Chef's Best Celebrates 25 Years on June 15th!

On Monday, June 15th, the region's best chefs will donate their time and talents to delight guests during the 25th Anniversary Chef's Best Dinner & Auction presented by Friendship Hospital for Animals, honoring the Marriott family, Marriott International and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. 

Your attendance will help provide nutritious, home-delivered meals to children and adults throughout our region battling HIV/AIDS, cancer and other debilitating illnesses. As a guest you'll enjoy tantalizing food, drinks and auction items. 

Mini steak sandwiches, seared sea scallop with spring pea sushi rice, sesame and sweet corn-togarashi puree, and ginger lamb and beer meatballs with tamarind sauce...these are just a few of the delectable dishes you'll devour at Chef's Best.

Don't miss this exceptional evening of generosity! 

Buy your sponsorship or tickets today!

Ready for a Vacation? Get Your Chef's Best Golden Ticket

Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction presented by the NACDS Foundation is LESS THAN ONE WEEK AWAY!

Purchase a GOLDEN RAFFLE TICKET and you could win:

3-Night Stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in California,

with a $1,000 gift card from US Airways! 

Tickets are $100 and we are only selling 150. Buy Now!

By purchasing a Golden Raffle Ticket or by donating online, you will be supporting the effort to provide life-sustaining, nutritious meals, friendship and strength to individuals living in the Washington, DC region who are battling life-challenging illnesses, often with a little or no support network. Don’t miss out on this chance to help our neighbors in need and be rewarded with a luxury getaway!

3 Reasons to Not Miss Chef's Best on May 13th

FOOD, FRIENDS, CAUSE!

If you haven’t bought your tickets to Chef's Best yet, here are three reasons to be at the Washington Hilton on Monday, May 13th: 

1. THE FOOD
Celebrity Chef Chair, Jeff Black of Black Restaurant Group, will join 50 of the area’s hottest chefs to serve up gourmet creations that will make your taste buds sing.

2. THE FRIENDS
1,500 Washingtonians will choose Chef’s Best as the place to celebrate on Monday, May 13th. There may be plenty of tastings in town…but no one throws a party like Food & Friends!

3. THE CAUSE
Food & Friends provides life-sustaining, nutritious meals, friendship and strength to individuals living in the area who are battling life-challenging illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, often with little or no support network.

You will have an incredible time and make a huge impact in the lives of your neighbors in need by reserving your Sponsorship, Table or Tickets, today!

CAN'T JOIN US?
Buy a Golden Ticket and you could win a 3-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Orange County, California, with $1,000 from US Airways.

We hope to see you on May 13th!

Chef Jeff Black Is Dishing Up Generosity At Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction

Chef Jeff Black will chair this year's
Chef's Best Dinner & Auction.

Jeff Black has established himself as a force in the Washington, DC, community through a lifetime of commitment to the restaurant industry. Chef Black and his wife Barbara opened their first restaurant, Addie’s, in Rockville, in 1992, and the two determined chefs have successfully expanded with four more establishments. Barbara and Jeff Black, with partner, Jon Linck, own and operate Addie's, Black Market Bistro, Black's Bar and Kitchen, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, Black Jack and BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant, which captured the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s “Best New Restaurant of the Year” in 2006.

While each restaurant has its own distinct style, all share a common commitment to great food and quality service. Black Restaurant Group supports the sustainability of farms and waters, humane and healthful raising of animals and fish, and environmentally sound practices regarding energy, recycling and conservation. In addition to their sustainable practices, Black's Restaurant Group seeks to make a difference in the community by partnering with and supporting local charities through the Black's Family Foundation.

Each of the restaurants is routinely recognized by critics and guests alike as some of the top restaurants in the area ranking in Washingtonian magazine’s “100 Best.” And in 2012 Jeff and Barbara Black were recognized for their success as Restaurateurs of the Year from Washingtonian and from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

We are incredibly grateful to have Chef Jeff Black serve as Celebrity Chef Chair for the 23rd Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction presented by the NACDS Foundation. Chef Jeff Black and his restaurants having been delighting guests at Chef’s Best for years with tasty bites and extraordinary auction lots. In addition, through participating in Dining Out for Life® and hosting a number of special events in our honor, Jeff Black has donated more than $70,000 to support our mission.

Chef Black has said of Food & Friends: "I am confident that you will never find a more committed, passionate and loving group of people than Food & Friends. The efforts of their volunteers and staff are immeasurable, and they give more to our local community in a day than most do in a year." We are proud and honored, in Food & Friends' 25th year, to have Chef Jeff Black serving as our Chef's Best Dinner & Auction Celebrity Chef Chair.

(Courtesy of Black Restaurant Group: http://www.blackrestaurantgroup.com)

Innovative Strategies "Spring" Up to Support Our Work

Spring is here, and while that means more beautiful weather and blooms around the Washington area, it also means fewer donations for our area’s hungry. While the need is year-round, unfortunately the donations are not. Unlike the cherry blossoms, charitable donations bloom best in December. That’s why we rely on innovative fundraising campaigns and partnerships with generous foundations and corporate neighbors more than ever during the spring months.

One of our campaigns this spring was the 17th Annual Dining Out for Life® on Thursday, April 25th. Dining Out for Life® asks people to simply go out to lunch and/or dinner at more than 100 local restaurants which have committed to donate 25-110% of their proceeds to Food & Friends. With just a meal out, people across the D.C. region help us ensure that thousands of children and adults facing HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses receive the daily nutritious meals so vital to their care.

We are also working with many generous corporate partners around the region. Partners like Walmart, whose foundation recently awarded Food & Friends a $50,000 grant from their State Giving Program. Walmart is joining us again in May when we host our 23rd Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction presented by the NACDS Foundation to celebrate Food & Friends’ 25th anniversary. The event will bring together many of our partners to help home-deliver more than one million nutritious meals to our critically ill neighbors.

We depend on the support of partners like Walmart to keep our programs vibrant throughout the year. The partnership between Walmart and Food & Friends stretches back to 2004, and we are looking forward to continuing it for years to come.

This partnership is a good example of an often overlooked effect of business on the community as a whole. Corporate giving is a major part of the donations that many local non-profits, including Food & Friends, need to serve the community year-round. When you consider the effect of major companies coming to our region, I would ask that we all consider the positive impact that these businesses have on local nonprofits. We thrive on the generous donations and fruitful partnerships that these businesses are able to provide.

At a time of the year when donations from our wonderful individual donors is less robust than the cherry blossoms, creative programs and partnerships with corporate neighbors enables Food & Friends to keep providing meals to those in need. These are the kinds of partnerships that our community needs.



Craig Shniderman has led Food & Friends as the Executive Director since April 1995. He is a native of the Washington area and has lived and worked in Greater Washington for almost his entire career.

50 of DC’s Top Chefs Team Up to Serve Inspired Dishes at Chef's Best

ON MAY 13TH, THE AREA’S LEADING CHEFS WILL DISH UP SPECIAL TASTINGS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR FOOD & FRIENDS

Washington, D.C.– On Monday, May 13th, more than 50 of the area’s best chefs will dish up special tastings of their signature plates in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton to raise money for Food & Friends, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. The chefs are participating in the organization’s Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction Celebrating Food & Friends’ 25th Anniversary presented by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation.

Thanks to the efforts of this year’s Celebrity Chef Chair Jeff Black of Black Restaurant Group, guests will enjoy tastings prepared by some of the region’s most talented chefs including: Teddy Folkman,Granville Moore’s; Wes Morton, Art and Soul; James Huff, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace; Nicolas Flores, Hank’s Oyster Bar; RJ Cooper, Rogue 24; Matteo Venini, Posto; Aldo Ramos, The Heights; Jennifer Nguyen, Zentan Restaurant; and Jeff Tunks,

DC Coast among other notables from the DC dining scene. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on an array of exciting silent and live auction items featuring fantastic trips, one-of-a-kind experiences and private dining opportunities.

All proceeds from Chef’s Best will ensure the delivery of specialized meals and personalized nutrition counseling to Food & Friends’ clients living with cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses. This year, supporters will help provide more than one million meals to more than 2,900 individuals in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland.

Food & Friends depends on the support of corporations, foundations and individuals and is grateful for the sponsors who have contributed to Chef’s Best.

“The diverse and powerful personal stories that comprise the world of Food & Friends define bravery, compassion and generosity. It simply is not possible to engage with Food & Friends without encountering extraordinary people – and that stands true among the patients, the volunteers, the supporters and the staff alike. In honor of all of these heroes, the NACDS Foundation is pleased to serve for the second consecutive year as the Presenting Sponsor of Food & Friends’ 23rd Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction.”

During Chef’s Best, Food & Friends will proudly honor Washingtonian and Cathy Merrill Williams, President and Publisher, for giving a voice to our community and for highlighting not only the very best that Washington has to offer but showcasing what is truly special – its people.

“I am both proud and humbled to be honored by Food & Friends, an organization I have long admired,” says Cathy Merrill Williams, President and Publisher of Washingtonian Media. “The Washingtonian shares your deep commitment to the Washingtonian community and we commend your tireless efforts to feed both the bodies and souls of our most vulnerable citizens.

Tickets to Chef’s Best are $250 for individuals or $2,500 for a table and sponsorships begin at $850. Visit www.foodandfriends.org/chefsbest to purchase tickets and to see a current list of chefs and sponsors. The VIP Reception for sponsors begins at 5:30pm. Doors open for the main event at 6:30pm, with bidding for live auction starting around 8:15pm.

ABOUT FOOD & FRIENDS
Food & Friends is a Washington, DC, based nonprofit organization that provides home-delivered, specialized meals and nutrition counseling to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. Food & Friends’ services are free-of-charge to recipients, who qualify solely based on their health status and nutritional need. Monday-Saturday, including holidays, staff and volunteers deliver to 5,346 square miles including the District of Columbia, seven counties in Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. Since 1988, Food & Friends has delivered more than 15.8 million meals to 22,600 individuals. For more information, please visit www.foodandfriends.org, Facebook (/foodandfriends) or Twitter (@foodandfriends).

Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction 2013 is proudly sponsored in part by:

From Our Kitchen to Yours: Shrimp and Wheat Berry Salad

On June 26th, Food & Friends’ chefs served up tasty creations alongside the DC region’s 55 most talented chefs during our 22nd Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction presented by the NACDS Foundation. In addition to an exquisite fresh fruit display, Executive Chef Mark Locraft and his team provided tastings of a healthy and delicious dish -- Shrimp and Wheat Berry Salad.

Miss Chef’s Best this year? Loved the dish and want to make it at home? Here's the recipe. Don’t forget to tell us how it tastes!

Shrimp & Wheat Berry Salad

Photo courtesy of bitcheswhobrunch.com

Serves 8 to 10 People

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz Smoked Shrimp
• 1 lb. Wheat Berries
• 2 Red Grapefruits; section and halve
• 2 Oranges; section and halve
• 2 Avocados; peel, pit, cut into chunks (save for last to prevent browning)
• 4 oz Red Radishes; trim and quarter
• 1/4 cup Red Onion; chopped
• 1/4 cup Fennel; chopped
• 1/4 cup Celery; chopped
• 2 tbsp Parsley; finely chopped
• 2 Bay Leaves
• White Wine Vinaigrette
• 4 tbsp. Fresh Tarragon; minced
• 1 Garlic Clove; minced
• 5 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 12 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste



Food & Friends' chefs provided tastings of a delicious
Wheat Berry Salad to nearly 1,200 people.

 DIRECTIONS

• Cook Wheat Berries and Soak Overnight in Water
• Drain, Place Wheat Berries in Saucepan
• Cover with Fresh Water and 2 Bay Leaves
• Simmer until Soft = Approx. 45 Minutes to 1 Hour
• Mix Vinaigrette (see ingredients above)
• Once Wheat Berries have been Drained and Cooled Completely, Gently Mix with Grapefruit, Orange, Avocado, Radish, Red Onion, Fennel, Celery and Parsley.
• Mix in Vinaigrette and Check Seasoning
• Garnish with Smoked Shrimp

Recipe Credit: Mark Furstenberg, as Presented at the 2012 Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives Conference

A Message from Chef's Best Presenting Sponsor NACDS Foundation

June 26, 2012

Dear Friends,

Did you decide to engage in tonight's amazing event based on a thought, or based on a feeling? Powerful thoughts and feelings alike led the NACDS Foundation to engage as the Presenting Sponsor of Food & Friends' 22nd Annual Chef's Best Dinner & Auction.

• Rationally, supporting this event makes tremendous sense because Food & Friends' tremendous work relates directly to the NACDS Foundation's vision to improve the health and wellness of the people in America.

• Emotionally, can there be a more powerful and personal moment than when a Food & Friends volunteer delivers a lovingly prepared meal and a human connection – just when a patient needs it most?

Whatever your reason for partnering with Food and Friends and for empowering this extraordinary organization, thank you for contributing so mightily to the success of Chef’s Best. It is great to know that 80% of revenue from this night goes directly to providing more than 1.2 million specialized meals to Food & Friends’ nearly 2,900 patients. That means your support is going a long way to improving lives.

For many, a meal from Food & Friends is a source of hope, dignity and courage – as much as a source of enjoyment and nutrition. It also can convey a strong message to a patient that so many people care about them, and will never turn their backs on them. It always is amazing to hear about those patients who look at the assistance that Food & Friends provides as way to meet a basic need so that they can have a little bit more energy to turn around and help others themselves.

That is one of the beautiful things about Food & Friends: many people and organizations support Food & Friends for very different and highly personal reasons, and the patients assisted by Food & Friends benefit in ways that are unique to them, based on the sense of what each person cherishes and holds dear. Yet everyone associated with Food & Friends is bonded by the common pursuit of improving lives and elevating the human condition.

Whatever you think and feel about Food & Friends, let’s celebrate it tonight – and when we leave, let’s commit to tell others about it as well!

Sincerely,

 

 Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE                                                                             Kathleen Jaeger                                       
 NACDS Foundation Chairman                                                                                NACDS Foundation President