By: Rebecca Feigelsohn
Donna Dooher of Mildred’s Temple Kitchen and spokeswoman for Eat to the Beat
I was recently given the honour of attending a luncheon at The Chef’s House surrounded by passionate, dedicated, and intelligent women, all of whom are influential in supporting a very noble cause, and of course, love food. The charitable initiative these women sustain is the annual Eat To The Beat fundraiser, where 60 distinguished female chefs come together and serve their delicious culinary offerings in support of Willow, the national not-for-profit breast cancer support service. Over its 17 year run, Eat To The Beat has contributed over 3 million dollars to Willow, to ensure that anyone affected by breast cancer, whether it be the patient who is diagnosed, or her family, friends and caregivers, has access to free information and peer support.
These 60 “sisters of the kitchen,” as Virginia Yule, Chair of the Eat to The Beat committee (and former Executive Director of Willow) named them, illustrate the enormous power the female chef has to affect change. The chefs donate their time, energy and supplies to the cause, year after year, inspired by the breast cancer triumphs and hardships of their friends and family. This year’s animated and bubbly spokeswoman for Eat To The Beat is Donna Dooher of Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, who has been participating in the fundraising event since its inception and whose involvement was inspired by her sister’s breast cancer diagnosis.
The energy felt at the luncheon was unparalleled as women dined on the fantastic food prepared by students of George Brown College School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, swapped stories and networked. The Eat to The Beat event, which features a silent auction, raffle, food-inspired corsets, and entertainment, in addition to the wonderful savory and sweet food the guests are able to sample, takes place on Tuesday, October 16th at Roy Thomson Hall. The cuisine is guaranteed to be delicious, the company fantastic, and the cause more than worthy.
Visit eattothebeat.ca to learn more about the event and willow.org to find out more about the organization.
Tickets are $150 each and are available for purchase online at eattothebeat.ca, on the telephone 416 778 6314 ext 236, or via mail 30 St. Patrick Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON M5T 3A3.
If you cannot see the gallery below, click here: https://goodfoodrevolution.com/eat-to-the-beat-luncheon/
Rebecca Feigelsohn is a Toronto based editorial intern for Good Food Revolution. She recently completed her BA in English at McGill University and loves all things sweet. Follow her as she profiles Toronto pastry chefs @GoodFoodRevInt
