by columnist Wendy Gordon
Video & photo credit: Janet Donovan
Some of us were not around for the great Civil Rights marches of the 60’s. Those issues may have been addressed……somewhat…but in the 21st Century they linger, if maybe in a slightly different fashion.
The larger picture is simple: Equality for all. Is that not what our constitution was meant to be?
David Hagedorn and Nycci Nellis
Enter David Hagedorn: Former restaurateur, current food writer and all around foodie guy, along with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), David almost single handedly put together Chefs for Equality, which featured Washington’s best chefs and great food all for the cause of marriage equality in Maryland.
The event took place last night at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC. It was a sold out affair with over 60 chefs creating sit down meals and stations throughout the hotel’s ballroom feeding over 500 guests. That’s a lot of foie.
The event also included wedding fashion, a display of wedding cakes from the quietly elegant to the outrageous, as well as drinks from the area’s best mixologists. But the issue is larger than the deliciousness in that room.
Emceed by fashion icon Tim Gunn and featuring an appearance by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Chefs for Equality raised much needed funds in support of Maryland’s Question 6 – the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which provides civil marriage licenses to committed gay and lesbian couples. Let’s see…freedom? Separation of Church and State? Equal treatment? Hmmmm… Sounds like a familiar concept….. Are we on our soapbox? Why yes. Yes we are.
Tim Gunn, Susie Gelman and Governor O’Malley
Following the main event, an after-party was held at Graffiato with yet more food and drink. From pizza and dumplings to cocktails served throughout the room, both levels of the restaurant were filled with supporters and event’s hospitality industry participants, all of which donated their time, product and talent. Kind of like a culinary Upstairs, Downstairs without the British accents.
Although the final tally is not yet in, Chefs for Equality went a long way to raise much needed funds for this question of basic civil rights. 52% of Maryland voters say they will vote for Question 6, with 43% against, according to a recent poll by the Washington Post, so the momentum seems to be there.
Over the 2011-2012 election cycle, HRC has invested $7.3 million in legislative and electoral efforts to secure marriage equality nationwide, including staff on the ground knocking on doors, making phone calls, and spreading the word of equal marriage rights. Now they, with the unerring help of Hagedorn and his friends, have added a delicious component to the cause. Bon Appetit and Cheers!
Kudos to participating chefs: Dine out
