As fans and hopeful athletes arrive in Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern and a host of NFL legends will offer a one-of-a-kind dinner — for a good cause.
Twenty Local Restaurants, One Very Big Meal for the NFL’s Taste of the Draft
The Taste of the Draft, a second-year event held the night before the NFL Draft, invites more than 20 restaurants to prepare signature dishes in a philanthropic smorgasbord.
Held at PNC Plaza, the event is set to feature a variety of Pittsburgh restaurants and institutions, including Chengdu Gourmet, Palm Palm, Primanti Bros., the Original Oyster House, Con Alma, and DiAnoia’s Eatery.
Cheryl Johnson, owner of Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe in Braddock, will be bringing her signature sweet potato pie to the Taste of the Draft. “It’s a 100-year-old recipe that came from my grandmother. I’ve tweaked it, of course, over the years,” Johnson says. “And we’ve just introduced a new pie, which we call the Gen 4 — it’s a smaller version of our pie.”
Johnson says that the NFL selected her and other regional restaurants after an exhaustive process; “you had to come to the meetings and tell your story.” She’s excited, she says, to see what — and who — will be a part of the event.
“They bring guest chefs. Andrew Zimmern is going to be there, and a couple of other ones too — they don’t tell us everything, either! That’s part of the surprise.”
Benefitting Student Hunger Efforts from GENYOUth
Taste of the Draft will benefit GENYOUth, a national nonprofit dedicated to student hunger (learn more about student food insecurity) and physical activity. Grants form GENYOUth tied to the NFL Draft are expected to benefit more than 50,000 students at 91 schools in Western Pennsylvania, providing approximately 13 million in-school meals.
The cause is important to Johnson, and also not the first time that Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe has fought food insecurity.
“We had a contract with United Way [during COVID] and we fed close to 10,000 people … We were at different housing complexes on the east side of Pittsburgh, and we delivered three times a week.
“When we would drive into these communities with our vans … people would run to us, because they knew that they were getting something they were going to eat,” Johnson adds. “It’s always about the young people. It’s about giving back to them from my heart.”
Taste of the Draft runs from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Limited tickets are still available.
(Note: Due to a conflict, Andrew Zimmern was forced to cancel his appearance. NFL legend Doug Flutie will be hosting Taste of the Draft in his stead.)
Story by Sean Collier
Featured Photo from Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe
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