One of the events I will be participating in during Super Bowl week is the annual Taste of the NFL. Celebrating its 18th anniversary, this is one of the hottest tickets in town during every Super Bowl. The Taste was started by a wonderful man named Wayne Kostroski and he still heads the event today. Top chefs from each of the NFL team cities are joined by current and retired NFL players and a variety of celebrities. The chefs, each of whom is joined by a player, whip up a selection of tasty dishes for the evenings guests who are free to sample the food, drink the fantastic selection of wines on hand, bid on incredible auction items and meet and greet the players on hand. The evening is completed with some great entertainment and everyone has a fantastic time. The goal? To raise money to help fight hunger in America. The proceeds from the evening are donated to a variety of causes locally and nationally, beginning with one that’s specifically affiliated with the Super Bowl host city – this year it will be Second Harvest of Tampa Bay. Since it’s inception, the Taste of the NFL has raised more than $8 million in an effort to help tackle hunger and homelessness.
I am proud to have taken part in the last four Taste of the NFL events. Once again this year, we’ll be bringing my entire Super Bowl/NFL art collection to the Taste. I’ll do a free poster signing and we’ll have the artwork available for sale with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Taste. This year’s event takes place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and features an appearance by Tom Colocchio of Bravo’s “Top Chefs” and entertainment by the legendary Max Weinberg and the Weinberg 7. If you’re going to be in town, this is one event you definitely don’t want to miss. The food is incredible! Trust me on that one! I hope to see you there. You can get more information and purchase tickets at www.tasteofthenfl.com
