Emeril Lagasse: Food Bank For New York City’s Can-Do Awards

Mr. Bam himself, Emeril Lagasse, is the latest honoree to be recognized for his philanthropic efforts, on behalf of the Food Bank for New York City’s Can-Do Awards. Co-chaired by chef and author Mario Batali and his wife Susan Cahn, and hosted by Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee (and previous honoree) Stanley Tucci, the dinner will take place April 20 at Abigail Kirsch’s Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River, and will include cocktails, awards, a live auction and several, as-of-now unannounced, musical performances.

In addition to being a celebration of a deserving philanthropist, the Can-Do Awards Dinner is also quintessential in helping to provide support for the 1.3 million New Yorkers who rely on soup kitchens and food pantries for their next meal. This year in particular is crucial for the gala, since the unemployment rate has hit an all-time high of 10.6 percent, and hunger is an ever-rising problem.

Lagasse, who wears the many hats of chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author, is wholly committed to ending hunger. Some of Lagasse’s notable contributions to the cause include creating a lunchbox for the Food Bank’s inaugural Lunchbox Auction in 2005, boosting the Food Bank’s financial bottom line by participating in several Can-Do Awards Dinner Auctions, and mentoring hundreds of disadvantaged young people. In 2002, he established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children’s educational programs that inspire and guide young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating, and other essential life skills.

Food Bank for New York City has been working for 27 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization, fighting to end food poverty and hunger. It distributes food to a network of around 1,000 food assistance programs in New York City, and helps provide around 300,000 free meals a day.

“Emeril Lagasse has continually supported the efforts of the Food Bank and our mutual quest to end hunger. And we applaud his efforts to reach the hearts and minds of young people and to enrich their lives through the creative art of cooking so that they may look towards a bright future of creativity, opportunity and hope…a goal which we share,” said Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., President and CEO.

Previous honorees have included Jon Bon Jovi, the Edge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Stipe, Helena Christensen, Mario Batali and Stanley Tucci, and now chef Emeril Lagasse joins this illustrious list.

Individual tickets to the dinner are $650 and tables start at $12,000. To reserve tickets, contact the Food Bank’s Benefit Office: 212.249.6188 or email jennifer.kunin@verizon.net