800 guests expected at the Marriott Marquis on June 8 to enjoy tastings from 30 Top Restaurants of the Region and Live Auction with Goal to Raise $1 Million
WASHINGTON (May 6, 2026) — Food & Friends will host the 33rd Annual Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction on Monday, June 8, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C.
The event brings together more than 30 of the Washington region’s top chefs for an evening of tastings, signature cocktails, and a live auction to support the organization’s mission to nourish people with chronic illnesses by providing medically tailored meals at no cost.
This year’s Chef Chair — award winning Executive Chef Partner of Pisco y Nazca, Chef Mauricio Chirinos — brings his culinary journey from Lima, Peru, to the DMV region to reflect the same values of care, community and craftsmanship that define Food & Friends’ work. The Leadership Committee is co-chaired by board member, Joe Maloney, President of the Sports Betting Alliance and Kate Abel, Director of Political Programs for Merck. Boeing is the event’s Diamond Sponsor.
Proceeds from Chef’s Best will directly support Food & Friends’ mission of preparing and delivering free, medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling to 6,000 individuals living with serious or chronic illness across the Washington, D.C., region, including their caregivers and dependents. Food & Friends will deliver 2.2 million meals this year, with more than 67% of households served living on $1,800 or less per month.
“Chef’s Best is our community’s most direct opportunity to turn the love of great food into life-changing support for our neighbors and their families,” said Carrie Stoltzfus, MPH, CEO of Food & Friends. “Chef’s Best is essential to uniting our communities to ensure healthy outcomes for individuals as they battle illness, and to prevent additional ailments through options for healthy, medically tailored meals. Proceeds from this event will help ensure that those in our city who are battling a chronic illness are able to feel the love, compassion and mission-oriented care that Food & Friends has and will always provide.”
Voted Best Charity Event by the Washington City Paper Readers Poll in 2025, Chef’s Best has grown into one of Washington’s most anticipated culinary fundraisers. Tickets are $500 per person. Sponsorships begin at $1,500. For tickets and more event information, visit https://foodandfriends.org/engage/chefs-best/.
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About Food & Friends
Food & Friends is the Washington, D.C. region’s leading authority on Food is Medicine and a critical healthcare and social intervention in the region as the only full-scale organization delivering medically tailored meal s and providing medical nutrition therapy to neighbors living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. Food & Friends’ services are free of charge to recipients who qualify solely based on their health status and nutritional needs, including for their dependents and caregivers.
Monday-Saturday, staff and volunteers deliver to 6,172 square miles, including the District of Columbia, nine counties in Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. Nearly 2.2 million meals will be delivered to more than 6,000 individuals in 2026. Since 1988, Food & Friends has delivered more than 33.1 million meals to 54,233 individuals. The organization is accredited by the national Food is Medicine Coalition.
For more information, visit FoodAndFriends.org or Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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