Around these parts, Chef
Michael Smith is known to be a culinary adventurer (Chef Abroad) and an
always affable home-cooking guide (Chef at Home). But, at the centre of
his 6'7 frame lies an even bigger heart; one that recently took on a
great cooking challenge for a charity known as, The Village Feast (the
culmination of which you can watch in a one-hour special airing
Saturday, March 31st at 7pm ET—hey, we're the Food Network, this is what
we do!).
The event went down on Michael's beloved
Prince Edward Island (where he's practically royalty) and involved
organizing and preparing an impressive 1,000-person gourmet dinner to
raise money for Farmers Helping Farmers--an organization that is helping
to rebuild a cookhouse in Kenya (a building where school-aged children
go to have their lunches prepared and served).
The old cookhouse was in
rough shape, feeding 200 kids a day using an open fire. The new building
includes two smoke-free, wood-efficient burners as well as running
water.
The traditional farming and fishing
village of Souris, P.E.I. has faced its own hardships with two major
fish plants recently shutting down. But, in true East Coast-fashion, the
residents of this close-knit community rallied together for a common
cause.
The local producers and a small army of volunteers were joined by
Michael's chef friends from across the country who each answered the
call to action without compensation or travel expenditures. Together
they prepared 500 pounds of potatoes, 500 pounds of mussels, and 100
pounds of bacon!
Using a food event to help build a
cookery building is a beautiful idea, but it's also a massive
undertaking. How did it all come together and what hurdles did they face
along the way? You know the drill: tune-in to find out :)
Posted:
by
Food Network Canada
Howdy foodie friends!
Nadine Sharon Anglin here, Foodnetwork.ca Content Producer. I can't wait to finally meet all of you in our new digital home.
I'm familiar with a some of you from our blogs and social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Foodbuzz, but am looking forward to meeting many more! Hope to continue with all the great conversations and sharing of photos, videos and more :-D