FOAM LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwire) -- 01/15/13 --

Editors Note: There is a photo and a video associated with this Press Release.

Media Availability: Several of the lively grandmothers will be available for media interviews for the next few weeks leading up to the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris on February 23. The group will be chronicling its trip to Paris and providing cooking videos through its website, FaceBook, and YouTube.

The Breast Friends, a group of cancer-crusading grandmothers from rural Saskatchewan, and a Dragons' Den Game Changer, has received international attention for one of its cookbooks, Breast Wishes, For the Men in Our Lives. The book has been named Best Charity Cookbook in Canada by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and has just been short-listed to "Best in World" category according to Edouard Cointreau, President of the Paris Cookbook Fair and Gourmand Magazine.

The winners are to be announced in Paris on February 23, at the famous music hall, Les Folies Bergere. Eight of the ten Breast Friends will be traveling to Paris to attend the ceremony, which celebrates famous cookbook authors from around the world. Other nominees in the charity category include First Lady Michelle Obama and Microsoft Corporation.

After the loss of loved ones, the group turned grief into action, creating cookbooks and donating the net profits, and since 2005, has raised nearly $1.4 million for cancer-related causes. Breast Wishes, For the Men in Our Lives, specifically supports prostate cancer. "Our men have been hauling cookbooks and building warehouses and changing holiday plans for years for us - and so we wrote a book dedicated to them. Our goal is to sell many, and to talk enough about prostates and PSAs so that screenings for men are as common as mammograms for us," says Breast Friends team member Patti Hack. "We thought we'd be sneaking our message into golf tournaments and bonspiels - and serving it up with roast beef and apple pie - but now we're taking our message to Paris, eating bon bons and drinking French wine with the most celebrated chefs on the planet!"

As Margaret Meade has said, "There is no more creative force in the world than menopausal women with zest," and these women have zest - taking time from travel and grandparenting to tackle cancer head-on. Their first cookbook honouring victims and survivors of cancer sold out in three days.

All six books, containing tried and tested family recipes that are simple to prepare and reflect Saskatchewan's diverse cultures and crops, have become national bestsellers. The books are peppered with humour and quotes designed to generate positive feelings. Their latest effort, Breast Friends, Inspire Health, offers 300 great tasting recipes that follow nutritional guidelines for the prevention of disease, and features cancer stories from Robert Bateman, Bif Naked, W. Brett Wilson, Wendy Mesley, Marla Shapiro, and Pamela Wallin. Before allocating funds, the Breast Friends interview patients and front line workers about greatest needs and funding gaps. They donate to cancer agencies, equipment, research, and patient needs, and help raise awareness about prevention and treatment.

Originally expecting to raise a modest $3000 for their efforts, the group is amazed at its sustained impact and opportunity to share their amazing story with Canadian audiences. "We see the Gourmand World Cookbook Award recognition as another great opportunity to fight the dreaded disease that is taking a terrible toll on Canadian families and communities," says Hack.

To view the photo and video associated with this Press Release, please visit the following links:

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