Last week we were honored to host our 8th annual fundraiser, Nourish. It is a time looked forward to by many as we have the opportunity to share joy and connection over a meticulously planned and prepared meal. Nourish is not just a fundraiser but a time to celebrate our accomplishments with our friends, volunteers, community members and biggest supporters. Additionally, Nourish, like each of the meals we create and share from our kitchen is a chance to build relationships with those across the table and build a community of compassion, solidarity, and belonging. As Tallu Schuyler said that evening in her speech “I’ve been told that who we eat with is who we humanize. And this is how food can break down barriers between us and plant seeds of belonging in their place.”
Nourish 2018 Chefs
Roasted Vegetable Chaat
We are incredibly thankful for the beautiful meals prepared by the events very talented chefs. The meal was comprised of 5 courses, each carefully crafted by a different local chef.
Maneet Chauhan
Chauhan Ale & Masala House
First Course - Roasted Vegetable Chaat
Bhutanese-Style Ema Datshi with Shrimp
Rahaf Amer
Former Chef at Salt and Vine
Second Course - Bhutanese-Style Ema Datshi with Shrimp
Hrant Arakelian
Lyra
Third Course - Beef Kibbeh Meatballs with Date Butter & Red Pepper Shatta Sauce
Beef Kibbeh Meatballs with Date Butter & Red Pepper Shatta Sauce
Norma Paz
Las Paletas
Palate Cleansers - Cucumber with Chili Paleta and Raspberry-Lime Paleta
Dessert - Clementine organge with Basil Paleta, Mexican Caramel Paleta, Corn Paleta
Karla Ruiz
Karla's Catering & The Women's Club of Nashville
Hors D'Oeurves - Empanadas with Noble Springs Goat Cheese & Chorizo or Spinach, BLT Crostini with Chipotle Aioli & Local Basil Pesto
The People Behind It All - Nourish 2018 Committee
Jennifer Justus, a long time friend to The Nashville Food Project, was the 2018 Chair of Nourish. Jennifer poured herself into this year’s event, assembling our lineup of chefs, securing auction items, and leveraging her relationships to bolster our ability to raise funds to support our mission.
In addition to Jennifer, we had a small but mighty Nourish committee of three--beloved board members—Charmion Gustke Hearn, Courtney Keenan, and Jennifer Anthony Waller—who solicited auction items and helped with overall planning.
Thomas Williams Golden Skillet Award Winner
Photo Courtesy of Judy Wright
Congratulations to Judy Wright, this year's Thomas Williams Golden Skill Award Winner.
Last year we unveiled an award established in honor of one of our founding board members who created this yearly celebration we call Nourish – Thomas Williams. He has been a board member for more than seven years and in that time he has introduced us to so many friends and supporters. Last year, in his honor, we established the Thomas Williams Golden Skillet Award to annually acknowledge someone who has boundlessly, beautifully supported The Nashville Food Project, beyond measure.
This year’s award recipient, Judy Wright, has done more than we can even name to advance our mission and solidify a base from which we do our work. She has been a champion of ours since the 2010 flood. She has involved her beloved Christ Church Cathedral in meaningful ways over the years, and secured enormous financial gifts of support on our behalf at different times of organizational growth. She has brought numerous friends into our kitchens to cook, her friends who quickly became ours too.Her passion for gardens, children, cooking education, and public health is contagious. She keeps an extraordinary blog and we readers are captivated by the way she draws us into her love and limitless curiosity for the living world. She’s constantly promoting our mission on social media, championing every new activity, discovery, celebration.
Thank you, Judy, for all that you do for The Nashville Food Project and the Nashville community!
Our Sponsors
Nourish would not be possible without sponsors and donors. We would like to thank the sponsors that supported Nourish this year.
This year we have three amazing Gold Level Sponsors:
Jackson National
First TN Foundation
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Thank you to our Supporting Sponsor:
Publix Supermarkets Charities
And finally a huge thank you to our two incredible In-Kind Sponsors:
Lipman Brothers (Beverage Donations)
Creation Gardens (Food Donations)
We are so grateful for the compassion and support that all of our sponsors have offered The Nashville Food Project.
We are so thankful to the wonderful community that supports us daily through volunteering, food donations, and financial contributions. To learn more about ways to donate visit thenashvillefoodproject.org.