Celebrating 20 years of fighting hunger for Northeast Ohio families, Taste of the Browns returns to FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Sept. 24th. The event is the major annual fundraiser for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, the region's largest hunger relief organization, and has raised more than $2.5 million. Last year's event alone raised more than $250,000, providing over 1 million meals for the hungry in six counties.
The Cleveland Browns and Northeast Ohio's most talented and well-known chefs will work together to raise awareness and funds for hungry families, all while celebrating Cleveland's unique and acclaimed culinary talents.
"Thanks to the generosity of our community at Taste of the Browns, in the last 20 years the Food Bank has been able to provide over 10 million meals. We're excited to see the impact we'll be able to make this year and over the next 20 years," said Kristin Warzocha, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. "We're proud to once again be a community partner of the Cleveland Browns First and Ten initiative and to be working with them and some of the great culinary talent in the region to raise money to provide hundreds of thousands of meals to hungry Northeast Ohioans. Every dollar raised will provide four meals."
This year's fundraiser will feature more than 25 of the region's finest restaurants and chefs, such as Michael Symon (B Spot Burgers), Zack Bruell (Parallax, L'Albatros, Chinato and more), Dan Deagan (Deagan's Kitchen and Bar and Humble Wine Bar), Eric Williams (Momocho and El Carnicero), Fabio Salerno (Lago East Bank) and more.
Honorary event co-chairs are Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey; former Browns wide receiver and return specialist and special teams coaching intern Josh Cribbs; and Chef Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit, Rosie and Rocco's.
In addition to sampling the city's best cuisine and mingling with former and current Browns players, attendees can bid on silent auction items to benefit the Food Bank. Highlights of this year's auction include:
- Cleveland Browns memorabilia package
- Hotel stays at Hilton Cleveland Downtown and Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade
- Rinkside tickets to an upcoming Monsters game
- Tickets to "Hello, Dolly!" at Playhouse Square
- Vitamix blender
Along with the silent auction, guests can participate in the live auction as well as the wine and beer pulls. For $20, attendees can purchase a wine cork which can be exchanged for a bottle of wine and, for $10, attendees can buy a beer cap which can be exchanged for a six-pack of beer. Value, brands and type of wine and beer will vary. Selections will be random.
The event will be in the 7UP City Club at FirstEnergy Stadium. General admission tickets are available for $175 ($75.00 of which is tax-deductible) or VIP tickets are available for $250 ($150 of which is tax-deductible). All proceeds benefit the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.Access to the Medical Mutual VIP Lounge will include exclusive tastings, access to Cleveland Browns celebrities and a personalized listing in the scrolling "thank you" video played during the event.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is a community partner of the Cleveland Browns First and Ten movement, established in June 2014 to help inspire fans to volunteer at least 10 hours each year. In the past four years, nearly 2 million volunteering hours have been pledged in Northeast Ohio and local communities through the program. Fans are encouraged to sign the First and Ten pledge through www.clevelandbrowns.com/brownsgiveback and share their unique stories about volunteering with #give10.
For more event information or to order tickets, call (216) 738-2139 or visit www.GreaterClevelandFoodBank.org/Taste. A full list of participating restaurants and how to bid online in the auction can be found here.
About the Greater Cleveland Food Bank
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, having made possible over 55 million meals in 2017 to hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. The Food Bank's mission is to ensure that everyone in our communities has the nutritious food they need every day. We do this through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. For more information, please visit www.GreaterClevelandFoodBank.org
About Taste of the NFL
Taste of the NFL (TNFL) is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to raising awareness and funds for hunger relief organizations in the 32 NFL cities and across the country. Proudly celebrating its 27th anniversary at Super Bowl LII, the organization conducts national and local fundraising events throughout the year, culminating in the annual Party with a Purpose on Super Bowl Eve. Since its inception, Taste of the NFL has raised more than $25 million, which has provided over 200 million meals for Americans. 100% of proceeds raised go directly to supporting food banks in each of the 32 NFL cities. For more information, visit TasteoftheNFL.com.
Cleveland hosted its first local Taste of the NFL in 1999, coinciding with the return of the Cleveland Browns. In addition to Cleveland, at least seven other NFL teams and the Pro Football Hall of Fame host their own local Taste of the NFL. The event name was modified in 2010 among participating NFL teams in 2010 to reflect respective clubs and cities.
About the Cleveland Browns and Browns Give Back
The Browns Give Back to Northeast Ohio with a commitment to education and youth football while engaging the community through the team's signature First and Ten volunteer movement. For more information, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/brownsgiveback.
Education – A core focus of Browns Give Back is education, and the Cleveland Browns Foundation supports this mission through financial grants and other resources to local, education non-profits to ensure youth in Northeast Ohio receive the education and development they need as a foundation for independence and success. The Cleveland Browns Foundation has identified three areas of impact – school attendance, early learning and college and career readiness – with the goal of identifying opportunities, removing barriers and providing support for students to empower them for long-term success.
Youth Football – The Cleveland Browns are committed to assisting the development, safety and growth of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other initiatives, the Browns' goal is to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education.
First and Ten – Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community. To date, nearly 2 million hours of volunteering have been pledged through First and Ten. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10.
