Tugging for Tim

Left: The Marina kitchen in action. Middle: Seafood dinner. Right: Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

VICTORIA

On Sunday, March 24, friends, family, neighbours and patrons came together for the sold out event, Tugging for Tim, at the Marina Restaurant in Oak Bay. Despite the somber diagnosis that inspired the fundraising event, the atmosphere was vibrant, hopeful, and energetic; propelled by a common desire to show their love and support for Tim Fukushima and his wife Holly Ball.

The Driftwood brewer’s misfortune sent ripples through the local beer community and said community responded full force with an outpouring of donated product for the beer pairing dinner as well as generous donations for their silent auction. The entire evening was made possible by the generosity of all those involved, from the donations from food suppliers to the donation of labour by Marina kitchen and floor staff to host the event. The array of silent auction items illustrated that this tragic event was felt well beyond the hospitality industry as support flooded in through a plethora of donations from local artists, beauty and wellness professionals, independent business owners, and so much more. “The highlight for me was the overwhelming amount of support, assistance, donations and coming together of an amazing industry in a great city” said co-organizer and close friend to the couple, Andrew Smith.

Full House

Upon entering, supporters at the event were greeted with Phillips Bottle Rocket India Session Ale which was paired with a beet cured cold smoked steelhead topped with crème fraîche and fried capers on a spicy squid ink cracker. The second course put Fukushima’s own praised beer creation, Fat Tug IPA, centre stage with a Fat Tug IPA sausage with IPA krunch mustard on a brioche bun paired up with none other than the praised Fat Tug IPA itself. Hoyne’s Dark Matter packed the right amount of punch to accompany pork cracklings and kale chips with a celeriac mustard remoulade. Vancouver Island Brewery’s Beachcomber Summer Ale gave champagne a run for its money as a new ideal pairing for the fresh-shucked Satori oysters. Lighthouse Brewing’s Fisgard Bavarian Lager was paired with the Dungeness Crab Feast.

The main course was served in a manner symbiotic to the event; a family style Dungeness Crab Feast was delved out on large platters. The night was surmised with a playful and fun dessert that captured the essence of the young married couple that inspired it: “Tim” bits with sweet dips and “Tim” roof ice cream sundaes which were washed down with Moon Under the Water’s Victorious Weizenbock.

The spirit of the evening was overwhelming; emotions ran high moving between smiles, tears, and laughter with speeches from Tim’s mother and words sent from Tim and Holly. Marina Restaurant’s General Manager Jennifer Gidora played a key role in bringing the event to fruition yet explained “I didn’t create this event, it created itself. All I did was catch things. It happened because of who [Tim and Holly] are and how they treat people. Everyone wanted to do something, and it wasn’t just a couple of people it was hundreds of people who wanted to help. That is all [Tim and Holly], they put out that love and energy into the world and this was it all coming back to support them”.

Through ticket sales, silent auction, raffle draws, and a donation from the BC Hospitality Foundation the event raised a total of $22,000 given directly to Tim and Holly to help them with the financial burden of dedicating themselves to fighting against a tragic diagnosis and to fighting for the kind of wonderful lives that can inspire such an incredible event and such profound generosity. A great deal of thanks goes to all who donated, attended, and participated in the event. For those still seeking an opportunity to donate to the cause, blood and marrow donations to the Canadian Blood Services are an essential element in helping people overcome a great deal of debilitating conditions.

To make a donation to support Tim click here.

—Jennifer Hopkins