In a concerted bid to get the hospitality industry moving in 2024, The Burnt Chef Project has launched an epic fundraiser – the Bourdain Challenge – asking supporters to join forces to virtually cover an astounding 35,218 miles .
Commemorating the late, great Antony Bourdain, the challenge will see participants cover the 35,218 miles that legendary chef and bestselling author covered during his award-winning Parts Unknown series, which first aired 10 years ago. Premiering in the US, Parts Unknown was a series where Bourdain travelled the world to uncover lesser-known places, exploring incredible cultures and cuisines in the process.
A chef that many aspired to, Bourdain’s unrelenting love and respect for food, culture and people was well documented – as was his struggles with his own mental health. As a force for good in the foodservice sector, The Burnt Chef Project is on a mission to eradicate the stigma around mental health and offer support to those across our industry.
The Bourdain Challenge is a virtual activity challenge, whereby participants become part of a team looking to achieve the incredible 35,218 distance. With the option to sign up individually or as a group, participants can walk, run, cycle, swim, hula hoop or any other activity. Logged on a fitness watch, smartphone or manually through the challenge page, each mile will count towards the overall total and ultimately the team’s success. Joining fees start from £15 per person and all participants will receive a custom The Burnt Chef Project ‘Bourdain Challenge’ die-cast medal. Proceeds from the challenge will go directly to supporting the work of the project throughout the hospitality industry.
On the launch of the challenge, Kris Hall, Founder and CEO of The Burnt Chef Project adds:
“Antony Bourdain was a truly iconic chef and someone who through his own, well-documented struggles, helped to change the way that we view mental health in hospitality. Commemorating 10 years since Parts Unknown first aired, we felt it was only right to launch an epic virtual activity challenge of our own – one that will not only help to get the industry moving but will also help to raise vital funds to support the ongoing work of The Burnt Chef Project.
Launching on Friday 19th January, the challenge will begin ‘virtually’ in Asia, where Bourdain travelled for the first of the Parts Unknown episodes. A special interactive map will show our progress throughout the challenge, where the collective effort of the team will help us to complete the challenge and contribute to the overall target. It’s a huge undertaking to hit 35 thousand miles in just nine weeks but with our incredible community, we’re sure we can make it!”
The challenge officially starts on the 19th January, however, participants are free to sign up for the event throughout the challenge, with activity being added to the collective team total. The Burnt Chef Project hopes the challenge will be completed and celebrated at their upcoming gala dinner, Love Hospitality, set to take place at ExCel London on Monday 25th March.
To find out more about The Burnt Chef Project’s ‘The Bourdain Challenge’ and to sign up for yourself, please visit www.theburntchefproject.com/bourdainchallenge2024 or check out ‘The Burnt Chef Project’ on social media.
