TORONTO — It was a time of celebration Saturday, as some 1,000 people packed into Mississauga, Ont.’s International Centre to commemorate Friends of We Care’s 30th anniversary of sending disabled kids to camp. We Care collects donations that are given to the Easter Seals charity, and this year, a cheque for $1,059,231 was presented to the parent charity at the gala anniversary celebration.

EDMONTON — The educational sessions at the 50th Anniversary National Conference of the Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC) got off of to a strong start last week, with the initial two packed sessions running overtime.

In-house charcuterie and whole-animal cooking were the concurrent themes of the initial workshops. The founders of Calgary’s three-year-old Charcut Roast House restaurant, Connie DeSousa and John Jackson, presented a fresh meat cutting and cooking demonstration and a description of their operations, which include a separate facility for animal slaughter, butchery, food prep and cooking on the restaurant site. “Something seems to be happening in foodservice — over the last five years charcuterie has emerged more as both the chef’s and the customers’ favourites,” Jackson said. “Charcuterie is becoming a favourite for its flavour, its aroma and its good health and environmental aspects. Knowing the source of the product is also important.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. — Tim Hortons is expanding its electric vehicle charging station pilot program, which launched earlier this year, by unveiling six new charging stations at restaurants throughout B.C.

“We have been thrilled with the results of the pilot so far. Usage of the charging station in Oakville, [Ont.] has surpassed our expectations, and we received many calls with requests to expand the pilot," said Paulo Ferreira, senior director, International Strategic Restaurant Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons.

EDMONTON — Conversation about science and technology dominated the Thursday afternoon educational program at the 50th Anniversary National Conference of the Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC) held in Edmonton this week. The conference focused on sous-vide cooking and social-media marketing.