EVENT REVIEW • 4 PIVOT'S SAKE: CHEFS, BREWS, AND BOARDS // FOOD + DRINK, SMALL BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, NON-PROFIT

Photo of the event by Urszula Muntean.

Chef Marc Doiron isn’t just handy with a knife and a cutting board, he also knows a thing or two about a skateboard. “I’ve been skateboarding my whole life. It taught me that you can fall a million times, but you get back up and try again.” Parallels between skateboarding and life like this one from Doiron echoed through the stone walls of Mugshots Jail Bar at the Ottawa Jail Hostel the evening of Saturday, August 24th, as local chefs shared their personal connection to the sport, along with their culinary creations.

The event was called 4 Pivot’s Sake, and it showcased a collaboration between local chefs, breweries, and skateboarders to support a program of the same name. Hosted by Aaron Cayer (Antique Skate Shop), Chris Sheppard (Beau’s All Natural Brewery), Kelly Brisson (The Gouda Life) and Cait Powers; the breezy, outdoor dinner party was the first of what may be more events of its kind in support of youth skateboarding programs. Guests enjoyed tasty food and beer pairings, music courtesy of guest DJs including Rolf Klausener (Arboretum Fest, The Acorn), and a haunted tour of the Jail Hostel. Desserts were provided by Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream and Auntie Loo’s Treats, and a silent auction and after-party (open to the public) rounded out the evening’s activities.

“A big part of what we do is supporting local. We wanted to showcase local talent and all the great businesses who really drive the community.”

Engaging local chefs in this event did not require much persuasion, as three out of four of them are also skateboarders, so they jumped at the chance to support this initiative. Marc Doiron and Chris Sheppard met through the sport when they were 13 years old, and Aaron Cayer admitted that Jamie Stunt “was an inspiration for me as a young skateboarder”. By involving local chefs and local breweries, it was a chance to support all things local: “A big part of what we do is supporting local. We wanted to showcase local talent and all the great businesses who really drive the community,” said Cayer.

‘Supporting local’ is not just a catchphrase to Cayer, and collaboration is more than just a strategy for cross-promotion:

It is so important that we collaborate across disciplines to promote those who are doing great things in Ottawa. [Small and medium-sized businesses] are the businesses that run our economies and are building communities. Young entrepreneurs are pushing back against the chains and malls and we are proud to be a part of that movement.

More than a mouthpiece for the local economy, Cayer was inspired by his philanthropic parents to take action. Together with the Ottawa Skateboard Community Organization, he was instrumental in the birth of the 4 Pivot’s Sake program, whose concept is to refurbish used skateboard parts to create as-new boards for lower-income youth in Ottawa. Cayer doesn’t want to stop at just boards, however. “You can’t just give and walk away,”  he says. Together with Event Co-Organizer Chris Sheppard, he plans to take 4 Pivot’s Sake to the next level by developing skate parks and a mentorship program which will connect local sponsored skateboarders with low-income youth. The two dream of sending kids to skate camp, and “changing the way people look at skateboarding”(Cayer). Sheppard believes that the 4 Pivot’s Sake program “could work anywhere”, and he hopes to expand it to other Canadian and U.S. cities.

“I don’t have to go halfway around the world to give somebody a helping hand.”

The program’s first donation was to the Banff Community House, a community organization in Ottawa that provides programming for diverse groups of children, youth and families. “The first time we gave skateboard decks away there were 80 kids and they were so excited,” said Sheppard, who has been skateboarding for 28 years. Cayer explained the impetus for this program:

When I got sponsored a couple of years ago, I watched so much perfectly good used skateboarding equipment go to waste — literally watching friends throw out old wheels, bearings and trucks. There had to be something we could do with all this product. The idea just hit me to refurbish them and donate them to those in need.

He explained that starting in Ottawa is important: “I don’t have to go halfway around the world to give somebody a helping hand. Hopefully skateboarding and programming will help the kids in our communities onto a different life path.”

Back at Mugshots, four dishes were paired with local beers for the event’s guests to enjoy. Briana Kim of Cafe My House served a sharing plate of vegan (cashew-based) cheeses, fruit, vegetables, and baguette. “I’m happy to introduce a little vegan cheese,” said Briana, as she plated an herbed ‘boursin’ and a pepper-crusted smoky provolone. Briana’s savoury starter was paired with Nickelbrook’s gluten-free beer.

The next course came from Steve “Stick” Harris from Two Six {Ate}, who proudly admitted to having “skateboarded until [his] knees and ankles went to shit.”  Guests were wowed by Steve’s pork and crab wonton in a crab and tuna consomme with pink kale. Perfectly paired with the Clocktower Sour Beer, this dish disappeared from plates quickly.

The third course of the evening was Marc Doiron’s dish of grilled pork meatballs with charred eggplant puree, goat cheese, and kalamata olive-stuffed zucchini ribbons, served with peaches and a pine nut soffrito. Marc’s hearty dish was paired with Beau’s Festive Ale, which balanced the richness of the pork and the creamy goat cheese.

A sweet and savoury ending to the meal was provided by Gold Medal Plates winner, Chef Jamie Stunt. Jamie’s decadent “Death by Blueberry Pancakes” was paired with Ashton Blueberry Wheat Beer and it featured pork shoulder braised with said beer, served with crispy kielbasa, smoked maple syrup, sour cream, charred onion, peach relish, and pickled blueberries. “It feels good to be cooking again,” said Chef Stunt, who also grew up skateboarding. “I think skateboarding is a positive activity for young people to be involved with. To help kids keep busy is always a good thing and a fun, exercise-related activity is good to keep them from doing other things.”

Cayer also believes that skateboarding is a positive activity, perhaps even a tool for social change and community togetherness:

I believe that skateboarding gives a different opportunity than organized team sports. It has the ability to connect people from different classes, cultures and backgrounds. There are not many sports or activities that allow for a 40-year-old middle-class local business owner and a 14-year-old low-income youth to interact in the same space as equals. The connection and relationships made through skateboarding for many of us who are involved with 4 Pivot’s Sake have been huge influences on our development as young adults.

The evening was a passionate show of support by local chefs and breweries in support of the 4 Pivot’s Sake program, and the funds raised totaled approximately $2,500.

Guests left with satisfied taste buds, a broader sense of what skateboarding could mean to the larger community, and a clear understanding of the passion for the sport felt by event organizers and chefs. “Skateboarding for us was an outlet outside of team sports that allowed us to be creative and to hang out with each other. It’s a very individual sport but there’s huge support with other skateboarders,” said Sheppard. Given the nature of the sport with its sense of camaraderie, risk-taking nature, and opportunity for creative expression, it should be of no surprise that some of Ottawa’s talented chefs also know their way around a skate park.

Herd Magazine, September 2013.