We are so proud of our Taste of the NFL team members who will be honored as part of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards. Taking place Monday, May 7, 2012 in New York City, the annual awards represent the best of the best in the food and beverage industries. Taste of the NFL is proud of its many chefs who have been recognized over the years as well as our founder Wayne Kostroski who was the 2010 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.

This year Chef Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans and Taste of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints’ chef representative, is up for Best Chef: South. McPhail has served as executive chef of Commander’s Palace since 2002 and has been instrumental in rebuilding the dining scene in New Orleans.

Another member of the Taste of the NFL team, Chef Sanford D’Amato of Sanford in Milwaukee and the Green Bay Packers’ chef representative, has a tie to this year’s awards. His colleague, Chef Justin Aprahamian, is nominated for Best Chef: Midwest.

In addition, Taste of the NFL’s 2012 Culinary Host Ted Allen is nominated in the categories of Media Personality/Host and Television Program as host of Chopped on Food Network.

Congratulations and good luck to all!

More than 3,000 guests attended Taste of the NFL’s Party with a Purpose on Saturday, Feb. 4, the eve of Super Bowl XLVI, to help raise money for food banks in NFL cities nationwide.

Special thanks to the individuals who helped make our event a success including National Honorary Chairperson Tony Dungy, Culinary Host Ted Allen, Miss America Laura Kaeppeler, Joey Faugno and Mauro Castano of TLC’s Cake Boss and Sara Evans as well as the generosity of our supportive sponsors.

Taste of the NFL could not have chosen a more meaningful venue for this year’s event. Thank you to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana for giving our guests the opportunity to see firsthand the important role of a food bank within a community, while experiencing one of Super Bowl’s premier events.

Please click here to view more photos from this year's event.

If you missed our party, you can still contribute to the Kick Hunger Challenge until February 10th, 2012! 

Taste of the NFL was on the Field at Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl XLVI Media Day. Celebrities, Super Bowl team members and Indy notables helped promote the Kick Hunger Challenge and the Taste of the NFL's strolling food and wine event, coming up on February 4. Take a look!

Taste of the NFL announces the newly crowned Miss America will appear at its 21st annual Super Bowl event on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. Marking one of her first public appearances in her new reign, Miss America Laura Kaeppeler will be onsite at “The Party with a Purpose®” to meet guests, pose for photos and sign autographs. The annual strolling food and wine event brings together chefs and NFL players representing each NFL team for a night of food, football and fun with proceeds benefitting food banks in NFL cities nationwide.

Kaeppeler was crowned Miss America on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the 91st Annual Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. A native of Kenosha, Wisc., Kaeppeler is the first woman representing Wisconsin to win Miss America since 1973. She performed an operatic aria to “Il Bacio” for competition. Kaeppler is a 2010 graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha with a degree in Music and an emphasis in Vocal Performance with plans to pursue a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. In addition to owning a private music studio, she is the founder of “Circles of Support - Mentoring Teens of Incarcerated Parents.”

"Miss America is always one of the most popular people in the room wherever she goes so we couldn’t be happier that Laura will be in Indianapolis to meet guests at our event and join our mission to kick hunger in America," said Wayne Kostroski, founder of Taste of the NFL. "We are grateful to the Miss America Organization for its support of Taste of the NFL through the years, providing a national platform to discuss the hunger issue and rally others to offer their support.”

Multi-platinum country recording artist Sara Evans will entertain guests at Taste of the NFL's 21st Annual Party with a Purpose^®on February 4th, 2012 at Gleaner's Food Bank in Indianapolis, IN by performing hits such as her multi-week #1 smash "A Little Bit Stronger" from her new chart topping album, Stronger, as well as many of her past hits that have made her one of the most compelling female vocalists of her generation. American Family Insurance is pleased to sponsor this performance.

Named the 2006 Academy of Country Music's Female Vocalist of the Year, Evans has been recognized as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" and won the hearts of television viewers as the first-ever country star to compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She has also co-authored three novels including the soon-to-be released Love Lifted Me.

Also brought to guests courtesy of American Family Insurance, 20 former and current NFL players who are a part of the NFL Players Choir and will deliver a special performance before Sara Evans takes the stage.

For the second year in a row, stars from TLC’s hit show Cake Boss will be onsite at the Taste of the NFL’s annual fundraising event that rallies the country’s best chefs and NFL greats to support hunger relief.

Joey Faugno and Mauro Castano, part of the big Italian family working at the bustling Carlo’s Bakery overseen by real-life Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, will be special guests at the “Party with a Purpose®" on Saturday, February, 4, 2012 at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana where they will unveil an original cake creation and meet and greet guests.

The Minnesota Vikings held their annual Taste of the Vikings on Monday, Nov.7th at Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America.  Guests were treated to tasty samples from some of the Twin Cities' best restaurants and the opportunity to mingle with current and former Vikings players.

The event raised funds for the Vikings Children's Fund Summer Lunch Program in partnership with Second Harvest Heartland.  During the school year, approximately 300,000 Minnesota children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. But when the 

school year ends for the summer, only about 20% of these kids continue to receive low-cost or free nutritious meals. The Vikings Children's Fund Summer Lunch Program helped support more than 1 million meals for hungry kids in the summer of 2011. 

View more pictures of the event.

(Photo credits to Scott Bertsch and Gameday Gold)

Gameday Gold's Eric Nelson interviews Taste of the NFL founder Wayne Kostroski.  They talk about next February's Taste of the NFL event at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, and the Kick Hunger Challenge. Please listen to the interview. 

For those people who are unable to attend Super Bowl festivities in Indianapolis this year, Taste of the NFL offers other ways in which to support their hunger relief efforts. One of the easiest, most universal ways to get involved is through the Kick Hunger Challenge®. NFL fans (and non-fans alike!) are encouraged to support their favorite NFL team all year long by making a donation in that team's name.  Take the Kick Hunger Challenge® now.

Taste of the NFL is gearing up to bring its annual fundraiser to Indianapolis, the site of Super Bowl XLVI, 2012. Since 1992, Taste of the NFL has distributed more than $11 million to hunger relief organizations throughout the country as a result of this strolling food and wine extravaganza. Tickets go on sale August 1, 2011.