Mission: 1,200 perfect plates
Behind the scenes of the Hospice Simons Gourmet Gala

By Philippe Morin
pmorin (at) thereview.on.ca

HAWKESBURY – The world of fine dining is a bit like a theatre show: The lights are dimmed and there is anticipation, followed by a flourish of presentation and unexpected surprises.

As in theatre, there are also dozens of people working behind the scenes – making sure everything happens on cue.

It can be a chaotic and loud scene behind the swinging doors, where people elbow for space and pots threaten to boil over.

Someone has to clear the plates, cook the food, peel and chop the vegetables, set the table, add seasoning, stir the sauces and ensure everything arrives hot and tasty. (Or perhaps cold and tasty, like a chilled white wine granité served on ice flakes.)

On February 22, Hawkesbury’s La Cité Golf Course hosted a ten-course meal prepared by chefs Rahul Chakraborty and Tim McRae.

The evening was a benefit for the Hospice Simons campaign, which seeks to build a palliative care facility in Eastern Ontario.

Chakraborty is the owner of Hawkesbury’s Elephant restaurant and McRae owns Lavoie’s restaurant in Vankleek Hill.

The two chefs directed a cast of volunteers, who prepared a ten-course meal for 120 people paying $100 a plate.

From the sidelines: Chefs Rahul Chakraborty (left) and Tim McRae watch for patrons’ reactions during the Hospice Simons Gala Gourmet. Philippe Morin photo

At the end of the evening, Chakraborty said he was very pleased.

“We tried to raise as much funds as we could, we used as many local ingredients as we could and we made everything from scratch.

Ben Mustapha, who is from Alfred, was one of the volunteers who got the meal produced. He said he was proud of the team’s work. Philippe Morin photo

We did the best we could for the people that were coming to spend their money for this charitable event. We’ve very happy for the turnout, the support we got and with the volunteers who constributed to making this a success,” he said.

Click here to view a slideshow with sound of this event
prepared by The Review's Philippe Morin »