At a young age, Les was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor when the doctors remove the tumor Les was left with the challenge of hemiplegia, limited function of the left side of his body. This condition did not prevent Les from learning to do many day to day things such as tying a tie, putting on a watch and driving a car. He has always had an upbeat personality and a keen sense of humor. As he gained confidence in his abilities he began teaching others how to accomplish the things he had taught himself. Along the way Les applied his creativity to other things that interested him
FABRIC ARTIST
COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT
CHEF / AUTHOR
TOUR GUIDE
Fabric artists
Turned a Craft into Art!
Les became interested in Needle Point from watching an Aunt work on her projects. Not to be discouraged by his disability, he devised a way to support his hoop so he could use his mobile hand to complete the intricate stiches. Les soon became bored with the limit patterns available for Needle Point and began developing his own. Of course his sense of humor could not be left aside, so he based his designs on a series of Pun Themes. Titles like TEA-Rex, 2TEAFruit2TEA and TEAandTrumpets emerged in Les’ TEA themed works and titles like ChildDISH and inDISHbelief in his DISH Themed art.
COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT
His Community
Les is very active in his community involving himself in everything from Community Events to Volunteering. As a Member of the Board of Directors for the Victoria Disability Recourse Centre, and a resource provider for the Victoria Brain Injury Society, Les is doing more that just volunteering. He is helping both organizations at the grass root level to provide a multitude of services to Victorian’s with special needs.
Les is also a past member of the Victoria AM Club, a volunteer at the Chinatown Night Market, a Celebrity Chef and an active member of the Victoria Chinese Commerce Society.
He conducts seminars for individuals who have challenges with every day activities, like tying a shoe or putting on a watch, and while he does not have all of the answers his motivational encouragement provides the catalyst to find solutions to these every day challenges.
CULINARY SKILLS
CHEF & AUTHOR
His heritage, and the fact that he is a Celebrity Chef and Cook Book Author, provides Les with the credentials to craft a real Chinese Meal. Whether it is demonstrating the art of cooking fresh Spot Prawns at Victoria’s Public Market or teaching Simple Survival Techniques for Every Day Living at VBIS, Les has got the chops. Les is also a member of the Canadian Chefs Federation.
In 1998, Les Authored the Cook Book, “Don’t Stir Fry in the Nude”, however since that time the Book has sold out and is now out of print.
tour guide
Canada’s Oldest Chinatown Tours
Les has gathered a wealth of information about Canada’s oldest Chinese Community. He has many stories to tell during his casual stroll though some of Victoria’s oldest buildings, providing access to a Chinese Temple, a Chinese Herbalist, and old Chinese market and the world famous Fan Tan Alley. The Tour culminates in a Chinese Feast in one of Chinatown’s fantastic restaurants.
