Does charity start at home? For many in the New Orleans hospitality business, charity starts at the stove, and the bar. The food and drink they contribute are the lifeblood for countless charitable events and fundraisers, and they’re constantly answering the call to support community causes with their time and talent and product.
Lately though, more of them have been organizing their own charitable work, and planning events to bring in the bucks themselves. On one level, this is a fundraising story. But there’s another, perhaps more selfish angle here as a food story. That’s because when restaurant people run their own events, the food is usually off the charts, and supporting these causes reliably entails big parties and good times.
New Orleans is home to very well established examples. The Emeril Lagasse Foundation is biggest around, with its black tie gala and its Boudin Bourbon and Beer event in the fall. And the godfather of them all is Chefs Charity for Children, started back in 1978 by chef Warren LeRuth and Phil Johnson of WWL TV. Both founders have passed away, but their annual Chefs Charity event still gathers a brigade of generous New Orleans chefs for a one-of-a-kind luncheon with an incredibly loyal following. The next edition is March 9.
More examples are emerging, and others are stepping up their game. There’s the Link Stryjewski Foundation – as in local chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski,. They threw their first benefit gala recently at the Orpheum Theatre, with celebrity guests on stage and at the food stations.
Chef John Besh has his own foundation, and as his restaurant company has grown so has this charitable arm. The John Besh Foundation funds scholarships for minorities in New Orleans to attend culinary school, and it also funds micro loans for local food producers.
In March, the John Besh Foundation holds its main annual fundraiser, with private dinners from guest chefs held in local homes. If that sounds pricey, well, you’re right. But this year, there’s also a party at the Civic Theater, with many chefs participating, lots of food and music, and a more approachable ticket price aimed at a wider audience.
The latest example is a brand new endeavor called Raise -- as in, raise funds. It was formed by three groups: one is the restaurant company behind Sylvain, Meauxbar and others; two is CureCo, which has the bars Cure, Cane & Table and Bellocq; and three is Dinner Lab, the nationwide dinner club that’s based in New Orleans.
For these Raise events, chefs and bartenders from each come together to throw a party benefitting a select cause. The first edition benefits the family of a local toddler being treated for leukemia. This inaugural Raise is Jan. 21, at the French Quarter club One Eyed Jacks.
There’s a lot on the calendar, from different chefs and restaurateurs, with different approaches and for different beneficiaries. But they share the same impulse: tapping our insatiable interest in good food and good times to support good causes close to home.
Event details
Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.
One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St.
March 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St.
John Besh Foundation
March 19, various locations
March 18, Civic Theater, 510 O’Keefe Ave.
Emeril Lagasse Foundation
November, 2016 (date TBA)
