2009 Taste of the NFL, Tampa, Super Bowl XLIII
In 1992, Taste of the NFL was born at Super Bowl XXVI. The Party with a Purpose® was launched through the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers. Twenty-eight of the finest chefs from around the country, one from each NFL city, served up their specialties alongside an alumni player from each of the NFL teams. All volunteer, all heart. The sold-out event that year raised $90,000, with all of the proceeds going to local and national hunger organizations. It was the highest net fundraiser at Super Bowl XXVI. To date, more than $8 million has been raised and distributed to hunger-relief groups since 1992.
Elaine and I had the pleasure of going behind the scenes with Wayne Kostroski, and this group of people to witness their hard work and find out about their dedication, not only to the event itself, but the overall cause and most importantly, each other. Though there is a roster of chefs, players and personalities that get most of the attention, this show would not come off without people like Kristen, Liz, Sue and Rita, who toil behind the scenes unnoticed to make sure that this grand showcase event comes off without a hitch. The core of the Taste of the NFL team is a group of Minnesota-based volunteers and businesses that have built the event into a valuable brand to use in the fund-raising efforts for hunger relief. It also has become a premier event of Super Bowl weekend.
Millions of needs, thousands of families and dozens of new hunger projects and contacts have been affected by this major volunteer effort. Their goal is to end hunger, and the team is dedicated to achieving that goal, community by community, using national success to jump-start local action.
This year's Taste of the NFL 2009, known for its roster of top chefs and football greats, welcomed NBC Television's Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7 to the stage at Tropicana Field on Saturday, January 31, 2009, to help raise money for food banks across America. Of note is the fact that all these chefs, celebrities and players donate 100% of their time and talents in order to ensure that every penny raised by these Taste events goes directly to feed the hungry. We spoke with newly-crowned Miss America, Katie Stam from Indiana, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio, Gina Gallo of E & J Gallo Winery and many of the chefs and players attending this year's event, all available for viewing in our exclusive video package below. This was the first official event for Katie as Miss America and she was charming and wonderful. Catch Tom and Gina talking with us about their participation and what Taste means to them. Look for Up Close and Personal features about both these culinary icons, coming up later in 2009. Gina followed in the footsteps of her grandfather, Julio Gallo, to find her calling as winemaker for Gallo Family Vinyards. She is now the chief winemaker, with particular responsibility for the Sonoma brand, which is moving Gallo into the upscale market. Tom is head judge on Bravo’s Emmy and James Beard Award-winning culinary hit series, Top Chef. He also serves as mentor to the competing chefs on the series, guiding them through their various challenges. Colicchio's first cookbook, Think Like a Chef, won the James Beard The Taste of the NFL and NBC Sunday Night Football have also teamed up to create the "NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook". The book is filled with 150 delicious recipes from more than 60 Taste of the NFL chefs, NFL players past and present, including Rams great Jack Youngblood's Kahlua Cake and Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck's Comeback Chicken Chili. In addition, you'll find Tiki Barber's Kalbi Korean-style Short Ribs, John Madden's Barbecued Hot Beef Sandwiches and Faith Hill's famous Greek Salad. Proceeds from the book will be distributed by the Taste of the NFL to the Feeding America food bank network in each NFL city. Check out our advert about the one of a kind autographed items that Gourmet Girl Magazine will be auctioning off from this year's 2009 event. 
KitchenAid Cookbook Award in May 2001.
