The History of Chefs of Compassion
Celebrity chefs, cooking tournaments, and foodie blogs are all the rage in popular culture - so imagine an event that combines the excitement and fun of a celebrity cooking competition with an opportunity to support a local non-profit. All this and more can be found at Chefs of Compassion: Cooking for a Cause, a fundraiser in support of West Valley Community Services (WVCS).
WVCS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been providing supportive services to low-income and homeless individuals and families in Santa Clara County for over 50 years. With a service area that includes the 22,000 men, women and children living in poverty in Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, West San Jose, Monte Sereno, and the surrounding mountain regions, WVCS partners with local government, community donors and volunteers, and foundations to provide food, housing, referrals, and case management to men, women and children facing food and housing insecurity.
Chefs of Compassion is a unique and popular charity benefit event that invites well-known professional chefs from throughout Silicon Valley to each prepare one of a three-course dinner inspired by ingredients found in the WVCS food market. Participating chefs are judged during the event on taste, appearance, and creativity, by a panel of celebrity judges, with a special audience favorite award, voted on by the attendees.
In addition to a delicious dinner and wine, the event also includes stories from some of WVCS’s clients.
Past chefs have represented some of the finest dining and food experiences in our region, including chefs from Michelin-Starred All Spice, Stanford Health Care, Taverna, Alexander's Steak House, Manresa, Alex Hult - owner, and ex-chef of Hult Restuarant, Chefs from Google, Flights, AXL Gastropub, and many more. Thank you for joining us at this year's Chefs of Compassion.
We look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us via email at event@wvcommunityservices.org. We hope you will join us for this exciting event next year, at the 13th annual Chefs of Compassion.
The WVCS Team
As an accomplished Clinical Psychologist and tenured Professor at Foothill College, Dr. Clifton Der Bing is a trailblazer who advocates for wellness and equity among the college’s culturally-diverse student population. He initiated the college district’s annual LGBTQ+ Flag Raising Ceremonies and is currently spearheading the establishment of the campus’ future PRIDE Center. Beyond academia, he serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations. Much of his work–past and present–has centered on individuals and families dealing with food- and housing insecurity. Accordingly, Dr. Der Bing is proud to serve as Master of Ceremonies in support of the work West Valley Community Services performs serving this same population.
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