AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Whole Foods Market announces “Gourmet Date for Good,” a series of three virtual live cook-along events to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend at home in three unique ways. Organized by Whole Foods Market and hosted by comedian Heather McMahan, actress Tabitha Brown and comedian Matt Bellassai, each event is designed for a different love-themed occasion, including Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13, Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 and Singles Awareness Day on Feb. 15.
Each experience will last 30 to 45 minutes and will offer the opportunity for real-time Q&A with hosts. The collection of Valentine’s Day-inspired experiences includes:
- Saturday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: Galentine’s Day – Ready to laugh the night away with your pals, virtually? Comedian, actress and regular “TODAY with Hoda & Jenna” cohost Heather McMahan (@heatherkmcmahan) will join her mom, Robin, and her sister, Ashley, in the kitchen while showing you how to make their steak crostini with basil vinaigrette sauce to tickle your taste buds.
- Sunday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: Valentine’s Day – On the most popular date night of the year, grab your honey and join actress and vegan lifestyle personality Tabitha Brown (@iamtabithabrown) and her husband, Chance, in making vallops – yes, vegan scallops, combined with her herbaceous vegan butter and Whole Foods Market Hearts of Palm pasta, or your noodle of choice.
- Monday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: Singles Awareness Day – You can’t celebrate being single without dessert … for one! Join author, podcast host, unprofessional baker extraordinaire and comedian Matt Bellassai (@mattbellassai) in making chocolate lava cake, the one dessert everybody feels pressure to share but secretly wants to inhale alone.
Starting today, tickets are available for the “Gourmet Date for Good” virtual experiences by making a donation through Eventbrite to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, a grassroots organization formed by chefs and independent restaurant owners which advocates for the nation’s 500,000 local restaurants and bars affected by COVID-19. Recognizing the incredible challenges faced by the restaurant industry, Whole Foods Market will be making an additional contribution to the cause, matching all ticket donations up to $50,000.
“America’s 500,000 independent restaurants and bars are grateful to Whole Foods Market for their support this holiday,” says Erika Polmar, chief operating officer at the Independent Restaurant Coalition. “Valentine’s Day weekend — typically one of the busiest weekends of the year for restaurants — will be yet another massive revenue loss facing our industry. The donations from ‘Gourmet Date for Good’ will provide significant assistance to help ensure they can fully reopen when it is safe to do so.”
Donating to secure tickets through Eventbrite unlocks access to a list of ingredients to purchase prior to the live event to cook, bake and even sip along. Regardless of what you’re whipping up on Valentine’s Day weekend, Whole Foods Market is your destination for the highest-quality products to make celebrating at home this holiday feel extra special. Start by bringing home some beauty with a Double Dozen Bunch of Roses, available for $19.99 for Prime members, regularly $29.99. Terms apply. In addition to picking up roses in store, Prime members can enjoy free two-hour delivery from Whole Foods Market in more than 2,000 cities and towns, and free one-hour pickup from Whole Foods Market, now available at all U.S. locations. Visit amazon.com/wholefoods for additional details.
About Whole Foods Market
For 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com.
About the Independent Restaurant Coalition
The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) was founded in March 2020 on the simple belief that small businesses have the power to affect legislative change if their voices become united.
The Independent Restaurant Coalition was formed by chefs and independent restaurant owners across the country who have built a grassroots movement to secure vital protections for the nation’s 500,000 independent restaurants and the more than 11 million restaurant workers they employ in the face of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more, please visit https://www.saverestaurants.com/.
