SWEET, Presented By Ferrero Rocher
Manhattan’s sweet tooth will be satisfied like never before on Friday, November 16th at 9:00 pm, when the nation’s pastry elite descend upon the ultra chic Waterfront (269 11th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets) to celebrate SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher, a deliciously decadent evening with a charitable outcome to end hunger. Guests will sample the mouthwatering creations of New York’s premiere pastry chefs, chocolatiers, and bakers, including such notable James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef award winners and nominees as Le Bernardin’s Michael Laiskonis (2007 winner), Dessert Studio at Chocolat Michel Cluizel’s Will Goldfarb (2007 nominee), Jean Georges’ Johnny Iuzzini (2006 winner), and Karen DeMasco of Craft (2005 winner). Also participating in the festivities will be Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Michael Chiarello, Duff Goldman, Cat Cora, Sandra Lee and Ingrid Hoffmann, plus special guest “Sopranos” star and owner of Bracco Wines, Lorraine Bracco. Desserts will be complemented by selections of outstanding wines, Champagnes and spirits from the Southern Wine & Spirits of New York portfolio.
At SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher, guests will have the unique opportunity to enjoy a wide range of tempting desserts featuring inventive flavor and texture combinations, such as Tomato with Olive and Balsamic Sorbet by Graffiti’s Jehangir Mehta, Roasted Banana Mille Feuille, Chocolate Fondant and an Avocado Anglaise by Buddakan’s Daniel Skurnick, and Soft Chocolate, Frozen Sesame, Powdered Peanut Butter and Mole, by Tailor’s Sam Mason. More traditional sweet offerings will include Petits Fours: Lemon Cupcakes, Caramels, Pumpkin Tarts and Rainbow Cookies by Gotham Bar and Grill’s Deborah Racicot, Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake by Junior’s Alan Rosen, and Wedding Biscotti (a Rosemary and Currant Biscotti) by Katie Lee Joel, author of The Comfort Table (May 2008).
“We are thrilled to be a part of SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher, and bring New York a completely different culinary event in honor of our upcoming Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival in 2008,” said Brooke Johnson, President, Food Network. “This is a perfect example of how Food Network will contribute to the generous culinary community with our new charitable partner Share Our Strength.”
The evening will be hosted by and benefit Share Our Strength, Food Network’s official charitable partner and one of the nation’s leading organizations working to end childhood hunger in America, and Food Bank For New York City, dedicated to fighting hunger in our own backyard.
“Share Our Strength is honored to be a part of SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher,” said Bill Shore, Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “Our partnerships with Food Network and Ferrero Rocher represent the ongoing generosity of the culinary community to Share Our Strength, and our work to ensure that the more than 12 million children who face hunger in America have the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive.”
“Food Bank For New York City is very excited to be partnering with Food Network on the first-ever SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher,” said Dr. Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City. “It is only with the support and dedication of community-minded partners such as Food Network that the Food Bank is able to continue making strides toward ending hunger in New York City.”
SWEET, presented by Ferrero Rocher, is the preview event of the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival coming in Fall 2008. The highly anticipated festival is the sister event to the wildly popular Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and will be a citywide celebration taking place over a three-day weekend. Details will be posted on the event Web site www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com as they are confirmed.
Ferrero Rocher is the presenting sponsor of SWEET; additional sponsors include: American Express, Barilla, Coca-Cola, Delta, Evian, Food & Wine, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Gotham, Mohegan Sun, The New York Times, Pernod Ricard USA, Perrier Jouët, Riedel, Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, Starbucks Liqueurs, Target, Time Warner Cable, Viking, Wine Spectator. Karlitz & Company is the official event producer.
Tickets can be purchased at www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com and are $200 each, exclusive of tax and service charges ($150 of which will be tax deductible).
About Food Network:
FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that strives to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food – through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel – while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 90 million U.S. households and averages more than seven million Web site users monthly. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and FINE LIVING (www.fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.
About Southern Wine & Spirits
Founded in 1968, Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. is the largest distributor of wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages in the United States. With operations in 28 States, the Company’s 10,000 team members provide industry-leading service to more than 200,000 retail customers. Overall, Southern Wine & Spirits of America proudly represents more than 5,000 distinct brands and ships over 80 million cases annually. The Company is based in Miami, Florida; for more information, please log onto: www.southernwine.com.
About Share Our Strength
Since 1984, Share Our Strength® has led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring individuals and businesses to share their strengths. Today, its priority is to end childhood hunger in America. By raising funds to support the most effective community-based programs that feed hungry children, partnering with organizations that pursue long-term solutions, and helping families help themselves through nutrition education programs, Share Our Strength will ensure that the more than 12 million children at risk of hunger have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. For more information, please visit www.strength.org.
About Food Bank For New York City
Food Bank For New York City is the major supplier of food for more than one million New Yorkers though our network of more than 1,000 emergency and community food programs throughout the five boroughs — including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, low-income daycare centers, Kids Cafes and senior, youth and rehabilitation centers. Those in need include women and children, the elderly, people with disabilities and the working poor. For every $1 donation, 97 cents goes toward food acquisition, distribution and programs. In addition to food, the Food Bank offers education and technical support to our network of programs and serves as a research and public policy resource center for legislators, the media and the public. For more information, go to www.foodbanknyc.org.
About Ferrero
The Ferrero Company was established in 1946 in Alba, Italy. The company’s first product was made with hazelnuts and cocoa, resulting in the base ingredients for the world’s #1 selling sweet spread on the market today — Nutella® hazelnut spread. Since then, the company has grown to become one of the world’s largest confectionery companies with a vast portfolio that includes high-quality products such as Ferrero Rocher® chocolates, Ferrero Rondnoir™ dark chocolates, Kinder® chocolates, Raffaello® confections and TicTac® mints. Ferrero products are distributed globally throughout Europe, North America, Australia and South America. For more information, visitwww.FerreroUSA.com.