CHEFS CHALLENGE: 21 would-be-chefs entered the Dirty Apron Cooking School kitchen to demonstrate their culinary skills and passion for food, while supporting ovarian cancer research. Yours truly along with Global TV’s Sophie Lui and Chris Gailus captained the teams of seven in a three-course challenge orchestrated by acclaimed chef and Dirty Apron principal David Robertson and party hosts Dianne Miller and Marlynn Thompson, ovarian cancer researcher and survivor respectively. A friendly cooking competition quickly boiled over as teams went to work on a miso sake-roasted sablefish, herb-roasted beef tenderloin and chocolate soufflé to please judges. Although every dish was Instagram-worthy, the real winner was the BC Cancer Agency. The royal repast raised $11,000 to go towards world leading ovarian cancer research led by Miller. Roughly 2,800 Canadian women will be diagnosed with the disease this year — the fifth most common cancer for women. To date, there is still no standard test for ovarian cancer.
BOYS OF SUMMER: Hundreds of baseball and Blue Jays fans convened at the Hotel Vancouver for the eighth annual Scotiabank Vancouver Canadians Hot Stove Luncheon. Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins, president emeritus Paul Beeston and former Blue Jays fan fave Lloyd “Shaker” Moseby headlined the Vancouver Canadians Foundation power lunch, emceed by sports broadcaster Rob Fai. Still leading the franchise in stolen bases, the irreverent Moseby also stole the show sharing his love of the game and time playing in Toronto. As usual, the real winners were the kids and future of baseball. UBC Thunderbirds, the national women’s program, Challenger Baseball (a league for children with cognitive and physical disabilities to enjoy the game) and Boys and Girls Club of South Coast BC all benefitted from the baseball bash — the latter bringing 1,000 kids every summer to play at Nat Bailey Stadium for free.
BURNS SUPPER: Inhonour of Scotland’s favourite son, Robbie Burns, the five-star Pan Pacific Hotel hosted its inaugural Robbie Burns dinner on the occasion of his 259th birthday. Billed an authentic Burns supper, Scottish haggis was on the menu, the first time in almost 50 years since the offal was allowed in the country. A savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck —the liver, lungs and heart — minced with spices onions and oatmeal, the Scottish delicacy was masterfully prepared by executive chef Geoff Carkner and his culinary brigade. Fronted by ScotCan BC, British Airways and the British Canadian Business Association, the gala dinner commemorating the life and work of the legendary poet cooked up $10,000 for the Plaid for Dad campaign to conquer prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men.
Hear Fred Mondays 8:20 a.m. on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; email [email protected]; Twitter @FredAboutTown.
