Iron Skillet Cook-Off Competition For Delicious Food

What an incredible journey we have shared together thus far. As we begin our 20th year of service and reflect on all we have accomplished together, I am humbled by the generosity of all of those that have supported our mission over the last two decades.

The Iron Skillet Cook Off was the idea of one of the many firefighters we responded to with during 9/11. The volunteers wanted to thank our first responders and their reply was, “we do not want a party, we want a competition!” Together with the numerous restaurants and chefs that had come to support the responders with a hot meal a healthy competition was fostered. The first Iron Skillet Cook Off was held on November 11, 2002. This year’s Iron Skillet Cook Off will be aired live online again on October 25th, so that a broader audience can experience and support the event. However, we will be filming our Firehouse Chefs cooking over their grills, together with their sponsors and our honoree, Michael Barasch of Barasch and McGarry, on September 20th at Fornino, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6.

We started as “spontaneous, unaffiliated, community volunteers” responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We came together, citizens and professional responders with one common goal, to help our community recover. Over the course of 2001, we realized that the lasting impact of the recovery effort would leave a mark on our souls the like of which we had never experienced in our lifetime. World Cares Center was formed, and its first program, September Space, served 45,000 volunteers, responders, survivors, and family members impacted by the attacks of 9/11 and the cleanup. I have not words to describe the unity, commitment, and drive that we all shared to help each other. The experience was life-changing.

In 2007, the city institutionalized 9/11 care centers, and World Cares Center’s focus shifted to addressing the root cause of the pain and suffering that resulted from responding to this catastrophic disaster. To date, we have published a field guide that has shifted how we respond as a community. We have developed and manage a free emergency operations center online platform, a disaster volunteer academy with over 40 safety training available free of charge 24/7 and host an annual Boots on the Ground Exercise so that we can all come together to practice what we have learned. These programs are operational every day. We have also responded to disasters nationally and globally to help local leaders manage their communities recover, from Haiti, Japan, Sri Lanka to Katrina, Irene, Sandy, Maria, Harvey, and COVID-19. We have helped over a hundred thousand individuals recover their lives and homes, and we will continue to do so, together.

Thank you for considering becoming a 2021 Iron Skillet Cook Off Sponsor!