Party in the Kitchen Atlanta Philanthropy Event

Save the Date for our
23rd Annual Party in the Kitchen!

Thursday, September 24th
The Foundry at Puritan Mill
916 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA

Join Open Hand for an evening of delectable bites and libations, fabulous music, and amazing company all to help raise critical funds for neighbors in need across Georgia! Guests will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive auction items - extravagant trips abroad, engaging entertainment around Atlanta, and delicious dining experiences from partnered chefs at Party in the Kitchen.

Stay tuned for more information regarding chef partners, our Patron Reception, and more!

SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION PURCHASE TICKETS AND DONATE

If you would like to learn more about opportunities to sponsor Party in the Kitchen, please reach out to Stacy Weenick, Senior Corporate and Faith Partnerships Manager, via email.

If you have general questions about Party in the Kitchen, please reach out to Owen Sawyer, Special Events and Donor Relations Coordinator, via email.

Introducing Our 2026 Host Committee:

Event Co-Chairs
Robert Candler
Charles Mendez III

Chef Co-Chairs
Chef Peter Kaiser, Kaiser's Chophouse
Chef Kevin Rathbun, Kevin Rathbun Steak

Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors!

Saucier

The Hamond Hafitz Family Fund

Pâtissier

Potager

Allen Yee

We are honored to partner with some of Atlanta's best restaurants and chefs.

No matter your tastes, you're sure to experience delectable drinks and bites at Party in the Kitchen courtesy of our incredible restaurant partners. We are honored to have the support of such esteemed Atlanta restaurants and their chefs, including our Chef Co-Chairs, Chef Kevin Rathbun and Chef Peter Kaiser.

Meet Our Chef Co-Chairs

Chef Kevin Rathbun, Kevin Rathbun Steak
Chef Kevin Rathbun’s passion for food and hospitality started in Kansas City, where he started as a dishwasher. Following culinary school, Rathbun went on to New Orleans, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta to work with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs including Bradley Ogden, Emeril Lagasse, Stephen Pyles, Ella Brennan and Pano Karatassos. In 1994, he was nominated for the James Beard Awards “Rising Star Chef” for his work at Baby Ruth. By 1996, he opened two different flagship restaurants with Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and served as the Corporate Executive Chef, overseeing several restaurants for the group. Rathbun then ventured out on his own in 2004 to open Rathbun’s. Krog Bar, Kevin Rathbun Steak and KR Steakbar followed. Rathbun has graciously chaired Party in the Kitchen for 10 years and contributed much more to Open Hand.

Chef Peter Kaiser, Kaiser's Chophouse

Kaiser’s first real job in the kitchen was at the elite resort restaurant Alpine Rose in Gstaad Switzerland where he was a line cook. He took this experience to his next opportunity, the Michelin Guide restaurant Chez Max in Zurich. Kaiser spent two years at Chez Max, including traveling around the world with owner Max Kell, before settling in the United States. Between 1986 and 2016, Kaiser would travel to Atlanta and work at restaurants in the Buckhead Life group. He went on to become Executive Chef at two different restaurants in the Here to Serve Restaurant Group. In 2017, Kaiser opened Kaiser’s Chophouse in collaboration with Chef Kevin Rathbun. Since its opening, Kaiser has become a frequent supporter of Open Hand, chairing Party in the Kitchen for the second year in a row.