Rise Against Hunger Celebrates World Food Day 2021 With 'Chef Showdown' Cooking Competition
The virtual broadcast event will feature three renowned chefs, Chef Yisus, JJ Johnson and Ali Khan, and fundraise for global hunger relief efforts.
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rise Against Hunger, the international hunger nonprofit organization, is hosting the It Starts With a Meal™️ Chef Showdown, a culinary 'battle royale' and virtual broadcast, on Friday, October 15 at 2 p.m. ET. Blending a passion for internationally inspired cuisine with an impactful purpose, this inaugural competition commemorates World Food Day, the annual holiday established by the United Nations to bring awareness to global food insecurity.
With Univision serving as the broadcast's media partner, the Chef Showdown will be hosted by Chef Yisus, presenter on Univision's Despierta América morning show and author of the COOK DELICIOUSLY WITH CHEF YISUS cookbook. Competitors JJ Johnson, a James Beard award-winning author of BETWEEN HARLEM & HEAVEN and New York restauranteur, and Ali Khan, known for Food Network's Spring Baking Championship and Cheap Eats on the Cooking Channel, will debut dishes on camera inspired by countries Rise Against Hunger serves.
"As hunger relief is a cause I'm passionate about, being part of Rise Against Hunger's Chef Showdown is very special to me," said Chef Yisus. "I was born in Venezuela, and one of Rise Against Hunger's global efforts has been to serve nutritious meals through its Hope for Venezuelan Refugee Project on the humanitarian route for those fleeing to nearby Colombia."
In addition to being a good-spirited competition between renowned chefs, the Chef Showdown also helps fight global hunger. Voting, open now until the end of the broadcast, is conducted by supporters donating $10 or more to Rise Against Hunger through the web pages for JJ Johnson or Ali Khan. The chef who fundraises the highest amount will win the Golden Whisk Award, and the donations will enable Rise Against Hunger to continue serving children and families facing food insecurity. Through voting and event sponsorship donations, the Chef Showdown aims to raise $200,000 to support Rise Against Hunger's work to address hunger, a critical issue exacerbated by the pandemic, in affected communities around the world. The funding raised through the event will allow Rise Against Hunger to extend its support to more than 2,600 people in 2021.
"The food industry and NGOs working to end hunger both have a shared understanding of the power of a meal on a person's life," said Barry Mattson, Rise Against Hunger's CEO. "The Chef Showdown will showcase this connection, both through people voting for their favorite chef-created dish and through supporting Rise Against Hunger's work to nourish lives globally. With rates of hunger increasing globally, taking action to support those affected is of the utmost importance, and tuning into this broadcast allows people to take action and make an impact virtually."
The It Starts With a Meal™️ Chef Showdown is the latest in a series of successful broadcasts Rise Against Hunger has facilitated in recent years. Last year, the organization hosted Rise Against Hunger Goes Live, a 5-hour, telethon-style virtual event featuring educational updates and impact highlights, and the World Food Day Hour of Impact, which highlighted footage of the organization's meal packaging events nationwide and allowed people to take action to end hunger by tuning in virtually.
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About Rise Against Hunger
Rise Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization, is growing a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives and responding to emergencies. With locations across the U.S. and five international offices, the organization provides immediate nourishment for those facing hunger today and implements sustainable solutions that will lift entire communities for years to come. Rise Against Hunger has facilitated volunteer meal packaging of more than 540 million meals to be distributed to countries around the world. To find out more about Rise Against Hunger's efforts to end hunger worldwide, please visit http://www.riseagainsthunger.org.
Media Contact
Hannah Payne, Rise Against Hunger, +1 (919) 636-0698, [email protected]
SOURCE Rise Against Hunger
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