Kitchen Rodeo: Distance Cooking With Friends For Good Causes
Name a better duo, I’ll wait…. But seriously, who doesn’t love good food and giving back to worthy causes? Today, Betty Liao is sharing what Kitchen Rodeo is and how we can get involved.
“We were founded as a result of the pandemic, when we were cooking more than we ever had in the past, craving social connection and looking for a way to give back.”
Kitchen Rodeo hosts virtual cooking events with professional chefs to raise money for worthy causes. The first Rodeo was a 21 hour class held on Zoom that took 2 days to complete with the proceeds going to City Harvest. It is astonishing to see that for a brand new concept and event, they were able to be so successful with such a long virtual class. Betty said “we left feeling like this was an opportunity to bring people together AND do some good during this crisis.”
Betty is based in NYC for now, but was born and raised in Hong Kong but also spent some time in London. She’ll be pursuing her MBA @ Stanford this fall but prior to this, she was working at Casper with Frank Harris. Frank, Kitchen Rodeo co-founder, is Betty’s former boss and mastermind behind the idea. Most of the people helping out with the rodeos are part of his “orbit” and they all do this for free.
I don’t know how much you know about hosting events, specifically virtual events, but it takes a lot of work. Literally anything could go wrong with virtual events and then add on the pressure of working with professional chefs? I would be so nervous, and Betty says she gets nervous before each event too. These chefs are also donating their time so it’s important that things go off without a hitch. Some chefs have come back to teach multiple classes, like Jay Wolman. He was the first professional chef on Kitchen Rodeo and he has come back to teach 2 additional classes, including Betty’s fave — Brick Chicken Class. Another favorite are the classes featuring the ladies from King because of the techniques that they teach.
“After our first class we got amazing feedback, so we did another, then another - and people kept signing up. So we figured we were on to something. ”
The chefs choose which charity/organization their Rodeo benefits and you can find the full list on their site. Most recently, Kitchen Rodeo hosted a series of Rodeos called Cooking for Equity - Asian Chefs for Black Lives, which raised money for Fair Fight, an organization chosen by Annie Shi and Betty.
“Our Cooking for Equity - Asian Chefs for Black Lives series raised money for Fair Fight, the anti-voter suppression organization founded by Stacey Abrams. Fair Fight was a cause that Annie Shi (King co-founder and series co-organizer) and I chose. We knew we wanted to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and both feel strongly about the importance of pushing forward change at the ballot box. Voter suppression tactics have an outsized impact on the Black community in particular, these voices need to and deserve to be heard. ”
Betty loves food and cooking! My friend Steph says that traveling with Betty is the best because she always likes to cook for the group. The best part about Kitchen Rodeo for her? “Getting the opportunity to give back is so fulfilling - both in terms of fundraising AND bringing people joy in this strange and confusing time! Additionally, the opportunity to get close to people and an industry I have so much love for has been really fun. Watching these chefs cook and talking to them about their businesses really makes me love and appreciate the restaurant industry more”
More than $83K have been raised so far and the total will continue to increase as rodeos continue to take place. Want to get involved? Check out the Kitchen Rodeo site for the next Rodeo. Not into cooking but into giving back? Not a problem, you can still donate without participating but you might change your mind once you see the Sizzle Reel or any of the photos on their Instagram!
Upcoming Rodeos
Click to sign up or donate!
