Vincenza (Vee) & Alan Palenchuk

2025 Georgina Honourees

If you know Keswick, Ontario, then you know The Corner House Bistro, and then you probably also know about Charity Bread, and the Palenchuk’s – Alan and Vincenza (Vee).  What you don’t know, is the story of how it all came to be.

Charity Bread was an idea that Vee and Alan came up with as a ‘warm welcome’ to their dining room, which they opened in 2016.  The intention was to have a deeper connection and impact in the community.  The first order is complimentary, and the second order is $4, all of which is donated to local charities and families in need, but not before the Palenchuk’s match it, donating a total of $8 for every basket of Charity Bread purchased. 

Not so long ago, in a land called Saskatoon, there lived a sweet young boy who always knew he wanted to be a chef.  His mother loved to bake.  He loved all things kitchen and culinary related. He would grow to be a fine young man of many talents, in that most chefs are often only really good at one (baking)…or the other (cooking), and he was a master of both, owning and operating two very successful restaurants in SK before meeting his princess Vee in another far away land called the Dominican Republic.

Vee's mother and father were born in Italy.  Both came from very hardworking and modest families.  It was in Canada that they met, fell in love and started to build their own life and family, with young Vee growing up right alongside them as they ran various fresh produce stands.  The Maione’s did well for themselves, but the importance and value of food security was always paramount.  If someone was struggling or couldn’t afford it, Vee’s mother used to put together baskets and bags of fruits and vegetables to give to friends, families, neighbours and even strangers in need.

Prior to Vee meeting Alan, she used to dream of a life different from the one she was living.  Vee laughed, “I always loved going to different restaurants and observing all the details and thinking how I would do it if I owned a restaurant…I used to always say, ‘I’d love to own my own restaurant’”, to which people would reply, “You can always buy one” and her response was always the same, “but I need a chef to run it properly".

No truer words were ever spoken. 

It was following her divorce that she booked herself on a trip, to get away from some of the chaos and negativity she had been experiencing.  Nothing seemed to be going right – the obstacles and challenges were happening like rapid-fire, including the ever-changing details of her upcoming vacation to the Dominican.  Hoping to gain clarity and set some clear intentions, Vee created a vision board…of all the things.  The life.  The food.  The man.  The partnership.

It was on that trip in 2009 when they met, and even though everything about it had not been ‘going as planned’ to say the least, Vee felt instantly, abruptly and maybe for the very first time, like everything and anything was (going to be)…possible.  Three months after they met, Alan left his land of Saskatoon and moved to Newmarket to be with Vee and her son Gabriel.  In 2015 they later chose Sutton to live and bring their dreams to fruition to Keswick.

Vee still has that first vision board.  She made two actually – one was to find and meet the man she could love, raise her son and open a restaurant with and the other vision board was for the restaurant itself.  It is no accident that Vee met the Red Seal Chef of her dreams almost 3,000 kilometers from where they would make their life together.  They’re still living their happily ever after, and hope to ‘break bread’ with you soon – Charity Bread, that is.