Gourmet Magazine, Unicef And The Finest Restaurants Join Forces This Halloween

This Halloween, adults have even more of a reason to drop the sweets and sit down to gourmet eats. In eight cities (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Las Vegas and Philadelphia) restaurants will participate in an event in support of the traditional Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign by donating $1 for every lunch and dinner patron on October 31, 2003. For the second year, this unique event offers adults a way to participate in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program to support UNICEFs mission of providing all children with nutrition, health, education and protection.

The program will help to improve the lives of countless children considering what a single dollar can accomplish:

 Just $1 protects a child from polio or measles for life.
 Just $1 can provide a year's worth of iodine (in iodized salt) for 20 children to fight iodine deficiency, the world's single greatest cause of preventable mental retardation among children.
 Just $1 can provide 30 children with a year's supply of vitamin A to protect them against blindness.

The program, conceived by Epicurean icon executive chef/co-owner Marcus Samuelsson of New York restaurant Aquavit and sponsored by Gourmet magazine has attracted top restaurants in major U.S. cities. A complete list of participating restaurants nationwide is available by visiting www.unicefusa.org/gourmet or www.gourmet.com.

"As a chef, its satisfying to see people enjoying something youve created, said Samuelsson, a U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Ambassador. By helping children through the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and Gourmet event, patrons share in that satisfaction  and they can do so simply by sitting down to a great meal.

The following local restaurants will provide the "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" dining experience:
 New York  Aquavit, Artisanal, Babbo, Felidia, Lupa, Otto Enoteca
 Boston  Clio, Radius
 Chicago  SUSHISAMBA rio, Tru
 Los Angeles  Spago, Globe Venice Beach
 Las Vegas - Andris French Restaurant, Andris at the Monte Carlo Resort, Alizi
 Philadelphia  Fork, Brasserie Perrier
 Miami - Pacific Time, Sushi Samba dromo
 San Francisco - Chez Panisse, Globe

A day of taking the kids Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF around the City really builds up a nice appetite, said Chef/Co-Owner Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit. Dining at these fine restaurants is an excellent way to relax and wrap up Halloween by continuing to support children.

The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF tradition began in Philadelphia in 1950 with a youth group who collected $17 in decorated milk cartons on Halloween to help children overseas. Since then, the program has raised more than $119 million and grown to encompass the entire United States. For more information about this year's campaign, please visit www.unicefusa.org or call (800) 252-KIDS.