NRA Show Blog

Chicago's chefs cook to end childhood hunger

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Chefs, restaurants, and mixologists from around Chicago will gather for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Chicago, the city’s most trend-forward culinary experience. Taste of the Nation Chicago will raise critical funds needed to support Share Our Strength’s® efforts to end childhood hunger in Chicago and across America. This year’s main event is set for August 12, 2010 at the Aragon Ballroom from 7 to 10 p.m. with a Chef/VIP After-Party from 10 p.m. to Midnight.

“An end to childhood hunger in the United States is within reach,” said Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength. “With all the participants in Taste of the Nation Chicago sharing their strength, we are creating more resources to help the children of Chicago and our great nation receive the nutritious food they need to live healthy, active lives.”

More than 45 of the Chicago's finest chefs and restaurants will participate in the gastronomic event that will honor National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) participating regular Chef Rick Bayless and wife Deann with the 2010 Sustaining Communities Award. Along with event chair Chef Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate Restaurant and Dessert Bar and Co-Chair R.J. Melman, of Hub 51 (a former NRA Show International Back-of-House participating restaurant), participating chefs and restaurants will include Chefs Michael Kornick and Erick Williams (an NRA Show “alum”) of MK the restaurant and DMK Burger Bar, 2010 Best Chef Midwest Koren Grieveson of Avec, Mike Sheerin of Blackbird, Rick Gresh of David Burke’s Primehouse, Todd Stein of cibo matto, Paul Virant of Vie, Jimmy Bannos Jr. (an NRA Show “alum”) of The Purple Pig, Bill Kim of Urban Belly and Belly Shack, David Carrier of Kith and Kin and more. Guests will enjoy the city’s finest foods paired with wine and beers from Stella Artois and Chicago’s own Goose Island Beer Co., in addition to offerings from Brown-Forman, S. Pellegrino and POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice.

Organizing Restaurants for Relief - Haiti

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Here’s an update on our Jan. 15, 2010 story.

Building on the restaurant industry’s continuing efforts to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti, the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) have teamed up with Share Our Strength to organize Restaurants for Relief-Haiti. The program is an extension of the original Restaurants for Relief in 2005 that raised nearly $1 million from the nation’s restaurants to aid Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.

“Share Our Strength is one of our industry’s most effective charitable organizations, and we are pleased to join their efforts. If you are already involved in relief efforts, you can still participate in Restaurants for Relief-Haiti to further help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the earthquake. We encourage all the nation’s nearly one million restaurants to join this effort,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Share Our Strength will grant 100 percent of funds raised through Restaurants for Relief-Haiti to organizations with proven capacity and expertise to respond to such a crisis. Get involved by:
 
•  Donating a portion of sales from a week, a day or a specific menu item.
•  Collect donations from patrons, or direct them to make online donations at www.strength.org/haiti.
•  Encourage employees to make individual donations and match them.
•  Visit the Restaurants for Relief-Haiti Web site for more ideas.

Restaurants that wish to help should send the restaurant name, city and state to [email protected] to be added to the list of participants. Program donations can be made online through Share Our Strength at any time before February 12, 2010.