Brooklyn takes a Super Bowl bite with the Taste of the NFL

It was a gorgeous morning in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall when NFL representatives, world-renowned chefs and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz came together to announce Brooklyn as the host city for the 23^rd annual Taste of the NFL, the “Party with a Purpose.”

On the Saturday night before the 2014 Super Bowl, which will be held at the Meadowlands, 35 of the country’s best chefs will join with NFL players and legends in one grand location – this year, Pier 12 of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook — for the event, which has been held since 1992 to aid hunger relief efforts.

Founded by Minneapolis restaurateur Wayne Kostroski, who attended the June 19 announcement in downtown Brooklyn, the Taste of the NFL is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and provides relief for hunger-stricken people throughout the United States over the course of the year.

One hundred percent of all proceeds from the gala will go toward food banks across the country, three of which are in the New York and New Jersey areas, including the Bedford-Stuyvesant Campaign against Hunger, located in central Brooklyn, as well as the Food Bank for New York City. This food and wine event is the single most successful NFL-sanctioned charitable event at the Super Bowl.

This year, besides sampling a variety of flavorful foodstuffs from around the United States, attendees at the Taste of the NFL will be treated to samples of some of Brooklyn’s home-grown delights, as well. They will also have the opportunity to meet NFL players and celebrity chefs, and participate in a spectacular auction that includes sports memorabilia.

Markowitz emphasized that “the Taste of the NFL has the right recipe to fight hunger,” given the need to help feed over 50 million starving people which is stronger and more important than ever.

Amongst the group of chefs who attended the morning’s press conference was Ted Allen, host of “Chopped” on The Food Network and a native New Yorker, who will be culinary host of the Taste of the NFL. To the crowd of excited sports fans and media personnel, Allen declared with pride that he is “so honored to call Brooklyn [his] home.”

Other celebrities expected to attend the blockbuster event that precedes the big game include cast members from TLC’s “Cake Boss” (whose star, Buddy Valastro, also attended the announcement), as well as Miss America, Mallory Hagan, a resident of Windsor Terrace.

Kostroski announced he “couldn’t be more excited” this year about the locale of the party, because Brooklyn is “home to the most delicious food and respected chefs.”

When asked how he felt about first learning that Brooklyn would be hosting such an event before the ‘big game,’ Markowitz recalled that he “went nuts” and is “honored to be a part of the NFL action.”

The 2014 “Party with a Purpose” will take place on Saturday, February 1 at with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets for this great cause go on sale July 1; they can be purchased online at TasteoftheNFL.com or by calling 952-835-7621.