Cuisinart® Announces Official Sponsorship of The Westport Young Woman's League Grants Awards Luncheon Featuring Celebrity Chef and Guest Speaker Lidia Bastianich

WESTPORT, Conn., April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuisinart^®, the popular home cookware and counter-top kitchen appliance division of Conair LLC based in Stamford, Connecticut, has announced today that it is the official sponsor of "Lunch with Lidia" - the 2024 Grants Awards Luncheon of the Westport Young Woman's League (WYWL), featuring celebrity chef and guest speaker Lidia Bastianich. The fundraiser luncheon will be held on April 29, 2024, from 11:30 am – 2:30pm at the beautiful Branson Hall at Christ & Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane in Westport, CT.

Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, best-selling cookbook author, successful restaurateur and the owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. She has published numerous cookbooks co-authored with her daughter, Tanya, and companion books to her Emmy-winning television series Lidia's Kitchen, Lidia's Italy in America, and Lidia's Italy. Among the numerous awards and accolades, Lidia has earned seven James Beard Awards (Outstanding Chef, Television Food Show, Best Chef's in America, Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, Specials 2016, 2017 and 2018) and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Culinary Host (2013 and 2018). In 2022, Lidia received the Silver Award from APT for 25 years on Public Television.

Lidia Bastianich expressed her enthusiasm about the Luncheon stating, "It is my pleasure to join The Westport Young Woman's League for their Grants Lunch gala. I recall being a young immigrant to the United States and how our caring neighbors and local organizations gave my family support and advice while starting our new life. I know firsthand the impact of such generosity and the power of community in cultivating a successful future. It is my pleasure to be part of such a wonderful cause."

The luncheon event is a new fundraiser of the WYWL, a nonprofit philanthropic organization based in Westport, CT since 1956 that also hosts the popular Minute Man Road Race and CraftWestport, their longstanding Westport-based fundraisers that support their community grants program.

"Each year, the WYWL grants program awards money to the most deserving nonprofits in lower Fairfield County who demonstrate a worthy project or need that aligns with one of three categories we support, namely: providing good health and well-being to the community, providing quality educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth and supporting underserved women with little to no means," said Julianne Bochinski, Grants Director for the WYWL and also Chief Trademark Counsel for Conair, LLC. 

"The luncheon promises to be a special curated culinary experience featuring select recipes from Lidia Bastianich herself. Guests will enjoy what we are calling 'an elegant rustic lunch in Tuscany - Westport-style' as we raise our glasses to celebrate the work of our wonderful 2024 Grants Award recipients," Julianne Bochinski continued.

The lunch will begin with a one-hour reception for VIP ticket holders, who will get to chat with Lidia Bastianich, take photos, receive a personalized autographed copy of Lidia's latest book, "Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours," and enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres followed by lunch in the main hall. General Admission ticket holders will enjoy lunch in the main hall featuring Lidia as guest speaker and will be eligible to purchase and receive a personalized autographed copy of Lidia's book.

In addition, all guests will receive an Italian cuisine themed gift from Cuisinart and are invited to purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a Cuisinart® Custom 14-cup food processor that is currently the #1 Cuisinart^® top selling food processor and ideal for making homemade pizza and pasta dough, pesto, sauce, shredding cheese, and more.

"Cuisinart is thrilled to sponsor this wonderful cuisine-centric fundraiser that will bring the community together to support a cause that benefits some truly worthwhile local nonprofits right here in lower Fairfield County," said Shawn Killeen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cuisinart^® Electrics.

Since the inception of The Westport Young Woman's League they have provided grants totaling close to $5 million to nonprofits in lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, with over half that amount distributed in the past decade alone. Net ticket sale proceeds from "Lunch with Lidia" - the WYWL Grants Awards Luncheon event sponsored by Cuisinart® - will go directly into the WYWL community grants program to be awarded to future grant award winners. The 2024 WYWL Grant Award winners are: A Better Chance Westport, Caroline House, McGivney Community Center, CLASP Homes, Circle of Care, Club 203, Circle of Friends, the Levitt Pavilion and the Westport Farmer's Market.

VIP Tickets are available for purchase at $300 each and General Admission Tickets are $175 each. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, please visit: wywl.com.

About Cuisinart® 

Cuisinart is a leading kitchen appliance manufacturer founded in 1971 by Carl Sontheimer. Since introducing the very first electric food processor to the consumer in the US market 50 years ago, Cuisinart has become synonymous with quality and innovation when it comes to kitchen products. The Cuisinart brand offers a wide variety of kitchen products, air fryers, coffee makers to cookware and cutlery. Through Cuisinart's brand vision of Feeding Imagination, each high-quality product designed to last is rooted in creating enjoyable experiences for professional chefs and home cooks alike. A Cuisinart product at the heart of every home allows consumers to carve out their own unique way of cooking and the confidence to take their creative imagination to another culinary level. Below are some of Cuisinart's latest products. To learn more about Cuisinart's full product offerings, please visit: www.cuisinart.com and follow @cuisinart on Instagram.

SOURCE Cuisinart