A word from Kevin Ramsden,
I would like you all to know about a really cool fundraising event, “Cooks4Cooks”, coming up on the afternoon of Sunday December 16th at Tadg’s Irish Restaurant & Bar, Kyoto (see www.kyotoirish.com for map and details). This will be a bit of a Xmas bash for all-comers, and all are most definitely welcome. 
The purpose is to raise a ton of money to buy much needed environmentally friendly cooking apparatus, the Envirofit B-1200 (pictured right) for women in rural Nigeria who have been victims of human trafficking (see the website http://kopernik.info/ for the full story.) The main fundraising methods for this will be:
(1) a bring and buy baked goods sale
(2) a raffle for a bunch of great culinary related prizes.
There will also be some entertainment on offer, a bit of carol singing (if the mood takes us) and a visit from Santa for the kids. Here are the details:
Place: Tadg’s Irish Restaurant & Bar
Date: Sunday December 16th
Time: 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Features: a bring and buy (or just buy for non-cooks) baked goods sale, prize raffle, entertainment, all afternoon 1,000 yen lunch set, kids entertainment and a visit from the REAL Santa, a bit of a Crimbo sing-a-long, and all in a smoke-free zone.
Basically, we would like anybody who can make and bake their own cookies, cakes, pies, bread, etc, to knock something up and bring it along to put in the baked goods sale. All profits from the sale of these goods will go into the “pot” to buy the eco-cookers, hence the event title “Cooks4Cooks”. In addition, you can buy raffle tickets at 200 yen each or 6 for 1,000 yen to give yourself the chance of winning one of the tasty prizes offered up by our generous sponsors:
*Xmas dinner for two at Tadg’s*
*a full stuffed roasted turkey (with gravy)*
*a 5,000 yen voucher to spend at the Gael pub in Gion*
*a special surPRIZE from Papa Jon’s*
*a Muji nabe pot*
*a super burger/beer set from Toms Cafe*
…to name just a few. Tickets are on sale now, so can be bought well in advance of the event as well as on the day itself. The raffle will be held during the afternoon of the event and all winners not present will be contacted later. Please contact Kevin (ramsden261[at]hotmail.com)if you would like to contribute a culinary related prize for the raffle, too. The more the merrier!!
In addition to the foodie stuff, we would like to make this a real family Xmas kind of do, so welcome families with nippers along to enjoy the fun and games. We plan to have a visit from Santa at around 3.00 pm, so would ask that you come early enough with the wee ones so that they don’t miss out. We would also like parents to bring along a small, wrapped gift of about 500 yen value (with the child’s name printed on), for each of their kids so that Santa can do his jolly old thing and pull them out of the sack as a surprise.
The bar, of course, will be open for a little relaxation and casual imbibing, and coffee will also be available for those who can’t wait to nibble on the bonanza of baked items they have bought.
Please drop in, bring friends and let others know, so that we can make this event a huge success, and extend the spirit of Xmas to helping our African sisters in their time of need.
To find Tadg’s walk straight up Kiyamachi from Sanjo, before you get to Oike you should see the Empire building on your right. Tadg’s is on the 8th floor. Click here for a most convenient map.
