by intern Elana Levitan
Photo credit: intern Nicole Nicholas
On the top floor of a three-story walk up – in a building that’s easy to miss – sits the rough and edgy office of Taste of DC.
The lights were down low, the music up loud, as guests arrived to wine and dine for F*CK Forks benefitting FCancer with chefs and mixologists from the Washington, D.C. area.
Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way or another and that includes Mike Friedman, Executive Chef of Red Hen, who recently lost his father to pancreatic cancer. Mike believes that it “means a lot to contribute to such a significant event” and that “it feels great to do that and everytime I do, I do it in honor of my dad.”
Mike Friedman
The event puts a whole new spin on cancer. Using the F word gives it a roughness that is not normally used. As Alisia Kleinmann of industree puts it: “Using the F word is a little edgy and using something edgy appeals to a lot of chefs.”
Alisia Kleinmann
If the evening could be described in one word it would be certainly be edgy – from the chefs to the location, to the caricatures of each executive chef created by ArtJamz.
Executive Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley of Ripple with her cariacature
Industree’s premiere pop up F*CK Forks was best described by the colorful invite insisting it was going to be “a finger-lickin’ culinary crusade against cancer.” It was.
Along with the caricatures, ArtJamz hung a large blank canvas mural that was open for anyone to come up and unleash their inner artist.
Ruben Reyme
Kunj Patel, one of the artists for ArtJamz, was happy to be helping at an event that helped to “bring people from all sorts of ethnicities, all sorts of backgrounds, people all in support of one cause.” In the spirit of coming together Patel said that their goal was to “try to get people who are in support of cancer awareness to create a communal piece.”
Kunj Patel and Ruben Reyme
In the end, this night was “focused on the food and the drink and doing something good” reiterated Mrs. Kleinmann.
Industree, that ran the event, also runs “a speaker series focusing on the spirit of entreprenurship in the industry.”
Sam Babcock and his assistant from Range in action mixing drinks
After all the serious subjects were discussed, the money raised and awareness spread, the night was all about having fun.
Chefs Aaron Busbee, John Kuespert and Andrew Markert of Beuchert’s Saloon
The take away message? Just F*CK CANCER.
