01 Feb VietHarvest celebrates first year of food rescue at its first-ever CEO CookOff in Vietnam
On the 3rd of June 2023, the Intercontinental Hotel Saigon opened its doors for VietHarvest’s first-ever CEO CookOff, celebrating its first ‘official’ year of food rescue, where supporters and partners came together for a magical evening to raise funds for an impactful cause. This special event also marked the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Australia and Vietnam’s bilateral relations.
The spectacular grand ballroom was converted into a pop-up restaurant where business leaders and chefs came together to showcase their culinary skills and raise funds for VietHarvest’s work in food rescue and feeding underserved communities in Vietnam, based on the unique OzHarvest food rescue model from Australia.
The CEO CookOff was an exclusive event where over 40 CEOs and business owners cooked alongside 10 of Vietnam’s and Australia’s top chefs to curate a 3-course meal for over 150 guests from social impact organisations and local heroes from charities. It was a night filled with great laughs, heartwarming conversations, mouth-watering food and pure joy.
Guests were treated to an evening of exquisite food and a lively atmosphere. The CEO CookOff not only showcased the culinary skills of these talented chefs but through the efforts of business leaders also raised funds to support VietHarvest’s mission of reducing food waste and alleviating hunger.
In addition to cooking for our guests, our chefs also prepared and packaged 200 delicious meals for underserved communities. It was heartwarming to see the smiles light up on their faces when they received these packages.
All funds raised at this event will enable VietHarvest to minimise food waste and expand its food rescue mission to HCMC after successfully launching in Hanoi in 2022. By the end of 2023, VietHarvest has delivered nearly 40,000 meals to underserved communities in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Together we are creating impact one meal at a time. In doing so, we help to Nourish Our Community in Vietnam and help combat food waste and hunger. At VietHarvest, we believe that giving back to those in need is an integral part of our mission, and we are grateful to all of those who helped make this event possible. Together, we can make a positive change and create a brighter future for all.
A huge thank you to our partners listed here for making this event possible:
https://ceocookoff.
Here are some other stats:
– $47,000 USD raised
– 150 charity and social impact guests served 3 course meal
– 10 Ambassador Chefs
– 40 CEOs
– 200 meals packed
– 200 desserts packed
– 200 compostable tasting spoons
– 250 kilos of ingredients
– 36 banqueting staff
– 31 hospitality volunteers from KOTO Social Enterprise Her Turn Program
– 30 VietHarvest volunteers from Sydney, Melbourne, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi