By Darla Shelden
City Sentinel Reporter

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Less than 300 tickets remain for the 32nd annual Chefs’ Feast, themed, “Unmask Hunger” on Friday, March 1 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The event will be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63 Street, in Oklahoma City.

The Mardi Gras-themed event featuring delicious food, open bar, one-of-a-kind auction items, a wine pull, and live music helps to raise awareness about childhood hunger in Oklahoma. All proceeds from the Chef’s Feast will benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids Programs.

Tickets are $175 per individual and $2,000 for a table of 10. For an additional $25 per person, early entry tickets will allow access to the event 30 minutes before the doors officially open.

“One in four Oklahoma children live with hunger,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “Chefs’ Feast is essential in ensuring that we can continue to provide meals for thousands of chronically hungry children in the state.”

The Regional Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s network of food banks.

The evening will feature food prepared by the following chefs and restaurants:

Chef Dwayne Johnson of Brielle’s Bistro
Chefs Jay Mays and Michael Paske of Café 7
Chef; Kendall Curry of Chef Curry to Go
Chef Patrick Williams of FLINT
Chef Don Thiery and Pat Morris of Guckenheimer Café
Chef Kamala Gamble and Barbara Mock of Kam’s Kookery & Guilford Gardens
Chef Larry McNeal of McNeal’s Catering
Chef Bryan Wilson of Nebu
Chef Jonas Favela of Union Wood Fired Grill
Chef Liz Howe of US Foods  
Chef Stephanie McElhany of Platt College 
Chefs Eddie Hartwick and Krysten Adams of SONIC Drive-In 
Chef Corey Harris of Off the Hook
Chef Veeral Mehta of Gopuram Taste of India 
Chef Heather Brehm of Wicked Hangry
Chef Betsy Mitschke of Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria 
Executive Chocolatiers Kim and Gene Leiterman of CocoFlow Chocolate Café 

A silent auction will feature items such as an autographed copy of Russell Westbrook’s “Style Drivers” book, an autographed Thunder basketball, tickets to Thunder games, and a $2,000 gift card from BC Clark Jewelers.

According to HungerFreeOK.org, more than one in five children in Oklahoma are food insecure, which means they have limited or inconsistent access to adequate food. These children have lower reading and math scores, more significant behavior and social problems, and lower high school graduation rates.

Last year, the Regional Food Bank provided more than 2.3 million meals for chronically hungry children through the Food for Kids Programs: the Backpack Program, the School Pantry Program, Kids Cafés and the Summer Feeding Program.

Items can be donated to the silent auction by contacting Jackie Dobson at 405-600-3193 or [email protected].

Event sponsors include: APMEX.com, Cresap Family Foundation, Devon, Chesapeake Energy, News9, US.Foods, BC Clark Jewelers, Paycom, and QuikPrint.  Founded in 1980, the Regional Food Bank is the state’s largest hunger-relief 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes food through a network of community-based partner agencies and schools.

Leading the fight against hunger in 53 counties in central and western Oklahoma, the Regional Food Bank envisions a state where everyone, regardless of circumstance, has access to nutritious food.  The people served by the Regional Food Bank are chronically hungry children, seniors living on fixed incomes and hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.

Tickets and sponsorships for the event can be purchased at chefsfeast.org. Must be 21 to attend. To join the fight to end hunger, visit rfbo.org.