Stoke The Heat

The Heat is an investment in our community.

I have been working on this for years.

Help us by getting involved.

Here is a video we made.

FOOD BY @EATBLESSED

Korean-style Beef Short Ribs

Don Gargon OG Chicken Quarters

Honey Cajun Wings

Sweet Ting Boneless Chicken

Saltfish Fritters

Caribbean Pasta Salad

Fried Festivals

Buttery Rice & Peas

Grilled Hardo Bread

Spicy Cucumber Salad

ABOUT

We are friends and neighbours doing good in our 'hood. Regardless of how cold the world gets, we continue bringing "The Heat."

If you have been to any of the events at Rollout HQ, you know how I operate: old-school house parties with block-party aspirations. “The Heat” is where interesting people connect and friends are made around good food and great music in an inspiring, creative environment. This is the way I grew up doing it and the formula still works today.

I've been throwing all kinds of parties for about 30 years now. A lot of people have asked me why I spend my free time and money on them. The answer is easy: real music lights me up. It is so important to my being that I make significant time and space available for it. I invite all the authentic music lovers around me to share the new and rare and obscure corners of their personal collections. I am truly fortunate to be surrounded by so many unique people who are up for the challenge. No artificial algorithms or social media egos even get close to the front door.

But my answer gets even bigger: I see “The Heat” as an investment in our community. I see the stories that are being told and the friendships and collaborations that are bubbling, and I sense this will lead to a richer, more unique and prosperous shared future. I see and feel both the immediate as well as the long term value. I know that we are making tomorrow's "good old days" -- one night at a time -- today. We are doing something special in Toronto that I have been told feels like "Old Toronto." We are doing something to help make our people and our block and our city more memorable and important.

I'm not really focused on the money. I just want to keep tinkering around with the next-up DJ and the fun foods and crispiest water we’re serving. Most importantly, I want to make sure that the people who come to “The Heat” have a really good time. And for those who can't make it, I take care to let them know that the door is always open.

Authentic events like “The Heat” aren’t cheap to pull off, but I’m reluctant to move to a ticket sales model. Somehow, the vibe won't be right. So this is an experiment to see how we can keep this happening without compromising the things that are important to us. This GoFundMe gives people the opportunity to contribute however much they wish. Doing so will help support the efforts of a lot of driven and passionate people who relentlessly keep doing things differently, and who want to keep doing more.

We are here to evolve.

Beyond this donation page, if you want to get even more involved and help out in any way at all, please reach out.

Thank-you for your support!

"I'm 53 and I haven't had this much fun since I was 30!" – Rich