BLACK HISTORY MONTH’S CULINARY EVENT AT MARCHE WITH CHEF LA-TOYA FAGON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLACK HISTORY MONTH’S CULINARY EVENT

The Caribbean Scholarship Foundation hosts a week

of Caribbean delicacies and delights during Black History Month

​At Marché Brookfield Place

​Featuring: Celebrity Chef La-toya Fagon​ 

Chef La-toya Fagon

January 28, 2015. Toronto ON - Black History Month’s Culinary Event — Spirits & Spice — takes place February 2 - February 8 at the Marché Toronto, Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto. This is a fund raising food festival for the Caribbean Scholarship Foundation and features the exotic cuisine of Caribbean Canadian chef La-toya Fagon.

This Black History Month festival is exclusive to Marché Toronto. The restaurant and the Caribbean Canadian community invites the city  to enjoy the warm aromas, pulsating rhythms and spicy tastes and drinks of the islands.  The media is invited to attend a Media Preview with chef La-toya Fagon on February 4  from 11:00 am – 1:30 pm

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During Spirits & Spice, Marché will feature a selection of Caribbean dishes featuring Grace Kennedy (GK)  products created by Chef La-toya Fagon alongside its usual menu items. The food is cooked right before patrons’ eyes with seasonal products from the Caribbean. The GK Grilling station featuring Grace Jerk, Rubs and Sauces is a must try for all steak and meat lovers. As well guests will find Caribbean inspired beverages and smoothies at the juice station, while, the in-restaurant bar will feature English Harbour Rum (Antigua), Carib Beer (Trinidad and Tobago), Angostura Rum ( Trinidad & Tobago) and the unique Relax Riesling and Funf 5 Riesling wine that will be paired with the island dishes. Caribbean desserts and even coffee with a Caribbean twist will be available for guest to enjoy.

Spirits & Spice week kicks off on Monday, February 2nd and ends on Sunday, February 8th.

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The Caribbean Scholarship Foundation (CSF) Spirits and Spice event is an annual fundraiser for the Foundation, which in December 2014 gave out $10,000 in scholarships to deserving students from the Caribbean Diaspora in Canada. Kyler Philip, Jasmine Francis, Justice Betty and Nathalee Ewers were each awarded $2,500 as part of the "Feature Leaders" Scholarship. The Future Leaders initiative is a partnership between CSF and Western Union and includes an innovative mentorship program designed to give students an added advantage in their academic pursuit.  

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CSF is also supporting PACT as part of our 2015 community initiative. The Toronto Area  based charity is dedicated to working with, supporting and empowering at-risk youth, as well as youth already in conflict with the law.  Recently they have embarked on the empowerment of women in diversity communities. David Lockett is a hands-on volunteer, Co-Founder and President of the PACT Urban Peace Program, and a proud supporter of Chef Fagon a young Black woman who is making her mark as world class Chef.

Chef Fagon has been  supporting  PACT for the last 9 years by donating her time to teaching culinary courses. Recently with the launch of the Jean Augustine Empowerment Center, PACT cooking courses has grown with Chef Fagon teaching young women different forms of empowerment, budgeting, and nutrition.​

Western Union will present our Exclusive Media day which will be held on February 4  at Marche from 11:00am – 1:30pm exclusively for members of the media. Chef Fagon will do live cooking demos and  attendees can taste a variety of delicacies from around the Caribbean, while sampling the region’s finest spirits  beer and also some great wines. Members from  CSF and PACT will be on hand to provide information about the programs and scholarship opportunities they provide. 

There will be plenty of excitement on Media day and all week long with live music and giveaways. Over 30,000 patrons are expected to take part in the week long festivities, many of which will be delighted for a taste of the tropics in the heart of winter.

Black History Month’s Spirits & Spice is holding a grand finale soiree  for Sophisticated Palates​ on February 6  at the Marche Brookfield Place  5:30pm -9:30pm. Ticket holders will experience unlimited food tastings prepared by Chef Fagon. Tickets are $35.00 Advance  $45.00 at the Door

For more information and tickets:

www.spiritsandspice.com
For more information please contact:
Stephen Weir

stephen@stephenweir.com

NEW COURIER / MAIL ADDRESS

STEPHEN WEIR
Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com
109 Castlefield Avenue, Toronto, ON
CANADA. M4R 1G5
Tel: 416-489-5868 | cell: 416-801-3101
www.stephenweir.com twitter: sweirweir    

Today Jamaican parliament introduces bill to legalize marijuana

Jamaica / Canadian medical marijuana producer says Jamaica’s move today to legalize marijuana is good news for healthcare and the economy

Today’s announcement that the Government of Jamaica has introduced a bill to legalize  both the production of medical marijuana and the personal consumption of marijuana  is being seen as a positive economic and medical move by the Jamaican  government.  Timeless Herbal Care, a Jamaican Canadian company involved in the production and export of medical marijuana, this morning congratulated the Government of Jamaica for creating a framework for international standard medical marijuana trade in Jamaica. 

Speaking in Toronto, Ernie Eves, former Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada and chairperson of Timeless Herbal Care Ltd said today that  “Jamaica is now uniquely positioned to become the medical marijuana hub for the world.” 

 According to Courtney Betty, President and CEO of Timeless Herbal Care “the company is fully prepared to build an international global brand for Jamaican medical marijuana by combining the best of science and research with organic Jamaican marijuana of the highest quality.  Our partners include the University of the West Indies, the Charles Town Maroons, The Jamaica Epilepsy Society, The Ganja Growers Association, BioRegeneration Integrated Medical Centre headed by Dr. Janice Fisher, Roxy Distributors Ltd. and  renowned Jamaica scientist and researcher Dr. Lawrence Williams.”  

Timeless Herbal Care Ltd. has  played a leading role in working with Prime Minister Portia Simpson’s People’s National Party  government to bring this bill to the House.  The company is committed to ensuring that Jamaica and its people get the benefits which will derive from this new industry. 

“Timeless Herbal Care is proud to be Jamaican and proud of the many individuals who have sacrificed to preserve what will become Jamaica’s most profitable industry,” continued Mr. Betty “We pay special recognition to industry, education and law enforcement officials who were very instrumental in paving the way for Minister of Justice Mark Golding to deliver this historic legislation.”

Jamaica’s Timeless Herbal Care combines the best of science and herbs for the health and wellness of all people. Timeless has created the Green and Gold Triangle with operations in Jamaica, Israel and North America structured to immediately supply the growing international demand for medical marijuana products.

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For further information about Timeless Herbal Care contact

 info@timelessherbalcare.com www.timelessherbalcare.com

For interview requests with Premier Ernie Eves and Courtney Betty

STEPHEN WEIR

Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com 

Toronto

Tel: 416-489-5868 | cell: 416-801-3101 

www.stephenweir.com twitter: sweirweir    

Five of Canada's best named to Taylor prize finalist list today

 

Noreen Taylor, founder of the RBC Taylor Prize, announces  the five books that have been named to the Prize's 2015 Finalist List.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 • Toronto, Ontario: For immediate Release 

THE FINALISTS FOR THE FOURTEENTH RBC TAYLOR PRIZE

Shortlisted authors based in Ontario, Quebec and London, England

AT A NEWS CONFERENCE, held on Wednesday, January 14th, in Toronto, jurors Ms. Kevin Garland, Martin Levin, and Andrew Preston, named five authors as this year’s finalists for The 2015 RBC Taylor Prize.

The five finalists and their books are: They Left Us Everything by PLUM JOHNSON (Toronto, Ontario), published by Penguin Canada; One Day in August:The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe by DAVID O'KEEFE (Montreal, Quebec), published by Random House Canada; The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in our Times by BARBARA TAYLOR (London, England), published by Hamish Hamilton Canada; And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa by M. G. VASSANJI (Toronto, Ontario), published by Doubleday Canada; Boundless by KATHLEEN WINTER (Montreal, Quebec), published by House of Anansi Press.

“These five books represent not only the finest non-fiction written in Canada today but also represent the topics that Canadians find interesting,” said Prize founder Noreen Taylor. "Taken collectively, they present a fascinating glimpse of the lens we look through when we view ourselves, our history, and the world beyond our borders.”

"RBC Wealth Management is honoured to be the title sponsor of Canada’s most prestigious non-fiction prize,” said Vijay Parmar, President, RBC PH&N Investment Counsel. “The RBC Taylor Prize fosters literary excellence and aligns with RBC’s overall commitment to the arts. We strongly believe that art has the power to enrich our lives and enhance our communities and therefore are thrilled to play a part in helping to raise the profile of those writers who make an indelible mark on Canadian literature.”

The RBC Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. All finalists will be supported by extensive publicity and promotional opportunities over the next two months. The five authors will take part in a free Round Table discussion at the Toronto Reference Library in downtown Toronto on Thursday February 26th at 7:00 pm. This public author event is sponsored by the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), The Toronto Public Library and The Globe and Mail newspaper. As well, they will appear on stage at The Globe and Mail / Ben McNally Authors’ Brunch on Sunday, March 1st at the Omni King Edward Hotel. For tickets:www.benmcnallybooks.com.

This will be the fourteenth awarding of The RBC Taylor Prize. The prize consists of $25,000 and a crystal trophy for the winning author and $2,000 for each of the runners-up as well as extensive national publicity and promotional support to help all books stand out in the national media and book retailers across the country. The winner of this year's prize will be announced at a gala luncheon and awards ceremony at The King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto on Monday, March 2nd.

Sharing a commitment to emerging Canadian artists, The Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also grant the second annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Award. Shortly after the March 2nd luncheon an emerging author will be selected by the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize winner.

At the Wednesday morning News Conference each jury citation for the five finalists and their books was read out. Those citations are as follows:

Plum Johnson for They Left Us Everything, published by Penguin Canada

The jury notes: “Beautifully observed and written with great warmth and wit,They Left Us Everything is an absorbing memoir of grief, growth, and decluttering. Plum Johnson must deal not merely with the legacy of her difficult, ill-matched parents, but is handed the burden of disposing of the seemingly endless contents of their 23-room Lake Ontario home, which becomes a character on its own in the telling. The task, which she initially thinks manageable, proves Herculean, far more complex than she’d imagined, involving understanding her past and packing up its contents, both literal and metaphorical. A story of love, loss, and legacy, written with compassion and humour, it subtly evokes T.S. Eliot’s lines: ‘We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.’”

David O’Keefe for One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe, published by Random House Canada

The jury notes: “Ever since news of its failure rippled across the Atlantic 72 years ago, the Dieppe raid has been a staple of Canadian history and a touchstone of our national identity. It is difficult to imagine that a historian could have anything genuinely new to say about it, yet David O’Keefe shows a new side to the story. Highly original and bracingly revisionist, One Day in August is that rare book that is able to say something new about something so familiar. Based on extensive research in official records in Canada and Britain, many of them previously undiscovered or long-forgotten, One Day in August is historical writing at its best: engrossing, revealing, and enlightening. It should be required reading for all Canadians.”

Barbara Taylor for The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in our Times, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada

The jury notes: “A work of major substance and shocking honesty, The Last Asylum is a haunting tale of madness in the modern age. In this beautifully written memoir, Barbara Taylor uses her own harrowing experiences in psychoanalysis not only as a vehicle for personal discovery but as a prism through which to view contemporary attitudes towards mental illness. But Taylor is also a noted scholar of modern British culture and society, and her investigative powers as a historian are also on full display in this book. She explores Friern, an insane asylum first built by the Victorians where she received extensive treatment and which serves as the backdrop for her painful but revealing personal journey. Exquisitely crafted, The Last Asylum is an intellectual and stylistic tour de force.”

M. G. Vassanji for And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa, published by Doubleday Canada

The jury notes: “In And Home Was Kariakoo, novelist M. G. Vassanji has written both an evocative memoir of his childhood in East Africa and a searching look at Tanzania and Kenya today. Returning in his sixties to his old neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam, and then embarking on a journey that takes him on local buses over rutted, barely passable roads to villages and ghost settlements, he changes the lens through which we view Africa. Vassanji casts a cool and unsparingly critical eye over the slave trade, colonialism and leftist revolutionaries, over the “beggar” mentality that pervades these countries and donor celebrities courting publicity. At the same time, he evokes the teeming aliveness of east Africa, its heat, its smells, its exotic foods and the surprising joyfulness of its people. In his journey, the reader too uncovers an Africa deserving respect rather than pity.”

Kathleen Winter for Boundless, published by House of Anansi Press

The jury notes: “In this evocative travel memoir, Kathleen Winter joins an expedition through the North West Passage as official trip “writer.” Thus begins her very personal voyage. As the ship sails into the Canadian Arctic, following the path of the doomed Franklin expedition, she reflects on the extraordinary life her parents chose as British emigrants settling in the wilds of Newfoundland. The events of the voyage are interwoven with her childhood memories, her struggles with adulthood and aging, her often intense engagement with fellow travelers, and breathtaking descriptions of the arctic light, the sea, the ice, the stark landscapes, and the people. The impact of climate change, and Canadian policies and inattention to First Nations are clearly and judiciously presented. The deep impact of this unplanned voyage on Winter’s connection to our natural world is beautifully and poetically told.”

About the RBC Taylor Prize :

The RBC Taylor Prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines an excellent command of the English language, an elegance of style, quality of thought, and subtlety of perception. The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning author and $2,000 for each of the runners up.

The Emerging Writer’s award was established in 2013 to provide recognition and assistance to a Canadian published author who is working on a significant writing project, preferably but not limited to literary non-fiction. Through mentorship from the nominating author, and a $10,000 cash award, it is intended that the writer will be able to progress toward the creation of a first draft work.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley (Toronto), Vijay Parmar (Toronto), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor (Toronto).

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management, its Major Sponsor is Metropia, its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean’s magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Authors at Harbourfront Centre, Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Kobo Inc., The Toronto Library Board, and The Omni King Edward Hotel.

For more information visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.

For more information about the finalists visithttp://www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/finalists_15.asp.

Visit RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize.

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize.

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Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates

Stephen Weir: 416.489.5868 | cell: 416.801.3101 |stephen@stephenweir.com

To download high-resolution images of the jury, finalists, and shortlisted titles, please go to:www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/photogallery_15.asp

MEDIA INVITE - RBC TAYLOR PRIZE SHORTLIST PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY 10 AM

Speakers. Drama. Books. The 2015 RBC Taylor Prize shortlist news conference to be held January 14th at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto

TORONTO, Jan. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - The founder of the Charles Taylor Foundation, Noreen Taylor will be one of three speakers at the short, but drama filled reveal of the finalists list for The 2015 RBC Taylor Prize. All media is invited to attend/cover. Also speaking will be well-known book journalist Martin Levin and RBC Wealth Management

The exciting press event will be held Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 10 am sharp, in the Consort Bar (Main Level) of the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. The King Edward Hotel is located at 37 King Street East in Toronto, Ontario. The winner announcement will be made on March 2nd also at the Omni King Edward Hotel.

About The RBC Taylor Prize

The RBC Taylor Prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines an excellent command of the English language, an elegance of style, quality of thought, and subtlety of perception. The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning author and $2,000 for each of the runners up. The Prize has established the RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer's Award, which provides $10,000 to an emerging author. The RBC Taylor Prize winner chooses the emerging author each new Prize cycle.

The Emerging Writer's award was established in 2013 to provide recognition and assistance to a Canadian published author who is working on a significant writing project, preferably but not limited to literary non-fiction. Through mentorship from the nominating author, and a $10,000 cash award, it is intended that the writer will be able to progress toward the creation of a first draft work.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley (Toronto), Vijay Parmar (Toronto), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor (Toronto).

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management, its Major Sponsor is Metropia, its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean's magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Authors at Harbourfront Centre, Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Kobo Inc., and The Omni King Edward Hotel.

TO RSVP for the Shortlist Conference: rsvp@rbctaylorprize.ca

To download high-resolution Prize images : www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2015/longlist_15.asp

SOURCE Charles Taylor Prize

For further information:

For more information please visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.Visit RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize.Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize.