“If this dissuades anyone from dining at Lake Inez, then good riddance”: This couple is bringing together Toronto foodies in support of trans rights

Zac Schwartz and Quinn Rockliff threw their first “Disappointed But Not Surprised” fundraiser two years ago, when Roe v. Wade was overturned in the US. Schwartz (of Toronto restaurants Belle Isle and Lake Inez, which he co-owns with Patrick Ciappara and Dennis Kimeda) and Rockliff (an artist and PR professional) were both horrified to see Donald Trump win again last year and have been particularly concerned about the president’s legislative vendetta against trans people. “We’re a restaurant in Toronto, so there is only so much we can do—but whatever that is, we want to do it,” says Schwartz of this weekend’s event, which is both a (sold-out) party and a raffle to win dinner at one of six buzzy restaurants. All proceeds will benefit Toronto-based LGBTQ organizations Friends of Ruby and the 519. Here, Schwartz and Rockliff explain the inspiration behind their event and why restaurants are political spaces.

Related: “Trans people are terrified”: This LGBTQ immigration lawyer has been inundated with inquiries from the US since Donald Trump’s election

How did your event come together?

Quinn: We threw the first “Disappointed But Not Surprised” fundraiser in 2022, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We were obviously so upset and wanted to act. Later on, we were in Detroit, where Zac is from, and we attended the most magical fundraiser event—all of these restaurant industry people and artists came together to support abortion access. We wondered how we could do something similar back home. We were living in Hamilton at the time, so we threw the event at a local restaurant called Martello, and it was a big success.

Zac: When Trump won this time around, I can’t say I was surprised, but I had definitely hoped that some of what he was saying on the campaign trail was just bluster intended to connect with a specific voting group. I had hoped that, when he was in office, he would just go back to eating McDonald’s and playing golf. But instead we have seen immediate and overt attacks on trans people and members of other marginalized communities. His anti-trans legislation is trying to erase people. I can’t imagine what it feels like to be trans right now in the US or anywhere in the world, for that matter, including here in Canada. There is a lot to be outraged about these days, and there are a lot of worthy causes to support, but this felt like the right place to focus our efforts.

Quinn: My mom, my best friend and I flew to Washington in 2017 for the Women’s March, which was a really powerful experience. It was also a learning moment in terms of including and prioritizing trans people within the feminist movement. And that was before what’s happening now. It’s all so overwhelming and deflating, and it’s easy to feel like you just want to just go back to bed.

Did you consider alternative titles? “Massively Pissed Off and Not Surprised” has a certain ring to it.

Quinn: Ha—yes, definitely. I try not to be angry, but it’s so hard not to be. And when I get angry, I either create art or I organize. With my PR background and Zac’s restaurant, this felt like a very small thing we could do to try to make a difference.

Zac: I think a lot of people are feeling that desire to do something. As soon as I started reaching out, the support I got was overwhelming. Our wine suppliers—the Living Vine, Les Sommeliers, Paradise Grapevine, Grape Witches and Revel Cider—all donated bottles. Left Field Brewery, Burdock and Bar Volo donated beer. We received produce from our suppliers Augusta Produce, in Kensington, and Mia, in Mississauga, as well as oysters from Oyster Cloud and cake from the Existential Baker. And then there are all of the donations we got for the raffle, which are amazing. It’s going to be a very horny raffle.

Sorry, did you say horny?

Zac: Yes. An amazing, sparkly, curated group of spots really rallied behind us. It’s an extremely horny restaurant raffle.

So your fundraiser is an event as well as a raffle?

Zac: Right. The event will be held on March 2 at Lake Inez. It’s basically a dinner-slash-party for everyone to hang out and eat and drink. We thought about having booths for craftspeople and that kind of thing, but we really don’t have the space. Tickets sold out within an hour, which was so heartening—I wish we had more room. At one point I wondered if we needed to change our location. I asked Quinn if maybe we should move it to a Legion.

Quinn: I was like, no. The restaurant is a great space, and it’s what we are able to bring to the table. If there is more interest, we’ll just do it again in a few months. And we have the raffle for people who couldn’t get tickets to the event but still want to support the cause.

Zac: The raffle idea started during the first fundraiser. Our friend Chris White, who owns 20 Victoria, offered to donate dinner for four, which we raffled off. That alone ended up accounting for a lot of the money we raised. People love the idea of donating to a good cause—especially if there’s a chance of also enjoying a delicious meal. So this time around, we decided to expand on that. I reached out to Chris again, and he was happy to help. I also contacted Jen Agg, who is always using her platform to draw attention to the plights of underrepresented and marginalized communities, and she donated dinner for four at General Public. David Schwartz from Sunnys Chinese, Coulson Armstrong from Bar Clams, Nicole Campbell and Krysta Oben from Grape Witches—all of them were happy to support us with raffle prizes. And then Barberian’s Steak House actually contacted us saying they wanted to donate. That was really cool because it’s a more traditional, old-school spot—it’s where my dad always wants to go for dinner. To have their support just shows how much Canadian restaurants are coming together on this issue.

If I win a raffle prize, is it connected to a specific restaurant?

Zac: The winners will be selected using an electronic generator, and then we will draw the prizes from out of a hat—or, more likely, a wine cooler—so each winner gets a specific prize: one of the restaurant dinners or the special “night at home” prize from Grape Witches, which is a wine package of three really nice bottles to put in your cellar. Or you can drink them all in one night and call your ex.

Are members of the trans community involved in the fundraiser?

Zac: All of our proceeds are going to organizations that support trans activism—Friends of Ruby and the 519. And of course we hope our friends and people from within our Lake Inez community will come out and have a good time.

Quinn: We didn’t want to ask people who are already dealing with so much to volunteer or work at the event. Zac and I will be the ones running orders of nachos and pouring natural wine. We’ve got a lot of our staff volunteering as well as other people from the industry. We actually have more volunteers than we have positions, so everyone else should just relax and enjoy themselves.

Some Toronto restaurants have suffered consequences for getting into the political fray. You mentioned Jen Agg—she was targeted by the anti-vax brigade during the pandemic after voicing her opinions. Other establishments have been hit with zero-star Google reviews from alt-right keyboard warriors. Are you worried about any blowback?

Zac: I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but we’ve definitely been advised by some people to keep our politics out of our restaurant. It’s that whole idea of “shut up and dribble,” but I feel like we have a lot of support from our community—and from everywhere, really. Some of the people buying raffle tickets don’t even live in Toronto.

Quinn: When you think about the cause we are raising money for and how marginalized trans people may be feeling right now, whatever we are risking is very small in comparison.

Zac: Dining at a restaurant can be a form of escapism for our patrons at a time when they so badly need it, but it’s also—and I say this lovingly—largely inconsequential as far as moving the needle goes. We’re really just talking about dinner. It’s something you’re going to poop out in 12 hours. That’s my life’s work that you’re pooping out. But what I’ve realized is that, in these spaces, as we go from table to table, we are creating a fabric within our communities. Restaurants bring people together, and that can only happen when everyone feels safe and respected. I’m a white man—I don’t enter a lot of spaces with fear and apprehension. I want to do everything in my power to make sure that the one space I have control over—my restaurant—is a place where everyone can feel that comfortable. Everyone except bigots, that is. If this fundraiser dissuades anyone from dining at Lake Inez, then good riddance.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.