BAY VIEW ACADEMY STUDENT, TEEN CHEF AND FOOD BLOGGER TO BE FEATURED AT RHODE ISLAND FOOD BANK’S HOLIDAY MEAL DRIVE OPEN HOUSE

East Providence, RI – Catherine Amoriggi (East Greenwich, RI), a junior at Bay View Academy, has a lofty goal. She wants to become a celebrity chef and serve her community at the same time. With a robust food blog (cookingwithcath.com), a recent radio interview, multiple newspaper features, a TV show appearance, book signings alongside such famous chefs as Giada De Laurentiis and Lidia Bastianich, and her donation of time and talent to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank through her very own food calendar, Catherine is well on the way to accomplishing her goal.

365 Food Calendar 2014 is Catherine’s latest brainchild. It’s a wall calendar of her original recipes, complete with photographs and fun food facts, selling for $15 a piece. 100% of the proceeds are being donated to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. This isn’t the first time Catherine has cooked for a cause. Two years ago, at only 14 years old, she held a dinner party and cooked for 80 people, all of whom made a donation to attend. The donations totaled $3,000 and Catherine gave it all to the Food Bank.

The 365 Food Calendar, which can be found for sale on the Food Bank’s website and at local stores and restaurants, such as Dave’s Marketplace, Farmstead and Barrington Books, sold out of the original 500 piece run, totaling $7,500 in sales thus far. Another 500 calendars have been printed and this Saturday, December 7th, Catherine will be at the RI Food Bank’s Holiday Meal Drive Open House, signing and selling her calendars. The Open House runs from 9:00 AM to noon and features holiday music, tours of the food bank and family friendly activities, such as a scavenger hunt. Also at the Open House will be Bay View senior and reigning Miss Teen Rhode Island USA, Gabriella Maggiacomo (Hope, RI).

The Food Bank requests that Open House visitors bring a donation of one of their most needed items, which include tuna, peanut butter, canned and dried beans, canned soups and stews, canned fruits and vegetables, nutritious breakfast cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, boxed macaroni and cheese, granola bars and tomato sauce. For more information on the Open House and Catherine’s calendar, visit the Food Bank’s website, www.rifoodbank.org.