Daniela Zenari, who lives in McCauley and works in the Ice District, is a freelance journalist and is also an artist. Her mediums are writing, singing, and playing the guitar. 

I asked her what gets her going with her writing. “A deadline really helps. I follow my ADHD hyperfixations into things that I’m passionate about and interested in. It’s hard to do all the things I want to do, so now I’ve just decided to start talking to all the people who do the things I want to do so I can learn more about them and then I can scratch that itch without having to commit. I’ve written an article about mushrooms in Alberta and I have tried growing mushrooms at home. My next article is about honey bees, backyard beekeeping, and honey producers. I think in general instead of having a mushroom log and a bee hive and probably a chicken coop, writing is my way of following my passions without taking on a million projects that I would not finish.”

I asked Daniela to share her experiences with Heart of the City. “Almost every year I go and check out the festival,” she said. “It kicks off festival season for me. I love the vibe and the music and the different things there are to see. This year I was asked to do a comedy set at the Beat Spoken Word Stage’s Comedy Showcase. It was really awesome to get to do the thing I love and feel supported at this great festival.” 

Daniela was one of eight comics who each did a 10 minute set. This year, we had to contend with a terrible wind storm that almost shut down the show, but we left the tent flaps open, comics wrapped themselves up in blankets, and the show went on. Says Daniela, “The show was awesome, so many people braved that wind and even when there was half a tree that blew by, the audience stayed. You can’t control the weather but under the circumstances I think it went really well. It was super fun.”

When I asked Daniela about her connection to the neighbourhood, she said, “I grew up on the south side but for the last seven to eight years I’ve lived in McCauley. My sister has her family here. My mom moved here. We all live in a three block radius and I absolutely love McCauley. I’ve been the chair of the board of Inn Roads Housing Cooperative for the last three and half years. I just love the community and want to contribute. My favourite part of McCauley is the community feeling. You know your neighbours, you know who is around, people say hi and chat.” 

Being close to the Italian Centre, Zocalo, and Paper Birch Books is one of Daniela’s favourite things about McCauley. “There are so many great little community hubs where you can go, get all the things that you need and see people you know. I think it has that great community feel. My family is here. I want to live in McCauley for a long time because you don’t really get that in other places.”

If you recognize Daniela’s last name, it’s likely due to the fact that her family has run restaurants under the name “Zenari’s” for the entirety of Daniela’s life. However, the family’s most recent restaurant closed in December 2024. “That was a big deal because it’s the first time I haven’t had a place to go. But I started working at O’Byrne’s in Ice District. It’s also a family-run business so that has been nice. It’s a really great team.”

At the time of writing this article, Daniela was starting two comedy shows. ”Where’s the Craic?” is a weekly show on Sundays at 8 p.m. at O’Byrnes Ice District. “Let’s Be Frank” is a monthly show on the first Thursday of the month at 8 p.m. at Frank’s Community Pub (8815 99th Street NW). 

Corine Demas lives in McCauley where she is the President of the McCauley Community League and the Executive Director of the  Heart of the City Festival.