- Story by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton

Walking into Lucia WhiteB次元官网网址檚 kitchen is a little like how I imagine heaven must feel.

Laid out on the table amidst cheerful yellow china and fresh roses are dainty tea sandwiches, sugar cookies with lemon curd, peanut butter brownies, a bowl of gorgeously coloured sugar cubes and an Italian almond celebration cake sitting regally on a stand.

Nearby, fresh sprigs of rosemary and lemons adorn the marble-topped island next to a bouquet of slender fennel breadsticks, a plate of almond anise biscotti and a traditional Italian olive oil cake.

Known in the community for her divine baking skills and tea spreads, as well as a passion for community involvement, Lucia herself is a vision in elegant black. On this day, her high-necked blouse is subtly striped with black velvet along the full sleeves, the collar clasped together with a cameo brooch. I have the sudden and distinct impression this woman should be commanding a sprawling estate, rather than the sweet little Sidney home sheB次元官网网址檚 invited me into.

Almost immediately, she tells me about her mother, Dominique, who passed away last September.

B次元官网网址淪he was my total inspiration for everything I do here,B次元官网网址� she says, showing me a lovely picture of her mom. B次元官网网址淪he was so kind.B次元官网网址�

Inspiration for the food, yes, but also a foundational part of LuciaB次元官网网址檚 drive to give of herself.

LuciaB次元官网网址檚 love affair with food and baking started at an early age, as she helped her mom in the kitchen.

B次元官网网址淲hen we first moved to Canada, she couldnB次元官网网址檛 speak the language, so sheB次元官网网址檇 ask for my help reading the recipes.B次元官网网址�

Lucia moves to the side of the island as we chat, showing off the spread of ingredients for another olive oil cake, one of her signature dishes. Oil from her familyB次元官网网址檚 farm in the south of Italy mixes with flour, chopped rosemary from her garden, eggs B次元官网网址� the recipe is technically a secret, so IB次元官网网址檒l stop there. Quick as a wink itB次元官网网址檚 in the oven and sheB次元官网网址檚 moved on to rolling out Turdilli dough, a sort of spiced donut similar to gnocchi dough.

SheB次元官网网址檚 been involved in some way giving back to her local community for years B次元官网网址� participating annually in former employer Bayshore Home HealthB次元官网网址檚 Hike for Hospice, for example B次元官网网址� but itB次元官网网址檚 the last few years that her passion for involvement has intensified, largely due to the loss of several friends and loved ones.

B次元官网网址淚 just want to give back,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淲hether itB次元官网网址檚 giving my time cooking for people who need it. WhateverB次元官网网址檚 needed.B次元官网网址�

Well-practiced at hosting spectacular teas since her daughterB次元官网网址檚 wedding shower in 2012, it was in 2017 that Lucia decided to take the event to the next level and host it as a community fundraiser.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e lost a lot of friends to cancer, so hospice was the first one we donated to,B次元官网网址� she says, adding that her then-employer Bayshore provided much-welcome support. Stasia Hartley, area director, coordinated the companyB次元官网网址檚 involvement, and Bayshore matched the $1,500 that Lucia raised through the tea.

Last yearB次元官网网址檚 fundraiser was put on hold with her motherB次元官网网址檚 illness and LuciaB次元官网网址檚 intermittent travel, but sheB次元官网网址檚 excited to hold the tea again this year, and has hopes of expanding it into a much larger event. Her current employers, Don and Joanne Gulevich of Coastal Heat Pumps, are interested in possibly acting as sponsors, and Lucia is actively looking for more support.

An array of teas sits on the counter from JanetB次元官网网址檚 Teas (B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 just lovely. SheB次元官网网址檚 such a community person too,B次元官网网址� Lucia tells me.). And soon a pot of Earl Grey is steeping on the counter.

Then the oven beeps, and the olive oil cake emerges in a cloud of decadence, putting our conversation on pause. It is a thing of beauty, and Lucia places a slice in front of me, adorned with peeled orange and a light dusting of icing sugar. The flavour is incomparable. Delicately sweet and unbelievably moist, the subtle notes of rosemary blend beautifully with citrus, and at the very end, an unusual and most appealing herbal taste lingers from the olive oil.

I tell Lucia, only half-joking, that I have to restrain myself from licking the crumbs from my plate, which makes her smile.

B次元官网网址淚 just feel so happy inside when I get to make it for people,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 know they all appreciate and enjoy it, and that makes my heart happy. ThatB次元官网网址檚 how I want my life to be, enjoying every moment with the people you love. This whole situation with my mom passing has really brought that home.B次元官网网址�

SheB次元官网网址檚 quick to shower love on those in her life whoB次元官网网址檝e helped and inspired her along the way: her mother, her husband Ken, her daughters Janine and Chelsey, her cooking B次元官网网址減artner-in-crimeB次元官网网址� Laurie Salvador, even Kimberly Lewis-Manning, the designer who spent countless hours reinventing LuciaB次元官网网址檚 kitchen into its current sublime iteration.

The last forkful goes down all too soon. IB次元官网网址檓 left utterly satisfied, but longing for more. And for more than just tasty treats, as well. IB次元官网网址檓 inspired not only to go back to my own kitchen and break out my mixing bowls, but perhaps to look around my own neighbourhood and see how I might contribute my time, my own passions. And itB次元官网网址檚 a good feeling. Almost as good as that cake.