20th annual Zal and Rose Breakfast to raise funds to support food in schools

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Zal and Rose Breakfast fundraiser in support of The Food Sharing Project. The breakfasts will raise money for the Zal and Rose Yanovsky School Breakfast Fund, which was set up in memory of Zal Yanovsky and Rose Richardson in honour of their commitment to providing food for those who need it.

According to a release from the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area (CFKA), Zal was larger than life, Rose was his anchor, and together they committed themselves to making Kingston a vibrant place to live. They generously donated their time, talent and energies to giving back to their community, and the income from this fund is granted to The Food Sharing Project, which provides food to 88 schools across KFL&A.

After Zal Yanovsky died suddenly in 2002, a group of friends, colleagues, and loyal patrons of Chez Piggy and Pan Chancho launched the “Zal School Breakfast Fund,” an endowment fund with the Community Foundation of Kingston in 2004. After Rose Richardson passed in 2005, the Fund was renamed to include her memory. Each year, the restaurants host a breakfast fundraiser to support the Fund, and Zal’s daughter, Zoe, continues to carry on the tradition annually each December.

According to the release, the breakfast is a collective effort — staff donate their time, Chez Piggy and Pan Chancho donate all of the food, and suppliers often contribute food to the cause as well. To date, the Fund has granted $245,444 to The Food Sharing Project, and the legacy of Zal and Rose lives on by helping to feed thousands of children each year.

After four years of only take-out breakfasts, Chez Piggy will provide a dine-in option for guests.

“We’re so excited to welcome new guests and old friends back to Chez Piggy by offering a sit-down dine-in breakfast this year,” said Zoe Yanovsky.

Dates for this year’s breakfast fundraisers are: 

• Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023: 7 to 9 am at Chez Piggy (dine-in only). Call 613-549-7673 to reserve your breakfast. 
• Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023: 7 to 9 am at Pan Chancho (take-out only). Call 613-544-7790 to reserve your breakfast. 

The Zal and Rose Yanovsky Breakfast Fund is a testament to the power of community and the enduring legacy of a couple who believed in giving back, the Community Foundation stated. For Rose and Zal, food was everything, and they found a meaningful way to share their love for food with the children of Kingston.

“The impact of the funds raised through this rich tradition cannot be understated,” said FSP Chair Brenda Moore. “We can feed a child a healthy breakfast at school for $2 a day. The Zal and Rose School Breakfast endowment means that we as an organization can rely on funds every year, to feed thousands of students in our school. We are so grateful.”

For more information on the Zal and Rose Charity Breakfasts, call Chez Piggy at 613-549-7673 or Pan Chancho at 613-544-7790. For more information on CFKA or the Zal and Rose Yanovsky Breakfast Fund, visit www.cfka.org.