BRAMPTON, ON, April 2, 2025 /CNW/ - The Cator family, founders of Cardinal Meats, a proudly Canadian company, is celebrating 100 years of serving Canadians with high-quality meat products. Since the founding of the family business in 1925, the Cator's have been at the forefront of innovation in the food industry, delivering exceptional products to retail, foodservice, and hospitality partners across the country.

"For a century, the legacy my grandfather started, known as Cardinal Meats today, has been committed to providing Canadians with premium, high-quality proteins while prioritizing food safety, sustainability, and innovation," said Brent Cator, President and Owner, Cardinal Meat Specialists Ltd. "This milestone is a testament to our dedicated team, valued customers, and strong community partnerships."

A Legacy of Innovation and Excellence

Founded in 1925, the Cator family started as a small butcher shop in Bowmanville, Ontario and has grown into a leader in the Canadian meat industry. Over the decades, the company has pioneered advancements in food safety, including being the first in North America to implement Sous Vide cooking at an industrial level, ensuring superior quality and freshness, while reducing costs for customers. Other key milestones include:

• 1925 – Jack Cator's humble beginnings with a butcher shop in Bowmanville, ON.
• 1930's – Mastering the art of traditional butchery by hand-cutting every order.
• 1940 – The first delivery truck delivers quality meats to locals, and sits in the lobby today, at the company headquarters in Brampton, ON.
• 1955 – 1966 – Ralph Cator and the path to Cardinal Meats – from butcher shops across Toronto, ON, to a meat processing plant on Stanfield Rd. (Mississauga).
• 1970's – The birth of the burger business!
• 1980's – Introduced Tenderform burgers, revolutionizing the industry.
• 1985 – Brent's impact on the business as a recent University grad has him introduce JIT practices and a company retail outlet (a step up from labeling boxes in the plant).
• 1990 – The launch of the first branded product – Cardinal Roadhouse Burgers.
• 1995 – Cardinal buys former McDonalds' processing plant near the Toronto Airport.
• 1998 – Became the first HACCP-certified protein processor in Canada, elevating safety standards for the industry as a whole.
• 2000 – Cardinal's fully cooked ribs won 'Best Ribs' four times at Toronto-area Ribfests.
• 2003 – Became the first to utilize DNA lab technology as a food safety standard.
• 2004 – Brent Cator takes over the family business, succeeding a legacy steeped in excellence, while introducing new technologies and business best practices. Sales double from $30M to $60M within 3 years under his leadership.
• 2006 – Launched the Natural Texture Forming process to enhance the texture and juiciness of meat and plant-based burgers.
• 2011 – Moved from a 26,000 SQ FT, to an 85,000 SQ FT facility.
• 2018 – Purchased and absorbed The Elite Meat Company, known for its peameal bacon.
• 2023 – More expansion – plant facility in Brampton, ON adds 33,000 SQ FT, now totaling 122,000 SQ FT.
• 2025 – Celebrating a century of Cator family leadership, excellence and continued commitment to quality and innovation.

100 Years, 100 Stories: A Celebration of People and Progress

As part of the Cator Family leadership centennial celebration, Cardinal Meats is launching the '100 Years, 100 Stories' campaign to highlight the moments, people, and partnerships that have shaped its journey. Some of the featured stories include:

• A Family Tradition – How generations of Canadian families have relied on the Cator family business for quality meals, for their backyard barbecues to holiday feasts.
• Pioneering Innovation – The story behind Cardinal Meats' industry-changing introduction of IQF burgers and HPP technology.
• Supporting Local Farmers – Decades of partnerships with Canadian farmers to source the best quality ingredients while promoting sustainable agriculture.
• Community Commitment and Philanthropy – The Cator family's long-standing dedication to giving back includes supporting food banks to help families in need, sponsoring We Care to provide camp experiences for children with disabilities, and investing in the Trillium Health Partners Foundation.
• Employee Excellence – Celebrating team members who have dedicated decades to Cardinal Meats and played an essential role in its growth.

"As we look ahead, our focus remains on innovation, sustainability, and strengthening our partnerships with Canadian families, businesses, and communities," added Brent Cator. "We are grateful for the trust and loyalty of our customers and look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence for generations to come."

For more information, visit www.cardinalmeats.com or follow Cardinal Meats on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

VANCOUVER, BC, April 1, 2025 /CNW/ - COBS Bread's 5th annual Doughnation Day™ is underway with a focus on encouraging customers to "doughnate" and help COBS Bread raise $500,000 for charities across Canada. March 8 to April 5 is Doughnation Month where funds are being raised online, and in COBS bakeries across Canada. On Saturday, April 5th or Doughnation Day™ $2 from the sale of every Hot Cross Bun 6-pack will be donated to local charities across Canada.

The goal of the campaign is to raise funds for COBS Bread's community charities across the country in addition to COBS Bread's national charitable partner, Second Harvest through the sale of Hot Cross Buns and customer donations. Each bakery has selected a charity that makes a local impact and will be raising funds in-bakery and online throughout the campaign.

"Mixing our passion with purpose is at core of our values here at COBS Bread. Our bakers across Canada are proud of how they support our communities with our end of day giving program. Doughnation Day™ is the opportunity to further amplify our efforts" says Peter Furnish, VP of Marketing for COBS Bread. We're looking forward to the outcome of this important work and the impact we can make across the country."

April 5, Saturday: Doughnation Day™

Customers can purchase a 6-pack of Hot Cross Buns at any COBS Bread Bakery and COBS Bread will donate $2 from the sale to the bakery's local community charity.

Anytime until April 5:

• Add a donation to any purchase at a COBS Bread bakery: Customers can donate at the point of purchase to the bakery's local community charity throughout the campaign.
• Can't make it to a bakery? You can donate online at Doughnation Day COBS Bread x Second Harvest - Pledge
COBS Bread bakeries are encouraged to strive to raise at least $1,500 for their charities throughout the "doughnation" period, and the organization's overall goal for fundraising during this period is $500,000.

Toronto, April 1, 2025 – The next government can protect the 1.2 million workers in the foodservice industry, improve food affordability for Canadians and help keep foodservice businesses afloat during the tariff war by exempting all food from sales taxes, as it did during the recent GST/HST holiday, says Restaurants Canada. Eight in 10 (77%) Canadians would like to see the GST/HST holiday made permanent, and 84% believe food should not be taxed, according to a spark*insights public opinion poll conducted on behalf of Restaurants Canada. 

New Statistics Canada data reveal that commercial foodservice sales increased by a robust 7.5% year-over-year in January. Even after adjusting for inflation, real sales rose by 4.3%—the highest real growth since April 2023. This supports  that the GST/HST holiday led to a 67,500 year-over-year increase in foodservice sector jobs in January.

“Restaurants are the number one source of first-time jobs and the fourth largest private-sector employer in Canada,” said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “A million dollars in sales in our sector generates $1.8 million in output in the wider economy and 17.6 jobs, both above the average for other industries. There is real opportunity here for the next government to invest in a major driver of the Canadian and local economies, protect jobs and help make life more affordable for Canadians.”

Restaurants and their employees pay $26 billion in federal, provincial and municipal taxes and contribute 4% of the national GDP. However, economic instability has left the sector vulnerable: 53% of foodservice businesses say they are operating at a loss or just breaking even, up from 12% pre-pandemic. Bankruptcies in the industry increased by 45% in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Restaurants Canada has reached out to all the major federal parties with a list of additional recommendations for their platforms, including reducing interprovincial trade barriers and reducing payroll taxes.

“2024 was a tough year for restaurants, with consumer spending down due to the affordability crisis impacting Canadians across the country, while every operating cost was going up. The GST/HST holiday was a much-needed boost, but we need permanent measures to address affordability for Canadians and allow our industry to continue to be a major contributor to the Canadian economy, especially as we face the new threat of U.S. tariffs,” concluded Higginson.

Vancouver, BC, March 31, 2025 - For its spring tasting menu, (3593 Main Street) is further deepening its commitment to sustainability and local sourcing with the launch of Green – executive chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s latest evolution of his tasting menu series. Available now until June 19, 2025, the menu celebrates renewal, the vibrancy of spring ingredients, and the mother flavours of elderflower, rose, mushroom, seaweed, pine, and currant that have guided the menu since inception. Reservations are available now .

“Since the very beginning, Published on Main’s cooking philosophy has always been to highlight the abundance of fresh, local ingredients that can be found right here in B.C. and Canada,” says Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, executive chef, Published on Main. “For me, Green is a celebration of the green things that spring signifies. After months of sunchokes, cabbage, kale, beets and potatoes, we are so thrilled to start seeing young tender green shoots, stinging nettles, mountain vegetables, and all the other harbingers of spring.”

Published on Main’s Green tasting menu, created by Stieffenhofer-Brandson and chef de cuisine Nolan Hennenfent, is guided by their six mother flavours – elderflower, rose, mushroom, seaweed, pine, and currant – each playing a defining role in the dishes and now the cocktail program. The 11-course dining journey begins with a presentation of snacks, followed by dishes such as: BC Dungeness Crab served in a crab shell with poached asparagus, and sunomomo dressing; Last Year’s Morels with stuffed morels, fresh shoots, and truffle jus; and Spring Lamb with spring shoots, sweet onion puree, and cinzano lamb jus.

For this menu, Published on Main has sourced ingredients, produce, and proteins from locals such as (kelp), (nettle), (radish), (green garlic), and (Haidacore albacore tuna; crab). Elderflower and morels were personally foraged by Stieffenhofer-Brandson and his team last year.

Guests looking to enhance their dining experience are invited to enjoy a special beverage pairing, exclusively curated by wine director Jayton Paul and beverage director Joe Casson, which features wines, sakes, cocktails inspired by the Green tasting menu, and non-alcoholic drinks.

“Each new menu is an opportunity to refine our approach and further elevate the dining experience at Published. We want to connect guests even more closely to the food on their plate,” adds Aaron Sayomac, general manager, Published on Main.

Published on Main is open seven days a week, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations are available online for both its a la carte menu and tasting menu at . Select seats are reserved for walk-ins each day.