By the time he was 34, Brad Smoliak had already endured several surgeries due to a heart defect at birth. He had also become one of Edmonton’s best-known chefs, earning national and international acclaim as an official chef at the 2010 (Vancouver) and 2012 (London) Olympic Games, and cooking for the Queen of England. But at 34 Brad’s heart health began to decline even more. At 52, he was in late-stage heart failure – and was told he may only have three to six months to live.

Today, Brad is running his own restaurant, KITCHEN by Brad, fundraising for the Maz, and enjoying every minute of his life with his family.

What happened? Doctors at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute saved Brad’s life when they implanted a ventricular assist device (VAD) that serves the role of his heart.

For Heart Month – Brad and his wife Leanne had several offers at KITCHEN to raise money to support the VAD program at the Maz – including a Kitchen To Go Romance Menu and a Bacon Bouquet.

The Maz is home to one of Canada’s largest Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) programs, and Canada’s only combined adult and pediatric VAD program