OzHarvest cooking up community spirit
A stellar line up of Australia’s best culinary talent will join forces with 200 business leaders and corporate teams to cook up a gourmet feast at OzHarvest’s CEO CookOff on Monday 30th March. Sydney’s Carriageworks will be transformed into a giant pop-up restaurant as teams rally together to feed over a thousand people from vulnerable backgrounds including those impacted by fires, drought and floods.
This year, the flagship fundraiser will be dedicated to Food Crisis Relief, keeping both the wheels of OzHarvest turning and providing extra resources to respond directly to fire and drought affected communities.
OzHarvest Founder and CEO, Ronni Kahn AO said the 2020 CookOff will give people a tangible way to take action in the current crisis. “Community is more important than ever and this year it will be top of our menu! This event turns the tables on most fundraisers as it puts those who are usually eating a gourmet dinner, in the kitchen cooking it! It gives business leaders the opportunity to roll up their sleeves, get involved, cook and serve a beautiful meal made with love and above all, break bread with special guests from the charities we support and those who have volunteered to help protect our country.”
For Chef and OzHarvest Ambassador Clayton Donovan the event has a special place in his heart having experienced homelessness as a child. “It’s tough out there, so just being able to put a smile on someone’s face – it’s like Christmas.” Clayton has also been working with OzHarvest to provide relief to rural communities affected by fire. “The CEO CookOff is always a highlight for me and I’m committed to doing whatever I can to help with bushfire relief efforts. When I heard about a local pub in Cudgewa that desperately needed food and respite, I knew exactly who to call. Thanks to a van full of food and two amazing OzHarvest chefs, we were able to provide home-cooked food for a whole weekend at the heart of a community in need.”
Clayton will be joined by some of Australia’s favourite chefs including Matt Moran, Neil Perry AM, Peter Gilmore, Colin Fassnidge, Miguel Maestre, Guillaume Brahimi, Lennox Hastie, Jacqui Challinor, Anna Polyviou, Somer Sivrioglu and Rob Cockerill. Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes has signed up for the 2020 event and will join leaders and teams from the business world including PwC, IHG, Australia Post, Virgin Australia, Woolworths, CBA, Domain, Facebook, Vittoria and The Star.
Over the last eight years, the CEO CookOff has raised delivered more than 24 million meals helping to fund vital OzHarvest food rescue operations supporting over 1,300 charities across Australia. The event hopes to raise $3million which will help OzHarvest deliver six million meals and respond to increased demand for food relief. Every dollar raised can provide two meals to people in need.
It’s not too late to sign up! For more information and to register go to www.ceocookoff.com.au.
18th February 2020
