More than 60 of the world's best chefs and restaurateurs on Thursday joined Cooking for Kamala, a virtual Zoom fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign.
The event, co-hosted by Joel McHale and Padma Lakshmi, was inspired by the vice president's own love of cooking and raised $222,955 for the Harris-Walz campaign.
Culinary leaders spoke during the event about what's at stake for the food industry in November.
McHale kicked things off with a few lighthearted punchlines, telling participants there were "so many Michelin stars being thrown around, we could open up a tire shop."
Notable guests including "Top Chef" host Tom Colicchio -- who serenaded the kitchen with his guitar and a rendition of "Eyes on the Prize" -- Gail Simmons, Kristen Kish, Nancy Silverton, Chris Bianco and more zoomed in throughout the course of the evening, as California Rep. Eric Swalwell and chef Susan Feniger, who helped organize the event, led in-kitchen demonstrations of three dishes: a fig crisp with cheese appetizer, Harris' own roasted chicken recipe, and, for dessert, "out of a coconut tree" cookies.
Freshly baked coconut cookies straight out of the coconut tree!!! 🥥🌴 #CookingForKamalahttps://t.co/f38gyQyEy7 pic.twitter.com/30OlfqGBxx
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) August 30, 2024
Globally acclaimed two-Michelin-starred chef, humanitarian and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés lauded Harris' knife skills and prowess in the kitchen, while also spotlighting her interest in food-related policies.
"For me, when we have a leader that cares about food issues -- and I know Vice President Kamala Harris cares about them -- when you have a leader that knows and understands the power of feeding one another, that's the power to build longer tables," he said.
Andrés recalled an interaction with Harris before she became vice president, saying she had joined a WCK event in Washington, D.C., on Thanksgiving with her husband Doug Emhoff to cook for "homeless [individuals] and ex-convicts, to make sure that she sent a message that everybody matters, and you need to show up to solve the problems America is facing."
He also said of her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, "I don't know what I love more about him, that he championed universal school meals in his state or his award-winning tater tot hot dish, which I think is an amazing recipe."
Famed movie producer Jamie Patricof, who helped put on the event, said that in his opinion, Harris would "be an advocate for all the chefs and all the restaurants around the world, so we need her amongst all the other amazing things she's going to do."
