Tag: El Pasoans Fighting Hunger

Family Meal Benefit dinner in El Paso to benefit El Pasoans Fighting Hunger

El Paso native chefs return home for an evening of cooking and camaraderie, all for a good cause. Photo: Google

On Sunday, November 13, ten chefs will return home to El Paso to host “Family Meal,” a special collaborative benefit dinner. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, a group actively procuring and distributing food to combat the hunger crisis in the region.

“El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network. The Food Bank is the distribution center for over 132 partner pantries across the borderland region and collaborative hub for hunger initiatives that assists in SNAP applications and nutrition education. EPFH also distributes healthy and nutritious food to 235 client choice mobile pantries, which provide food to underserved/unserved communities. We currently serve 200,000 food insecure people with 1 in every 3 children and 1 in every 4 adults unsure of where their next meal will come from.” -EPFH

The evening is designed to expose local and expat talent—chefs, artists, and musicians—while bringing El Paso natives together for an evening of cooking and camaraderie, all supporting a good cause. The event will be held at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing (1 Ardovinos Dr, Sunland Park, NM 88063), and tickets are available at elpasofamilymeal.com. Tickets for Family Meal are $250 per person and will include six courses in a family-style setting along with passed appetizers, wine pairings, coffee, and a chef demo.

“Family Meal is an important part of the day for restaurants. It is a way to bond with your family away from home. This benefit dinner, in turn, is meant to transform that experience and help our extended (local and migrant) families as well as bring to light the vast amount of talent and generosity this city has to offer. El Paso is one part of a large international and bi-national metropolis encompassing Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. What affects one family affects us all.” – Mixtli Chef Rico Torres

Confirmed chefs include:
Rico Torres, Founder, Food and Wine Best New Chef 2018, James Beard Best Chef Semi-Finalist 2019, Best Restaurant 2022, Mixtli (San Antonio, TX)
Andre Natera, Author and Podcast Host, Chef’s PSA (Austin, TX)
Alan Delgado, Star Chefs Rising Star 2020, (New York, NY)
Gabe Erales, Top Chef-18 Winner, Bacalar, (Austin, TX)
Jaime Daniel Calleros, Executive Chef, Ardovino’s Desert Crossing (Sunland Park, NM)
Jake Rojas, Tallulah’s Taqueria (Providence, RI)
Omar Flores, James Beard Semi-Finalist Best New Restaurant 2013, Best Chef Southwest 2015, 2016, Whistle Britches and Muchacho (Dallas, TX)
Melissa Valenzuela, Mixtli, (San Antonio, TX)
Andres Padilla, Chicago Tribune’s Dining Out Award 2015, Opening Executive Chef at Plaza Hotel/Ambar 2020, Culinary Director of Cruz Blanca (Chicago, IL)
Emiliano Marentes, James Beard Outstanding Chef Semi-Finalist 2022, El Emi, (El Paso, TX)

The Native El Paso chefs will return for a weekend of camaraderie and cooking under the scenic landscapes at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, which features views of all three cities. The evening will include live-fire cooking, wine, specialty cocktails, live music, plus a special Chef Demo from Top Chef-18 Winner, Gabe Erales. The event will also feature a live auction, farewell coffee service, and a photo opportunity with the talent.

Taco Cabana to donate to Texas food banks this holiday season

Taco Cabana is giving back to the community this holiday season. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.

This holiday season, Taco Cabana will donate a total of $25,000 to area food banks across the state to help feed Texans in need. Following the sale of TC’s popular Halloween Taco Treats For A Cause coupon booklets, which featured five free classic bean and cheese tacos, 100% of proceeds will be distributed to major food banks in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas Fort-Worth, and El Paso. (Taco Cabana, 2021)

“Taco Cabana is proud to be a Texas-based brand and a growing presence across the state of Texas. It’s very important to us that we give back to the communities that support us every day. We’re happy to be able to donate and help our fellow Texans, especially during the holiday season.” – Ulyses Camacho, Chief Operating Officer, Taco Cabana

The holidays typically bring a greater demand and need at food banks, and these donations are expected to provide meals for thousands of families across the Lone Star State. Each organization will receive $5,000 this holiday season, including the San Antonio Food Bank, Central Texas Food Bank, Houston Food Bank, North Texas Food Bank, and El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.

See below for a list of the food banks receiving donations and for additional information about individual giving.

San Antonio Food Bank
5200 Enrique M. Barrera Pkwy
San Antonio, TX 78227

The San Antonio Food Bank is a 501c3 non‐profit organization providing millions of pounds of food to over 530 charitable organizations in Southwest Texas serving those in need. In addition to food distribution, the San Antonio Food Bank provides numerous programs that not only solve the immediate problems of hunger, but help individuals and families gain long‐term food security.

Central Texas Food Bank
6500 Metropolis Dr.
Austin, TX 78744

The mission of the Central Texas Food Bank is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger. Founded in 1981, the Food Bank provides food and grocery products through a network of nearly 300 Partner Agencies and nutrition programs, serving nearly 65,000 people every week. Headquartered in Austin, the Food Bank serves 21 counties in Central Texas, an area about twice the size of Massachusetts.

Houston Food Bank
535 Portwall St.
Houston, TX 77029

Houston Food Bank’s mission is to provide food for better lives. In the last fiscal year, which includes COVID-19 response, we provided access to 207 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast Texas through our more than 1,800 community partners of food pantries, soup kitchens, social service providers and schools. Filling gaps on plates, we have a strong focus on healthy foods and fresh produce. In collaboration with our community, we advocate for policy change and racial equity, and promote dialogue on ways to increase access to food and to improve the lives of those in our communities, including services and connections to programs that address the root causes of hunger and are aimed at helping families achieve long-term stability: nutrition education, job training, health management, and help with securing state-funded assistance. 

North Texas Food Bank
3677 Mapleshade Ln.
Plano, TX 75075

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes food through a network of more than 200 Partner Agencies across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also provides food to children, seniors and families through various direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries. In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than 125 million nutritious meals, a 28% percent increase over the prior year. In response to the ongoing elevated hunger crisis, the organization has launched a $500 million campaign, Nourish North Texas, to provide more food for today and hope for tomorrow by addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger
9541 Plaza Cir.
El Paso, TX 79927

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network. In 2020, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger distributed 139.7 million pounds of food, making us the third-largest food bank in the nation in terms of distribution, behind Houston and Los Angeles. EPFH commits to making sure no one goes hungry.

Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of YTC Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, burritos, tacos, flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of beer and $2 tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up and delivery. As of November 1, 2021, Taco Cabana operates 142 company-owned restaurants in Texas.