HARLEM EATUP! RETURNS WITH THE LUMINARY AWARDS DINNER HONORING EMMY AWARD WINNING HOST, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND AUTHOR TAMRON HALL AND LEGENDARY ARTIST, DJ AND PHOTOGRAPHER D-NICE
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Raymond P. Lewis
RPL Consulting, LLC
929-228-2239
rpleventsandpr@gmail.com
(October 2023 – New York, New York). Harlem EatUp! Co-founders Marcus Samuelsson, award-winning chef and restaurateur, and Herb Karlitz, veteran event marketer and international food festival producer, are pleased to announce the honorees for the sixth annual Luminary Awards - Two Time Emmy Award-winning TV host, executive producer, and author, Tamron Hall and the legendary Harlem-born artist, DJ and photographer D-Nice, of “Club Quarantine” fame. The Harlem EatUp! Luminary Awards Dinner will be co-presented by Citi and Mastercard® and will take place on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
The Luminary Awards Dinner kicks off a series of events heralding the return of the acclaimed Harlem EatUp! festival in spring 2024. “We are excited to reignite the Harlem EatUp! festival this fall and continuing into 2024. The community met a lot of challenges over these past few years, and while things still aren’t easy, we are eager to share Harlem’s renowned hospitality, incredible culture and amazing eats!” said co-founder Marcus Samuelsson. “After a 3-year hiatus, we're thrilled to be planning the relaunch of HEU in person, starting with three high profile Harlem dinners in November, then gearing up for May 2024 when we're back to celebrate this iconic neighborhood, its residents, food, art and music,” said co-founder Herb Karlitz.
The Harlem EatUp! Luminary Awards Dinner was created to spotlight local visionaries and leaders and has been a signature Harlem EatUp! event since the festival’s launch in 2015. Past honorees include The Honorable David Dinkins, Dapper Dan, Thelma Golden, Jonelle Procope, Bevy Smith, Lana Turner, and Madame C.J. Walker (posthumously.)
This year’s awards dinner will be hosted at Harlem’s historic Alhambra Ballroom, 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. This unique neo classically designed venue was built originally as a vaudeville theater in 1905 and played an important role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s and in the jazz scene of the 1930s and 1940s hosting performances by Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and others.
The Harlem EatUp! Luminary Awards Dinner co-presenting sponsors are Citi and Mastercard. As a founding sponsor of Harlem EatUp! Citi has been a long-time supporter. "Harlem is one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse communities in the country and we could not be more excited about the return of the festival to recognize some of the neighborhood's pioneers and most iconic culinary voices," said Tina Davis, Interim Chief Marketing Officer at Citi. "As a long-time supporter, we look forward to once again celebrating the small businesses who have fueled Harlem's progress and its culinary richness.”
Mastercard is continuing its support of the culinary community as a co-presenting sponsor of the Harlem EatUp! Luminary Awards Dinner as well as two other upcoming Harlem EatUp! collaborative culinary events. Mastercard cardholders will have access to partake in this celebration and purchase VIP tickets to the Luminary Awards Dinner as well as Dine In Harlem dinner parties on Priceless.com.
“Mastercard is committed to celebrating and bringing people closer to their passion for food,” said Rustom Dastoor, EVP of North America Marketing and Communications at Mastercard. “We are thrilled to further our support of long-time ambassador, Marcus Samuelsson, and sponsor the Harlem EatUp! Luminary Awards Dinner and Dine In Harlem events to spotlight local culinary leaders and entrepreneurs in the community.”
Supporting sponsors include Foster GrantTM as well as wine and spirits sponsors Aslina Wines, B. Stuyvesant Champagne and Ten To One Rum.
Chef Marcus and Chef Ed Brumfield of Marcus Samuelsson Group will partner with executive Chef Daniel Philogene of the Alhambra Ballroom to create a festive meal celebrating African and African American cuisines featuring Harlem culinary favorites. Other upcoming Harlem EatUp! initiatives include the “Dine In Harlem” series of dinner parties, featuring culinary collaborations between some of Harlem's most prominent chefs and high-profile guest chefs from NYC and beyond. On Thursday, November 9, Melba Wilson and JJ Johnson will collaborate on a special menu at Melba’s Restaurant and on Wednesday, November 15, Marcus Samuelsson and Dawn Burrell will collaborate at Ginny’s Supper Club. The series will also be co-presented by Citi and Mastercard.
Tickets for the Luminary Awards Dinner are priced at $200.00 per pair of tickets and are available exclusively to Citi and Mastercard cardholders at citientertainment.com and Priceless.com.
For further information please go to HarlemEatUp.com. To interview Marcus Samuelsson or for any other press inquiries, please contact Raymond P. Lewis, rpleventsandpr@gmail.com.
Tamron Hall Two-time Emmy®-winning journalist and author Tamron Hall is Executive Producer and host of the nationally syndicated talk show “Tamron Hall,” which returned September 5, 2023. Entering a fifth season marks an impressive milestone for Hall, making her one of only a few journalists in TV history to achieve this accomplishment. Hall, recently nominated for a 2023 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, has been honored with the award two times since launching her eponymous show. Her 2020 win marked the first time a freshman host received the accolade.
Since the talk show’s September 2019 debut, Hall has brought a distinctive, refreshing, and relatable voice to daytime, and her commitment to “talk about it” has energized and entertained her passionate audience, adoringly known as the “Tam Fam.” As a veteran journalist, Hall leans into her 30 plus years in the field to ask the tough questions while having engaging, thoughtful conversations that build community and shed light on topics that matter. From the deeply personal to purely fun, the show is a daily destination for viewers to connect with stories and people who are shaping our world.
Hall’s 2021 debut novel, “As the Wicked Watch,” is the first installment of her critically acclaimed “Jordan Manning” mystery series with the highly anticipated second book set to release in March 2024. Hall also hosts Court TV’s original true-crime series, “Someone They Knew With Tamron Hall,” which returned for a second season in February 2023. Previously, Hall co-hosted the third hour of “TODAY” and “TODAY’s Take” for three years and anchored “MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall.” Additionally, she hosted “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” for six seasons on Investigation Discovery, taking an in-depth look at crimes that shocked the nation.
D-Nice
With his journey taking him from the streets of Harlem all the way to The White House, Derrick “D-Nice” Jones is not only a pillar of hip-hop but is continuing to steer pop culture.
The legendary artist, DJ, and photographer has moved millions on wax, on stage, and now online with his revolutionary virtual “Club Quarantine”. The latter paved the way for numerous Instagram Live series. More importantly, “Club Quarantine” raised millions for first responders, HBCU’s, and more. D-Nice’s global influence has been acknowledged time and again including the NAACP Image Awards naming him Entertainer Of The Year, Time Magazine nominating him for 2020 Person of the Year, and Ebony Magazine including him on the 2021 “Power 100” list.
D-Nice continued the year taking his talent from his sold-out Club Quarantine Live at the Hollywood Bowl to the iconic Met and Kennedy Center Honors Galas. Last year, with the evolution of his artistry on full display, D-Nice got viewers around the world moving with his performances at the NBA All-Star Game and the 94th Academy Awards. D-Nice and his company, BrandNice, continued to expand their reach with him headlining and the company co-producing a special sold-out presentation of Club Quarantine Live at the legendary CarnegieHall and a history-making engagement at the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He rounded out 2022 with appearances on the Soul Train and American Music Awards and returned to the stage on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, kicking off 2023 as both the DJ and West Coast Co-Host.
Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus Samuelsson is the renowned chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster in Harlem (NYC) and Overtown (Miami); Hav & Mar in Chelsea (NYC); several MARCUS locations including Montreal, the Bahamas, Newark, and Atlanta; and his newest concept, Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (World Trade Center, NYC), opening October 2023. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards. He is a longstanding judge on the hit Food Network show Chopped, head judge of Top Chef Family Style, and Iron Chef on Netflix’s rebooted Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. Samuelsson is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef and The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.
Follow Samuelsson on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks and on TikTok at @Marcus_Cooks.
Harlem EatUp!
Harlem EatUp! is the nation’s premier African American focused food festival showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of Harlem’s hospitality mecca as well as its world-famous arts and culture. Co-founded by celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson and renowned events marketer Herb Karlitz of Karlitz & Company in 2015, the festival brings together Harlem’s dynamic restaurateurs, chefs, artists, and local entrepreneurs to celebrate the food, art, music, and culture of the neighborhood.
###