On April 17, some of the city’s best culinary minds will come together in support of the fight to end childhood hunger across the country. New York City’s Taste of the Nation features dozens of the city’s best chefs, mixologists and sommeliers from restaurants including BAAR BAAR, Union Square Café, Pig Beach, Porchlight, The Clocktower, Death & Co and more, with 100 percent of proceeds supporting the No Kid Hungry campaign.

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2016. This means they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The prevalence of very low food security is also unchanged, at 4.9 percent in 2016 and 5 percent in 2015. In addition to this, last year the federal poverty level was a salary of $25,750 per year for a family of four.

“A nationwide culinary series would not be complete without a NYC event featuring the dynamic food and culinary talents in the city. Nearly 1 in 5 kids in the state of the New York faces food insecurity, so it’s important that we raise awareness and the critical funds necessary to address the problem here in the state,” said Jessie Niewold, Director of Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry. “Last year was our first time hosting the event in Brooklyn, and we’ve been inspired by the interest and response from area chefs, beverage purveyors and community members.”