Torque Brewing holds charity dinner event

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This article was published 21/10/2019 (544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Torque Brewing held a sold-out fundraising event for kids in developing countries.

KIDS Initiative Inc. (KIDS) held its Pairing Pints event on Oct. 11, at Torque Brewing’s brewery at 830 King Edward St. All proceeds went towards helping communities in developing countries achieve sustainability, like producing their own food and water.

Cat Ross, the founder and president of KIDS Initiative, said the event was a success.

"It’s sold out. That’s amazing. We live in a community with hundreds of charities … We’re always trying to find something new and exciting for fundraising," Ross said. "So rather than doing a typical event, we provide an exciting evening out, then we spin in that it’s for a great cause, and the funds are going towards changing the lives of people in developing countries."

The event began with a cocktail hour during which guests enjoyed some appetizers and drinks before the meal. After that, guests were brought into the back brewery area, where they were served a five-course dinner, prepared by chef Norman Pastorin. Each dish was paired with a different beer from Torque Brewing’s catalogue.

John Heim, co-owner and president of Torque Brewing, said they chose beers that would best complement the meal.

"We decided to start off with our Witty Belgian, which won the gold medal at the (2019 Canadian Brewing awards). It’s got some lemon, lime, oranges and it compliments seafood quite nicely," Heim said. "We moved on to our easy-drinking blonde ale, before finishing with our new dark English mild, which really complemented the meat portion. It’s not designed to overpower the meal, just to add some nice complexities and flavours."

Heim added they stuck with beers that were in their core lineup, and specifically excluded seasonal or promotional beers.

Ross said they used the dinner to announce that their organization is expanding. KIDS used to be called the Kenya Initiative for Development and Sustainability, focusing on initiatives such as bringing agriculture and renewable water to developing communities and refugee camps.

Now, the organization will help developing communities around the world.

Their current project, bringing water to a refugee camp in Lemolo, Kenya, has completed Phase 1, which involved drilling into the ground to find a water source. Phase 2 of the project involves constructing the pipes and plumbing needed for the refugees to access that water.

For more information, or to donate, visit kidsinitiative.ca