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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, June 7, 2013 | 22 Where Food and Art Unite for a Great Cause! With almost $20,000 raised through auction and camp appeal for The Oakville Galleries "Art for All" children's programs, Oakville Taste proved that the sun was not the only warmth you could feel in Gairloch Gardens on May 26th. For the 4th year in a row, this local event put on by Dave and Noreen Higgins, brought a community together to showcase the best of what this town has to offer as local businesses, students, volunteers and celebrities jumped in to prove that Oakville is a community to be envied and celebrated. One of the biggest changes for 2013 was the venue. Gairloch Gardens, founded in 1971 by James Gairdner For the first year, thanks to a spirited group of volunteers, Oakville Cycles was able to provide a free service to encourage an alternative method of travel. Local Town Counselor Pam Damoff urged ticket holders to get on their bikes and ride to the event and be treated to "Rock Star" bike valet parking. If you drove but couldn't get parking on site, no problem as long-time `gold' sponsor Oak-land Lincoln provided its own "Rock Star" method of travel as shuttles transported guest to and from designated parking lots in luxurious Lincoln cars. Working alongside Oak-land Lincoln, `silver' sponsor Sobeys donated almost 200 boxes of `Our Compliments' cereal to fill the MKZ that got everyone guessing how many boxes of cereal could fit in the vehicle. In the end both community sponsors got together to drive the car of food to Kerr Street Ministries to stock the bare shelves and feed those in need. Local Celebrities graciously donated their time and talents to raise money as well. Food expert, caterer and cookbook author, Nadine Hughes showcased her talents in a live demo to the delights of many in attendance. Master Carpenter and TV celebrity, Scott McKinnon donated his talent in the form of a beautifully hand crafted cedar arbor for the live auction. Television celebrity Marilyn Denis and resident design build contractor, Ramsin Khachi donated a prize package that included tickets to the Marilyn Denis show, backstage passes and autographed photographs. All of these items were bid on for high amounts thanks to the spirited Don Stewart a local charity and benefit auctioneer whose talents helped to remind everyone how much their bids were going to help those in need. Local printer, Oakville Blueprinting helped set the stage for the event's theme through their design and execution of ads, signage and gorgeous recipe cards gifted to each guest at the end of the event that visually reflected the beauty of the actual food served at this year's event. In keeping with the Gallery surroundings, the `Artful Theme' was embraced by one and all. ReMax agents and first time event sponsors, Carole-Ann Peterson and Florentina Coban extended their own business philosophy, "Art of Service", by hosting a `Reveal to Win' raffle for a beautiful statement acrylic by local artist, Mihaela Gongescu, while the gallery sourced and auctioned a large `Ricardo Rumi' canvas and two Gairloch signed, limited edition prints by renowned Canadian photographer, Angela Grauerholz. Function Events owner and Event Planner Laura Macdonald-Rumi worked with all of the restaurants and later donated to the town in 1980, was envisioned and created to be an art gallery and public park on lake Ontario, As one of the most picturesque properties in Oakville, The Oakville Galleries provided the perfect spot to set up this year's event. Attendees looked out onto the manicured gardens sipping local wines, cocktails and beer and sampling food from over two-dozen caterers and restaurants while taking in the sights and sounds of one of Oakville's greatest cultural treasures. Oakville Galleries is a not-for-profit contemporary art museum that recognizes the importance of its relationship with the community. The proceeds from Oakville Taste will support Oakville Galleries' Art for All program. This initiative ensures low-income children have free access to the Galleries' full range of art classes and camps: PA day programs, March Break camps, afterschool and Saturday morning workshops, week-long summer camps, and more. Says Director Matthew Hyland, "These are benefits we believe all young people should (many) local children are provided with the kind of enriching art experiences that will impact them for years to come. We could not be more grateful for this support." Thanks to its participants, Oakville has shown that community support comes in many forms. Check out the YouTube video of the event at http://youtube.com/SeptemberSinema or for pictures, visit www.oakvilletaste.com Photos by Sara Javadi and caterers to create a new "Palette to Palate" theme highlighting the art of food. Her efforts included a Junior Taste so that children could enjoy a camp run by The Oakville Galleries' staff and a "Taste" of their own provided by Whole Foods Market while their parents took some time for themselves. Her social media campaign got the attention of a number of local companies and secured the first Caesar Bar at Oakville Taste. Important to note in the name of community support is a core group of dedicated high school students from Oakville Trafalgar High School and local volunteers, This event could not have run as smoothly if it had not been for such commitment. Students included Dan Higgins, Scott Mitchell, Shawn Lachance-Coward, Seimei Mio, Sam Higgins, Steven Bollinger and Aidan Shales-Polenz who all gave up their entire weekend to the event following their school's overnight cancer fundraiser, "Relay for Life" - the event organizers and Oakville Galleries very much appreciated their help. A big CHEERS to all who came out to this year's event!