Come Hungry, Alexandria: Carpenter’s Cook-Off Returns October 25

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Finally, an afternoon when going back for another bite counts as taking your responsibilities seriously.

Carpenter’s Cook-Off returns to The Birchmere on Sunday, October 25, from noon to 3 p.m., bringing a delicious assignment for Alexandria food lovers: taste your way through offerings from local restaurants, caterers and bakeries, pick your favorites, and help support neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Come hungry. Bring opinions. Perhaps leave the very fitted waistband at home.

Presented by Amazon, PCSI, and Bryan and Mary White, Carpenter’s Shelter’s signature fundraiser pairs a lively afternoon of eating and entertainment with a purpose that lasts well beyond the last bite. The organization serves more than 1,080 children, women and men each year, helping people move toward permanent, sustainable housing through shelter, guidance, education and advocacy.

That is a pretty good reason to make room for dessert.

A Little Restaurant Hopping—Without Moving the Car

This year’s lineup offers plenty of familiar names and opportunities to discover a new favorite. According to Carpenter’s Shelter’s announcement, participating businesses include:

• Aldo’s Italian Kitchen
• Buzz Bakeshop
• Carpenter’s Café
• Common Hearth Bakery
• Dishes of India
• Firebirds Wood-Fired Grill
• Hank’s Oyster Bar
• Hard Times Cafe
• Landini Brothers
• Little Birdie
• Union Street Public House
• Rocklands Barbecue
• Rustico Restaurant & Bar
• Pop-Up Pastries
• Sundara Indian Kitchen
• Tequila & Taco
• True Food Kitchen
• The Warehouse
• Misha’s Coffee

Guests get to sample and judge the offerings. Consider it a chance to put all those years of enthusiastic restaurant research to work.

There will also be music from DJ Infinite Sounds, live and silent auctions, raffles, and fun for the whole family. In other words, give yourself the afternoon.

A Deliciously Difficult Judging Assignment

Choosing the Best Sweet and Savory Dishes falls to three celebrity judges: WJLA-7 news anchor Jasmine Styles; Juan Ramirez, general manager of RAMMYS award-winning Bastille Brasserie & Bar; and Kamay Lafalaise, a MasterChef top finalist.

We wish them strength. Choosing just one sweet favorite sounds like a task that might require a second taste.

The afternoon will also recognize someone whose contributions reach well beyond the tasting tables. Former Carpenter’s Shelter board chair Jonathan Wolcott of Holland & Knight will receive the seventh annual Val Hawkins Award, honoring dedicated champions of the shelter’s mission and vision.

The Bidding Starts Before the Tasting

You can get into the fundraising spirit before anyone serves the first sample.

Online bidding for the silent auction opens at midnight Sunday, October 11, and closes at 2 p.m. on Cook-Off day, October 25. Participants can register online, browse the auction catalog and bid on their favorites.

Auction items can be collected at the event or afterward at The Hoffman Center on October 26–28 or November 2–6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A mutually agreed pickup time may also be arranged. Items will not be mailed or shipped.

Get Your Tickets—and Bring Your Appetite

Advance tickets, available through October 23, are $75 for adults and guests ages 13 and older, and $25 for children ages 12 and younger. At-the-door prices on October 25 rise to $100 for adults and $30 for children.

For Alexandria, this is an opportunity to show up for two things our community does especially well: good food and looking out for one another.

Your toughest decision of the afternoon might be choosing a favorite bite. The reason to be there is easy.