The third annual Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament Benefiting City Harvest brought together over 40-star chefs and restaurateurs, Gary Player, Paige Spiranac, and over 120 golf and tennis enthusiasts, to raise enough to feed nearly 850,000 New Yorkers in need. The yearly fundraiser took place on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at Alpine Country Club in Demarest, NJ and the nearby Montammy Golf Club in Alpine, NJ
NEW YORK, Sept.23, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The third annual Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament Benefiting City Harvest brought together over 40-star chefs and restaurateurs, Gary Player, Paige Spiranac, and over 120 golf and tennis enthusiasts, to raise enough to feed nearly 850,000 New Yorkers in need. The yearly fundraiser took place on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at Alpine Country Club in Demarest, NJ and the nearby Montammy Golf Club in Alpine, NJ. https://www.cityharvest.org/2022/06/celebrity-golf-tennis-2/
The one-of-a-kind, day-long golf and tennis tournament was created in 2019 by established event marketer and connected foodie Herb Karlitz, providing an amazing food & wine experience, while also giving participants the opportunity to play golf or tennis alongside star chefs including Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Anthony, Preston Clark, Rocco DiSpirito, Jose Garces, Jamal James Kent, Alfred Portale, Marcus Samuelsson, David Shim, and Cédric Vongerichten.
Joining the fray with host golf icon and philanthropist Gary Player and former professional golfer, model and personality Paige Spiranac were notables including NY Yankees pitcher and World Series champion CC Sabathia; MLB Network announcer and retired major league outfielder Chris Young; Co-host of Golf Channel's Golf Today Shane Bacon; PGA Magazine Top 50 golf instructor Jonathan Yarwood; and actor Richard Kind, who stars in the new CBS police drama East New York.
"I am consistently impressed by the generosity of our New York chef and culinary community, who always find time to give back despite the challenges they continuously face," said Herb Karlitz, tournament founder and City Harvest Food Council Member.
Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who served as the Tournament's Golf Chair for the third straight year and is a member of City Harvest's Board of Directors and the Chair of the organization's Food Council, added. "I'm thrilled to see this event thrive which provided a great day on the golf course and tennis courts, while also generating funds for an amazing charity that is close to my heart."
The guest experience went beyond playing alongside incredible star chefs, who also showcased their seasonal and signature bites during the event and its marquee celebratory post-round tasting reception featuring dishes such as truffle-topped agnolotti pasta, brick oven thin pizza, lobster rolls, shrimp & grits, pan roasted scallops, charred za'tar crusted octopus, meatballs, Grand Cru Galbi Ssam, and wagyu from the live fire station. The tournament's auction featured a golfing trip to Ireland, private villas in Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, and Tuscany, a ski getaway, and a custom-fitted and engraved LA Golf putter and VIP passes to LA Golf's 2023 US Open Party. The auction's singular unique experiences included playing 18 holes with Gary Player at his club in Florida and a private dinner for 10 in your home created by 3-Star Michelin Chef Alex Lee.
"I am honored to return as a host of this year's golf tournament and to support efforts in raising money to feed New York City families who aren't sure where their next meal is coming from," said Gary Player. "We all need to do our part in society and make a difference by helping each other."
City Harvest rescues and delivers millions of pounds of food for the growing number of New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. According to troubling new data released earlier this month by City Harvest, monthly visits to New York City food pantries and soup kitchens are up 69% compared to 2019. As inflation and food prices surged to a 40-year high, NYC food pantries and soup kitchens are now seeing 14% more monthly visitors than they did just in January 2022. In response to the high level of need, City Harvest will rescue and deliver at least 75 million pounds of food this year, sustaining food rescue and delivery operations nearly 20% above pre-pandemic levels.
"Feeding people goes beyond essential nutritional needs, it also provides emotional sustenance and hope for the future," said Zakarian. "A special thank you goes to all the chefs and sponsors that participated. The work we do together with City Harvest is fundamental to making New York a community that is supportive and resilient."
Since March 2020, New Yorkers have struggled through many challenges including the current economic environment making City Harvest's services in high demand.
"We are so grateful to the legendary Gary Player, Herb Karlitz, and all the wonderful chefs and athletes who came out to support City Harvest and our work feeding New Yorkers in need," said Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest. "This year's event will help us feed nearly 850,000 of our neighbors. As prices surge for necessities like food and rent, this support is more important than ever."
Key sponsors included Porsche Englewood, offering a 2022 Porsche Macan as a hole-in-one prize; Lacoste, the official sponsor of the tennis tournament and provided all tennis players with a polo shirt; NFTable, the official menu sponsor; and Fujikura Golf; as well as Cafe Spice; Cantina Puiatti Wine; Cloud Water Brands; Curamia Tequila; Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin; Origen Holistic Spirits; and Spiritless.
In-kind sponsors include Acme Smoked Fish; Black Diamond Caviar; Bruno's Bakery; Dynamic Brands; Fever-Tree, Hudson Valley Foie Gras; illy caffè; La Caravelle; LA Golf; Lucoli Brick Oven Pizza; Prime Food Distributor; Stella Artois; Urbani Truffles; and Zakarian Hospitality.
Participating chefs & restaurateurs include:
Cosme Aguilar, Casa Enrique
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
Nobile Attie, Lucoli Brick Oven Pizza
Franklin Becker, Press Club Grill
Eitan Bernath, Eitan Productions
Terrance Brennan, Brennan Group Hospitality
Kenny Callaghan, Boots & Bones
Josh Capon, Fly Fish Club
Cesare Casella, casellasalumi.com
Preston Clark, Lure Fishbar
Mike Cole, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream
Michael Cressotti, The Mermaid Inn
Rocco DiSpirito
Josh "Shorty" Eden
Fabrizio Facchini, Urbani Truffles
Stephen "Octoman" Fried
Jose Garces, Garces Events
Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Marc Glosserman, Hill Country BBQ
Esther Ha, Momofuku Ko
Kerry Heffernan (Tennis Co-Chair), Grand Banks
Matthew Katakis & Orlando Sanchez, Butcher Bar
Jamal James Kent, Crown Shy
Simon Kim (Tennis Co-Chair) & David Shim, COTE Korean Steakhouse
Alex Lee (Culinary Chair), Alpine Country Club
Roni Mazumdar & Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka
John McDonald, Mercer Street Hospitality
Edward McFarland, Ed's Lobster Bar
Hari Nayak, Cafe Spice
Helen Nguyen, Saigon Social
Don Pintabona
Alfred Portale, Portale Restaurant
David Rabin & Bartender Samantha Casuga, Temple Bar
Dan Reilly, Reilly's Rib Cage
Jimmy Rizvi & Zahir Khan, GUPSHUP
Jason Rosenthal, Brick + Dough
Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster Harlem
John Stage, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Ron Straci, Rao's
Carlos Swepson, BLVD Bistro
Cédric Vongerichten, Wayan
Melba Wilson, Melba's
Geoffrey Zakarian (Golf Chair)
About City Harvest
City Harvest is New York's first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. This year, we will rescue at least 75 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food and deliver it—free of charge—to more than 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets across the five boroughs. We work alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. For 40 years, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city—one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. To learn more, please visit http://www.cityharvest.org
About Gary Player
One of the greatest international players of all time, who has won 165 tournaments on six continents over seven decades. He is one of only five golfers to win all four major championships in a career, known as the Grand Slam, and is the only player to ever complete the career Grand Slam on both the PGA Tour and its seniors' equivalent, the Champions Tour. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, making him the first international recipient of the award. In addition to his legendary golf career, he is known for being a passionate fitness advocate, earning himself the nickname, "Mr. Fitness." Nelson Mandela once commented that "…Gary Player's accomplishments as a humanitarian and statesman are equal to and may even surpass his accomplishments as an athlete."
About Karlitz & Company
Event Producer, Karlitz & Company (KCO), for more than thirty years, has been an industry leader in designing memorable experiences that enable its clients to engage with their clients and customers. KCO prides themselves on taking simple concepts and designing something memorable. Whether through culinary and wine focused experiences, music festivals, sports, or destination events, KCO leverages the lifestyle verticals that work best for each client. http://www.karlitz.com
Press Contact:
Adam Paige
[email protected]
Media Contact
Adam Paige, Karlitz & Co., 1 646-391-6659, [email protected]
SOURCE Karlitz & Co.
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