TCC and Amazon expand partnership with Cleaver and Cork 2023 culinary experience
Tallahassee Community College and Amazon take their partnership a step further as the multinational e-commerce company becomes the premier sponsor of TCC’s anticipated Cleaver and Cork culinary events this year.
Individuals from the college, Amazon and the city of Tallahassee braved Wednesday’s rainy weather to attend a press conference where the announcement was made at downtown restaurant Savour, located on East Park Street.
“We're always honored when someone that has the brand recognition of Amazon chooses us to be an event that they use to invest in our community,” TCC President Jim Murdaugh told the Tallahassee Democrat Wednesday.
“This is the first major event that Amazon is investing in here in Tallahassee, Florida,” Murdaugh added, “and they're doing it because we have a track record with Cleaver and Cork of providing a wonderful opportunity for people and generating scholarship dollars that make college affordable for students who may not otherwise be able to come to college.”
Hosted by the TCC Foundation, the 2023 Cleaver and Cork begins Sunday, Feb. 26 and will be the college's 8th annual culinary experience that directly funds student scholarships. More than 400 individuals gathered last year at a festival on TCC’s campus during the event that featured tasting tents and cooking demonstrations.
With a celebrity chef being hosted every year, 2023's guest will be award-winning Iron Chef Michael Symon — also a television personality, author and philanthropist who owns the restaurants Angeline, an Italian restaurant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Mabel’s BBQ, a Cleveland-style barbeque restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio and Bar Symon, which has several locations including one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Past celebrity chefs of the event include Aarón Sánchez, Marc Murphy and Marcus Samuelsson.
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Cleaver and Cork is possible with the contribution of several donors, and Amazon gave the highest donation this year with $25,000 that was highlighted as “the foundation” that will help make the event a success this year.
Other sponsors include Capital City Bank, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and HCA Florida Capital Hospital.
Savour Owner Drew McLeod, who is also a partner of the annual event and a TCC alumnus, explained why Cleaver and Cork is important to the hospitality community in Tallahassee.
“When you look at the opportunities that the industry, students and now Amazon have through this event, I think it’s a win-win-win for everybody in the community,” McLeod said.
This past November, Amazon selected TCC to be an education partner for its Career Choice Program, where employees will have the opportunity to get an education and learn new skills for career success through training programs related to construction and manufacturing.
This comes after the company’s long awaited plans of launching Tallahassee’s new fulfillment center this year, which is located on Mahan Drive and is expected to create around 1,000 full-time jobs in the state's capital.
Plans are also in the making to have an Amazon distribution center on the southside of Northwest Passage off Capital Circle Northwest, where the company anticipates breaking ground this year.
“At Amazon, it really is our mission to be a good neighbor and community partner,” Amazon’s Regional Policy Leader Cristal Cole, a FAMU alumna, said at the Wednesday conference. “Whether it be fostering a better learning environment in schools or helping create jobs and opportunities for those who need it most, our trailblazing commitment of purposeful giving is at the core of who we are.”
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City Commissioner and former TCC Foundation Board President Curtis Richardson spoke on behalf of Mayor and TCC alumnus John Dailey to explain the impact Amazon has on the Tallahassee community.
“We are so grateful to Amazon for choosing Tallahassee as a new home for their most technologically advanced retail warehouse in the nation, and we are lucky that their support extends past our local economy and job opportunities by supporting one of our signature events,” Richardson said. “I know it won’t be the last.”
The 2023 Cleaver and Cork events will kick off with The Progressive Cocktail Party on Feb. 26, featuring food from five local restaurants — Black Radish, The Huntsman, Mimi's Table, Poco Vino and Savour. Next will be The Signature Dinner on March 3 with a four-course meal made by Symon.
Although the two events are sold out, the culinary week will conclude with The Food and Wine Festival on Saturday, March 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on TCC's campus. The celebration will feature 65 tasting tents of restaurants and food vendors from across North Florida, and general admission tickets are sold at $100.
For more information, visit the Cleaver and Cork website.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TCC, Amazon team up for Cleaver and Cork 2023 culinary experience
