What do you get when you combine a worthy cause, a swinging jazz band and over 60 of Toronto’s top female chefs serving up some of their most delightful creations?

Eat to the Beat!

Now in its 12th year, this event to benefit Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada was originally created by sisters Lisa and Abigail Slater when they offered to fund-raise at their event in 1996. Since Lisa Slater was herself a chef, the inclusion of food was a given.

Elaine Brown, Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada’s Executive Director explains, “The Slater sisters tried to find a way to raise funds in an imaginative and innovative way by creating something that was not already done. The food event was born, and the focus on “women helping women” really drove the point home. The popularity of food, chefs and the food movement in general have contributed to the immense popularity of this event, which remains quite unique. Guests look forward to sampling sweet and savoury specialities all under one roof, created by some of Southern Ontario’s best-known chefs while sipping wines and beers from this region as well. It has become a recipe for success.”

For the past eight years, FoodTV chef Anna Olsen has been the spokesperson for the event, donating her time and expertise in promoting the event and preparing and serving up some tasty creations at the event itself. Explaining her devotion to the event, Olsen says, “Eat to the Beat is a true celebration of women with the money raised going to Willow, an organization that supports and empowers women across Canada affected by breast cancer. Instead of just throwing money into a pot with the hope of one day finding a cure, supporting Willow through Eat to the Beat ensures the women who need this organization’s help now, are getting it.”

This year Olsen will be serving up her own version of Thanksgiving dinner in the form of turkey and trimming pinwheels on rosemary skewers with cranberry mustard. Joining her will be such notable Toronto chefs as Anne Yarymowich from AGO, Cynthia Beretta of Beretta Organic Farms, Toby Nemeth of Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, Dufflet Rosenberg of Dufflet Pastries and many, many more, along with Ontario wineries and breweries.

I asked Elaine Brown if there were plans to host similar Eat to the Beat events in other major cities across Canada, and she admits that it is a goal of the organization, however with human resources stretched, it is still a dream yet to be achieved. But with Eat to the Beat acting as Willow’s signature fundraising event, bringing in a full one-third of their annual operating budget, similar events in Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax and Edmonton or Calgary would definitely help promote the great services Willow offers.

In addition to the many food stations set up around the grand lobby of Roy Thompson Hall, guests at Eat to the Beat can enjoy the jazz stylings of local group The Advocats, participate in the silent auction of designer bags, and buy raffle tickets to win prizes that range from a resort visit and Argos tickets for 20 to an impressive gold and diamond bracelet.

In conjunction with the food theme of the event, local fashion designers and volunteers create food-inspired corsets for a fashion show that is part of the evening’s festivities.

Eat to the Beat takes place Tuesday, September 25th at Roy Thompson Hall. Tickets are $150 per person and are available from the Willow website.