Six of Milwaukee's most recognizable chefs will trade their own kitchens for a shared one this month, cooking side by side with student-chefs from FoodRight for a brunch meant to raise money for a program that teaches local kids how to cook, garden and eat well. The inaugural Forks & Futures fundraiser is set for Sunday, September 27, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Described by the nonprofit as its first-ever event of this kind, Forks & Futures is billed as bringing together Milwaukee's most celebrated chefs, student-chefs and community leaders for one brunch benefiting culinary nutrition education, according to FoodRight. Tickets are priced at $180 per person, and sponsorships include a reserved table for 10 guests, per the nonprofit's event page. The gathering is planned for the Woman's Club of Wisconsin at 813 E. Kilbourn Avenue, as first reported by OnMilwaukee.
Chefs and Student-Chefs Share the Stove
The roster of participating chefs includes Imani Graham of Mentionables Eats, Karen Bell of Bavette la Boucherie, Dana Spandet of Flour Girl and Flame, Gregory Leon of Amilinda, AJ Dixon of Lazy Susan, and Justin Aprahamian of Sanford, according to Radio Milwaukee. Each will work in the kitchen alongside FoodRight student-chefs, pairing professional technique with the young cooks the nonprofit trains in its programs. The brunch menu will include dishes contributed by each of the six chefs, and the program will include remarks from FoodRight graduates as well as stories from students and families whose lives have been touched by the organization's work, per the same event listing.
FoodRight is a Milwaukee organization that has spent more than a decade giving local youth and their families tools to build healthier relationships with food, OnMilwaukee reports. Its Youth Chef Academy provides hands-on culinary nutrition and gardening education inside Milwaukee schools, teaching students how to grow food, cook meals and make nutritious choices, according to foodright.org. The nonprofit describes its mission as empowering youth to choose foods that support lifelong health, and organizers say the skills students pick up are meant to travel home with them to their families.
Bidding on Nights in Milwaukee's Kitchens
Beyond the meal itself, Forks & Futures will run both live and silent auctions featuring what FoodRight calls exclusive experiences unavailable anywhere else. One of the highlighted items is an intimate dinner for six with Chef Gregory León, who will open Amilinda exclusively for the winning party on a night the restaurant is normally closed, according to FoodRight's event page. Another lets the winning bidders bring the meal home: Chef AJ Dixon will travel to a guest's house to prepare a custom dinner for six.
Chef Karen Bell is offering a private cooking class for six at FoodRight's Teaching Kitchen, while Chef Dana Spandet will host a hands-on pizza workshop for 8 to 12 guests at Flour Girl & Flame's West Allis shop, per the nonprofit's listing. Radio Milwaukee's calendar entry also notes that bidders can compete for a dinner for six cooked by a professional chef inside the winner's own home, one of several one-of-a-kind items organizers say guests will not find anywhere else. Attendees will additionally have the chance to win raffle prizes donated by local businesses.
Where the Money Goes
Forks & Futures is intended to benefit FoodRight and help Milwaukee youth, according to foodright.org. Organizers frame the brunch as a way for the community to invest directly in the kind of practical, everyday skills the nonprofit's student-chefs are learning in the kitchen and the classroom.
