Come enjoy a wonderful evening of food, drinks and fun to support
The Power of Education School in Haiti
Thursday May 31st from 6-11pm 
Northern Jet Private Hanger at the Gerald R. Ford Airport

Four of Grand Rapids' top chefs will be competing to be crowned the 1st ever Chopped GR Champion. Guests will enjoy a Caribbean style dinner and desserts while watching the show. There will be raffle items and silent and live auction items between rounds of cooking. Drink tickets for cash bar available throughout the night. Event tickets will be limited and are sure to sell out. Purchase yours today through Eventbrite 
ALL PROCEEDS OF THIS EVENT WILL BE USED TO PURCHASE A PERMANENT SCHOOL BUILDING. OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE 80K TO FINALIZE THE SALE. **​If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to make a donation to the GR Chopped Challenge Fundraiser, follow the donate button below.

The Power of Education School

The Power of Education Foundation opened a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2010 and currently supports 235 students grades K-9 with quality education, nutrition support and health care. For eight years, the school has operated out of a rented building. This building has become the anchor in a vulnerable community, providing a safe place for children to learn and community groups to meet. To ensure the school’s future, we are raising the necessary funds needed to purchase and renovate the building. Ownership will allow us to renovate the building to better meet our needs and ensure a more permanent, sustainable future for the school.

MEET OUR CHEFS

Chef Jenna Arcidacono
Amore Trattoria Italiana
5080 Alpine Ave NW
Comstock Park, MI 49321

Award winning Chef Jenna brings a taste of the old world to Grand Rapids.   Amore Trattoria was named Top 10 restaurants in Grand Rapids Magazine 2017.   Jenna was also named one of Grand Rapids top 50 most influential women and has been featured on The Food Network as a guest on Guy’s Grocery Games.
Jenna’s warm personality and culinary expertise keeps people coming back for her old world recipes inspired by her Mother-In-Law and the regional cuisines of Italy.  Amore Trattoria is a gem on the north side of Grand Rapids and has gained popularity due to the full-flavored dishes and personalized service.

Chef Jeremy Paquin
Grove
​919 Cherry St SE
Grand Rapids MI  49506

“Cooking is where my passion has always been. It’s what I do; it’s what I’ve always done.” Jeremy Paquin began working for Essence Restaurant Group in 2015 at Bistro Bella Vita before transitioning into the role of Head Chef at Grove and winning Grand Rapids Best Restaurant for 4 consecutive years.
 
The combination of ingredients and simplicity in presentation is a key point in Paquin’s cooking philosophy, which has changed throughout his career in cooking. At 37, Paquin said his focus is cooking food people will recognize and want to eat, a shift from his early 20s,
​ fresh out of San Jacinto College, near Houston, he was eager to cook “fussy food with 80 ingredients and an immaculate plate.”
 
Prior to joining ERG, Jeremy brought the farm-to-table concept to Muskegon with the venture Mia and Grace. Jeremy’s roots of crafting dishes prepared from fresh, local products align with Grove’s fundamental value of thoughtfully prepared cuisine.

Chef Chris Weimer
Linear
1001 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids MI 

Chris Weimer is the head chef and co-owner of the new restaurant Linear, a “modern” American-style restaurant along the Grand River downtown that will anchor The Homes at River’s Edge in Grand Rapids
Chris is a Secchia Culinary Institute graduate who was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI.  Chris was a head chef at Brewery Vivant and was described as  passionate and energetic.  He describes working in his kitchen as “demanding,” but all his employees seem to think the world of him anyway.
“I demand that you put everything you have into every single plate. Each plate comes with a great dishwasher, a great hostess, a great food purveyor. All those things take a lot of monitoring. You have to demand quality and you have to demand service,” he says. 
Chris was named one of Grand Rapids Top 10 Chefs to watch in 2017.

Chef Ryan Martin
Zoko 822
822 Ottawa Ave, NW
Grand Rapids Mi

Ryan Martin is an accomplished local chef who recently opened Zoko822 in December.  Zoko is a taste of Europe right in the Grand Rapids community.  The Basque-inspired restaurant offers small plate style dining, delicious food and an inviting atmosphere.
  Martin made his beginnings working as the Executive Chef at Winchester. As his reputation grew, he went on to become Head Chef at Osteria Rossa in the downtown Grand Rapids area. Martin has since been named as one of Grand Rapid’s Top 10 Chefs to Watch in 2017 by the Grand Rapids Press and MLive contributor George Aquino.