ITHACA – Ithaca’s Taste of the Nation® for No Kid Hungry will mark its 30th anniversary this year when it returns to Ithaca College’s A&E Center at 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11.
Attendees will be able to enjoy food and beverages from some of Upstate New York’s finest chefs, sommeliers and mixologists representing more than 70 local restaurants, wineries and breweries from around the region.
Among this year’s participating vendors are: Maxie's Supper Club and Oyster Bar, Hector Wine Company, LaTourelle Bistro, Simeon's, Lakewood Vineyards, The Piggery, Inn at Taughannock, Edible Arrangements Ithaca, Agava Restaurant, Bet the Farm Winery, Hosmer Winery, Bellwether Hard Cider & Wine Cellars, Six Mile Creek Vineyard, Treleaven Wines, Myer Farm Distillers, Damiani Wine Cellars, Ithaca Coffee Company, GreenStar Cooperative Market, Fulkerson Winery, The FX Matt Brewing Co., and many, many others.
The Destination, a local nine-piece dance band with a focus on classic R&B, rock and Latin-influenced material, will once again provide live music for dancing.
100% of the event’s proceeds support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America, while also benefiting local organizations.
To date, the event has raised more than $900,000 for four local beneficiaries:
Backpack Program – The Food Bank of the Southern Tier
Youth Farm Program – Ithaca Fresh Snack Program
Healthy Food For All – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
Hunger Solutions New York
This is Ithaca’s most trend-forward food and beverage event – one of only 20 Taste of the Nation® for No Kid Hungry events being held around the country in 2019, and the only one in New York State held outside of New York City.
Each year these culinary events raise the critical funds needed to support No Kid Hungry's work to ensure that all children in America get the healthy food they need, every day. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $98 million.
“Taste of the Nation has been the most successful and important fundraisers for addressing the problem of hunger, particularly for children in our area,” said Jerry Dietz, owner of CSP Management, who has chaired the Ithaca event for many years. “We’ve had a very successful 30-year run – you’d be hard-pressed to find other events that have a lifespan that we have enjoyed – and it is a wonderful evening that brings out so many different factions of our community: the restaurant, winery and brewery communities, and the people from the recipient organizations who are there to tell their stories. It is a remarkable event.”
More Ways to Give
The event will also feature several other fundraising components, including a Giving Wall, Wine Door, and Silent Auction:• Giving Wall – Everybody is a winner at the Giving Wall: Give at $50, $100, or $150 and you are guaranteed to get an item valued at that amount or more! Items include: gift cards to local restaurants and wineries, and more.• Wine Door & More – Take your chance on a key (1 for $30 and 2 for $50) If you pick the right one, and it fits in the door, you could walk home with $1,000 worth of wine, beer and spirits. These are likely to sell out, so pre-order your wine keys by emailing Cara at Cbender@strength.org.• Exclusive VIP Silent Auction.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now at two levels:
General admission tickets, which include admission at 6:30 p.m. with unlimited sips and bites, are $100.
VIP tickets, which include admission to VIP reception at 5:30 p.m. and unlimited sips and bites, are $150.
Tickets may be purchased at a discount by obtaining a code from one of the many ticket ambassadors for the event. Citi Card members also enjoy a 10% discount off preferred tickets. For more information, or to purchase advance tickets, please visit: https://events.nokidhungry.org/events/ithacas-taste-nation/.
The national co-presenting sponsors are Citibank and Sysco; the media sponsor is the Food Network; the national sponsor is OpenTable.
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