Philadelphia for the 11th Annual Great Chefs Event

The event will benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and Vetri Community Partnership. More than 1,200 guests will gather from 6-9 p.m. at the beautiful Urban Outfitters, Inc.’s corporate campus in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard for the culinary event of the year. The party will continue into the night at the equally in-demand After Party at Lo Spiedo for chefs, sponsors and VIP ticketholders. General admission and VIP tickets are currently on sale at www.vetricommunity.org.

As in years’ past, Marc Vetri has hand-selected the list of participating chefs, calling on friends and respected colleagues from LA, NYC, Chicago, Italy and more. The chefs will donate their time, talent and food, creating delicious samplings indicative of their own personal styles. Participating chefs include both veterans of the event, as well as several noteworthy newcomers. Among the new participating chefs this year are David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Ma Peche and others (NYC and elsewhere) and Robert Irvine, host of the Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, cookbook author and more. Returning chefs include Michael Symon, Food Network Iron Chef and co-host of The Chew, Paul Kahan of Blackbird, avec, The Publican and Big Star in Chicago, and for the first time since 2009, Bobby Flay of Bobby’s Burger Palace (19 locations across 11 states) and host of Food Network shows, such as Throwdown! With Bobby Flay.

Several of this year’s participating chefs have also been named finalists in the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards, including Rising Star Chef of the Year finalist Matt Rudofker (Momofuku Ssam Bar, NYC), who will be featured alongside David Chang, and regional Best Chefs finalists Michael Cimarusti (Connie & Ted’s, LA), Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo (Animal, LA), Andy Ticer & Michael Hudman (Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis), Greg Vernick (Vernick, Philadelphia), and Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto, NYC). A full list of chef participants is included below.

Representatives from the country’s best bars, wineries, and craft breweries will also be present, including Neal Bodenheimer of Cure in New Orleans, which was recently named a James Beard Foundation Awards finalist for its Outstanding Bar Program, Naren Young (“Fork and Shaker”), and Jesse Vida (The Dead Rabbit, NYC).

In addition to the stellar selection of food and drink, guests will have the opportunity to bid on silent and live auction items. Auction items include one-of-kind culinary experiences, such as private dinners with participating chefs, hard-to- get concert tickets, autographed memorabilia, and much more.

At the Great Chefs Event After Party at Lo Spiedo, VIP ticketholders and sponsors of the event will have the exclusive opportunity to rub elbows with all of the event’s talented chefs in a laid back setting. Acclaimed barbecue chef Adam Perry Lang will be behind the grill once again, joined for the first time by James Bead Award Outstanding Chef finalist Michael Solomonov who will be representing Federal Donuts. After Party guests can also count on additional bites from select food trucks and vendors, as well as specialty cocktails and entertainment.

To kick off the Great Chefs Event festivities, Marc Vetri is hosting an intimate six-course dinner with wine pairings for 18 in the private dining room of Vetri Ristorante with acclaimed Boston chef and James Beard Award-winner Tony Maws of Craigie on Main and Kirkland Tap & Trotter. Limited tickets to this event are on sale at www.vetricommunity.org.

History of the Great Chefs Event:

Eleven years ago, Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin met Liz and Jay Scott, who were 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.

Sponsors for the 11th annual Great Chefs Event include Urban Outfitters, Inc., The Emerson Group, Northwestern Mutual, Volvo, Advanced Staging Productions, Courtyard Marriot in the Navy Yard, 452 design, Color Reflections, Chef’s Warehouse, Joss Realty, Cashman & Associates, PIDC and Liberty Property Trust, Creekstone Farms, David Stout & Martine Lamoureux, SEI Wealth Platform, Vibrant Development Group, LLC., Drs. Jordana & Ben Cooperberg, Scott and Susan Bentley Fund, The Brown Family and NFI Industries, CHOP – Department of Pediatrics, Curt & Susan Parnes, Permit Capital Advisors, LLC., OpenTable, Rock-It Cargo, Aramark, Jeff Warden & Heather Chalmers, Cozen O’Connor, Judd & Andrea Tirnauer, Bill & Mary Alice Dankulich, Paperless Solutions, Inc., Hirshorn Boothby since 1931, Penn Jersey Paper, Philadelphia 76ers, Garrett Snider, Chip & Phyllis Marshall and Maripeg Bruder.

Sponsorship opportunities begin at $1,000 and include early access to the event and admission to the After Party. For information on how to become a sponsor, contact Genevieve Lynch at Vetri Community Partnership at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or 215-600-2630.

General Admission tickets are $350.00 per person; VIP tickets include access to the exclusive After Party at Lo Spiedo and cost $525.00. To purchase tickets, visit www.vetricommunity.org.

About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $120 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 550 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, please visit alexslemonade.org.

About Vetri Community Partnership

Vetri Community Partnership was founded in 2008 by Chef Marc Vetri and restauranteur Jeff Benjamin to empower children and families to lead healthy lives through fresh food, hands-on experiences and education. Its signature Eatiquette program brings highly trained chefs to schools to help them prepare fresh, scratch-cooked lunches that are served family style. Students learn the benefits of healthy eating and practice teamwork, communication, etiquette and portion control. After-school programs, classroom-based cooking classes and summer programs reinforce the lunchroom experience and give students the skills to prepare healthy meals at home with their families. Vetri Community Partnership’s programs are active in more than 45 Philadelphia area schools and two summer camps, serving more than 5,900 students. For more information on the Vetri Community Partnership, please visit vetricommunity.org.