60,000 people for Chinook Centre Stampede breakfast
Posted Jul 9, 2011 9:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Since 1960, Chinook Centre has kicked off the first weekend of the Stampede with the biggest breakfast during the week-and-a-half of festivities in Calgary.
Despite a gusty west wind Saturday morning, the shopping mall didn’t disappoint, opening the gates to its breakfast at 7am and providing entertainment for both adults and the kiddies till 11am.
Interestingly, the popular breakfast originally started out in 1960 as a moustache growing contest.
With a plate of pancakes and sausages, Alison says it’s hard to decide what her favourite thing is about this breakfast.
“It’s how excited everybody is to be up early in the morning,” Alison tells 660News, “because that really doesn’t happen very often any other time of the year.”
Among the early risers: chef Connie DeSousa, who recently finished third in the television reality show, Top Chef Canada. DeSousa was among those flipping the flapjacks, suggesting the key to a yummy breakfast is all about what you top those panckakes with, in her case choosing to showcase her love of pork with a bacon maple syrup.
“It’s the community,” says DeSousa, a native Calgarian who says the breakfasts are her favourite part about Stampede. “It’s bringing people together from all walks of life and from all over the world really.”
John says he visits all kinds of breakfasts during the week, both for the food and atmosphere.
“You can’t literally for the entire ten days,” John tells 660News, “you can’t drive down the street not see a Stampede breakfast or barbeque of some sort. Something’s always happening.”
The breakfast featured live entertainment including country star Michelle Wright as well as Chad Klinger and Hey Romeo, not to mention activities such as carnival games and inflatable bouncers for the kids.
Just how big is the event at Chinook Centre?
Organizers were anticipating 60,000 people to attend and planned to cook up over 4000 pounds of pancakes, 1000 pounds of sausages and 6000 litres of coffee.
Interestingly, the popular breakfast originally started out in 1960 as a moustache growing contest.
