Oh deer, oh deer, oh deer our team served up a LOT of burgers in April at our Red Deer location!  To say we had a little fun with our April Guest Chef’s, the boys from the Oh, Deer… podcast would be an understatement.

We jumped at the opportunity to work with Ted Emmett, Dustin Moore, Ryan Lund and Kevin Walsh who chat about all things Red Deer, living in Alberta and just life in general on their podcast.  Their “OH DEER” burger was a ground elk patty, topped with bacon jam, Troubled Monk open road BBQ sauce, mac n’ cheese smash patty, crumbled sweet heat Doritos and Troubled Monk rebels red beer battered onion ring on a brioche bun! $2 from every burger sold is going directly to their charity of choice HEROS Hockey and their efforts to launch a SuperHEROS program to serve Red Deer and area.

Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) is a volunteer-driven charity that uses the game of hockey to teach life-skills and empower Canada’s marginalized youth. HEROS’ free programs provide young people a team for life by celebrating in their first goal on the ice and assisting in their dreams off the ice.  Their SuperHEROS programs in Calgary, Edmonton and Regina provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment to youth living with physical and cognitive challenges.  HEROS is currently working with the Red Deer Rebels, Blackfalds Bulldogs and other community stakeholders to establish a regional program to serve central Alberta, with kids set to hit the ice this fall.

For Ted, Dustin, Lund and Walsh hockey has been a huge part of their lives, and a sport that has given back to each of them in different ways.  They see this as a small way they can help ensure more people can have those same experiences, regardless of any barriers.  All four have been supporters of Motionball and the Special Olympics for many years, and they see this as another opportunity to give back and (hopefully) change the lives of many.  For Ted personally, he has more than one family member living with a mental disability, so he is passionate about bringing the SuperHEROS program to central Alberta to give the opportunity to play hockey to many more athletes.

Thanks to your support of our beloved Burger of the Month Program Ted, Dustin, Lund and Walsh helped us hand over $1626 to HEROS today (Friday, May 7th).  Thanks to the amazing support we see from our guests for our beloved Burger of the Month program month after month, we have had the opportunity to give back over $80,000 to local charities over the past 51 months!  THANK-YOU!

The May Burger of the Month in Red Deer is “The BIG SMILE” created in collaboration with Guest Chef’s Allyne Simonot and Lily Forsyth.  It includes a marinated chicken breast, bacon, sunny fried egg, arugula, tomato, balsamic glaze, and lime avocado aioli on a brioche bun! $2 from every “Big Smile” burger sold in the month of May will go directly to the Notre Dame High School Grad Service Project charity of choice the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation.

For more information contact:

Kevin Hodgson

Executive Director

HEROS Hockey

587.228.6928

kevin@heroshockey.com

Ted Emmett

April RD BOTM Guest Chef

Oh, Deer…podcast

403.710.4784

info@tedmedia.ca

Kim Kay

Community Relations

Cilantro and Chive

403.597.2127

kim@cilantroandchive.ca

There is seriously nothing better than 2 Burgers of the Month and our Red Deer and area has really stepped up to get behind this program.  Thank You!

Roxanne Martin served as our 2^nd Red Deer Guest Chef, helping to create the “You Grow Girl”.   Her burger included a brown rice, walnut & black bean patty, jalapeño jack cheese, avocado crema, chipotle aioli, iceberg lettuce, beefsteak tomatoes, sliced onion and pickles on a potato roll! $2 from every burger sold is going directly to Roxanne’s charity of choice, Red Deer Meals on Wheels.

As a local foodie and food blogger, Roxanne is passionate about great food and believes that no one should go without a decent meal!  Not only does food nourish us, but it also brings us together and it’s that connection piece that is so powerful in Roxanne’s eyes.  “My grandmother passed away last year; we were able to deliver some meals to her while she was isolated before she passed. It made all the difference for her. My elderly neighbor lost his wife and broke his hip recently; I’ve seen firsthand how much a meal can bring us together and can make a difference in someone’s day.”  She is grateful these services exist in our community and knows just how essential they have been through the pandemic, not just helping to meet people’s basic needs, but providing a social and caretaking lifeline for those unable to cook for themselves.

Red Deer Meals on Wheels has been in operation since 1979, providing a hot, nutritious noonday meal to those unable to prepare or obtain one for themselves.  They have close to 50 volunteers who help deliver approximately 20,000 meals a year.  Donations help ensure they can continue to support their clients with nutritious and affordable meals.  Volunteers are the lifeblood of their organization; they are always looking to recruit volunteers to deliver meals and to serve on their Board of Directors.

Thanks to your support of our beloved Burger of the Month Program Roxanne helped us hand over $972 to Red Deer Meals on Wheels today (Friday, April ^23rd).  Thanks to the continued amazing support we see from our guests for our Burger of the Month program month after month, we have had the opportunity to give back over $75,000 to local charities over the past 50 months!  THANK-YOU!

The April Burger of the Month in Red Deer is the “OH DEER”!  Created with Guest Chefs Ted Emmett, Ryan Lund, Dustin Moore and Kevin Walsh of the Oh, Deer…podcast.   It’s a ground elk burger, topped with bacon jam, Troubled Monk open road bbq sauce, mac n’ cheese smash patty, crumbled sweet heat doritos and Troubled Monk rebels red beer battered onion ring on a brioche bun! $2 from every burger sold will do directly to Heros Hockey and their efforts to launch a SuperHEROS program to serve Red Deer and area.

For more information contact:

Louise Lamberigts

Program Co-ordinator

Red Deer Meals on Wheels

403.340.2511

rdmealsonwheels@shaw.ca

Roxanne Martin

Mar RD BOTM Guest Chef

403.588.8484

roxanne.m@shaw.ca

@reddeereats

Kim Kay

Community Relations

Cilantro and Chive

403.597.2127

kim@cilantroandchive.ca

From L-R: Dennis Philpott with Red Deer Meals on Wheels, Roxanne Martin the Red Deer March BOTM Guest Chef, Louise Lamberigts with Meals on Wheels, Melody Palko Assistant GM Cilantro and Chive Red Deer, Chef Ryan Poole Cilantro and Chive Red Deer, and David Gillespie with Meals on Wheels.  A total of $972 from “You Grow Girl” burger sales in March was turned over to Red Deer Meals on Wheels today, April 23^rd.

Roxanne Martin, the March Burger of the Month Guest Chef in Red Deer and the “You Grow Girl” burger.  It included, a brown rice, walnut & black bean patty, jalapeño jack cheese, avocado crema, chipotle aioli, iceberg lettuce, beefsteak tomatoes, sliced onion and pickles on a potato roll! $2 from every burger sold went directly to Roxanne’s charity of choice, Red Deer Meals on Wheels.

SAY WHAT?!  TWO Cilantro and Chive locations, TWO Burger’s of the Month, TWICE the GIVING!!  That’s exactly what happened in February as we introduced Guest Chef’s and Burgers exclusive to each location, one for Lacombe, one for Red Deer.

Dustin Harper of Bo’s Bar and Stage helped create our Red Deer Burger, the “Rink Burger”.  It included two smash burger patty’s, smoked cheddar, house ketchup, grainy honey yellow mustard, red onion and neon green dill pickle relish on a potato roll wrapped in a hockey rink style foil bag!  $2 from every burger sold is going directly to his charity of choice, the Normandeau School Values Program.

Dustin is connected in the Red Deer community, heard about the new school program, and was eager to jump in to help.  He LOVES the concept of kids being rewarded for being good kids.

Normandeau School Principal Lisa Spicer says they are just at the beginning stages of launching the program, which is centered around Red Deer Public School Values for Learning and Life. Teaching, recognizing and celebrating the following values: Respectful, Responsible, Curious, Collaborative, Resilient and Healthy.  Staff are provided with slips that they can award to students who demonstrate any of those core values.  Students in turn can use those slips for entries into classroom and school draws for prizes to help celebrate their efforts.

Thanks to your support of our beloved Burger of the Month Program Dustin helped us hand over $1364 to the Normandeau School Values Program today (Monday, March 8^th).  Thanks to the continued amazing support we see from our guests for our Burger of the Month program month after month, we have had the opportunity to give back over $70,000 to local charities over the past 49 months!  THANK-YOU!

The March Burger of the Month in Red Deer is the “You Grow Girl”, creating in collaboration with Guest Chef Roxanne Martin.  It includes, a brown rice, walnut & black bean patty, jalapeño jack cheese, avocado crema, chipotle aioli, iceberg lettuce, beefsteak tomatoes, sliced onion and pickles on a potato roll! $2 from every burger sold will go directly to Roxanne’s charity of choice, Red Deer Meals on Wheels.

For more information contact:

Lisa Spicer

Principal

Normandeau School

403.342.0727

lisa.spicer@rdpsd.ab.ca

Dustin Harper

Feb RD BOTM Guest Chef

Bo’s Bar & Stage

403.597.0348

dustinharper31@gmail.com

Kim Kay

Community Relations

Cilantro and Chive

403.597.2127

kim@cilantroandchive.ca