Local chefs unite to combat cancer
This will be Mélanie Gagnon of the Auberge Sainte-catherine de Hatley’s tenth year as a chef for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Gala des Grandes Chefs, the annual gourmet fundraiser focused on drawing donations from the local community. In the past she has worked on events in Granby, but this year she will be preparing dishes for the Sherbrooke event for the very first time. On a personal note, it will also be her first year since being diagnosed with cancer.
“They called me on April 19th,” the chef said, explaining that her diagnosis of breast cancer also came with a sentinel node biopsy that was positive for malignant cells and the news that she has been living with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer that no one noticed until it was too late. As a result of this combination of circumstances, Gagnon said that she has already had a single mastectomy and radiation treatment that will be followed by a second mastectomy and hysterectomy following the gala in early November. “There’s no choice, they have to take everything.”
Despite the devastating news, the chef said that she has chosen to be positive and determined about the situation, resting in the idea that life gives a person everything he or she needs to succeed.
“My parents always said that in life, all problems have solutions,” Gagnon said, “so when I was asked to participate this year, I knew I was able to and that it would be a good gesture; it shows that we can succeed in spite of this illness and continue to live our lives.”
Gagnon will be one of ten chefs serving for this year’s Gala, which will be the society’s 23rd.
“For this 23rd edition we have a new formula, a new team, and a new location,” said Josée Loignon, Director of the
Eastern Townships regional office of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Quebec division, explaining that the event will be hosted at the Delta Hotel this year and provide visitors a much wider variety of dining options.
Whereas in past years there was one service per course for all guests, Loignon explained that this year each place setting will be given a ticket indicating a specific station from which to pick up their cold entrée, hot entrée, main dish and cheese plate. Each ticket at the table will be different, meaning that the table as a whole will feature a wide variety of different options for each course. Eight chefs will be placed at the different stations around the room, she said, with one chef each being assigned to the dessert and cocktail hour.
The hope, Loignon said, is that local community participation in the gala will allow the event to raise $70,000 this year. Since its founding in 1995, the director added, the Gala has helped raise roughly $1.35 million for the work of the Canadian Cancer Society.
“The Canadian Cancer society is the largest charitable organization dedicated to the fight against cancer in Canada,” Loignon said, adding that cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada. “(The Society) works to combat all cancers, even the less popular ones.”
The Director noted that in 2015-16 the society invested $40 million in Canadian research initiatives, including $335,000 at the University of Sherbrooke.
Although the Sherbrooke event is the oldest event of its kind that the Cancer Society hosts in Quebec, it is one of nine similar galas taking place across the province. The overall goal of the combined charity effort is to raise $984,000. In Sherbrooke the cost of an individual ticket is $225, with tables of eight going for $1600.
“I can tell people that the money they give to the society goes to good things,” Gagnon said, pointing out that she now has firsthand experience with cancer treatments. “When you’re not there you can’t see the impact, but I can say for certain that yes, this money goes to something very good.”
More information about the gala is available at galadesgrandschefs.ca or by calling 819-562-8869.