This week's OzHarvest CEO Cookoff has raised a record $1.5 million, with funds still climbing, according to organisers.
This year the CEO Cookoff took place at The Cutaway at Barangaroo in Sydney, and launched in Brisbane for the first time at the Royal International Convention Centre.
Monday night saw 152 business leaders pair up with 50 of Australia’s top chefs to cook for more than 1100 homeless and vulnerable Australians in Sydney and 300 guests in Brisbane.
Participants included Woolworths’ marketing director Andrew Hicks, Barangaroo Delivery Authority CEO Craig van der Laan, and Wiley CEO Tom Wiley.
The cooks’ line up included the top three chef fundraisers Matt Moran, Neil Perry AM, and Guillaume Brahimi in Sydney who raised a combined $118,103 and in Brisbane, Ben O’Donoghue and Dominique Rizzo, along with eight other chefs.
This year, the event saw a focus on supporting Indigenous communities with a donation made to Marr’ma Rom Foundation on the night to empower the next generation of young men from North East Arnhem Land.
The OzHarvest CEO Cookoff is the food-rescue organisation’s flagship annual event, aimed at increasing awareness of food security, homelessness and food wastage in Australia.
Since its inception in 2012, the annual event has now raised more than $5.5 million dollars for charity.
OzHarvest founder and CEO Ronni Kahn said funds raised in 2016 will allow her organisation to deliver at least three million additional meals to those in need and expand its nutrition, education and hospitality training program.
Wiley CEO Tom Wiley participated in the Brisbane Cookoff and was able to raise over $17,000 in donations before the niight.
"The event was not just an opportunity to lend a helping hand, but bring to light pressing food issues such as food wastage," said Wiley.
"It was fantastic to see that even with the evening ending, donations were still rolling in."
Tom was partnered with Josue Lopez, executive chef at QAGOMA, who was recently awarded the Brisbane Times Good Food Guide 2016 Citi Chef of the Year:
