Food, Receipt and Restaurant

What is it about cooking shows that have us drooling? True, some of them seem to follow a tried and true formula that gets a little stale breadish, and there are days when I truly cannot tell the difference between the camera angles of a Nigella Lawson episode and that of Laura Calder's.

But I'm nuts about Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss (oh to be a pastry bag full of choux paste on any of those TV sets!) and, just recently, I found myself drawn to Top Chef Master, where 24 master chefs at the pinnacle of their professions play for thousands of dollars to be awarded to the winner's favourite charity.

The series I am currently following stars Canada's very own Susur Lee as one of the competitors and it was thrilling to hear one of the judges gasp how he found Lee's plate near genius â€" which describes Lee to a T! True, some of the show's anxiety had me literally sitting on the edge of the couch, but I loved the sense of camaraderie among the masters, and the genuine magic they all created. Check out Foodnetwork.ca for more details.

Hunger Awareness Day has come and gone, but the giving continues. In honour of this day, Food Banks Canada and Kraft Canada have called on Canadians to raise much-needed funds for the hungry across the nation, through the Kraft Hunger Challenge, running now to June 11. Kraft Canada will match donations made to participating Canadian food banks up to $150,000, monies to be used to buy essential food for Canadians in need.

"Hunger is largely a hidden problem in many communities across Canada but in reality it is in all of our back yards,” says Katharine Schmidt, executive director, Food Banks Canada. “Although it isn’t always obvious, people you see on the bus, children playing in the park and visiting the library may be going to bed hungry.”

Over the past six years, the annual Kraft Hunger Challenge has raised more than $3 million for community food banks across Canada, including more than $580,000 in 2009. “The Kraft Hunger Challenge was created to help the hungry at the community level,” says Dino Bianco, president, Kraft Canada Inc. Canadians can donate to the Kraft Hunger Challenge through their local participating food bank or online at www.foodbankscanada.ca, or by phone at 1-877-535-0958. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations over $10.

Take a bow, Toronto Taste! This iconic food lover's event is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Sunday, June 13 at the ROM, when food lovers and the restaurant community come together to pair cuisine and compassion in a special fundraising initiative for Second Harvest, a charitable organization that takes donated, perishable food and deliver it to over 200 social service agencies in the GTA.

Chef and cookbook author Bob Blumer (host of Food Network’s Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment) will be hosting the event in which guests get a chance to sip, stroll and sample the amazing offerings of such top chefs as Marc Thuet, Donna Dooher, Mark McEwan, Michael Smith and others.

In fact, this unbelievable evening brings together more than 60 chefs and restaurants, and some 25 beverage providers. Tickets are $250 (with a tax receipt issued for $125) and are still available (as are raffle tickets) by calling 416 408-2594 or online at Torontotaste.ca.