanks Ayla!

So, everyone knows that I LOVE an elite event party @yelpyvr where dressing up is part of the fun. I adore flower powered fashion fun and Mod modeled outfits and attitudes. Ooh lalala-​lalalalala Groove was definitely in the house.
I adore the @balletbcup BALLET and was thrilled for the performance. Gallery #BauXi50Years hosts were perfectly welcoming and in the UnilocalING spirit. Nice to peruse the appealing collection of works. DJ drove the beat to the night– perfection.
Le Tigre tore it UP with …
Well everything!!! From kitty cat rice kimchi squares to veg, pork and MY FAVE frickin’chicken. Just today I was thinking how much frickin chicken could one gal eat and be like ‘enuf frickin’chicken ‘. Thankfully I have NEVER found an answer. Love love Le Tigre. Sometimes I call just to see where they’ll be — cause food trucks drive fast. You can’t chase them like ye’Ol slow ice cream trucks. Ya gots to know where they be parked at!
Next up —-Hellooooo cheese with the imaginative stylins of @MELTCITY. NOW I hope this review gets into more ears than just my fellow Eliters. This team made food truckin way fun. They love their products from the fun names (Dracula’s bite) to waxing on with business origin stories– just super fun and most importantly DELISH. WHO WOULD A THUNK apple bacon and Gouda– perfection.
Inside were my new besties «marshmallow man» aka Kyle of ARCHIMALLOWS and the cookie goddesses Mademoiselle Meredith of the Salty Cookie Co. It was most fortunate to have them positioned next to each other then I didn’t waste any time walking from one to the other.
Mlle. M and I invented a fun UnilocalY game where folks decided what cookie I was choosing by listing their choice and seeing if it was the same/​different– well it’s quite complicated to explain without the cookie jars in front of me and the blindfolds and my tasting the cookies. It was an extensive and elaborate process, some was documented with photo and video I’m sure. Suffices to say MORE MORE MORE cookies are needed to fully corroborate and validate my findings.
Mr Marshmallow «ARCHIMALLOWS» could a treat be more stylish and delish??- I think NOT. Everything happening to match my outfit may have made me bias but so what– my outfit was the Fushnizzle– pDots rock.
I had a fun and fact filled conversation with Paul of RISE Kombucha beverages. My first and second thought prior to tasting RISE was I do not need me any ‘mushroom sweat juice’. Am very pleased to say I had not one but two faves — unfortunately I was later told I had been mispronouncing and missaying both label names All evening so I will somewhat demurely call them Green to the far right and Red to the far left– yummers.
Thanks Ayla for another brilliant nite #YelpYVR (flask and all).

My First Unilocal Elite event in Vancouver and what a great night… Good ambiance, Great food /​drinks, and amazing people — what else could we possibly ask for? Well add some awesome 60’s music to it with a terrific performance from the dancers @ Ballet BC and a beautiful arty backdrop thanks to Bau-​Xi Gallery, taking this fun night to a whole new level of Awesomeness.
The food trucks were fantastic. Special shout out to Le Tigre for the lip smacking «Thai Freakin chicken» & Melt city for the grilled gouda bacon sandwich. Those were big hits. Good selection of drinks last night. (Beers from steam Whistle & Gypsy tears, Wines from Back Yard & Healthy Kombucha tea’s)
Archimallows, great concept & presentation. Though I didn’t try it (Don’t have a sweet tooth) my friend loved it and couldn’t resist a second helping. Crème brûlée’s from Crackle Crème (Goji & Jasmine) were delicious. Also some great cookies from The Salty Cookie Co.
Kudos to Bau-​Xi for their 50^th Anniversary and also for hosting this wonderful event. Special thanks to the AWESOME Ayla C for making this happen. Lookin fwd for more such fun events.

This would have to be one of the classiest, yummiest and best dressed Elite Unilocal events I have been to up to now! The abundance of food, the variety, the delightful drinks, great DJ, amazing Art to look at, breathtaking ballet performance, what more could we ask for?
I particularly loved the marshmallow station, where your chosen sugary treat was glazed then dipped in your choice of sauce, Baileys, and then put between two biscuits and handed to you. Also I’m now a fan of Rose and Hibiscus Kombucha and learned something new about the whole process of making Kombucha.
Thanks to Ayla for creating such an amazing event and I can’t wait to attend more of her events!

Awesome night with great food and company.
Love the performance.
Ayla you did an awesome job.
Loving the food trucks that were there.

My first Unilocal Elite Event in 2015 and I am so glad to be there.
I was a patron of Bau-​Xi many years ago and I am glad to be reaquainted with this gallery again. My new favorite is Cara Barer — Thanks Bau-​Xi for a great event showcasing the amazing artists.
The Food Trucks parked outside was phenomenal! Le Tigre with their interesting menus. Angry Kitty! I can stand there all day chatting with the friendly folks at Melt City and gain a thousand pounds eating all the wonderful grill cheese sandwiches — Vampire Bites, and the Gouda Apple Bacon were phenomenal.
Inside was insane with the great music by DJ Pri, Love, Love, Love the set list!!!
Drinks for all
Cool Gypsy Tears — Always good
Kombucha Teas — healthy and bubbly
Pinot Gris, Rose, Red and White wine
Sweets Galore
Anniversary Cake from Anna Bakery
The Salty Cookie Co — my fave is the Spicy Ginger Cookie made with real ginger and not powder, for a picky Ginger Snaps Cookie eater, these cookies were amazing!
Then, the blow torches were lighted up on both side of the room.
Archimallows — best homemade marshmallows I have ever had, these were better than the ones I had at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant in London. I started with the Lemon Meringue torched and dipped in Baileys, and finished Coke Float dipped in coke, torched with dollop of sweet dark chocolate on top.
Crackle Crème — These babies were torched on site, one had Goji and the other had Jasmine. both were light, delicate and delicious!
The resident dancers from Ballet BC performance was refreshing and blended perfectly with the theme of a 60s garden party. One can almost imagine similar performances done at the Factory.
Highlight for me was looking at a great piece of art and coincidentally seeing a fellow Unilocaler looking like the model come to life. How cool is that?
It was a fun evening and looking forward to the next event. Thanks Ayla for a great event!

Wow, what an awesome space for a Unilocal event: D Overall, a great atmosphere. I loved the 60s costumes and music.
Also the variety of food was amazing… I was so stoked to try crackle crème and the salty cookie co. (both were absolutely delicious; my favourite was the jasmine crème brûlée and the salty brown sugar cookie!)
This was my favourite elite event so far, I’m looking forward to more!

Wow, did that just happen? Yes… it did, and what an event it was! A classy venue, great live entertainment, great dancing tunes, multiple refreshments from the alcoholic to the non percentage stuff, multiple food options and a theme all thrown in while being surrounded by art, what a concept, more like… damn Ayla you pulled it off and it was an awesome night, way to celebrate Bau-Xi’s 50^th Anniversary!
Coming to this event, two. yes 2 food trucks were parked right in front, and signing in Alice (Ballet BC) was checking off names and providing me info to go for the food outside, as you can’t bring the drinks out there and there maybe a crazy lineup later. koodos to you for the tip, and thank you again! So while I was getting in the front of the line for Le Tigre and something called, ‘that freaking chicken’, the party was starting outside the establishment, with Unilocaler’s and their +1’s coming in packs. We were like a loitering hazard of familiar faces, stuffing our faces with one truck. after the other, Taser was next. There was some generous servings of grilled cheese and a pickle, oh yummy comfort food indeed! Many of the ladies were dressed up very snazzy, trying to go along with the theme, impressed — yes.
So walking in. right away we were greeted by. bottles of beer!!! What’s any Unilocal Elite party without the fun liquid… or more like the ‘liquid jacket’ as my +1 put it. Then when we walked into the main area, with a live DJ spinning the tracks. the food tables were all over the place, salty cookies from the Salty Cookie Co., crème brulees from Daniel at Crackle Crème, a big ass Anna’s celebration cake, Archimallows marshmellows, kombucha from Rise… and of course the table that I hit up the most… Backyard Vineyard wines. with real glasses too… you again. yes, me again!
There was a beautiful intermission in the middle of the party, and a performance from Ballet BC that took up most of the floor which is not based on one lady dressed in a white tutu dancing like a flamingo… no. this was a troop all dressed in black, a very different performance, and a great promotion of what ballet is about now… to what the stereotype is! Ayla spoke. and jabbed at herself for not giving us any perks to checking in with our Unilocal apps, the party continued… all the way upstairs in this gallery where we all went to the photo booth. this wasn’t a photo booth, this was a photo room with props (I can’t wait to see the pictures from this event!) and we had one huge group shot.
It’s always a shame that these parties have to end, but for those who didn’t go… ‘you missed out!!’. for those who came. you know you had a great time, and thanks to Ayla, and her team of people. all the vendors, and everyone who helped keep this rowdy bunch of Unilocal Elites and +1’s contained and smiling all throughout the night. even right up to the many after-​parties for people who didn’t quickly just call it a night after this! This event will be talked about for awhile…

Art… Ballet… Drinks…
Yummy Food… Great Company… 60s theme.
= Joie De Vivre
What a great venue. I love modern art and I cant believe Ive never been here until now! Great way to celebrate Bau-Xi’s 50^th anniversary.
Where do I begin!!!
Outside was two food trucks with yummy savory food from Le Tigre Food Truck & Melt City Grilled Cheese Food Cart. I started with BBQ Pulled pork bun very tasty and the bun was nice and soft, but my fave was the THAT Freaking Chicken wowzza! so good! Both from Le Tigre. I tried the Gouda grilled cheese with bacon with a side of pickle. First You had me at pickles and the grilled cheese was gooey goodness. Thats just the beginning.
You go inside for sweets galore. I started with Jasmine crème brûlée, what!?? It was so infused with Jasmine!!! I kept telling everyone its So «Jasminey» I made up a word! Next a BIG slice of Anna’s strawberry short cake, so light (not light for my tummy) and creamy! After grabbing some Pinot Gris I made my way to the Archimallows table, ok who doesn’t like marshmallows? especially when its dipped in Baileys!!! (: Delish! I need a break from the sweets I was on a sugar high. Perfect time for a performance by Ballet BC, one word Amazing, they look so effortless. My plus one and I also walked around to walk iff some of the yummy food. WOW some great art works in this gallery, we will defiantly be back and its free entrance. Ok back to having more treats. I had some salty brown sugar cookie from the salty cookie, soft and chewy cookies are my fave.
The best part is seeing some of my Unilocaly friends always fun catching up and meeting some new ones. It was also great seeing everyone dressed in 60s theme!!! Thanks to Ayla and all the vendors for such a lovely evening!!! Until next time happy Unilocaling!

So much fun!
I enjoyed the variety of food, drink, and vendors. The Melt City grilled cheese sandwiches were delightful along with Le Tigre, The Salty Cookie Co., and Crackle Crème.
Ballet BC’s vivid, artsy performance was fun and fresh. The 1960s theme and feel was a nice touch amidst the artwork at Bau-​Xi Gallery.

I’m not going to lie. I am not a fan of costume parties. BUT, I am a fan of Ayla and Unilocal (insert aww here), and so I went hunting for 60’s themed apparel and channelled my inner Yoko Ono.
This event was a wonderful mix of so many things I love: food trucks, dance, art, 60’s feel-​good music, dessert, things on sticks and good beer/​wine. I loved how you could hop outside for Le Tigre’s fried chicken to Melt City’s achingly good grilled cheese and then run inside to satisfy your sweet tooth. I’m officially in love with Archimallow’s lemon meringue and The Salty Cookie’s brown sugar cookie. Can’t wait to eat more of those tasty delights.
The highlight of the night was definitely when Ballet BC did a small performance inside the gallery, making amazing use of a tight space.
I also liked being able to walk around the various pieces of artwork as I had never been to this gallery before. Bau-​Xi is celebrating their 50^th anniversary this year, how cool is that?!
Thanks to Ayla for putting on yet another awesome event. You’re on a hot streak!

I’m so glad I chose the Joie De Vivre Elite Event to get back into the Elite scene again because Ayla killed it! I’m the type of person that love variety and boy, this party had it all!
Art — I’ve never heard of Bau-​Xi Gallery until tonight and felt honored to be able to check out the beautiful space and pieces during its 50^th anniversary.
Food trucks — Le Tigre. That BBQ Pork Bun though. The meat was succulent and bun so pillowy soft. Great combination and I kept wanting more. Melt City had an awesome grilled cheese sandwich. Gouda, bacon, apple slices, grilled with butter and parmesan? Such a perfect blend of ingredients.
The Salty Cookie Co — Dangerously addictive, especially that Salty Brown Sugar Cookie. Don’t put that jar in my house because it will be gone by the end of the day.
Archimallows — My favorite was the Coca-​Cola marshmallow that was dipped in Baleys. Imagine that on smores!
Crackle Crème — I’m a huge fan of Jasmine tea and they had these Jasmine infused crème brulee. Amazing and full of flavor. Not just a hint of Jasmine, they’re not cheap with it.
Anna’s Cake House — I grew up with Chinese cake and happy to see them still around. Their cakes are always light and fluffy.
There were a lot of other vendors I didn’t get a chance to try and I’m a little bummed about it, but I’ll be reading the reviews to find out where I can go try the ones I missed, along with revisiting some of my favorites.
Thanks for such a grooooovy night! Appreciated every little detail of the party!