All That Glitters Gala

A Night at the Museum

I recently attended the All that Glitters Gala at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The gala benefited Crohn's and Colitis Canada, a very important organization devoted to research and putting an end to the suffering caused by Crohn's and Colitis- for good. I was startled by the prominence of the disease in Canada. The following statistic really struck a chord: "1 in every 150 Canadians is living with Crohn's or Colitis- a rate that ranks in the highest worldwide" (Crohn's and Colitis Canada). Even more alarming, "the number of new cases of Crohn's disease in Canadian children has almost doubled since 1995" (Impact of IBD Report 2012, Crohn's and Colitis Canada). These statistics are eye opening and demonstrate the importance of searching for a cure to end Crohn's and Colitis for life.

The event was put together by an incredible team who gathered some of Montreal's finest restaurants and culinary talent! The food was impeccable and the generosity of the local restaurants in providing seafood, meat, salads, pastas, coffee, desserts, and more for a crowd of over 300 people, must be noted. Their devotion to our community and to this significant cause is remarkable.

Some of my favourite items from the night included Oysters provided by Joe Beef and served by Choice Harbour with a classic mignonette, apple mignonette, and Smoke Show hot sauce. Majestique was serving their famous giant hot dogs on buns by Hof Kelsten. Nora Gray brought their A-game with giant meatballs with tomato sauce and basil. Tavern on the Square impressed with homemade cavatelli with tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala, and basil. Steve's Fish Store brought us the freshest fish. Succulent rack of lamb by Wolfe Montcalm. Ryu with their delicious sushi. Our beloved Moishes provided beef tartare and smoked salmon. La Sirène with their famous Lebanese salads, and Tuck Shop with the most adorable blinis topped with smoked salmon. For dessert, Boulangerie Le Fournil had a magnificent display of cake pops, trifles, and squares (a bakery in Westmount that I definitely plan on visiting in the near future!), and Cocoa Locale brought their sweet miniature cupcakes (my personal favs!). Caffeine-fix was brought to us by Tunnel Espresso Bar in the form of smooth and creamy lattes. As you can tell, this was definitely a "star"-studded event..a real culinary affair! I was so full, I didn't even get to try all of the delicious-looking food, so be sure to check out the full list of attendees below!

Majestique

Majestique - Hot Dogs

Tavern on the Square - Homemade Cavatelli

Smoked Salmon and Spinach Pie

Bagels on Greene - Bagels

Boulangerie Le Fournil - Strawberry Shortcake

Beaux Gateaux - Carrot Cake

Beaux Gateaux - Oreo Cake

Tunnel Espresso Bar - Latte

Boulangerie Le Fournil - Assorted Pastries and Desserts

Boulangerie Le Fournil - Cupcakes

The dinatoire (really more of a dinner after all the food I tasted!) was followed by a fundraiser, and finally a concert by Montreal-born Adam Cohen and his band. We all left with a cute parting gift complete with chocolates Galerie au Chocolat, David's Tea, and macarons by Dopo cena.

Please visit these restaurants who continue to support our community all year long, and definitely consider putting this event on your social calendar for next year! See the full list of restaurants who supported this cause below- all of them did such an amazing job, and if you haven't already, definitely check them out!

Restaurants, Caterers, and Bakeries

Bagels on Green

Beaux Gateaux

Beijing

Boulangerie Le Fournil 

Burger Bar

C&C Meat Packing

Caldwell

Chez Nino

Dopocena

Farines Etc. (Vegan Desserts)

Galerie au Chocolat

Grumman '78

Hof Kelsten

Honey Martin

Java U

J&R Butcher

Joe Beef served by Choice Harbour

Lucille's

Majestique

Moishes

New Victoria Fish Market

Nora Gray

Patisserie Cocoa Locale

Ryu

Steve's Fish Store

Tavern on the Square

Tuck Shop

La Sirene

Starbucks coffee

TCBY

Tunnel Espresso Bar

Traiteur LT

Wolfe Montcalm Catering

For more information on the cause, or to find out how you could get involved, visit the link below.

www.crohnsandcolitis.ca

And on behalf of the committee responsible for producing such a lovely evening:
"A special thank you to Java U catering for coordinating all of these delicious restaurants, and a shout out to Max Ruiz and Marley Sniatowsky from Choice Harbor for helping us solicit restaurants."


Mind, Taste, Love.

Montreal Events: All That Glitters Gala 2014

A night at the museum.

Crohn's and Colitis Canada

Musee de Beaux Arts 

Last night I attended the annual All That Glitters Gala to raise funds for Crohn's and Colitis Canada. The evening was beautifully put together at an impressive venue. The calm before the storm. F1 weekend being the storm (a fun and action-packed storm), and last night being the classy cocktail party for an amazing cause. 

This is an event that is hosted every year by a talented committee and it is definitely one that you should put on your social calendars next year. Awareness needs to be raised for this cause, and the event does a great job at that.

The evening was appropriately themed around its venue, with clowns, jugglers, unicyclers, and dancers creating a whimsical, art-inspired feel. The Glass Atrium was a stunning backdrop that allowed for guests to admire downtown Montreal as the sun set. Eventure catered the event with just the right amount of hors d'oeuvres to fill you up and kept the wine and champagne flowing. Entertainment included a band, a ballroom dance performance by dancers from Arthur Murray, and an incredible routine by two extremely talented contortionists from École de Cirque de Verdun (seriously impressive).

The night was capped off with a live auction that included roundtrip first class flights to the US and Europe, foodie packages to some of Montreal's top restaurants, a one-night stay at the Ritz with brunch or dinner at Maison Boulud, and race track laps at Circuit Mont Tremblant. I won the latter for my dad for Father's Day-  a great gift idea for car enthusiasts! Finally, there was a raffle with some great prizes. It was my lucky night, as my raffle ticket was called and I got to take home a lovely David's Tea basket including their new Spring collection and a tea-steeping mug (loveeeeee!). All in all, everyone enjoyed themselves and left with a rose, some homemade biscotti, and with better awareness of the needs of crohn's and colitis patients. I don't know the exact number, but the gala raised a significant amount of funds for this cause and they must be commended for their amazing efforts and for organizing a magical evening.

Keep your eye on this fundraiser and foundation in the future- great cause and great event!

With the weekend coming up, I will likely be headed to Monkand Village to experience their first-ever F1 Street Festival. Where will you be this Grand Prix weekend?!

Check out some pics from the event below!

Mind, Taste, Love.