26 -— Wednesday, May 12, "VE ALWAYS said that the best parties are those where people don’t have to do anything — that guests most enjoy themselves when they can mingle, eat and sit where and when they choose. This describes this year’s Taste of the Nation (TON), one of the best fundraisers I've been to in ages. And it was successful -- this year's goal of $150,000 was easily surpassed (it will buy Food Run- ners two new refrigerated trucks and pay full-time drivers). The organizers — janice Lot- zkar and Andy Crimp of the Rain- tree, and Barrie Mowait of the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery — wisely moved this year’s TON, which was the culmination of Hunger Awareness Week, from the Trade and Convention Centre to the Hotel Vancouver, where the entire second floor became room after room of offerings from 72 restau- rants, wineries and liquor - distributors, including many from Seattle and Portland: _. {Since the popularity of beer i is . booming, it would have been nice -' to have seen more breweries — » .there was only one and the poor gir! from Okanagan Springs wes run off her feet.) TON ‘93 was way more fun than : fast year’s. There was lots of great entertainment, everyone was ina good mood, the exhibiters ap- peared to be having a good time, ‘and sales of pieces of plastic fruit, - which translated into gift baskets, _ went very well (although Dusty Martell was less than thrilled when her basket turned out to be a case of root beer and a case of toilet paper). One thousand people showed for the pany — and | don’t know why it didn’t occur to anyone to open a window. ° Air was in such short supply, several people, including West Van's Janet McGuire, inoked like - they were going to faint. ; McGuire's Beach Side Cafe was ~ one of the exhibitors and chef Carol Chow became instantly popular when guests discovered that her offering was oysters. Louise Aird BRIGHT LIGHTS West Van’‘s Christine Coletta, of the B.C. Wine Institute, also had a busy night — the institute was of- fering eight labels for sale, with all proceeds going to Food Runners. There were lots of North Shoreites there, among them North Van native Leslie Mauro, there for the Vancouver Museum; West Van couple-about-town Harald and Sharlene Ludwig; West Van‘s Margaret Steley and her husband Alan Manzie; North Van's Don DeCotiis; and North Van photographer Robert Kwong, there with his wife Clare, who will give birth to their first child this month. | spoke with Vancouver's Moni- que Barbeau, now of Fuller’s Res- taurant in Seattle, who was 2n route to New York to be honored as one of the five under-30 chefs chosen by the Rising Star Chef Foundation. And West Van’s Ingunn Kem- ble ran the sales table for Taste of Vancouver: Great Chefs — A Cookbook, written by West Van food writer Edena Sheldon. The book, which is available at The Bay Park Royal and Capers, includes recipes from 32 of the Vancouver area’s best chefs and the wonderful photos of John Sherlock. Proceeds from sales of this book go directly to Food Runners, so when you pay your $30, you'll ac- tually be buying 120 hot breakfasts for kids who otherwise wouldn't LIONS GATE HOSPITAL A, Caring Community Free Public Forum MENOPAUSE Presented by Continuing Medical Education . ’ Lions Gate Hospital Wednesday May 19th, 1993 7:30 pm at the Centennial Theatre A panel of leading experts will be discussing the psychological! aspects of the change, plus recent advances in treatment. Panelists include: Dr. Penny Ballem, Dir., Women's Health Centre Dr. Vera Frinton, Obstetrics & Gynaecology Dr. Suzanne Montemuro, Family Physician Lafern Page, M.A., Counselling Psychology photo Louise Aird HARALD AND Sharlene Ludwig were two of some 1,060 guests who attended this year’s Taste of the Nation, held at the Hotel Vancouver, which featured fare from 72 restaurants. get breakfast at all. kak I'm scooping People magazine here. it’s of no interest to me, but it may interest Beverly Hills 90210 fans to know that a friend of mine recently wandered into L.A.’s Sunset Grill and found Shannen Doherty locked in a passionate embrace with judd Nelson. How nice for them. kak ; Sunday May 16th/93 Hair cuts by donation min. 320 (reg. $30-40) And talk about a wrong number... I'm sound asleep last night — actually 3 a.m. The phone rings. The caller was a woman looking for her husband. 1 looked around, but | couldn't find anyone’s husband in my bedroom. She didn’t believe me. By the time this poor woman realized she’d misdialled, she’d given me way too much informa- tion and | now know who this unhappy couple is. The moral of this story is: when you're using the telephone to search for an errant spouse, make sure you dial correctly. There’s always the risk that you'll end up spilling your marital secrets to a gossip columnist. PROFESSIONAL HAIRCARE pier ee vocal ensemble presents, "Spring Fever” A musical mélange of everything from Renaissance to Rock. Friday May 14 & | Saturday May 15, 1993 8:00 pm West Vancouver United Church “ist & Gequimalt) © Onformabons 922-9147 Tickete: At Tole Mantar Outlets HAIR DESIGN Come & Help Support Our. 2nd Annual Cut-A-Thon For AIDS Research Free Pizza, Coffee, | & Goodies. 100% proceeds | * to St. Paul's 7: Hospital. Foundation |