Next weekend will be crazier than crazy in our little state. The “Game of the Year” is anticipated to bring in hundreds of thousands of people to our cities in the days before the game and with that organizations and venues are clamoring to create exciting events for those visitors (and hopefully us locals as well). One event that will draw lots of attention is the Taste of the NFL Party with a Purpose. Did you know that each NFL team has a an associated celebrity chef? Its true, and more than 40 award-winning chefs from around the country will be touching down in Phoenix to participate in the 24th Annual Taste of the NFL Party with a Purpose event to be held on January 31st.
Each Chef will be paired with a notable NFL player, all in an effort to raise money for food banks throughout the United States. Every dollar raised will allow food banks to distribute up to eight meals into their communities. More than $22 million or 176 million meals has ben raised since the inception of the events.
Here are the matches of NFL Players and Celebrity Chefs:
| Market | Celebrity Chef | NFL Player | ||
| Arizona Cardinals | Chef Beau MacMillan | Calais Campbell | ||
| Atlanta Falcons | Chef Kevin Rathbun | Christ Draft | ||
| Baltimore Ravens | Chef Nancy Longo | Matt Birk | ||
| Buffalo Bills | Chef Mike Andrzejewski | Joe DeLamielleure | ||
| Carolina Panthers | Chef Blake Hartwick | Richie Brockel | ||
| Chicago Bears | Chef Carrie Nahabedian | Jerry Azumah | ||
| Cincinnati Bengals | Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel | David Fulcher | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | Chef Kent Rathbun | Everson Walls | ||
| Denver Broncos | Chef Troy Guard | Karl Mecklenburg | ||
| Detroit Lions | Chef Brian Polcyn | Lem Barney | ||
| Green Bay Packers | Chef Justin Aprahamian | Donny Anderson | ||
| Houston Texans | Chef Bruce Molzan | Chester Pitts | ||
| Indianapolis Colts | Chef Greg Hardesty | Ken Dilger | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Chef Brian Whittington | Jordan Todman | ||
| Kasas City Chiefs | Chef Debbie Gold | Bobby Bell | ||
| Miami Dolphins | Chef Allen Susser | John Offerdahl | ||
| Minnesota Vikings | Chef Lenny Russo | Randall McDaniel | ||
| National Football League | Chef Marc Payero | Davin Joseph | ||
| New England Patriots | Chef Steve DiFillippo | Matt Light | ||
| New Orleans Saints | Chef Tory McPhail | Willie Roaf | ||
| New York Giants | Chef Kamal Rose | Bill Ard | ||
| New York Jets | Chef Taku Saito | Freeman McNeil | ||
| Oakland Raiders | Chef Paul Arenstam | Ted Hendricks | ||
| Philadelphia Eagles | Chef Jack McDavid | Herry Sisemore | ||
| Pittsdburgh Steelers | Chef Anthony Zallo | Andy Russell | ||
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | Chef Shy Cellars | Roger Wehril | ||
| San Diego Chargers | Chef Jonathan Hale | Kellen Winslow, Sr. | ||
| San Francisco 49ers | Chef David Lawrence | Chris Doleman | ||
| Seattle Seahawks | Chef John Howie | Crag Terrill | ||
| St. Louis Rams | Chef Gerard Craft | Will Witherspoon | ||
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Chef Marty Blitz | Brad Johnson | ||
| Tennessee Titans | Chef Deb Paquette | Michael Griffin | ||
| Washington Redskins | Chef Jeffrey “JG” Goetjen | Brig Owens | ||
| Undefeated Miami Dolphins | Chef Peter Farrand | Dick Anderson | ||
| Special Guest/ Minnesota Vikings | Chef Lynne Hackman |
“On behalf of everyone at Taste of the NFL, congratulations to these outstanding and tireless chefs,” said Taste of the NFL Founder and Executive Director Wayne Kostroski. “Thanks to their ongoing commitment, we are able to tackle the growing hunger epidemic in this country and hopefully realize our fundraising goal of eight million meals as part of Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona.”
This year’s Party with a Purpose fundraising event brings together exceptional cuisine, prominent chefs from around the country, some of the NFL’s greatest players, legendary coaches, Hollywood notables and sports celebrities as well as GRAMMY® award-winning country group, Little Big Town, all in an effort to support the fight against hunger. Andrew Zimmern, the creator, host and co-executive producer of Travel Channel’s hit series, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, is this year’s national culinary host for the Party with a Purpose®. He will lead the charge alongside national celebrity spokesperson, Alyssa Milano.
Fans are encouraged to continue to lend their support by donating online to their favorite team’s chef at www.kickhungerchallenge.com. You can also purchase tickets to the party. I will be live tweeting from the event and I would love to see you there! (I even bought a new dress just for the occasion!)