Urban Gleaners just wrapped up its successful Summer Supper event, which brought together over 550 attendees for an unforgettable evening celebrating community, creative chefs, and the fight against food insecurity. The organization is excited to announce that next year’s event will take place on September 14, 2025.
The vibrant gathering featured 12 of Portland’s most beloved chefs, including Gregory Gourdet of Kann, Dani Morales and Jose “Lalo” Camarena of Republica Hospitality, Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw, John Karangis of Shake Shack, Heather Kintler of Normandie, Elsy Dinvil of Creole Me Up, Dan and Elise Gold of Sebastianos, Gabriel Pascuzzi of Mama Bird, Jewan Manuel of Plant Based Papi, and Louis Lin of Xiao Ye.
For the first time, the event adopted a food festival-style format, where chefs prepared small plates using gleaned and upcycled ingredients, showcasing the incredible potential of food often labeled as “waste.” Next year’s event has already confirmed chefs Gregory Gourdet and Tyler Malek in the lineup, both of whom are also proud board members of Urban Gleaners.
One of the event’s highlights was its focus on minimizing waste, using creative approaches such as having on-site goats to consume leftovers. “It was heartwarming to see the camaraderie between the chefs and the community and to witness such fantastic energy, all in support of this important cause,” said Nico Niebes, Urban Gleaners’ Executive Director. “Rumor has it that the goats’ favorite meal of the night was Gregory Gourdet’s beets! We’re excited to explore more ideas like this for next year’s event.”
Through collaborations with trusted partners, Urban Gleaners secured 1,173 lbs of additional food donations specifically for the event, with 90 percent of the food served being gleaned. After the event, 123 lbs of prepared leftovers were donated to Urban Gleaners and distributed to Free Food Markets. The event was not only a success in terms of attendance and the creative energy shared among the chefs, but it also showcased Urban Gleaners’ strong commitment to sustainability, generating minimal waste while maximizing its positive impact on the community.
Urban Gleaners will be hosting pop-up events in the upcoming months and will share more updates about next year’s Summer Supper. Follow along on Instagram at @urbangleanerspdx or visit urbangleaners.org for more information.
