Eating without paying. That is what most people think when they hear “Dine and Dash.” However, chef José Andrés has added a new and positive definition to this concept — all for a good cause.
On a hot evening June 25, Andrés and friends presented the first annual Dine ‘n’ Dash, which six restaurants from Penn Quarter joined, including Oyamel, Jaleo, Proof, Zaytinya, Poste and Azur. The event worked as follows: after purchasing your wristband, you were assigned to a restaurant as your starting point. The goal was to stroll through all of them within four hours, which was not an easy task. As you walked in, unlimited drinks and delicious food surrounded you at all times. Waiters with full and colorful trays were everywhere, offering different dishes and making sure you were never empty-handed.
The $150 cost of the wristband covered the unlimited food and benefited World Central Kitchen . A non-profit run by Think Food Group, that José Andrés started after a trip to Haiti. Its goal is to “foster future generations of innovators and activists and to change the world through the power of food.” World Central Kitchen is committed to find solutions that will help combat hunger around the globe.
The June 25 event raised more than $60,000 that will go towards “Smart Solutions to Hunger and Poverty,” which focuses on providing and facilitating local agriculture, clean cook stoves, sustainable kitchens and job training in Haiti. According to World Central Kitchen, more than 600 persons attended.
