Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation to cook up something special for Taste for Hope

Published On: January 24, 2025By Caroline Phillips

Rest assured, the upcoming Taste for Hope fundraiser for Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation isn’t going to be the same old soup, just reheated.

The local charity is whipping up something totally fresh as its signature event moves to a new location — Brookstreet Hotel — on Tuesday, June 3. The evening will still offer its 500-plus attendees a wide selection of drinks and yummy culinary offerings prepared by Ottawa chefs — all of whom are donating their time, food and skills to help the chronically homeless population through permanent supportive housing solutions.

New this year will be an exciting cook-off competition between community leaders, as well as a VIP after-party in the hotel’s outdoor pavilion, sponsored by Boyden. Live music will be headlined by Calian Group ’s guitar-playing CEO, Kevin Ford, and his band.

Liza Mrak , executive vice president of Mark Motors Group, and her husband, Gary Zed, founder and CEO of Canada’s Forest Trust Corporation, are returning as co-chairs of the 12th annual fundraiser, which is expected to exceed $1.2 million in funds raised to date.

Ottawa-based real estate firm CLV GROUP and its affiliate, PBC Group, are the new presenting sponsors. PBC is development manager and general contractor for Shepherds’ new 216 Murray St. building in Lowertown. CLV Group’s Chantal Theoret, director of marketing and communications, said it’s been “a privilege” to work so closely with the Shepherds team on the facility, which is slated to open this spring. It will provide, among other things, supportive housing for another 48 individuals facing chronic homelessness.

Details of this year’s Taste for Hope were announced at an official event launch hosted by Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation on Thursday at Brookstreet. Foundation CEO David Gourlay welcomed invited guests, many of whom have supported the charity through donations or corporate sponsorship. Also present were the Shepherds’ CEO, Stephen Bartolo, eMBA, CEC , and board chair, Dave Donaldson, and the foundation’s board chair, Kaveh Rikhtegar, along with fellow board members Jim Orban, Stéphanie Montreuil and Dr. Carrol Pitters, former chief of staff and chief medical officer at CHEO.

The launch saw the kick off of ticket sales.

Gourlay reminded his audience that the individuals they serve never envisioned a life of homelessness for themselves. It’s often traumatic events that have led them to this outcome. They deserve to be treated with the same dignity and to feel the same hope that others would want for themselves, family, friends and neighbours, he said.

Shepherds currently operates five residences throughout the city, including its 100-bed Hope Living in Kanata South. “Homelessness isn’t just a challenge in the downtown core,” Gourlay pointed out.

Chef Joe Martin Thottungal CCC, owner of Coconut Lagoon and Thali restaurant, will serve as honorary chair this year. Gourlay sang the chef’s praises by sharing how Thottungal voluntarily came into Shepherds to cook a variety of curry dishes during the pandemic, when there were no volunteers or front-line staff available. “He donated the food, he made the food — for three straight weeks, every day, seven days a week.”

Thottungal is helping to judge the Ottawa Culinary Clash (imagine a feel-good version of Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen). Community leaders will compete against each other to prepare the best dish. Ideal Roofing Co. Ltd., represented at the launch by Philippe Laplante, is the sponsor.

Taste is also partnering with Bell Media. Its operations manager, Jodi Hamilton, shared how proud and grateful they were to be a sponsor, and to be supporting the meaningful work that Shepherds is doing. “I can only imagine the harsh adversity and layers of challenge faced by the many people walking through the doors,” said Hamilton, before focusing on services offered. “The basics — that we all too often take for granted. Shepherds is truly making a difference and handling sensitive situations with dignity and grace.”

Last night, organizers launched their discounted “early-bird” $200 tickets. Regular tickets are $250 while a VIP ticket is an additional $50. For more details, see: https://www.sghottawa.com/signature-events/

Participating chefs will include: Thottungal, Konstantinos Kamarinos (Brookstreet Hotel), Eric Meloche (Rideau Club), Peter Gareau (Shepherds of Good Hope), Raghav Chaudhary (Aiāna), Kenton Leier (National Arts Centre), David Vinoya (Hilton Garden Inn/Tulip Restaurant), Hari Aggarwal (SEVA Group), Ric Watson (The Ottawa Mission/Chef Ric’s), Lizardo Becerra (Raphaẽl Peruvian Cuisine), Ian Carswell (Black Tartan Kitchen), Wapokunie Riel-Lachapelle (Nikosi Bistro) and Amir Rahim’s Grounded Kitchen.