The Grocery Foundation SuperGala 2009

Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams gets mobbed by the ladies at thisyear’s SuperGala! 

March 7, 2009 - Over 3,000 guests wined and dined at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre in support of The Grocery Foundation and the Crohn’s and Colitis.

Renowned chef Angelo Fernandez wowed guests with a duo meal of grilled peppered filet mignon with a cabernet sauce and breast of chicken stuffed with leeks and apples and a sweet vermouth cream sauce.  Together with stuffed Yukon potatoes, a vegetable medley of asparagus tips, carrots and patty pan squash and the duo desert of chocolate pecan tarts and banana cream mousse cakes, guests raved about the meal and the service like never before.

But it was the ladies who got the concert experience of a lifetime when they ended up on the stage with Bryan for an encore that featured Adams doing a version of KC & the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight.”

Until the end, security managed to keep things under control.  But once Adams started with the encore there was no holding the well dressed gala crowd back. Before long, 100 or so very pretty ladies were on stage “gettin’ down” with Bryan. Being the true seasoned rock star Adams is - he was loving every second of it - and even invited more people on the stage to join the party.

Past performers at the SuperGala have included The Beach Boys, Michael Bublé, Barenaked Ladies and last year, Nelly Furtado. Guests later admitted they had never witnessed a finale like the one they got from Adams this night.

This years Gala was hosted by Jeff Hutcheson, Sports and Weather Anchor of Canada AM, CTV's popular morning show.  He was hilarious.

The 2009 SuperGala is Canada’s largest fundraising dinner raising over $1.8.M for the Grocery Foundation and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada.

The 2010 SuperGala is set for Saturday, January 30th.

Credit:  HoundsTV.ca/Richard Budman

A Special Thanks to our Gala Sponsors

The Grocery Foundation and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada are deeply indebted to all who have contributed to the Gala dinner.  In addition to everyone who purchased tickets, we are very grateful to:

AgroPur Division Natrel BlueWater Seafoods Canada Dry Mott’s Inc. Campbell Company of Canada ConAgra Foods Canada Inc. Eska Waters Fiera Foods Co. General Mills Canada Corporation Heritage Salmon/Central-Epicure HJ Heinz Company of Canada Irving Consumer Products Kellogg Canada Inc.

Kimberley-Clark Inc. Kraft Canada Inc. Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Inc. McCain Foods (Canada) Nestle Canada Inc. Novelis Foil Products Parmalat Canada PepsiCo Canada Procter & Gamble Inc. Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. Unilever Canada Weston Foods Inc.

Tom Michaelis V.P. Customer Development Unilever Canada and Celeste Tabor	Roger McVety Vice President of Customer Sales, Parmalat Canada and his wife

Bob Brema President, William M. Dunne & Associates and Rita Lappano, Manager Employee Benefits	Dino Bianco President of Kraft Canada and his wife Pilar

Brock Furlong President & CEO, Optimum Food Group and his wife Jill	Rory Lesperance V.P. & General Manager, Canada Bread Company, Limited and his wife Vicki.

Tom Gunter President, ConAgra Foods Canada Inc. and his wife Vicky.	Bill McEwan President & Chief Executive Officer of Sobeys Inc. and his wife Donna.

Anthony Longo President & CEO, Longo Bros. Fruit Markets and his wife Gay.	Marc Guay President, Frito Lay Canada and his wife Karen.

Janine Keogh | Vice President - Consumer Insight & Strategy | Kraft Canada	André Gagné V.P. Conventional Banner Merchanding, Metro Ontario Inc. and his wife Debra Matthews

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The Grocery Foundation & Crohns SuperGala 2008

The Grocery Foundation and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation partnered together on February 2nd at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and feted over 3200 industry members and patrons to a night full of glamour and excitement.

One of Canada’s hottest recording artists and Grammy award-winner, Nelly Furtado performed most of her greatest hits as the headliner for this year’s Gala. 

This years Gala was hosted by the popular and ever charismatic CTV news anchor, Ken Shaw.  Partygoers dined on a duo of grilled filet mignon with a burgundy and wild mushroom ragout and stone mustard and thyme crusted chicken, accompanied by a sweet and Yukon gold potato tower and a medley of spring vegetables. For desert, all enjoyed the white chocolate mousse enfused with an essence of orange topped with chocolate shavings and poached pears.  All this of course was prepared by MTCC renowned chef Fernandez. 

Guests enjoyed bidding on silent auction items which ranged from all inclusive trips down south, jewellery, electronics, and home décor, restaurant and spa certificates to sports memorabilia. One lucky guest, Sheldon Sturrock, walked away with a brand new 2008 Ford Mustang valued at over $35,000 as the winner of the car raffle.  New this year was the 50/50 draw as lucky guest Jane Holicka won over $10,000!!!

The party really got started when the Carpet Frogs took to the stage and got everyone dancing and singing to all the requests they could play.

SuperGala 2008 is one of the top fundraising dinners of its kind in North America.