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Servestock 2013 – A Backyard Charity Party featuring Suzie McNeil and K-Os

K-Os
  • June 19, 2013
  • charity, concerts
  • Comments Off on Servestock 2013 – A Backyard Charity Party featuring Suzie McNeil and K-Os

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June 13th marked the 9th edition of Serve!Stock – a very cool and casual fundraising event in support of Serve. For twenty years, Serve has been supporting programs that have helped over 1,000 disadvantaged youth gain opportunities by helping them to acquire skills through involvement in their communities. The fundraising included raffle tickets for a luxurious trip to New Orleans and various items for live and silent auction: from a gourmet dinner for your closest friends to tickets to some of the biggest upcoming concerts this summer.

The backyard BBQ party theme included seemingly endless amounts of food and drink. What could possibly be better than this? Being entertained by the Canadian music talent likes of Emma-Lee, The Strumbellas, Suzie McNeil, and K-Os! Erika Ehm and James Cybulski were the perfect emcees of the evening. The rain could not damper the energy of the entertainers, organizers, sponsors, volunteers and attendees of this event. What an awesome way to spend an evening!

Editor’s Note: Suzie McNeil delivered incredible energy with her amazing stage presence. K-Os continued with that energy and didn’t let go with his songs like Stairway to Heaven Only Knows, his rendition of the Led Zeppelin song. The food was plentiful, the lychee martinis were great and the vibe was exciting. Amazing live music from top-notch Canadian talent for a unique backyard charity BBQ! All the best to Serve!

Words by John Tan
Photos by Nick Lee

The Strumbellas

The Strumbellas

Emma-Lee

Emma-Lee

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Suzie McNeil

Suzie McNeil

Suzie McNeil

Suzie McNeil

K-Os

K-Os

Some tweets from the evening

ABOUT SERVE
Serve’s experiential education programs help diverse youth with barriers from the inner city connect with the community. Aged 13 – 24, they often face personal, economic, and social obstacles that have made achieving success difficult. Our programs are designed to help them overcome those obstacles and transform their lives by developing leadership and teamwork skills. And our volunteering initiatives make them active community members. For more info visit www.servestock.ca.

Check out Serve’s video from 2012

More photos below

Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love gala raises $1 million for the National Ballet of Canada

  • June 18, 2013
  • arts, gala, lifestyle
  • Comments Off on Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love gala raises $1 million for the National Ballet of Canada

“Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love,” the theme behind 2013’s annual fundraising gala hosted by the National Ballet of Canada, promised an evening of “Mad Hot” sizzle and drama on-and-off the stage… and the heat was certainly delivered. The evening was hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, kicking off in the amphitheatre with an incredible selection of one-night only short works hand-picked by the National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Karen Kain. This hour long performance featured a guest appearance by Svetlana Lunkina, former principal dancer of the renowned Boshoi Ballet in Moscow, Russia.
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A preview of the tastes at the new Origin North restaurant at Bayview Village

  • June 17, 2013
  • food, launch, venue
  • Comments Off on A preview of the tastes at the new Origin North restaurant at Bayview Village
Corn tortillas topped with guacamole, salsa, pickled jalapenos, and pumpkin seeds

Corn tortillas topped with guacamole, salsa, pickled jalapenos, and pumpkin seeds

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We got to preview the exciting dining experience at the brand new, highly-anticipated Origin North restaurant fitting in nicely at the premium boutique shopping mall, Bayview Village. This is the 3rd Origin location by internationally acclaimed chef and owner, Claudio Aprile: the first being at King and St James and the second being at Liberty Village. So those of you who are Origin fans in the midtown area can rejoice! While this new location at Bayview Village did not have their liquor license quite just at the time-of-dining, we enjoyed sipping our non-alcoholic Origin Crush cocktails while waiting to see what was in store for us.

The restaurant is 12,000 square feet and has over 300 seats. Origin North is nicely decorated, sophisticated and warm: its kitchen is open concept, allowing guests to observe as the food is being prepared; the golden glow of the Edison light bulbs creating a nice evening mood.

Truffled popcorn

Truffled popcorn

The details and presentation that went into the dishes was phenomenal. The truffle popcorn was delicious; drizzled in butter and parmesan cheese.

The Ocean Tour provided a variety of seafood to taste: lobster, mussels, shrimp, tuna, scallop ceviche.
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As for the bufala pear, a delicious combo of bufala, pear, pine nut, and honey. Everything worked well together: the mozzarella was soft and fresh, while the pear and honey work together to add an interesting sweetness to the dish.
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The chinois duck wrap.
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The beet salad. A colourful dish with large beet with goat cheese, pickled red onion, sherry dressing, yogurt and walnuts.
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Crispy calamari, nicely battered calamari drizzled with caramelized peanut sauce.
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It was such an amazing time that evening.  The food was delicious, the service and atmosphere were all wonderful.  Be sure to check it out as well!

Here’s a complete list of everything we ate that night!
Warm soft pretzel
Truffle popcorn
Masa chips
Ocean tour
Devilled eggs
Fiore eggplant
Fiore de latte
Bufala pear
Bufala tomato
Beet salad
Serrano ham
Sparta salad
Curried shrimp
Calamari with peanut brittle
Chinois duck wrap
Miso cod
NY strip
Tapioca pudding
Crunch bar
Second rush

Words and cell phone photos by Flora Tran. Other photos by Nick Lee.

“I’m honored and very excited to introduce Origin North to the vibrant community of Bayview Village. With every new restaurant I open we have something new to reveal,” says Claudio Aprile, head chef and owner, Orderfire. “Origin North will have many new signature dishes that will be exclusive to Bayview Village and as well the dishes that we have become so well known for. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there!”

2901 Bayview Ave, Suite 300
Bayview Village
Toronto, ON
www.originnorth.com

@rachelwalters128
Stunning truffle popcorn topped w parmesan for the 'snacks' portion of the meal @BVShops @originnorth


And for those wondering about the liquor license…

New photos from Nick Lee

Luminato Festival’s Big Bang Bash gala featuring Dolls by Viktor&Rolf

Dinosaur on a pink leash

Dinosaur on a pink leash

The Luminato Festival held an inaugural “Big Bang Bash” gala featuring the unveiling of the Dolls exhibition by celebrated fashion designers, Viktor&Rolf, at the Royal Ontario Museum’s Thorsell Spirit House. The eerie and fascinating exhibit is free from June 9th to June 30th as part of the Luminato Festival celebrations. Check out our previous feature on the dolls here.

So on the evening of the Big Bang Bash, the theme was pink with a pink carpet greeting guests at the ROM’s entrance and inside there was a gigantic pink dress in honour of Viktor&Rolf with a pink leash around the neck of the gigantic dinosaur exhibit, the Futalognkosaurus, in the main lobby. What a nice touch! Guests were encouraged to stick their hand into the giant dress and, to the shock of some guests, their hands came out with bracelets.

There was a cocktail reception to preview the new Dolls exhibition followed by a seated gala dinner with a live auction followed by an after party with a special kick-off performance by Martha Wash “The Original Weather Girl” and of course she did the Weather Girls song “It’s Raining Men” to the delight of the dancing audience.

Other attractions of the night included conveyor belts of delicious foods, special cocktails “The Bomb” and “The V&R”, a piano made into a bar, artists sketching portraits of guests, and Luminato Festival’s charismatic Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt wearing glittering gold pants!

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Jeanne Beker

Jeanne Beker

right: Jorn Weisbrodt

right: Jorn Weisbrodt

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Martha Wash, "The Original Weather Girl"

Martha Wash, “The Original Weather Girl”

Some tweets from the evening


Love it when the jacket matches the carpet! #BBBash #Luminato


Who wants me to bid on her behalf? #youbetterpayup #Luminato #Viktor&Rolf #BBBash

ABOUT VIKTOR&ROLF
Viktor&Rolf are widely recognized and respected for their conceptual glamour and provocative creations. Viktor&Rolf have staged their signature collections at spectacular shows in Paris for over twenty years while their fashion label has grown worldwide. Grounded in Womenswear since their first couture collection in Spring/Summer 1998, Viktor&Rolf have a meticulous dedication to their craft always playing with scale and proportion. Their first Menswear show in Autumn/Winter 2003 marked their successful expansion into the Menswear arena with their sophisticated yet ironic Monsieur collections. Viktor&Rolf offer complimentary lifestyle products such as luxurious accessories, Viktor&Rolf Vision and a catalogue of fragrances including FLOWERBOMB and SPICEBOMB. At their core, is the undying vision to create spectacular beauty and unexpected elegance. Visit viktor-rolf.com.

ABOUT LUMINATO FESTIVAL
Luminato Festival is the international multi-arts festival for people open to having art change their outlook on the world. For ten days each June, the Luminato Festival transforms theatres, parks and public spaces across the city and creates a home for artists to come play, share and create. When the unexpected meets the transformative, that’s a Luminato moment. Luminato gratefully acknowledges the generous support and vision of its Founding Luminaries, SuperNova donors, and Patron Circle Members. The Festival would not be possible without the support of our Partner in Creativity, L’Oréal Canada. Luminato also proudly acknowledges the support of its Founding Government Partner the Province of Ontario, as well as the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, and the Ontario Arts Council. Visit luminato.com.

Get set for Sinai Soiree 2013: Great Gatsby on June 20th at Casa Loma

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Get set for another one of our favourite charity events that deliver huge on energy and fun! The highly anticipated Sinai Soiree happening at the one and only Casa Loma, Toronto’s historic castle. The 1920’s themed fete will be packed with young professional charitable party-goers with cocktails flowing, open bar, and gourmet canapes with glitz, glamour and elegance in the style of the Great Gatsby era. Get set for a VIP cocktail party with a live jazz band at 8pm followed by 9pm general admission.

More info and tickets are available at www.thesinaisoiree.com.

LAST YEAR’S SINAI SOIREE
Young professionals gathered for the Mount Sinai Soiree for a night of black-tie chic, fashion and opulence. The Sinai Soiree showcased lingerie from Italian fashion house Cosabella and luxury shapewear line, ResultWear. Models from Scene Queen and Nuvo Burlesque delivered tantalizing performances. The event raised $67,296 for Mount Sinai Hospital with more than 400 guests in attendance.

Here are some of our photos from last year’s Sinai Soiree and video by Corbin Visual.
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Video by Corbin Visual

ABOUT FUTURE SINAI
Future Sinai is a division of the Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary, a group of young professionals who work to advance, promote and fundraise for Mount Sinai Hospital. The mantra is that it is never too early to give back. Through fundraising events and initiatives, like the Sinai Soiree, Future Sinai will support the Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary’s $4.5- million women’s health campaign. Not only will it be a forum for meeting other inspiring people who believe in philanthropy, it will also be a place to meet young professionals and new friends within the community.

For more information on how you can become a member and support Future Sinai, visit www.futuresinai.ca

About Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital is an internationally recognized, 472-bed acute care academic health sciences centre affiliated with the University of Toronto. It is known for excellence in the provision of compassionate patient care, innovative education, and leading-edge research. Mount Sinai’s Centres of Excellence include: Daryl A. Katz Centre for Urgent & Critical Care; Frances Bloomberg Centre for Women’s & Infants’ Health; Christopher Sharp Centre for Surgical Oncology; Centre for Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Centre for Musculoskeletal Disease and the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. For more information about Mount Sinai Hospital, please visit www.mountsinai.ca

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