Tennis star and celebrity chef team up for charity

September 09, 2006

When tennis champion Daniel Nestor and internationally renowned chef Susur Lee team up as co-hosts for dinner, you can bet that whatever is served will be world-calibre! 

This Saturday, September 9, 2006, the two celebrities will join forces on the lush premises of the Donalda Club in north Toronto on behalf of the 4th Annual Daniel Nestor Charity Event-- an entertainment-packed, palate-tantalizing two-day Gala that combines a gourmet street festival, tennis exhibition and celebrity Pro-am. Proceeds of the event (total net revenue exceeds $220,000) support inner-city tennis programs run by Tennis Canada and prostate cancer research at North York General Hospital. 

Doubles specialist Daniel Nestor is Canada's most successful and celebrated tennis player. He owns a gold medal from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, remains a stalwart member of the national Davis Cup team and has accumulated more than 20 career doubles titles. Nestor’s recent victories include the US Open and Wimbledon, which he won with doubles partner Mark Knowles of the Bahamas. Nestor and Knowles will kick off festivities at 6 pm on September 9th with a doubles exhibition, while the celebrity pro-am will feature Blue Rodeo’s urban cowboy Jim Cuddy, CITY-TV’s best-loved anchor Gord Martineau and Canadian Idol uber-arbiter Jake Gold.  

Chef-extraordinaire Susur Lee is the darling of food critics everywhere and the creative energy behind King Street sophisto-restos Susur and Lee. As coordinator of the event’s gourmet banquet, Lee has recruited a team of top-tier culinary talent to prepare an exclusive ten-course degustation of international delicacies paired with complementary wines and liqueurs.  

“This event continues to grow as friends of tennis come together for such a great cause,” expressed Nestor. “With the help of Susur and his colleagues, local celebrities and tennis fans our event will raise much-needed funds for North York General and inner-city tennis.  

Gourmet stations will be manned by some of Toronto’s most esteemed kitchen magicians: Claudio Aprile of Senses; Michael Bonacini of Oliver & Bonacini; Alain Labrie of Chez Victor/Hotel Le Germain; Lorenzo Loseto of George; Sanjeko Mori of Toshi Sushi; Brian MacAskill of The Donalda Club; Cosimo Mammalito of Terroni; Lui Shek Keung of King’s Garden; and Afrim Pristine of Cheese Boutique.  

Savvy diners and tennis fans have already snapped up virtually all tickets ($250 per person) for this exclusive event.