History of the Great Chefs Event - Twelve years ago, Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin met Liz and Jay Scott, who was carrying on the work that their amazing daughter Alex had started, to help find cures for all kids with cancer.
They were moved by Alex’s story and by the perseverance with which Liz and Jay honored her vision. As many do, they walked away from that conversation, asking, “What can we do to help?” Their answer was to host the first Great Chefs Event which brought eight local chefs and 100 guests to The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, raising $50,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Vetri and Benjamin, meanwhile, inspired by the impact of their efforts, founded Vetri Community Partnership in 2008 to give back in the area they know most about— healthy food and nutrition for Philadelphia’s youth. The event has been a dual fundraiser for both organizations since 2010 and has inspired culinary fundraisers to fight childhood cancer in NYC, Chicago and LA. Last year, the Great Chefs Event raised nearly $800,000.