On Tuesday, June 26th over 60 top chefs and culinary professionals from the Washington, DC area and throughout the Mid-Atlantic traded in their toques for motorcycle helmets for the 4th annual Share Our Strength's Chefs on Bikes presented by Fortessa. This 100-mile-plus ride raised over $50,000 for Share Our Strength, the nation's leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America.

After a low country breakfast featuring eggs Benedict, ham steaks with red eye gravy, fresh baked treasures and fruit, the riders roared out from Indigo Landing restaurant for a scenic ride through the Virginia countryside. Riders then headed to Middleburg, Va.'s Market Salamander for a lunch that included the restaurant's popular macaroni and cheese. After lunch riders hit the road again for another beautiful ride with views of the Shenandoah mountains. The final stop was at Chrysalis Vineyards, also in Middleburg, where the chefs enjoyed a special reserve wine tasting and an afternoon of entertainment, fabulous food and fun.

Food at the post-ride party included a special appetizer foam bar and tapas presented by Cuisine Solutions of Alexandria, Va., traditional pork barbecue sandwiches from the Grill Meister of Galena, Md. and artisan breads from Uptown Bakers of Hyattsville, Md.

This year's event raised over $50,000 from individual contributions, pledges and sponsorships – nearly triple the amount raised in 2006. Chef Maziar Farivar of Peacock Café in Washington, DC raised over $2,600 and won the award for most money raised by an individual rider. Second prize for most money raised went to Jean-Michel Bergougnoux of L'Absinthe Brasserie-Restaurant in New York City who raised $1,330.

The money raised will support Share Our Strength's efforts to end childhood hunger in America. Since 1984, they have led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring and organizing individuals and businesses to share their strengths. They have raised over $200 million to fight hunger around the globe and invested critical funds in over 1,000 of the most effective hunger-related organizations to help them sustain their efforts and maximize their capacity to deliver results.

Today, their priority is to end childhood hunger in America ensuring that the more than 12 million children facing hunger have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive.

"We are thrilled with the results of this year's ride," said Billy Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. "If we are to address the challenge of 12 million children facing hunger in America, it will take innovative solutions like the Chefs on Bikes program. We salute all of the riders, volunteers, and sponsors who participated in this year's event and thank them for their role in raising critical funds and awareness to ensure that kids everywhere have access to nutritious food."

Seven brave chefs also took part in a "Year of the Pig" themed BBQ contest for which they each created a recipe for a 14 pound suckling pig. This year's winner was Mallory Buford of Black's Bar and Kitchen in Bethesda who took a simple approach with his Carolina Cold Smoke recipe in which he prepared the pig using a special homemade spice rub, then cold smoked it for several hours and finished it off with a mop of vinegar and seasonings. This year's runner up was Jamie Stachowski of Restaurant Kolumbia who took a more innovative approach using a "sous vide" technique for which he injected the pig with amaretto brine, larded it with bacon, vacuum sealed it in a plastic bag and slow cooked it in a low temperature water bath for six hours before finishing it in an offset smoker rotisserie.

The esteemed panel BBQ contest judges included Bob Madigan, WTOP Radio's "Man About Town" who also served as Emcee; Eve Zibert of the Washington Post; Michael Birchenall of Food Service Monthly, Marc Silverstein, host of Food Network's "Best of" and Jeff Buben Chef Owner of Bistro Bis and Vidalia.

"We are heartened to see the continued commitment from the area's top hospitality professionals," said Scott Hamberger, managing director of Fortessa, Inc. "This is a great cause and a fun event that gets better every year."

Chefs on Bikes was co-founded by Scott Hamberger of Fortessa, Inc. and Jean-Philippe Krukowicz, owner of Kruko, Inc., the Washington, DC, foodservice company.

About Share Our Strength

Since 1984, Share Our Strength® has led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring individuals and businesses to share their strengths. Today, its priority is to end childhood hunger in America. By raising funds to support the most effective community-based programs that feed hungry children, partnering with organizations that pursue long-term solutions, and helping families help themselves through nutrition education programs, Share Our Strength will ensure that the more than 12 million children at risk of hunger have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. For more information, please visit www.strength.org.