Now Serving cooking up good via Oct. 21 F&B event
Let’s eat, drink and serve together! Now Serving, a Raleigh-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is brewing up an event to uplift the community and bridge the gap between food abundance and scarcity. Dubbed Now Serving Food + Wine, the culinary fest will take place Oct. 21 at Smoky Hollow, with a goal to continue bolstering the MO of the org: leveraging the power of food service to empower communities and bring solace to Raleigh neighbors in need.
“We think the restaurants and hospitality industries are really important, and at the same time we think that hunger is a problem that shouldn’t exist,” says Now Serving Executive Director Greg Lowenhagen. The nonprofit was founded as Sunday Supper in 2016, with its inaugural event gathering ~1,000 people on Fayetteville Street to raise $189,000 for the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund. The model adapted to “to directly support the most vulnerable among us.”
“The question is: How can we get our hospitality industry involved in a more efficient way to help fight that problem?” Lowenhagen adds. “We also want to help our partnered restaurants thrive in business. . … Our partnerships are a great way to tackle both things at once.”
Boiling up bunches of excitement, the Saturday soiree is slated to showcase a lineup of leading local chefs, restaurants and beverage brands from beloved spots such as Blackology Coffee Company, Hummingbird and Oak Steakhouse, to name but a few.
Attendees will also be treated to an outstanding selection of wines from distinguished wineries such as Donelan and Sangiacomo, among others. Craft beer lovers are in for a treat too, with offerings from R&D Brewing, while Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Young Hearts Distillery will be providing the spirits. And beyond the appetizing array of eats and drinks, fuel the fun-filled day with music and cooking demos to boot. With all the wonderful F&B collaborations, the celebration is sure to be a delicious one—but the cherry on top is that every ticket purchased directly supports meals for Now Serving’s six community agency partnerships: Brentwood Boys & Girls Club, Meals on Wheels Wake County, The Women’s Center, New Bethel Food Pantry, Lincoln Park Pantry and Solid Rock Ministry. Dining and drinking for a good cause never tasted so good!
