Celebrities often lend their names to charity for a special event or a specific cause. But one local chef is taking his passion for helping others to a new level by putting his money where his mouth is.
“I love children, so much of my efforts goes to them,” chef Michel Richard of Citronelle, Central and Michel at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Galleria told Yeas & Nays.
Those efforts include creating a special monthly meal appropriately called Dinner with Benefits that not only feeds diners but the needs of area charities.
“Each Tuesday and Wednesday we support a worthy nonprofit organization with a $60, four-course prix fixe dinner menu. For two nights a week we give 5 percent of the proceeds from every Dinner with Benefits meal to our designated charity,” Richard explained.
The James Beard Award-winning chef says he came up with the idea last spring when participants from the Washington Humane Society’s event, Fashion 4 Paws, were visiting partner merchants at Tysons Galleria. Richard, who is also a talented artist, told us he made drawings of his dog Scout that were displayed at the restaurant and used as auction items for the fundraiser. “It’s just another way for supporters to enjoy themselves in a giving way,” he said.
Recent charities that have benefited from Dinner with Benefits at Michel include FAIR Fund, Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic and Teardrops to Rainbows. Richard is working with Best Buddies and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for the fall. All of these groups aim to improve the lives of children.
“I am the father of six kids and I look like Santa Claus. Also, my mother was a single parent of five children,” Richard said. “The amount that we give to these charities depends on how many people come out to dine — so come eat. If each person helps a little and tells others, we can do a bigger job.”
