Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival

Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival

The sixth annual Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival brought gourmet gastronomy, worldly wines and a crucial charitable cause to the dining rooms of over 15 prominent homes in Toronto. This year’s event raised approximately $800,000 for the University Health Network (UHN) and its groundbreaking spinal program at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, bringing the six-year total to more than $8 million.  

Some of the city's top chef's, including Massimo Capra of Mistura Restaurant, David Lee of Nota Bene, Mark McEwan of North 44 Restaurant and Marisa Rocco of Trattoria Sotto Sotta, took control of the kitchen to prepare priceless meals for charitable hosts and guests. “Fundraising for an incredible cause is always something that everyone should aspire to do. Obviously money is always needed. The more the money, the more the resources … the faster we can get rid of some of these pesky diseases that are really torturing us,” says Capra, who prepared a series of dishes that included peaches and cream corn purée with roasted peppers and risotto paired with braised quail and Mediterranean sea bass coated in chickpea flour. In addition to celebrity chefs, each home had a UHN scientist seated at the table. “Our vision is to establish or to achieve global impact, and in that sense what we want to do is provide the best care we can to our patients, but also to find new knowledge, to innovate and to find new discoveries that will be applicable to patients around the world,” says Dr. Taylor, former surgeon-in-chief and director of surgical services for the UHN. Ultimately, the funds raised this year will help drive the spinal program’s dedication towards developing a cure for paralysis that occurs from spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Events such as the Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival prove that fundraising can be satisfying in so many ways. Please visit www.grandcru.ca to learn more and find out how you can participate in the next annual event.