On July 1st Four Seasons YEW Seafood Restaurant and Bar's chef Ned Bell will be setting off to cycle across Canada. He'll be keeping us posted with his journey from the road for the full eleven weeks. Here now, the first of his diary entries.
June 24, 2014:
I am excited, nervous and anxious. This journey began two years ago as a crazy idea I wanted to ride across the country to do my part to raise awareness for healthy oceans, lakes and rivers. And now here we are. The last few weeks have been such an incredible push towards what is both the finish and the start line. July 1st is a big day, for me, for my peers, for our oceans. I hope this sparks a movement, a wave of momentum to ignite awareness for the health of our world's seven oceans and the waterways, parks and wilderness that connect it.
What a crazy few weeks it has been. Details, details and more details, a thousand moving parts, a second full-time job, and it's much more than just me. My family, immediate and extended, is playing a major role, event planner extraordinaire and "seahugger," Lana Gunnlaugson, the Seachoice and Ocean Wise teams, the sponsors, and many more. I couldn't have done it without all the total dedication to the journey I'm about to begin.
Chefs have a unique ability to connect people through food and food energy, impacting the future, and spreading a positive message - all while making it delicious. This journey is about chefs and our ability to connect people to the food they eat, where it comes from, and who it comes from.
Chefs for Oceans has had so much great support and there are so many people to thank for all that has been done to make this dream to a reality. I have to thank my peers, the chefs, event hosts, media, my dedicated #chefsforoceans team and above all, my family, especially my wife Kate. I feel incredibly fortunate.
As hard as the physical challenge and cycling will be, the mental, emotional and spiritual journey is what I look forward to most.
Follow Ned's Journey at #chefsforoceans and via @Nedbell on Twitter. See you on the road.
· Chefs for Oceans. [Official Site]
· All Ned Bell Coverage [EVAN]