Women Fighting Hunger Luncheon

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey hosted its Seventh Annual Women Fighting Hunger Luncheon on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at the Park Avenue Club and the ICONA Avalon. CFBNJ would like to give a warm thank you to our program moderator, Natalie Pasquarella – News Anchor\Reporter, lead speaker, Soledad O’Brien, and featured testimonials, Suzeana Stewart and Jocelyn Gonzalez. With the generous sponsorship of PNC and Spencer’s and the support of the event chairs, table sponsors, individuals, and nearly 575 attendees, CFBNJ raised over $300,000 to feed college students in need!

Photos by Erik Colonese Photography & John DiMaio Photography.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Soledad O’Brien

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Natalie Pasquarella, Anchor, NBC 4 New York

Coming back to an in-person event after two years, the Women Fighting Hunger Luncheon brought us together, once again.
​​​​​​
The Luncheon raised over $350,000 benefiting the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. In addition, your generosity had boxes overflowing with 1,816 lbs. of milk, peanut butter and jelly. 390 Family Packs were assembled during the Volunteer Hour, which will all be donated to the First Avenue School in Newark, a Family Pack-participating school that was highlighted at the event.

Thank you to our sponsors: Stop & Shop and PNC Bank.

Photos by Kathryn Huang photography.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Amanda Freitag, Chef, Food Network Personality and Author

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Natalie Pasquarella, Anchor, NBC 4 New York

2021 saw our first-ever virtual Women Fighting Hunger Luncheon. It was a hit, and raised over $328,000 benefiting CFBNJ’s mission to provide food, help, and hope! This equates to ONE MILLION MEALS that we can distribute to families and children in need.

Because the event was virtual this year, there was no cost for food and beverages. 100% of the event expenses were generously underwritten by our sponsors. Therefore, every dollar helped support our mission to provide food, help, and hope to our families and children in need.

Thank you to our sponsors: Kings Food Market and PNC Bank.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Claire Fontenot-Babineaux, CEO of Feeding America

Tammy Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Michelle Charlesworth, co-anchor of WABC-TV Eyewitness News

This early spring gathering raised over $255,000, benefiting CFBNJ and connected many who care deeply for our students and children in need to take action to help end hunger. Our sincere gratitude towards the Presenting Sponsor Kings Food Markets, Luncheon Sponsor PNC Bank, chairwomen, table sponsors, attendees and others.

The event featured the guest speaker Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder and CEO of FEED and program moderator Michelle Charlesworth, Co-anchor of WABC-TV Eyewitness News. Cocktail hour canapés was prepared by Chef Ariane Duarte from Ariane Kitchen & Bar.

Photos by Kathryn Huang Photography.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder & CEO of FEED

Lauren founded FEED as a tangible way for consumers to make an impact in fighting childhood hunger, after witnessing firsthand the realities of poverty and hunger people are facing all over the world, while traveling with the UN World Food Programme. FEED is an impact driven lifestyle brand, making products that help feed the children of the world, by providing school meals with every purchase. FEED has provided nearly 112 million school meals, since 2007.

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Michelle Charlesworth, co-anchor of WABC-TV Eyewitness News

Thanks to our Event Sponsor Kings Food Markets, Volunteer Hour Sponsor PNC Bank, and support from the Luncheon’s Chairwomen, table sponsors, attendees and others, the Luncheon raised more than $244,000 to help feed hungry children. We are also thankful to guest speaker Chef Tom Colicchio: activist, owner of Crafted Hospitality, and producer and head judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. These funds will go to our child nutrition programs, including summer food, after-school meals at Kids Cafes, and Family Packs with supplemental food for the weekends.

Photos by Kathryn Huang Photography.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Tom Colicchio, Award-winning Chef, Restaurateur and Top Chef Judge

Born in Elizabeth, NJ, Tom Colicchio is the chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, operating restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He is also a head judge on the reality show Top Chef, since 2006. In an effort to broaden his long-standing activism around a food system that values access, affordability and nutrition for all, Tom served as the executive producer for the documentary A Place at the Table and has become a mainstay in our nation’s capital from holding Congress accountable to working with former FLOTUS Michelle Obama.

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Joanna Gagis, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams

Thanks to our Event Sponsor Kings Food Markets, Volunteer Hour Sponsor PNC, and support from the Luncheon’s Chairwomen and others, it was a great success. Life & Living with Joanna Gagis emceed the event, which focused on our child feeding efforts and raised more than $190,000. Jersey Bites’s Deborah Smith, New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s Shelby Vittek, and our very own Chef Paul Kapner judged our “Chopped” style chef – vs – chef challenge between Chef Leia Gaccione of south+pine american eatery and CENTRAL+MAIN AMERICAN EATERY and Personal Chef Deborah Caplan.

Photos by Kathryn Huang Photography.

FEATURED CHEFS:

Deborah Caplan, Personal Chef: Deborah is a Johnson & Wales graduate whose entrepreneurial spirit helped to create Gourmet Soirée, LLC, a special events caterer. Upon her return to the New York culinary scene, Deborah worked with masters like Jimmy Bradley at The Harrison and Alex Guarnaschelli at Butter and most recently as executive sous chef at SUGARCANE. She is a two-time winner of the Food Network’s “Chopped” and recently competed as sous chef for Team Iron Chef Guarnaschelli on “Iron Chef Showdown,” where her team was undefeated. Today, Deborah runs and operates a personal chef service in Manhattan.

Leia Gaccione, Chef & Owner at south + pine american eatery: Deborah is a Johnson & Wales graduate whose entrepreneurial spirit helped to create Gourmet Soirée, LLC, a special events caterer. Upon her return to the New York culinary scene, Deborah worked with masters like Jimmy Bradley at The Harrison and Alex Guarnaschelli at Butter and most recently as executive sous chef at SUGARCANE. She is a two-time winner of the Food Network’s “Chopped” and recently competed as sous chef for Team Iron Chef Guarnaschelli on “Iron Chef Showdown,” where her team was undefeated. Today, Deborah runs and operates a personal chef service in Manhattan.

EMCEE: Joanna Gagis, host of Life & Living on NJTV and FiOS

This was CFBNJ’s first-ever Women Fighting Hunger Luncheon! Thanks to our Event Sponsor Kings Food Markets, Volunteer Hour Sponsor JPMorgan Chase & Co., and support from the Luncheon’s Chairwomen and others, it was a great success.

Photos by Kathryn Huang Photography.

FEATURED CHEFS:

Chef Ariane Duarte of Ariane Kitchen & Bar: Chef Ariane Duarte’s love for cooking began as she was growing up, watching her grandmother cook the family dinners.  She applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.  Upon her graduation, she was hired as a sous chef at the Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange. With appearances on the Today Show, Iron Chef and the Tyra Banks Show she has not stopped.  She has also been a contributing chef for several magazines. In December 2015, Ariane competed on a special holiday episode of Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay,” defeating Moroccan French chef Adil Fawzi for the chance to go up against Flay and eventually conquering chef Flay to win. Ariane opened her restaurant Ariane Kitchen & Bar in Verona, New Jersey in the fall of 2014.

Chef Paul Kapner: Paul Kapner is CFBNJ’s Executive Chef. He also heads up Stone Soup Culinary Creations, an ingredient of CFBNJ and catering company specializing in seasonally available menu selection with professionally trained staff. The catering team includes classically trained chefs and Food Service Training Academy students, providing those in need of a second chance with real world experience.

EMCEE: Life & Living host Joanna Gagis