“The saviour was supposed to come in the form of a skinny kid from a town with a long French name.” — first sentence of “50 Mission Cap”.
Author’s Bio
I am the editor of the cancer-fighting cookbook “Inspired Cooking” (Fresh Air Publishing, December 2016). It has been called “the best cookbook of its kind” and “the best edited cookbook of the year” by The Best of Food & Wine radio show with Anthony Gismondi and Kasey Wilson. You can click here to listen to the broadcast featuring Vikram Vij and me discussing the cookbook.
“Inspired Cooking” features profiles of Canada’s leading chefs — including Vij, Michael Smith, Dale MacKay and Connie DeSousa — discussing the role nutrition plays in their lives and how their restaurants are helping to shape Canadians’ views of nutrition for the 21st century. The cookbook includes more than 60 recipes. It was produced by InspireHealth, a government-funded non-profit agency that provides supportive cancer care for patients across Canada. InspireHealth helped my beloved wife, Julia Pelish-Brijbassi, following her diagnosis of cancer in 2015. She passed away in March 2016 and the “Inspired Cooking” project features her amazing photography.
You can read my tribute/eulogy to Julia here.
The Editor’s Note for “Inspired Cooking” is published here.
MORE BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Publishing Credits
Short Stories: Published
• *+“Scream” (Southampton Review, Issue No. 1, Summer, 2007)
• *#^“Nothing to Be Afraid Of” (Confrontation, Issue No. 84/85, Winter, 2004)
• ^“Canada Geese Mate for Life” (Confrontation, Issue No. 82/83, Summer, 2003)
• “Sharks in the Moonlight”(Proteus, Spring, 2003)
• “The Prince” (East Hampton Star, January, 2003)
• “Reject This!” (Proteus, Spring, 2002)
Short Stories: Looking for a Home
• ^“Repairs”
• “Protection from Friends”
• “Masquerade”
+Pushcart Prize nominee
*Finalist for Glimmer Train short story award
#Winner of the Sarah Tucker Prize for Fiction
^Winner of Southampton’s Whitman Award for Fiction
Novels
• “50 Mission Cap”
Novels-in-progress
• “Triumph the Lion”
• “A Final and Lasting Solitude”
• “This Sure Ground”
Travel Writing Awards
- 2019 Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Canadian Chapter 1st Prize, Scenery Photo: Haida Gwaii Kayaks published on Vacay.ca and Instagram.
- 2019 SATW Canadian Chapter 2nd Prize, Best Canadian Article: “Vancouver Island Wineries Sparkle“, published in Vacay.ca.
- 2018 Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Canadian Chapter 2nd Prize, International Article: “Vienna Marks Centennial of Gustav Klimt’s Death with Modern Art Extravaganza“, published in VacayNetwork.com.
- 2018 SATW Canadian Chapter 1st Prize, Best Destination Photo: For the image in this Vacay.ca article featuring an Indigenous woman drumming at the top of the Sea-to-Sky Gondola in Squamish, British Columbia.
- 2017 North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Bronze: Destination Article published in an International Website for “Full-on Fun at Half-Corked Marathon”, published in Vacay.ca.
- 2017 SATW Canadian Chapter 2nd Prize, Canadian Article: “Wickaninnish Inn and More Joys of Tofino“, published in Vacay.ca.
- 2016 NATJA Finalist: “Chef Michael Smith Reaches New Heights,” published in Vacay.ca.
- 2016 NATJA Finalist: ““An Awesome Sighting of Polar Bears in Arctic Canada,” published in VacayNetwork.com.
- 2011 NATJA Gold and Bronze: Destination Article published in an International Newspaper with a daily circulation greater than 250,000. “Chasing the Big Five” won first place; “Freedom Found in Curacao” won third.
- 2011 NATJA Gold: Best Newspaper Series for “The Grand Tour,” shared with Jim Byers, the Toronto Star’s Travel Editor. My articles in the series include: Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, St. Petersburg and Cape Town.
- 2010 NATJA Gold and Silver: Destination Article published in an International Newspaper with a daily circulation greater than 250,000. “Beauty and the Beach in Bamfield” won first place; “Montreal’s indie music scene sizzles” was second.
- 2010 NATJA Silver: Travel Series for South Africa World Cup Preview articles.