Scotiabank Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer shoots and scores with an uber-successful event—and some tasty eats courtesy of Kiss the Cook
If there’s one thing we love, it’s the opportunity to serve amazing food, play hockey and benefit a great cause all in the same day! Needless to say, we felt like the most fortunate catering firm in Toronto when we were invited to cater for the teams at an event with 1,700 spectators, volunteers and players at the recent Scotiabank Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer event in Toronto.
As you might guess, the day featured plenty of stick-and-orange ball action, along with the chance to mix and mingle with NHL celebrities such as former Toronto Maple Leafs greats Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams and Doug Gilmour, Stanley Cup winner Nick Kypreos, former referee Kerry Fraser and the Hanson Brothers of Slapshot fame. The event itself was dubbed the ‘Ultimate Sonnet Locker Room Experience’ in a nod to lead sponsor Sonnet Insurance Company, and gave fans the opportunity to play against some of their hockey heroes.
Of course, the real heroes on the day were the ones supported by this amazing fundraising extravaganza: brave cancer patients, as well as the medical professionals, support and administration staff from Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre whose incredible dedication saves the lives of thousands of Canadians every year. Their great work isn’t just worthy of a hearty stick salute at centre ice, it deserves the admiration and support of us all. Funds raised on the day also went to support the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s ongoing medical research work.
The day has become so popular that it’s become a veritable must-attend event amongst the country’s hockey glitterati. In fact, next year will be the Scotiabank Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer’s 10th anniversary (we already have it marked on our calendar!). Before we get to the food (our stomachs are already growling in anticipation) we can’t forget to mention the two winning teams from the Ultimate Sonnet Locker Room Experience that fundraised the most for 2019. ‘Ally’s Army’ raised an impressive $40,606.30 while the ‘Ovarian Blitzers’ brought in a staggering $208,124.59. We were floored when we saw that figure for the first time, and we’re still slack-jawed that any one team could have managed to fundraise such a staggering sum.
When these incredibly generous, hard-working players weren’t busy deking goalies and taking slapshots, they spent plenty of time at our uber-creative food stations. Nothing builds an appetite like copious amounts of fun road hockey time, after all—and from the looks of things, this crowd enjoyed all the deliciousness we were so pleased to serve up.
For breakfast we offered our Breakfast of Champions, complete with a made-to-order omelette bar with freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, green peppers, ham and farm-fresh eggs. Our chefs cooked these individual pans of golden perfection to, um, perfection, and the exact specifications of each guest. We love being able to put a customized spin on any dish, and nothing provides bespoke cooking opportunities quite like a tasty omelette. But the breakfast feast didn’t end there. We also served crispy bacon, breakfast sausage and breakfast hash potatoes, presented a pastry station featuring freshly baked muffins, puffy scones and crispy croissants with freshly-churned butter and fruit preserves and fresh-cut fruit.
Because the Scotiabank Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer is a dawn-to-dusk event, we had to make sure our players stayed nourished from start to finish. So, we prepared a succulent spread worthy of any Cup-winning team. It featured our signature barbecue station where we flame-grilled chicken breasts slathered in our scratch-made tangy southern BBQ sauce, the tenderest beef tenderloin kebobs and tofu and veggie skewers sure to make any discerning vegan culinary connoisseur proud.
The grill-fired goodness was complemented by a range of healthy salads from our signature Caesar—our creamy dressing and crunchy croutons are second to none—to our signature Greek pasta salad with vine-ripened olives.
We added in fan faves such as our perfectly-warmed, fresh-baked pita with tangy hummus. The piece de resistance was our individually-wrapped Sonnet Insurance-branded shortbread cookies. These tasty treats are not only a great way to finish any meal, but they’re also the perfect example of the kind of corporate flare we can add to virtually any dessert item. And did we mention they also taste amazing!?
Overall, we were extremely proud to be involved in such an unforgettable event, and we encourage everyone to take the time to volunteer, participate or donate to this very worthy cause. For more information, visit https://roadhockeytoconquercancer.ca
To donate, go to https://rhcc1.akaraisin.com/ui/RoadHockey20/pledge/sponsor/start
Fia Pagnello, Founder and CEO
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