We have a winner of our Taste of the Nation contest, in which we asked Cafe Society readers to answer this question: How many hours have Cooking Matters Colorado volunteers contributed so far in 2013? Congratulations to sarakep, who guessed 6,000 hours; the actual number is 6,551. Sarakep, we'll send you an e-mail with info about how to claim your prize.
Original post: For more than 25 years, Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation has been at the forefront of raising funds to fight hunger on local, national and international levels, and much of that financial support benefits Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign, a statewide, public-private initiative of Hunger Free Colorado. And every year, the campaign, whose mission is to ensure that every child in this country receives proper nutrition, brings together local chefs, who gather under one roof to cook and generate as much money as they can to help fight child hunger. This year is no different.
See also: The Food of Chefs Up Front
On Sunday, September 29, from 6 to 9 p.m., the annual Taste of the Nation culinary bonanza, now in its 26th year, takes place at McNichols Civic Center Building, and forty local restaurants, including Corner House, Central Bistro and Bar, Lola, Slotted Spoon, TAG, Williams & Graham, Zengo and Marco's Coal-Fired Pizza, along with numerous Denver bartenders, will be in the house, as will several new restaurants that have yet to open: Session Kitchen, Sugarmill, Los Chingones and the Matador. In addition, the jubilee will spotlight local wineries and breweries and a tasting area hosted by Whole Foods.
General admission tickets to the bash are $40 per person, and VIP tickets are $75 per person, which grants you early admission at 5 p.m., an up-close-and-personal culinary demo from butcher emperor and chef Mark DeNittis, a champagne toast and an exclusive raffle. I highly encourage you to buy tickets, but for one lucky Cafe Society commenter and a guest, admission will be free.
In 2012, Share Our Stength's Cooking Matters Colorado, a nutrition education program that helps families help themselves by educating them on preparing low-cost meals with nutritious value, logged 12,868 hours of volunteer work. In order to win complimentary admission to this year's Taste of the Nation, you'll need to answer this question: How many hours have Cooking Matters Colorado volunteers contributed so far in 2013
The person who comes the closest to the actual number without going over, will win. To enter, please submit your best guess, your name and a valid e-mail address (if you're already registered with MyVoiceNation, then we have your e-mail; if you're not, then we don't, and without an e-mail address, you can't win) in the comments section below.
We'll announce the winner by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 27.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ce.strength.org/events/taste-nation-denver.
