Brunch with Rebecca Bollwitt at The Oakwood

Brunch is a favourite past time shared by many and should be an extraordinary experience, one that you will cherish. Vancouver has some wonderful places for brunch. Each of the places I visit is unique for what is offered along with the type of service and selection of dishes. I am on a journey around the city to find these extraordinary places and, at the same time, I will be joined by a notable personality who may be a Film Producer or Director, Musician, Arts Festival Director, Actor or other well-known individual for Brunch at restaurants in and around Vancouver.

Rebecca Bollwitt

For my forty second brunch in this series, I was joined by Author & Blogger Rebecca Bollwitt at the The Oakwood in Kitsilano talking writing, blogging and more.

Rebecca Bollwitt grew up in Surrey, BC, she built her first website in 1997, she has been blogging about life in BC since 2004 on Miss604.com, and podcasting since 2005. Named one of BC’s Top 100 Women of Influence by the Vancouver Sun, Rebecca co-founded sixty4media, a WordPress website development firm in 2008, and has co-authored the book, Blogging to Drive Business in 2010. Miss604.com was voted “Best Vancouver Blog” by the Georgia Straight for 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012, “Best Local Blog” by The Westender in 2010, 2011 & 2012, and has been ranked within the top ten blogs in Canada.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @Miss604

How did you get into blogging?

I was tinkering with websites and built a fan page for a favourite band back in highschool. Learned code and websites online as a hobby. In 2000 I started my dot com career, in 2003 I started seeing blogs pop-up, in 2004 I saw blogger and started a personal blog. Web 2.0 progressed and in 2006 I took it and made it Vancouver focussed. In 2008 I left my day job which was a media specialist for a payment gateway company.

Did you have a passion for writing while growing up?

I did, I have always loved writing literature and writing studies.

Tell me who some of the most engaging people that you have interviewed over the years for your blog or podcast?

1) George Stroumboulopoulos in 2006

2) Less than Jake Band in 1997

In your book, Blogging to Drive Business: Create and Maintain Valuable Customer Connections – what are the 3 main points you want people to grasp from your book?

1) Have a plan when you go into blogging –writing about, passionate, content, goal

2) Being Human –still have the personal voice – give names to your authors, face for each person

3) Read other Blogs – Know what else is out there, be familiar with blogging

What does building community mean to you?

Nurturing a group of like-minded people or people who have similar interests, being able to host discussions so the help me help you concept can flourish.

How different would life be today without WordPress?

There would be something else or people would still be on blogger or tumbler, because wordpress is open source represents so much more.

Tell our readers about 3 of your memorable experiences you have had based on invitations you received as Miss 604

1) Switzerland –the government of Switzerland invited 5-10 media in 2009 to tour Geneva and Zurich and to take us to the IOC headquarters with focus on the Olympic spirit for 2010.

2) Africa – Cadbury does bicyclefactory.ca which helps build bikes for kids in Ghanna, so kids can go to school. Two bloggers from Canada went to Ghanna in 2011 and a bicycle delivery, I was one of the two bloggers.

3) In Torch Relay for 2010 –riding in a car in my home town of Surrey and home area, got to give my grandma a big hug.

What is it about value of bloggers that people under-estimate?

People under estimate bloggers who have smaller audiences. The person that has a niche audience could be the most influentcial person who is connected to so many other people.

Where was your most recent trip?

Seattle to a Mariner game and got a tour of Safeco field.

What is your favourite food?

Mexican food

What is your favourite dish?

Halibut with bier blanc with green steamed vegetables

What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver?

Nook – for date night, birthdays etc
Kitaro Ramen on Denman
CinCin

Black Pepper Brioche Muffins

Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict

Shortrib, hashbrown croquettes, and caramelized onion puree

Rebecca and Richard shared the Black Pepper Brioche Muffins basket with maple butter to start, Rebecca then had the Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict with dill hollandaise, fennel salad, home fries and Richard had the Shortrib, hashbrown croquettes, and caramelized onion puree.

What are some of your favourite restaurants outside of Vancouver?

Spinnakers Brewpub in Victoria
Tom Douglas Restaurants –Lola, Dahlia Lounge, Serious Pie all in Seattle
Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek in the Okanagan

What do you do in your off time?

Long walks in Stanley Park with my husband

Who are your mentors?

Chuck Davis – he literally wrote the history of Vancouver
Tony Pierce – wrote How to Blog (in LA –business blog)

Who inspires you?

My husband

What has inspired you lately?

Founders Collective – a group of women in Vancouver who I met years ago, all are leaders in their own industry, celebrating the successes that were already celebrated.

How do you stay ahead of the game?

Work your but off
When new things come up, don’t dismiss it. I try any new app or technology at least once. Choose to see how to use in your network.
Going to Meetups and tweetups –sharing ideas –hearing what other people are using and making.

Is there anything you want to do, that you haven’t done already?