July 10, 2002 -

Ottawa (Canada) -- Marlen Cowpland will kick off the National Art Centre's First Annual Celebrity Chef's Cooking Series at 20:00 on Friday, July 12^th, 2002, on the terrace of Le Café restaurant.

Ms. Cowpland, the host of TalkTV's Celebrity Pets animal show, will join Le Café Chef Kurt Waldele for a cooking demonstration of one of her favourite summer recipes, grilled porto bello mushroom steak with Quebec goat cheesecake.

Ms. Cowpland is the first in a line of Ottawa celebrities to take part in this exciting culinary event during the summer. Other upcoming Celebrity Chefs include: fashion designer Richard Robinson (July 19^th), National Arts Centre Orchestra Conductor Pinchas Zukerman and Principal Cellist Amanda Forsyth (July 24^th), and Canadian Tourism Commission President and CEO Jim Watson (August 16^th).

Le Café patrons are welcome to attend the cooking demonstrations and savour the celebrities' creations for $19.95 per person. Patrons in attendance will also receive a copy of each Celebrity Chef's recipe, which will also be featured on the restaurant's menu as an evening special for the week following their appearance.

All proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the National Arts Centre's youth and education initiatives, and artistic programming.

For information, please contact:
Carl Martin, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000, ext 560