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Food For Thought
2024
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Food for Thought 2026

A Grand Chefs Tasting
Hosted by Cooke School and Institute
and the wonderful ways they navigate the world

Check back for more details coming soon!
Join us for a special night of community & celebration
with honorees Mary Clancy & Sherri Shepherd

MAY 06, 2026

6:30 PM
The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, NYC
23rd Street and West Side Highway

Event Highlights:
  • Strolling supper presented by renowned NYC chefs with Cooke student sous chefs
  • Brief celebratory program and lively pledge drive
  • Live music by Special Audiences and Musicians (SAM) ensemble (featuring Cooke Alumnus and violinist Lev Garfein)
  • Premium open bar (All friends of Cooke ages 21+ are invited to attend)
  • Cocktail/Business attire

2026 Honorees

Mary Clancy, longstanding Associate Head of School and a catalyst for student success, honored as a Possibilities Builder for her transformative impact on generations of Cooke students.

Sherri Shepherd, Cooke parent and host of Sherri, recognized for supporting students’ vocational growth through hands-on internship experiences on her talk show.
Interested in Sponsorship? Download the 2026 Sponsorship Benefits Brochure!

Participating Chefs

Accurate as of January 30, 2026
8282
Bong Le Jo
Barbuto
Heather Miller & Jack Cesari
Cafe Commerce
Harold Moore
Caviarteria
Walter Drobenko & Lucas Santos
Chevere
Miriam & Michael Petrovitch
Chinese Tuxedo
Paul Donnelly
Cookshop
Wil Fernandez-Cruz
David Waltuck
Dhamaka
Vijay Bhardwaj
Duchess of Cameron
Grace "Grey" Pak
Frenchette
Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson
Hainan Chicken House
Christopher Low
Harlem Shake
Jelena Pasic
KRU
Ohm Suansilphong
Nobu Fifty Seven
Taku Sato
Noi Due Gelato
Golan Chetrit
Nowon
Jae Lee
Oceana
Tim Jocz
Pecking House
Eric Huang
Pier Sixty Collection
Matt Tiscornia
Saigon Social
Helen Nguyen
Shuka & Shukette
Ayesha Nurdjaja & Carlha Azcona
Skirt Steak
Laurent Tourondel
Soothr
Joel Watthanawongwat
Taverna Di Bacco
Maurizio Crescenzo

Ticket
Options

Ticket Options

INDIVIDUAL TICKET
$ 500
Purchase an individual ticket to the Gala.
  • 1 Ticket to Gala
  • Open bar
  • Chefs Tasting
Purchase
VIP TICKET
$ 1,500
Purchase an individual VIP ticket to the Gala.
  • 1 Ticket to Gala
  • Open bar
  • Chefs Tasting
  • Sponsors one Cooke teacher to attend Gala
  • VIP Welcome at Registration
  • VIP Reception
Purchase
SPONSOR A TEACHER
$ 500
Sponsor a teacher's ticket to the Gala.
  • 1 Ticket to Gala for a Teacher
  • Open bar
  • Chefs Tasting
Purchase
Can't attend? Please consider donating to support Cooke School instead.

Sponsorship Options

THRIVE TITLE SPONSOR
$ 150,000
  • Food for Thought 2026 presented by “youˮ
  • Title sponsorship distinction on website and printed invitation
  • Exclusive branding for VIP Pre-Reception
  • Prominent logo placement on step and repeat
  • 20 VIP gala tickets
  • Sponsors 15 Cooke teachers to attend event
  • VIP Pre-Reception Access
  • 60 second Digital Journal ad
Purchase
IGNITE SPONSOR
$ 50,000
  • Sponsorship distinction on website and printed invitation
  • Logo on step and repeat
  • 10 VIP gala tickets
  • Sponsors 8 Cooke teachers to attend event
  • Reserved program seating for you and your guests
  • VIP Pre-Reception Access
  • 30-second Digital Journal ad
Purchase
EMPOWER SPONSOR
$ 25,000
  • Sponsorship distinction on website and printed invitation
  • Logo on step and repeat
  • 8 VIP gala tickets
  • Sponsors 4 Cooke teachers to attend event
  • Reserved program seating for you and your guests
  • VIP Pre-Reception Access
  • 20-second Digital Journal ad
Purchase
INSPIRE SPONSOR
$ 15,000
  • Sponsorship distinction on website and printed invitation
  • Logo on step and repeat
  • 6 VIP gala tickets
  • Sponsors 2 Cooke teachers to attend event
  • Reserved program seating for you and your guests
  • VIP Pre-Reception Access
  • 15-second Digital Journal Ad
Purchase
BESPOKE SPONSOR
$ 10,000+
Not seeing the perfect package? Build a custom package including any of the following components for your company:
  • Sponsorship distinction on website and printed invitation
  • Logo on step and repeat
  • VIP gala tickets
  • VIP Pre-Reception Access
  • Sponsor Cooke teachers to attend event
  • Corporate Digital Journal Ads
  • Live vendor or display opportunities
Contact for Details
View the 2026 Sponsorship Benefits Brochure

Digital Journal Ads

30-Seconds
$ 2,500
Full on-screen journal ad that loops continuously during the event and on event web page. (Note: deadline for submissions is April 30)
  • 30-second digital journal ad
Purchase
15-Seconds
$ 1,500
Full on-screen journal ad that loops continuously during the event and on event web page (Note: deadline for submissions is April 30)
  • 20-second digital journal ad
Purchase
8-Seconds
$ 1,000
Full on-screen journal ad that loops continuously during the event and on event web page (Note: deadline for submissions is April 30)
  • 15-second digital journal ad
Purchase

Digital Journal Ad Specifications:

Full Color Display Size: 1920px x 1080px or 16”W x 9”H; All text should be at least 24 pt. High resolution of at least 300 dpi.

Acceptable File Types: PDF (High Quality Setting), High Resolution JPG, High Resolution TIF, Adobe Illustrator (Do not link, but EMBED, all images and convert all text to outlines)

Last date for ad submission is APRIL 15, 2026.
For more information on artwork specifications, please contact us at:
gala@cookeschool.org

Payment Methods

We're excited to introduce a new payment portal this year to make supporting Food for Thought more convenient than ever. You can access our secure online payment portal here. It's easy to use and provides an instant receipt.

If you prefer to pay by check, you can do so by sending your payment to our Central Office:
Cooke School Advancement
1713 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10029

Please contact us for more information on alternate payment methods.

Last Year's Sponsors

Corporate Sponsors

ESSENTIAL

Family Sponsors

PINNACLE
Karen and Tom Robards Family
Andrea Pollack and Adam Usdan Family
ALLIANCE
Mindy and Brian Pfefferman
ESSENTIAL
Stacey and Andrew Feller
Stephanie Heilborn and Martin Quirno

We hope to see you
at Food for Thought!

MAY 06, 2026
THE LIGHTHOUSE AT CHELSEA PIERS
23 Street and West Side Highway
New York, NY 10011
See last year's gala!

Independence
through education

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
Cooke School and Institute admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Planning Giving

Legacy giving is very important to Cooke’s sustainability.  Please contact Michael Eaton at Advancement@Cookeschool.org for more information.

Through the Affinity Membership Program, TD Bank will make an annual contribution to Cooke School based on the activity of all participating members’ TD Bank accounts.

Eligible accounts include:

  • Checking – Business & Consumer

  • Savings

  • Money Market

  • Certificate of Deposit

  • Retirement

If you are already a TD Bank customer, please visit any one of their locations and ask to have your balances included as part of the Cooke’s Affinity Membership Program (code: A1923).

Please see the Affinity Membership Program flyer for more information.