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A LIFE OF
FUSION
By: Nathalie
Cooper, New York Writer
She’s a
former stockbroker whose passions include poetry, music, photography and
Japanese literature, theatre, calligraphy and classical Japanese
culture. She plays trumpet in a jazz band. And if all that
weren’t enough, she’s half of the husband and wife team behind the
popular Salt Spring Island destination, the Raven Street Market Café.
This is Shinobu Verhagen, and part of her strength lies in the way her
many disparate talents and interests complement each other.
Asked which
of her talents and abilities most benefits the restaurant she runs,
Shinobu replies, “Everything – because I can talk to every customer on
their level, about their interests!”
In all areas
of her life, Shinobu’s talents merge and complement each other.
Gigs with her band, Swing Shift, become advertisements for the Raven
Street Market Café. She teaches Japanese language and calligraphy
lessons, but requests that her fee be donated to the SPCA or the local
theatre (two of Shinobu’s other passions). When her photos graced
the covers of the Salt Spring phone book and Chamber of Commerce
brochures, the proceeds were likewise donated to the SPCA and the Island
Wildlife Centre.
The move
to Canada
In the early
1990s, Shinobu was one of the youngest women ever employed by the Nomura
Securities Company – which at the time was the largest securities
company in Japan. Later, Shinobu worked for Futaba Machine Ltd.,
her father’s company, where she was a shareholder and engineer.
But a business trip to Canada in 1993 would change her career path for
good.
On that trip,
Shinobu met Richard Verhagen, a chef, restaurateur and consultant who
had owned and operated pubs for many years. Shinobu returned to
Canada in 1995 to visit Richard in Edmonton, telling her parents she’d
be back in two weeks. The trip lasted a bit longer than that;
Shinobu didn’t return to Japan until October 1996.
Richard and
Shinobu married and have combined their talents over the years, running
a string of successful pubs and restaurants, first in Edmonton and later
in Salt Spring Island, where the couple are a fixture of the community.
A Fusion
of Cultures
During the
time that she has lived in Canada, Shinobu has remained true to her
native Japanese culture while embracing her new country. In 2000
and 2003, Shinobu was instrumental in bringing the Ryuzanji Company – a
Japanese theatre troupe that travels the world, “dancing, singing and
loving” – to Canada. Shinobu acted as translator and
troubleshooter, hosted the actors and actresses at her and Richard’s
pub, and produced and presented the troupe at the Artspring Theater on
Salt Spring Island in 2003.
In addition,
Shinobu has acted as a cultural liaison for the Consulate of Japan in
Edmonton, teaching elements of old Japanese culture such as the tea
ceremony and ikebana (traditional flower arranging) as well as teaching
the Japanese language.
Shinobu’s
Upcoming Projects
Spending 50
hours a week, 52 weeks a year running a restaurant is a good way to keep
busy, but Shinobu doesn’t allow her “day job” to detract from her
interests, volunteer activities and side projects. Shinobu plans
to bring the Ryuzanji Company back to Salt Spring Island in 2008 as a
benefit for the community. Her upcoming projects also include
publishing a book of her photography, Japanese and English poetry,
calligraphy, and paintings; she would also like to revive her equestrian
hobby and hopes to have her own salsa Latin big band someday.
Considering
Shinobu Verhagen's accomplishments and the way she interweaves her
widely varied interests and talents from tea ceremony to wildlife
preservation to jazz; with a love of teaching and volunteering, there's
little doubt that this remarkable artist and businesswoman will succeed.
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