[Event] Almanac Island Dinner to Support Artscape Gibraltar Point

Website: ProvisionsTO Facebook
Address: Artscape Gibraltar Point, 443 Lakeshore Ave., Toronto Island, Toronto, ON
Event: August 7th, 2016

Weekends are normally spent with my family but I was happy I made the exception to spend a gorgeous Sunday with my friend Lynn, eating and partying at the Toronto Islands.

The ticket wasn’t cheap at $120 before tax but it was worth it!  I purchased my tickets from Pass The Table, a company that provides unique dining experiences. I’ve known Jason, the president of Pass The Table for a few years now, and it was nice to see him at the successful event.

The event was organized by ProvisionsTO’s Kevin Castonguay and the proceeds supported Artscape Gibraltar Point.

The #AlamanicIsland dinner included a private chartered ferry to the Artscape Gibraltar Point grounds (around the lighthouse on the Island), a four-course collaborative dinner of ethically raised Ontario meat and fresh seasonal produce, drinks and a live DJ. We were able to see the Chefs in action cooking the vegetables over charcoal, placing the seafood for the clam bake and preparing the whole pig in the smoker.

A funny story to start my day at the event…

About 10 minutes after arriving at the Island, I wanted to take pictures of the lighthouse and the beautiful peaceful surroundings.

As I walked through the grassy field with my open toed sandals, a bee stung my middle toe. How it got under my toe weirds me out, but I guess I almost stepped on it. I thought I got a sliver at first from stepping on a piece of wood, but freaked out when I saw a live bee under my toe still flapping its wings. I am totally scared of insects, but had to pull that sucker out of my toe. I was the awkward girl in the field who couldn’t move! With very few people around me at the time, I felt like prince charming came to my rescue. Chef Nate Middleton (@TastyNate) from Home Of The Brave came over to see how I was doing, picked me up and carried me over to a sitting area, where the staff was able to get me treated. My friend took out the stinger and had Advil (Tylenol or an antihistamine works best) to help relieve the pain. Although I was in pain, the bee sting made for a memorable moment! I haven’t gotten stung since I was 6 years old. Thank you to Chef Tasty and Lynn for saving me!

After the dramatic start, my friend and I got our drink on and watched the Chefs prepare dinner.

The Chefs in attendance included:

– Victor Barry (Piano Piano)
– Marc Thuet (Petite Thuet)
– Kevin Castonguay (ProvisonsTO)
– Nate Tasty (Home of the Brave)
– Dustin Gallagher (People’s Eatery)
– Charlotte Langley (Scout Canning)
– Jeff Lapointe (Nomad)
– Robbie Hojilla (The Harbord Room)

They collaborated to make the various dishes on the menu.

There was a beautiful designated area for dinner with long tables and swinging lights above us. It was hard to find seats at first as many groups claimed their seats, but luckily my friend and I landed a spot with a fun group and bonded over food and drinks.

The dishes were served family style with beverage pairings. I wasn’t sure there was enough food at first, but once we got to the roasted pig, I was stuffed! The food was tasty with the fingerling potatoes as my favourite dish as all the components made for an appetizing dish.

With hanging lights over the trees and a dance floor made of sand, I felt like I was on vacation outside of Toronto. My friend and I danced the night away before taking the 10:00 pm ferry back to the Harbourfront.

I had an awesome time and would definitely go again! What cool summer events did you go to? I want to hear all about it. Comment below or Tweet me https://twitter.com/maryshappybelly