Introducing The Taste Of The NFL Chefs For The Super Bowl LV

TAMPA, FL — Celebrating its 30th anniversary in February when Super Bowl LV comes to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the Taste of NFL, one of the many charity events surrounding the Super Bowl, will host a virtual event this year to raise funds to combat food insecurity.

Featuring top chefs, including Carla Hall, Andrew Zimmern and Tim Love, as well as NFL players and celebrities, the February event invites NFL and foodies to participate in an at-home virtual culinary experience with proceeds benefitting efforts to feed the nation’s kids.

This year, the National Football League will partner with the nonprofit GENYOUth for Taste of the NFL, one of its largest sanctioned charity events associated with the Super Bowl. The event was founded in 1992 by Wayne Kostroski, the 2010 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year.

"GENYOUth, a long-time partner of the NFL through its Fuel Up To Play 60 and NFL FLAG-In-Schools youth health and wellness programs with America's Dairy Farmers, has done remarkable work in raising tens of millions of dollars to feed our nation's kids in schools across America," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President of Club Business and League Events. "With their program footprint in over 73,000 U.S. schools and relentless commitment to fighting hunger among youth, GENYOUth was the ideal choice to be our nonprofit partner for Taste of the NFL."

"GENYOUth is proud to be partnering with the NFL to take this remarkable platform to the next level with a new twist for Super Bowl LV – A Taste of the NFL at Home virtual culinary experience – to support the one in four children in America who are food insecure," said Alexis Glick, CEO of GENYOUth. "It is a privilege to be named by the NFL as their nonprofit partner for Taste of the NFL, which directly aligns with our organization's mission to create healthier school communities by providing needed resources and equipment so schools can deliver healthy meals to the 30 million students who depend on school meals daily."

"We all need to do our part to provide vital resources to the most vulnerable kids in our communities, and that's what Taste of the NFL is all about – a reminder that we cannot take one meal for granted," said TV host, cookbook author and GENYOUth board member Carla Hall.

Planning is underway for Taste of the NFL 2021 with the NFL, Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee, GENYOUth and culinary experts to create a virtual Taste of the NFL at Home event that incorporates health and safety guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NFL and the host committee.

"Hosted by Emmy award-winning chefs, NFL players, celebrities and influencers from NFL club markets, I know from first-hand experience that guests will enjoy an incredible interactive experience that is guaranteed to satisfy your appetite to do good, eat well and make a true difference in helping to feed our nation's kids," said Andrew Zimmern, award-winning TV personality, chef and veteran Taste of the NFL Culinary host.

A four-time James Beard winner, Zimmern is host of MSNBC's "What’s Eating America." He's also the creator, executive producer and host of the Travel Channel’s "Bizarre Foods" franchise, "Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food" and the Emmy award-winning "The Zimmern List."

"I am so excited to be a part of the Taste of the NFL at Home event and believe we can all play an important role in tackling food insecurity – I am ready to cook for good," said renowned Texas chef Tim Love, founder of the historic White Elephant Saloon, the Love Shack, the Woodshed Smokehouse, as well as his flagship restaurant Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth.

"We are excited to work with the NFL and purpose-driven companies and brands who are stepping up and leading the way by working together to help fight food insecurity in the wake of the pandemic," said Maureen Bausch, GENYOUth chief development and partnership officer, and former CEO of the Minneapolis Super Bowl LII Host Committee. "With the 30th anniversary of the Taste of the NFL, we have an opportunity to reimagine and elevate this storied platform around the Super Bowl LV in Tampa next year, and in Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI in 2022. We look forward to working with the NFL and its partners to help support the fight against hunger among our nation's youth."

Since 1992, and every year since, Taste of the NFL has teamed up with many of the country's top chefs and the NFL's greatest players to raise money in support of food banks and food insecurity efforts throughout the United States. To date, Taste of the NFL programs and events have raised and donated millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations addressing food insecurity in Super Bowl Host cities and the 32 NFL Club markets, providing more than an estimated 220 million meals for Americans in need.