FALDO & FRIENDS™ Celebrity Gold and Tennis Tournament to Benefit City Harvest on Monday, 8/23

City Harvest has announced that Golf Icon and Broadcaster Sir Nick Faldo will host the second annual golf and tennis tournament, Faldo & FriendsTM Celebrity Golf and Tennis Tournament benefiting City Harvest, at the Alpine Country Club in Demarest, NJ on Monday, August 23rd. Many of Faldo's celebrity friends including Marcus Samuelsson, Geoffrey Zakarian, Emma Bengtsson, James Kent, Alfred Portale, David Shim, Tony-award winning actor Len Cariou, tennis star Todd Martin, former NY Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, Kevin Liles and Justin Tuck will join, supporting City Harvest's mission to feed New Yorkers in need as the city grapples with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In honour of Sir Nick we are happy to announce that we named the event Faldo & Friends, as he has been a friend of City Harvest and supports all that they do," said veteran marketer Herb Karlitz, who created the event and also sits on City Harvest's Food Council.

"Out of all the golf & charity lunch/dinner events I have attended in my 40 years in the business & pleasure of golf, this has been to, the most impressive & delicious one yet!" says Faldo, one of the most accomplished golfers of all time, who won 6-major tournaments, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2009.

"Chefs are so generous and giving because they feed people for a living. This unique event gives them the rare opportunity to have fun for a day on the golf course or tennis courts, while still raising money for an amazing charity all chefs support," said Karlitz. "The guest experience is over-the-top with more than 30-celebrity chefs serving up everything from caviar and champagne to Italian summer truffles over fresh-made pizzas, pasta and risotto. We are also lucky this year to have Sir Nick, along with his two CBS on-air colleagues Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo, on hand for a breakfast kick-off to talk about the 2021 PGA season."

New this year will be a tennis tournament, co-chaired by Chef Kerry Heffernan and COTE's Simon Kim and presented by French heritage brand Lacoste. The winners of the tennis tournament will receive four tickets to the 2022 Miami Open, taking place March 21-April 3. All Faldo & Friends attendees will also receive a card to be redeemed for a complimentary polo shirt at the Lacoste Flagship Boutique in New York's Soho district.

Additional players confirmed to participate in golf or tennis this year include culinary titans Michael Anthony, Kenny Callaghan, Josh Capon, Cesare Casella, Michael Cressotti, Michael Dorf, Josh "Shorty" Eden, Andrew Friedman, Michael Ginor, Eric Haugen, Alex Lee, Ed McFarland, Dominique Paulin, François Payard, Ron Straci, Håkan Swahn, Dale Talde and Carlos Swepson, as well as professional tennis player Reilly Opelka, and some surprise guests to be announced shortly.

"I'm looking forward to co-chairing the second annual Faldo & Friends tournament. Thank you to all of the fantastic participants for joining us in the endless fight to feed our neighbors. During the past year we have seen more people than ever needing our support for the first time and it's critical that we are here for them," says Zakarian, Tournament Golf Chair & Chairman of City Harvest's Food Council.

"As New York City begins its long recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are so grateful to Sir Nick Faldo for his dedication to feeding New Yorkers in need. This event will help feed countless families who are struggling to put nutritious food on their tables," says Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest.

Many of the incredible celebrity chefs will highlight bites and cocktails from their restaurants on the course and courts throughout the day. The tournament will conclude with a post-round cocktail and tasting reception outside of the clubhouse - including fresh brick oven pizza with Urbani truffles shaved on top, chilled corn velouté with cornbread from Daniel Boulud's Le Pavillon and Rao's famous meatballs served by owner Ron Straci. Rao's meatballs were auctioned off for $100 apiece at the 2019 event!

A silent auction will feature private villas in Bali, Italy and Santorini, among other destinations; a Hilton Head golf experience; and unique items such as a 2020 US Open Commemorative Edition putter which SIK made to honor Bryson DeChambeau's win. The auction also includes Penfolds' complete California inaugural 2018 collection, a 4-bottle collection which includes QUANTUM BIN 98 Napa 2018: Cabernet Sauvignon which received 98 points from James Suckling and 97 points from Robert Parker.

Major sponsors of this year's tournament include SIK Putters which will create a custom fit putter for each member of the winning "fivesome" (four players plus a celebrity player); Lacoste, which is presenting the tennis tournament; Porsche Englewood which is hosting a hole-in-one contest for which the prize is a Porsche Macan; Mandarin Oriental, New York which will present a specialty cocktail; and Forever Cheese, importers of artisan cheese and specialty food, which will provide custom snacks for the golf and tennis players as well as host a tasting table at the post-tournament reception.

To purchase tickets, cityharvest.org/2021/05/faldo-golf-tennis/.

City Harvest: City Harvest is New York's first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. As the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will rescue 111 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food and deliver it-free of charge-to nearly 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets across the five boroughs. We work alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. For more than 35 years, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city-one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. To learn more, please visit cityharvest.org.

Sir Nick Faldo:

Nick Faldo is the lead analyst for CBS and The Golf Channel. A World Hall of Fame golfer, Faldo has won six major championships, more than 40 tournament victories and spent a total of 98 weeks as the world's number one golfer. He is broadly regarded as the most successful golfer that Britain has ever produced.

Photo Credit: 2020 Event, Courtesy of City Harvest

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