When Kathy filmed a short cooking demonstration for CBC Television in the 1950s, she never dreamed it would make her “social media famous” one day.

Many talented and accomplished people live at Tapestry, and we are always interested to hear about their careers and life experiences. It only recently came to light that Kathy, who has lived at Tapestry at Wesbrook Village for three years, had become a bit of a sensation on the social media channel Instagram.

It all started when Kathy, who is a retired dietician, was selected to record an instructional cooking video with CBC for a television pilot. A few years earlier, she had graduated from the University of British Columbia’s home economics program, which included a course on cooking demonstrations, and one of her professors recommended her for the video. “You needed to be able to talk and work with your hands at the same time,” she says.

It was Kathy’s idea to demonstrate a recipe for homemade pizza, which was quite an innovative choice since pizza wasn’t as popular then as it is today. “When I was going to university, people were talking about pizza and trying to make it at home because you couldn’t buy it in a store or restaurant,” Kathy says. “I thought it would be more interesting and more contemporary.

Canada’s first pizzeria opened in 1948 in Montreal and the timing is attributed to an influx of Italian immigrants. But pizza didn’t rise to popularity in Canada until the late 1950s. It then became more common in the 1960s as many pizza restaurants opened across the country.

Kathy’s 1957 pizza recipe included a base consisting of “a biscuit or a yeast dough,” topped with a tangy tomato sauce, oregano and “nippy cheese,” which she describes in the video as “a strong cheddar”. She also demonstrated a faster and simpler version made with buns.

Fast forward to the present day, and the black and white video of the demonstration popped up on the Instagram feed of Kathy’s daughter-in-law, Debbie, who recognized her mother-in-law and couldn’t wait to show her. When asked what it was like to see the video again after all these years, Kathy says, “I was shocked. That was almost 70 years ago!”

Not only has the online video received quite a few hits and comments, but CBC TV recently interviewed Kathy and Debbie to talk about her newfound fame all these years later. Kathy says she’s definitely surprised at all the interest in the video, because back in the 1950s if you didn’t see something live on television you probably wouldn’t see it again. But in this new age of social media, a clip like this one can be seen over and over again and by millions.

Despite pizza generally being known as “fast food”, Kathy,  who worked on and off for 30 years as a dietician, mostly in hospitals, while raising her family,  says pizza is quite nutritious because it includes many of the food groups. “It’s important to eat healthy for a long life, and to follow Canada’s food guide,” she says.

Kathy also emphasizes the importance of being active for health and weight control as we age. She walks every day, golfs three times a week, and she also uses the on-site golf simulator at Tapestry.

One of the things we pride ourselves on at Tapestry is our unique culinary experience that emphasizes choice and flexibility in dining. Contact us today to schedule a personal tour and complimentary lunch to experience a “Taste of Tapestry” for yourself. And, if you move in to one of our communities before December 31, 2023 you’ll receive a $5,000 incentive.