What's Up Wednesday

Midweek Mugging: Owners Diana Martinez-Ortega and Ulises Ortega started with a churro cart in 2013, but have now expanded into a full café.

Midweek Mugging: Owner Wentsi Yeung said she decided to start her own kombucha brewing business after falling in love with her first sip of the fermented tea drink.

Midweek Mugging: Ottawa Free Tours founder André LaFlamme said he wants to tell the kinds of stories that aren't in history textbooks, from when Ottawa was considered one of the "sketchier" cities in North America.

Midweek Mugging: Todd Chambers' business began by making homemade vanilla extract which would sell out at craft shows. He explained, it’s a simple process to steep vanilla beans in alcohol for six months, but nobody else was taking the time to do it.

Midweek Mugging: Jargon Preserves Co-founder Blake Williams said the business is a creative outlet for him and he hopes people use their preserves to make something even tastier.

Co-founder Hui Shen said the space can accommodate professional video game tournaments, but for the average player it's about making friends and enjoying the games in a social setting.

Midweek Mugging: Owner Gina Csiffary said Ottawa hat wearers were being let down by department stores and online shopping, but her store has a hat for every person and occasion.

Midweek Mugging: Momos are a type of steamed dumpling filled with either chicken, pork or vegetables and are a popular street food in Nepal, said co-founder Rahul Bura.

Midweek Mugging: Ottawa Insectarium owner Felisc McIvor hopes the tarantulas, scorpions and geckos he has on display will help people connect with the animals and see how valuable they are to the environment.

Midweek Mugging: Re4m owner Heather Jeffery said her goal is to reduce the amount of material going to landfills by creating something useful and unique from it.