AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company, today announced it will host the World’s Largest Virtual Friendsgiving Hormel Foods Edition on Tuesday, Nov. 24, starting at 7 p.m. CT on the Hormel Foods YouTube channel. Hormel Foods invites all of its team members, customers, partners and fans to enjoy celebrity guest appearances, musical performances, and helpful holiday cooking and entertaining tips.
“Hormel Foods is all about food, friends and family and we wanted to create an event to help bring people together around a virtual table to share in the holiday and offer a bit of fun and entertainment for what has been a challenging year for so many,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods.
The World’s Largest Virtual Friendsgiving Hormel Foods Edition livestream is the latest in a series of virtual events hosted by the company to bring its inspired people together during the pandemic. Hormel Foods has hosted several concerts since early April and an online film festival, as well as airing a special graduation event in June for the class of 2020. The company has also supported its team members, customers, partners and communities with donations totaling more than $1.5 million to hunger causes and more than 4 million meals to those in need since the pandemic began. This is in addition to the more than $50 million in cash and product donations to hunger-relief organizations over the last five years.
“During the event, we will donate an additional 250,000 meals to Feeding America to help provide food for those who are struggling with hunger during this time,” Snee said.
The World’s Largest Virtual Friendsgiving Hormel Foods Edition will be hosted by Paul Zahn, an entertaining expert, TV host and writer. He has appeared on “E! News” and “Celebrity Page TV,”and is a regular on several other television shows.
Musical entertainment will be provided by Boyz II Men and Taylor Dayne. For 25 years, iconic vocal group Boyz II Men has given fans a rich catalogue of hits and No. 1 albums that have withstood the test of time. The group holds four Grammy Awards. An American pop icon with a career spanning three decades, Taylor Dayne is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist.
Joey Fatone, who first rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum boy band *NSYNC and has become a successful actor, host, Broadway star, voiceover artist, dancer and TV personality, will join the celebration. Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks, an actor, stand-up comedian and entrepreneur, will share a comedy set.
Karen Huger, Carson Kressley and Mia Mastroianni will discuss Thanksgiving memories, tablescape ideas and cocktail tutorials, respectively. Reality star Huger applies her entrepreneurial spirit in various beauty, fashion and lifestyle ventures, and she reigns supreme as the grand dame of Potomac. She is also a public speaker who uses every opportunity to empower women and influence positive change. Emmy-Award-winning TV personality, style expert, fashion designer and New York Times best-selling author are just some of the credits of the multitalented and unforgettable Kressley. Mastroianni has over 15 years of experience in the service industry, from Boston to Los Angeles. She became one of the founding bartenders of Soho House West Hollywood, a private members-only club, and her expertise led her to be cast as an expert mixologist on the highly rated TV show “Bar Rescue.”
Of course, a Friendsgiving celebration would not be complete without food and drink. Professional chefs and food industry experts will provide commentary and demonstrations for the perfect Thanksgiving meal, whatever the size. Chef and restaurateur Lamar Moore has more than 18 years in the culinary space, working in sports stadiums, restaurants and hotels. He will demonstrate how to air fry a turkey. Charcuterie expert Evan Inada with Columbus® Craft Meats will demonstrate how to build a fun and exciting story around charcuterie and discuss how to use charcuterie to satisfy guests of all ages and tastes, as well as appropriate drink pairings. Chef Grace Ramirez, a chic Latin American soul food chef, TV personality and cookbook author, will demonstrate how to prepare a special Thanksgiving dessert.
ABOUT HORMEL FOODS — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin’s®, Wholly®, Hormel® Black Label®, Columbus® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the “Global 2000 World’s Best Employers” list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine’s most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” list for the 12th year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world’s most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
