Chefs' gourmet dinner lottery sold out rapidly
Seven Ottawa-area chefs, including two winners of the Canadian Culinary Championships, are offering food lovers the chance to win a privately catered dinner for 10 people to be held once pandemic restrictions allow.
The Ottawa Culinary Lottery proved so popular after it launched on Saturday that it sold out on Monday, said chef Briana Kim of Alice, who is one of the chefs involved.
“We've already tripled our goal and wanted to keep the odds within reason, which is why we will be closing soon,” Kim said Monday afternoon. “I think people in Ottawa have been so responsive because it's a rare opportunity to win a dinner catered by all seven chefs, and we are all hopeful and looking forward to being able to get together with a group of friends for dinner again.”
The lottery's grand prize will feature food prepared by Kim, Marc Lepine of Atelier, Yannick LaSalle of Les Fougères, Jordan Holley of Riviera, Jason Sawision of Stofa, Steve Wall of Supply and Demand and Jamie Stunt of Arlo. Lepine and LaSalle have each won the Canadian Culinary Championships in past years, and Lepine is the annual competition's only two-time winner.
There will also be three second prizes of seven $100 gift certificates (one for each participating restaurant). Tickets are $25, or five for $100, at sevenchefs.tickit.ca. The draw will be held live on Instagram on Feb. 5.
The dining rooms for these and other restaurants in Ottawa remain closed until at least the end of next week due to the Ontario government's latest COVID-19 lockdown, which began on Boxing Day. The lottery is the latest pivot by beleaguered Ottawa-area restaurants, which have been forced since last March to come up with alternatives such as selling takeout fare and meal kits and opening patios to offset their lost revenues.
Meanwhile, Mike Labreche, part-owner of Crazy Horse and Central Bierhaus restaurants in Kanata Centrum, launched on Sunday a GoFundMe campaign meant to raise $50,000 to support restaurants in Kanata and Stittsville struggling due to the pandemic.
“I have had many people reach out into how they can help out more other than take out,” Labreche wrote. He is asking Kanata and Stittsville restaurants to contact him and says the fund will for now only support dine-in restaurants.