Fabulous fundraiser feast

I’ve attended plenty of fundraisers for food charities over the years and most are not to my taste.

Too many – often several hundred – well-heeled guests dressed to the nines tripping over each other to get at the food served at individual stations in a glitzy indoor venue or sometimes in the big outdoors is not my cup of tea. Their motivation is to see and be seen at an event that’s both a tax write-off and makes them feel good about visibly supporting some worthy cause.

All this seemed to be absent at Recipe for Change held recently in the west-end headquarters of the excellent non-profit outfit FoodShare for which it raised money.

A manageable number of about 100 guests, each of whom paid a reasonable $100, mingled cheerfully in what is the hall of a former school.  Supporters of FoodShare, they were not the usual crowd. There was no pushing and shoving and there was plenty of goodwill as folks chatted while  enjoying the sumptuous food prepared by many of the city’s top and most up-and-coming chefs.

Outstanding were the incredible chicken ravioli from Quince restaurant; delectable Pouding Chomeur by Anne Yarymowich and her AGO team; luscious melt-in-the-mouth shortribs from the Park Hyatt chefs and Mildred Temple Kitchen’s delicate smoked trout salad, to mention only a few.

But above all, it was the warm mood of the evening that made it special. The chefs were happy to be there and exchanged plates of food as the soiree came to a close. And we grazers knew this happy gathering was permeated by a rare  spirit: the result of  sharing wonderful food for a great cause without it being “show-off charity.”

I, for one, look forward to next year’s Recipe for Change. Here’s my quote cited on FoodShare’s web site after the event.

“Recipe for Change was the best fundraising feast I have attended. Chefs and guests all relished the fantastic food and uplifting spirit.”