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Introducing the first ever Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) gala on Feb 1st, 2014

The award is designed by a collaboration with celebrated Canadian designer Karim and Rashid NovaScotian Crystal of Halifax, so it's a work of art in itself.
CAFA committee members: Brittney Kuczynski, Vicky Milner with CAFA Ambassadors: Tenika Davis (actress), Glenn Dixon (designer), Suzanne Rogers (philanthropist)

CAFA committee members: Brittney Kuczynski, Vicky Milner with CAFA Ambassadors: Tenika Davis (actress), Glenn Dixon (designer), Suzanne Rogers (philanthropist)

cafa-logoCreated to give recognition to outstanding achievements in Canadian fashion design, the inaugural Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) awards gala will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto. The CAFA gala agenda includes a VIP cocktail reception, dinner, live entertainment, the awards presentation and an after party. Tables of 10 and individual tickets will be available for this inaugural awards gala.

The opening festivities were held at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto on June 3rd, 2013. There’s a lot of support at the foundation for CAFA backed by many high-profile Canadian names such as Suzanne Rogers, Jennifer Bassett (Bassett Events), Elena Semikina (philanthropist, Miss Universe Canada 2010), Glen Baxter (CTV’s In Fashion), Glenn Dixon (designer), Dr. Sara Diamond (President of OCAD University) and partnerships starting with OCAD University.

The CAFA award is designed by a collaboration with celebrated Canadian designer Karim and Rashid NovaScotian Crystal of Halifax, so it's a work of art in itself.

The CAFA award is designed by a collaboration with celebrated Canadian designer Karim Rashid and NovaScotian Crystal of Halifax, so it’s a work of art in itself.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Check out cafawards.ca and stay tuned with us for more info!

CAFA Award Categories
The Womenswear Designer of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian womenswear designer who has made a significant creative impact in the Canadian fashion industry.

The Menswear Designer of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian menswear designer who has made a significant creative impact in the Canadian fashion industry.

The Emerging Talent Award will be presented to an innovative Canadian designer who is emerging as a true creative force in Canadian fashion.

The Outstanding Achievement Award will be presented to celebrate the exceptional career of an established Canadian fashion designer.

The Accessory Designer of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian fashion accessory designer who has made a significant creative impact in the Canadian fashion industry.

The Canadian Style Award will be presented to a Canadian who embodies the spirit of Canada and acts as an unofficial ambassador for Canadian fashion and culture.

The Image Maker Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian fashion photographer or filmmaker who has made a significant impact within the Canadian fashion industry.

The International Canadian Designer of the Year Award will be presented to a Canadian designer who has achieved International success and brought attention to Canadian talent on the world stage.

The Stylist of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian fashion stylist who has made a significant impact within the Canadian fashion industry.

The Model of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding Canadian model who has made a significant impact within the Canadian fashion industry.

Committee members including Deborah Lau-Yu, Jennifer Bassett, Brittney Kuczynski

Committee members including Deborah Lau-Yu, Jennifer Bassett, Brittney Kuczynski

More photos from the opening festivities

This opening weekend don’t miss the Luminato Festival’s Future Tastes of Toronto

  • June 11, 2013
  • food, Past Events
  • Comments Off on This opening weekend don’t miss the Luminato Festival’s Future Tastes of Toronto

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It’s already that time of year! The 2013 Luminato Festival starts this weekend and the Future Tastes of Toronto is one of the highlights taking place on June 15th and 16th in the Distillery District. As one of Luminato’s Education and Outreach projects, Future Tastes has connected with chefs, artists, communities and youths by coordinating workshops, chef-in-the-school visits, rehearsals and training sessions. All of this preparation ahead of the big ten-day festival.

So the Kids’ Table at Luminato’s opening weekend will be a communal eating space where these children will interact with festival-goers, acting as young chef ambassadors to assist the 25 chefs involved this year. Once again, each dish is still priced at only five dollars encouraging a sampling of a variety of tastes.

I got to watch this preparation in action as enthusiastic, aspiring future chefs in the form of Grade 7 and 8 students from the Gregory Peck Public School visited the President’s Choice cooking school for some interactive hands-on learning with chef Joshna Maharaj.  And Chef Tom Filipou, Executive Chef of President’s Choice, got the excited kids even more excited by getting them involved in cooking. At the end of the cooking, eating and mingling, they performed their songs for Chef Tom with a dancing line and everyone in the cooking school cheered.

So be sure to check out the Future Tastes of Toronto: At the Kids’ Table this weekend in the Distillery District and have fun exploring a wide variety of foods and meet some future foodies and chefs.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS (6 classes from 5 schools)
Rose Avenue Junior Public School
Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School
Dovercourt Junior Public School
Duke of Connaught Public School
George Peck Public School

PARTICIPATING CHEFS
1. Hemant Bhagwani, Amaya Restaurant*
2. Andrea Mut, Andrea’s Gerrard St. Bakery
3. Carol Belmonte, Belmonte Raw
4. John Sloan, Cafe Uno*
5. John Lee, Chippy’s Fish and Chips
6. Chrystal Porter and Michael Sacco, Chocosol
7. Doug McNish, Doug McNish Raw Food
8. Jose Haddad, Frida and Mad Mexican
9. Monte Wan, Khao San Road
10. Lesia Kohut, LPK’s Culinary Groove
11. Rod Bowers, Hey Meatball
12. Arturo Anhalt, Milagro Restaurant
13. Sam Gelman, Momofuku
14. Bashir Munye, My Little Dumpling
15. Tallis Voakes, Paintbox Bistro
16. Jose Arato, Pimenton
17. Fred & Nick Laliberte, Poutini’s House of Poutine
18. Tom Filippou, Executive Chef President’s Choice Cooking Schools
19. Tim Miles, Pure Spirit*
20. Armando, Tappo*
21. Cory Vitiello, The Harbord Room
22. Michelle Edgar, The Sweet Escape Patisserie
23. Seema Pabari, Tiffinday
24. Giacomo Pasquini, Vertical Restaurant
25. John Chetti, Queen Margherita Pizza

*Indicates chefs who did not participate in workshop process but will be at Future Tastes of Toronto

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Tom Filippou, Executive Chef President's Choice Cooking Schools

Tom Filippou, Executive Chef President’s Choice Cooking Schools

Also, as part of the Luminato Festival, be sure to check out the Viktor & Rolf Dolls Exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum FREE from June 9th to June 30th.

Other Luminato highlights include Serena Ryder and K-OS, Sarah Harmer, and the Yves St. Laurent opening night party. For more info visit www.luminatofestival.com

Scrubs in the City rocked the block in support of Sick Kids

  • June 10, 2013
  • charity, gala, party
  • Comments Off on Scrubs in the City rocked the block in support of Sick Kids

It was an extraordinary 12th annual chic charity gala hosted by the Scrubs in the City committee. At the entrance of the Evergreen Brickworks, the charismatic Yosvani Castañeda, setting the mood with his violin. The inside of Evergreen was pretty fabulous as usual as I’ve come to expect from Scrubs since I was lucky to attend last year’s “Secret Garden”. Although it was a drizzly evening, that didn’t stop over 800 guests from coming out to the Evergreen Brickworks to enjoy entertainment, top-notch food and cocktails. Nothing spells fun like having your cocktail glass lined with pop rocks!

Silent auction and raffle items included purses by Alexander McQueen, Marchesa, and Salvatore Ferragamo as well as Mark Lash jewelry, vacations and unique experiential opportunities.

There were tons of various musical and dance performance acts that lit up the block party including a special SickKids patient, Amanda Raya, a visually impaired 14-year-old singer/songwriter as well as 14-year-old rapper, Jake Zeldin, aka Lil JaXe. There was also the energetic performance by the incredible dance group, Sole Power, who I’ve been lucky to see before at a corporate party. They’re a must-see!

Guests danced the night away with DJ Danny Floh Back and bubbles filling up the entire venue.

The proceeds from the Scrubs in the City will go to support the “new kid on the block”, the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, a new state-of-the-art building in downtown Toronto at Bay and Elm focusing on children’s health and research. Congrats on the committee for raising more than $400,000 for this new building. To date, Scrubs in the City has raised nearly $2.5 million for SickKids.

“We were thrilled with the turn out of this year’s Scrubs in the City event, and we want to thank all of our guests and sponsors who made the evening truly memorable,” said Amy Milne, Director, Events, SickKids Foundation. “All of the funds raised make an important difference for the thousands of families whose lives are deeply impacted by the research and discoveries that happen at SickKids.”

Scrubs in the City is made possible by a dedicated Committee including Molly Fitzpatrick (Co-Chair), Lucinda Kogan (Co-Chair), Suzanne Rogers, Sylvia Mantella, Jacqueline Johnson, Julia Mordini, Caroline Newall, Caroline Cohen, Amy Milne, Kirsten van der Griend, Lauren Habib, and Stephanie Lewis.

Next year’s Scrubs in the City party is already locked in! Save the date for June 12, 2014!

Suzanne Rogers

Suzanne Rogers

Yosvani Castañeda, violinist

Yosvani Castañeda, violinist

left: Lil JaXe, 14 year old rapper

left: Lil JaXe, 14 year old rapper

Ted Garrard, President and CEO, SickKids Foundation

Ted Garrard, President and CEO, SickKids Foundation

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The new Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning as of April 2013. Set to open in September 2013, it will bring together over 2,000 scientists, trainees and SickKids research staff to encourage research collaboration to accelerate new discoveries and knowledge.

The new Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning as of April 2013. Set to open in September 2013, it will bring together over 2,000 scientists, trainees and SickKids research staff to encourage research collaboration to accelerate new discoveries and knowledge.

Some tweets from the evening
#skscrubs #blockparty #forthekids #toronto #sickkidshospital #djbooth

The Night Out with Bill Clinton for the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network

  • June 10, 2013
  • charity, gala
  • Comments Off on The Night Out with Bill Clinton for the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network

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On June 4th, 2013, a fresh springtime evening at the Berkeley Church on Queen Street East in Toronto was brimming with philanthropically infused energy and several hundred elegant patrons as the 42nd President of the United States of America, William Jefferson Clinton, graced the stage for an inspirational and thought provoking talk about the great challenges facing our generation and threatening our survival in the 21st Century and beyond.

The historic Berkeley Church provided the perfect eclectic setting for this unique occasion, providing at once an air of intimacy and grandeur. The event kicked off with a Clinton Millennium Foundation video showcasing some of the wonderful philanthropic causes that it is supporting around the world, helping children, families and communities that are facing struggles in the areas of health, inequality and basic social needs among others.

Celebrated Canadian actress Rachel McAdams kicked off the evening’s ceremonies as honourary ambassador with a heartfelt introduction for Bill Clinton as well as for the evening’s musical guests, Tegan and Sara. Rachel even encouraged the president to play a bit of saxophone along with Tegan and Sara.

President Clinton was greeted to the stage with a roaring ovation from the packed audience. A seasoned and well versed public speaker, Mr. Clinton was very charming and charismatic in his talk. The President focused his speech on the importance and the urgency of key global issues facing our society and our planet. He spoke of the challenges facing humanity due to climate change and the melting of the polar ice, he addressed the issues of inequality, racism and intolerance and rallied the crowd to look past our differences and focus on the 99.5% that is identical in all people around the world.

President Clinton went on to further stress that while we may not be able to tackle every problem, we should not give up on tackling the problems that are within our reach. He commented that philanthropy is not just for Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and other billionaire philanthropists. Everyone is able to make a contribution, within their means and their world to help humanity and their fellow human beings. During his presidency, Bill Clinton visited Canada five times, the most of any American president in history. Since his retirement, he has visited Canada 33 times, supporting the Clinton Millennium Foundation and its philanthropic efforts.

After Bill Clinton’s inspirational speech, Tegan and Sara took to the stage for a very entertaining acoustic five song set. The evening was rounded out by an open bar cocktail mixer allowing the event guests to mingle and discuss the evening thoughts and ideas.

The Clinton Millennium Foundation Gala at the Berkeley Church sparkled with inspiration, celebrities and great entertainment. All in all a very memorable evening that raised funds and awareness for a very important cause for our world and all the people who live in it.

Written by Roy Rodriguez, special contributor to BestofToronto.net.

Some tweets from the evening

Here’s a Clinton Foundation video from 2011 ‘A Decade of Difference’

ABOUT THE CLINTON FOUNDATION
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The Clinton Foundation works to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results. For more information, visit clintonfoundation.org, read the blog at clintonfoundation.org/upclose, and follow us on Twitter @ClintonFdn and Facebook at Facebook.com/BillClinton.

At the Power Ball: 15 Minutes of Fame party for The Power Plant Gallery

It was a drizzly night but that didn’t stop over 1,500 guests from gathering at the The Power Plant Gallery for the highly-anticipated annual Power Ball art party. I was lucky to attend last year’s Powerball: Quarter Life Crisis which was quite the riot so this year was definitely worth marking on the calendar. The theme this year was inspired by Andy Warhol citing his famous quote, “In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes”.

Gourmet LA-themed food was supplied by Chef Marc Thuet once again including tasty ribs, corn dogs, pulled pork sliders, giant skinny burgers. Oysters are always a welcome addition, too.

There were many specialized drink stations, including Chateau des Charmes Bosc Family’s newest winery, Earth & Sky. Liquor booths included Ketel One, Grand Marnier, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Don Julio tequila and Perrier. Beer was provided by Kronenbourg 1664.

Exhibits included wall projections from Ryan Trecartin, Alexis O’Hara, KTL & Sybil and Zeesy Powers (who told brave participants exactly what she thought of them so that everyone could hear).  The main gallery featured sexy models around Thunder Horse Video’s motorcycle. DJs contributing to the entertainment included NYC’s Physical Therapy and Toronto’s Deko-ze.

The party certainly lived up to it’s well-known reputation as being one of the best parties and if it supports local artists in Toronto, that’s a bonus as well.

“Power Ball is the largest annual fundraising event for The Power Plant, providing the necessary financial support for the exhibitions and public programming the gallery offers all year,” said Director of The Power Plant, Gaëtane Verna.

My favourite theremin-playing girl-of-wonder, Clara Venice

My favourite theremin-playing girl-of-wonder, Clara Venice

Model Tatiana Valentin, with the Thunder Horse Video motorcycle exhibit in the main gallery

Model Tatiana Valentin, with the Thunder Horse Video motorcycle exhibit in the main gallery

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R: Tara Noelle

Glen Baxter, Candice Chan

Glen Baxter, Candice Chan

left: Sara Diamond, right: Aristotle Andrulakis

left: Sara Diamond, right: Aristotle Andrulakis

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Some notable tweets from the evening:


It was getting “hot in here,” so one guest removed all her clothes (except for her great shoes and clutch). So that’s not full nudity then, right?


@toronto_life love cover booth #powerballTO

About The Power Plant
The Power Plant is Canada’s leading public gallery devoted exclusively to contemporary visual art. It is a vital forum for the advanced artistic culture of our time that offers an exceptional facility and professional support to diverse living artists while engaging equally diverse audiences in their work. The Power Plant pursues its activities though exhibitions, publications and public programming. It fulfills its mandate by generating: exhibitions that represent the range of advanced practice in visual arts; publications that increase knowledge of contemporary art; lectures and symposia that encourage debate and further understanding; interpretative tools that invite visitors to question, explore and reflect upon their experiences; programming that incorporates other areas of culture when they intersect with visual art.

For more information visit www.thepowerplant.org

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