Join Canada’s ‘Kitchen Party’: save foodservice industry

Coast to coast, hundreds of Canada’s favourite food personalities are actively involved including, chef Vikram Vij (Vancouver), maître fromager Afrim Pristine (Toronto), and chef Connie DeSousa (Calgary). They’re encouraging Canadians to share this campaign across social media with #TakeoutDay.

“There has never been a time like this, never been a bigger challenge for the restaurant industry. The greatest thing you can do is on April 15th, support your local restaurant by doing takeout,” says Mark McEwan, chef restaurateur, who also created the video below along with coast to coast culinary leaders.

To make takeout meals feel more like a restaurant experience, every Wednesday in April Canada’s Great Kitchen Party- Home Edition will be virtually entertaining people in their homes.  Some of our country’s best musicians, comedians, athletes and chefs in perform in a special show of support. These performances will air on Kitchen Party – Home Edition’s Facebook at 8pm EST . The host will be George Stroumboulopoulos, who says he was “excited to do his part as we find creative ways to help our good friends in the restaurant industry.”

Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, Tom Cochrane, Barney Bentall and Sam Roberts will perform on Canada’s Great Kitchen Party- Home Edition, with more drop-ins being announced weekly. Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea and the Alan Doyle Band, says that he is, “Looking forward to bringing some Newfoundland Kitchen Party spirit to Takeout Day to help restaurants here in St John’s and across Canada.”

Olympic gold medalist Tessa Virtue, Olympic silver medalist Curt Harnett, and Paralympic multi-medalist Benoit Huot are scheduled to make appearances – with many others in the weeks to come.

TakeOutDay is about more than hashtag activism or saving restaurants. Canada’s robust and diverse culinary scene is an integral part of its unique identity, and the best demonstration of Canadian multiculturalism.