Lakeshore Arts will be celebrating the first day of spring with a Chocolate Equinox. (Lakeshore Arts)
By Donna Sevilla
It’s the first official day of spring tomorrow, and Lakeshore Arts, a local arts service organization, is celebrating with a Chocolate Equinox fundraiser.
The event will be held at the King’s Garden banquet hall in Etobicoke, Ont., on Friday March 20.
Attendees can sample the work of many chocolatiers and watch chocolate sculptures being created on location.
Susan Nagy, the executive director at Lakeshore Arts said the group decided to mark the equinox, “especially since it’s been such a long cold winter,” she said.
Humber College is one of the sponsors for the event, which will feature entertainment from students in the music program.
Baking and Pastry Arts professor Royce Li will be there to promote his business Shoko Chocolate, and to support the students Nagy said.
Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest cocoa grinder company, is also a sponsor. The brand works with organic chocolate.
“This (event) will give our students a chance to display their masterpieces, and also for the public to see what our students have been capturing through their two semesters with us,” said Chef Joe Kumar, a Humber Baking and Pastry Arts professor.
Chef Kumar said students were chosen through conversations with culinary teachers. Each chef gave input on which students shone brighter than the rest. Kumar said he didn’t see the fundraiser as a competition, but rather is an opportunity for students to get recognition for their work.
“This will give our students a chance to display their masterpieces and also for the public to see what our students have been capturing through the two semesters with us” – Chef Kumar
Three chefs, Chef Dimuthu Perera, Chef Daniel Gonzales and Chef Kenneth Ku, will demonstrate the diversity of Humber’s baking program.
“Chef Dimu will be doing chocolate carving and Chef Gonzales will be doing a bread masterpiece (looking at) how chocolate has influenced breadmaking and how it’s displayed,” said Chef Kumar. “Chef Kenneth Ku, who is our master wedding cake specialist, will be doing plated dessert,” he said.
Nagy said the $60 ticket covers chocolate tasting, but chocolatiers won’t be allowed to sell product at the fundraiser.
Youth Arts Movement (YAM), Lakeshore Arts’ youth group, will also be participating.
“It’s a really fabulous way to include our youth. Rather than just have them volunteer, we wanted to find some way to actively engage them as emerging and young artists,” said Nagy.
YAM has prepared cookies through a workshop with Chef Li using spring as a theme, which will be raffled off at the end of the night.
Tickets will be on sale on the website until midnight March 20th, but tickets will also be available at the door.
All proceeds will be going to the Lakeshore Arts organization.
The event runs from 6:45 p.m. to 11 p.m.