Help Pat Riggins' Family

Anyone who's been to a charity culinary event in Ottawa the past years, will have encountered Chef Pat Riggins. He's the first one to sign up and he brings with him every ounce of commitment he can provide. He's supported the Shepherds of Good Hope at their annual Taste for Hope event and every culinary project that they've presented in the past three years. He supported the development of the culinary programs for Indigenous Experiences and worked alongside Indigenous Chefs to give them the spaces they needed to create until their facilities were secured. Any time he's been called upon, he's been there supporting people around him.

Sadly, Pat suffered a major stroke on Thursday evening and he's in hospital as I type. The damage from the stroke has been significant, but Doctors are optimistic and encouraging. The one certain thing is that he's looking at a long recovery period and won't be able to operate his business for some time. Pat worked to support his family. Without his income, the family is in a pretty difficult position. They're already dealing with rebuilding their lives after a fire destroyed their home last year and now this situation brings a whole other level of things to deal with.

I'm calling on support from everyone we know. Managing some mortgage payments and providing Liz with some support to take care of the kids and manage their lives while she encourages Pat back to health will take a village. Please help if you can and I can tell you, without a doubt, that Pat will be working with all of his heart to get back in shape to fire up his bbq again.

Your help will be very much appreciated. I'll keep you updated on his progress.