Gift for Life, the national charitable organization for the gift, stationery and home décor industries, announced its 2024 fundraising will begin at the winter 2024 Atlanta Market with activities tied to the new World Central Kitchen Cookbook.
Ari Lowenstein, chair of Gift for Life and owner of Ari’s Pantry, will prepare and serve dishes from the World Central Kitchen Cookbook on Thursday, January 18, from 5 to 7 pm, in the Darrah and Co showroom (Building 2, Floor 18. He will do a live cooking demonstration from the cookbook on Friday, January 19, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, in the Jura Demonstration Kitchen (Building 2, Floor 8).
With a contribution of at least $20 to World Central Kitchen’s crisis-related hunger relief efforts, donors will qualify to win one of 50 free copies of the cookbook. On Friday, during the Demonstration Kitchen session, one cookbook personally signed by celebrity chef and WCK founder Chef Jose Andres will be awarded. Donate online at donate.wck.org/fundraiser/giftforlife2024.
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook is filled with recipes inspired by the places the WCK Relief Team has cooked following disasters and other crises around the world. Each chapter focuses on one of their core values and shares inspiring stories from the chefs, volunteers and communities they’ve helped during times of crisis or conflict. In addition to tasty and nutritious recipes, the book tells the fascinating story of WCK and its network of volunteers and cooks worldwide who work to “Build longer tables, not higher walls.”
On Thursday, Lowenstein will cook a dish from each of the seven core values and inspirations of WCK as an organization: Empathy (Braised Pork al Pastor): Urgency (Arepas); Adaptation (Reem’s Kafta Bil Bandora); Hope (Ukrainian Borsch); Community (Brook’s Carrot Farro Salad); Resilience (Kamal’s Freekeh); and Joy (The Duchess’s Lemon Olive Oil Cake). On Friday, his live cooking demonstration will showcase the WCK Cookbook’s Arepas, round, gluten-free corn patties that originated in South America.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to create two food and fundraising events centered on raising awareness for World Central Kitchen and their amazing work around the world,” said Lowenstein. “We hope the industry will join us and share this experience!”
As an extension of the cooking events, Atlanta Market’s “Market Kick-Off Party,” on Wednesday, January 17, will also benefit Gift For Life and World Central Kitchen. The event runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Building 3 Atrium. Andmore, owner/operator of Atlanta Market, will match donations up to $2,500 made to World Central Kitchen.
