We’re getting to know our neighbours! People on Preston? is a collection of street portraits and short interviews with merchants, residents and patrons who live, work and play on Preston Street. There will be six new stories each week. Click on an image below, or click here to see all of the People on Preston stories in one place.
“I’ve known that I wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight. I remember going into my dad’s lawyer’s office at the age of seven and liking the office. My dad emigrated in the mid-50s and he part of first wave of Portuguese immigrants to Ottawa. My dad passed away when I was eight and I believe that cemented my decision to be a lawyer. It was definitely something that never changed.” (Read more)
“My husband’s family owned the restaurant about 30 years ago. It got sold two or three times. The last owner closed the doors. When my husband found out he wanted to re-open it. It was close to his heart and he wanted to bring back the original Allegro. We got one of the original chefs back and re-opened. My husband grew up here, we were engaged here. There’s a lot of personal stories in here.” (Read more)
“When I was really young, my mother used to read me the book Stone Soup. At the end, I insisted on making the soup. They give you the recipe for stone soup and I wanted to put the stones in. It started me cooking. My mother got me this plastic knife and fork and I would take the scraps from dinner and stand on the stool next to her and I’d make food for the garbage monster on Sesame Street. When I was 15 or 16 I started working at the Embassy West Hotel in a co-op placement and just kept cooking from there.” (Read more)
“I’ve known since I was about 13 years old that I wanted to be an esthetician. In high school I did a co-op placement in a tanning salon and spa and I really fell in love with all the services. I loved it so much. I just knew it was my calling. When I was 18 I moved to Montreal and went to esthetics school there. I completed the course and just launched right into a career.” (Read more)
“Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana opened in May 1979; a small family run business. No one could have known how successful we would become. With the support of family, an amazing staff and the community, Pasticceria maintains its family atmosphere acting as a home away from home for people. We were the first shop in the city to serve gelato. We make French and Italian pastries such as our famous cannoli siciliani, European-style cakes, and assorted biscotti. It’s the city’s sweet retreat where people can also enjoy breakfast and lunch.” (Read more)