Super Bowl LIX's Largest Philanthropic Event, Presented by Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation, Spices Up New Orleans with Culinary Masters, NFL Gridiron Greats, Captivating Entertainment, and a Passion for Purpose
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prepare to indulge your taste buds while making a difference for America's youth! Taste of the NFL is spicing things up in the Big Easy with a Louisiana-inspired celebration of football, food, and philanthropy, all to support GENYOUth's mission to tackle student hunger and food insecurity. Presented by Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation, Taste of the NFL will be held during Super Bowl LIX Weekend – February 8, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CST, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
Featuring a stellar line-up of world-renowned chefs and homegrown culinary talent who have helped propel New Orleans to the top ranks of U.S. food destinations, Taste of the NFL will serve up a sophisticated, global blend of cuisines curated by event hosts, Chefs Andrew Zimmern, Carla Hall, Tim Love, Lasheeda Perry, and Mark Bucher; and over 20 locally loved Louisiana chefs representing New Orleans finest restaurants including Restaurant R'evolution, Brennan's, Rosedale, Restaurant August, Dooky Chase's Restaurant, Crawbabies, Zasu, Acme Oyster House, Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Medium Rare, Palace Café, Sticks N' Things, and Deelightful Roux School of Cooking; as well as Tamela Davis, celebrated New Orleans chef and wife of New Orleans Saints Player Demario Davis, who will also be in attendance along with Chef Ron Duprat, Circle House Coffee, Hellmann's, and Bayou Scratch Kitchen.
Taste of the NFL's game-day flavor will be further elevated by PepsiCo's Chef Steven Dominguez, Associate Research Chef and Culinary Lead, and Chef Charlene Gladden, Senior Research Chef and Culinary Lead; along with local food talents including Jackie Diaz of Jamaican Jerk House, Vyoone Lewis of Vyoone's, Serigne Mbaye of Dakar Nola, and Alfred Singleton of Café Sbisa, who all represent the PepsiCo Foundation's Restaurant Accelerator program, in partnership with the National Urban League. To date, the Restaurant Accelerator program has provided grants, training, and mentoring to 39 restaurants across the state of Louisiana. Additional Taste of the NFL culinary talent will include Chef Thomas Wenrich, Senior Director of Culinary at Tyson Foods; Chef John Capon, honorary Walmart big game chef, and Chef Justin Timineri, Certified Executive Chef at Fresh From Florida.
Adding gridiron sizzle to this unprecedented culinary gathering will be over 30 NFL Legends including Doug Flutie, Kyle Rudolph, Stephen Tulloch, Mark "Mighty Mouse" McMillian (who will also be at Taste of the NFL as a chef from Grillin' McMillian) and Demario Davis, among other NFL greats¹. Joining this illustrious group will be James "JB" Brown, host of "The NFL Today" on CBS. Taste of the NFL will also be sweetened by a special dessert-tasting area paired with ice-cold milk, curated by Taste of the NFL marquee chef Lasheeda Perry, and including delectables from Flava King NOLA, NoLa Cookie Co., Cupcake Fairies, Adrian's Bakery, Louisiana Pralines, Unikakes, Dough Nyuyerner's Bakery, and Grey Bird Bakery.
Taste of the NFL attendees will enjoy autograph-signing sessions with NFL greats¹, curated cocktails, a live auction for Super Bowl LIX tickets, a silent sports memorabilia auction, a unique fundraising "lunchbox" wall presented by Walmart, and special FEED gift bags sponsored by Lay's for all guests. Entertainment will be provided by talented musicians from Southern University, along with other surprise and delight moments. Second Harvest of Southeast Louisiana will support food recovery efforts.
Taste of the NFL will raise critical funds for GENYOUth's commitment to tackling food insecurity. Net proceeds will benefit GENYOUth's efforts to end student hunger by supporting school nutrition programs and delivering critical school meal equipment packages to high-need schools throughout Louisiana. In addition, Taste of the NFL proceeds will support school nutrition programs with equipment grants in all 32 NFL Club markets across the nation.
"Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation are thrilled to stand alongside GENYOUth in helping to make a real difference for children and families in need," said Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo North America. "PepsiCo is deeply committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve, and we're excited to partner once again with GENYOUth's Taste of the NFL event and its closely connected Super School Meals initiative. As part of our mission, we are dedicated to fighting food insecurity and improving access to nutrition across the country."
"With 1 in 5 U.S. children facing food insecurity, GENYOUth's mission to help all kids thrive through nutrition and physical activity is more urgent than ever," said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. "Schools nourish 30 million students daily with healthy meals including milk, fruit, vegetables, whole grain, and lean protein, but they need support. We are deeply grateful to America's Dairy Farmers, the NFL, and our purpose-driven partners for backing GENYOUth programs like Taste of the NFL and Super School Meals, ensuring hunger doesn't stand in the way of learning."
"The NFL is proud of our longstanding Super Bowl partnership with GENYOUth and our shared commitment to improving the health and well-being of America's youth," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, International & League Events. "This year, we are excited to embrace the rich culinary history of New Orleans at Taste of the NFL, bringing together the collective NFL family to raise vital funds to tackle food insecurity and provide school meals to children in Louisiana and across the country."
Taste of the NFL is made possible through the support of the NFL and presenting sponsors Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation; NFL sponsors Doritos®, Gallo, Lay's®, Pepsi Zero Sugar®, Tide®, and Tostitos®; GENYOUth End Student Hunger partners Undeniably Dairy, Dairy MAX, Walmart, Tyson Foods, Hellmann's®, HORMEL® Original Pepperoni, Totino's™ Pizza Rolls™, Oikos® Greek Yogurt, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Fresh From Florida program, Cox's Seafood, Cintas Corporation, Louisiana Seafood, Dunamis Premium Spirits, Lifeway Kefir, Charles Woodson's Intercept Wines, Hook's Cheese Company, FARE, FEED, The Times Picayune/NOLA.com, FOX 8, Yelp, and New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee.
Tickets to Taste of the NFL can be purchased at www.TasteoftheNFL.com or Ticketmaster.
¹ Additional confirmed appearances to date by NFL Legends and current players include Michael Bankston, Bobby Bell, David Caldwell, Chris Calloway, Bryon Chamberlin, Daryll Clark, Mike Collins, Rick Cunningham, Terrell Davis, Leger Douzable, Jonathan Grimes, Ken Harvey, Liffort Hobley, Darvell Huffman, Nick Lowery, Jason McCourty, Scooter McRuder, Jayice Pearson, Andre Reed, Mike Sherrard, Will Shields, Wesley Walker, Garret Wallow, Mike Wilson, and Eric Wright.
About Super School Meals
GENYOUth's Super School Meals is a community-based initiative that is equipping schools in high-need Louisiana communities with school meal equipment packages to tackle student hunger. With the support of partners including the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and Dairy MAX; and purpose-minded corporate sponsors Frito-Lay North America, The Quaker Oats Company, PepsiCo Foundation, Amazon Access, and Domino's Smart Slice, as well as through additional support from Impact 59, Entergy and Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Super School Meals is providing critical school meal equipment to increase school meal participation among Louisiana children, 1 of 4 of whom lives in food insecurity.
Taste of the NFL and GENYOUth
Founded in 1992 by Wayne Kostroski, Taste of the NFL has for 34 years been raising awareness and generating funds to fight hunger and food insecurity in Super Bowl host cities and the 32 NFL Club markets by teaming up with many of the country's top chefs and NFL's greatest players. 2025 marks the fifth year for GENYOUth as the event's charitable partner. Funds raised for GENYOUth by the 2024 Taste of the NFL in Las Vegas helped deliver a collective impact totaling $2.0 million and the delivery of 148 million school meals to food insecure students across the country.
"I am honored to serve as culinary host of Taste of the NFL in support of GENYOUth's mission to help nourish our nation's kids and tackle food insecurity. The fight for nutrition equity is close to my heart, and a daily endeavor for me. I invite everyone to attend Taste of the NFL, an event I have hosted for 20 years, and mingle with culinary masters and NFL legends, all while sampling Super Bowl LIX weekend's most delectable dishes," said Andrew Zimmern, Emmy award-winning TV personality, chef, Taste of the NFL culinary host, and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN World Food Program.
"GENYOUth is an invaluable partner of the NFL and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee as we have a shared mission of driving lasting social and economic impact across the greater New Orleans region ahead of Super Bowl LIX," said Jay Cicero, CEO, New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. "Collaborating with GENYOUth on both the Super School Meals and Taste of the NFL initiatives supports this shared mission by tackling food insecurity and delivering the equipment and resources Louisiana schools need to help their students thrive in and out of the classroom year-round."
PepsiCo in Partnership with GENYOUth
PepsiCo Foods North America's and the PepsiCo Foundation's multi-faceted, multi-year support has been critical in helping GENYOUth advance its mission of ensuring all children are well nourished and physically active. Since 2011, PepsiCo Foods North America and the PepsiCo Foundation have provided $10.8 million to GENYOUth to support efforts to fight child hunger and food insecurity, as well as promote physical activity. These initiatives have positively impacted more than 3,300 schools and over 1.9 million students, and have increased access to over 500 million school meals. These programs have included a Quaker Oats partnership for breakfast equipment grants to schools; serving as a founding partner of the Spanish-language version of GENYOUth's flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60 en Español; helping to expand GENYOUth's Grab and Go school breakfast programs through PepsiCo Global Initiative Move for Good; partnering with the PepsiCo Foundation's Food for Good Program to advance a more equitable food system to ensure communities have food security and access to nutritious meals; and supporting GENYOUth's Fuel Up to Play 60 summits with Adventure Capital events and providing in-kind product donations and cooking events.
PepsiCo Foods North America and the PepsiCo Foundation's support includes a total of $2,940,000 in 2024 and 2025 in support of GENYOUth's Taste of the NFL event, Super School Meals initiative, and overall End Student Hunger and physical activity efforts. These efforts are positively impacting over 500,000 students and increasing access to over 145 million school meals around the nation. In Super Bowl LIX host market of Louisiana, 137,000 students will be positively impacted with increased access to 37,000,000 meals.
About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 national nonprofit dedicated to helping school children thrive by living a well-nourished and physically active life. A catalyst for youth health and wellness, GENYOUth has supported over 77,000 U.S. schools to equip them with the resources needed to ensure millions of children have equitable access to nutrition and physical activity. Founded by America's dairy farmers and the NFL, GENYOUth convenes a network of private and public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations to ensure all children are nourished and active to be their best selves. With a commitment to end student hunger, GENYOUth provides nutrition grants to increase access to healthy school meals among food insecure students. GENYOUth is the official charitable partner of Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary experience that raises awareness and generates funds to fight hunger and food insecurity to support the organization's commitment to end student hunger. To learn more and support GENYOUth visit www.GENYOUthnow.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About the National Football League
The National Football League is America's most popular sports league, comprised of 32 franchises that compete each year to win the Super Bowl, the world's biggest annual sporting event. Founded in 1920, the NFL developed the model for the successful modern sports league, including national and international distribution, extensive revenue sharing, competitive excellence, and strong franchises across the country.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com and follow on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
About the PepsiCo Foundation
The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, invests in the essential elements of a sustainable food system with a mission to support thriving communities. Working with non-profits and experts around the globe, we're focused on helping communities obtain access to food security, safe water and economic opportunity. We strive for tangible impact in the places where we live and work—collaborating with industry peers, local and international organizations, and our employees to effect large-scale change on the issues that matter to us and are of global importance. Learn more at www.pepsicofoundation.com. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Taste of the NFL New Orleans Advisory Committee
Chef Mark Bucher, Co-Founder Medium Rare Restaurant
Chef Tamela Davis
Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints, Linebacker and Philanthropist
Margo Dubos, New Orleans Super Bowl LIX Host Committee liaison
Natalie Jayroe, President and CEO, Second Harvest
John Folse, Chef John Folse & Company; Restaurant R'evolution at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans
Melissa Martin, Director of Greaux Healthy, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Grant Segar, New Orleans Saints, Communications, Government Relations & Special Projects Coordinator
Liz Williams, Founder National Food & Beverage Foundation and Southern Food & Beverage Museum
Michaela York, Chef John Folse & Company
SOURCE GENYOUth
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