Captured Event

October, 13 2008 - Taste of the NFL Benefits St. Louis Area Foodbank

What: Great food, lots of NFL stars, all for a great cause!

Where: St. Louis Area Foodbank

When: October 13, 2008

Time: 6:00 PM

Ticket Prices: $175 per person or $1,500 for a 10-pack

Beneficiary: St. Louis Area Foodbank

Host(s): St. Louis Rams Football

Presenting Sponsor(s): Edward Jones and Boeing

Gala Chairperson(s): St. Louis Rams players: La’Roi Glover and Chris Long

Executive Director: Frank Finnegan

President(s): John Van Gels, board chair

Staff: Frank Finnegan, executive director | Matt Dace, assistant director | Verletta Cole, manager,

Libations: Anheuser-Busch and Bethlehem Valley Vineyards

Sponsors: American Airlines, Aramark, Group4 Material Inc., PFG: Performance Food Group, St. Louis Rams, and UPS.

Attire: Business Casual

Information: Matt Dace 314-383-3335

Board of Directors: President: John Van Gels, The Boeing Company; Executive Vice-President: Buck Fetters, HR Consultant; Vice-President: Michael Tierney, Attorney at Law; Vice-President: Mary Cronin-Doyle, WellPoint; Treasurer: Timothy Hayden, Summit Strategies Group; Secretary: Gerald Schmid, The Young Group; Rick Bosworth, ReproMAX; R. David Bray, U.S. Bank Private Client Group; Keely Fimbres, St. Louis Rams; Ron Gorgen, Edward Jones; Melanie D. Lewis, PepsiAmericas, Inc.; Christopher McDonough, ARAMARK Corporation; Lori Shaw, Community Volunteer; Andree Wallgren, Maritz, Inc.; and Ja'Ethel B. Williams, Emerson.

Blacktie Photos by: Harry R. Bean

Chris Long, Rams #72, Michael Derienzo, Alex Politis, LaRoi Glover, Rams #97
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Sixth Annual Taste of the NFL Benefits St. Louis Area Foodbank

Taste of the NFL, the Party with a Purpose®, is the premier food and wine tasting extravaganza held annually on the eve of Super Bowl in host cities. It features a top chef from each of the 31 NFL cities, paired with an alumnus or current player from each team. Attendees are able to sample specialty foods, meet the chefs, and take photos and get autographs from players. Super Bowl XLIII will be in Tampa Bay and The Taste of The NFL will be Saturday, January 31, 2009. Taste of the NFL exists to raise awareness and dollars for hunger relief organizations involved in tackling hunger in America.

St. Louis' Sixth Annual Taste of the NFL took place on Monday, October 13, 2008 at St. Louis Area Foodbank, 70 Corporate Woods Drive, just 2 miles north of Rams Park in Earth City. The event presented by Edward Jones and Boeing, was a food and wine-tasting extravaganza in which attendees were able to sample specialty foods prepared by some of the best restaurants and clubs throughout the St. Louis community, bid on unique items, and meet the chefs and Rams’ players.

Restaurants that were available for sampling included:  Bryan Young’s Catering Plus, Companion Baking, Dierdorf & Hart’s, Greenbriar Country Club, Lorusso’s Cucina, Vin de Set, Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, Cardwell’s at the Plaza, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Sunset Country Club, The Gateworth, Missouri Athletic Club, Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood, Bartolino Osteria, Bethlehem Valley Vineyards, and ARAMARK.

Chairs St. Louis Rams players La’Roi Glover and Chris Long and their fellow Rams teammates were on hand for the $175.00 per person event. More than $350,000 has been raised for the St. Louis Area Foodbank and St. Louis Sports Commission’s youth programs since the event began in 2003.

The St. Louis Area Foodbank. feeds hungry people by distributing food through its member agencies, and educates the public about the nature of and the solutions to the problems of hunger. The St. Louis Area Foodbank gathers and distributes nearly 13.4 million pounds of food each year to 500+ food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and emergency feeding programs throughout 14 counties in eastern Missouri and 12 counties in southwestern Illinois.

Each year, more than 5,000 volunteers spend more than 12,000 hours helping to sort and pack food. Area food companies and grocery stores donate food, as does the USDA and America's Second Harvest. Businesses, groups and individuals organize or contribute to successful food drives and provide an important part of the financial support to the survival of the St. Louis Area Foodbank.