Tastier than Ever: Chefs’ Night Out Returns for 25th Anniversary

Chefs’ Night Out began 25 years ago, and its local impact has continued since the beginning.

Organized by Marion Polk Food Share, Chefs’ Night Out has become a mainstay of culinary culture for Salem. The event provides a unique opportunity for community connection, with local businesses from wineries and breweries to bakeries and burger shops.

Rick Gaupo, the Food Share’s president, said Chefs’ Night Out is a time to engage the wider community in the work of ending hunger.

“When we get the ability to do that around food, it makes us happy,” said Rick. “We have so many local restaurants, wineries and other partners donating their time and energy to this issue of hunger.”

Chefs’ Night Out helps the Food Share’s mission in multiple ways, according to Rick, by not only raising money but also bringing additional support, awareness, and camaraderie to the work. He said it also helps people connect with others who are passionate about the Food Share and its mission to end hunger.

“It’s a way for people who support the Food Share to really see that they’re not doing this in isolation,” Rick reflected. “It really is their friends and neighbors, and people of the community, and restaurants that all make the Food Share successful.”

Chefs’ Night Out is also an opportunity for local food and drink businesses to give back alongside their peers, while connecting with their community and bringing attention to their work.

“This is a lot of time and commitment,” said Rick. “I think it’s really great because it’s a direct way for their talent, their food, their people to be involved and support the work of the Food Share. I think this is really about tapping into their specialty as a means to address hunger.”

The event is also made possible by generous sponsorships from local businesses, including Bonaventure Senior Living, Landis Consulting, and DC Structural Specialists, Inc., along with many others.

Chefs’ Night Out is an opportunity for community members to not only support the organization, but also to share in the experience. “This is a moment in time that community members get to use their entertainment dollars to also support our cause and get great food,” explained Rick. “It’s something that they get to reflect on: that we bring good food to families every single day.”

Tickets are available up to the day of the event. For more info on the Food Share and Chefs’ Night Out, visit https://marionpolkfoodshare.org/news/events/chefs-night-out/.