Smithfield Foods donation will help this year’s Rev chefs

Chef Craig Baker embraces his creativity when preparing dishes for Rev, the culinary party at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that raises funds for the Indiana University Health Foundation.

Baker has participated in every edition of Rev, which debuted in 2014. One year, he offered olives stuffed with blue cheese and dipped in white chocolate infused with squid ink—served on a skewer with chorizo and shrimp.

But ambitious creations aren’t cheap to make, especially for chefs and restaurants volunteering time and food for a charitable cause.

This year’s Rev, a sold-out event for 3,900 attendees on May 4, will feature Smithfield Foods Inc. as a first-time sponsor. Instead of donating money to Rev, Smithfield is donating meat for use by participating chefs.

Baker is accepting 55 pounds of raw pork tenderloin from Smithfield, a Virginia-based company that operates a processing facility in Peru, Indiana, and a distribution center in Greenfield.

Known for past work at central Indiana restaurants such as Napolese and the Local Eatery & Pub, Baker now operates restaurant consulting business Häiv Hospitality.

He said chefs are happy to be associated with fundraisers, and Smithfield’s help in reducing costs is appreciated.

“I’m self-employed now,” Baker said. “When I do these events, it’s not like I’m working on a corporation’s dime. This is actually money that comes out of my pocket. I’m going to say this selfishly, but it’s very important to maintain the idea of what that return on investment is.”

In fact, proteins typically make up 55% to 60% of the cost of a dish, Baker said, making the Smithfield donation an especially valuable one.

Smithfield declined to put a dollar value on its donations to chefs for Rev. And beyond the philanthropic act, Smithfield benefits from the opportunity to showcase its products to chefs who also are potential customers. In February, Smithfield hosted a preview event for dozens of Rev participants.

“They tasted the product and got a chance to think about what they might want to do,” said Alicia Tenley, a corporate accounts manager for Smithfield. “From that, we had about 25 items they picked across the board.”

Although Smithfield is the largest pork producer in the United States, the company’s donations to the chefs of Rev aren’t exclusively pork. Restaurants are using pot roast, roasted chicken and brisket, for example, in addition to bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, pulled pork and ribs.

About 30% of the event’s 80-plus restaurants and chefs are taking Smithfield up on its offer. And organizers say any help for the chefs—which the event strives to treat like rock stars—is appreciated.

“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for chefs and what they do,” said Carol Howard, who planned the Indianapolis Zoo’s food-focused fundraiser, Zoobilation, for seven years before launching Rev. “There’s a tremendous amount of sacrifice that they put into their work.”

Similar to Rev, Zoobilation relies on chefs to be a major attraction. Corks and Forks, an annual fundraiser for Second Helpings, follows a similar format.

Howard said restaurants deserve credit for providing food and lining up staff members when events seek their participation.

“There’s time away from the restaurant on a Saturday night, when most events are,” she said. “It’s tremendous, and I have never wanted to take that for granted. Every year, it’s a goal to figure out a way to elevate our chefs in the community. And also, how can we help offset their costs?”

The inaugural Rev in 2014 attracted 1,500 attendees and raised $100,000. In all, more than $10 million has been raised during Rev’s first decade for IU Health’s trauma and critical care programs.

On the menu

Baker, who served as project lead for AMP at 16 Tech before the food hall’s 2021 opening, plans to offer curry pork tenderloin with a pineapple chutney at Rev.

The co-founder of Team Indiana, a competitive chef squad that will compete in November’s World Food Championships at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, said he’s eager to try out a recently acquired open-fire grill at the event.

Baker said he appreciates Rev’s format that allows chefs to interact with attendees.

“You’re not hidden behind any curtain,” he said. “It’s not Oz. I’m the person handing you a sample. And I can tell by looking at your face if you think it’s good or not. There’s no, ‘Hey, I feel insulated from the feedback.’ It’s pretty instantaneous and right there.”

Cristiano Rodrigues, co-owner of Broad Ripple restaurant Fernando’s Mexican & Brazilian Cuisine, requested sausage, pulled pork and ribs from Smithfield.

Fernando’s will use the pork items when crafting feijoada, a black-bean stew accented by seven meats.

Rodrigues, who opened Fernando’s in 2023 after working in Indianapolis restaurants such as Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse, considers Rev to be a way to advertise his business.

“People will get that explosion of flavor, and I guarantee they’ll come in for more,” Rodrigues said of feijoada, the national dish of Brazil.

Although Fernando’s will make its Rev debut this year, Rodrigues has participated in the past with other restaurants.

“My product is more upscale, and my target clientele attends Rev,” Rodrigues said of the event that features an admission price of $300. All tickets made available on Dec. 1 sold out within 15 minutes.

Rev is known as the track’s first event of May, the month that reaches a crescendo with the Indianapolis 500. This year’s race is scheduled for May 26.

Tenley, the Smithfield accounts manager who’s based in Cincinnati, has attended five editions of Rev and said she enjoys the end-of-the-night dance party on the track’s racing surface. Tenley doesn’t view this year’s Smithfield sponsorship as a one-and-done proposition.

“We definitely have solidified a good partnership between Rev and Smithfield for future opportunities,” Tenley said. “Will we do it exactly the same way next year? I’m not sure. If it makes sense with different products, absolutely. But we want to figure out a way to continue to make this work.”

The Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance serve as overall sponsors for Rev chefs, supplying high oleic soybean oil that’s touted as a sustainable, heart-healthy vegetable oil for food preparation.

Brownsburg-based Acorn Distributors Inc. provides paper products for Rev chefs, while Georgia-Pacific supplies dispensers at each restaurant’s booth.

Beau MacMillan, representing meat delivery company Good Ranchers, is the event’s celebrity chef. MacMillan, an Arizona restaurateur, defeated Bobby Flay in a 2006 “Iron Chef America” challenge.

IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter and Heather Carpenter will serve as honorary co-chairs of Rev, and Chris Gahl—executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Visit Indy—will serve as chair.

Food for thought

Howard, Rev’s executive director, said it’s logical to build charitable events on rosters of on-site chefs and restaurants.

“If you’ve ever planned an event, the cost of food is huge,” she said.

If Rev attempted to feed its 3,900 attendees without the donated presence of chefs and their food, significantly less money would go to the IU Health Foundation, Howard said.

She said it’s not unusual for a restaurant to spend more than $5,000 on supplies and labor needed to be a part of the event.

Baker, who’s revived the Chefs Night Off dinner series with Andrew Whitmoyer, is aware of what restaurants bring to charitable events.

“Because we’re there, it enables Rev to raise money,” he said. “If we weren’t there and everyone said, ‘No,’ then Rev doesn’t exist.”

But an exodus of chefs won’t happen, Baker said.

“The restaurant industry is about hospitality,” he said. “I think we all have these huge hearts, and we like to support local charities. … There’s an ego part probably, too. We love to show off.”

Rodrigues, who launched Fernando’s with his wife, Elizabeth Fernandez, said events are a valuable setting for face-to-face advertising.

“I look at it as an investment,” Rodrigues said. “A lot of restaurants spend money on marketing, promotions, discounts and stuff like that. I don’t do any of that. My marketing is basically events like this where I get people to try my food.”

It’s an approach not unlike the business-to-business pitch made by Smithfield to the chefs.

“I think other people are going to catch on to what Smithfield is doing,” Baker said. “It’s a good opportunity to get in front of a group of people who are purchasers. You get to demo your products, which is a benefit for those people, and then we get to use them and serve them to a large number of guests.”•