Today’s Vancouver Mom: Dee Clarke

I live in the West End with my husband, Chris, our very sporty 12 year old son, Ryder, and our grouchy cat, Rosie.
I lead a double life. I am a Fit 4 Two® Pre and Postnatal Fitness franchisee/instructor as well as a Personal Stylist/Personal Shopper and co-owner of The Joy of Style.
Dee’s favourite spots around the city
Akira Sushi
They have black rice and ever since we started coming here I can’t eat any other kind of sushi!
1069 Denman St, Vancouver
Greenhorn Cafe
East Van in the West End. Hipster. Artsy. Friendly. Tiny patio. Great lunch spot.
994 Nicola St, Vancouver
Delany’s Coffee House
The best place to grab a latte or blended coffee drink before heading to English Bay.
1105 Denman St, Vancouver
Nook
Simple yet creative, fresh and delicious Italian food. Incredible pizza and pasta. Definitely worth waiting in the line up for. No reservations. Go early if you are bringing the kids.
781 Denman St, Vancouver
Tavola
Sister restaurant to Nook (just around the corner). Larger menu. More spacious. Reservations accepted. Amazing service.
1829 Robson St, Vancouver
Espana Restaurant
Inspired Spanish tapas. My mouth is very happy here!
1118 Denman St, Vancouver
The Fat Badger
Sister restaurant to Espana. Lots of English beers on tap. Traditional English pub food, but WAY better.
1616 Alberni St, Vancouver
The Blind Sparrow
We affectionately refer to it as The Deaf Sparrow. It’s noisy here, but the atmosphere is fun and they have a great selection of local craft beers on tap.
751 Denman St, Vancouver
Timber Gastro Pub
Canadiana themed room and menu. Friendly service and moderate prices. Family friendly.
1300 Robson St, Vancouver
Pomme Natural Market
Organic produce and many locally-made healthy products.
1722 Davie St, Vancouver
West End Community Centre
Skating lessons and drop-in hockey in winter. Wonderful FREE pre-teen program on Friday nights 6-9PM. That’s 3 FREE hours of childminding!
870 Denman St, Vancouver
Connect with Dee through the Joy of Style, on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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Erin McGann is the former Managing Editor for Vancouver Mom and Toronto Mom Now. She drinks just a bit too much coffee, is a bit obsessed about sourcing local food, plays the cello moderately well, spends too much time on Twitter, keeps honeybees on a rooftop, and has a thing for single-malt whisky. Erin is working on a novel set in turn-of-the-century Vancouver, which her husband, son and dog have to hear about all the time, and also blogs at Erin at Large.