Chef’s Fest For Oklahoma Food Bank At Cowboy Hall Of Fame In OKC

The annual Chef’s Fest of Oklahoma City was held in the evening of March 23, 2017 at the National Cowboy And Western Heritage Museum. The large number of attendees at the event was shown by the fact that the entire parking area was filled before the scheduled starting time of 6:30 and later arrivals had to be directed to an adjacent field where they parked their vehicles and were then taken to the Museum in groups through a shuttle service. The attendees were told in the programs that awaited them at their tables that the gathering is for the purpose of raising funds for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma that operates a program to provide sustenance to poverty stricken students in the Oklahoma City area. A total of 22 chef tables were in place where the attendees were offered tasty dishes from the restaurants and catering services that they represented. Attendees brandishing small paper serving dishes were soon seen amassing before each of them and telling of the fare that they looked forward to sampling at the other chef tables. Images of some of the chefs in various poses were shown on a large screen that included some of them dressed as popular celebrities. One of the more intriguing images presented was a picture of Gopuram Indian restaurants chef and owner Veeral Mehta holding a large fish. While Mr. Mehta did not provide an explanation of that photo, the flavorful Indian fare that was offered from the Gopuram table was enjoyed by the patrons as shown by the number of people who surrounded it throughout the event.
The innovation that is ongoing in Oklahoma City’s eateries was evident in some of the intriguing foods that were offered such as buffalo burgers and small sandwiches made of Korean barbeque and Asian slaw. The diversity of the Oklahoma City dining experience was evident in the number of African American and Asian chefs in attendance, but it was surprising that none of the Mediterranean restaurants in Oklahoma City area were represented at the gathering . A wide array of desert items enticed patrons from several of the tables. And some patrons could be seen writing down addresses and phone numbers on their programs as they talked to the chefs present Several open bars were in place as well, which may account for the merriment that was displayed by many of the guests.
The director of the Regional Food Bank Katie Fitzgerald addressed the gathering and thanked them for their support and told of the various programs that her entity has in place for the estimated 37,000 hungry children that are currently found in central and western Oklahoma. More than 18,000 of those children in 512 schools have been given backpacks that contain food, Fitzgerald said. Pantries have also been put in place in many schools in central Oklahoma to supply food to sustain students over the weekends and holidays She also spoke with feeling of the gratitude that she felt to those who were present as she bestowed awards on several of the chefs who had organized the event.