TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 12/04/12 -- The Hospitality Workers Training Centre will launch a new Social Enterprise Training Program at Hawthorne Food and Drink. The event will be held on Wednesday, December 5, from 3 - 5 p.m. on the ground floor at 60 Richmond Street East.

The launch, which will spotlight the new flavours of Hawthorne Food & Drink with tapas and cocktails, will feature a "Council Cook-Off" between City Councillors Pam McConnell (Toronto Centre - Rosedale, Ward 28) and Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre, Ward 37), Chair of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture Committee. The Councillors will be assisted by the Hawthorne Culinary Team. The event will be hosted by Mike Chalut, V.I.P. Host of Proud F.M.

About Hawthorne Food & Drink:

Hawthorne Food and Drink is the social enterprise arm of the Hospitality Workers Training Centre, an independent non-profit initiated by UNITE HERE, Local 75. Hawthorne is the result of a partnership between labour and management who are working together to create a unique and relevant new culinary training experience.

Spearheaded by Executive Chef Eric Wood, Hawthorne presents and merges the distinctive and diverse foods of Toronto's great neighbourhoods. "At Hawthorne, cuisines and cultures collide to create new and unique dining experiences," Chef Wood said. "Using this approach, we are bringing African, Asian, Caribbean, Nordic, European, and Latin American flavours and technique together to create a mouth-watering culinary explosion."

Training is a key focus at Hawthorne, where students are taught that the best food is food made from scratch by skilled hands. The emphasis on craftsmanship applies to a wide spectrum of foods, from the curing of meats, pickling and preserving to sauce making, butchery, baking and desserts. "Our mandate is to be current and to promote new and emerging techniques, such as sous vide and molecular gastronomy, to create interesting and pitch perfect meals," Chef Wood said.

About Hospitality Workers Training Centre:

The Hospitality Workers Training Centre (HWTC) is an incorporated independent non-profit organization initiated by UNITE HERE Local 75, based on a labour and management partnership. Modeled after the highly successful Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, the HWTC s mission is to contribute to poverty reduction by providing industry recognized training for people (re) entering the workforce, and to existing hospitality workers to build skills and career pathways in the hospitality industry.

Hawthorne Food & Drink and the Hospitality Workers Training Centre were developed with the support of key partners, including: City Councillor Pam McConnell, UNITE HERE Local 75, the City of Toronto, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto, Toronto Enterprise Fund, CK Atlantis, Trimen Food Services, Full Circle Systems, Browne and Company, and Squarefoot Design.