Organizers of "Fandango! Soiree Guinguette," the sixth annual benefit for the Bridgepoint Health Foundation, wanted guests to feel as though they were walking into a French café on the bank of the Seine River when they arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel on Saturday. Krista Slack & Associates hung strings of patio lanterns and placed a mural of a café entrance behind the band. A sold-out crowd of 430 guests—encouraged to dress the part—arrived wearing berets and boas.
“The committee decided to take Fandango around the world. Last year we took people to Argentina; this year we are in France,” said Fandango 2008 chair Ann Kerwin. “Next year we’ll go somewhere else.” Red-and-white-checkered tablecloths gave the room a picnic feel. Wooden chairs surrounded the tables, topped with simple flowers and baskets of bread.The event has grown every year, Kerwin said, adding that many of Saturday's attendees are new supporters of Bridgepoint Health, a complex chronic disease centre in Toronto’s east end. So it was important for the planners to weave some information about Bridgepoint’s past, present, and future into the event. “We are trying to get our messaging across through comedy and entertainment, which we thought would be a new twist,” said Julie Goobie, a Fandango committee member and development associate with the foundation. Four Second City skits, presented during the meal, conveyed the news that the centre is becoming a health and wellness campus with a new hospital.
Guests dined on appetizers of salmon and seafood boudin with a mache and citrus salad, white and green asparagus with champagne sabayon, and smoked duck ham. The main entrée included tournedos de boeuf, pommes boulanger, and fricassee spring vegetables with a thyme demi glace. A cheese plate capped the meal, with comte, delice de Bourgogne, bleu d’Auvergne, petite baguettes, and grapes. Cherry clafloutis with French vanilla ice cream drizzled with a bittersweet chocolate sauce was also served. The Nu Rhythm Band performed following the meal.
“The committee decided to take Fandango around the world. Last year we took people to Argentina; this year we are in France,” said Fandango 2008 chair Ann Kerwin. “Next year we’ll go somewhere else.” Red-and-white-checkered tablecloths gave the room a picnic feel. Wooden chairs surrounded the tables, topped with simple flowers and baskets of bread.The event has grown every year, Kerwin said, adding that many of Saturday's attendees are new supporters of Bridgepoint Health, a complex chronic disease centre in Toronto’s east end. So it was important for the planners to weave some information about Bridgepoint’s past, present, and future into the event. “We are trying to get our messaging across through comedy and entertainment, which we thought would be a new twist,” said Julie Goobie, a Fandango committee member and development associate with the foundation. Four Second City skits, presented during the meal, conveyed the news that the centre is becoming a health and wellness campus with a new hospital.
Guests dined on appetizers of salmon and seafood boudin with a mache and citrus salad, white and green asparagus with champagne sabayon, and smoked duck ham. The main entrée included tournedos de boeuf, pommes boulanger, and fricassee spring vegetables with a thyme demi glace. A cheese plate capped the meal, with comte, delice de Bourgogne, bleu d’Auvergne, petite baguettes, and grapes. Cherry clafloutis with French vanilla ice cream drizzled with a bittersweet chocolate sauce was also served. The Nu Rhythm Band performed following the meal.
The Nu Rhythm Band
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
The Nu Rhythm Band performed for guests following the meal.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
Organizers conducted a silent auction to raise funds for Bridgepoint Health.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
The French flag hung at the bar.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
Simple floral arrangments and red-gingham linens topped tables.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
Bread baskets served as centrepieces.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
Volunteer event staffers dressed in French-inspired costumes to fit with the theme.
Photo: Tom Sandler Photography
