Community Health Improvement Partners To Host Symposium & Culinary Tasting To Benefit Fight Against Childhood Obesity | The Rendezvous: Chew On This Takes Over Liberty Station On September 10

August 26, 2016

Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) will host its inaugural The Rendezvous: Chew on This event to raise funds to support their battle against childhood obesity on Saturday, September 10, from 4-7pm at the McMillin Companies Event Center in Point Loma's Liberty Station. The Rendezvous will be an evening with thought-provoking speakers followed by an outdoor tasting reception with live music, as well as delicious bites and sips from San Diego’s top local farms, premier restaurants, and artisanal beverage purveyors. Read on and be sure to enter our raffle for a chance to win 2 tickets to this delicious and informative event!


One would think a place like San Diego would have fit and active children, but the truth is 33.5% of children living in San Diego County are overweight and obese. CHIP is a San Diego based non-profit organization fighting obesity. Since 1995, CHIP has become an established leader in innovative, collaborative solutions to address critical community health issues and focuses deeply on the prevention and reduction of childhood obesity. For the past 10 years, CHIP has facilitated the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, a public-private partnership with the mission of reducing and preventing childhood obesity through policy, systems and environmental change. 

"The Rendezvous: Chew on This brings together those willing to listen and do something about it," said Peter Mabrey, President and CEO of CHIP. "We can change the status quo through the sharing of new and innovative ideas which address the systemic issues of obesity." 

At The Rendezvous, from 4-5:30pm, the stage will belong to nationally recognized speakers building the conversation to find solutions for the obesity epidemic. Speakers will share diverse perspectives with the singular goal of how we, as a community, and as a nation, can best revolutionize our relationship with food. 

Speakers will include Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, a longtime United States Army officer that retired as Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army. Hertling is a national security and military analyst for CNN and was appointed by President Obama to be one of 25 people serving on the President's Council on Fitness, Sport and Nutrition. Also speaking is Chef Ann Cooper, known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady” and Founder & President of the Board of the Chef Ann Foundation. Cooper serves as Director of Food Services for Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, and is a partner of Lunch Lessons, a consultancy for school districts going through large-scale food change. She writes a monthly blog for U.S. News & World Report and performs regular Speaking Engagements throughout the country. Ellen Gustafson, author, social entrepreneur and sustainable food systems activist, will also be a featured speaker.

Following the presentation, CHIP will host an outdoor tasting reception with San Diego’s top local farms, premier restaurants, and artisanal beverage purveyors, including Moto Deli, Cardiff Seaside Market, Supannee House of Thai, Ballas Point, Mother Earth Brewing, Boochcraft, Eli's Farm, Belching Beaver, Stone Brewing, Alesmisth, Cupcakes Squared, Arterra, Modern Times and more. The culinary pairings are designed to highlight the important relationship between local growers and restauranteurs in cultivating community and health.

This event is open only to those 21 and older. Tickets are available online for $165. Proceeds from this event will benefit CHIP’s mission to advance long-term solutions to priority health needs through collaboration and community engagement.

For more information on The Rendezvous and to purchase tickets, visit sdchip.org/rendezvous-2016.