COVER STORY BURGER GURU’S DAVID SADOWSKI I couldn’t think of a better cover story for our annual Health & Wellness edition than to feature a community-driven raffle in support of the new Markdale Hospital. There’s a lot in that sentence to unpack. Let’s get started :) First, this raffle initiative was started by one person; David Sadowski. You may recognize that name from a story we featured a few months ago. Dave is the co-owner of Burger Guru - which will be opening soon in a permanent location, taking the space of The Restaurant on Highway 10 just south of Grey Road 4 in Flesherton. Dave pounded the pavement across Grey Highlands for months asking local business owners for donations in order to raise funds for the new Markdale Hospital. I actually heard about the raffle when I bumped into him at the loading docks behind the Huron Bay Co-Op in Markdale a while back. I was so impressed by his initiative that I offered up some space in the magazine to promote the raffle and agreed to donate some Tractor Toques from Grey County Apparel Company. It wasn’t until we were chatting about the raffle in the following weeks that I started to connect the dots on how big of an undertaking this was for Dave and how much work he was doing to help others in our community. It was then that I decided to make him, and the raffle, the cover story for our Health & Wellness edition. A little bit about Dave Sadowski... From what I can tell, and I’ve done some extensive research here, the man is a skilled chef. The Burger Guru became a go-to for Mama Country and I since it opened and right up until it closed - its temporary location, that is. Dave is also a humble man. He doesn’t strike me as egotistical in any way, even though he has reason to be simply based on the food he creates. He’s also a relatively new resident of Grey Highlands. So what inspires someone who, at the best of times, is an extremely busy entrepreneur 26
to go out of his way to drum up donations in support of his local hospital? “Well, I’ve always just liked to give as much as I can,” Dave explains. “So I originally thought of just raffling off a gift card for the Burger Guru to help raise some money for the hospital since I figured I could, so why not? Then I started thinking, why not start asking around? I feel everyone always talks about how good it was here back in the day. I started realizing this was because people gave back to their communities more. So I just feel that those with the power to make change should and that we make the community we want to live in. The new hospital will make a drastic change for the better in this community and I’d like to support it the best I can.” Wow. The world needs more people like Dave Sadowski. Also impressive is the extent of the generosity among our local business community here in Grey Highlands. The list of participating local businesses keeps growing, but at the time of publishing, it includes the following: • Susan’s Delicatessen: $50 Gift Card • Marilynne: $100 Gift Card • Goodfellas Pizza: 2 Large Pizzas + 6 Toppings ($25 value) • Elfwork Studios/Wareham Forge • The Bakery Flesherton: $75 Gift Basket • Highland Grounds: Two $25 Gift Card • Huron Bay Co-Op: Two $50 Gift Card • Steven’s Restaurant : $50 Gift Card • The Market Shoppe: $50 Gift Card • The Barrhead: $100 Gift Card • Bowlers BJJ: One Free Month + Uniform ($100 value) • Nicole Carter Massage Therapist: Free 60 minute Massage ($90 value) • Artemesia Cheese & Fine Foods: $25 Gift Card • Eco-Refillary: $25 Gift Card • Markdale Computers: $35 Mouse • Markdale Golf & Curling Club: 4 Person Golf Package ($150 value)
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