Downtown Buzz News from the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone SPOTLIGHT


Booth University College


Booth University College 447 Webb Place


W


hile there are some major educational institutions that can boast about their downtown campus, not every Christian college gets to say the same. “What we like to say is the city is the campus – because the downtown really is our campus,” says Chris Albi, com-


munications specialist for Booth University College. “It’s a great place to be because you have everything – all the amenities you need.” Te Christian faith-based institution is an educational


expression of Te Salvation Army’s theological tradition. While it’s closely linked with Te Salvation Army, including housing the only degree-granting Salvation Army school, “we are a liberal arts university college,” says Albi. Booth University College has built a tight-knit commu-


nity with student-to-instructor ratios of 10-to-1, an all-star team of academic advisors that are all members of the fac- ulty, and a librarian you can count on seeing throughout your whole academic career at Booth. “We’re a very welcoming community,” says Albi. “We’re not a big enterprise, so it allows for more of


that. People know your name, your professors know your name… it’s really fitting for people who may not like that big institution.” Aligning with many of the values of its associated faith,


Booth University College not only tries to offer that person- alized experience – it aims to educate the whole person. “What we’re really trying to teach our students is to think


outside themselves, to make sure that there’s social justice in the world. We want to instill that in them the best that we can,” says Albi. Trough a mandatory urban service learning course,


students become immersed in an outside organization that benefits the community, and then share and reflect on that experience. “Tey tend to come out of that with an understanding


of the wrongs in the world – how they are players in that, and how they can make the world a better place through kindness, through justice, through hope and mercy,” says Albi. “We’re about educating the whole person – mind, body, spirit.” As it works toward a university accreditation, Booth


has a number of partnerships with larger institutions and competitive programs like the Business Administration program at Red River College and the Education program at Te University of Winnipeg, studying abroad opportuni- ties, as well as on-campus residences. For a small community, there are big benefits. “We like


to say we’re ‘higher education with higher purpose,’” says Albi.


SPOTLIGHT


Hawaii Kai I


Hawaii Kai City Place Food Court


f there’s one thing that was missing from downtown’s network of restaurants, it was those distinct island vibes.


Since introducing her fresh fruit smoothies and juices,


and the popular “Hawaiian fast food,” delicious poke bowls (made with vegetables and raw fish), Vivian Do has proven just this. With a steady slew of customers visiting Hawaii Kai in Cityplace every day for a nutritious lunch or sip, she’s already looking at expanding into additional locations. Poke bowls’ popularity is gaining traction worldwide


– not just in the 50th state. Tese salad or rice bowls are usually anchored by cubes of raw seafood (like ahi tuna or salmon) mixed with sauces and onion. As a tasty alternative to a boring old salad, poke bowls


are a great guilt-free indulgence. Do found her calling by filling a healthy niche among


Cityplace’s vendors, and business was busy even through her first three summer months at the indoor mall. “When looking for a store, I thought, ‘the food court is


just fast food.’ “I want to make refreshing, healthy meals for office


workers.” “Kai,” which is a Hawaiian word for the sea, was chosen


deliberately to associate the restaurant with the comfort- ing and rejuvenating vibes of the sea. Just as research shows people can feel better simply for being in the pres- ence of an ocean, Do built her business around channeling that same feeling that people can get after a gratifying, satiating and healthy meal. Sharing the nutritional values of her whole menu and


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facts about the antioxidants in her teas isn’t just a ploy for social media – she has a grander plan for Hawaii Kai’s presence in Winnipeg. “I want to make Winnipeg a healthier city – try to make


people eat good and then they’re going to feel good about it.”


With previous restaurant experience (at the successful


University of Winnipeg-adjacent, Banh Mi King), Do feels like she’s gotten the formula right for a possible franchise opportunity with Hawaii Kai, and is actively scouting locations. She wouldn’t shy away from another downtown spot –


this time, perhaps a storefront. Having opened in the summer, she hasn’t even wit-


nessed the mall come alive in the early evenings yet with everyone bedecked in blue-and-white. “I’m very curious to see what will happen for Jets games,”


says Do. “I know it’s very busy, and the Jets games are going to happen a lot in the winter. “Te business is very good downtown.”


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