Good Causes: Chef's Best For Food & Friends

Here's another chance to put your food obsession to good work. The 19th annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction will bring together more than 50 chefs on Monday, June 1 at the Hilton Washington to raise funds for Food & Friends.

Guests will sample food prepared by some of the region’s brightest culinary stars, including Patrick O'Connell of The Inn at Little Washington, Geoff Tracy of Chef Geoff's, Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar, K.N. Vinod of Indique, and RJ Cooper of Vidalia.

A live auction will feature packages ranging from travel opportunities in Hawaii and Lake Tahoe to a cooking class with Patrick O'Connell to dinner for six at home cooked by Granville Moore's chef Teddy Folkman, a contestant on the "Next Food Network Star."

Tickets ($225 for individuals), tables and sponsorships for Chef’s Best are available for purchase here. Doors open at 6:30 pm for the silent auction and tasting event, with live auction bidding starting around 8:30 pm.

Proceeds from the Chef’s Best fundraiser support Food & Friends’ mission to create not only life-sustaining nutrition but also hope that changes the lives of those facing HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses in immeasurable ways. In 2008, guests at Chef's Best helped to deliver 913,000 meals to 2,679 children and adults in the District, seven counties of Maryland and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia.