Do or Dine Chef Justin Warner Donates Reality TV Proceeds to Bed-Stuy Charity
Justin Warner, co-owner of quirky Bed-Stuy eatery Do or Dine and winner of Food Network Star, recently appeared on an episode of the culinary game show Cutthroat Kitchen. He lost, but valiantly: the show, which is all about competitors sabatoging each other, required Warner to cook sausage in Bundt pan to vie for a possible prize of $25,000 for charity. Warner didn’t win in what was frankly an injustice all around, but he still finagled $2,500 to give to his cause of choice. And the funds, Warner decided, are headed to Bed-Stuy’s Campaign Against Hunger.
“Bed-Stuy is my home,” Warner said in a statement. “I love the community, the food, the culture, the music — everything that makes Bed-Stuy a very special place. The show afforded me the opportunity to highlight an amazing charity organization that is doing extraordinary work in my community.”
In thanks, the Campaign Against Hunger is giving Warner a Harvest Hero Award at their annual fundraising gala next week. The organization began as a small food pantry, and grew to distribute 1.8 million meals to needy Brooklynites last year.