About Share Our Strength^:

Share Our Strength is a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger, and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Taste of the Nation, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale^®, Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline^® and Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit^®. For more information, please visit www.strength.org.

Generous support from national sponsors SYSCO Corporation and Food Network, American Express, Brown-Forman, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, and local sponsors Grey Goose Vodka, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Fashion Industry Gallery (f.i.g.) ensure that 100 percent of ticket proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America.  

With more than 12 million children facing hunger in America, Taste of the Nation events promotes awareness of Share Our Strength’s efforts across the nation. The funds raised through Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation support the most effective organizations that feed hungry children, as well as advocates that are pursuing long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger, both locally and nationally.

“An end to childhood hunger in the United States is within reach,” said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. With all the participants in Taste of the Nation Dallas sharing their strengths, we are creating more resources for the greater good of Dallas and our great nation.”

Tables for Taste of the Nation can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-Taste or visiting here. 

Chef RJ Cooper: This is Chef RJ Cooper’s first year serving as Chef Chair for Taste of the Nation D.C., though he has been involved with Taste of the Nation for 20 years.

As a teen growing up in suburban Detroit, Cooper imagined himself a rock star chef playing in the kitchen with his mother and Sicilian grandmother, who made everything from scratch. His first stint in a professional kitchen was during high school, when he took an apprenticeship at a local bakery.  Right away he knew that the culinary world was his calling, Cooper, decided to further his education by attending The Culinary School at Kendall College in Illinois.

In the late 1990s, Cooper moved to Washington, D.C., working at numerous restaurants before joining Vidalia in 2004 as chef de cuisine. Jeffrey Buben took on the role as mentor for Cooper, teaching him the fundamentals of running a business and keeping systems in place. His Modern American philosophy shines through as Cooper uses a delicate hand to transform ordinary products into composed and elegant dishes.

In 2007 Chef Cooper won the prestigious Best Chef Mid Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation, and has been nominated for Best Chef by the RAMW with restaurant nominations for Best Fine Dining Restaurant RAMW.

Chef Cooper believes in philanthropy and actively participates in Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation, is the Chair of Taste of the Nation's Culinary Council and in 2008 won Share Our Strength’s leadership award for Chef of the Year.

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