Eat 4 Charity 2016

One of the best things about blogging is the opportunity to learn more about different groups and fundraisers around the city. Anytime I can combine my love for food with giving back, I’m thrilled to get involved. I was recently asked by the American India Foundation (AIF) of DC to judge their yearly Eat 4 Charity competition.
Eat 4 Charity is a food competition to support a great cause and help local amateurs hone their culinary skills. All of the proceeds from Eat 4 Charity 2016 went to the Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative, the featured AIF signature program for the 2015-2016 YP DC Leadership Council. MANSI works to provide the resources and support required to empower local communities to care for their mothers and children while improving the local health system. Learn more about MANSI here.
This year’s Eat 4 Charity was held at Mr. Henry’s in Capitol Hill, an awesome space with live jazz and killer weekly specials that I highly recommend checking out if you haven’t yet.
You guys know I’m a little obsessed with Top Chef, so the opportunity to judge a food competition was pretty amazing. I arrived hungry and ready to taste the creations of the five Eat 4 Charity 2016 chef-testants. 
My fellow judges were Mark Steele, GM at Mr. Henry’s and Chef Jorge Santos of Bidwell. These two really know their food! It was a lot of fun to get a glimpse inside the minds of these seasoned chefs and listen to their reactions to each dish. 
First up, Ashish Cooks presented us with variations on chaat, a popular Indian street food. His chaat were flaky and crispy, filled with potatoes and topped with chickpeas and a wide variety of sauces, fruits and grains. I asked for mine spicy and really enjoyed the combinations of sweet and savory along with the multitude of textures.
Next up was Portia’s Turn Table serving grilled shrimp and green onions with a Romesco sauce, a light dish bringing lots of fresh, summer flavor. I could have eaten piles of the grilled onions.
Ebrahim Bandookwala, Prachi Raikar and Saumya Sahni prepared an incredibly fragrant lamb raan.
The dish featured a slow roasted leg of lamb, which was tender and bathed in a deliciously spicy curry sauce. It was served over naan and topped with crispy potato sticks and fried ginger.
Evan Beal presented a hearty dish of chicken cacciatore, a recipe of his mother’s, with smoky bacon, peppers on top of chicken thighs.
This dish reminded me of home, as my mom also made a delicious cacciatore. The fresh basil and cheese on top were a really nice touch as well.
For dessert, Jelila and Damien Stanton provided a variety of brigadeiros, a Brazilian sweet similar to fudge.
They made traditional chocolate, coconut and cardamom-spiced versions that reminded me happily of my time in Brazil. The cardamom was my favorite, and very unique. These guys should open a Brazilian sweet shop in DC – I would be all over that.
I could have gone on eating all day and chatting with the contestants but eventually the judges had to confer and choose a winner.
It was a tough decision. Each of the chefs chose dishes with great stories and put a lot of effort into creating delicious food. They were told to make enough to serve 200 people – no easy feat! I was honored to taste each dish and learn more about each contestant’s passion for cooking.
So who won? Drumroll….
Ebrahim’s lamb raan took home the grand prize! We enjoyed all of the dishes, but couldn’t deny the absolute success of Ebrahim’s tender lamb that simply exploded with complex flavors and excellent texture. We loved that the dish was focused and executed to perfection. I could absolutely see this dish on a restaurant menu somewhere in DC.
Congratulations Ebrahim and all of the other chef-testants! Eat 4 Charity is a wonderful event for a great cause and I couldn’t have been happier to participate. If you were unable to make it, I highly recommend checking it out next year. For more information about future AIF events, be sure to check out their Facebook page.
Thank you to everyone at AIF for inviting me to participate, and congratulations on a successful and fun event!
(I’d also like to give a big thanks to my husband and blog partner Tom for taking all of the photos for this post while I was busy stuffing my face. I mean, judging.)