Our People & Partners
The proverbial cooks
Resy
American Express and Resy know restaurants and the unflinching, hard work that food and beverage workers get done daily. They supported Southern Smoke first through the December 2021 Resy Cookie Box, including cookies made from recipes by acclaimed chefs across America. Then in March 2022, the entities once again teamed up for the Let’s Grab a Table campaign. After Americans made 1 million reservations on Resy to start March, AMEX and Resy donated $500,000 to Southern Smoke.
Crown Royal
Through owner Diageo, the Crown Royal brand has been the official whiskey sponsor of our Southern Smoke Festival. That winning partnership took a major step forward when Diageo announced that Crown Royal was the official whiskey sponsor of the National Football League starting in the 2021–22 regular season, and proceeds from that partnership would go to Southern Smoke.
Lexus
Lexus has been an outstanding partner of Southern Smoke Foundation. Our founder, chef Chris Shepherd, is a Lexus Chef and has taken part in the company’s culinary events. Meanwhile, Lexus has been a critical part of our Southern Smoke Festival, sponsoring an area for VIP guests and supporting food and beverage workers nationwide through their generosity.
Yeti
Southern Smoke and YETI make a great team. The Austin-based manufacturer has supported the mission to #TakeCareofOurOwn for years. In 2020 it named Southern Smoke as a charity beneficiary for its annual film tour, and it regularly puts their might behind the foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund. YETI is also the presenting sponsor of Southern Smoke Festival 2022.
Alaska Seafood
Southern Smoke Foundation was honored to name Alaska Seafood a presenting sponsor of its 2022 Southern Smoke Festival, and we were privileged to showcase Alaska Seafood’s fresh, wild-caught seafood at the festival. Plus, Alaska Seafood is a dedicated supporter of Southern Smoke Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund, backing our mission to lift food and beverage workers out from crisis nationwide.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka / Love, Tito’s
Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Smoke Foundation go back a long way. They were one of the first to lift us up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us to increase the help we could give to food and beverage workers hit hard by the ongoing crisis. Its charitable foundation Love, Tito’s has been a dedicated supporter of Behind You, our program offering accessibility of mental health services to F+B workers nationwide.
For sponsorship information, please contact our executive director, Kathryn Lott, at Kathryn@southernsmoke.org.
Restaurant Workers
Community Foundation
Restaurant Workers Community Foundation has been a dedicated supporter of Southern Smoke Foundation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. RWCF partnered with Southern Smoke via a dedicated COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to help food and beverage workers specifically impacted by the coronavirus. Our partnership continues post-COVID via our Emergency Relief Fund to support food and beverage workers in all forms of crisis.
To every person who has ever helped keep our fellow F&B workers—and their families—afloat, thank you.
Your generosity directly impacts our industry, oftentimes by allowing your neighbors to keep the lights on, afford life-saving medications, or simply buy basic necessities like clothing. Without you, none of this would be possible. We’re so happy to have you with us.