The third annual Top Chefs of Northern Westchester, which brings together fine restaurants throughout the region, raised nearly $13,000 for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Teach Me to Fish…Work Skills for Life initiative.
On June 14, chefs from top restaurants throughout Westchester convened at Mount Kisco Country Club for an epicurean evening supporting the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. The event, the third annual Top Chefs of Northern Westchester, raised nearly $13,000 for the organization’s Teach Me to Fish…Work Skills for Life initiative.
The event raised critical funds for Teach Me to Fish programming, which strives to help youth, people with disabilities, and individuals who have been unemployed for some time to adapt to the changing employment landscape. The initiative–which has trained nearly 800 residents for today’s workforce-delivers workforce training and employment opportunities through four local agencies: the Urban League of Westchester; Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Teachers; Careers for People with Disabilities; and Family Service Society of Yonkers.
The need for these training services is especially pertinent in Westchester County, where the population is older than the national average, says Seth Berman, director of Family Service Society of Yonkers, a nonprofit that provides free training and job placement for those in the home health care profession. Berman says his organization struggled to meet the high demand for training prior to partnering with Teach Me to Fish. Now, though, the organization holds five or six sessions and trains up to 100 people annually.
Included in the evening’s fundraising was a donation of $4,000 from Entergy, one of the event sponsors, to support the United Way’s early childhood education efforts.
Top Chef attendees were treated to signature dishes and other delectable edibles from restaurants including 42 Restaurant of White Plains, Bellizi of Mount Kisco, Crabtree’s Kittle House of Chappaqua, and Le Chateau of South Salem, along with fine wines from around the world courtesy of Chappaqua’s Hilltop Wines & Spirits and Pleasantville’s Captain Lawrence Brewing Company.
