This Saturday, Nov. 6, catch private chef and recipe developer Maddy Goldberg at Aloette's Liberty Village location, cooking up her signature Spicy Vodka Gnocchi.
Aligning with her focus on raising funds and awareness through food, all proceeds from this dish are being donated to the Life and Hope Foundation. This is a small, Toronto-based organization which Goldberg is deeply connected to, as she spent her post-secondary years working alongside them. The Life and Hope Foundation's mission is to provide supportive housing and special programs for those who are struggling with their mental health.
An Aloette and Salon Alo alumni herself, Goldberg presently runs her culinary business, Cook Eat, which she says aims to merge food with fundraising in any way possible.
"It is a new business and I am trying out various ways to use food and dining as a tool to generate fundraising and create conversation about the hard work that various charity organizations around Toronto are doing," says Goldberg.
Initially attending the University of Guelph for social work, Goldberg developed a love for cooking and eventually pivoted to dive into the world of professional kitchens instead.
"During my time at university I was an avid home cook and eventually realized that my passion for food was more that just a hobby," says Goldberg. "So I decided to go to George Brown for culinary school after graduating."
Still keeping her work at various non-profit organizations close to her heart, Goldberg doesn't let the idea of giving back stray from her mind when focusing on her culinary endeavours. Through Cook Eat, Goldberg consistently donates a portion of her earnings per event to rotating charities.
Via her website, Goldberg offers private dining occasions with tasting menus designed, cooked and served by the chef in the comfort of your own home. What makes it even more of a special experience, is that 10 per cent of the cost of dinner is donated to a charity of the host's choice. Goldberg also engages in a variety of other culinary events, such as restaurant pop-ups and cocktail parties, all while still ensuring to set aside a portion of costs to charity.
If you're a home cook in search of some pointers to help you excel in the kitchen or if you're constantly looking for inspiration on what to cook, you'll want to sign up for Goldberg's recipe email list on Cook Eat. Here, Goldberg shares exclusive cooking tips and recipes and is still in search of how to link this element of her business to fundraising.
Maddy Goldberg's spicy vodka gnocchi is available for one day only this Saturday (tomorrow) Nov. 6 at Aloette's Liberty Village location starting at 11:30 a.m and running until it sells out. If you can't make it to pick up in person, you're in luck––you can order her special feature via all delivery platforms Aloette Liberty is available on, including Uber Eats.
