Capital Food Fight, DC Central Kitchen’s annual fundraising event, will be held virtually in its 17th year.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our guests to transform this raucous, celebrated evening into a virtual format with the same thrills, star power, and life-changing community impact that have defined this can’t-miss event for nearly two decades,” the organizers said in a statement.
The 17th edition of the event, scheduled for November 18, promises to feature some of the world’s most renowned chefs and mixologists at DC’s top venues.
Celebrities including founder José Andrés, NBC4 reporter Tommy McFly, Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, top 40/Dance Superstar DJ Neekola will be competing in cooking challenges along with local chefs such as Angel Barreto of Northwest DC’s Korean restaurant, Paolo Dungca of Peter Chang Restaurant Group, Cane’s Peter Prime, and Shannan Troncoso of Brookland’s Finest Bar and Kitchen.
“We invite you to join us from the comfort of your home on November 18, 2020 to watch four local top chefs compete in a culinary battle hosted and judged by the biggest names in the culinary world while you sample bites and libations from DC chefs,” the event brief says.
Over 2,000 people attended last year’s Capital Food Fight, which was held in-person at The Anthem, raising a record $815,000. Ticket prices will be ranging from $50 to $500 this year.
Andrés, who is behind the event, is the head of DC Central Kitchen Board of Directors. The celebrity chef is known for organizing relief efforts and distributing free meals in natural disaster areas through his charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Andrés temporarily closed all of his restaurants in the region in March and turned some of them into community kitchens (operating as part of WCK) for those in need. WCK provided more than 500,000 free meals since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser selected Andrés along with another restaurateur, Andy Shallal, for a committee that is tasked with planning how to reopen the District of Columbia as it recovers from the coronavirus crisis.
Andrés’ team traveled to Japan in February to provide food to the people who were quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship due to the virus-related disease.
In September 2019, the Spanish-American chef provided more than 100,000 free meals for Bahamians, who survived the Hurricane Dorian, as well as residents of the Carolinas and Florida.
He also opened a kitchen in DC to serve cooked meals free of charge for federal workers and their families during the government shutdown in January 2019.
In January, Andrés helped victims of two earthquakes that shook Puerto Rico.
José Andrés Provides Free Meals in Beirut in Wake of Explosion