LADIESFUND®

By T. U. Dawood

Foodies gathered in Toronto to try leading local restaurant food in a festival/food style type environment with proceeds going toward Second Harvest and its fight against hunger in Toronto.

Red Velvet Cupcakes - Paulines Pastries

Second Harvest is a charitable organization that for the past 26 years has been “picking up donated, perishable food, which would have otherwise gone to waste, and delivering it to more than 200 social service agencies in Toronto.”  It is known for “its efficiency, conscientious administration, and high return to the community for every dollar donated.”

Held both indoors and outdoors at the Royal Ontario Museum, “Toronto Taste” presented by The Daniels Corporation attracted 1,500 foodies to sample gourmet food and beverage prepared by 60 of the city’s top chefs and 30 beverage purveyors.  From this gathering, approximately $300,000 was raised, which will enable Second Harvest to provide 600,000 healthy meals for Torontonians in need.

Chef Michael Smith

Culinary personalities from across the country in attendance included Food Network Canada’s Celebrity Chef Roger Mooking (Everyday Exotic), Michael Smith (Chef at Home, Chef at Large, Chef Abroad) and Mark McEwan (Top Chef Canada, The Heat). Dishes were also prepared by acclaimed chefs such as J.P. Challet (Ici Bistro), Scott Conant (24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Scarpetta), Donna Dooher (Mildred’s Temple Kitchen), Dufflet Rosenberg (Dufflet), Chris McDonald (Cava), Rob Gentile (Buca), David Lee (Nota Bene), et al.

Bob Blumer, creator and host of Food Network Canada’s Glutton for Punishment and Surreal Gourmet, hosted the tasting and the live auction.

Second Harvest's Bob Blumer Hosts the Live Auction

Mark McEwan, one of Canada’s top chefs, spoke to DelectablyChic! in an exclusive interview about how much he looks forward to this gathering every year.  He stated, “I have high end restaurants and I feed fancy people so much of the time that it’s amazing that here Toronto so many people don’t have a meal to eat and we need to do something about.  Second Harvest is a great charity that knows how to ensure people in need get fed.”

Mark McEwan

McEwan loves to run elbows with other chefs at Toronto Taste, admitting in the early days, he used to be much more competitive about it.  These days, his energy is focused in expanding his work and he has just negotiated a deal to have his restaurants in airport terminals.

Top Chef Robert Mooking spoke at length exclusively with DelectablyChic!, talking about the melting pot of food available in Toronto – “You can get authentic ingredients from anywhere in the world here in Toronto” – and revealed his brand new hot spice products.

Roger Mooking

“I’ve spent the past four years trying to create a spice rub and hot sauce that will enhance all types of meat, fish, poultry and vegetables,” he shared, “This is my first public showing of my Spice Rub and Hot Sauce.”

“My Spice Rub is not about heat but about flavor,” he adds, “and my Hot Sauce has heat and flavor.”

T U Dawood & Ann Nicholson

Andrea Nicholson, one of the few female Top Chefs in the world, spoke to DelectablyChic! about her journey rising in a male-dominated profession and how much she enjoys the texture of food.

Photo Credit: T. U. Dawood

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Greta Hodgkinson Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic

The National Ballet of Canada celebrates a milestone this year.   Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson has been with the company for over 20 years and in recognition of this, the Company has included a celebratory dance for her in this summer’s mixed programme Celebrating Greta: Mozartiana & Other Dances & In the Upper Room.

Hodgkinson, who is originally from Rhode Island, was invited to become a member of The National Ballet of Canada at the age of 16. By 19, she was a second soloist, by 21 a first soloist and by 22, a principal dancer and today at 37, is beloved by dance fans for the depth and emotion she brings to her performances.

Greta Hodgkinson and Zdenek Konvalina in Other Dances Photograph by Bruce Zinger

For her special dance, she requested to perform Jerome Robbins’ exquisite pas de deux Other Dances, a rarely performed dance which was originally created for Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1976.  Rights to the choreography were secured and the performance sandwiched between George Balanchine’s classical Mozartiana and Twyla Tharp’s contemporary “In the Upper Room.”

The order of performances was wisely made as Mozartiana features classical choreography and In the Upper Room revels in a fast-paced contemporary explosion.  Thus, Other Dances is a natural middle ground with its edgy feel to a classical base.

Mozartiana opens with a Preghiera (Prayer), followed by a Gigue, Minuet, Theme and Variations and a finale.  In the opening movement, the ballerina is accompanied by four young girls and the next segment showcases a male soloist dancing a fun-loving Gigue. This transitions to four female corps dancers performing a Minuet to be followed by the ballerina now dancing with a male lead and then a series of variations.

Ballet at its purist and a wonderful start to the evening.

Other Dances is true Jerome Robbins and features four mazurkas and one waltz by Frédéric Chopin.  Hodginson’s partner is fellow Principal Dancer Zdenek Konvalina. The opening mazurka which involves both dancers is classical although at times slightly plodding.  Hodginson’s solos are done with great emotion and her movement to Chopin’s music is very memorable.  Konvalina’s solo segments showcase Robbins’ innovative touches and the high level of difficulty to many of the moves, reminding one that they were originally created for the great Baryshnikov.  The final mazurka is a merrier pas de deux and uplifting end to Other Dances. An inspired choice on Hodginson’s part, Other Dances was a joy to see and the audience truly celebrated this prima ballerina as she honoured us with a performance from her heart.

Aleksandar Antonijevic in The Upper Room Photo by Bruce Zinger

The final performance of the night was a rousing adaption of In the Upper Room. Set to music by Philip Glass, this was pure dance poetry and a truly contemporary ballet full of exuberance and energy and a cascade of overlapping movements, at times whimsical but always absorbing.  Infused with jazz and pop elements, this relentless performance received a long standing ovation.

The trio of performances opened June 15^th and runs through the 19^th with Hodgkinson dancing her celebratory dance with Konvalina all four nights.  The other two selections will feature a rotation of dancers.  On opening night, the lead roles in Mozartiana will be performed by Principal Dancers Sonia Rodriguez and Aleksandar Antonijevic and First Soloist Keiichi Hirano.  In The Upper Room will be performed by Principal Dancers Sonia Rodriguez, Jiří Jelinek, Piotr Stanczyk, First Soloists Keiichi Hirano, Tanya Howard, Stephanie Hutchison, Patrick Lavoie, Tina Pereira, Rebekah Rimsay, Jillian Vanstone, Second Soloist Jordana Daumec and Corps de Ballet members James Leja and Brendan Saye.

Mozartiana is a gift from THE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA.

In The Upper Room is a gift from Walter Carsen, O.C.

Zdenek Konvalina is sponsored through Dancers First by Gretchen Ross.

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Whether he’s the father who always spoiled you or the father of your children, here are some great and very current gifts you can give the favourite men in your life.

Pamper him with Gadgets:

The IPad2 is so slim, has a great interface and is an ideal way to wire your Dad.  It’s 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original IPad, so not only does it feel more comfortable, but with its high tech surfing, emailing, DVD and book-reading capabilities, it actually feels so natural and right, it’s hard to imagine using anything else.  Plus, as a gaming interface, it’s fun, so if you have kids, he can play with them on his IPad2 as well.

Pamper Him with Sports:

Why not get him two tickets to a baseball game, ideally directly behind home plate?   Best of all, go with him for some Father-Daughter bonding.

Pamper him with Cake:

Your Dad loves playing golf and likes to eat cakes?  Have we got the perfect gift for him.  Make him a batch of golf-ball shaped cake pops, wrap them and gift it to him.  Or, how about some Tee cupcakes? If you are really want to show your life, throw him a golf-themed Father’s Day party, using ideas from this great golf-themed birthday party featured on Hostess with the Mostess.

Pamper Him With Nostalgia:

Whether it’s buying him the Beatles White album, tickets to see everyone’s favourite Beach Boy Brian Wilson (June 18^th 2011 Massey Hall, Toronto) or getting him something nostalgic from this youth, make the present you get your beloved father be about him, not you.

Pamper him with Body Care:

LUSH Cosmetics has a fabulous new men’s product.  Titled “Get Dirty,” it’s actually a set of men’s cleaning and grooming products with Gorilla Perfume including Dirty Springwash shower gel, Dirty Hair Styling Cream, Dirty Toothy Tabs: Revolutionary, innovative tooth cleansing tabs, Dirty Shaving Cream, and a vial of Dirty gorilla perfume, which is the scent of the entire line.

This is a very fun product with the philosophy:  “Even the dirtiest man showers, shaves and cleans his teeth from time to time.  With our new Dirty range we make sure he smells great all over, and in perfect harmony.”

The scent is fresh and something most men would like.  The tooth cleansing tabs in particular are a novel and fun part of the gift. The packaging is deceptively small with a cool CD on the cover stating it’s a New Release that “leaves girls wanting it … and probably borrowing it too.”

Pamper Him with Your Time:

Whether it’s going together to a baseball game, watching a movie, or taking him out for dinner, the best gift to give you Dad is your time.  If you live in a different city, try to pop over and surprise him for Father’s Day and if that is not possible, then Skype.

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Do you want to give aid to natural disasters around the world but are really unsure what happens to the money and if it will truly make a difference? GlassFrog is a registered nonprofit organization in Canada that is “committed to swiftly deploy shelter, food and water to meet the immediate basic human needs to those impacted by a disaster” with a motto: Transparency.  Collaboration. Accountability.

A Haitian Child

The organization which was founded in December 2010 by Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Nicole Verkindt focuses “on providing complete transparency in our dealings, pursuing opportunities for collaboration in creating our solutions, and a dedication to taking full accountability for the results of our actions.”  Verkindt launched the venture out of frustration after working with NGOs in post-earthquake Haiti and facing red tape, bureaucracy and cronyism.  Clinton Foundation has recently become a supporter and partner of GlassFrog.

Courtney Langer of Burberry & guest

To mark the launch of this important organization and fundraise for their first project, a special event was held at Airship37 in Toronto, a 5000 square foot event venue in the heart of the Distillery District.   The ambiance was Speakeasy and there was previously unreleased art and original photography by Carlos Scott Wilson, Nicole Dee, Peter O’Neill and Bryan Ulrich on exhibit, as well as live music performances by The Heavyweights Brass Band and Stacy Ricker, and some delicious desserts from slice pies.

Slice Pies

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with lots of connections to Haiti.  The fabulous art included Haitian inspired work, the hors d’oeuvres and snacks included Haitian coffee and there were plenty of opportunities to convey messages to those in need in Haiti.

T U Dawood & Jaspuneet Mohie

They have promised to release a post-event expense report in line with their commitment to transparency.

Verkindt seems an extraordinary trailblazer and someone who’s genuine commitment to doing things the right way is truly inspiring those around her.  Her team is talented and dedicated and the event drew a fun and supportive crowd.  A fabulous start to what can possibly elevate and change the way aid is used in the future on a worldwide scale.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a “GlassFrog”?
While most living organisms are opaque: the skin of a glass frog is transparent. Its internal organs are completely visible from the outside. Nothing to hide.

A glass frog’s defining characteristic is it’s translucent skin, which allows observers to view the inner workings of its digestive tract and major organs. Since we wanted our organization to embody everything “transparent”, this attribute was a major source of inspiration.

Photo Credit: T. U. Dawood

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Young Women of Influence presented Lauren Friese of TalentEgg speaking on “Employment” in their Scotiabank sponsored evening series.  The jam packed affair was held at the Fifth Grill, a revamped high-end Western-style restaurant in the Entertainment District.

Lauren Friese

Lauren Friese is the founder of TalentEgg.ca, a true Canadian success story.   At 24 years old, Lauren started TalentEgg, Canada’s leading campus recruitment website, as a “response to Canadian students’ need to find meaningful work during school through internships and summer jobs, and after graduation in entry-level roles.”

She was inspired to found this company when she used a similar service as a graduate student at the London School of Economics, but could not find anything similar back home.

Lauren addressing attendees

Although the talk was titled “Employment” and Friese’s job is about helping people find the right job, her speech was much more focused on how to be an entrepreneur.  In her quirky, charming style, she spoke about her own journey to entrepreneurship and shared insight on her success.  Her words were peppered with fun anecdotes of her short-lived acting career to her days of reading Seth Godin’s tips on marketing (“Make something remarkable and that will be your cost of advertising rather than buy ads”) to her belief in hustling (“doing what you need to do to get ahead”) and overcoming challenges like establishing credibility and building a team.

Karman Lau and Celia M. Lectora

Despite her enormous success and at such a young age, Friese doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously and knows how to embrace her personal, unique style of management (she talks to her team members via skype even when seated near each other in their small office).

Prior to the networking event, Women of Influence President Carolyn Lawrence held a small workshop on “Finding Your Passion.”  Lawrence started leading these workshops to help inspire attendees to identify what they really want to be doing in their lives and what is the most logical and efficient way for them to be able to do that for a living.

Carolyn Lawrence, President of Young Women of Influence

Somewhat based on her own graduate school application process which helped guide her to her own passion, this course is truly led from the heart.

Lawrence leads you through a series of exercises that build your self-portrait and aid you in visualizing your optimal self.  Then, the workshop focuses on creating an action plan for execution.

If you are unhappy with your job and unsure what you really should be doing, this workshop is a must attend.

Photo Credit: T. U. Dawood

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

The Art of … Productions just held a fabulous 5 world class speaker event in Toronto on Leadership.  This inaugural The Art of Leadership conference featured five internationally renowned bestselling authors and visionaries: Patrick Lencioni, Ann Rhoades, General Rick Hillier, Tim Sanders and Tom Rath.  Ron Tite hosted the event.

The day’s biggest draw was Patrick Lencioni who is not only the Founder of The Table Group, but a New York Times Bestselling Author of multiple books including “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” & “Getting Naked,” both of which he quoted from repeatedly during his presentation. He was full of insight and charm and very clearly worked through the importance of building an open dialogue based on strong trust in one’s workplace. These same pillars apply equally well to a marriage or any important relationship.

Ann Rhoades spoke next, focusing on “Corporate Culture & Employee Retention.” The former Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines & Bestselling Author of “Built on Values,” Rhoades was truly genius and my personal speaker of the day. To the point and full of gem after gem of solid tips on top customer service, she was possibly the best speaker on Customer Service I’d heard and someone whose examples I found both logical and inspiring and whose roadmap for accomplishing culture change was actually full of practicable steps. Her speech alone was worth the admission to this seminar.

General Rick Hillier followed, focusing his talk on “Leading Change & People Development.” The former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces & Bestselling Author of “Leadership,” General Hillier had the crowd enraptured from beginning to end of his witty, engaging speech. There was a lot of common sense substance to his words and he made the key to leadership seem simple and possibly even easy. His real life examples from his family and career effortlessly supported his core analysis and system of team building.

Tim Sanders spoke next and his topic was “Talent Management & Future Trends in the Workplace.” The former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! & New York Times Bestselling Author of Love is the “Killer App,” Sanders did not have as much charm or ease on stage as some of the earlier speakers but his real life example of what Yahoo! Did wrong during the crisis and ways they could have done better and opportunities that came their way that they neglected, was an insightful and valuable talk nonetheless. His speech also spoke to the heart with roots in the works of Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie and other great teachers on the importance of understanding life’s gifts are abundant and there is plenty to go around.

Tim Sanders autographs books

The final speaker for the day was Tim Rath who talked on “Employee Engagement & Strengths Based Leadership.” The Global Practice Leader at Gallup & #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of “Strengths Finder 2.0” & “How Full is Your Bucket?,” Rath was another highly anticipated speaker. Although he too was not as engaging on stage as some of the other speakers, his insight into the importance of focusing on people and company strengths rather than weaknesses and how the impact on that can be measured was very interesting to learn.

Overall, this was one of the strongest The Art of … Productions events with a lot of substance and insight – as promised “an exciting blend of cutting edge thinking and real world experience” – and was well worth attending.

Photo Credit: T. U. Dawood

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Scrubs in the City, Sick Kids Foundation’s annual fundraising party, was held Tuesday night to great fanfare.  This 10^th annual event was hosted by Citytv’s Dina Pugliese (host of Breakfast Television) at the very chic Maison Mercer for a night of dancing, drinks and celebrating life, all for the benefit of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Patient Amenities Fund which is a source of financial assistance for families with limited resources whose children are being cared for at SickKids.

Scrubs in the City 2011 committee members

The event was organized by Committee Chair Molly Fitzpatrick and Committee members Suzanne Rogers, Sandra Keeley, Diane Armes-Redrupp, Jacqueline Johnson, Patty Seigel, Lucinda Kogan, Lindsay Perry-Strasler, Caroline Cohen, Nicole Bitove, Nicole Swales, Romelia Dilawri, Stephanie Lewis and Selina Esteves.

Committee Member Nicole Bitove

The evening began with a special VIP reception on the rooftop of Maison Mercer where committee members greeted some of the most stylish partygoers who mingled over cocktails and enjoyed the long-awaited Toronto sunshine.  Mombacho Cigars had a stand full of imported cigars that enhanced the ambience.

Suzanne Rogers and Molly Fitzpatrick (committee chair)

The VIP reception was followed by a dance party DJed by DJ Floh Back and presented by Rogers.

Courtney Langer of Burberry wearing one of their designs right off of the Milan catwalk

The ambiance of Maison Mercer was dynamic and full of energy.  The event was packed as 450 guests enjoyed signature cocktails, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, an incredible silent auction and a raffle including three items valued at more than $30,000.  Some memorable raffle items included a BMW children’s scooter, lunch and a golf game with Mike Weir and a lust-worthy couture bags from such brands as Alexander McQueen and Burberry.

Mombacho Cigar Stand

This year’s Scrubs in the City celebrated 10 years and to date has raised more than $1.7 million for SickKids.

Images courtesy of Lindsey Hodgson and T. U. Dawood

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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Without a question, the best tweezers out there are the Slant Tweezer by Tweezerman.  They won Allure Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award and have dominated the market for years.  Even if you tweeze or wax your eyebrows professionally, a pair of these tweezers are a must-have for those sudden hairs that pop up.  Some celebrities even carry a pair with them everywhere (most notably Oscar winner Natalie Portman who when she was just 17 admitted to being obsessed with tweezing on the Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1999).

Natalie Portman and her famous eyebrows

So we at LADIESFUND® were delighted when a favourite staple went pure style.  Tweezerman has teamed up with fashion icon Betsey Johnson to design the Tweezerman’s Designer Series Slant Tweezer Collection.

Betsey Johnson

As quirkly and whimsical as the designer herself, Betsey Johnson Designer Series features graphic prints in the following patterns: white with graphic pink Betsey Bud, neon pink with white Betsey Bones, and black with pink Betsey Babe.

“For our second designer series, we looked for a well-known designer with graphic and popular iconic prints that would translate onto the small surface of our award-winning Slant Tweezer,” says Dr. Cornelia Wittke, CEO and President of Tweezerman International.

True genius.

Although these fashionista tweezers have a slightly higher price point at $33 than regular tweezers which sell for $28 (and work just the same way), they are too cute for words.

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Dinner Seating

The 14th Annual Butterfly Ball®, a benefit for the Boost for Kids Foundation, was held on May 26, 2011 at The Four Seasons Ballroom in Toronto and drew a who’s who crowd and raised over $165,000 just that evening.

Boost is committed to “eliminating abuse and violence in the lives of children, youth, and their families. The centre is a registered charity and provides programs and services to children, youth, and their families in Toronto and surrounding areas” and is “dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and violence through education and awareness, and to collaborating with our community partners to provide services to children, youth, and their families.”

Victoria Webster was Honourary Chair for the 14th Annual Butterfly Ball and the elegant event was hosted by etalk Reporters Traci Melchor and Danielle McGimsie.

Karyn Kennedy, Executive Director, Boost Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention

Some prominent guests among the 375 in attendance included Ben Mulroney, Paul Godfrey, Edward & Suzanne Rogers, Leslie Roberts, Shinan Govani (Social Columnist, National Post), Amoryn Engel (Social Editor, National Post) and fashion designer Jeremy Laing.

The evening began with a cocktail reception where chic philanthropists mingled and special “keys” were sold for a raffle for a beautiful set of pearls.  This well attended and intimate social hour was followed by a more formal sit down dinner, live auction and exciting entertainment.

Jazz Singer Alex Pangman

The Butterfly Ball provided a very elegant platform for community members to meet and show their support while raising awareness of the problem of child abuse.

All images courtesy of Boost for Kids Foundation

This article was originally published in DelectablyChic!

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