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DCCK and Martha’s Table host 9th annual Sips & Suppers to tackle hunger

Weekend Events Raise Over $600,000 for DC-Based Nonprofit Organizations DC Central Kitchen & Martha’s Table

WASHINGTON, DC – January 30, 2017 – A weekend after the presidential inauguration, hundreds of foodies and philanthropists gathered in the nation’s capital for Sips & Suppers, a two-day culinary event designed to raise awareness of hunger and raise vital funds for local organizations DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table.

On Saturday, January 28th, over 1,000 guests poured into the Newseum for “Sips,” where they perused floors filled with the region’s finest food and drink, prepared by acclaimed chefs, restaurants, mixologists, distilleries, and artisans.  As attendees mingled, they enjoyed mouth-watering treats from restaurants including China Chilcano, Declaration, Indique, and Lincoln, to name a few; and, creative cocktails from Gina Chersevani, Catoctin Creek Distilling Co., District Distilling Co., One Eight Distilling, Quarter+Glory, and Quill, among others.

VIP guests enjoyed early entry to the exclusive VIP lounge, indulging in a selection of dishes from critically acclaimed local Michelin Bib Gourmand recipients Kyirisan, Bidwell, Doi Moi, and Boqueria. VIP guests also enjoyed an exclusive spirit tasting from DC distillery Jos. A. Magnus & Co., wines from Gustafson Family Vineyards, and cava from Winebow’s Mundo Vino and Juvé & Camps properties. Culinary greats and Sips & Suppers co-chairs José Andres, Joan Nathan, and Alice Waters were also in attendance, as were celebrity chefs Michael Solomonov, Charles Phan, and Lior Lev Sercarz who signed their newly released cookbooks for VIP guests.

On Sunday, January 29th, philanthropists across DC came together for Suppers prepared by the nation’s most acclaimed chefs in the homes of over 35 generous hosts.

Sips & Suppers has quickly become one of the nation’s premier culinary and philanthropic gatherings, inviting event-goers to rub elbows with celebrated chefs and cookbook authors, and sample bites from local restaurants, mixologists, and artisans, while supporting the vital work of DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table.  This year, the combined events raised over $600,000 providing significant funding for the organizations’ anti-hunger, healthy eating, and education programs.

“Nine years ago, José, Alice and I launched Sips & Suppers over inauguration weekend to kick-start a dialogue in our nation’s capital about issues of poverty, homelessness, and food justice.  As the new administration takes shape, we remain committed to uniting restaurants, philanthropists, activists and community members to develop sustainable solutions to these challenges,” said honorary co-chair Joan Nathan.  She added: “We are humbled as we enter a decade of Sips & Suppers, and extend our sincerest gratitude to everyone who has made this important event a success—from our participating restaurants, to our generous sponsors, to our dedicated volunteers and event-goers.”

This year’s Sips & Suppers was made possible by the generous support of sponsors, including Whole Foods, Amalgamated Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Newseum, The Ritz Carlton, Beveridge Seay, ThinkFoodGroup, Chez Panisse, The George Washington University Hospital, Jet Blue, and Lifeway Foods, among others. A complete list of dedicated sponsors and partners can be found at www.sipsandsuppers.org/sponsors.

For more information on Sips & Suppers 2017, including participating chefs and this year’s sponsors, please visit SipsandSuppers.org, or follow the event page on Twitter (@SipsSuppers), Instagram (@sipsandsuppers), and Facebook (Sips & Suppers).

To view photos of Sips & Suppers weekend, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dccentralkitchen/albums/72157678232357050

About Sips & Suppers

José Andrés, Joan Nathan and Alice Waters proudly present Sips & Suppers: two extraordinary evenings featuring the country’s finest chefs in support of DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table. The event began in 2009 to raise awareness of hunger and poverty in the DC area. Now in its 9th year, the fundraiser rounds up the country’s culinary greats to promote efforts to develop sustainable and local solutions to these challenges. This year’s Sips & Suppers was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, including: Whole Foods, Newseum, The Ritz Carlton, Beveridge Seay, ThinkFoodGroup, Chez Panisse, Amalgamated Bank, JP Morgan Chase, The George Washington University Hospital, Jet Blue, and Lifeway Foods. For more information, please visit www.SipsandSuppers.org.

About DC Central Kitchen

DC Central Kitchen is a nonprofit developer of innovative social ventures that break the cycle of hunger and poverty. Founded in 1989 in protest of traditional charity models, the organization uses career training, job creation, and sustainable business practices to strengthen local food systems and reduce disparities in health and economic opportunity. The Kitchen’s life-changing social ventures include providing culinary job training to at-risk adults, turning wasted food into balanced meals for shelters and nonprofits, and serving healthy, scratch-cooked meals in low-income schools. These efforts have been recognized with the leading national award for healthy school food innovation, The Golden Carrot; the Washington Business Journal’s Green Business Award for Innovation; and the DC Chamber of Commerce’s Community Impact Award. To learn more, visit www.DCCentralKitchen.org or follow @dcck on Twitter.

About Martha’s Table

For 36 years, Martha’s Table has worked to support stronger children, stronger families, and stronger communities by increasing access to quality education, healthy food, and family support in Washington, DC. Martha’s Table’s Healthy Eating program operates dozens of free pop-up grocery markets across the city, and its Healthy Start and Healthy Connections programs offer premier early childhood education and older youth programming. In addition, the organization runs emergency support programs, including McKenna’s Wagon, a daily mobile food truck that serves hundreds of meals to homeless and hungry residents every night; a daily emergency mini market, open 7 days a week; and two Martha’s Outfitters stores, which offer a no-cost shopping program for neighbors in need. For more information, please visit www.MarthasTable.org.

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