by TM Petaccia

Building something positive out of loss after his wife passed away from cancer in 2015, Mark Allison had a straightforward idea: bring chefs together, cook, and raise money for local cancer charities. What started as Fork Cancer is now Chefs Against Cancer, but the name change wasn’t the initial plan.

“We were just about to file to trademark ‘Fork Cancer,'” Allison says. “We did all the paperwork and then went online to submit it, and we discovered the American Cancer Society beat us by two weeks. We could file an objection because we’ve been using the name for the last four years, but we just thought we’re both in the same game raising money for cancer victims and their families, so let’s just change out. The new name makes more sense, anyway; Chefs Against Cancer explains itself.”

Now in its fifth year, the organization not only has new name, but also a new structure, and a clearer path forward.

The organization officially received 501(c)(3) status in January. Prior to this, Allison and his team worked with Charlotte’s Chanticleer Foundation to process donations, but the lack of its own nonprofit status presented hurdles. “Every time we would approach a sponsor, they would ask if we were a 501c3, and we’d have to say no,” he says. “Now we’re hoping our own 501c3 status is going to bring in bigger sponsorship and grow the charity.”

With its new nonprofit status, Allison sees opportunities not just to expand its fundraising in the Charlotte area, but on a regional and national level. “I’ve had chefs from Durham and Asheville asking me how they can we create the same thing,” Allison says. “With our new status, we can now move this to any city in America.”

Even with the large potential, growth comes with practical limits. Although, the organization raised an impressive $134,000 last year, Allison is candid about what it takes to properly scale. “To run it as a proper national charity you’re going to have to employ a CEO and staff,” he says. “We need to be bringing in at least $500,000 a year to pay one or two people to run it as a charity and still donate at least 90 percent to local charities. I’ve done this for five years, haven’t taken one cent out of it. Nobody’s ever been paid. It’s all been voluntary.”

Up until this year, all the fundraising was primarily accomplished via one event, the organization’s annual gala dinner and auction in the fall. However, this year, a spring lead-up event has been added, a Chefs Against Cancer Mahjong Evening on April 28 at the Gourmand Market in SouthPark.

“I’ve got this great problem,” Allison says. “I wanted to expand this to include more chefs, but every year the same chefs say ‘sign me up for the dinner next year.’ Then I catered a Mahjong function about six months ago. It had sold out. I never even knew how popular Mahjong was. Then somebody said to me, ‘Why don’t you do something like that?’ We reached out to Gourmand (which hosts many Mahjong events) and they said, ‘You can have the venue free of charge. Just provide some food.'”

The plan is to open the door to other chefs and restaurants to get involved, with events like a specific Chefs Against Cancer night or possibly designate a special dish on the menu where part of the proceeds would go to the charity. The organization is also considering events like pickleball tournaments and 5k or 10k races. “We’re looking at them,” Allison says, “but they are a lot more complicated to organize than how it first looks. So we’re starting with this.”

Tickets for Chefs Against Cancer Dinner Gala 2026 are now on sale. The annual fundraiser is set for October 3, 2026, at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Uptown. It’s a venue that carries personal meaning for its chief organizer. “When I initially had this idea to honor my wife, the venue I’m at now was the venue I always wanted it to be,” Allison says. “Last year, I was so proud that I was standing on the stage at the Marriott, but it took four years to get there.”

As Allison says, the dinner will feature chefs who return year-after-year, with one new addition. This year a trio of chefs from restaurateur Frank Scibelli’s FS Food Group (Calle Sol, Little Mama’s, Mama Ricotta’s, Midwood Smokehouse, Paco’s Tacos & Tequilla, Yafo Kitchen) will be providing the hors d’oeuvres. Returning chefs include Jon and Amy Fortes (Flipside Restaurant Group), Sam Diminich (Restaurant Constance), Andres Prüssing and Mason Martinez (Marriott City Center), and Samantha Ward (L’Ostrica). Chef Chris Aquilino of Elior North America will be providing an alternative vegetarian menu.

Another Fork Cancer/Chefs Against Cancer alumni, Raffaele Patrizi of Mano Bella Artisan Foods, will be doing a special cooking demonstration at the pre-event VIP cocktail hour. Leigh Thomas Brown returns as the evening’s auctioneer.

The auction items of the evening will include six large items, including a special jewelry piece from Diamonds Direct, plus approximately 60 items, valued at $500 or less, which typically include restaurant gift cards, private chef dinners, fine cigars, high-end spirits, wellness packages, and sports items, among others.

This year’s fundraising efforts will support four local charities. The Meggs Foundation and Xander’s Acts of Kindness have been past recipients. This year, The Paula Takacs Foundation, and Barrel Aged Charities haver been added to the annual mission.

“Our target last year was $100,000, and we hit $134,000,” Allison says. “We would like to hit about $150,000 this year, if not more.” Anticipated ticket sales bring in an estimated $90,000 with the rest coming through auction items or direct donations.

For all the planning, numbers, and logistics, Allison returns to a simpler message. “The world today is just crazy with everything that’s going on.,” he says. “To me it’s all about community, and we have a great community here in Charlotte. The goal isn’t just about fundraising, it’s about connection.”

“If we just come together and even if it’s just one night that we’re breaking bread for our friendship, it makes all the difference.”

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