Naomi Aris Horii
Restaurant Manager, Fergie’s Cafe
Meet Naomi, our nourishment ninja. Naomi oversees all things food for us with the deadliest and kindest poise, much the way she’s mastered her innumerable talents. She’s fearless, peerless, and beer-less. No really, she prefers a nice whiskey.
How does Squamish compare to any other cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Squamish is a place that bridges that city/town divide. It’s not just that it sits at the mouth of the Sound and at the foot of the mountains. It also enables those who love to enjoy a variety of things without feeling conflicted: you can wear a flannel jacket and boots to fine dining; you can go 4X4-ing into the woods to find a quiet spot to read; there’s finding the perfect ingredient for dinner at the Independent, foraging while trail running at dusk, Walmart hosting van dwellers, oysters and bubbles by campfire… I grew up in a small town and can relate to any small town. But Squamish? Squamish calls on the divided heart!
What was your least favourite subject in school?
“Life Skills” – a class on career counseling. When I went to high school back in the 1990’s, the ‘Life Skills’ class taught institutionalized and systemic sexist, racist, homophobic bulls***.
And what percentage of those classes would you say you skipped?
I went to a ‘learn at your own pace’ school (basically a ‘choose your own adventure’ school). What it really meant was skipping whatever I could so that I could drink pots of tea and smoke cigarettes with my bestie at the local cafe. Back in the day when there were smoking sections. After that we would take her 1973 black VW Beetle and get lost in the back logging roads in search of cool camping spots or lakes and rivers to swim in.
Would you rather never cross-country ski or never ride your motorbike?
No. Both those thoughts just make me want to cry! Literally feeling welled up right now…
Who are your top three favourite singers/bands?
Nooo! This question also makes me want to cry because I have so many favourites and if I had to choose I might go to music hell when I die because I might make my music gods mad! BUT lately I’ll gravitate towards anything psychedelic, heavily affected, lots of reverb, with of course driving bass lines that gouge.
Favourite mealtime:
You’re killing me! One of my greatest joys is cooking. If I’m in a shitty mood, one of the only ways to get me out of the darkness is to cook. Give me a stocked kitchen and some bomb-ass local ingredients, and I’ll give you love and happiness. Actually – even a not-so-stocked kitchen with no space, a sad carrot, a dying onion and some weird leftovers, I’ll still be stoked to cook and I’ll still give you love and happiness.
