This past Saturday the family of Katie Vinge-Riddell held a memorial benefit dinner at The Happy Nun Cafe in Forget, Saskatchewan.

"The event went better than we could have expected," said Jillian Vinge, sister of Katie Vinge-Riddell. "We had about 60 people attend. We had a beautiful meal cooked by Chef Tim Davies, a full course meal. We had wine pairings and we had Wool Tree Grove play. Everybody loved the music, they loved the food and the whole night was just a real success."

You can read more on Katie's life here.

The dinner raised quite a bit of money for the Katie Vinge-Riddell "Nailed It" Memorial Scholarship, which helps hopeful chefs that can't afford their training.

"Katie was all about giving back to her community, so this was the perfect way to honor her memory. We were hoping to raise around three to five thousand dollars and I think we ended up raising close to ten thousand," said Vinge. "So everybody just blew us away with their support and it was everything and more than we could've hoped for."

In fact, the night was such a big success that the Vinge family is hoping to have another benefit night to help up-and-coming chefs in Katie's name.

"This fundraiser went so well that I think that we will definitely be doing another one in the future," added Vinge. "It was just really nice to have life and laughter, and food and music in The Nun again. So we will definitely look into having another fundraiser in the future."

During the dinner there was the Perseid meteor shower that was able to be viewed from The Happy Nun.

"During the band's intermission everybody went out on the deck and we saw a few meteors," said Vinge. "That was a very special moment for everybody."

Katie may have passed away, but she continues to live on through her family and friends.

"I can remember her by her sense of humour and she was probably the hardest worker that I've ever met. She worked tirelessly at that restaurant to build it up to what it was," expressed Vinge. "You can see it in the success and notoriety she gained from The BBC, Prairie Dinner and the Saskatchewan Wanderer to name a few. Other people recognized her passion and her creativity. She has always taught people to live their best life and to follow your dreams and your passions. That's been an inspiration for me and I think many others, she touched a lot of people's lives."

The Vinge family will continue to accept donations for the Katie Vinge-Riddell "Nailed It" Memorial Scholarship. Those looking to donate can do so here.

"Thank you to the community for your continued support," said Vinge. "Everybody loved Katie and we can really see the love that they have through the support that they have given us and we can't thank people enough. They've gone above and beyond what we ever expected or hoped for, so we just can't thank them enough."

Photo of Katie as a child.

READ MORE: Memorial Scholarship Created To Honour Beloved 'Happy Nun Cafe' Owner