On May 15, more than 500 charity-minded Laguna Beach foodies gathered at Montage Laguna Beach for the city’s premier culinary event for a cause – Laguna Beach Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry. The annual tasting event, which featured top chefs, sommeliers and mixologists, raised nearly $200,000 to support No Kid Hungry’s work to end childhood hunger in America.  Mark Dacascos, Chairman of Food Network’s television series Iron Chef America, hosted this year’s event.

 

2016 Celebrity Chef line-up included:

·Chef Nathan Beriau, Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, SC

·Chef David Coleman, Chianina Steakhouse, Long Beach, CA

·Chef Ben Ford, Fords Filling Station, Los Angeles, CA

·Chef Ray Garcia, Broken Spanish, Los Angeles, CA

·Chef Walter Manzke, République, Los Angeles, CA

·Chef Flynn McGarry, EUREKA, New York, NY

·Chef Kris Morningstar, Terrine, Los Angeles, CA

·Chef Lee Smith, Executive Pastry Chef at Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, CA

·Chef Craig Strong, Studio at Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, CA

 

One in five children in this country struggles with hunger, including more than 2,487,750 kids in California. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger in this nation by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. Since the campaign’s launch, No Kid Hungry and its partners have connected kids struggling with hunger with hundreds of millions of meals.

This year, Laguna Beach Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry raised close to $200,000 to help feed children in need of more than 2,000,000 healthy meals.

Image Credits: Photo from Bear Flag Photography.