Former Winnipegger David Gale will be hosting “Fress with the Best”, a fundraising event put on by the Combined Jewish Appeal’s Women’s Philanthropy Division. The event will be comprised of three local chefs preparing a dish or two on stage while Gale provides musical and comedic interludes. The event will conclude with a reception providing a sampling of the prepared dishes and beverages.

Gale says, “I am a product of the Winnipeg Jewish community. I am a grad of Joseph Wolinsky collegiate, I went to the Y on Hargrave, I travelled with Chai, I participated in annual song festivals, and I have fond memories of Camp Massad. To give back to the Winnipeg Jewish community is an honour for me.”
Gale is an experienced host, actor, writer, producer, director, playwright, improviser, singer, comedian and Elvis impersonator. He has made appearances in commercials, on TV, in theatre, and in movies.  He has also worked as a stage director and choreographer and has won numerous awards for his various talents. He is probably best known as the host of the internationally broadcast TV docu-comedy “Loving Spoonfuls”, affectionately called the grandmother cooking show. Gale visited with ethnically diverse grandmothers in their own kitchens and combined cooking with comedy to create a hit series. The show later resulted in a series of cook books.

Gale has hosted everything from fundraising auctions to game shows, so hosting “Fress with the Best” will be nothing new for him.  It is the 5th or 6th cooking event put on by Women’s Philanthropy, but the first one to include a host. Cara Kroft and Carol Duboff, chairs of the event, are confident that they will have a sellout crowd of 200 plus at the Berney Theatre on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Their idea was to follow the premise of “Loving Spoonfuls”, live on stage with a local twist.  Gale will be interacting with three Winnipeg well known chefs and personalities: Ami Hassan of the Falafel Place, Tony Deluca of Deluca’s Specialty Foods and Maxine Shuster of Shmoozer’s.

Gale says, “Humour naturally comes out of my interactions with the chefs and I will sing a few songs, also.
“Food has a lot of meaning to me. The tastes of Winnipeg are close to my heart. I may live in Toronto, but Winnipeg will always be my home.”

Gale is currently doing voice work with his company, hosting the alternative Indy Awards in May 2010, volunteering as Vice President of ACTRA (the Canadian Actors’ Film and TV Union) and serving on the board of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

David Gale and Marcia Cosman, Chair of the Women’s Philanthropy, both appreciate that it is not just men who give to worthy causes – it is women, too.

David Gale's own recipe for cheesecake:

Shortbread Bottom Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake

"I found this recipe about ten years ago in Vancouver and have adapted it over the years. It's a cheesecake, an apple pie and a shortbread cookie all in one—people love it! I get a bit fancy with the whipped cream at the end of this recipe. I put the whipped cream into a decorating bag and make stars over the whole top of the cheesecake. It looks great and it hides any imperfections that might have happened during baking. You can use whipped cream in a can if you want to save time. Enjoy!"—David Gale

INGREDIENTS

Pastry:
9 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
2 large Golden Delicious apples
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 (250-g) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg whites

Topping:
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream
Ground cinnamon to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• For Pastry: beat butter and sugar until light. Beat in vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in flour until mixture is crumbly. Press crumbs on bottom and three-quarters up the sides of an 8-inch, lightly buttered spring form pan. Bake at 400° F for 10 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Reduce oven heat to 350° F.
• For Filling: peel, core and thin-slice apples. Combine water and cinnamon in saucepan. Add apples and simmer for five minutes or untiI apples are just tender. Drain apples well and let cool.
• Beat sugar, egg yolks, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. In medium bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into cream cheese mixture.
• Arrange apples on cooled pastry. Carefully pour cream cheese filling over apples. Bake at 350° F for about 50 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.
• For Topping: combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Return to oven for five minutes. Cool completely on wire rack, then refrigerate. After the cheesecake is completely chilled, beat whipping cream until stiff in a medium bowl (chill bowl and beaters in freezer for 1/2 hour prior to beating). Serve the cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon; makes six to eight servings.

Rhonda Prepes is an engineer, educator, mother, and writer in Winnipeg.