Golf Legend Annika Sörenstam leads effort with Special Guests Paige Spiranac and Patrick McEnroe, Golf Chair Chef Kwame Onwuachi and Tennis Chairs Simon Kim, Kerry Heffernan, and many more

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 29, 2025 / In response to the unprecedented need in New York City, over 120 celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, and athletes are coming together to raise vital funds for City Harvest, the city's first and largest food rescue organization. Herb Karlitz, renowned event producer and philanthropist, announced today that the 6th annual Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament will take place on Monday, October 6th, 2025, at the prestigious Montclair Golf Club (25 Prospect Ave, West Orange, NJ).

"From iconic restaurants like Rao's, Sylvia's and Katz's Deli, to new hotspots COTE, Tatiana, and La Tête d'Or, the Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament Benefiting City Harvest unites some of the culinary world's finest to raise funds to help fight food insecurity. The 2024 tournament raised enough for City Harvest to help feed more than 1.2 million New Yorkers in need," said Herb Karlitz, event founder and executive producer.

Hosted by golf legend Annika Sörenstam, the most celebrated female golfer of all time, and featuring special guest Patrick McEnroe, President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, this high-profile event, founded by Karlitz & Company, promises to be a unique combination of sport, flavor, and celebrity. Leading the culinary charge is this year's golf chair, renowned chef Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana), alongside tennis chairs Simon Kim, restaurant operator (Cote, Coqodaq) and Chef Kerry Heffernan (Grand Banks). Joining them are celebrity chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Geoffrey Zakarian, "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto, Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern), Dino Gatto (Rao's), Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto), Alfred Portale (Portale), Helen Nguyen (Saigon Social), Franklin Becker (Point Seven), and more.

Celebrities are also participating, including MLB Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier, two-time Super Bowl Champion Justin Tuck, NY Knicks draft pick Jordan Clarkson, and hip-hop icon Ja Rule - bringing star power to the tournament.

"The Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament is instrumental in supporting our mission to rescue high-quality, nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it, for free, to our neighbors in need," said Jilly Stephens, City Harvest's Chief Executive Officer. "This tournament comes at a critical time. The need for food assistance in New York City is at a record high, and historic cuts to Federal food assistance programs will soon have a devastating impact on New Yorkers already struggling to make ends meet. This event helps ensure that families across the city have access to the fresh, nutritious foods they need to thrive."

Described as a food and wine festival that happens to take place on a golf course and tennis courts, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with their favorite chefs and athletes during the golf, tennis, and pickleball tournaments, as well as enjoy gourmet cuisine prepared by some of New York City's finest culinary talents. There will be culinary activations all over the golf course and tennis courts, from freshly shaved Italian truffles, courtesy of Urbani, to premium Ossetra caviar from Black Diamond Caviar. Certified sommeliers and cult wineries from Napa Valley, Italy, and France will also be participating.

Patrick McEnroe, President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, former professional player, commentator, and former captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, said. "I am happy to help the Celebrity Chefs & Friends event and its vital mission of feeding those in need, while also connecting with a dynamic audience of tennis enthusiasts."

"We are thrilled to bring together such an extraordinary group of talent for a cause that is close to our hearts," said Karlitz. "Chefs are the heartbeat of our communities, and their generosity knows no bounds. Their giving nature extends beyond the kitchen, as they selflessly support causes like City Harvest, in the hopes that no New Yorker goes hungry. It's an honor to witness their unwavering dedication to making a difference in the lives of others."

All proceeds from the Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament will directly benefit City Harvest's efforts to rescue and deliver nutritious food to New Yorkers in need for free. With every dollar raised, City Harvest can provide food for a day for two of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

Key sponsors include Ernst & Young, LLP (EY), Resy, Meat & Livestock Australia, Porsche Englewood, Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Water, Afficionado Coffee Roasters, Impossible Foods, The Long Drink, Real Del Valle Tequila, Resorts World, Schweid & Sons, Ten To One Rum, Tito's Handmade Vodka, The Good Charcoal, and Urbani Truffles. In-kind sponsors include Prime Food Distributors, Greg Norman Collection, Stretch Recovery Lounge, Acme Smoked Fish, Angel's Envy, Black Diamond Caviar, Burlap & Barrel Single Origin Spices, Callaway, Glasvin, LA Golf, Made In Cookware, Major Crumb, Sake ONO, Selections Pas Mal, Seraphim Social Beverage, Uncle Waithley's Ginger Beer, and Wine Chips.

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About City Harvest

City Harvest is New York City's first and largest food rescue organization. We rescue nutritious, high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it for free to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets® across the five boroughs. In response to the urgent and ongoing demand for food assistance and a commitment to sustainability, this year we will rescue more than 86 million pounds of food and deliver it to New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity. With deep connections to the communities where we work and with a focus on localized investment, City Harvest is dedicated to strengthening our network of agency partners and the local food system through capacity building, advocacy, and nutrition education. Through our food rescue model, we support environmental health-this year, we will prevent the equivalent of more than 25 million kilograms of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere-while providing New Yorkers with the food they need to thrive. City Harvest is recognized as a leading equity-driven organization and has been named one of America's Top 100 Charities by Forbes. Since our founding in 1982, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of food and provided it for free to our neighbors in need. To learn more, visit cityharvest.org.

About Karlitz & Company

Event Producer, Karlitz & Company (KCO), for more than 35years, has been an industry leader in designing memorable experiences that enable its clients to engage with their clients and customers. KCO prides themselves on taking simple concepts and designing something memorable. Whether through culinary and wine focused experiences, music festivals, sports, or destination events, KCO leverages the lifestyle verticals that work best for each client. To learn more, please visit karlitz.com.

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FACT SHEET

Name: 6^th Annual Celebrity Chefs & Friends Golf and Tennis Tournament Benefiting City Harvest

Benefit: City Harvest, cityharvest.org/golf (@cityharvestnyc)

Executive Producer: Karlitz & Company (karlitz.com)

Website: https://karlitz.com/tournament

Date: Monday, October 6th, 2025

SCHEDULE

Golf: Montclair Golf Club

25 Prospect Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052

https://www.montclairgolfclub.org/

9:30 AM - Registration & Brunch

11:00 AM - Remarks & Event Photo

12:00 PM - Shotgun Start; 18-hole round of golf featuring celebrity chef menu items, cocktails and additional surprises along the way

5:30 PM - Walk-Around Tasting Reception, featuring celebrity chef menu items, cocktails, wine and more

Tennis & Pickleball: Montclair Golf Club

25 Prospect Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052

https://www.montclairgolfclub.org/

11:30 AM: Tennis/Pickleball Registration

12:00-1:15 PM: Tennis/Pickleball Warm-up & Drills

1:15-2:15 PM: Food & Beverage at Tennis Courts

1:45-2:15 PM: Patrick McEnroe Stories and Q&A

2:25-5:00 PM: Competitive Tournament for Intermediate and Advanced players

5:30 PM - Walk-Around Tasting Reception, featuring celebrity chef menu items, cocktails, wine and more

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Founder: Herb Karlitz (@karlitz_co)

Executive Producer: Karlitz & Company (karlitz.com)

Golf Host: Annika Sörenstam (@annikas59)

Golf Chair: Kwame Onwuachi (@chefkwameonwuachi)

Golf Special Guest: Paige Spiranac (@_paige.renee)

Tennis Chairs: Kerry Heffernan (@kheffernan212)

Simon Kim (@simonkimnyc)

Tennis Special Guest: Patrick McEnroe (@patrick.mcenroe)

Culinary Chair: Alex Lee (@chef_alexlee)

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Chefs, Restaurateurs, Wine Makers, Celebrities, and Athletes:

Adam Goldberg, PopUp Bagels

Alex Lee, Liberty National Golf Club

Alfred Portale, Portale

Andrew Lam Govada, Tuxedo Hospitality

Andrew Rosenstein, Le Bernardin

Angie Martinez, American radio personality

Annika Sörenstam, Professional Golfer

Anthony Gonçalves, Kanopi The Restaurant

Artie Johnson, Le Artishasic

Ayotunde Balogun, Dept of Culture BK

Basu Ratnam, INDAY

Brad Schweid, Schweid & Sons

Brother Luck, Four by Brother Luck

Bryan Noury, Cornerstone Gourmet

Camari Mick, Raf's

Carlos Swepson, BLVD Bistro

Catherine Willhoit, The Hive

CC Sabathia, Professional Baseball Player

Cesare Casella, The Center for Discovery

Chintan Pandya, Adda, Dhamaka, Semma

Chris Young, Athlete

Christian Guevara, Zimmi's

Dan Richer, Razza

David Rabin, The Lambs Club

Dino Gatto, Rao's

Doug Brixton, The Golden Swan

Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf

Eitan Bernath, Eitan Productions

Fabrizio Facchini, FFS HOSPITALITY GROUP

Franklin Becker, Point Seven

Geoffrey Zakarian, Zakarian Hospitality

Harold Dieterle, HD Hospitality

Harold Moore, Cafe Commerce

Helen Nguyen, Saigon Social

Ian Smedley, COQODAQ

Ja Rule, Artist

Jack Logue, The Lambs Club, Buchette Del Vino NYC

Jae Chun, DANA Estates

Jamie Knott, PB&J Hospitality Group

Jamie Schweid, Schweid & Sons

Jason Rosenthal, Brick & Dough

Jeff Smith, Hourglass Vineyards

Jeffrey Butler, Butler and the Board

Jessica Spaulding, Harlem Chocolate Factory

Jimmy Rizvi, Bungalow

JJ Johnson, FIELDTRIP

John Kosmidis, Prime Food Distributor

John McDonald, Bar Mercer

Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto

Jordan Clarkson, Professional Basketball Player

Jordan Ginor, Hudson Valley Farms

Justin Tuck, Professional Football Player

Karl Franz Williams, Uncle Waithley's

Kerry Heffernan, Grand Banks

Kim Harris, Harlem Hops

Kristin Karotkin, The Hive

Kwame Onuwachi, Tatiana

Lenny Messina, Hudson Valley Farms

Lior Lev Sercarz, La Boite

Marc Glosserman, Hill Country BBQ

Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster, Hav & Mar

Masaharu Morimoto, MM by Morimoto

Max Katzenberg, Roscioli Wines

Maxwell Shteyman, Montammy Golf Club

Michael Anthony, Lex Yard at the Waldorf Astoria

Michael Cresotti, The Mermaid Inn

Michael Dorf, City Winery

Michael Lomonaco, Chef

Mitchell Lienhard , La Tête d'Or by Daniel

Nick Castellana, Prime Food Distributor

Olajuwon Ajanaku, Eastside Golf

Olivier Muller, Faubourg

Paige Spiranac, Professional Golfer and Model

Patrick McEnroe, International Tennis Hall of Fame President

Paul Denamiel, Le Rivage

Paul Donnelly, Chinese Tuxedo

Preston Clark, Bar Mercer

Raj Vaidya, Raj Wine Consulting

Raymond Mizrahi, Black Diamond Caviar

Rita Jammet, La Caravelle

Robbie Felice, pastaRAMEN

Rocco DiSpirito, Chef

Roger Rodriguez, Vesta Chocolate

Sabato Sagaria, Apres Cru Hospitality

Sabrina Schatz, Selection Pas Mal

Shannon Staglin, Staglin Family Vineyard

Shenarri Freeman, Shenarri Greens

Simon Kim, COTE, COQODAQ

Stephen Octoman Fried, Vals Ocean Pacific

Stephen Yen, Go-Fish

Suzanne Cupps, Lola's

Taylor Hester, Roscioli

Tren'ness Woods-Black, Sylvia's

Yohan Jeon, Alpine Country Club

CONTACT:

Herb Karlitz
hkarlitz@karlitz.com

Clara Thompson
cthompson@karlitz.com

SOURCE: Karlitz & Company