Chefs for Life
When solidarity meets food
is a new project, which is taking its first steps in the charity world, but the overwhelming enthusiasm with which it has been greeted allows us to limpse important developments for the future.
What is it about? CHEFS FOR LIFE is a solidarity group that aims to raise funds to support entities or associations that carry out activities of great social importance and health care, primarily for the benefit of children.
How? Through the creation of evening events and initiatives in exclusive locations where the most important Chefs and Pastry Chefs on the Italian and international culinary scene come together and network. The essential value of food is made concrete in visible terms; through sharing and the pleasure of cooking something special together. A creative act that is good for others too.
How Chefs for Life was born
The CHEFS FOR LIFE universe was born from an idea of Diego Toscani, CEO of Promotica, and Chef Ljubica Komlenic, who – almost as a joke – united for the first time in March 2019 their passion for cooking and their desire to help others at a star-studded dinner at the Carlo Magno restaurant in Brescia. The results almost surprised them, with 20,000 euros collected for the paediatric ward of the Spedali Civili di Brescia, 250 guests, 80 illustrious Chefs and Pastry Chefs who made their professionalism available free of charge.
Diego and Ljubica have not stopped since, and so far there have been 9 events, 3 of them abroad (Croatia, Bosnia, Hong Kong), with a total of 2000 guests and the total involvement of 200 Chefs and Pastry Chefs, including: Iginio and Debora Massari, Bobo Cerea (three Michelin stars), Gennaro Esposito (Michelin Award 2020 Chef Mentor, two Michelin stars), Philippe Leveillè, Franco Pepe, Giuliana Germiniasi, Beppe Maffioli.
Solidarity in first place
But more important than their names is the solidarity aspect of their work. Through these stellar dinners, funds have been raised to directly benefit children in a variety of ways, from hospital care to education, nutrition and support in children’s homes.
In particular, support was given to the Children’s Hospital of the Spedali Civili di Brescia, the Centre for the visually impaired in Brescia, two schools in Bosnia and Croatia and an association that welcomes children and assists them in their studies in Hong Kong. The CHEFS FOR LIFE team is proud to have contributed to the paediatric MRI project of the Spedali Civili di Brescia inaugurated on 9 January this year, where some of the Chefs came wearing a new jacket designed for the occasion with a rainbow heart on their back.
Plans for the future
There are many plans for the future and requests for collaboration, which we hope to be able to implement as soon as possible.
On site there are also some lines of CHEFS FOR LIFE brand kitchen products that customers can include in their catalogues and promotions. The idea is to promote a healthy lifestyle, with utensils selected by Chefs and nutritionists for the proper treatment of food, spreading a food culture that puts health at the centre.
However, the theme of solidarity remains fundamental, with the idea of building projects together with our clients to support the various organisations they care about, involving local chefs and expanding the CHEFS FOR LIFE solidarity network.
