Held after a three-year pandemic hiatus, the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation’s 18th annual Parade of Chefs raised a total of $192,000.
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The Chatham Armory was transformed into the RBC Royal Palace, hosting 350 guests, for the recent event called A Royal Affair with Local Flair.
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Celebrity host Chef Darren McGrady previously served as the personal chef for the late Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, and for princes William and Harry for 15 years. Besides providing first-hand stories about his time with the royal family, McGrady also curated the evening’s five-course menu.
Each course was prepared by chefs from local restaurants, made with locally-sourced ingredients, and paired with a variety of beverages donated by local wineries, breweries and distilleries.
“There are so many people and organizations that had a hand in the success of this year’s event, including our sponsors and guests, our local chefs, restaurants and in-kind vendors, our auction donors and of course the countless volunteers who helped to pull it all together,” said Christine Colautti, the foundations president and chief executive.
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Proceeds from the event will support the purchase of equipment for the hospital’s laboratory transfusion medicine department to help automate a variety of blood tests for patients, making them more efficient and reducing turnaround times.
Lori Marshall, the health alliance president and chief executive, said it was great to both see the event return and “witness first-hand the generosity of this wonderful community.”
Corporate partners included Precise ParkLink, RBC Royal Bank, TD and Apollo Property Management and Development.
The event planning committee, chaired by Karen Ewald, was lauded for its dedication to making the event a success.
“Through events like this, the generous support of our community partners, donors and volunteers has a major impact on local patients and their families, and without that support, our foundation simply wouldn’t be where it is today,” board chair Bob Hockney said.
“Patients really are at the center of everything we do, and because of the support that we receive day in and day out, we continue to be able to do so much more.”
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