Pivot is going to town with Chefs Fest donation

August event raises $20,000; helps charity buy new minivan

In August, 50 of Oklahoma’s top chefs gathered in the parking lot of Super Cao Nguyen Market despite 107-degree temperatures to cook. They didn’t do it for their health, which was at risk being out in that that kind of weather all day, they did it for a good cause.

That cause was Pivot Inc., which has been a shelter for teens for half a century. Pivot’s campus is home to children in distress. No matter how a kid ends up without the security of home is a tragedy, and Pivot was founded to reach those who find themselves in those tragic circumstances. Not only does Pivot offer a warm bed and a hot meal, they offer a home to those who need one for the long term. Pivot ensures they get an education and find employment.

As of last Thursday, Pivot will operate with an extra $20,000 thanks to Chefs Fest 2023 and Super Cao Nguyen. The check was delivered Thursday whilst Pivot was celebrating its newest program, Pivot Preserves.

“We know just what we’re going to do with it,” said Chandy Rice, Senior Director of External Affairs for Pivot. “We’re buying a minivan!”

Rice said transporting its youthful clients is among Pivot’s most common tasks, but that they currently have a pair of small aging cars for the job.

“This is gonna help so much,” Rice said. “You guys are amazing.”

A donation that large wouldn’t have been impossible without the generosity of Luong family. Super Cao Nguyen not only hosted all the chefs but matched what they earned to push the donation to an even $20K.

“We came to America with nothing. We were blessed along the way. We have been blessed to get to this point,” said Ba Luong of Super Cao Nguyen. “With my kids and nieces and nephews, it is important for them to know that we were given an opportunity at a fresh start, and we have to affect change for the better in our community and not be changed by community. We are grateful for the work of all the talented chefs for this event.”

Finally, I can tell you what everyone already assumed: Chefs Fest will be back for 2023. What’s unclear is when. We are currently considering a couple of different options, neither of which are in August.

Among the options is late spring. That would match when Chefs Fest was born as a food fair. June of 2019 was when the Luong family was ready to celebrate 40 years owning Super Cao Nguyen. The event might also move to fall. In fall of the same year, the Luongs agreed to have a second food fair, this one called Chef Fest.

Chef Fest was in September of 2019, just a couple months after we lost legendary chef John Bennett. The second event raised money for the Chef John Bennett Memorial Scholarship Fund.  When Chefs Fest 2024 emerges, look for it to be either late spring or fall of next year.

Events

Help me curate more events in 2024, and take the Foodiciary Dining Club survey. By taking it, you’ll ensure receiving information and invitations to the kinds of events you are interested in attending.

Also, a reminder that tickets to the $2K Cookie Contest on Oct. 29 at Twisted Tree Baking Co are on sale.

October Wine dinner at Sparrow Modern Italian, Oct. 10: Enjoy a four-course dinner with wines of G.D. Pajra. Cost is $70. For reservations, call 405-815-3463.

Greek Festival of Oklahoma City, St. George Greek Orthodox Christian Church:  Oct 13-15; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Autumn Abundance Farm-to-Table Dinner, Tanglefoot Farm: Oct. 21; 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Chef Luke Fry will cook at Tanglefoot Farm in Blanchard. Dinner will include live music. Cost is $75 per person and includes a tour of the farm, drinks, coffee by the fire and a four-course menu of Okie Sunrise Spread, Hen in the Greens, Prairie Homestead Pie, and October Apple Fritters. Click here for tickets and details.

St. Elijah Food Fair, St. Elijah Antiochian Church:  Nov 10-11 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday.