Make your dinner reservations now, because on April 27th the SHARP Foundation will hold the sixth iteration, and their second year with the National campaign of A Taste for Life. This year’s fundraising event promises to be even better, says Executive Director Floyd Visser.
2011’s edition of A Taste for Life has something for everyone - from casual fine dining to fresh, flavourful, upscale-chic cuisine; and you’ll see a greater selection in terms of locations, price points and ethnic cuisines. "This year has definitely expanded...we’re now up to 23 restaurants whereas we had 11 last year, and we’ve got a real variety of restaurants as well," states Visser.
As was the case last year, participating restaurants will have volunteer hosts who inform customers about the event – i.e. the restaurant is donating 25% of that evening’s gross take to the SHARP Foundation. As hosts will also provide information about the foundation, A Taste for Life is, as Floyd says, "a wonderful way of building awareness, as well (for) the fact we provide care and support to people living with HIV here in the community."
Another sign of the growing success of the event is the fact that all of last year’s sponsors have returned. TD Canada Trust is their primary sponsor, but there are others including (but not limited to) Global Calgary, Mix 97.7, Calgary Sun, and of course, GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine.
Floyd is also pleased to tell us that, besides the expansion in restaurant selection, there have been some changes from last year. First off, the Sharp Foundation is offering a training program to the volunteer hosts at each restaurant so they are better at approaching attendees unobtrusively and better prepared to answer most questions about the foundation and A Taste For Life.
As well, this year some participating restaurants will provide dining opportunities during the day, not just in the evening. "If you want to go three square meals at three different restaurants to support the Sharp Foundation, that’s there for you," Floyd says. The day’s event starts out with breakfast at Nellie’s Cosmic Café on 17th Avenue SW, and Nellie’s Cafe in Kensington. Lunch-goers can check out Moxie’s Classic Grill on 17th Ave SW, as this restaurant will have a promotional menu available for both lunch and dinner on April 27th.
The other main change is the addition of an after party, held at one of the participating locations, Club Sapien from 10pm on. "Some people were saying why stop the party at just having a meal? So the idea was to have something going on beyond that." ARGRA will host the meal and party at Sapien, while local Country singer Patrick Massey will provide the entertainment.
And if supporting the SHARP Foundation wasn’t enough incentive, there are also door prizes for those who dine at participating restaurants and wish to enter the draw. Finally, by supporting the SHARP Foundation through this event, Floyd reassures us, "when it’s for charity, its zero calories."
For details about A Taste For Life and a complete list of participating restaurants, please visit the website.