36th Annual Citymeals Gala

Last night, hundreds of guests joined Citymeals on Wheels and dozens of New York’s most notable chefs for the 36th Annual Chefs’ Tribute to Citymeals at Cipriani South Street. Through Citymeals’ generous supporters, the annual event, which this year was themed “Family Affair,” raised funds to prepare and deliver 90,000 meals for homebound elderly New Yorkers.

For 36 years, Citymeals has gathered the most creative culinary talents to present their singular dishes to Citymeals supporters and guests at Chefs’ Tribute. This year’s star-studded chef lineup included Maneet Chauhan of Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter, Dino Gatto of Rao’s, Lee & Thai Kambar of Thaily’s, Charlie Mitchell of Clover Hill, Junghyun Park of Atomix, Mawa McQueen of Mawa’s Kitchen, and dozens more of the culinary scene’s top talents. A host of veteran Citymeals supporters, including chefs Daniel Boulud, Larry and Marc Forgione, Charlie Palmer, Alfred Portale, and Jonathan Waxman, also participated.

“This year, Chefs’ Tribute celebrates the importance of family, tying together our love of food and cooking with Citymeals’ mission to nourish our older neighbors in need,” said Beth Shapiro, CEO of Citymeals on Wheels. “Since our founding, Citymeals has been supported by New York City’s culinary community. With Chefs’ Tribute in its 36th year, we are grateful for their continued support. Like Citymeals, they know the importance of feeding both body and soul.”

“For decades, Citymeals has ensured that New York City’s homebound elderly always have a seat at the table,” said Chef Daniel Boulud, Co-President of the Citymeals’ Board of Directors. “Thousands of older New Yorkers receive a nourishing meal and friendly smile thanks to Citymeals, allowing them to remain a part of the fabric and family of this City.” 

Participating chefs included the co-founders of the event, Chefs Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto & Jams) and Larry Forgione, joined by son Marc Forgione (Forge, Respect Hospitality), as well as: Cosme Aguilar (Casa Enrique), Aliyyah Baylor (Make My Cake), Franklin Becker (The Press Club Grill), BonBon – A Swedish Candy Co., Junior Borges(Meridian), Daniel Boulud & Guillaume Ginther(Le Gratin), Maneet Chauhan (Chauhan Ale & Masala House), Lauren DeSteno (Marea),Stefano DiSilvestre & Patricia Balsamo (Cipriani South Street at Casa Cipriani), Dino Gatto (Rao’s), Alex Guarnaschelli (Butter), Lee & Thai Kambar(Thaily’s), Mawa McQueen (Mawa’s Kitchen), Charlie Mitchell (Clover Hill), Helen Nyugen(Saigon Social), Charlie Palmer & Erick Vargas Bromberg (Charlie Palmer Steak), Junghyun Park (Atomix, Atoboy, NARO), Alfred Portale(Portale Restaurant), Melissa J. Rodriguez (Al Coro, Mel’s and Discolo), Joseph Settepani(Bruno’s Bakery), George Tang (Nobu Downtown), Jacques Torres (Jacques Torres Chocolates), Silvana Vivoli (Gelateria Vivoli) and Patrick Schaeffer (Tin Building by Jean-Georges).

In addition, fine wines and artisanal cocktails were poured by leading sommeliers and mixologists from the City’s leading bars, including: Bar Goto, Katana Kitten, PDT, The Raines Law Room, Seaborne, Superbueno, Tatiana and Tooker Alley.

The 36th Annual Chefs’ Tribute to Citymeals was co-chaired by Sabrina and Byron Athans, Beverly and Dan Bartfeld and Alison Lohrfink Blood. Audrey Saunders, the founder of Pegu Club, was honored for her longtime support of Citymeals, serving as Spirits Chair of Chefs’ Tribute for 20 years.

Event sponsors included Citymeals’ Official Airline American Airlines and Official Water FIJI Water. Additional sponsors included Heermance Farm, Katten, PEPCID^®, Resorts World, and Two River. Beverage sponsors included Courvoisier Cognac, Select Aperitivo, Sipsmith Gin, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Herradura Tequila.

This event comes as Citymeals marks 41 years of delivering nourishing meals and vital companionship to the homebound elderly of New York City. Citymeals delivered its first meal on Christmas in 1981 and the organization has since become woven into the fabric of the city, delivering more than 67 million weekend, holiday, and emergency meals since its founding. Today, Citymeals is the largest nonprofit meals on wheels program in the country.

Citymeals on Wheels provides a continuous lifeline of nourishing meals and vital companionship to nearly 22,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers. Working in partnership with community-based organizations and senior centers, Citymeals prepared and delivered nearly 2 million weekend, holiday, and emergency meals last year. Last year, nearly 19,000 volunteers gave more than 52,000 hours of time to Citymeals’ mission. Since its founding in 1981, Citymeals has relied on the generosity of its Board of Directors, the City of New York, sponsors, and other designated gifts to cover administrative costs. This ensures that 100% of all public donations will be used entirely for preparing and delivering meals.