Investing in future hospitality leaders
The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®)
Impacts:
Showcasing the talents of the world's most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities for more than 20 years, SOBEWFF® has raised $31.8 million for Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
Each year, more than 1,200 students and volunteers gain invaluable real-world experience at the Festival – which serves as an interactive educational platform for the future leaders of the hospitality industry.
In 2020, the festival quickly pivoted to provide immediate financial assistance to restaurant workers in South Florida which were hit hard by the pandemic. The SOBEWFF® & FIU Chaplin School Fund has granted more than $1.6 million to more than 500 local restaurants in South Florida.
Relieving hunger in NYC
The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (NYCWFF)
Impacts:
The Festival has raised $13.8 million over the past 13 years for its charitable causes. The Festival’s newest beneficiary, God’s Love We Deliver, is the New York City metropolitan area’s leading provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for individuals living with severe illness. Together with Food Bank For New York City, the Festival’s long-time beneficiary and the city’s largest hunger-relief organization, NYCWFF will now support New Yorkers in their greatest time of need by raising awareness and critical funds for those facing severe illness and food poverty.
NYCWFF also quickly responded help those in the hospitality industry whose livelihoods were devastated by the pandemic by creating NYCWFF at Home, a virtual, live cooking and educational series that brings consumers into the kitchens and living rooms of their favorite chefs, cooks, mixologists, and food personalities. Proceeds from these events supported the NYCWFF Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
Promoting prosperity for the restaurant industry
Chicago Gourmet
Impacts:
Since 2008, Chicago Gourmet has celebrated the Windy City as a world-class epicurean destination, with a portion of proceeds benefiting a range of charitable causes.
With post-pandemic economic recovery of the hospitality industry at heart, in 2021 Chicago Gourmet benefited the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (IRAEF), a 501 (c)(3) dedicated to building and promoting the health and prosperity of the restaurant industry by investing in both youth and workforce.
Since October 2020, the IRAEF Employee Relief Fund has also provided $270,000 in cash relief grants to hospitality employees facing financial crisis because of COVID-19.
