About 15 years ago, Gary Corcoran got a phone call from his long-time friends Wally and Kevin and his wife Dale, who were visiting London, England. Kevin said they had rented a beautiful flat that not only had a great kitchen, but was next door to Harrods, home of the world-famous food hall. "How about coming over and cooking a nice dinner with us?" Kevin joked.
That was all the invitation Gary needed. He bought a plane ticket from Newfoundland to London that afternoon, and before you knew it, he was off to shop at Harrods. That's where he got the inspiration for one of the recipes in his book: shrimp wrapped in prosciutto with Dijon mustard and sautéed in garlic butter.
Cookbooks hold a place of honour in the Corcoran household, and Gary has scribbled over many of them with notes and ideas on how he could improve or change each dish. He has become known for creating new dishes for family gatherings or for the many charity dinners he has cooked for over the past 10 years.
Since he was diagnosed with ALS, he has worked at transforming his personal notebooks and cookbook scribbles into proper recipes for others to enjoy. This cookbook includes Gary's take on traditional recipes from home, recipes inspired by dishes he enjoyed while away, and those he just invented on the spot.
Gary is donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of this cookbook to charity: half to ALS research at Sunnybrook Hospital to find a cure for sporadic ALS and half to his Stokers Group of the St. John's Rotary Club.
