Canadian Women in Food host Pitch & Dine event at Redwood Theatre on Feb. 20

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

Pitch meetings are often anxiety inducing, judgement-filled, brutally honest experiences most people wouldn’t want to be on the giving or receiving end of. However, for those who just want to kick back and observe constructive criticism first-hand, Canadian Women in Food (CWIF) presents Pitch & Dine on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Redwood Theatre in East Toronto.

Tickets for the live event will be $50 and can be purchased on the CWIF website at https://www.canadianwomeninfood.ca/event-details/pitch-dine-2.

Among the contestants is Dawn Chapman, founder and CEO of Lazy Daisy’s Cafe (1515 Gerrard St. E.) and Lazy Daisy’s Foods. She will be catering the event and pitching for the first time ever in front of a live audience.

“We’re going to be practising our pitches in front of six judges, and the whole mission is to give women more confidence, more practice, and support from the community so that we can in turn have the confidence to go outside of our network and grow our business.” said Chapman.

Pitch & Dine is a “pitch meeting” styled event where six female food founders have five minutes to showcase their brands in a pitch slam to a panel of mentor-judges, with a live audience behind it all. The event hopes to empower female entrepreneurs in a safe and fun environment.

“It’s similar to what you would see on Dragon’s Den. There’s going to be a lot of cheering, a lot of encouragement, questions from the audience, and this will help bolster the women who are pitching,” said Chapman.

“It’s imperative for us to get money into the business, and you can’t get money into a business unless you have a solid pitch, so this is really important.”

Described as an “interactive theatre experience,” the event invites audiences to “cheer loudly” and support each brand while enjoying a locally crafted menu created by the award-winning Lazy Daisy’s Cafe.

Chapman has worked in the food industry since the age of 13. She said it has been tough working in an industry notoriously dominated by males, and that events such as Pitch & Dine help to support women who face challenges establishing themselves within it.

“I’ve been in the food industry since I was 13, and it’s definitely a male dominated industry. It’s also more difficult to access capital,” said Chapman.

Founded in 2014 by Cheryl Appleton, CWIF was established as a national association to help amplify the voices of female food entrepreneurs and to create an inclusive space for all women in the food industry.

The organization helps to support and promote women owned businesses and female food entrepreneurs across the country by creating opportunities for economic growth.

“Entrepreneurship is a very lonely job. Sometimes we feel quite isolated. So, what Canadian Women in Food does is brings people together,” said Chapman. “When you’re brought together like that, there’s so much learning that happens, there’s so much inspiration. Pitch & Dine is a great way, not only for us all to connect, but to learn and grow together.”

The Redwood Theatre is located at 1300 Gerrard St. E.