I got there at 3:30 to help with the silent auction set-up and freaked out: the place was empty, only a couple of people were setting up. While the volunteer coordinator fretted, I busied myself with the task of setting up the lots for the silent and live auctions. I was beside myself with awe at the wines: How about a 1982 Chateau Latour? A six-pack of Turley from Cali, magnums of big guys like Solaia, Tignanello, Chateau Le Bon Pasteur... then 750s of Opus One, Dominus, Caymus, Chateau Haut Brion 1996, the list went on, including a 1959 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru from Burgundy's Cote de Nuits. Even the guide prices on some of them (minimum bid 40% of retail value), ran to hundreds of dollars.
Then the food and wine people started to arrive and set themselves up with great efficiency - from virtually nothing at 4pm, everything was ready to go and looking great by 6:15. Even the earliest, most eager guests had full-on everything fully available by the 6:30 open.
The restaurateurs were slick and turned out amazing food, the wineries were right on the case, pouring and explaining the wines.
Gord Martineau did a great job exhorting people to splash out at the auctions, really nailing the reason why we were all there: to help really desperate people who need help right now, not in a few weeks or months... Following Gord's speech the numbers rose at the silent auction and at the Tony Aspler-hosted live auction most items went for hundreds of dollars and more than a few crossed the thousand dollar mark.
The food was creative and delicious, including a few surprises like the "all Ontario" reubens sandwich from The Wine Bar (formerly Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar): it was just unbelievable what they did with a kinda boring sandwich, using only Ontario ingredients. Stellar pates from Splendido and Veritas, superb roast beef sandwich/buns from Barberians, crazy fruit salsa-soaked raw cauliflower side with chicken pate from Niagara hotshots Treadwell, and lots of great desserts from Dufflet and many others.
And the best thing is that all this enjoyment - the vibe was good, the people friendly and fun - was for a cause that's not only worthy, but urgent: Haiti needs an extraordinary amount of help, right now.
So if you missed out tonight, here's a plan: get some good food, get some good wine, and have a great meal. And then go to your computer and donate some $$ to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Do it before the 12th & the government's extended/no limits matching grants will apply, doubling your $$.
BTW, the CBC reported that as of Monday, approximately 300,000 Haitians are in need of immediate medical attention. Imagine Toronto's robust, slick and modern health care facilities dealing with those kinds of numbers.
And now imagine Haiti's.
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