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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr i! 26 ,2 01 8 | 52 Artisano thanks Oakville community for 10 years Artisano's catering manager, Hilary Gatehouse, holds a tray of their sandwiches alongside cafe manager, Kim Barter, holding some of the free goodie bags they were handing out during the open house at the Iroquois Road location. |Photo by Graham Paine/Metroland By Catarina Muia Mike and Joe Simeone have been sharing food inspired by their mother at Artisano Bakery Cafe Iroquois Shore Road location for 10 years. That milestone was celebrated at a recent open house that featured sam ples of some of the cafe's freshly made menu items as well as giveaways, gift baskets donated by Ontario Egg Farmers and face painting for children. The event on Saturday and Sunday Apr. 7 and 8, also presented custom ers with a selection of Artisano's most popular entrees at a significant discount, and all items on the children's menu were $5. "With the open house, we really wanted to thank the Oakville community for their support, because without them we'd be nothing," said Michael Simeone, who, with his brother Joe, founded the first Artisano Bakery Cafe in Etobicoke in 20 06. "Oakville was always a good market for the business," he explained, "The people here enjoy what we do in terms of the quality of our food, and the menu items." Artisano at 1200 Brant St. in Burlington also held an open house on Saturday and Sunday Apr. 21 and 22. Artisano, which also has another location on Wyecroft Road in Oakville, offers a variety of choices for custom ers, such as sandwiches, sa lads, soups, pizza, pasta, pastries, and fresh baked breads. "We also try to keep in mind that everyone is moving more toward a healthier lifestyle, so we want to make sure that we are evolving with our custom ers, and heading in that same direction," said Simeone. "In order to do that, we offer chicken and turkey, which are very popular choices on the menu, and we don't deep fry any of our items, it's all either grilled or baked." Along with evolving with the Oakville community, Kim Barter, cafe manager at Artisano at the Iroquois Shore Road location, explained that they give their support to the community whenever possible. "I've only been working here since November 2 0 17, but working with the community has been such a positive experience," said Barter. "I would like to thank each and every customer for their loyal support, and I look forward to a long and fabulous relationship." Artisano is located at 353 Iroquois Shore Rd., and at 3 5 05 Wyecroft Rd. in Oakville. For more information, call the Iroquois Shore Road location at 905-339-2020, or visit www.artisanobakery.com. Join Acclaim Health and 'Party with a Purpose' Funding mental health wellness programs is the pur­ pose behind Acclaim Health's Party with a Purpose on Friday May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Harbour Banquet and Con­ ference Centre in Oakville. The third annual event will feature sparkling cocktails from the open bar, a variety of food stations, great mu­ sic and live and silent auctions. With no assigned tables, guests are encouraged to mingle and socialize. To remind guests of how their participation will benefit the organi­ zation's services, an Acclaim Health volunteer and client will share their stories about how Acclaim Health has im­ pacted their lives. "This year, the money raised will reduce social isolation, provide support to those dying at home, provide respite to burnt out caregivers, and support our wellness pro­ grams," said Jamie Paul, senior philanthropy associate at Acclaim Health. "Party with a Purpose changes every year based on our not-for-profit programs in need". Tickets are $190 per person and the event is expected to see between 120 and 150 guests, with the organiza­ tion's goal being to raise $70,000. In 2017, Acclaim Health helped more than 23,000 people improve their quality of life through a dedicated team of more than 350 staff members, and more than 650 volunteers. With the proceeds from Party with a Pur­ pose, the company will continue to make significant leaps forward with the care it provides to clients like Pamela Bown, who, after the loss of her husband Wayne, felt like she was losing her sanity, and knew she needed to do something about it. "I was crying three, four, five times a day. I couldn't un­ lock my front door, I wasn't eating, I knew I was going into a deep, dark hole and I needed help," said Bown. Through Acclaim Health's Bereavement Support Ser­ vices, Bown was matched with a volunteer, Elaine Jones. Bereavement Peer Support volunteers have experienced a significant death in their lives and complete 30 hours of specialized training before being matched. "Our losses were different, but since we'd both lost someone so dear and so close to us, Pamela felt com­ fortable talking to me," Jones explained. Both Bown and Jones agreed that listening was key to Bown's healing, "I would just sit down and not stop talk­ ing." With bi-weekly meetings, Bown found a safe space where she could focus on her own feelings and share them openly without worrying about how the conversation would affect anyone else. "We made good progress over a short period of time and then it just kept growing," said Jones, "When I start­ ed to see her progressing each week, it was more reward­ ing than you can imagine." Though they know that the process of grieving is not something that you can ever finish, the experience was life-changing for both of them, and Bown found a way to re-build a new life for herself. Paul explained that stories like this are the reason why Acclaim Health continues to host Party with a Purpose, and although it is an up-scale event, everyone is welcome to come out and show support. "We'll have donors, com­ munity partners, volunteers, and public supporters from across Halton," she said. "We want everyone to join us for a night to make a change. If you want to make an im­ pact in your community, this is the place to do it." Acclaim Health is located at 2370 Speers Rd. in Oakville. For more details on Party with a Purpose or other general information, call 905-827-8800, or visit www. acclaimhealth.ca. http://www.artisanobakery.com