DoubleTree Downtown Pittsburgh Hotel's Executive Chef to Participate in Taste of the NFL

As football season starts, so have NFL charity events around the country. Chef Anthony Zallo, the executive chef at the DoubleTree Downtown Pittsburgh's Bigelow Grille restaurant, will be representing Pittsburgh alongside former Steelers linebacker, Andy Russell, in an annual event to end hunger in America. Taste of the NFL, a nonprofit organization, holds its major event Party with a Purpose every year on the eve of the Super Bowl. Every NFL city sends one of its top chefs and a player or coach from its team to the event, where guests will buy food from their favorite teams and meet football legends while supporting a good cause.

Chef Anthony has participated in the event for several years. Although this year's menu has yet to be determined, in the past the Bethel Park native has created dishes including gnocchi with mushroom-gorgonzola sauce, caramel and black pepper braised wings, pork belly and goat cheese pierogi, and rabbit sausage with herb spaetzle. His aim is not only to prepare tasty food, but to create dishes that reflect Pittsburgh's unique cuisine.

This event will be the 23rd annual Party with a Purpose. Since its inception in 1992, the organization has raised over $8 million, allowing it to provide over 72 million pounds of food to people who rely on food banks for their meals. Funds are raised from ticket sales, silent auctions, and raffles, and the contributions are given to food banks from the NFL cities around the nation.

For the past 4 years, Pittsburgh has also won the Helmet Auction. NFL players sell signed team helmets and other football memorabilia at their stands in addition to the food. By the end of the event, the station that makes the most money is given a matching contribution by Taste of the NFL for their home city. Andy Russell, 2-time winner of the Super Bowl, has participated in the event for 15 years, and has helped take home the Helmet Auction for the last 4 years in a row, bringing the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank thousands of dollars of extra funding!

For a taste of Chef Anthony's famous fare, stop by the Bigelow Grille restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh.

DoubleTree Pittsburgh Downtown is a luxury hotel in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District and the central business district. Within walking distance of the Consol Energy Center and across the Allegheny River from Heinz Field and PNC Park, the hotel grants guests easy access to some of Pittsburgh's most exciting sports centers. Contact DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown to hear more about events around the city: http://pittsburghdowntowndoubletree.com.