Tarrant Area Food Bank's EMPTY BOWLS 2016

An artistic and gastronomic extravaganza awaits guests of Tarrant Area Food Bank’s 14th annual EMPTY BOWLS. You can sample soups and desserts by leading Fort Worth chefs, bid on bowls signed by celebrities of stage, screen and sports, and select keepsakes from among 2,500 distinctive pottery, glass, wood, metal, fabric and paper art and bowls crafted by Fort Worth area artisans. EARLY BIRD PRICES for General and Individual VIP Admission are available through Jan. 22. Buy Early Bird and Standard tickets at http://tafb.org/tafb-events/empty-bowls/ or call 817-857-7137. 
 
Empty Bowls 2016, co-presented by GM Financial and Albertsons/Tom Thumb, is Friday, Feb. 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Amon G. Carter Exhibits Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 Lancaster Dr., Fort Worth 76107.
 
For the Celebrity Bowl Live Auction, a small sampling of signatures collected thus far include those of Jordan Spieth, the world’s # 1 ranked professional golfer; Bob Shieffer, recently retired CBS Nightly News anchor (and TCU alum); and TCU coach Gary Patterson, who will meet with the owner of his bowl and sign it at that time. Additional celebrities who have signed bowls include country music stars Clint Black, Sarah Evans, Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett, as well as actor Jason Alexander of the “Seinfeld” television series and Anne Perry, internationally best-selling author of historical detective fiction.
 
Local professional artists contributing their work to Empty Bowls include: Janet Rodriguez/Hart Street Pottery, Pam Summers and Raymond Raines/Cliff House Studio, Nancy Lamb and Dan Blagg/Artspace 111, Holly Mack/Deep in the Art, Jo-Ann Mulroy/Trinity Valley School and Ken Orr/Ken Orr Pottery Studios. Also contributing bowls are Sandy Jarrell and his fellow members of Woodturners of North Texas, David Sieja/Yaki-tam Pottery, Denise Dyer/Metal Motif, June Whitacre/ Tokyo Rose Clay Works and countless others.

Frequent donors of food for Empty Bowls in past years have included, among others, Jon Bonnell, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Cast Iron at the Omni Fort Worth, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Grace/Little Wasp, Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Bistro, Michaels Restaurant & Bar, Paris Coffee Shop, Reata Fort Worth, Riscky's BBQ & Catering, Zoës Kitchen and Z's Cafe & Catering.
 
Ruth Ann Kearley, chair of the Empty Bowls steering committee for a second year, describes Empty Bowls as “a unique event that delights the artistic eye, tickles the taste buds and helps feed hungry families, all at the same time. Each $1 you spend at Empty Bowls enables Tarrant Area Food Bank to provide food for 5 nutritious meals. That is amazingly good stewardship of donor dollars,” she said.
 
About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB), a leading nonprofit in Tarrant County and member of the Feeding America network, collaborates with community organizations and volunteers to alleviate hunger in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties. With the belief that all people deserve regular, nutritious meals, TAFB continually seeks innovative ways to reach a greater number of people struggling with hunger. Learn more at TAFB.org and on Facebook Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.