First Gourmet Guys Give Back benefit event to showcase talents of 24 amateur chefs Dec. 4

Leadership Prince William and the Prince William Chamber of Commerce will host the first Gourmet Guys Give Back event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 4, at Linton Hall School in Bristow, VA. 

This family-friendly event is open to the public and will feature 24 amateur chefs competing for People’s Choice and Judges’ Awards with their tastiest dishes.

Adult tickets are $25; tickets for ages 9-13 are $10; Children 8 and under attend for free. Tickets and information are available online at http://www.GourmetGuysGiveBack.com For e.asy check-in, pre-registration is suggested.

So just who are the “Gourmet Guys” and how did they get involved?

The 2016 roster of amateur chefs includes:
• Captain James L. Carr, Ed.D, Center District Commander, Prince William County Police Department;
• Collin Davenport, Legislative Director, U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly;
• Rick Davis, Dean, George Mason University College of Visual & Performing Arts and Executive Director, Hylton Performing Arts Center;
• Darrell Dixon, Director, Hunger Resource Center at the SERVE Campus of Northern Virginia Family Service;
• Ryan Gandy, Economic Development Manager, City of Manassas Park;
• Jason Hickman, Managing Partner, Compton & Duling, LC;
• Dr. Sam Hill, Provost, Northern Virginia Community College - Woodbridge Campus;
• Harry Horning II, Financial Advisor, Harry H. Horning Financial Services;
• Mike Howard, President & Founder, TelNet of Virginia, Inc.;
• Patrick King, Founder & CEO, Imagine;
• Ken Krick, Director of Operations, ECU Communications;
• Brad Marshall, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney;
• The Honorable Marty Nohe, Coles District Supervisor, Prince William Board of County Supervisors;
• Dallas Ostergaard, U.S. Department of State (Retired);
• Jason Parsons, Executive Director, Keep Prince William Beautiful;
• Daniel Poole, Linton Hall School (Alum);
• The Honorable Ryan Sawyers, Chairman, Prince William County School Board;
• John Schimpf, Head of Facilities, NCIS Headquarters;
• Rob Sturm, Branch Manager & Financial Advisor, Scott & Stringfellow;
• Aaron Tolson, Operations Manager, Twin Air, LLC;
• Bennett Whitlock, Private Wealth Advisor & CEO, Whitlock Wealth Management;
• Bill Wides, Attorney, The Manassas Law Group, P.C.

For the inaugural Gourmet Guys event, the pool of amateur chefs represent the alumni of Leadership Prince William and the volunteer leadership of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. All were specially invited to participate. The chefs are providing and paying for all of the food out of their own pockets.

Leadership Prince William (LPW) Executive Director Kathy Bentz was quoted in a press release as saying, “For this inaugural event, we are relying on some of the fantastic supporters of LPW and the Chamber to be our chefs. For next year, I hope that the spirit of competition spreads community-wide with men stepping out from every corner of the greater Prince William region saying, ‘I want to compete. I’m a much better cook than these guys!’ Of course we want to share the work of both LPW and the Prince William Chamber, but we also really want to host a fun event that everyone looks forward to year in and year out!”

Guests will be able to sample all of the dishes—appetizers, soups, side dishes, entrees and desserts—and vote for their favorites to identify the Peoples’ Choice winners. Local professional chefs will select the Judges’ Award winners, with a tasting at 2 p.m.

Gourmet Guys Give Back also features children’s activities and face painting, a variety of raffle prizes, exhibit tables by local vendors, and live music by an Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra ensemble.

“Our members have been extremely excited about participating in this event. We are looking forward to the support of the community,” Prince William Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbie Jones was quoted in the press release as saying. “Many of the chefs are visible members of the community—police officers, lawyers, even the Chairman of the School Board—but at Gourmet Guys they will be laying it all on the line to compete for your votes: as the best amateur chef in our community.” She went on to note that the Chamber is pleased to be partnering with Leadership Prince William for the first time.

Sponsors for Gourmet Guys Give Back include: Youth for Tomorrow; Linton Hall School; The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia; Novant Health UVA Health System; ECU Communications; Apple Federal Credit Union; Northern Virginia Orthopaedic Specialists; Alliant Wealth Advisors and Sweeto Burrito. Marketing Partners for the event include: FreshySites; What’s Up Prince William; Prince William Living and Imagine.

Proceeds from Gourmet Guys Give Back benefit the programs and activities of Leadership Prince William and the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. These community organizations nurture local leadership, support the business and not-for-profit communities, provide scholarships for educational activities and more.