Mama’s Kitchen, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, presented the 19th annual Mama’s Day at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla Aventine, which was the most successful on record. Nearly 1,000 attendees, including more than 70 of the region’s top restaurants and chefs, helped raise a record-breaking fundraising amount that netted over $168,000 and will help provide nearly 60,000 meals for Mama’s Kitchen’s clients. Mama’s Kitchen prepares and delivers three meals a day to individuals in San Diego living with AIDS/HIV or cancer at no charge.
“Mama’s Day is always an event where San Diego’s most philanthropic partygoers come to see and be seen. But the true purpose of the event is to support Mama’s Kitchen and the wonderful things that we do,” says Alberto Cortes, executive director of Mama’s Kitchen. “This year was over-the-top, and we can’t thank the community enough for coming out and showing its support. A special appreciation goes out to our sponsors, volunteers, dedicated staff, and the participating restaurants. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
In addition to the multitude of delicious food offerings, highlights also included culinary host Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien, emcee and former NBC 7/39 anchor Vic Salazar, an exclusive VIP reception, and high-end bidding wars for highly sought-after silent auction items and opportunity drawing prizes.
