Nacho average fundraiser! Guy Fieri and Bill Murray are teaming up to participate in a food-centric event that will benefit out-of-work people in the restaurant industry who have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
More specifically, the nachos-loving rivals are slated to take part in a virtual competition dubbed the Nacho Average Showdown. As the event’s clever moniker suggests, it is a virtual nachos-making competition that is designed to raise awareness and bring in donations for the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF), which supports unemployed restaurant professionals. According to data from the National Restaurant Association, there are currently about eight million restaurant workers without jobs.
The Nacho Average Showdown will be presented by Tostitos on Friday, May 15, and is expected to include plenty of friendly banter between Fieri, 52, and Murray, 69. “What people don’t know is that the Murrays and the Fieris have had a longstanding battle of food competitions,” the Guy’s Grocery Games star said during an appearance with Murray on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, May 8.
Additionally, the stars’ respective sons, Hunter Fieri, 23, and Homer Murray, a 38-year-old chef and restaurateur, will battle it out to show their dads the secret to making perfect nachos.
Each competitor will create his signature nachos for judges Terry Crews and Shaquille O’Neal. Food Network host Carla Hall will emcee the event and viewers will be encouraged to contribute to RERF via the donate button on Food Network’s Facebook page.
“My entire career has been in the restaurant business,” said Fieri via a press release about the event. “From bussing tables to flambé captain to dishwasher to chef … I have done it all. I’ve also spent the better part of the last 15 years traveling this great country meeting other folks who’ve dedicated their lives to this business, and let me tell you something, they are the hardest working, most real deal workers you’ve ever met … the heartbeats of their communities.
The Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host added: “They need our help and with the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, we can serve up some support when these restaurant employees need it most … right now.”
RERF was created by the Food Network star and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the negative effect the illness has had on the industry. The Fund provides restaurant workers with $500 grants, and 100 percent of all donations go directly to the initiative. To date, more than 50 companies and organizations have helped raise over $22 million for RERF.
“During these challenging times, the NRAEF’s mission to support the industry’s workforce is more important than ever,” noted Rob Gifford, NRAEF president. “With Guy as our champion, stars like Bill, Carla, Shaq and Terry and the support of so many generous companies, we can help get our family of restaurant workers back on their feet, and back to building their futures in this industry of limitless opportunities.”
The Nacho Average Showdown will be broadcast live on Friday, May 15, at 5 p.m. ET via the Food Network’s Facebook page.
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