Current mood:
rockin
BATALI, SPEEDWAY CHILDREN’S CHARITIES TEAMING UP FOR ASPHALT CHEF EVENT DURING NOVEMBER’S
AAA TEXAS 500 NASCAR TRIPLE-HEADER WEEKEND
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Batali Joined By Guy Fieri, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Tim
Love And Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen For Asphalt Chef Grilling
Competition
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Two-Day
Charity Affair Also Will Feature Batali’s Ultimate Tailgate Party
FORT WORTH, Texas (September 14, 2010) – Gentlemen, start your grills.
Superstar celebrity chef Mario Batali is teaming up with Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter to present the Asphalt Chef
cooking competition and his Ultimate Tailgate Party during November’s
AAA Texas 500 NASCAR triple-header weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Asphalt Chef will be the centerpiece of the
two-day charity drive, as the event scheduled for the evening of
Saturday, Nov. 6, will feature a dazzling line-up of celebrity chefs
paired with special NASCAR guests in a cooking competition poolside at
Texas Motor Speedway’s Lone Star Tower clubhouse.
Batali has recruited “Culinary Rock Star” Guy Fieri and “Iron
Chef” champion and Fort Worth resident Tim Love to join him as the
celebrity chefs that will compete head to head with some special
culinary assistance. Batali will partner with four-time defending NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Fieri will work with 2004
Sprint Cup Series champ Kurt Busch and Love will be paired with
Foreigner’s lead singer Kelly Hansen. ABC-TV/ESPN NASCAR pit reporter
Dave Burns, a self-admitted “foodie,” will serve as the emcee of the
event.
“Asphalt Chef is one of the coolest events I do all year,” said Batali, who won the inaugural Asphalt Chef
in 2008 with Sprint Cup driver Juan Pablo Montoya when it was a
media/sponsor event at Texas Motor Speedway. “What can be better than
teaming up with rock stars like Guy Fieri, Jimmie J. and Tim Love at the
amazing Texas Motor Speedway? The action’s incredible, the food is
killer and the proceeds go to charity so everyone really wins!”
“Mario has visited with us at Texas Motor Speedway on two
occasions and it has been a tremendous experience,” Texas Motor Speedway
President Eddie Gossage said. “We’re looking forward to partnering with
him on an exciting and fun two-day charity event like this that truly
has an all-star cast of guests. We’re hoping that this will be a hugely
successful event for the two charities it will benefit – Speedway
Children’s Charities and the Mario Batali Foundation.”
The format is modeled after the popular “Iron Chef” television show –
where the world’s premier chefs battle each other and the clock to earn
the ultimate bragging rights – but this event possesses a few wrinkles,
such as the team concept.
A secret ingredient will be unveiled just prior to the
competition and the teams will have five minutes to conceptualize a
recipe. They will then go head to head and will have 20 minutes to
produce a dish with the secret ingredient. The dishes will be presented
to a special judging panel, graded in various categories and the winning
team will receive an oversized, orange Mario Batali peppermill trophy
and $5,000 to be designated to their favorite charity.
The Asphalt Chef evening, which will run from 6-9 p.m. CT,
also will feature complimentary wine, beer and spirits as well as food,
including a special dish from each of the celebrity chefs as well as
live and silent auctions showcasing items and packages from the chefs,
drivers and sponsors of the event. Hansen, who performed with Foreigner
at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung Mobile 500 pre-race show in
2009, will be joined by band member and bassist Jeff Pilson, and the duo
will perform a few acoustic versions of their songs that evening.
On Sunday, Nov. 7, – race day for the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race – Batali will play host to Mario Batali’s Ultimate Tailgate Party
that also will be held poolside at the clubhouse. The party, which will
run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT, will feature complimentary food from
various major restaurants in the Metroplex as well as wine, beer and
spirits. Batali, Fieri and Love also will conduct cooking demonstrations
followed by a Q&A session with the guests.
A combination ticket is available for both Asphalt Chef and Mario Batali’s Ultimate Tailgate Party at $350. Individual tickets are $250 for Asphalt Chef and $150 for the Mario Batali’s Ultimate Tailgate Party.
Capacity is limited for both events. The events benefit Speedway
Children’s Charities and the Mario Batali Foundation and are tax
deductible.
In addition to fans having the opportunity to select
the secret ingredient, they also will be able to enjoy the “trash
talking” leading up to the event on the Facebook and twitter social
networking platforms of the three chefs. Fan who become friends of
Batali, Fieri and Love on Facebook or follow them on twitter will get to
enjoy posts and video clips from them in regard to the Asphalt Chef competition.
For tickets or additional information, please contact Speedway Children’s Charities at (817) 215-8421 or visit www.scctexas.org.
About Speedway Children’s Charities
The mission of Speedway Children’s Charities remains true to the ideals
it was founded upon in 1982: to care for children in educational,
financial, social or medical need in order to help them lead productive
lives. SCC provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations
throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision
is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle
they are facing. The Texas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities has
distributed has invested over $6.7 million in the local community since
it’s inception in 1997. For more information about SCC – Texas visit www.scctexas.org.
About The Mario Batali Foundation
“I firmly believe in the vast and immeasurable potential of all children
and see that it often goes untapped due to easily correctable
deficiencies in our social fabric. The rights to good health, literacy
and daily sustenance are inalienable to all regardless of race, creed,
birthright, privilege or situation and the guarantee of these simple
standards for all children is my objective.” – Mario Batali
Long before he was a household name, Mario Batali was a philanthropist.
Whether donating his time, services or dollars, Mario has been actively
involved in the charities close to his heart for many years to raise
awareness and support for children’s disease research and relief, and
hunger relief. Prompted by these philanthropic efforts, in 2008, Mario
launched the Mario Batali Foundation. The MBF strives to ensure that all
children are well read, well fed and well cared for. Please visit www.mariobatalifoundation.org for more information.
A
world without cancer is a world with more birthdays. Foreigner is
honored to join the American Cancer Society along with other
participating musicians with their campaign "Movement for More
Birthdays." 