LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chase Sapphire Preferred®, a premier travel rewards card from Chase, in partnership with FOOD & WINE hosted the first-ever Chase Sapphire Preferred Chef Challenge, Thursday, August 21, at the fourth annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, presented by FOOD & WINE. Four chef superstars participated in a live competition to showcase their spin on street tacos and a cocktail, during the Ultimate Bites of L.A. walk-around tasting event, presented by Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Chefs Fabio Viviani and Ray Garcia were awarded the grand prize after impressing judges with mango chicharron chile relleno tacos. The team’s designated charity, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, received a $20,000 donation, courtesy of Chase Sapphire Preferred. Graham Elliot and Ben Ford were awarded $5,000 for their designated charity, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP).
Culinary host, Billy Harris, emceed the event, while Christina Grdovic, senior vice president and publisher at FOOD & WINE, David Bernahl, CEO at Coastal Luxury Management and co-founder of Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, and Justin Chapple, test kitchen senior editor at FOOD & WINE served on the judging panel.
“I am thrilled to be involved in the Chase Sapphire Preferred Chef Challenge to raise money in support of Los Angeles Regional Food Bank,” said chef Fabio Viviani. “I had a great time working alongside chef Ray Garcia to create a classic L.A. dish against chefs Graham Elliot and Ben Ford.”
The event was part of the annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, a four-day festival that showcases the finest in food and drink culture throughout Los Angeles and culinary personalities from around the country. The festival includes food and wine tastings, culinary demonstrations, live entertainment and more.
“Chase Sapphire Preferred is proud to partner with the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival and host the Chase Sapphire Preferred Chef Challenge,” said Lisa Walker, general manager, Chase Sapphire. “It’s inspiring to see four talented chefs come together and bring their professional experience and fierce competition to put on an amazing show for our cardmembers and raise money for the culinary community in Los Angeles.”
As a presenting sponsor of Ultimate Bites of L.A., Chase Sapphire cardmembers were first to purchase tickets before the general public and enjoyed VIP lounges, event speed lines and access to an exclusive luncheon and intimate meet-and-greets with chefs during the festival.
About Careers through Culinary Arts Program- Los Angeles
“Celebrating 25 years of transforming lives through culinary arts,” Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) works with public high schools across the country to prepare at-risk students for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry. C-CAP manages the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the United States and since inception has awarded high school students nationwide more than $43 million in scholarships and donated more than $3.1 million worth of supplies and equipment to classrooms. C-CAP Los Angeles partners with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.ccapinc.org.
About Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
For 41 years, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has worked to mobilize resources in the community to alleviate hunger. With a vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, the Food Bank has distributed 1 billion pounds of food since its inception. It provides food to 1 million people and in 2013 distributed 60 million pounds of food. The Food Bank collects food from hundreds of resources, which – with the help of 33,000 volunteers annually – it distributes through a network of more than 670 partner agencies at more than 1,000 distribution and program sites. In addition, 97 percent of monies raised and in-kind donations go directly to programs. Our efficiency and effectiveness led to the LA Business Journal to name the Food Bank as the “Nonprofit Organization of the Year” among large local organizations in 2013. For more information or to get involved, visit: www.lafoodbank.org.
About Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred is a premier rewards credit card for people who are passionate about travel and dining. With Sapphire Preferred you enjoy premium travel rewards and benefits with no travel restrictions or blackout dates on airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards, double points for every dollar spent on dining and travel, Chip and Signature for international travel and no foreign transaction fees, 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs, 24/7 live customer service, access to exclusive cardmember experiences and more. More information is available at www.chasesapphire.com/preferred.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves nearly half of America’s households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, small business lending, mortgages, credit cards, auto financing and investment advice. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,600 branches, 20,000 ATMs, online, mobile and by phone. For more information, go to www.chase.com.
About Los Angeles Food & Wine:
Now in its fourth year, the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, presented with generous support from founding partners FOOD & WINE, Lexus, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, JENN-AIR, Delta Airlines, is a four-day epicurean event showcasing the finest in food and drink culture throughout Los Angeles and culinary personalities from throughout the country. Set amid one of the country’s foremost cultural destinations along Grand Avenue, the event spans the city and offers guests the chance to sample the cuisines and products from some of the most prominent epicurean influencers, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the entertainment industry’s brightest talents. The star-studded lineup has included celebrated chefs such as Curtis Stone, Michael Chiarello, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Thomas Keller, Guy Fieri, and local favorites such as Rory Herrmann, Michael Voltaggio, Matsuhisa Nobu and Sang Yoon. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.lafw.com or call 855.433.LAFW.
