Ten Minutes With

Dominique Cantwell is no stranger to the spotlight. Recently named an Island Treasure, she is known by many as the charming, dauntless executive director of Bainbridge Performing Arts. But her impact as a leader extends far beyond the theater. Cantwell has participated in arts funding and cultural planning on the island, served […]

Rachele Turnbull was one of a handful of women in her Oregon State classes while earning a degree is construction engineering management. After several years’ experience, she co-founded Clark Construction on Bainbridge Island in 2006. Her crews recently finished two multi-family residential projects, the Roost development in Lynwood Center and The Walk […]

Pino Sordello wants Via Rosa 11 to be a sensual feast: the aroma of simmering marinara, a greeting as you walk through the door, the sight of people preparing food. Just don’t call it a restaurant! “It’s a glorified deli,” he said with a laugh. He’s lived on Bainbridge 23 of his […]

Thuy Nguyen has been part of the Bainbridge restaurant scene since 2008. As she’s changed locations, her concept has evolved from Roosters Café with its menu of coffee, pastries and sandwiches; to Roosters Café and Thuy’s Pho House, which combined the café menu with Vietnamese and other Asian fare; to the latest, […]

Senji Kanaeda walks the walk. The Buddhist monk can often be seen striding the island in gold and white robes, chanting, and beating a small handheld drum. His order believes in fostering world peace and alleviating suffering through walking, chanting, drumming and erecting peace pagodas around the world. Kanaeda holds twice-daily services […]

Cynthia Sears, founder of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, has painstakingly assembled an impressive 1,300-plus collection of artists’ books over the past three decades. Visitors to BIMA often rave about the works, part of a thought-provoking display in the Sherry Grover Gallery. Sears appreciates art’s many forms, but these intricate, hand-made books […]

Carolyn Leech recently marked her 20th anniversary as postmaster at the Rollingbay Post Office, a post (pun intended) that dates back to 1892. Things are done a little differently at Rollingbay, from the spelling of the name (one word, not two), to the zip code of the P.O. boxes (98061), to the […]

Sally Noedel isn’t offended when her work is beaten, broken and busted. In fact, that’s the whole point. Since 2013, the Whata Piñata owner has crafted hundreds of piñatas, thousands of party crackers, and countless strawberries and paper flowers for seemingly every occasion. Crafted in what Noedel believes is the only piñateria […]

Susie Burdick has been fondly called “a child with experience.” With her deep love of kids, play and community, she shines as the Kids Discovery Museum’s executive director. Burdick was BPA’s first artistic director in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and has worked in nonprofits for decades. A chronic do-gooder, she recently served […]

Jas Linford is referred to by his wife, MJ, as “Mr. Music” and the nickname is well earned. In addition to being the island’s foremost authority on the tuba, he buys, sells and repairs instruments of all kinds; teaches music; conducts the Hometown Band of Kitsap County; and plays in the Bethany […]

Carol Mezen had no plans in 2003 to become a Bainbridge Island firefighter and the department’s first female paramedic. At the time, she was the part-time business administrator for the fire department. But in 2007, her colleagues invited her to a course called Burn to Learn and the seed for this unexpected […]

Matt Hamner didn’t grow up in a place that much resembles Bainbridge. One of 15 children, he grew up on a farm in Shelby County, Indiana, where his entire family lived in a one bedroom home with one outhouse. Lots of folks wrote them off. But after serving 23 years on the […]

Jacob Angel loves food and wants you to do the same. Find him at Jake’s Pickup, his take-out/restaurant combo unpredictably housed in a gas station convenience store on High School Road. His first job, at age 15, was in a Memphis barbecue joint. Angel was influenced by his Southern origins, but his […]

Ian McCallum gets a kick out of soccer. The sport he loved growing up in Scotland on the Isle of Bute still inspires him. As director of coaching for Bainbridge Island Football Club and coach of the BHS boys varsity soccer team, McCallum, 45, has shared his passion with thousands of area […]

Jeremy Rothbaum is known by his students as Mr. Fussy Pants, which gives you an idea of his meticulous and exacting nature—and his sense of humor. A music teacher at Blakely Elementary since 1991 and past director of the Young Singers program (now Bainbridge Youth Chorale), Rothbaum has created thousands of music […]

Leatrice “Lee” Eiseman recalls, from childhood, her mother’s springtime ritual of repainting their Baltimore row home’s interior as a hallmark influence. Today, the internationally known and cosmopolitan color expert heads Pantone’s Color of the Year selection committee, shaping everything from fashion to floral, furniture to phone cases—essentially providing the whole world an […]

Ryan Landworth doesn’t do horseshoes—you’ve got to find a farrier for those. As an architectural blacksmith, artist and craftsman, Landworth’s handiwork can be found all over the island—from the railing outside Hitchcock Deli, to the bench outside of Blackbird, to decorative custom gates and fencing found in many of the island’s gardens. […]

Bt Valerie Reinke Tommy Dillon arrived on Bainbridge Island scarcely six months ago. Since then he has: taken the helm at Grace Church; purchased a Winslow condominium; helped pass a proclamation establishing LGBT Pride Month; collaborated with St. Barnabus to remember the Charleston church shooting victims; recorded podcasts; posted scenic pictures on the Bainbridge Islanders […]

Jeremy Brown likes to say he was born in a pub. While that’s not quite the case, he does come from a hearty line of British publicans and pub workers, and his easygoing way with wine and words is certainly rooted in his upbringing in and around pubs in his native England. […]

Carmine Rau loves a good story. If you ask her to tell you her favorite book, she’ll say it’s like asking her to choose which child she loves most—impossible. As children’s librarian at the Kitsap Regional Library on Bainbridge, Carmine has enchanted young readers with storytelling (check out her “Where the Wild […]

TJ Faddis wasn’t always an aficionado of film. But for most of the last 25 years, she was the reason you could see movies on Bainbridge. That’s because she ran the projector at the island’s beloved Lynwood Theatre and was responsible for the movie selection and the film notes audiences enjoyed before […]

Rabbi Paul Strasko may have only landed on Bainbridge within the past year, but he is already an essential thread in the fabric of the Jewish community at Congregation Kol Shalom. Strasko, who is a jazz musician and a writer in addition to being a rabbi, relocated here from Germany, where he […]

Bruce Barcott has had a career in journalism that would give any adventure lover a natural high. A 2009 Guggenheim Fellow in nonfiction, Barcott has authored works including The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, named one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2008, and The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and […]

Katy Bigelow has built her life among the trees. As a certified arborist, she devotes her professional life to consulting with people about working with their trees for the beauty, health and safety of their property. Most recently she’s added daring, cat-in-a-tree rescues to her list of for-hire activities. In her spare […]

Chuck Beek is doing pretty well—for an old geezer. At age 67, he takes weekly 30-mile bike rides and swims three days a week in the Sound during the summer. Chuck has been biking for 62 years and is the fourth oldest member of the Geezers of Fury cycling group—hence his Geezr4 […]

George Shannon didn’t receive the Island Treasure award until 2012, but he has been a jewel in our community since arriving from Wisconsin in 1993. The prolific—and terrific—author of 40 titles that range from delightful picture books to a scholarly work on children’s author Arnold Lobel, George gets a huge kick out […]

Murat Tasdemir arrived in Tucson, Arizona, from Istanbul, Turkey, in 1995 with $130 and 65 Turkish rugs. Within a couple of days, he sold over $40,000 worth of his inventory. Murat’s welcoming demeanor and passion draw people to him, including a Bainbridge couple who bought rugs from him in Turkey and then […]

Cynthia Sears gets a sparkle in her eyes when she talks about art. An avid collector of arts and crafts, this 25 year Bainbridge resident is the inspiration behind the new Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, scheduled to open on June 14. Sears calls herself “a haphazard preservationist,” meaning she does whatever […]

Jeff Phillips is, in fact, a dentist. But simply calling the 66-year-old islander a “dentist” is somewhat akin to calling Michelangelo an “interior decorator.” He’s run marathons, hiked the Himalayas, summitted Mt. Rainier. Plus, he maintains a five-acre farm and has headed the Silverdale Dental Center for 38 years. This spring, he’ll […]

Mary Terry co-owns gift and home furnishing shops up, down and across Winslow Way. From unique home accents at Dana’s Showhouse and Furnish Bainbridge to distinct wearable art at Danger, Mary is an expert on selecting gifts that receive rave reviews. We thought she’d be the best person to ask about how […]

Nicole Niehaus co-owns Sweet Deal with her partner Jen O’Neill. We talked with her about Bainbridge Island “chic,” which seems to be a case study in contradictions. Women wear North Face jackets over Lululemon tennis skirts or designer jeans with Forever 21 tops. Men wear the same Levi’s 501s from high […]

Chris Soldevilla is an actor, acting coach and a hilarious member of The EDGE Improv. Chris, his wife, actress Elizabeth Mitchell of “Lost” fame, and their son have lived on Bainbridge for six years. He begins filming the romantic comedy “A Love Like Ours” in July. You can find a schedule for […]