Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Donates Beef from FOOD & WINE Classic to Aspen Charity
Hillary Makens | July 3, 2018
Following a successful sponsorship of the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, the Beef Checkoff donated approximately 100 pounds of beef to the Aspen Homeless Shelter. The donated beef was used in the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. booth in the Grand Tasting Pavilion where meat scientist, Bridget Wasser wowed guests with live beef cutting demonstrations.
The Aspen Homeless Shelter provides men and women with basic amenities and shelter year-round, as well as job counseling and other services. The organization’s mission is to keep people alive, safe and fed while they are homeless; help them access resources to meet their needs; and assist, with a hand-up, in transition to stability and self-reliance.
“At Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. we are passionate about both beef and preventing food waste,” said Mandy Carr Johnson, Ph.D., senior executive director of science, culinary and outreach for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. “We wanted to show FOOD & WINE Classic guests a different way of cutting and serving a familiar cut of beef, but it was important that we could donate the meat to a good cause when we were done with the demonstrations. We were honored to work with the Aspen Homeless Shelter to donate the beef used at the event.”
In addition to the beef cutting demonstrations, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. debuted virtual reality ranch tours at the culinary event. The 360-degree videos, shown in virtual reality headsets, transported FOOD & WINE Classic attendees to a farm or ranch. The videos make it possible for consumers to learn more about where their food comes from without having to find a way to physically visit a farm or ranch.
Adding to the full-circle farm to table experience, Beef. It’s What for Dinner. satisfied FOOD & WINE Classic attendee taste buds with Beef Poke and Spicy Steak Avocado Bruschetta samples. These innovative recipes showcased Ribeye cap and Ribeye filet cuts, which were highlighted in the cutting demonstration. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. chefs Laura Hagen and Marci Levine, who developed the recipes, were also on hand to talk to guests about the flavors, preparation tips and to answer questions about cooking with beef.
About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
About NCBA, a Contractor to the Beef Checkoff
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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