Top chefs join fundraiser to support jobless staff

Restaurants come and go, even high-profile ones such as Domus, ZenKitchen, and Juniper Kitchen and Wine Bar, all of which closed this year. Their fans mourn but soon move on.

What’s rarely thought of is the human cost when restaurants close: Dozens of people thrown out of work, often with little to fall back on.

Donna Holtom, owner of Santé restaurant and Holtz Spa, and Caroline Ishii, creator and former chef at ZenKitchen, propose to change that. The two want to create an emergency fund to support Ottawa restaurant staff when times turn bad.

“Most industries have some sort of safety net for people in times of transition,” Ishii said. But when restaurants hit a rough patch, perhaps due to an illness or fire, there’s nothing to help their staffs beyond the generosity of their colleagues.

It would be terrific, Ishii said, to have a “robust fund” that grows over time to help restaurant staff in times of need, rather than having to raise money every time a crisis hits.

To kickstart the Ottawa Restaurant Fund, Ishii and Holtom have organized a splashy fundraising event, called Chef Bites, at Santé on Dec. 16 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets for Chef Bites are $125. To purchase them, go to ottawachefbites.eventbrite.ca

They’ve recruited an all-star cast of Ottawa chefs — Marc Lepine of Atelier, Scott Adams of Benny’s Bistro, El Camino’s Matthew Carmichael, Ross and Simon Fraser from the Fraser Café, Murray Street’s Steve Mitton, Marc Doiron of Town, Chris Deraiche from the Wellington Gastropub and Jason Lauren of Essence Catering. Ishi will lend her talents, as well.

“It’s going to be a fun evening,” Ishii promised. Every 15 minutes or so, one of the chefs will emerge with tempting platters of specially created hors d’oeuvres or canapés, all washed down with complimentary wine and beer.

Ishii and Holtom hope to raise $10,000 to start a capital fund with the Ottawa Community Foundation, where it can be invested and grow. And that’s just the beginning.

“If all goes well with this one,” Ishii said, “we’re hoping to have another one. We already have some chefs lined up for that. I think it would be lovely to have events throughout the year.” Ishii and Holtom want the fund to develop “innovative solutions,” such as micro-loans, educational upgrades and social enterprise resources, to assist restaurant workers.