A group of the North’s finest chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality industry experts are set to face one of their biggest challenges outside of the kitchen to date, volunteering to trek through the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia this October, in a bid to raise over £100,000 for Action Against Hunger.
Paddy Smith, Owner of Red and Blue restaurants, the company behind Salthouse Tapas, Salthouse Bacaro and Hanover Street Social, Steven Burgess, Chef Owner of catering company Rhubarb & Custard, Tomas Maunier, Sales and Marketing Director at Fazenda restaurants and Vince Margiotta, Owner of hospitality consultancy business Vmar Ltd and Vincenzo’s Italian restaurant launching in Liverpool in September, will join Adam Tomlinson, Sticky Walnut, Liam McKay, The Chef’s Table, Andrew Nutter, Nutters and the Bird at Birtle, Daisy Whitehouse, Managing Director of Down at the Social, Frances Atkins, The Yorke Arms, Jobe Ferguson, Black Dog Ballroom, The Liars Club Group and TNQ Restaurant and Bar, Jon Kirby, Director at Beautiful Drinks, the company behind Almost Famous, Lisa Allen, Northcote, Mary-Ellen McTague, Chef Owner of former Aumbry restaurant, Ross Mackenzie, Black Dog Ballroom and The Liars Club Group and Ruth Allan, Food Critic and editor of Manchester Wire to comprise the full Ethiopia Trek team.
This will be the first time that the vast majority of the team have undertaken a physical challenge on this scale. A tough and challenging trek, the group will cover 80km of rocky trails and steep escarpments over four days, at altitudes of up to 4400m.
Team members will be organising a number of fundraising activities throughout the summer, both personally and through their businesses, in order to raise funds towards the team’s challenge target.
The funds raised will go towards Action Against Hunger’s work to provide malnourished children with healthier futures in countries including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Nepal and Somalia.
Action Against Hunger has been present in Ethiopia since 1985, helping families through severe droughts including the recent drought resulting from El Nino, which is affecting an estimated 400,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Christine Kahmann, Head of Communications at Action Against Hunger, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the Ethiopia Trek Team on board, who have all been extremely vocal and enthusiastic about the challenge ahead and we’re confident we’ll not only achieve the fund raising target set, but will beat it!”
Tomas Maunier, Sales and Marketing Director at Fazenda, said: “The day Fazenda was presented with the trek plans I jumped at the chance to come on board. We were so impressed with the organisation’s achievements that we decided it was time for Fazenda to get more proactive and involved in helping others. We are very lucky to be where we are in life, so in honour of that we want to do something that’s really going to raise awareness and make a difference. The physical challenge will be unlike anything I have done before but I am thrilled to be a part of such an enthusiastic and supportive team.”
The team fundraising page can be viewed here and donations can be made online.
